Method and an apparatus for cell planning

• US 7,593,734 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lidbrink, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/556,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 455/449, 455/574, 455/525, 370/344
• US Class Current: 455/446
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures

Abstract

Measuring in a cellular telecommunication system the position of active mobile stations and the service, in terms of bit rate, they use. The first figure shows a number of users, four black dots having a voice connection with low bit rate and two users O having packet switched connection with a much higher bit rate. In the second figure the bit rate used is taken into consideration and, as shown by the greater area of the packet switched users, a more true picture of the traffic density is created. If the cell tends to get overloaded, requiring a cell split, the site X of a new base station will be shifted to the right comparing the second figure with the first.

Claims

1. A method for cell planning and preparing for a cell split when a cell tends to get congested or overloaded in a cellular mobile telecommunication system, wherein the steps of said method are performed in one or more nodes of said telecommunication system, said method comprising the steps of:

registering position related data comprising the locations for mobile users (MS) together with what service is used by each user in terms of bit rate;

creating an estimation of the traffic density within the cell as a function of said position related data; and

,

selecting an optimal site for a new base station as a function of said position related data; and

,

selecting an optimal site for a new base station as function of said position related data or said traffic density;

wherein maximizing the function

x_opt,y_opt=max f(BR_n/PL_n,x_n,y_n) for all n

gives the optimal site location for the new base station, where n is an index number for the mobile users of the cell, BR_n is the bit rate used, PL_n is the path loss and X_n, y_n is the location of the user n.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of registering the path losses experienced on the radio channels of the mobiles.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of generating a map showing the site of the new base station.

4. A cell planning tool for preparing for a cell split in a cellular telecommunication system, comprising:

a control network for registering the location of mobile stations;

means for registering the services used by the mobile stations;

means for, based on the location and service data, estimating the traffic density of the cell; and

,

means for selecting an optimal site for a new base station as a function of said location and service data or said traffic density;

wherein the optimal site is based on the maximum of the function;

x_opt,y_opt=max f(BR_n/PL_n,x_n,y_n) for all n

where n is an index number for the mobile users of the cell, BR_n is the bit rate used, PL_n is the path loss and X_n, y_n is the location of the user n.

5. The cell planning tool of claim 4, further comprising means for registering the path losses of the radio channels allocated to the mobile stations.

6. The cell planning tool of claim 4, wherein an optimal location for a new site is established in a cell planning system node.

7. A cellular telecommunication system comprising base stations and mobile stations in communication with each other in a cell under supervision of a control network including a cell planning system node which collects data from the telecommunication system relating to the location of the mobile stations, their path losses on their radio channels and the services they use, and wherein said cell planning system node comprises data collecting and calculation equipment which predicts an optimal place for a new base station as a function of said location, path loss or service data;

wherein the optimal site is based on the maximum of the function;

x_opt,y_opt=max f(BR_n/PL_n,x_n,y_n) for all n

where n is an index number for the mobile users of the cell, BR_n is the bit rate used, PL_n is the path loss and X_n, y_n is the location of the user n.