System and method for determining mobile telephone voice quality in a live network

• US 7,957,731 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spirent Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Metrico Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Topaltzas, Dimitrios M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US12/037,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20090215444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/423, 455/67.11, 455/424, 455/425, 455/428, 455/445, 379/10, 379/10.01, 379/13, 379/15.01, 379/27.01, 379/26.01, 379/29.01, 370/241, 370/241.1
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method for determining the quality of communications provided by a plurality of mobile telephones is provided. The method may comprise, for example, receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone; storing the one or more telephone voice signals in a memory; concurrently with aid receiving telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone; storing the one or more reference device voice signals in a memory; determining voice quality data for the telephone voice signals; determining voice quality data for the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals; and normalizing the voice quality data of the telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone based on the voice quality data of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals.

Claims

1. A method of determining the quality of communications provided by a plurality of mobile telephones that are tested over at least some different time periods, comprising:

receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone over a time period;

concurrently with said receiving telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone;

determining a voice quality of the telephone voice signals;

determining a voice quality of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals;

determining one or more telephone statistical parameters based on the voice quality of the telephone voice signals;

determining one or more reference device statistical parameters based on the voice quality of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals; and

normalizing the one or more telephone statistical parameters of the telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone based on the one or more reference device statistical parameters of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through a mobile telephone network by each mobile telephone.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone further comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through the mobile telephone network to each mobile telephone.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through the mobile telephone network to each mobile telephone.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining radio parameter data for each mobile telephone concurrently with said receiving one or more telephone voice signals; and

normalizing the one or more normalized telephone statistical parameters based on the radio parameter data for the mobile telephone.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining radio parameter data for the mobile telephone concurrently with said receiving one or more telephone voice signals;

providing a comparison of the normalized telephone statistical parameters of the plurality of mobile telephones based on the radio parameter data; and

wherein the comparison includes one or more of groups of normalized telephone statistical parameters derived from telephone voice signals having similar radio parameter data.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the one or more telephone statistical parameters comprises an average voice quality sample;

at least one of the reference device statistical parameters comprises an average voice quality sample; and

wherein said normalizing the one or more telephone statistical parameters comprises determining the difference of (1) the average voice quality sample of the telephone voice signals of each mobile telephone and (2) the average voice quality sample of the reference device voice signals received concurrently.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a comparison of the one or more normalized telephone statistical parameters of the plurality of mobile telephones.

9. A method of determining the quality of communications provided by a plurality of mobile telephones that are tested over at least some different time periods, comprising:

receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone;

storing the one or more telephone voice signals in a memory;

concurrently with said receiving telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone;

storing the one or more reference device voice signals in a memory;

determining voice quality data for the telephone voice signals;

determining voice quality data for the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals; and

normalizing the voice quality data of the telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone based on the voice quality data of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through a mobile telephone network from each mobile telephone.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining radio parameter data for each mobile telephone during said receiving one or more telephone voice signals;

providing a comparison of the normalized voice quality data of the plurality of mobile telephones based on the radio parameter data; and

wherein the comparison excludes mobile telephones whose telephone voice signals were received in dissimilar radio conditions.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

a voice quality data for the telephone voice signals comprises a standard deviation of voice quality of the telephone voice signals;

a voice quality data for the reference device voice signals a standard deviation of voice quality of the reference device voice signals; and

wherein said normalizing the voice quality data comprises determining the difference of (1) the standard deviation of the voice quality of the telephone voice signals of each mobile telephone and (2) the standard deviation of voice quality of the reference device voice signals received concurrently.

13. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium and executable by a computer to determine the quality of voice communications provided by a plurality of mobile telephones, comprising:

a first code segment executable to store in a memory one or more telephone voice signals received from each mobile telephone;

a second code segment executable to store in a memory one or more reference device voice signals received concurrently with the telephone voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone;

a third code segment executable to determine voice quality data of the telephone voice signals and of the reference device voice signals; and

a fourth code segment executable to normalize the voice quality data of the telephone voice signals received from each mobile telephone based on the voice quality data of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals.

14. The product according to claim 13, further comprising:

a fifth code segment executable to store in a memory radio parameter data for each mobile telephone determined for radio conditions during the reception of the one or more telephone voice signals; and

a sixth code segment executable to sort the normalized voice quality data of the plurality of mobile telephones based on the radio parameter data.

15. The product according to claim 13, wherein:

a voice quality data of the telephone voice signals comprises a telephone average voice quality;

a voice quality data of the reference device voice signals comprises a reference device average voice quality; and

wherein said fourth code segment is executable to determine the difference of (1) the average voice quality data of the telephone voice signals of each mobile telephone and (2) the average voice quality data of the reference device voice signals received concurrently.

16. The product according to claim 13, further comprising a fifth code segment executable to determine whether the normalized voice quality data of telephone voice signals of a mobile telephone are above a predetermined threshold.

17. The product according to claim 13, wherein the voice quality data of the telephone voice signals comprises an average voice quality sample.

18. A method of determining the quality of communications provided by a mobile telephone in a mobile telephone network, comprising:

(a) receiving one or more telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone;

(b) concurrently with said receiving telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone;

(c) determining voice quality samples for the telephone voice signals;

(d) determining voice quality samples for the reference device voice signals;

(e) for the voice quality samples of the telephone voice signals, determining a first statistical parameter selected from the group of (1) an average the voice quality samples;

(2) a standard deviation of the voice quality samples;

(3) a mean of the voice quality samples;

(4) a percentage of the voice quality samples above a threshold; and

(5) a percentage of the voice quality samples below a threshold;

(f) for the voice quality samples of the reference device voice signals, determining a second statistical parameter selected from the group of (1) an average the voice quality samples;

(2) a standard deviation of the voice quality samples;

(3) a mean of the voice quality samples;

(4) a percentage of the voice quality samples above a threshold; and

(5) a percentage of the voice quality samples below a threshold;

(g) normalizing the first statistical parameter based on the second statistical parameter; and

performing processes a-g for a plurality of other mobile telephone devices.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through a mobile telephone network from the mobile telephone.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining radio parameter data for radio conditions of the mobile telephone during said receiving one or more telephone voice signals;

providing a comparison of the normalized first statistical parameter of the plurality of mobile telephones based on the radio parameter data; and

wherein the comparison comprises one or more groupings of mobile telephones having similar radio conditions during said receiving one or more telephone voice signals.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising determining whether the normalized first statistical parameter of the telephone voice signals of a mobile telephone are above a predetermined threshold.

22. A method of determining the quality of communications provided by a mobile telephone in a mobile telephone network, comprising:

(a) receiving one or more telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone;

(b) concurrently with said receiving telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone;

(c) determining voice quality samples for the telephone voice signals;

(d) determining voice quality samples for the reference device voice signals;

(e) determining a first average comprising an average of the voice quality samples of the mobile telephone;

(f)) determining a second average comprising an average of the voice quality samples of the reference device;

(g) comparing the first average with the second average to provide a first normalized average; and

performing processes a-g for a plurality of other mobile telephones.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising comparing the first normalized average with a normalized average of a plurality of the other mobile telephones.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein said receiving one or more telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone comprises receiving voice signals that were transmitted through a mobile telephone network by the mobile telephone.

25. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

determining associated radio parameter data for radio conditions of the other mobile telephones during said receiving one or more telephone voice signals;

providing a comparison of the normalized first average of the other mobile telephones based on the radio parameter data associated with each mobile telephone; and

wherein the comparison comprises one or more groupings of mobile telephones having similar associated radio parameter data.