Error correlation for wireless networks

• US 6,751,443 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Haymes, Charles Louis, Zumbo, Dominick Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US09/840,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20010016488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/11.1, 455/437, 455/522, 455/427, 455/12.1, 455/446, 455/56, 455/423, 455/418, 455/421, 455/422, 455/436, 455/432, 455/9, 714/708, 714/704, 375/240.27, 375/225
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

Alternate methods, devices and systems are presented for providing service providers and/or end users of mobile stations to monitor and/or report regions with high error rates and/or dead zones. A protocol is provided such as to yield the error occurrence, error rate and/or the address of the end user. In some embodiments it also contains location information and time of day information. This information may be collected from the G.P.S., and/or all or a portion of users when there is a significant transmission difficulty and/or an abundance of errors. The collected data forms a database which is analyzed to generate coverage maps. This may include the dynamic aspects of the mobile network. In another aspect of this invention, each mobile station periodically compares its current location with the data base. The results of this comparison enables the mobile unit to anticipate connection problems. In still another aspect of the invention, the comparison is performed by the service provider which notifies the end user.

Claims

1. An error monitoring and collection system for a mobile network, the system comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly interconnected with the base stations, each device being a member of the mobile network, each of a subset of said devices including;

an error rate monitor to monitor a reception error rate;

a message processor to form and report an error message to one of the base stations when the reception error rate rises above a preset threshold;

in which said system includes location identifying means for locating the positions of devices sending error messages;

a network manager including a database that contains records of said error messages and a network processor that maps areas of network dead zones by storing said positions of devices sending error messages.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the error message is used by the one base station to determine an identity of the device reporting the error message and a location of the device at a time when the error occurred;

and in which said network manager transmits a warning message to other devices located close to the device reporting the error.

3. A system as recited in claim 2, wherein the base station sends an acknowledgment to take the device out of an error reporting mode.

12. A system according to claim 1, in which said warning message transmitted by the base station to said others of said plurality of users near the location of the first user includes directions to change at least one of transmission channel, transmission power, or travel direction.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the error threshold level guarantees clear reception of data.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein said step of broadcasting uses a signal having a high probability of reception by the base station in a dead zone.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of broadcasting the error message is performed at twice the power level used in normal message transmission.

16. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of broadcasting employs a different transmission channel having a greater probability of reception than an original channel employed by the step of measuring.

17. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of broadcasting is performed at a lower data rate than a first data rate employed by step of measuring.

4. An error monitoring and collection system for a mobile network, the system comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly interconnected with the base stations, each device being a member of the mobile network, each of a subset of said devices including;

an error rate monitor to monitor a reception error rate;

a message processor to form and report an error message to one of the base stations when the reception error rate rises above a preset threshold;

in which said system includes location identifying means for locating the positions of devices sending error messages;

a network manager including a database that contains records of all error messages and a network processor to extract records of recurring error trends;

wherein the network processor maps areas of network reception dead zones, and responds to a member request querying the data base to determine if the device is entering a dead zone.

5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the network processor is capable of informing the user of an appropriate action to maintain connectivity.

6. A system according to claim 4, in which said warning message transmitted by the base station to said others of said plurality of users near the location of the first user includes directions to change at least one of transmission channel, transmission power, or travel direction.

7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the error threshold level guarantees clear reception of data.

8. A system as recited in claim 7, wherein said step of broadcasting uses a signal having a high probability of reception by the base station in a dead zone.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of broadcasting the error message is performed at twice the power level used in normal message transmission.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of broadcasting employs a different transmission channel having a greater probability of reception than an original channel employed by the step of measuring.

11. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of broadcasting is performed at a lower data rate than a first data rate employed by step of measuring.