US5023900A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Cellular radiotelephone diagnostic system
Assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1989-12-07
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Granted: 1991-06-11
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Expires: 2009-12-07
Abstract
Abstract A system and method of evaluating the radio coverage of a geographic area serviced by a digital cellular radiotelephone communication system is described which comprises a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver and a plurality of mobile units having co-located transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving communication message signals between the base stations and a mobile unit. During operation, the position of at least one of the mobile units operating within the geographic area is located when a call is received by a base station. 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 a central operation and maintenance unit which 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 R. Tayloe
- 👤 Jeffrey D. Bonta
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 01:53
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W24/00; H04W24/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers comprising the steps of: locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within the geographic area; monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; 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
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers comprising the steps of: locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within the geographic area; monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; 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 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: determining traffic density distributions across the geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; and providing a computer generated representation of the traffic density distribution for the geographic area whereby an operator can adjust the electromagnetic coverage of the communication system to accommodate traffic patterns within the geographic area.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: determining a number of dropped calls in the geographic area of electromagnetic coverage over a time period; calculating a percentage of dropped calls for a geographic area based on a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; and providing a computer generated representations of the percentage of dropped calls in that geographic area.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of: identifying a last known position for at least some of the mobile units that drop calls; grouping the identity of at least some of the last known positions; and providing a computer generated representation of the group, whereby an operator can identify areas that have no electromagnetic coverage.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: measuring signal strength levels for calls handled by a mobile unit operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; calculating an average signal strength level for a geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; and providing a computer generated representation of the average signal strength level in that geographic area, whereby an operator can observe signal strength contours across a communication system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: establishing mobile unit attenuation levels for calls handled by mobile units operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; calculating an average attenuation level for a geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; and providing a computer generated representation of the average attenuation in that geographic area, whereby a system operator can observe the leveling effect of dynamic power control.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
112 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: calculating an average signal strength level for a geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; calculating an average attenuation level for that geographic area based upon a total number of calls handled in that geographic area; thereby calculating average path losses for calls handled by mobile units operating within that geographic area based upon average signal strength levels and average attenuation levels; and providing a computer generated representation of the unattenuated signal strength levels in that geographic area, whereby a system operator can observe actual signal strength levels absent the effect of dynamic power control.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: locating hand off boundaries within the geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; and providing a computer generated representation of electromagnetic coverage size, whereby an operator can observe coverage size changes in response to system parameter modifications.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method according to claim 8 wherein the computer generated representation includes signal strength levels at the handoff boundaries, whereby an operator can identify areas providing poor overlap between adjacent geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: locating zones of interference within the geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; and providing a computer generated representation of the zones of interference, whereby an operator can identify areas having poor signal quality.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: determining an average holding time a plurality of mobile units operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage remain on a channel; providing a computer generated representation of the average channel holding time; and comparing the average channel holding time of the plurality of mobile units to a threshold value for average channel holding time, whereby the operator can issue appropriate warnings.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of locating the mobile unit comprises a radiolocation technique selected from the group consisting of: radio ranging; trilateration; triangulation; dead reckoning; sign posting; timing advance; and global positioning systems.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring the signal quality further comprises the steps of: monitoring transmitter power; monitoring transmitter frequency; monitoring mobile unit signal strength; establishing a mobile unit bit error rate; determining signal-to-noise levels; determining timeslot utilization; and comparing the above measurements to expected threshold levels.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of claim 1 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 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the communication system is a system selected from the group consisting of: cellular radio telephones; digital cellular radio telephones; satellite links; infrared transmissions; and in-building radio telephone systems.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic coverage is a waveform selected from the spectrum consisting of: radio frequency (RF); infrared; and microwave transmissions.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the evaluation of the electromagnetic coverage of the geographic area is continuous.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method according to claim 1 comprising the further steps of: locating the position of at least some of the mobile units operating within a plurality of geographic areas; tracking the position of the mobile units; altering system parameters to adjust the electromagnetic coverage; and updating the computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage as a function of altering, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of tracking the position comprises: collecting distance and bearing data on at least some of the mobile units; and recording the mobile unit positions at a periodic rate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 18 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 22
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of updating the computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage comprises depicting the characteristics of a plurality of geographic areas, to permit a holistic analysis of a communication system.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
115 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising: means for locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within an electromagnetic coverage area; means for monitoring the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for providing a computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage area, from the monitored transmissions, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
115 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising: means for locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within an electromagnetic coverage area; means for monitoring the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for providing a computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage area, from the monitored transmissions, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
45 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are determined by monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between base stations and mobile units, and are not based upon theoretical propagation rules and preplanned geographical divisions.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are not solely based upon signal strength measurements.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are dependant upon mobile unit locations.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the electromagnetic coverage is a waveform selected from the spectrum consisting of: radio frequency (RF); infrared; and microwave transmission.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the locating means employs a radiolocation technique selected from the group consisting of: radio ranging; trilateration; triangulation; dead reckoning; sign posting; timing advance; and global positioning systems.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 22 wherein the coverage of a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage are simultaneously evaluated.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
120 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising: means for receiving positional information on the location of mobile units operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; means for receiving the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for providing a computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage , 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 32
Dependent Claim
120 words
An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising: means for receiving positional information on the location of mobile units operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; means for receiving the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for providing a computer generated representation of the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage , 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 33
Dependent Claim
20 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 29 wherein a plurality of geographic areas having electromagnetic coverage areas are simultaneously evaluated.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
20 words
The evaluation tool according to claim 29 wherein the characteristics of the electromagnetic coverage are dependent upon mobile unit location.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-06-10 | 1994-12-10 | 1995-06-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-06-10 | 1998-12-10 | 1999-06-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-06-10 | 2002-12-10 | 2003-06-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |