Cellular radiotelephone diagnostic system
First Claim
1. A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers comprising the steps of:
- locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within the geographic area;
monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and
adjusting the communication system coverage, based upon the actual coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of a communication system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of evaluating the radio coverage of a geographic area serviced by a digital cellular radiotelephone communication system is described which comprises a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver and a plurality of mobile units having co-located transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving communication message signals between the base stations and a mobile unit. During operation, the position of at least one of the mobile units operating within the geographic area is located when a call is received by a base station. The base station monitors the signal quality of the call and collects information relevant to the actual performance of the communication system. The mobile unit location and corresponding signal quality data are passed from the base station to a central operation and maintenance unit which collects the data, performs all necessary analytic and arithmetic computations, and provides a user-friendly representation of the characteristics of the radio coverage. With this representation of the radio coverage characteristics, the system operator can quickly and efficiently diagnose coverage deficiencies and take the necessary corrective action. By continuously monitoring subscriber calls and updating the pictographic representations, the system operator can actually observe the effect of the adopted modifications in a pseudo real-time fashion.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers comprising the steps of:
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locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within the geographic area; monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and adjusting the communication system coverage, based upon the actual coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of a communication system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of evaluating the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic area serviced by a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting to and receiving communicating message signals from a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers comprising the steps of:
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locating the position of at last one mobile unit operating within the geographic area; monitoring the signal strength and the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and presenting a pictographic representation of actual electromagnetic coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising:
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means for locating the position of at least one mobile unit operating within an electromagnetic coverage area; means for monitoring the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for adjusting the communication system electromagnetic coverage based upon the actual coverage determined by monitoring, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of a communication system. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An electromagnetic coverage performance evaluation tool for a communication system having a plurality of base stations each having a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving communicating message signals and a plurality of mobile units each having transmitters and receivers, said evaluation tool comprising:
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means for receiving positional information on the location of mobile units operating within a geographic area of electromagnetic coverage; means for receiving the signal quality of transmissions between said base stations and the mobile unit; and means for presenting a pictographic representation of actual electromagnetic coverage within a geographic area, based upon receiving position and signal quality, whereby an operator is assisted in planning, diagnosing, or optimizing the electromagnetic coverage of that communication system. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
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Specification