EP0431956A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cellular radiotelephone diagnostic system
Assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1990-12-07
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-12-07
Abstract
Abstract A system and method of evaluating the radio coverage of a geographic area (105, 110 or 115) serviced by a digital cellular radiotelephone communication system is described which comprises a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver and a plurality of mobile units (100) having co-located transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving communication message signals between the base stations (101, 106 and 111) and a mobile unit (100). During operation, the position of at least one of the mobile units (100) operating within the geographic area (105, 110 and 115) is located when a call is received by a base station (101, 106 or 111). The base station monitors the signal quality of the call and collects information relevant to the actual performance of the communication system. The mobile unit location and corresponding signal quality data are passed from the base station to an evaluation tool (117) housed within the central operation and maintenance unit (116). The evaluation tool (117) collects the data, performs all necessary analytic and arithmetic computations, and provides a user-friendly representation of the characteristics of the radio coverage. With this representation of the radio coverage characteristics, the system operator can quickly and efficiently diagnose coverage deficiencies and take the necessary corrective action. By continuously monitoring subscriber calls and updating the pictographic representations, the system operator can actually observe the effect of the adopted modifications in a pseudo real-time fashion.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel Richard Tayloe
- 👤 Jeffrey D. Bonta
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 22:21
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W24/00; H04W24/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
In a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers, a method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of geographic areas (105, 110 and 115) serviced by the communication system characterized by: locating the position of at least one mobile unit (100) operating within the geographic area; monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between the base stations (101, 106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and providing a computer generated representation of characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
In a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers, a method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of geographic areas (105, 110 and 115) serviced by the communication system characterized by: locating a position of at least one mobile unit (100) operating within a geographic area (105, 110 or 115); monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations (101, 106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and adjusting the communication system coverage, based upon the actual electromagnetic coverage characteristics determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of a communication system.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
133 words
A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area (105, 110 or 115) serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers characterized by the steps of: locating the position of at least one mobile unit (100) operating within the geographic area (105, 110, or 115); monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations (101, 106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and presenting a pictographic representation of actual electromagnetic coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
49 words
The method of claims 1, 2, or 3 further comprising the step of: determining traffic density distributions across geographic areas (105, 110 and 115) having electromagnetic coverage, such that an operator can adjust the electromagnetic coverage of the communication system to accommodate traffic patterns within a specific geographic area.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
77 words
The method of claims 1, 2, or 3 further comprising the steps of: determining a number of dropped calls in a geographic area (105, 110 or 115) having electromagnetic coverage, over a time period; and calculating a percentage of dropped calls within the geographic area (105, 110 or 115) based on a total number of calls handled in that geographic area, such that an operator can identify a percentage of dropped cals within a specific geographic area.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of: identifying a last known position for at least some of the mobile units (100) that drop calls; and grouping the identity of at least some of the last known positions, such that an operator can identify areas that have no electromagnetic coverage.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
74 words
The method of claims 1, 2, or 3 further comprising the steps of: measuring signal strength levels for calls handled by a mobile unit (100) operating within a geographic area (105, 110 or 115); and calculating an average signal strength level for the geographic area (105, 110 or 115) based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area, such that an operator can observe signal strength contours across a communication system.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
39 words
The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 further comprising the step of: locating handoff boundaries within the geographic areas (105, 110 and 115), such that an operator can observe coverage size changes in response to system parameter modifications.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 8 wherein a representation includes signal strength levels at the handoff boundaries, such that an operator can identify areas providing poor overlap between adjacent geographic areas (105, 110 and 115) having electromagnetic coverage.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
39 words
The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 further comprising the step of: locating zones of interference within the geographic areas (105, 110 and 115) having electromagnetic coverage, such that an operator can identify areas having poor signal quality.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
69 words
The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 further comprising the steps of: establishing mobile unit attenuation levels for calls handled by mobile units (100) operating within a geographic area (105, 110 or 115); and calculating an average attenuation level for a geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area, such that an operator can observe the leveling effect of dynamic power control.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
106 words
The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 further comprising the steps of: calculating an average signal strength level for a geographic area (105, 110 or 115) based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; and calculating an average attenuation level for that geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; and thereby calculating average path losses for calls handled by mobile units (100) operating within that geographic area based upon average signal strength levels and average attenuation levels, such that a operator can observe actual signal strength levels absent the effect of dynamic power control.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
