Method and tester for determining an error rate of a mobile-telephone device, especially for USF-BLER

• US 7,539,460 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Seelbach, Peter, Fuessle, Joerg, Plaumann, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Lana N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsieh; Ping Y
• Application Number:
  US10/555,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/69, 455/115.1, 455/115.2, 455/226.1, 455/423, 370/235, 370/329, 370/330, 370/347, 370/337, 370/442
• US Class Current: 455/67.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining an error rate is described, in which a transmission block having an allocation signal is received by a mobile communications device that is to be tested. The device checks whether it has been allocated the following transmission block by the received allocation signal. If an allocation is determined, a message signal is transmitted by the device to the tester in the following transmission block. It is then determined whether the device has received a message signal in the following transmission block after an allocation signal, which is addressed to the device. The number of allocation signals addressed to the device which have not been recognized is then determined, wherein the allocation signal to be transmitted is selected from an allocation signal addressed to the device and at least another allocation signal addressing another mobile communications device of the same transmission signal.

Claims

1. A method for determining an error rate of a mobile-telephone device under test with a recognition of an assignment signal for the assignment of one of several mobile-telephone devices of the same transmission channel to a subsequent transmission block of the transmission channel, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a transmission block with an assignment signal;

receiving the assignment signal by the mobile-telephone device under test;

determining by the mobile-telephone device under test whether the subsequent transmission block has been assigned to it by the received assignment signal;

transmitting, by the mobile-telephone device under test, a message signal in the subsequent transmission block, if an assignment has been established;

receiving the message signal from the mobile-telephone device under test in the corresponding transmission block;

checking, after an assignment signal, which addresses the mobile-telephone device under test, whether a message signal from the mobile telephone device under test has been received in the subsequent transmission block;

determining a number of unrecognized assignment signals addressing the mobile-telephone device under test, wherein the assignment signal to be transmitted is selected from an assignment signal addressing the mobile-telephone device under test and at least one other assignment signal addressing another mobile-telephone device of the same transmission signal;

determining a number of assignment signals incorrectly recognized by the mobile-telephone device under test as an assignment, which address other mobile-telephone devices of the same transmission channel; and

determining an error rate from the number of assignment signals incorrectly recognized as an assignment.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein an additional error rate is determined from the number of unrecognized assignment signals addressing the mobile-telephone device under test.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein an assignment signal for an assignment of a mobile-telephone device to a subsequent transmission block is selected from the assignment signals of all mobile-telephone devices, which use the same transmission channel.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a number of transmitted assignment signals, which address the mobile-telephone device under test, is in a determinable ratio to a total number of assignment signals transmitted.

5. A method according to claim 1, comprising selecting an assignment signal relating to the next transmission block dependent upon at least a last, previously-transmitted assignment signal.

6. A tester for determining an error rate of a mobile-telephone device under test with a recognition of an assignment signal for the assignment of one of a plurality of mobile-telephone devices of the same transmission channel to a subsequent transmission block of the transmission channel, the tester comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting transmission blocks with an assignment signal;

a receiver for receiving message signals transmitted in subsequent transmission blocks by the mobile-telephone device under test;

an evaluation device for determining respectively a number of transmission blocks following an assignment signal which addresses the mobile-telephone device under test, in which the mobile-telephone device under test does not transmit a message signal; and

a selection device for selecting assignment signals for transmission from at least the assignment signal addressing the mobile-telephone device under test and one other assignment signal addressing another mobile-telephone device of the same transmission channel,

wherein the evaluation device comprises means for determining a number of assignment signals incorrectly recognized by the mobile-telephone device under test as an assignment, which address other mobile-telephone devices of the same transmission channel, and

wherein the evaluation device comprises means for determining an error rate from the number of assignment signals incorrectly recognized as an assignment.

7. A tester according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device comprises means for determining an additional error rate from a number of unrecognized assignment signals addressing the mobile-telephone device under test.

8. A tester according claim 6, wherein the selection device selects the assignment signals for transmission from the assignment signals of all mobile-telephone devices of the same transmission channel.

9. A tester according to claim 6, wherein a ratio of the transmitted assignment signals, which address the mobile-telephone device under test, to a total number of transmitted assignment signals is determined via the selection device.

10. A tester according to claim 6, wherein an assignment signal relating to a next transmission block is determined via the selection device dependent upon at least a last, previously-transmitted assignment signal.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting a transmission block with an assignment signal that assigns a subsequent transmission block to either a first mobile-telephone device or a second mobile-telephone device, where the first mobile-telephone device and the second mobile-telephone device utilize a same transmission channel;

receiving the subsequent transmission block;

determining an occurrence of a non-recognition error by the first mobile-telephone device if no message signal from the first mobile-telephone device is received in the subsequent transmission block when the assignment signal assigns the subsequent block to the first mobile-telephone device; and

determining an occurrence of an incorrect-recognition error by the first mobile-telephone device if a message signal from the first mobile-telephone device is received in the subsequent transmission block when the assignment signal assigns the subsequent block to the second mobile-telephone device.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of transmission blocks with assignment signals that assign subsequent transmission blocks to either the first mobile-telephone device or the second mobile-telephone device;

receiving the subsequent transmission blocks;

determining a number of incorrect-recognition errors that occur; and

determining a first error rate from the number of incorrect-recognition errors that occur and a total number of assignment signals transmitted.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining a number of non-recognition errors that occur; and

determining a second error rate from the number of non-recognition errors that occur and a total number of assignment signals transmitted.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of transmission blocks with assignment signals that assign subsequent transmission blocks to either the first mobile-telephone device or the second mobile-telephone device;

receiving the subsequent transmission blocks;

determining a number of non-recognition errors that occur; and

determining an error rate from the number of non-recognition errors that occur and a total number of assignment signals transmitted.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein a number of transmitted assignment signals, which address the first mobile-telephone device, is in a determinable ratio to a total number of assignment signals transmitted.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising selecting an assignment signal relating to a next transmission block dependent upon at least a last, previously-transmitted assignment signal.

17. A method comprising:

transmitting at least one first transmission block with a first assignment signal that assigns a first subsequent transmission block, which is subsequent to the first transmission block, to a first mobile-telephone device that utilizes a same transmission channel as at least one other mobile-telephone device;

transmitting at least one second transmission block with a second assignment signal that assigns a second subsequent transmission block, which is subsequent to the second transmission block, to the at least one other mobile-telephone device;

determining whether a non-recognition error occurs by determining that no message signal from the first mobile-telephone device is received in the first subsequent transmission block; and

determining whether an incorrect-recognition error occurs by determining when a message signal from the first mobile-telephone device is received in the second subsequent transmission block.