Self-optimizing wireless network

• US 9,826,420 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Tarraf, Osama, Hafedh, Trigui
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Application Number:
  US14/980,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20160286411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation

Abstract

Optimizing a plurality of cell sites or sectors in a wireless network including receiving network data regarding a plurality of cell sites or sectors; determining a critical zone in which communication is degraded; determining best neighbor cell sites or sectors among the neighbor cell sites or sectors associated with the critical cell sites or sectors; determining if the critical cell sites or sectors in the critical zone have available resources for achieving a desired improvement in communications; determining if the best neighbor cell sites or sectors have available resources for achieving the desired improvement in communications; and altering wireless network parameters of the critical cell sites or sectors, or the best neighbor cell sites or sectors for achieving the desired improvement in communications. Altering wireless network parameters of the critical cell sites or sectors, or the best neighbor cell sites or sectors is performed continuously until the desired improvement in communications in the wireless network is achieved.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, network data regarding a plurality of sites,

each site, of the plurality of sites, corresponding to a coverage area for providing communications in a wireless network;

identifying, by the device, a zone in which communication is degraded based on the network data,

where identifying the zone includes;

identifying at least one site determined to need improved communications by a reference identifier;

creating a cell table by collecting a list of neighbor sites corresponding to the at least one site;

determining if the reference identifier matches a cell identifier stored in the cell table;

determining if the reference identifier matches a zone identifier stored in the cell table;

if the cell identifier is associated with the zone and the zone identifier is not associated with the zone, adding an identified cell, associated with the cell identifier, to the zone;

if the zone identifier is associated with the zone and the cell identifier is not associated with the zone, adding an identified zone, associated with the zone identifier, to the zone;

if neither the cell identifier nor the zone identifier are associated with the zone, creating a new zone including the identified cell and the identified zone; and

if the cell identifier and the zone identifier are associated with two different zones, creating a new zone including the identified cell and the identified zone, and

identifying the zone is performed continuously for sites in the wireless network,

identifying, by the device, a neighbor site to the at least one site based on the cell table, the neighbor site being a neighbor cell site or a neighbor sector;

determining, by the device, whether the neighbor site has available resources for achieving an improvement in communications based on a quantity of calls that can be additionally served by the neighbor site;

altering, by the device, wireless network parameters of at least one of the neighbor site or the at least one site based on the neighbor site having the available resources,

the coverage area corresponding to at least one of the neighbor site or the at least one site being adaptively shaped by altering the wireless network parameters as the network data changes over time; and

determining, by the device, if the improvement in communications has been achieved by altering the wireless network parameters,

where altering the wireless network parameters is performed until the improvement in communications in the wireless network is achieved.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a time frame at which a degraded communications occurs in the zone;

determining if the at least one site has adequate available resources at the time frame for achieving the improvement in communications; and

where determining whether the neighbor site has the available resources includes;

determining if the neighbor site has the available resources at the time frame for achieving the improvement in communications when the at least one site is determined to not have the adequate available resources at the time frame for achieving the improvement in communication.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the network data during a time period; and

where determining if the improvement in communications has been achieved is based on monitoring the network data during the time period.

4. The method of claim 1, where the wireless network parameters include at least one of:

at least one direction of at least one controllable antenna,

a beamwidth of the at least one controllable antenna, or

a transmit power of at least one base station.

5. The method of claim 1, where the improvement in communications is determined based on key performance indicators (KPIs).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting neighbor sites based on network statistics;

grouping the neighbor sites into a plurality of groups,

an order of the plurality of groups being based on resources available and the network statistics;

ranking the neighbor sites in each group based on resources available and the network statistics;

determining a best neighbor site in a group, and if the best neighbor site is not determined, searching a next group for the best neighbor site; and

calculating alterations or modifications to the best neighbor site for improving communications in the zone.

7. A device comprising:

a processor to;

receive network data regarding a plurality of cell sites,

each cell site, of the plurality of cell sites, corresponding to a coverage area for providing communications in a wireless network;

determine a zone in which communication is degraded based on the network data,

where the processor, when determining the zone, is to;

identify at least one cell site determined to need improved communications by a reference identifier;

create a cell table by collecting a list of neighbor cell sites corresponding to the at least one cell site;

determine if the reference identifier matches a cell identifier stored in the cell table;

determine if the reference identifier matches a zone identifier stored in the cell table;

if the cell identifier is associated with the zone and the zone identifier is not associated with the zone, add an identified cell, associated with the cell identifier, to the zone;

if the zone identifier is associated with the zone and the cell identifier is not associated with the zone, add an identified zone, associated with the zone identifier, to the zone;

if neither the cell identifier nor the zone identifier are associated with the zone, create a new zone including the identified cell and the identified zone; and

if the cell identifier and the zone identifier are associated with two different zones, create a new zone including the identified cell and the identified zone, and

determine the zone continuously for sites in the wireless network;

determine a neighbor cell site among a plurality of neighbor cell sites to the at least one cell site based on the cell table;

determine whether the neighbor cell site has available resources for achieving an improvement in communications based on a quantity of calls that can be additionally served by the neighbor cell site;

cause an alteration of wireless network parameters of at least one of the neighbor cell site or the at least one cell site based on the neighbor cell site having the available resources,

the coverage area corresponding to at least one of the neighbor cell site or the at least one cell site being adaptively shaped by altering the wireless network parameters as the network data changes over time; and

determine if the improvement in communications has been achieved by altering the wireless network parameters,

where the processor is to alter the wireless network parameters continuously until the improvement in communications in the wireless network is achieved.

8. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further to:

determine a time period at which a degraded communications occurs in the zone;

determine if the at least one cell site has adequate available resources at the time period for achieving the improvement in communications; and

where the processor, when determining if the neighbor cell site has the available resources, is to;

determine if the neighbor cell site has the available resources at the time period for achieving the improvement in communications when the at least one cell site is determined to not have the adequate available resources at the time period for achieving the improvement in communication.

9. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further to:

monitor the network data during a time period; and

where the processor, when determining if the improvement in communications has been achieved, is to;

determine if the improvement in communications has been achieved based on monitoring the network data during the time period.

10. The device of claim 7, where the wireless network parameters include at least one of:

a horizontal and a vertical pointing direction of at least one controllable antenna,

a beamwidth of the at least one controllable antenna, or

a transmit power of at least one base station.

11. The device of claim 7, where the improvement in communications is determined based on key performance indicators (KPIs).

12. The device of claim 7, where the processor, when determining the neighbor site, is to:

sort the plurality of neighbor cell sites based on network statistics;

group the plurality of neighbor cell sites into a plurality of groups,

an order of the plurality of groups being based on resources available and the network statistics;

rank the plurality of neighbor cell sites in each group based on resources available and the network statistics; and

determine a best neighbor cell site in a group, and if the best neighbor cell site is not determined, searching a next group for the best neighbor cell site;

the processor further to;

calculate alterations or modifications to the best neighbor cell site for improving communications in the zone.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with one or more devices, cause the one or more processors to;

receive network data regarding a plurality of sectors,

each sector, of the plurality of sectors, corresponding to a coverage area for providing communications in a wireless network;

determine a zone in which communication is degraded based on the network data,

where the plurality of instructions, when determining the zone, cause the one or more processors to;

identify at least one sector determined to need improved communications by a reference identifier;

create a sector table by collecting a list of neighbor sectors corresponding to the at least one sector;

determine if the reference identifier matches a sector identifier stored in the sector table;

determine if the reference identifier matches a zone identifier stored in the sector table;

 

if the sector identifier is associated with the zone and the zone identifier is not associated with the zone, add an identified sector, associated with the sector identifier, to the zone;

 

if the zone identifier is associated with the zone and the sector identifier is not associated with the zone, add an identified zone, associated with the zone identifier, to the zone;

 

if neither the sector identifier nor the zone identifier are associated with the zone, create a new zone including the identified sector and the identified zone; and

 

if the sector identifier and the zone identifier are associated with two different zones, create a new zone including the identified sector and the identified zone, and

determine the zone continuously for sectors in the wireless network;

determine a neighbor sector among a plurality of neighbor sectors to the at least one sector based on the sector table;

determine whether the neighbor sector has available resources for achieving an improvement in communications based on a quantity of calls that can be additionally served by the neighbor sector;

cause an alteration of wireless network parameters of at least one of the neighbor sector or the at least one sector based on the neighbor sector having the available resources,

the coverage area corresponding to at least one of the neighbor sector or the least one sector being adaptively shaped by altering the wireless network parameters as the network data changes over time; and

determine if the improvement in communications has been achieved by altering the wireless network parameters,

where altering the wireless network parameters is performed continuously until the improvement in communications in the wireless network is achieved.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

determine a critical hour at which a degraded communications occurs in the zone;

determine if the at least one sector has adequate available resources at the critical hour for achieving the improvement in communications; and

where the plurality of instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine if the neighbor sector has available resources, cause the one or more processors to;

determine if the neighbor sector has available resources at the critical hour for achieving the improvement in communications when the at least one sector is determined to not have the adequate available resources at the critical hour for achieving the improvement in communication.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

monitor the network data during a time period; and

where the plurality of instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine if the improvement in communications has been achieved, cause the one or more processors to;

determine if the improvement in communications has been achieved based on monitoring the network data during the time period.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the wireless network parameters include at least one of:

a horizontal and a vertical pointing direction of at least one controllable antenna,

a beamwidth of the at least one controllable antenna, or

a transmit power of at least one base station.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the improvement in communications is determined based on key performance indicators (KPIs).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the plurality of instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine the neighbor sector, cause the one or more processors to:

sort the plurality of neighbor sectors based on network statistics;

group the plurality of neighbor sectors into a plurality of groups,

an order of the plurality of groups being based on resources available and the network statistics;

rank the plurality of neighbor sectors in each group based on resources available and the network statistics; and

determine a best neighbor sector in a group, and if the best neighbor sector is not determined, searching a next group for the best neighbor sector; and

where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to;

calculate alterations or modifications to the best neighbor sector for improving communications in the zone.