Method for coverage determination using predefined paths

• US 10,070,336 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Limited
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gunnarsson, Fredrik, Backstrom, Claes, Hagerman, Bo, O'Meara, Jimmy
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US15/117,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• 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 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to coverage monitoring and in particular it relates to determining radio coverage, e.g. for small cell deployment in a building. The disclosure relates to methods for coverage determination as well as to corresponding devices and computer programs. According to one aspect, the disclosure proposes a method, performed in a wireless device 10, of determining radio coverage. The method comprises obtaining S1 at least one path along which radio condition measurements are to be performed and performing S2 radio condition measurements along the at least one path. The method further comprises determining S3 position estimates, wherein at least some of the position estimates correspond to the radio condition measurements. The method further comprises determining S4a radio coverage using the radio condition measurements and corresponding position estimates and/or reporting S4b the radio condition measurements and the corresponding position estimates to a radio network node for determination of radio coverage in the radio network node.

Claims

1. A method, performed in a wireless device, of determining radio coverage for at least one small cell base station, the method comprising:

obtaining at least one path in an indoor environment, along which radio condition measurements are to be performed, wherein the at least one path is obtained at least based on reception of information defining the at least one path from a radio network node;

performing radio condition measurements along the at least one path;

determining position estimates along the at least one path within a predefined distance from the at least one path using location data, wherein at least some of the position estimates correspond to the radio condition measurements, wherein the location data is obtained from a direction sensor and a movement sensor of the wireless device; and

either determining radio coverage using the radio condition measurements and corresponding position estimates, or reporting the radio condition measurements and the corresponding position estimates to the radio network node for determination of radio coverage in the radio network node, wherein the wireless device determines the radio coverage upon reception of an indication from the network node to initiate determination of the radio coverage.

2. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical representation of the path in the wireless device.

3. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, further comprising determining suitable cell deployment using the determined coverage and at least one deployment criteria.

4. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 3, wherein the deployment criteria comprises at least one of:

an estimate of an inter-node distance;

an estimate of a shortest distance to a window;

a signal propagation model; and

a dominance criterion.

5. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, wherein the position estimates are determined by utilizing the at least one predefined path.

6. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical representation of the determined coverage.

7. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, wherein the radio condition measurements comprises at least one of:

Signal to Interference Ratio;

Radio Signal Strength;

Radio Signal Quality;

coding and modulation scheme.

8. The method of determining radio coverage of claim 1, wherein the indication to initiate determination is triggered by a Human Interface Device action in the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each radio condition measurement along the at least one path is associated with a time value and each position estimate is associated with a time value;

and

wherein said determining the radio coverage includes correlating each position estimate to one of the radio condition measurements that has a time value that is closest to a time value of that position estimate;

or wherein said reporting the radio condition measurements and the corresponding position estimates includes reporting their time values so that the radio network node is enabled to correlate each position estimate to one of the radio condition measurements that has a time value that is closest to a time value of that position estimate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each radio condition measurement along the at least one path is associated with a time value and each position estimate is associated with a time value;

and

wherein said determining the radio coverage includes interpolating between position estimates that are associated with time values that are immediately before and immediately after the time value of the corresponding radio condition measurement;

or wherein said reporting the radio condition measurements and the corresponding position estimates includes reporting their time values so that the radio network node is enabled to interpolate between position estimates that are associated with time values that are immediately before and immediately after the time value of the corresponding radio condition measurement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location data is associated with a satellite positioning system or a network assisted positioning system.

12. A wireless device configured to determine radio coverage, the wireless device comprising:

a radio communication interface configured to communicate with a radio network node;

position estimation circuitry configured to estimate position estimates of the wireless device;

processing circuitry; and

memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the wireless device is operative to;

obtain at least one path, in an indoor environment, along which radio condition measurements are to be performed, wherein the at least one path is obtained at least based on reception of information defining the at least one path from the network node;

perform, using the radio communication interface, radio condition measurements along the at least one path;

determine, using the position estimation circuitry, position estimates along the at least one path within a predefined distance from the at least one path using location data, wherein at least some of the position estimates correspond to the radio condition measurements;

wherein the location data is obtained from a direction sensor and a movement sensor of the wireless device; and

either determine radio coverage using the radio condition measurements and corresponding position estimates, or report, using the radio communication interface, the radio condition measurements and the corresponding position estimates to the radio network node for determination of radio coverage in the radio network node, wherein the wireless device determines the radio coverage upon reception of an indication from the network node to initiate determination of the radio coverage.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the instructions are such the wireless device is operative to determine suitable cell deployment using the determined coverage and at least one deployment criteria.

14. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the instructions are such the wireless device is operative to determine position estimates utilizing the at least one predefined path.

15. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the instructions are such the wireless device is operative to provide a graphical representation of the path in the wireless device.

16. A network node comprising:

a communication interface configured for communication with the wireless device;

a processing circuitry; and

a memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is operative to;

send the wireless device information defining at least one path in an indoor environment, along which radio condition measurements are to be performed so that the wireless device is enabled to determine position estimates along that path using location data, wherein the location data is obtained from a direction sensor and a movement sensor of the wireless device, wherein at least some of the position estimates correspond to the radio condition measurements.

17. The network node of claim 16, wherein the instructions are such the network node is operative to:

receive radio condition measurements from the wireless device; and

determine radio coverage using the radio condition measurements and corresponding position estimates.

18. The network node of claim 17, wherein the instructions are such the network node is operative to determine suitable cell deployment using the determined coverage and at least one deployment criteria.