Mobile wireless communications system and method with corrective action responsive to communications fault detection

• US 9,642,024 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: N/A
• Original Assignee: N/A
• Inventors: Reed, Mark Jefferson, Palik, Stephen Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/297,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 195 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A mobile device, wireless network and their method of operation provide fault handling in response to detection of a communications fault between a connected mobile device and the communications network. The communications network tracks location of mobile devices and stores performance data of connections between the mobile devices and the network. The performance data is referenced to expected performance data to determine whether a fault exists and a corrective action is suggested when the fault exists.

Claims

1. A system including:

one or more radio-frequency transceivers and an associated one or more antennas to which the radio-frequency transceiver is coupled, wherein the one or more radio-frequency transceivers configured for radio-frequency communication with at least one mobile wireless communications device; and

a computer coupled to the one or more radio-frequency transceivers programmed to locate the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and generate an indication of a location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices, wherein the computer further receives and stores performance data of connections between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the radio-frequency transceiver along with the indication of location, wherein the computer references the performance data to expected performance data, wherein the computer determines at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with differences between the performance data and expected performance data in conjunction with the indication of location, wherein the computer further receives an error code from the radio-frequency transceiver, determines whether the error code indicates a performance issue with respect to the connection between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the radio-frequency transceiver, and wherein the computer determines the at least one suggested corrective action in response to the error code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer further determines the at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with a value of the error code.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more mobile wireless communication devices comprises two or more mobile wireless communication devices, each of the two or more mobile wireless communication devices communicating via radio frequency electromagnetic signals, wherein the computer is computer programmed to routinely, identify performance data and a corresponding location for each of the two or more wireless communication devices, and store in a memory the performance data and the corresponding locations for each of the two or more mobile wireless communication devices, and wherein the one or more radio-frequency transceivers and one or more associated antennas comprise a radio tower in communication with said computer and with the two or more mobile wireless communication devices, the radio tower adapted to generate an error code based upon operation of the radio tower and wherein the computer is further programmed to selectively suggest the at least one corrective action as a corrective adjustment of said radio frequency electromagnetic signal emitted by the radio tower so as to restrict processing radio frequency electromagnetic signals from one of the two or more mobile wireless communication devices based upon the error code.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the two or more mobile wireless communication devices transmit performance data;

and wherein the computer is further programmed to receive the performance data and to accordingly identify the location of each of two or more mobile wireless communication devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer routinely stores updated performance data and an updated indication of location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices while the mobile wireless communications device is communicating with the one or more radio-frequency transceivers.

6. A method of managing a wireless radio-frequency (RF) network, the method comprising:

coupling in communication, one or more radio-frequency transceivers and an associated one or more antennas to which the radio-frequency transceiver is coupled to one or more mobile wireless communications devices;

locating the one or more mobile wireless communications devices according to the radio-frequency communications and generating an indication of a location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices;

receiving and storing performance data of connections between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the radio-frequency transceiver along with the indication of location;

referencing the performance data to expected performance data;

determining at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with differences between the performance data and expected performance data in conjunction with the indication of location;

receiving an error code from the radio-frequency transceiver;

determining whether the error code indicates a performance issue with respect to the connection between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the radio-frequency transceiver; and

determining the at least one suggested corrective action in response to the error code.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the computer determines the at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with a value of the error code.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more mobile wireless communications devices comprises two or more wireless communication devices, wherein the coupling couples each of the wireless communication devices in radio frequency communication with the radio-frequency transceiver, and wherein the method further comprises:

routinely identifying the performance data and the corresponding location for each of the two or more wireless communication devices;

storing the performance data and the corresponding locations for each of the two or more wireless communication devices in a memory of a computer;

generating an error code based upon operation of the radio-frequency transceiver and the two or more wireless communication devices; and

selectively suggesting the corrective action as a corrective adjustment of said radio frequency electromagnetic signal emitted by the radio tower so as to restrict processing radio frequency electromagnetic signals from at least one of the two or more wireless communication devices based upon the error code.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting performance data from at least one of the two or more wireless communication devices; and

the computer receiving the performance data and accordingly identify the location of each of the two or more wireless communication devices.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising routinely storing updated performance data and an updated indication of location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices while the mobile wireless communications device is communicating with the one or more radio-frequency transceivers.