70 words
The method of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage include, but are not limited to: electromagnetic coverage area size; electromagnetic handoff boundaries; areas having poor signal quality; areas having no electromagnetic coverage; areas providing poor overlap; areas experiencing electromagnetic interference; areas experiencing high handover failures; traffic density distribution; signal strength contours; effect of dynamic power control; average timeslot utilization; and average channel holding time.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method according to claim 2 further characterized by the steps of: locating the position of at least some of the mobile units (100) operating within a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage; tracking the position of the mobile units (100); and altering system parameters to adjust the electromagnetic coverage, such that an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of the communication system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 14 wherein the step of tracking is further characterized by: collecting distance and bearing data on at least some of the mobile units (100); and recording the mobile unit (100) positions at a periodic rate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 14 wherein the step of altering system parameters includes, but is not limited to: increasing transmitter power; decreasing transmitter power; increasing base station antenna height; decreasing base station antenna height; adding additional base stations; utilizing omni-directional antenna; utilizing sector-directional antenna; changing frequency assignments; changing software algorithms; changing algorithmic parameters; and varying antenna shaping.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method according to claim 1 or 3 further characterized by the steps of: locating the position of at least some of the mobile units (110) operating within a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage; tracking the position of the mobile units (100); altering system parameters to adjust the electromagnetic coverage; and updating the representation of the electromagnetic coverage characteristics as a function of altering, such that an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of the communication system.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the step of updating the representation of the electromagnetic coverage characteristics includes depicting the characteristics of a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage, to permit a holistic analysis of a communication system.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
43 words
The method of claims 1 or 2 wherein the step of providing a representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage comprises depicting the characteristics of a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage, to permit a holistic analysis of a communication system.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
170 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool (117) for a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool (117) wherein the improvement is characterized by: means (103, 108 and 113), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for locating the position of at least one mobile unit (100) operating within a geographic area (105, 110 and 115) having electromagnetic coverage; means (102, 107 and 112), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for monitoring the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations (101, 106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and means (118 and 122), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for providing a computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage, from the monitored transmissions, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
163 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool (117) for a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 111) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool (117) characterized by: means (103, 108 and 113), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for locating the position of at least one mobile unit (100) operating within a geographic area (105, 110 and 115) having electromagnetic coverage; means (102, 107 and 112), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for monitoring the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations (101,106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and means (119 and 121), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for adjusting the communication system electromagnetic coverage based upon actual coverage characteristics determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of a communication system.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
159 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool (117), for a communication system having a plurality of base stations (101, 106 and 11) each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units (100) each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool (117) characterized by: means (104, 109 and 114), for receiving positional information on the location of mobile units (100) operating within a geographic area having electromagnetic coverage; means (104, 109 and 114), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for receiving the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations (101, 106 and 111) and the mobile unit (100); and means (118 and 122), operably coupled to the evaluation tool (117), for presenting a pictographic representation of actual electromagnetic coverage characteristics within a geographic area, based upon receiving position and signal quality, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
55 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are determined by monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between base stations ( 101, 106 and 111) and mobile unit (100), and are not based upon theoretical propagation rules and preplanned geographical divisions.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are not solely based upon signal strength measurements.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are dependant upon mobile unit (100) locations.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein the electromagnetic coverage is a waveform selected from the spectrum consisting of: radio frequency (RF); infrared; and microwave transmission.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
41 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20 or 21 wherein locating means (103, 108 and 113) employ a radiolocation technique selected from the group consisting of: radio ranging; trilateration; triangulation; dead reckoning; sign posting; timing advance; and global positioning systems.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
23 words
The evaluation tool (117) according to claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein the plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage are simultaneously evaluated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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