Network diagnostic system for analyzing the performance of a radio network during functional over-the-air operation

• US 8,825,042 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Locus Location Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: LOWS Location Systems LLC
• Inventors: McCarthy, John, Mitchell, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/106,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20120289242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 455423-425, 455/446, 455/67.11, 370241-253, 340/853.2
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/18 Monitoring during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An apparatus for determining network health, the network comprising a plurality of network base station transceivers in bidirectional communication with radios operating in the network, a first radio transmitting a transmitted signal. The apparatus comprises first and second devices for determining respective first and second signal parameters of respective first and second received signals, the first and second received signals responsive to the transmitted signal transmitted during normal over-the-air operation of the first radio, wherein the received signal received at the first receiver is time aligned with the received signal received at the second receiver to ensure the first and second devices determine the first and second signal parameters of the same transmitted signal and wherein the network health is responsive to the first and second signal parameters.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining network health, the network comprising a plurality of network base station transceivers in bidirectional communication with radios operating in the network and each having an identifier for the respective radio, a first radio transmitting a transmitted signal including a first identifier, the apparatus comprising:

first and second devices each receiving the transmitted signal during normal over-the-air operation of the first radio, measuring signal parameters of the transmitted signal, and determining first and second operating characteristics of the first radio from the respective signal parameters, the first device producing a first received signal responsive to the transmitted signal when the first operating characteristics determined by the first device indicate that the first radio is healthy and the second device producing a second received signal responsive to the transmitted signal when the second operating characteristics determined by the second device indicate that the first radio is healthy, the first and second devices determining respective first and second signal parameters of the respective first and second received signals;

wherein the first received signal is time aligned with the second received signal to insure that the first and second devices have determined the respective first and second signal parameters of the same transmitted signal; and

wherein the network health is indicated by the first and second operating characteristics.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first signal is time aligned with the second signal based on a one pulse per second signal available within the network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third device determining a location of the first radio and a mapping device creating a network map indicative of the network health, wherein the network map provides an indication of the first and second operating characteristics at a respective location of the first and second devices for a signal transmitted from the location of the first radio.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second devices are located proximate first and second network base stations from among a plurality of network base stations.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second devices each comprise a receiver.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitted signal is transmitted during normal operation of the first radio without requiring interaction or manipulation of operation of the first radio.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first radio complies with applicable radio specifications.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising n receivers and n network base station transceivers, each receiver disposed proximate an associated network base station transceiver and receiving the transmitted signal that is intended for the associated network base station transceiver, each one of the n receivers or the associated network base station transceivers measuring signal parameters of the transmitted signal and determining nth operating characteristics of the first radio from the respective signal parameters for the signal received at the nth receiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first radio comprises a mobile radio having a plurality of different locations at different times, wherein for each one of the different locations, the first device determines a set of first operating characteristics for each signal received at the first device responsive to the transmitted signal, a number of sets of the first operating characteristics being signal parameters equal to the number of different locations;

wherein for each one of the different locations, the second device determines a set of second operating characteristics for each signal received at the second device responsive to the transmitted signal, a number of sets of the second operating characteristics being signal parameters equal to the number of different locations; and

wherein the network health is responsive to the sets of first operating characteristics and the sets of second operating characteristics.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third device for creating a report indicating the first and second operating characteristics at a location of the first radio, wherein the network health at the location is responsive to the first and second operating characteristics.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second operating characteristics each comprise one or more of RSSI, SNR, signal strength, RF frequency accuracy, RF frequency offset from an assigned frequency, timing of RF frequency offsets relative to a beginning of a message transmission, RF frequency offset variations throughout a message transmission, frequency deviation of the modulated signal, range of frequency deviations over time, amplitude variations during a message transmission, symbol frequency error, symbol clock error, modulation fidelity, bit error rate, conformance to packet structure specifications, baud rate changes during a message transmission, spurious emissions, consistent low power level irrespective of location of the transmitting device, high bit error rate irrespective of location of the transmitting device, battery charge, and a number of retries over a predetermined threshold.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the network comprises a trunked radio network.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices determine the first and second operating characteristics in real-time as the transmitted signal is received or store the transmitted signal and later determine determining the first and second operating characteristics.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second devices time-aligns the first received signal with the second received signal.

15. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller performing the time alignment of the first received signal with the second received signal.

16. An apparatus for determining network health, the network comprising base station transceivers in bidirectional communication with radios operational in the network and each having an identifier for the respective radio, a first radio operable to transmit a transmitted signal including a first identifier from a first location during normal operation of the first radio, the apparatus comprising:

n signal receivers to be placed proximate each one of n base station transceivers within the network, each one of the n signal receivers;

measuring signal parameters of the transmitted signal;

determining operating characteristics of the first radio from the respective signal parameters; and

producing an nth received signal responsive to the transmitted signal;

a first device determining, for each of the operating characteristics indicating a respective transmitting radio is healthy, n sets of operating characteristics, signal parameters one set for each received signal;

wherein n received signals are time aligned to ensure for the purpose of ensuring that the first device determines the n sets of operating characteristics signal parameters of the same transmitted signal; and

wherein the network health is indicated by the n sets of operating characteristics.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first radio comprises a radio operating in compliance with applicable radio specifications.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first device further determines whether the signal received at each receiver is compliant with applicable packet and signal specifications.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first radio comprises a mobile radio operable at a plurality of different locations at different times, wherein, for each one of the different locations, the first device determines a set of operating characteristics of a received signal received at each signal receiver.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a second device determining a location of the first radio and a mapping device creating a network map showing the n sets of operating characteristics at the location of the first radio on the map, where the network health at the location of the first radio on the map is responsive to the n sets of operating characteristics.

21. A method for determining network health, the network comprising a plurality of base station transceivers in bidirectional communication with a plurality of radios operating in the network each having a respective radio identifier, a first radio from the plurality of radios transmitting a transmitted signal including a first radio identifier during normal operation of the first radio, the method comprising

receiving the transmitted signal at a first receiver proximate a first base station and at a second receiver proximate a second base station;

measuring signal parameters of the transmitted signal with each of the first and second receivers;

determining first and second operating characteristics responsive to, respectively, the transmitted signal as received at the first receiver and the transmitted signal as received at the second receiver;

time aligning the first and second received signals to ensure that the first and second operating characteristics have been determined for the transmitted signal as received at the first receiver and as received at the second receiver; and

determining network health responsive to the first and second operating characteristics.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first radio comprises a mobile radio, and wherein as the mobile radio traverses a coverage area of the network, transmitted signals are transmitted from the first radio and from different locations of the coverage area, the method further comprising:

for each one of the signals transmitted from different locations, determining first and second operating characteristics responsive to, respectively, the transmitted signal as received at the first receiver and the transmitted signal as received at the second receiver; and

determining network health at each one of the different locations responsive to the first and second operating characteristics further responsive to the transmitted signal as received at the first receiver and the transmitted signal as received at the second receiver, the transmitted signal transmitted from different locations of the first radio.