Apparatus and methods for determining voice and/or data processing performance of a wireless device

• US 20060198359A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cassett, Tia Manning, Hwang, Jihyun, Yip, Eric Chi Chung, Fok, Kenny
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, processors and computer readable media for determining the voice and/or data processing performance or capability of a wireless device. Embodiments include a wireless device having a computer platform with a processing engine operable to generate a plurality of performance data during voice and/or data processing activities on the wireless device. The wireless device further includes a voice/data performance module operable to collect selected ones of the plurality of performance data associated with a predetermined voice and/or data processing capability of the wireless device. The embodiments may also include an apparatus operable to receive the collected performance data and to generate a performance report characterizing a voice and/or data processing performance or capability of the wireless device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining at least one of a voice and data processing performance of a wireless device, comprising:

a performance module operable to generate and transmit a data collection configuration executable by a wireless device, the data collection configuration defining types of performance data to retrieve from a computer platform of the wireless device, wherein at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device is definable based on the performance data; and

a data repository operable to receive and store the performance data collected from the wireless device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data collection configuration further comprises retrieval parameters associated with the defined types of performance data, the retrieval parameters including at least one of a parameter relating to when to collect the performance data and a parameter relating to when to transmit the collected performance data back to the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance data is selected from the group consisting of data relating to voice call application performance, data call application performance, voice over internet protocol (“

VoIP”

) application performance, text messaging application performance, video application performance, multimedia application performance, internet protocol (“

IP”

) services performance, protocol processing performance, troubleshooting diagnosis, and configuration evaluation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises at least one of voice call information, data call information, application level protocol data, data link layer protocol data, radio link protocol level data, data associated with troubleshooting, data associated with a utility, and Ping utility-related information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an analysis engine operable to generate a performance report having at least one voice processing characteristic or at least one data processing characteristic of the wireless device based on the collected performance data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the performance module further includes a voice/data processing standard, and wherein the analysis engine is operable to compare the collected performance data to the voice/data processing standard to generate the performance report.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance module is operable to generate a device configuration setting effective to change an operational parameter of the wireless device, wherein the device configuration setting is based on the performance data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an optimization module having an optimization algorithm operable to generate the device configuration setting.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance module further comprises a predetermined test to perform on the wireless device in order to generate the performance data, wherein the data collection configuration comprises the predetermined test.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the predetermined test comprises a simulated input from a wireless network component.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data collection configuration further defines associated data to collect, wherein the associated data comprises data associated with the wireless device and with the performance data.

12. An apparatus for determining at least one of voice processing performance and data processing performance of a wireless device, comprising:

a generator means for generating and transmitting a data collection configuration across a wireless network to a wireless device, the data collection configuration defining types of performance data to retrieve from a computer platform of the wireless device, wherein at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device is definable based on the performance data;

a storing means for receiving and storing the performance data collected from the computer platform of the wireless device; and

an analysis means for analyzing the collected performance data and generating a performance report having at least one voice processing characteristic or at least one data processing characteristic of the wireless device based on the collected performance data.

13. A wireless device, comprising:

a computer platform having a processing engine operable to generate a plurality of performance data during at least one of voice processing and data processing activities on the wireless device; and

a performance module operable to collect selected ones of the plurality of performance data associated with at least one of a predetermined voice processing capability and a data processing capability of the wireless device, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of performance data are based on a received data collection configuration.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the data collection configuration is received by the performance module from across a wireless network.

15. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of performance data comprise at least one of signal strength, frame error rate, latency, fading, signal-to-noise ratio, signal pollution from another communications device, signal acquisition rate, voice call establishment rate, overall data throughput, data throughput of a given component of the wireless device, and a number of data re-transmissions.

16. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of performance data comprise at least one of voice call information, data call information, application level protocol data, data link layer protocol data, radio link protocol level data, data associated with troubleshooting, data associated with a utility, and Ping utility-related information.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the performance module is further operable to selectively transmit the selected ones of the plurality of performance data to another computer device across a wireless network.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the performance module further comprises a test module having at least one of a test program and test data, and wherein the computer platform is operable to execute the test program and test data to generate the selected ones of the plurality of performance data.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the performance module is operable to receive a new device configuration operable to change at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device, wherein the new device configuration is based on the selected ones of the plurality of performance data.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the wireless device comprises a cellular telephone and wherein the wireless network comprises a cellular telephone network.

21. A wireless device, comprising:

a processing means for generating a plurality of performance data during at least one of voice processing and data processing activities on the wireless device;

a means for collecting selected ones of the plurality of performance data associated with at least one of a predetermined voice processing capability and a predetermined data processing capability of the wireless device, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of performance data are based on a data collection configuration received from across a wireless network; and

a means for selectively transmitting the collected selected ones of the plurality of performance data across the wireless network.

