MINIMIZATION DRIVE TEST WITH REDUCED WIRELESS DEVICE MEMORY USAGE

• US 20130053017A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Henry
• Granted Patent: US 9,380,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• 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

Abstract

A mobile wireless communication device efficiently uses memory when performing a minimization drive test (MDT) by storing less than all of the MDT measurements. The mobile wireless communication device receives a control signal comprising MDT configuration parameters indicating at least a measurement interval. When executing the MDT, the mobile wireless communication device measures a signal characteristic of measurement signals in accordance with the MDT configuration parameters to generate a number of measurements for a measurement period. Rather than storing all of the measurements, only a number of log values corresponding to the measurements are stored in memory, where the number of log values is less than the number of measurement values.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communication device comprising:

a memory;

a receiver configured to receive a control signal and measurement signals, the control signal comprising a minimization drive test (MDT) configuration parameter indicating at least a measurement interval;

a controller configured to;

execute a minimization drive test (MDT) comprising measuring a signal characteristic of the measurement signals in accordance with the MDT configuration parameter to generate a measurement number of measurements for a measurement period; and

store, in the memory, a log number of log values corresponding to at least some of the measurements, the log number being less than the measurement number.

2. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein each log value of the log values corresponds to a selected measurement of the measurements.

3. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one log value of the log values is based on two or more selected measurements of the measurements.

4. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the at least one log value corresponds to an average of the two or more selected measurements.

5. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein:

the two or more selected measurements are consecutive measured values; and

the average of the two or more selected measurements is compared to a last log value and a new log value is created from the average only when a difference between the average and the last log value is greater than or equal a threshold.

6. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the measurement signals are reference signals.

7. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the signal characteristic indicates a quality of the measurement signals.

8. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the signal characteristic is selected from Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) value.

9. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to measure the signal characteristic of the measurement signals in accordance with a MDT described by at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification.

10. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the control signal is a Resource Control (RRC) message and the receiver is configured to receive the MDT configuration parameter within a LoggedMeasurementConfiguration in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards.

11. A method of performing a minimization of drive test (MDT), the method comprising:

obtaining a number of MDT measurement values within a measurement period;

applying a logging process to generate a number of log values representing the MDT measurement values; and

storing the log values in memory, the number of log values less than the number of MDT measurement values.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each log value of the number of log values corresponds to a selected measurement of the MDT measurement values.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one log value of the number of log values is based on two or more selected measurements of the MDT measurement values.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one log value corresponds to an average of the two or more selected measurements.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the two or more selected measurements are consecutive measured values; and

the average of the two or more selected measurements is compared to a last log value and a new log value is created from the average only when a difference between the average and the last log value is greater than or equal a threshold.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining a measurement value comprises measuring a signal characteristic of a reference signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reference signal is a pilot signal and the signal characteristic indicates a quality of the pilot signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal characteristic is selected from Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) values.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

measuring the signal characteristic of the pilot signals in accordance with a MDT described by at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a measurement interval parameter indicating a measurement interval between measurements, the measurement interval parameter transmitted from a base station within a LoggedMeasurementConfiguration message in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards.