Wireless coverage testing systems and methods with unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 10,327,151 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etak Systems, Llc
• Original Assignee: Etak Systems, Llc
• Inventors: Priest, Lee, Terry, Charlie, Godwin, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Demeter, Hilina K
• Application Number:
  US15/175,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 455446, 701 4
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based method of wireless coverage testing includes with a UAV comprising a wireless coverage testing configuration, flying the UAV in a route in a wireless coverage area associated with a cell tower; collecting measurement data via the wireless coverage testing configuration during the flying and associated with collected measurement data with location identifiers; and, subsequent to the flying, processing the collected measurement data with the location identifiers to provide an output detailing wireless coverage in the wireless coverage area including wireless coverage at ground level and above ground level to a set elevation.

Claims

1. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based method of wireless coverage testing, the UAV-based method comprising:

with a UAV comprising a wireless coverage testing configuration, flying the UAV in a route in a wireless coverage area associated with a cell tower, wherein the wireless testing configuration includes two or more mobile devices disposed on the UAV and spaced at a minimum distance of at least one foot from one another to prevent interference;

collecting measurement data via the wireless coverage testing configuration during the flying and associating the collected measurement data with location identifiers, wherein the measurement data is collected via a first mobile device performing a test call during the flying and a second mobile device in a free or idle mode collecting associated measurement data during the flying; and

subsequent to the flying, processing the collected measurement data with the location identifiers to provide an output detailing wireless coverage in the wireless coverage area including wireless coverage at ground level and above ground level to a set elevation up to 1000′

,

wherein the route comprises an overlapping region where the cell tower has a handoff with an adjacent cell tower, and

wherein the method comprises at least two flights for the flying and each of the flying steps for additional wireless coverage testing is performed with the UAV taking off and landing at a same location and a same launch orientation for each of the at least two flights at a cell site associated with the cell tower.

2. The UAV-based method of claim 1, wherein the UAV comprises a frame disposed thereto with the two or more devices attached thereto.

3. The UAV-based method of claim 1, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least two independent location identification techniques thereby improving accuracy thereof.

4. The UAV-based method of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a substantially circular pattern at a fixed elevation about the cell tower.

5. The UAV-based method of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a substantially circular pattern at a varying elevations about the cell tower.

6. The UAV-based method of claim 1, wherein the wireless coverage testing configuration is configured to measure a plurality of Signal intensity, Signal quality, Interference, Dropped calls, Blocked calls, Anomalous events, Call statistics, Service level statistics, Quality of Service (QoS) information, Handover information, and Neighboring cell information.

7. The UAV-based method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to the flying and prior to the processing, flying the UAV in a second route in a second wireless coverage area associated with a second cell tower; and

collecting second measurement data via the wireless coverage testing configuration during the flying the second route and associating the collected second measurement data with second location identifiers.

8. The UAV-based method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a relative quality of service of the test call utilizing a Mean opinion score.

10. The UAV of claim 7, wherein the UAV comprises a frame disposed thereto with the two or more devices attached thereto.

9. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) adapted for wireless coverage testing, the UAV comprising:

one or more rotors disposed to a body;

wireless interfaces;

a wireless coverage testing configuration, wherein the wireless testing configuration includes two or more mobile devices disposed on the UAV and spaced at a minimum distance of at least one foot from one another to prevent interference;

a processor coupled to the wireless interfaces, the one or more rotors, and the wireless coverage testing configuration; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

cause the UAV to fly in a route in a wireless coverage area associated with a cell tower;

collect measurement data via the wireless coverage testing configuration during the flight and associate the collected measurement data with location identifiers, wherein the measurement data is collected via a first mobile device performing a test call during the flying and a second mobile device in a free or idle mode collecting associated measurement data during the flying; and

subsequent to the flight, provide the collected measurement data with the location identifiers for processing to provide an output detailing wireless coverage in the wireless coverage area including wireless coverage at ground level and above ground level to a set elevation up to 1000′

,

wherein the route comprises an overlapping region where the cell tower has a handoff with an adjacent cell tower, and

wherein the method comprises at least two flights for the flying and each of the flying steps for additional wireless coverage testing is performed with the UAV taking off and landing at a same location and a same launch orientation for each of the at least two flights at a cell site associated with the cell tower.

11. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the location identifiers comprise at least two independent location identification techniques thereby improving accuracy thereof.

12. The UAV of claim 9, wherein at least two flights are performed with the UAV and each subsequent of the at least two flights for additional wireless coverage testing is performed with the UAV taking off and landing at a same location and launch orientation at a cell site associated with the cell tower.

13. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the route comprises one of a substantially circular pattern at a fixed elevation about the cell tower and a substantially circular pattern at a varying elevations about the cell tower.

14. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the wireless coverage testing configuration is configured to measure a plurality of Signal intensity, Signal quality, Interference, Dropped calls, Blocked calls, Anomalous events, Call statistics, Service level statistics, Quality of Service (QoS) information, Handover information, and Neighboring cell information.

15. The UAV of claim 9, wherein a relative quality of service of the test call is determined utilizing a Mean opinion score.