22. A method of determining at least one of a voice processing performance and a data processing performance of a wireless device, comprising:

receiving performance data from across a wireless network, wherein the received performance data are based on a predetermined data collection configuration and further based on an operation of the wireless device; and

analyzing the collected performance data to determine at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting the predetermined data collection configuration to the wireless device from across the wireless network.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising selecting the performance data from a plurality of performance data associated with a processing engine on a computer platform of the wireless device, and dictating to the wireless device when to collect the selected performance data and when to transmit the collected performance data across the wireless network.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the received performance data are further generated by execution of at least one of a test program and test data on the wireless device.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting a command to execute a selected test program to the wireless device, wherein the received performance data are further generated by execution of the selected test program.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising transmitting at least one of a test program and test data across the wireless network to the wireless device, where the test program and the test data are executable by the wireless device to generate the performance data.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating an optimal device configuration for the wireless device based on the performance data, wherein the optimal device configuration is executable by the wireless device to optimize the voice/data processing characteristic.

29. The method of claim 22, where analyzing the collected performance data further comprises comparing the collected performance data with a predetermined voice/data processing standard.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the collected performance data comprise at least one of voice call application performance-related data, data call application performance-related data, voice over internet protocol (“

VoIP”

) application performance-related data, text messaging application performance-related data, video application performance-related data, multimedia application performance-related data, Internet Protocol services performance-related data, protocol processing performance-related data, troubleshooting diagnosis-related data, and configuration evaluation-related data.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the collected performance data comprise at least one of voice call information, data call information, application level protocol data, data link layer protocol data, radio link protocol level data, data associated with troubleshooting, data associated with a utility, and Ping utility-related information.

32. A computer program resident in a computer readable medium that, when executed, directs a computer device to perform the actions of:

determining a data collection configuration, further comprising selecting one performance data from a plurality of performance data associated with a processing engine on a computer platform of the wireless device, and further comprising dictating to the wireless device when to collect the selected performance data and when to transmit the collected performance data across the wireless network;

transmitting the data collection configuration to the wireless from across the wireless network;

receiving performance data from the operation of the wireless device from across the wireless network, wherein the received performance data are based on the data collection configuration; and

analyzing the collected performance data to determine at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device.

33. A method of determining at least one of a voice processing performance and a data processing performance of a wireless device, comprising:

collecting predetermined ones of a plurality of performance data from a processing engine of the wireless device based on a data collection configuration, where the predetermined performance data are associated with at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device; and

selectively transmitting the collected performance data across a wireless network.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving the data collection configuration from across the wireless network.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving at least one of a test program and test data from across the wireless network, wherein the one of the test program and test data are executable by the wireless device to generate the predetermined performance data; and

executing the received one of the test program and the test data.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a command to execute a selected test program on the wireless device, wherein the predetermined performance data are further generated by execution of the selected test program.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving a new device configuration operable to change at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device, wherein the new device configuration is based on the collected performance data

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the collected performance data comprise at least one of voice call application performance-related data, data call application performance-related data, voice over internet protocol (“

VoIP”

) application performance-related data, text messaging application performance-related data, video application performance-related data, multimedia application performance-related data, Internet Protocol services performance-related data, protocol processing performance-related data, troubleshooting diagnosis-related data, and configuration evaluation-related data.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the collected performance data comprise at least one of voice call information, data call information, application level protocol data, data link layer protocol data, radio link protocol level data, data associated with troubleshooting, data associated with a utility, and Ping utility-related information.

40. A computer program resident in a computer readable medium that, when executed, directs a wireless device to perform the actions of:

receiving a data collection configuration from across a wireless network, the data collection configuration identifying at least one of a plurality of performance data to collect from a processing engine of the wireless device, where the identified performance data are associated with at least one of a predetermined voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device;

collecting the identified performance data based on the received data collection configuration; and

selectively transmitting the collected performance data across the wireless network.

41. At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

receiving a data collection configuration from across a wireless network, the data collection configuration identifying at least one of a plurality of performance data to collect from a processing engine of the wireless device, where the identified performance data are associated with at least one of a predetermined voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device;

collecting the identified performance data based on the received data collection configuration; and

selectively transmitting the collected performance data across the wireless network.

42. At least one processor configured to perform the actions of:

determining a data collection configuration, further comprising selecting one performance data from a plurality of performance data associated with a processing engine on a computer platform of the wireless device, and further comprising dictating to the wireless device when to collect the selected performance data and when to transmit the collected performance data across the wireless network;

transmitting the data collection configuration to the wireless from across the wireless network;

receiving performance data from the operation of the wireless device from across the wireless network, wherein the received performance data are based on the data collection configuration; and

analyzing the collected performance data to determine at least one of a voice processing characteristic and a data processing characteristic of the wireless device.