Method and apparatus for providing a cell traffic supervision alarm

• US 6,256,490 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Shahdad, Yunis, Panchapakesan, Shankari, Yost, George P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/223,708
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/405, 455/8, 455/9, 455/67.1, 455/67.7, 455/403, 379/111, 379/1, 379/26, 379/16, 379/22
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for providing a cell traffic supervision alarm within a base station (BS) to notify the operator at a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) serving the BS that the BS has had no traffic for a period of time that is unreasonably long. The definition of “unreasonably long” is tied to normal traffic patterns at the BS. An alarm threshold time, which is defined as time between the cessation of all traffic on a BS and the triggering of the alarm, can be calculated based upon a statistical analysis of the traffic history of the BS to determine a time interval such that the probability is acceptably small that under normal conditions the BS would have gone for that entire length of time with no traffic at all. At the expiration of the alarm threshold time, the alarm is activated.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for providing a cell traffic supervision alarm, comprising:

a base station serving a cell within a cellular network, said base station having traffic thereon; and

a mobile switching center connected to said base station for monitoring said traffic on said base station, setting a timer when said traffic on said base station ceases and activating said cell traffic supervision alarm when said timer reaches a determined alarm threshold time calculated by said mobile switching center for said base station.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

compilation logic for compiling usage statistics based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week for said base station.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

conversion logic for converting said usage statistics into at least one alarm threshold time as a function of at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 3, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

a false alarm probability parameter, said conversion logic using said false alarm probability parameter to convert said usage statistics into said at least one alarm threshold time.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 3, further comprising:

a database within said mobile switching center for storing said at least one alarm threshold time.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 3, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

monitoring logic for monitoring said traffic on said base station; and

determination logic for determining said determined alarm threshold time based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week when said timer is set.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

comparison logic for comparing the value of said timer with said determined alarm threshold time.

8. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said mobile switching center further comprises:

deactivation logic for deactivating said alarm when said traffic on said base station resumes.

9. A method for providing a cell traffic supervision alarm, comprising the steps of:

calculating, by a communication node, at least one alarm threshold time for a base station connected to said communication node;

monitoring, by said communication node, traffic on said base station;

setting a timer when said traffic on said base station ceases; and

activating said cell traffic supervision alarm when said timer reaches a determined one of said at least one alarm threshold time for said base station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of calculating further comprises the steps of:

determining a usage statistic type for said base station;

compiling usage statistics of said usage statistic type based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week;

converting said usage statistics into said at least one alarm threshold time as a function of at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week; and

storing said at least one alarm threshold time in a database within said communication node.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprises the step of:

determining said determined alarm threshold time based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week when said timer is set.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of calculating further comprises the step of:

setting a false alarm probability parameter, said usage statistics being converted based upon said false alarm probability parameter.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

deactivating said cell supervision alarm when said traffic on said base station resumes.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

disabling said timer when said traffic on said base station resumes, said step of activating not being performed when said timer is disabled.

15. A mobile switching center for providing a cell traffic supervision alarm, comprising:

monitoring logic for monitoring traffic on a base station connected to said mobile switching center;

means for setting a timer when said traffic on said base station ceases; and

means for activating said cell traffic supervision alarm when said timer reaches a determined alarm threshold time calculated by said mobile switching center for said base station.

16. The mobile switching center of claim 15, further comprising:

compilation logic for compiling usage statistics based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week for said base station.

17. The mobile switching center of claim 16, further comprising:

conversion logic for converting said usage statistics into at least one alarm threshold time as a function of at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week.

18. The mobile switching center of claim 17, further comprising:

a false alarm probability parameter, said conversion logic using said false alarm probability parameter to convert said usage statistics into said at least one alarm threshold time.

19. The mobile switching center of claim 17, further comprising:

a database for storing said at least one alarm threshold time.

20. The mobile switching center of claim 17, further comprising:

determination logic for determining said determined alarm threshold time based upon at least one of the time of the day and the day of the week when said timer is set.

21. The mobile switching center of claim 15, further comprising:

comparison logic for comparing the value of said timer with said determined alarm threshold time.

22. The mobile switching center of claim 15, further comprising:

deactivation logic for deactivating said alarm when said traffic on said base station resumes.