System and method for constructing a carrier to interference matrix based on subscriber calls

• US 8,682,335 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Dipesh Hasmukhlal
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US13/929,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: 370/347, 370/336, 370/450, 370/328, 370/329, 455/447, 455/423, 455/446
• US Class Current: 455/447
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A conventional wireless device constantly measures the signal strength of its server base station and the strength of signals from surrounding base stations for handoff purposes. The wireless device transmits this information to its serving base station, which discards the information a short time afterward, following handoff. The present system and method store the formerly discarded information in one of several existing network elements or in a separate computer system. This information is used to generate a carrier to interference ratio, which indicates the level of interference between station pairs, and to also generate a carrier to interference matrix, including identifying potential interference for each station pair. The frequency of occurrences during predetermined desired periods of time and the volume of traffic affected by each level of interference may also be calculated. This provides comprehensive, continuous, real-time information for wireless frequency planning.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, signals from wireless antennas on a common frequency of a control channel associated with a station pair,

wherein the wireless antennas comprise base station devices that provide service to different network sectors, and information associated with the signals is stored in a data structure having a number of entries that corresponds to a number of occurrences of an interference parameter within a selected range for the station pair;

determining, by the system, a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for the station pair;

determining, by the system, a relative percentage for the number of occurrences of the interference parameter;

measuring, by the system, during the measurement period, relative signal strengths with respect to control channel signals transmitted by the wireless antennas; and

determining, by the system, traffic weights for a subset of the number of occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, by the system, a call for the station pair in a network sector by measuring a signal multiple times during the call to obtain actual use sampling of data for the call during a measurement period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

approximating, by the system, a number of customers affected by a determined magnitude of interference for the station pair.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating, by the system, a percentage of the occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the system, signal strength measurements used to switch primary communications between network sectors.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing, by the system, the signal strength measurements used to switch primary communications between network sectors in response to the identifying.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the system, relative signal strengths with respect to control channel signals transmitted by the wireless transmitters.

8. A system, comprising:

a memory to store computer executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, which facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving transmissions from wireless transmitters on a frequency of a control channel associated with a station pair, wherein the wireless transmitters comprise base station devices that provide service to different network sectors, and the transmissions are stored with a number incrementable by a number of occurrences associated with an interference parameter within a selected range for the station pair;

determining a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for the station pair;

determining a relative percentage for the number of occurrences that are associated with the interference parameter during a measurement period;

performing relative signal strength measurements during the measurement period with respect to control channel signals transmitted by wireless transmitters associated with the station pair; and

determining traffic weights for a subset of the number of occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise constructing a carrier-to-interference matrix.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring a call for the station pair in the network sector by repeatedly measuring a signal strength of a signal associated with the call and obtaining actual use samples of data for the call during the measurement period.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise approximating a number of customers affected by a determined magnitude of interference for the station pair.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining traffic weights for the occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise identifying and storing signal strength measurements used to switch primary communications between network sectors.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmitters associated with the station pair comprise base station devices that provide service to network sectors that are different.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining signal strengths with respect to control channel signals transmitted by the wireless transmitters.

16. A tangible computer readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving transmissions from wireless transmitters on a common frequency of a control channel associated with a station pair, wherein the wireless transmitters are cellular base station devices that provide service to different network sectors, wherein the transmissions are stored in a table having a number incrementable by a number of occurrences of an interference parameter within a selected range for the station pair;

determining a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for the station pair;

determining a relative percentage for the number of occurrences;

measuring during a measurement period, relative signal strengths with respect to control channel signals transmitted by the wireless antennas; and

determining traffic weights for a subset of the number of occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

17. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise identifying and storing signal strength measurements for switching primary communications between network sectors.

18. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing the signal strength measurements to determine the interference parameter.

19. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise approximating a number of customers affected by a determined magnitude of interference for the station pair.

20. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring a call for the station pair in a network sector and obtaining actual use samples of data by multiply measuring signal strengths of a signal associated with the call during the measurement period.