Method and apparatus for testing wireless communication channels

• US 20030131297A1
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Idreas A. Mir, Scott Eduard Fischel
• Original Assignee: Idreas A. Mir, Scott Eduard Fischel
• Inventors: Fischel, Scott Eduard, Mir, Idreas A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/728
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/244 test sequence generators

Abstract

Techniques to test a wireless communication link. A traffic channel is tested via a test data service option (TDSO) that may be negotiated and connected similar to other services. Test parameters values may be proposed, accepted or rejected, and negotiated. Test data for a channel is generated based on a defined data pattern or a pseudo-random number generator. Sufficient test data may be generated based on the generator for a test interval, stored to a buffer, and thereafter retrieved from a particular section of the buffer to form data block(s) for each “active” frame. The traffic channel may be tested using discontinuous transmission. A two-state Markov chain determines whether or not to transmit test data for each frame. The average frame activity and average burst length are defined by selecting the probabilities for transitioning between the ON/OFF states of the Markov chain, which may be driven by a second generator.

Claims

1. A method for generating test data for testing a plurality of channels in a wireless communication system, comprising:

independently generating a sequence of data bits based on a pseudo-random number generator for each channel of the plurality of channels; and

forming a plurality of data blocks for transmission over a plurality of time intervals on a particular channel of the plurality of channels, wherein each data block includes at least a portion of the generated sequence of data bits for the particular channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the generated sequence of data bits for the particular channel to a buffer for the particular channel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the buffer for the particular channel is operated as a circular buffer, the method further comprising:

retrieving data bits for each data block for the particular channel from a particular section of the circular buffer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a starting location in the circular buffer from which to retrieve data bits for a particular data block is determined based in part on a value obtained from the pseudo-random number generator.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

formatting the value obtained from the pseudo-random number generator; and

advancing a pointer for the circular buffer by a number of positions determined based on the formatted number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the sequence of data bits includes

obtaining a value for a particular channel of the plurality of channels, the value corresponding to a current state of the pseudo-random number generator for the particular channel,

forming a set of data bits for the particular channel based on the obtained value, and

updating the pseudo-random number generator for the particular channel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reinitializing the pseudo-random number generator for the particular channel at each synchronization time corresponding to a start of a new test interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization time is determined based in part on a system frame number for a frame on the particular channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the synchronization time is further determined based on a public long code mask (PLCM) assigned to a remote terminal designated to receive data blocks on a particular channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are concurrently tested.

11. A method for generating test data for testing a particular channel in a wireless communication system, comprising:

selecting a particular one of a plurality of available test data types;

generating a sequence of data bits of the selected test data type; and

forming a plurality of data blocks for transmission over a plurality of time intervals on the particular channel, wherein each data block includes at least a portion of the generated sequence of data bits.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the available test data types include test data generated based on a defined data pattern and test data pseudo-randomly generated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sequence of data bits generated based on the defined data pattern includes a plurality of bytes of a particular value.

14. A method for testing a particular channel in a wireless communication system, comprising:

determining a transmission state of a current frame for the particular channel, wherein transmission on the particular channel occurs over frames, and wherein each frame corresponds to a particular time interval;

generating one or more blocks of test data for the current frame if the determined transmission state indicates that test data is to be transmitted;

transmitting the one or more generated blocks of test data on the particular channel; and

maintaining a two-state Markov chain to represent the transmission state for the particular channel, wherein the two-state Markov chain includes an ON state signifying transmission of test data on the particular channel and an OFF state signifying no transmission of test data on the particular channel.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

maintaining a pseudo-random number generator to determine transitions between the ON and OFF states of the Markov chain.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining a value based on a current state of the pseudo-random number generator; and

