Network engineering in a wireless network

• US 7,664,492 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jau Young, Lee, William C. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US09/625,626
• Time in Patent Office: 3,492 Days
• Field of Search: 455423-425, 455/436, 455/442, 455/446, 455/456.5, 455/12.1, 4554561- 2, 455/439, 455/67.11, 343/702, 342/367, 342/357.1, 379/32.01, 375/347, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power

Abstract

A and collects provides various types of information therefrom, including E911 location information, Hand Off (HO) information, and Power information, as well as other Measurements and System Parameters. This information is analyzed by a Data Collection and Filtering system and the results of this analysis are provided to a Network Control system to dynamically control the operation of the wireless network. The various optimizations that can be achieved include: (1) dynamically allocating radio frequency (RF) signal power in the wireless network, (2) setting dynamic dedicated handoff (HO) thresholds for individual mobile transceivers; and (3) intelligently forming or steering radio frequency (RF) signal beams. Moreover, the collected and analyzed information can be used to identify and resolve problems in the wireless network, especially when the identified problems are correlating with E911 location information.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless network, comprising:

(a) collecting and analyzing information from the wireless network into a collection and analysis system coupled to the wireless network, wherein the information includes location information on a plurality of mobile transceivers communicating with the wireless network and the information is collected when certain defined thresholds are triggered; and

(b) optimizing the wireless network'"'"'s operation from a network control system coupled to the wireless network by intelligently steering radio frequency (RF) signal beams transmitted from the wireless network in the direction of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers using the collected and analyzed information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises E911 location information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further includes one or more types of information selected from a group comprising Hand Off (HO) information, Power information, Measurements, and System Parameters from the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying and resolving problems using the collected and analyzed information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifying and resolving step further comprises identifying problems in the wireless network, and correlating the identified problems with the collected and analyzed information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the correlating step further comprises correlating the identified problems with mobile transceiver location information from the collected and analyzed information.

7. A method for operating a wireless network, comprising:

(a) collecting and analyzing information from the wireless network into a collection and analysis system coupled to the wireless network, wherein the information includes location information on a plurality of mobile transceivers communicating with the wireless network; and

(b) optimizing the wireless network'"'"'s operation from a network control system coupled to the wireless network by intelligently steering radio frequency (RF) signal beams transmitted from the wireless network in the direction of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers using the collected and analyzed information, wherein the optimizing step further comprises setting dynamic dedicated handoff (HO) thresholds for individual mobile transceivers based on the collected and analyzed information and the individual mobile transceivers each have a unique, assigned HO threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the optimizing step further comprises dynamically allocating radio frequency (RF) signal power in the wireless network based on the collected and analyzed information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamically allocating step further comprises dynamically assigning RF signal power to cells, sectors within cells, and mobile transceivers based on the collected and analyzed information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the optimizing step further comprises performing handoffs for individual mobile transceivers based on their unique, assigned HO (hand off) threshold and their location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the performing step comprises performing handoffs for individual mobile transceivers in order to minimize interference levels.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the intelligently steering step further comprises intelligently forming an RF signal beam based on the collected and analyzed information.

13. A system for operating a wireless communications network, comprising:

(a) a data collection and filter system, coupled to the wireless communications system, for collecting and analyzing information from the wireless network, wherein the information includes location information on a plurality of mobile transceivers communicating with the wireless network and the information is collected when certain defined thresholds are triggered; and

(b) a network control system, coupled to the wireless communications system and the data collection and filter system, for optimizing the wireless network'"'"'s operation by intelligently steering radio frequency (RF) signal beams transmitted from the wireless network in the direction of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers using the collected and analyzed information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the location information comprises E911 location information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the information further includes one or more types of information selected from a group comprising Hand Off (HO) information, Power information, Measurements, and System Parameters from the wireless network.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the data collection and analysis system further comprises means for identifying and resolving problems using the collected and analyzed information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for identifying and resolving further comprises means for identifying problems in the wireless network, and correlating the identified problems with the collected and analyzed information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for correlating further comprises means for correlating the identified problems with mobile transceiver location information from the collected and analyzed information.

19. A system for operating a wireless communications network, comprising:

(a) a data collection and filter system, coupled to the wireless communications system, for collecting and analyzing information from the wireless network, wherein the information includes location information on a plurality of mobile transceivers communicating with the wireless network; and

(b) a network control system, coupled to the wireless communications system and the data collection and filter system, for optimizing the wireless network'"'"'s operation by intelligently steering radio frequency (RF) signal beams transmitted from the wireless network in the direction of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers using the collected and analyzed information, wherein the network control further comprises means for setting dynamic dedicated handoff (HO) thresholds for individual mobile transceivers based on the collected and analyzed information and the individual mobile transceivers each have a unique, assigned HO threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the network control further comprises means for dynamically allocating radio frequency (RF) signal power in the wireless network based on the collected and analyzed information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for dynamically allocating further comprises means for dynamically assigning RF signal power to cells, sectors within cells, and mobile transceivers based on the collected and analyzed information.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the network control further comprises means for performing handoffs for individual mobile transceivers based on their unique, assigned HO (hand off) threshold and their location.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for performing comprises means for performing handoffs for individual mobile transceivers in order to minimize interference levels.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for intelligently steering further comprises means for intelligently forming an RF signal beam based on the collected and analyzed information.