11. A system including:

multiple radio-frequency transceivers and associated multiple antennas to which the associated radio-frequency transceivers are coupled, wherein the multiple radio-frequency transceivers are configured for radio-frequency communication with one or more mobile wireless communications devices; and

a computer coupled to the multiple radio-frequency transceivers that receives and stores an indication of a location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices, wherein the computer receives an indication that indicates that communication between a particular one of the radio-frequency transceivers and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices is faulty, wherein the computer takes corrective action on the particular radio-frequency transceiver to attempt to remedy the fault, wherein the one or more mobile wireless communications devices transmit an indication of performance of communication with the particular one of the multiple radio-frequency transmitters, and wherein the computer is further programmed to receive the indication of performance from one of the multiple radio-frequency transceivers as the indication that the communication between the particular one of the radio-frequency transceivers and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices is faulty, wherein the computer further receives and stores performance data of connections between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the multiple radio-frequency transceivers along with the indication of location, wherein the computer references the performance data to expected performance data, and wherein the computer determines at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with differences between the performance data and expected performance data in conjunction with the indication of location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer routinely stores updated performance data and an updated indication of location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices while the mobile wireless communications device is communicating with the one or more radio-frequency transceivers.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer takes action by setting a state of the particular radio-frequency transceiver to prevent communication between the one or more radio-frequency transceivers and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer takes action by automatically adjusting at least one operating parameter of the particular radio-frequency transceiver to improve communication between the at least on radio-frequency transceiver and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer further receives an error code from the particular radio-frequency transceiver, determines whether the error code indicates a performance issue with respect to the communications between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the particular radio-frequency transceiver, and wherein the computer determines at least one corrective action taken by the automatically adjusting in response to the error code.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer further determines the at least one corrective action in conformity with a value of the error code.

17. A method of managing a wireless radio-frequency (RF) network, the method comprising:

coupling in communication, multiple radio-frequency transceivers and associated multiple antennas to which the radio-frequency transceivers are coupled, wherein the multiple radio-frequency transceivers are configured for radio-frequency communication one or more mobile wireless communications devices;

locating the one or more mobile wireless communications devices according to the radio-frequency communication and generating an indication of a location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices;

receiving and storing the indication of location by a computer system;

the computer system receiving and storing performance data of connections between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the multiple radio-frequency transceivers along with the indication of location;

the computer system receiving an indication of performance from a first one of the multiple radio-frequency transceivers that indicates that communication between the first one of the radio-frequency transceivers and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices is faulty;

responsive to receiving the indication that the communication is faulty, the computer taking corrective action on the particular radio-frequency transceiver to attempt to remedy the fault;

the computer referencing the performance data to expected performance data; and

the computer determining at least one suggested corrective action in conformity with differences between the performance data and expected performance data in conjunction with the indication of location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving and storing routinely stores updated performance data and an updated indication of location of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices while the mobile wireless communications device is communicating with the one or more radio-frequency transceivers.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer takes action by setting a state of the particular radio-frequency transceiver to prevent communication between the at least on radio-frequency transceiver and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer takes action by automatically adjusting at least one operating parameter of the particular radio-frequency transceiver to improve communication between the at least on radio-frequency transceiver and the one or more mobile wireless communications devices.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

the computer further receiving an error code from the particular radio-frequency transceiver;

the computer determining whether the error code indicates a performance issue with respect to the communications between the one or more mobile wireless communications devices and the particular radio-frequency transceiver; and

the computer determining at least one corrective action taken by the automatically adjusting in response to the error code.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the computer the computer determining the at least one corrective action in conformity with a value of the error code.