Radio communication systems with integrated location-based measurements for diagnostics and performance optimization

• US 10,009,827 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Van E., Kummetz, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Weibin
• Application Number:
  US15/287,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15528 Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15535 Control of relay amplifier gain amplifier gain control in general H03G3/00; gain control reducing self - or loop interference H04B7/15578
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A mobile communication system includes: a first antenna for receiving communication signals; processing circuitry for processing received communication signals; a second antenna for transmitting processed signals. The processing circuitry utilizes at least one configurable setting for processing received communication signals, the configurable setting being adaptable for varying the processing of received communication signals as the system moves through a mobile environment. The processing circuitry configured to: receive, over time, input representing current geographical location of the system; determine whether the system is entering a first geographical zone based on the input representing the current geographical location and path of system; and automatically adapt the configurable setting as the system enters the first geographical zone, wherein adaptation of configurable setting is based on known signal characteristics associated with the received signals from mobile devices in the first geographical zone.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system, comprising:

at least a first antenna for receiving communication signals;

processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals;

at least a second antenna for transmitting the processed signals;

the processing circuitry utilizing at least one configurable setting for processing the received communication signals, the at least one configurable setting being adaptable for varying the processing of the received communication signals as the mobile communication system moves through a mobile environment;

the processing circuitry configured to receive, over time, at least one input representing a current geographical location of the mobile communication system;

the processing circuitry further configured to determine whether the mobile communication system is entering a first geographical zone based on the at least one input representing the current geographical location of the mobile communication system and a path of the mobile communication system; and

the processing circuitry further configured to automatically adapt the at least one configurable setting as the mobile communication system enters the first geographical zone, wherein the adaptation of the at least one configurable setting is based on known signal characteristics associated with received signals from one or more mobile devices in the first geographical zone.

2. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry utilizes a plurality of configurable settings, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to adapt two or more of the plurality of configurable settings as the mobile communication system enters the first geographical zone.

3. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the first geographical zone is included in a plurality of geographical zones stored in a memory of the mobile communication system, wherein known signal characteristics associated with received signals from one or more mobile devices in each geographical zone of the plurality of geographical zones are stored in the memory of the mobile communication system.

4. The mobile communication system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of geographical zones includes a second geographical zone, wherein the second geographical zone is located completely within the first geographical zone.

5. The mobile communication system of claim 1, the mobile communication system further comprising:

an automatic gain control circuit, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to adapt the automatic gain control circuit as the mobile communication system enters the first geographical zone.

6. The mobile communication system of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is operable to at least one of:

increase the gain applied to the received communication signals with the automatic gain control circuit;

or

decrease the gain applied to the received communication signals with the automatic gain control circuit.

7. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the adaptation of the at least one configurable setting as the mobile communication system enters the first geographical zone is further based on a known location of at least one base station associated with the first geographical zone.

8. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the known signal characteristics associated with the first geographical zone were logged and stored by the mobile communication system during prior passages through the mobile environment.

9. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to receive configuration information from a computing system, wherein the configuration information includes known signal characteristics associated with signals received from one or more mobile devices within the first geographical zone.

10. The mobile communication system of claim 9, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of:

data collected by the mobile communication system;

data collected from a second mobile communication system;

or

data collected from external to the mobile communication system.

11. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to determine a plurality of current operating conditions and to adapt the at least one configurable setting of the system based upon at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions.

12. The mobile communication system of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions includes one or more of:

an identification of a base station in communication with the mobile communication system;

a location of the base station;

a network property associated with the base station;

a signal property associated with the base station;

or

an identification of at least one network the mobile communication system is in communication with.

13. The mobile communication system of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions includes at least one environmental detail of the mobile communication system, wherein the at least one environmental detail includes one or more of:

a speed of a mobile platform containing the mobile communication system;

an ambient temperature;

a time of day;

a communication traffic condition of the mobile communication system;

an obstacle to transmission by the mobile communication system;

or

logistical information regarding the mobile platform containing the mobile communication system.

14. The mobile communication system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication system is at least one of:

a repeater;

or

a distributed antenna system.

15. A method of propagating communication signals using a mobile communication system, comprising:

receiving communication signals with a mobile communication system;

processing the received communication signals and transmitting the processed signals;

utilizing at least one configurable setting in the processing the received communication signals, the at least one configurable setting being adaptable for varying the processing of the received communication signals as the mobile communication system moves through a mobile environment;

receiving, over time, at least one input representing a current geographical location of the mobile communication system;

determining whether the mobile communication system is entering a first geographical zone based on the at least one input representing the current geographical location of the mobile communication system and a path of the mobile communication system; and

automatically adapting the at least one configurable setting as the mobile communication system enters the first geographical zone based on known signal characteristics associated with received signals from one or more mobile device in the first geographical zone.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

analyzing current signal characteristics associated with signals received from one or more mobile devices, the current signal characteristics including at least one of;

power, gain, frequency, the number of signals, the carrier-to-interference ratio, the error vector magnitude, the modulation error ratio, or the beacon type.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically adapting the at least one configurable setting includes adapting an automatic gain control circuit to at least one of:

increasing a gain applied to the received communication signals with the automatic gain control circuit;

or

decreasing a gain applied to the received communication signals with the automatic gain control circuit.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a plurality of current operating conditions; and

adapting the at least one configurable setting of the mobile communication system based upon at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions, wherein the at least one of the plurality of current operating conditions includes one or more of;

an identification of a base station in communication with the system;

a location of the base station;

a network property associated with the base station;

a signal property associated with the base station;

or

an identification of at least one network the mobile communication system is in communication with.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

logging data associated with the received communication signals and the transmitted processed signals in at least one temporal log file for a predetermined amount of time in response to detecting a fault associated with the mobile communication system.

20. A communication system on a mobile platform, comprising:

at least a second antenna for receiving communication signals;

processing circuitry for processing the received communication signals;

at least a second antenna for transmitting the processed signals;

the processing circuitry utilizing at least one configurable setting for processing the received communication signals, the at least one configurable setting being adaptable for varying the processing of the received communication signals as the communication system moves through an environment on the mobile platform;

a plurality of geographical zones stored in memory, wherein each respective geographical zone of the plurality of geographical zones has known signal characteristics associated with received signals from one or more mobile devices in the respective geographical zone, wherein the known signal characteristics are stored in memory;

the processing circuitry configured to receive, over time, at least one input representing a current geographical location of the communication system;

the processing circuitry further configured to determine whether the communication system is entering a first geographical zone of the plurality of geographical zones based on the at least one input representing the current geographical location of the communication system and a path of the mobile platform; and

the processing circuitry further configured to automatically adapt the at least one configurable setting as the communication system enters the first geographical zone, wherein the adaptation of the at least one configurable setting is based on the known signal characteristics associated with received signals from one or more mobile devices in the first geographical zone.