Radio channel test system for mobile telecommunication system with test terminals in radio service zones of radio base stations

• US 5,943,617 A
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, SHEILA B
• Application Number:
  US08/893,559
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 455/32.1, 455/434, 455/161.3, 455/438, 455/443, 455/436, 455/561, 455/560, 455/69, 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/67.1, 455/67.4, 375/225, 375/226, 375/227, 375/377, 375/205
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

In a mobile telecommunication system, a test terminal is disposed in each of radio service zones of a plurality of radio base stations connected to a mobile switching station, and a testing device is connected to the mobile switching station and calling the test terminal to send out a first test pattern through a down link. The test terminal receives the first test pattern and compares the received first test pattern with a second test pattern equal to the first test pattern to send back the compared result as test data through an up link. The test terminal sends out the second test pattern to the testing device through an up link. The testing device defines the radio channel condition of the down link from the test data and the up link from comparison of the first test pattern with the received second test pattern, and sends out an instruction to the test terminal. The test terminal announces comments and displays images for indicating the radio channel condition in the radio service zone.

Claims

1. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system comprising a mobile switching station, a plurality of radio base stations coupled to said mobile switching station and having radio service zones, respectively, and a plurality of mobile terminals freely moving in the radio service zones, a particular one of said mobile terminals currently being in a particular one of said radio service zones and communicating with a particular one of said radio base stations having said particular radio service zone through radio channels in said particular radio service zone to thereby perform communication with said mobile switching station through an up link and a down link including said radio channels, said radio channel test system comprising:

a testing device connected to said mobile switching center and having a first test pattern; and

a plurality of test terminals disposed within said radio service zones, respectively, and having a second test pattern equal to said first test pattern;

said testing device calling a particular one of said plurality of test terminals to send out said first test pattern to said particular test terminal through said down link and to obtain test data from said particular test terminal through said up link;

said particular test terminal receiving said first test pattern as a received pattern and comparing said received pattern with said second test pattern to produce a compared result, said particular test terminal sending out said compared result as said test data to said testing device through said up link.

2. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system as claimed in claim 1, each of said test terminals having indicating means for indicating radio channel condition, wherein said testing device sends out a condition indication instruction to said particular test terminal when defining the radio channel condition from said test data, and said particular test terminal is responsive to said condition indication instruction to drive said indicating means to indicate the radio channel condition.

3. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said indicating means comprises announcing means for announcing comments indicting the radio channel condition.

4. A radio channel test system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said testing device transmits, together with said condition indicating instruction, audio data of said comments to be announced.

5. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said indicating means comprises display means for displaying an image indicating the radio channel condition.

6. A radio channel test system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said testing device transmits, together with said condition indicating instruction, image data of said image to be displayed.

7. A radio channel test system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said test terminal defines obstacle of the radio channels when the radio channel test is interrupted over a predetermined number of times, and displays said second test pattern by said display means.

8. A radio channel test system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second test pattern having an image portion representing information of radio channel obstacle.

9. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said particular test terminal sends out said second test pattern to said testing device through said up link, said testing device receiving said second test pattern as a reception pattern and comparing said reception pattern with said first test pattern to produce an error therebetween, said testing device sending out said condition indication instruction to said particular test terminal when defining a radio channel obstacle of said up link from said error.

10. A radio channel test system in a mobile telecommunication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said testing device sends out said first test pattern repeatedly to produce a plurality of subsequent received patterns at said test terminal, a prior one of said subsequent received patterns is used as said second test pattern and is compared with the next subsequent one of said subsequent received patterns to obtain the compared results.

11. A radio channel test terminal for use in testing radio channels in a radio service zone of a radio base station in a mobile telecommunication system, said radio base station sending out a first test pattern to said radio channel test terminal through a down link, said radio channel test terminal being disposed in said radio service zone and comprising:

memory means for storing test patterns including a second test pattern equal to said first test pattern;

receiving means for receiving said first test pattern as a received first test pattern to store said received first test pattern in said memory means;

processing means for comparing said second test pattern with said received first test pattern to produce a compared result as test data;

transmitting means for sending out said test data to said radio base station through an up link.

12. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein said transmitting means sending out said second test pattern to said radio base station through said up link for testing said up link.

13. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 12, said receiving means receiving a condition indication instruction from said radio base station when the radio channel condition is defined from said test data and/or comparison of said second test pattern transmitted with said first test pattern, said radio channel test terminal further comprising announcing means responsive to said condition indication instruction for announcing comments indicating the radio channel condition.

14. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 13, further comprising display means responsive to said condition indication instruction for displaying an image indicating the radio channel condition.

15. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 14, wherein said processing means defines obstacle of the radio channels when the radio channel test is interrupted over a predetermined number of times, and displays said second test pattern by said display means.

16. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 15, said second test pattern having an image portion representing information of radio channel obstacle.

17. A radio channel test terminal as claimed in claim 11, said first test pattern being sent out from said radio base station repeatedly, the received first test pattern of said first test pattern repeated is sequentially stored in said memory means as said test patterns, said processing means comparing, as said second test pattern, prior one of said test patterns with the subsequent one of said test patterns.