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

• US 8,989,751 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/175,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20140155055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• 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:

determining, by a device comprising a processor, a number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for a station pair, based on information about another number of occurrences of an interference parameter within a selected range for the station pair;

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

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

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

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

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

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

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

8. A system, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

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

determining a number of occurrences of interference for a station pair based on information about another number of occurrences of an interference parameter within a defined range for the station pair, wherein the occurrences of interference are determined to occur in response to determinations that respective control channel signals from the station pair are received at respective matching frequencies and overlap in time;

determining a relative percentage for the other 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 other number of occurrences of the interference parameter within the measurement period.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise constructing an interference matrix based on the number of occurrences of interference.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise monitoring a call for the station pair in a 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 the control channel signals transmitted by the wireless transmitters.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a first number of carrier-to-interference occurrences for a station pair based on information about a second number of occurrences of an interference parameter within a range for the station pair;

determining a percentage for the second number of occurrences comprising determining the percentage of the number of occurrences relative to a number of measurements taken during a measurement period;

measuring, during a measurement period, relative signal strengths as compared to one another with respect to control channel signals transmitted by wireless antennas 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.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise storing signal strength measurements for switching primary communications between network sectors.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing the signal strength measurements to determine the interference parameter.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise approximating a third number of customers affected by a determined magnitude of interference for the station pair.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium 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 measuring, at multiple times, signal strengths of a signal associated with the call during the measurement period.