SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAINTAINING TIME STAMPING ACCURACY TO MEET A NON-LINEAR TIME DRIFT CONSTRAINT

• US 20140126472A1
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Siomina, Iana, Kazmi, Muhammad
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0685 Clock or time synchronisation in a node; Intranode synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0287 changing the clock frequency of a controller in the equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for maintaining time stamping accuracy are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wireless device in a cellular communications network logs data to provide a log. The wireless device maintains an accuracy of time stamping for the log to meet, or satisfy, a non-linear time drift constraint. In one embodiment, the log is one or more of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment failure log, a radio link failure log, a random access failure log, a paging channel failure log, a broadcast channel failure log, data related to failure of one or more specific channels, and a radio measurement. In another embodiment, the log is a Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) log.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a wireless device in a cellular communications network, comprising:

logging data to provide a log; and

maintaining an accuracy of time stamping for the log to meet a non-linear time drift constraint.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the log is one or more of a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection establishment failure log, a radio link failure log, a random access failure log, a paging channel failure log, a broadcast channel failure log, data related to failure of specific channels, and a radio measurement.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Test, MDT, log.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Test, MDT, log including a reported time since failure for a radio link failure.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Test, MDT, log including a reported time since a corresponding failure.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-linear time drift constraint comprises a linear time drift constraint and a total maximum time drift over a defined amount of time, wherein the total maximum time drift over the defined amount of time is less than an amount of time drift in the time stamping that would result from the linear time drift constraint over the defined amount of time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-linear time drift constraint is a constraint that a time drift of the time stamping for the log is not larger than ±

X seconds per hour and ±

Y seconds over a defined amount of time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-linear time drift constraint is a constraint that a time drift of the time stamping for the log is not larger than ±

X seconds per hour and ±

Y seconds over 48 hours.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein X is 0.72.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein Y is 1.73.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the log is a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection establishment failure log.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Test, MDT, log including a reported time since failure for a corresponding failure.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises switching between two or more clocks having different accuracies such that the non-linear time drift constraint is met.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises:

providing the time stamping for the log with a first clock having a first accuracy; and

switching to a second clock having a second accuracy that is greater than the first accuracy when a logging time exceeds a threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Time, MDT, log, and the logging time is a duration of time over which data is logged starting from reception of an MDT configuration for the MDT log.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the logging time is a duration of time elapsed from a last logging of logged data to one of a group consisting of:

a current time, a predicted future time, a reporting time for the log, and the time when the log is included in the report.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises switching from a first clock having a first accuracy to a second clock having a second accuracy that is greater than the first accuracy when the accuracy of the time stamping for the log becomes worse than a first threshold.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint further comprises:

switching back to the first clock when the accuracy of the time stamping for the log improves to a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises adaptively adjusting a clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log based on a reference time to meet the non-linear time drift constraint.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein adaptively adjusting the clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log based on the reference time comprises adjusting the clock based on the reference time when a logging time exceeds a threshold.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Time, MDT, log, and the logging time is a duration of time over which data is logged starting from reception of an MDT configuration for the MDT log.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the logging time is a duration of time elapsed from a last logging of logged data to one of a group consisting of:

a current time, a predicted future time, a reporting time for the log, and the time when the log is included in the report.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein adaptively adjusting the clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log based on the reference time comprises adjusting the clock based on the reference time when an accuracy of the clock falls below a threshold.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises adaptively synchronizing a clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log to a reference time to meet the non-linear time drift constraint.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein adaptively synchronizing the clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log to the reference time comprises synchronizing the clock to the reference time when a logging time exceeds a threshold.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein adaptively synchronizing the clock utilized to provide the time stamping for the log to the reference time comprises synchronizing the clock to the reference time when an accuracy of the clock falls below a threshold.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the time stamping for the log is based on a clock having an accuracy that is a function of an activity state of the wireless device, and maintaining the accuracy of the time stamping for the log to meet the non-linear time drift constraint comprises adaptively controlling an activity state of the wireless device to meet the non-linear time drift constant.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the time stamping for the log is one or more of:

a relative time stamp for a logged measurement as a time from a moment a Minimization of Drive Time, MDT, configuration was received at the wireless device until the logged measurement was logged;

a relative time stamp as a time elapsed between a moment logged data is logged and a moment the logged data is reported;

a relative time stamp as a time elapsed between a moment logged data is logged and a moment the logged data is included in a report to be reported; and

a relative time stamp for a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection establishment failure as a time elapsed from a last RRC connection establishment failure to a time when the log is included in a report.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the log is reported to a network node.

30. A wireless device configured to operate in a cellular communications network, comprising:

a radio subsystem; and

a processing subsystem associated with the radio subsystem and configured to;

log data to provide a log; and

maintain an accuracy of time stamping for the log to meet a non-linear time drift constraint.

31. The wireless device of claim 30 wherein the non-linear time drift constraint is a constraint that a time drift of the time stamping for the log is not larger than ±

X seconds per hour and ±

Y seconds over 48 hours.

32. The wireless device of claim 31 wherein X is 0.72.

33. The wireless device of claim 32 wherein Y is 1.73.

34. The wireless device of claim 31 wherein the log is one or more of a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection establishment failure log, a radio link failure log, a random access failure log, a paging channel failure log, a broadcast channel failure log, data related to failure of specific channels, and a radio measurement.

35. The wireless device of claim 31 wherein the log is a Minimization of Drive Test, MDT, log.