Method and system for optimizing wireless communication system performance

• US 6,519,452 B1
• Filed: 10/18/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Lauderdale, II, Robert P., Cook, Steven W., Agostino, Remo L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US09/420,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/337, 370/347, 455/423, 455/67.1, 455/429, 455/432, 455/435-448, 455/446, 455/453, 455/422, 455/439, 455/67.7, 455/502, 455/440
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets

Abstract

A system and method for a simultaneous examination of synchronized forward and reverse link data of a telecommunication network is provided. An RF optimizer system first gathers inputs from both the forward link data as saved by a mobile diagnostic unit (MDU) and the reverse link data as provided by a mobile telephone exchange (MTE), and then merges and synchronizes these two distinct and individual data sets. Various parametric data can be viewed simultaneously from different perspectives (map, grid, graph, message views) with each individual perspective to be synchronized with all others.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a network performance using a mobile diagnostic unit (MDU), said MDU stores at least one mobile data file having performance data of the network detected by a mobile unit saved therein, the network having a mobile telephone exchange (MTE) storing at least one MTE data file which has performance data of the network saved by the MTE, said MDU and MTE both having an instrument clock, said method comprising the steps of:

synchronizing the MDU'"'"'s clock time with the MTE'"'"'s clock time;

collecting the at least one mobile data file from the MDU;

collecting the at least one MTE data file from the MTE;

constructing an updated MTE file registry to include the collected at least one MTE data file;

querying the MTE registry to match the collected at least one mobile data file to a MTE data file stored therein;

synchronizing the matched mobile data file and the MTE data file;

merging the matched mobile and MTE data file into one integrated data file;

analyzing data in the integrated data file;

simultaneously displaying the analyzed data in two or more interface views; and

adjusting at least one network parameters based on the analyzed data,

wherein said simultaneously displayed data depicted in such a manner that interface views are synchronized such that individually selecting a data point in any view updates respective information in all other views, and further wherein adjusting one network parameter causing an indication of simultaneous changes in related network parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of synchronizing further includes the steps of:

aligning time stamped messages sets; and

aligning time stamped parametric parameters.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein both the steps of aligning include a step of calculating at least one appropriate time delta to adjust the time stamps.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the MTE registry is constructed by using a starting time, an ending time, and a mobile unit identification information of each MTE data file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing further includes a step of identifying failure events based on sequenced messages and parametric parameters in the integrated data file.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing further includes a step of using a call model to determine call statistics.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the call statistics includes origination, completion, access failure, dropped calls, dropped handoffs, and abnormal calls.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing further includes the step of conducting a path balance study to determine a coverage imbalance between a forward link radio frequency footprint and a reverse link radio frequency footprint.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the path balance study uses certain network parameters including mobile station power level, base station power step, base station power index, serving sector, short term forward RSSI, short term reverse RSSI, maximal mobile power level, and maximal base station power level.

10. A method of depicting the performance of a time division multiple access wireless telecommunication network, the method comprising the steps of:

merging and synchronizing forward link and reverse link radio frequency parametric, message, and location data;

simultaneously generating and updating at least two different views of the parametric, message, and location data;

wherein the simultaneously viewed data is depicted in such a manner that all data views are synchronized and such that individually selected data points are highlighted in all chosen views.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least two views any of chronological graphical view;

a chronological grid view;

a chronological message view;

a detailed map view;

or a summary information view.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of merging and synchronizing includes the steps of:

synchronizing a mobile diagnostic unit (MDU)'"'"'s instrument time with a mobile telephone exchange (MTE)'"'"'s instrument time;

collecting at least one forward link data file from the MDU, the forward link data file including the parametric, message, and location data as detected by the MDU;

collecting at least one reverse link data file from the MTE, the reverse link data file including the message and parametric parameters as detected by the MTE; and

matching the forward link data file with a reverse link data file.

13. The method of claim 12 further includes the step of constructing an updated reverse link file registry to include the collected at least one reverse link data file.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of merging and synchronizing includes the steps of:

aligning time stamped messages;

aligning time stamped parametric; and

identifying failure events based on time sequenced messages and parametric.

15. The method of claim 10 further includes a step of conducting a path balance study to determine a radio frequency coverage imbalance between a forward link footprint and a reverse link footprint.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the path balance study uses certain network parameters including mobile station power level, base station power step, base station power index, serving sector, short term forward RSSI, short term reverse RSSI, maximal mobile power level, maximal base station power level.

17. A system for optimizing a time division multiple access telecommunication network performance, said system comprising:

a mobile diagnostic unit (MDU) storing at least one mobile data file having performance data of the network detected by a mobile unit;

a mobile telephone exchange (MTE) storing at least one MTE data file having performance data of the network saved by the MTE; and

a radio frequency network performance optimizer for evaluating the performance of the network based on the mobile data file and the MTE data file, wherein the optimizer comprises;

means for synchronizing a MDU'"'"'s instrument clock with a MTE'"'"'s instrument clock;

means for collecting the at least one mobile data file from the MDU;

means for collecting the at least one MTE data file from the MTE;

an updated MTE file registry to include the collected at least one MTE data file;

means for querying the MTE registry to match the collected at least one mobile data file to a MTE data file stored therein;

means for synchronizing the matched mobile data file and the MTE data file;

means for merging the matched mobile and MTE data file into one integrated data file;

means for analyzing data in the integrated data file;

one or more user interface views simultaneously displaying the analyzed data; and

means for adjusting at least one network parameters based on the analyzed data,

wherein said simultaneously displayed data depicted in such a manner that user interface views are synchronized such that individually selecting a data point in any view updates respective information in all other views, and further wherein adjusting one network parameter causing an indication of simultaneous changes in related network Parameters.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the means for synchronizing further includes:

means for aligning time stamped messages sets; and

means for aligning time stamped parametric parameters.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein both means for aligning include a means for calculating at least one appropriate time delta to adjust the time stamps.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the MTE file registry is constructed by using a starting time, an ending time, and a mobile unit identification information of each MTE data file.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein the means for analyzing further includes a means for identifying failure events based on time sequenced messages and parametric parameters in the integrated data file.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the means for analyzing further includes a means for using a call model to determine call statistics.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the call statistics includes origination, completion, access failure, dropped calls, dropped handoffs, and abnormal calls.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the optimizer further includes a means for conducting a path balance study to determine a radio frequency coverage imbalance between a forward link footprint and a reverse ink footprint.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the path balance study uses certain network parameters including mobile station power level, base station power step, base station power index, serving sector, short term forward RSSI, and short term reverse RSSI.

26. A method of depicting the performance of a time division multiple access wireless telecommunication network, said network having a mobile telephone exchange (MTE) communicating to at least one mobile unit, said method comprising the steps of:

merging and synchronizing forward link and reverse link radio frequency parametric, message, and location data;

generating and displaying call processing events of the MTE on a detailed geographical map;

wherein the call processing events are decision making steps taken by the MTE to determine necessary changes pertaining to the at least one mobile unit.

27. The method of 26 wherein the call processing events include handoff triggers, base station power control, digital locate measurements and handoff retries.