transitioning from the ON state to the OFF state if a current state of the Markov chain is the ON state and the obtained value is below a first threshold value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transitioning from the OFF state to the ON state if the current state of the Markov chain is the OFF state and the obtained value is below a second threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second threshold values are configurable test parameters.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein transition between the ON state and the OFF state is based on a first probability and transition between the OFF state and the ON state is based on a second probability.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second probabilities are selected to achieve a particular average frame activity on the particular channel indicative of an average duty cycle for transmissions on the channel.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the average frame activity is a selectable test parameter.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second probabilities are selected to achieve a particular average burst length on the particular channel indicative of an average duration for transmissions on the channel.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein transmission of test data occurs on the particular channel for a particular ON duration followed by no transmission of test data for a particular OFF duration.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the ON and OFF durations are configurable test parameters.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a plurality of channels are concurrently tested, and wherein a two-state Markov chain is maintained for each channel being tested.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein one pseudo-random number generator is maintained to determine transitions between Markov states for each set of one or more channels having a frame interval that is different from frame intervals of other channels being tested.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a first pseudo-random number generator is maintained to determine transitions between Markov states for a first set of one or more channels having a first frame interval, and wherein a second pseudo-random number generator is maintained to determine transitions between Markov states for a second set of one or more channels having a second frame interval.

28. A method for testing a plurality of channels in a wireless communication system, comprising:

defining values for a set of test parameters for each of the plurality of channels to be tested; and

testing each of the plurality of channels in accordance with respective values defined for the set of test parameters.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of channels have two or more different frame lengths.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of channels have frame lengths selected from the group consisting of 5 msec, 20 msec, 40 msec, and 80 msec.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of channels include at least one forward traffic channel and at least one reverse traffic channel.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

generating data blocks for transmission over a plurality of frames on the plurality of channels, wherein each data block includes a header that identifies the particular channel on which the data block is transmitted.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein each traffic channel to be tested is associate with a respective sequence of test data bits.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein each traffic channel to be tested is associate with a respective average frame activity.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein each traffic channel to be tested is associate with a respective average burst length.

36. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

maintaining a two-state Markov chain to represent a transmission state for each of the plurality of channels, wherein the two-state Markov chain for each channel includes an ON state signifying transmission of test data on the channel and an OFF state signifying no transmission of test data on the channel.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

maintaining one or more pseudo-random number generators to determine transitions between the ON and OFF states of Markov chains for the plurality of channels.

38. A method for testing a particular channel in a wireless communication system, comprising:

sending from a first entity to a second entity a first message having included therein one or more proposed values for one or more parameters for testing the particular channel; and

receiving from the second entity a response message rejecting or accepting the one or more proposed values sent in the first message.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the response message includes one or more alternative values for one or more parameters rejected by the second entity.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

sending to the second entity a second message having included therein one or more values for one or more parameters rejected by the second entity.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the first entity is a remote terminal and the second entity is a base station in the communication system.

42. A transmitting entity in a wireless communication system, comprising:

at least one pseudo-random number generator, each generator configured to generate pseudo-random numbers used to generate a sequence of data bits; and

at least one buffer operatively coupled to the at least one generator, each buffer configured to store a respective generated sequence of data bits,

wherein a plurality of data blocks are formed for transmission over a plurality of time intervals on a particular channel, and wherein each data block includes at least a portion of a particular sequence of data bits from a particular buffer; and

a controller configured to select one of a plurality of available test data types, wherein the available test data types include test data generated based on a defined data pattern and test data pseudo-randomly generated.

43. The transmitting entity claim 42, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a transmission state of a current frame for the particular channel, and wherein the transmission state is either an ON state signifying transmission of test data on the particular channel in the current frame or an OFF state signifying no transmission of test data on the particular channel in the current frame.

44. The transmitting entity claim 42, wherein a plurality of channels are concurrently tested, and wherein one pseudo-random number generator and one buffer are associate with each channel to be tested.

45. A method of exchanging test parameter values between a remote terminal and a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

sending proposed test parameter values from the remote terminal to the base station; and

receiving a service option control message from the base station rejecting or negatively acknowledging the proposed test parameter values.

46. A method of constructing a circular buffer storing a plurality of maximum-rate frames transmitted on a particular channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

constructing data for the circular buffer from iterations of a pseudo-random number generator a plurality of times for each test interval; and

using a set of bits from a number generated by the pseudo-random number generator to indicate a byte offset to determine a starting position in the circular buffer from which to build one or more data blocks for a particular frame period.