Method and apparatus for the detection of distortion or corruption of cellular communication signals

• US 9,941,959 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: QoScience, Inc.
• Inventors: Heath, Jeffrey Abramson, Hakanson, Eric Walter, Yavid, Dmitriy, Cosentino, Christopher Silvio, Card, Stuart William
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US15/408,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 398115-117
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07953 Monitoring or measuring OSNR, BER or Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0645 by additionally acting on or stimulating the network after receiving notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0083 Testing; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A system for troubleshooting signals in a cellular communications network, and in particular, for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of such signals, includes a robotic or other type of switch. The robotic switch can tap into selected uplink fiber-optic lines and selected downlink fiber-optic lines between radio equipment and radio equipment controllers in a wireless (e.g., cellular) network to extract therefrom the I and Q data. The selected I and Q data, in an optical form, is provided to an optical-to-electrical converter forming part of the system. The system includes an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or the like, and an analytic computer unit, or web server, and SSD (Solid State Drive) and magnetic disk storage, among other components of the system. The system analyzes the I and Q data provided to it, and determines the cause, or at least narrows the field of possible causes, of impairment to transmitted signals. The system includes a display which provides the troubleshooting information thereon for a user of the system to review, or other form of a report, and may communicate the analytical findings to a remote location over a public or private internet protocol network.

Claims

1. A system for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in a cellular communications network, the cellular communications network including radio equipment and at least one radio equipment controller, and an uplink signal transmission medium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting the radio equipment and the radio equipment controller, the uplink and downlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital data signals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital data signals relating to cellular communications signals, the system comprising:

a switching sub-assembly, the switching sub-assembly being operatively coupled to the uplink and downlink signal transmission media and providing as output signals therefrom the transport digital data signals of selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the I and Q digital data signals, carried thereby;

a digital signal processor, the digital signal processor being responsive to the output signals of the switching sub-assembly and extracting the I and Q digital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, the digital signal processor processing the extracted I and Q digital data signals and generating therefrom signal spectrum data relating thereto;

an analytic computer unit operatively coupled to the digital signal processor, the analytic computer unit receiving the signal spectrum data generated by the digital signal processor, the analytic computer unit generating a control signal, the switching sub-assembly being responsive to the control signal and providing as the output signals therefrom the transport digital data signals of selected uplink and downlink transmission media in response thereto, the analytic computer unit analyzing the signal spectrum data, at least one of the digital signal processor and the analytic computer unit including;

at least one comparator and at least one memory operatively coupled to the at least one comparator, the at least one memory storing therein reference spectra of normal cellular communications signals having no distortion or corruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having known causes of signal distortion or corruption, the at least one comparator comparing the signal spectrum data with the reference spectra stored in the at least one memory to determine if the signal spectrum data has similar or dissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the stored reference signal spectra, and generating a first signal corresponding to one or more possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating thereto, the analytic computer unit analyzing the possible cause first signal from the comparator and determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion or corruption, the analytic computer unit generating a probable cause signal corresponding to the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption; and

a display, the display being responsive to the probable cause output signal generated by the analytic computer unit and displaying thereon the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption of the signal corresponding to the probable cause output signal generated by the analytic computer unit.

2. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink signal transmission media includes at least one of fiber optic transmission lines, coaxial cables and wireless, free space, transmission media.

3. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink signal transmission media are fiber optic signal transmission lines;

wherein the transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, are in optical format; and

wherein the system further comprises;

an optical-to-electrical signal converter, the optical-to-electrical signal converter being operatively coupled to the uplink and downlink fiber optic transmission lines and converting the optical transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, in optical format, into corresponding electrical transport digital data signals, including electrical I and Q digital data signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals, the optical-to-electrical signal converter providing output signals corresponding thereto, the switching sub-assembly being responsive to the output signals of the optical-to-electrical signal converter.

4. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the uplink and downlink signal transmission media are fiber optic signal transmission lines;

wherein the transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, are in optical format; and

wherein the system further comprises;

an optical-to-electrical signal converter, the optical-to-electrical signal converter being responsive to the output signals of the switching sub-assembly and converting the optical transport digital data signals, including the optical I and Q digital data signals, of the selected uplink and downlink fiber optic signal transmission lines into corresponding electrical transport digital data signals, including electrical I and Q digital data signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals, the optical-to-electrical signal converter providing output signals corresponding to the electrical transport digital data signals, the digital signal processor being responsive to the output signals of the optical-to-electrical signal converter.

5. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the cellular communications network further includes an equipment monitoring system which generates alarm signals or indicator signals representing abnormal conditions relating to the radio equipment;

and

wherein the at least one memory stores therein as a look-up table a set of alarm data or indicator data corresponding to the alarm signals or indicator signals received from the network equipment monitoring system, and a list of possible causes of signal distortion or corruption associated with the alarm data or indicator data of the stored set of alarm data or indicator data, the at least one comparator receiving the alarm or indicator signals from the network equipment monitoring system and comparing the alarm or indicator signals with the set of alarm data or indicator data stored in the at least one memory, and generating a second signal corresponding to possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to a received alarm signal or indicator signal, the analytic computer unit analyzing the second possible cause signal and the first possible cause signal from the comparator and determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion or corruption, the analytic computer unit generating a probable cause signal corresponding to the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

6. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the display is one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a light emitting diode (LED) display;

and

wherein the analytic computer unit generates a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, the display being responsive to the spectral output signal and displaying thereon the frequency spectrum trace.

7. The system as defined by claim 1, which further comprises:

a web server, the web server being operatively coupled to the analytic computer unit and being coupleable to an internet protocol network, the web server providing the probable cause output signal to the internet protocol network when the web server is coupled thereto.

8. The system as defined by claim 7, wherein the display is remotely located from the analytic computer unit and is operatively coupled to the web server through the internet protocol network.

9. The system as defined by claim 7, wherein the display is one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a light emitting diode (LED) display;

wherein the analytic computer unit generates a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, the display being responsive to the spectral output signal and displaying thereon the frequency spectrum trace; and

wherein the web server provides the spectral output signal to the internet protocol network when the web server is coupled thereto.

10. The system as defined by claim 9, wherein the display is remotely located from the analytic computer unit and is operatively coupled to the web server through the internet protocol network.

11. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the at least one memory includes a high speed, solid state memory and a hard disk drive memory operatively coupled to the solid state memory, at least one of the solid state memory and the hard disk drive memory storing therein at least one of the extracted electrical I and Q digital data signals of the output signals of the digital signal processor and the signal spectrum data generated by the digital signal processor.

12. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the at least one memory includes a non-transitory recording medium.

13. The system as defined by claim 12, wherein the non-transitory recording medium is one of a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a digital storage disk.

14. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor includes a high speed, static random access memory (SRAM), the SRAM storing therein at least one of the extracted electrical I and Q digital data signals and the signal spectrum data.

15. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the display is responsive to the first possible cause signal generated by the at least one comparator and displays in response thereto possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to a received alarm signal or indicator signal.

16. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the display is responsive to the second possible cause signal generated by the at least one comparator and displays in response thereto possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data.

17. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor extracts from the I and Q digital data signals at least one of Physical Cell Identity (PCI) codes and Cellldentity codes and generates at least one of a PCI code signal representative of the PCI codes and a Cellldentity code signal representative of the CellIdentity codes, at least one of the PCI code signal and the CellIdentity code signal being provided to the at least one comparator;

wherein the at least one memory has stored therein a list of at least one of PCI codes and Cellldentity codes, each stored PCI code and Cellldentity code corresponding to a particular radio equipment;

wherein the at least one comparator compares the at least one of the PCI code signal and the Cellldentity code signal received from the digital signal processor with the list of the at least one of the PCI codes and the Cellldentity codes stored in the at least one memory and provides an RE identification signal representative of the particular radio equipment; and

wherein the analytic computer unit is responsive to the RE identification signal from the at least one comparator and generates the control signal provided to the switching sub-assembly based at least partially thereon, the switching sub-assembly being responsive to the control signal and providing as output signals therefrom the transport digital data signals, including I and Q digital data signals, of selected uplink and downlink transmission media.

18. The system as defined by claim 5, wherein the display is responsive to at least one of the first possible cause signal and the second possible cause signal and displays in response respectively thereto at least one of 1) possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the received alarm signal or indicator signal, and 2) possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data.

19. The system as defined by claim 18, wherein the possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the received alarm signal or indicator signal having a first degree of probability of accuracy, and the possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data having a second degree of probability of accuracy, the second degree of probability of accuracy being greater than the first degree of probability of accuracy.

20. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor extracts from the I and Q digital data signals ACK (Acknowledgement) codes and NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes, and generates an ACK signal and NACK signal respectively representative of the ACK codes and NACK codes;

wherein the analytic computer unit further includes at least one counter, the at least one counter being responsive to the ACK signal and the NACK signal and effectively counting the number of times the ACK codes and the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of time and providing an ACK count signal and a NACK count signal in response thereto; and

wherein the analytic computer unit determines from the ACK count signal and the NACK count signal a ratio between the ACK codes and the NACK codes, and causes the at least one memory to store therein the period of time when the ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold.

21. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor extracts from the I and Q digital data signals NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes, and generates a NACK signal representative of the NACK codes;

wherein the analytic computer unit further includes at least one counter, the at least one counter being responsive to the NACK signal and effectively counting the number of times the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of time and providing a NACK count signal in response thereto; and

wherein the analytic computer unit determines from the NACK count signal whether the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal more than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined period of time.

22. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor extracts from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) codes and generates a PDCCH code signal representative of the PDCCH codes, the PDCCH code signal being provided to the analytic computer unit;

wherein the analytic computer unit determines from the PDCCH code signal times or frequencies when or spectrally where no cellular communications signals are transmitted by cellular telephones communicating with at least one particular radio equipment of the cellular communications network, and analyzes the signal spectrum data at said times or frequencies.

23. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the analytic computer unit includes a clock unit, the clock unit monitoring at least one of the time of the day, the week, the month and the year, the clock unit generating a clock signal in response thereto;

wherein the at least one memory has stored therein known predetermined times of the day, the week, the month or the year when cellular communications signals transmitted between the cellular communications network and cellular telephones communicating with the cellular communication network are less frequent than at other times of the day, the week, the month or the year; and

wherein, in response to the clock signal, the analytic computer unit analyzes the signal spectrum data of the I and Q digital data signals occurring at a known predetermined time of the day, the week, the month or the year when cellular telephone communications with the cellular communications network are less frequent.

24. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the analytic computer unit analyzes the signal spectrum data and determines if communications signal noise, distortion or corruption is present in the signal spectrum data, the analytic computer unit generating an event occurrence signal in response thereto;

wherein the analytic computer unit further includes an events counter, the events counter, in response to the event occurrence signal, counting the number of times similar types of signal noise, distortion or corruption are present in the signal spectrum data over a predetermined period of time, the events counter generating a similar events count signal in response thereto; and

wherein the at least one memory stores therein the similar events count signal.

25. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the signal spectrum data has a slope associated therewith over a particular frequency range;

wherein the analytic computer unit quantifies the slope of the signal spectrum data over the particular frequency range and provides therefrom a quantified slope signal; and

wherein the analytic computer unit analyzes the quantified slope of the signal spectrum data from the quantified slope signal to determine at least partially therefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

26. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein at least one of the digital signal processor and the analytic computer unit determines from the signal spectrum data the power level of cellular communications signals.

27. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor extracts from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) codes and determines therefrom the modulation format of cellular communications signals received by a radio equipment;

wherein at least one of the digital signal processor and the analytic computer unit determines from the signal spectrum data the power level of the cellular communications signals;

wherein the at least one memory has stored therein known modulation formats and power levels associated with the known modulation formats which are expected to be received by the radio equipment;

wherein the at least one comparator compares the modulation format and the power level determined by the at least one of the analytic computer unit and the digital signal processor with the known modulation formats and associated power levels stored in the at least one memory and generates a power level signal if the power level determined by the at least one of the digital signal processor and the analytic computer unit is different from the stored power level associated with a stored known modulation format that is the same as or similar to the modulation format of the signal spectrum data; and

wherein the analytic computer unit, in response to the power level signal, determines at least partially therefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

28. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the analytic computer unit further includes a pattern recognition neural network and a database operatively coupled to the pattern recognition neural network, the database containing a library of different interference scenarios which can cause signal distortion or corruption;

wherein the neural network analyzes at least the signal spectrum data and, based on the library of different interference scenarios contained in the database, characterizes the interference scenario that may effect the signal spectrum data, the neural network generating a pattern recognition signal in response thereto; and

wherein the analytic computer unit, in response to the pattern recognition signal from the neural network, determines at least partially therefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

29. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein the radio receiver controller of the cellular communications network includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and wherein the total received signal power of the radio equipment may exceed a maximum allowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment, resulting in the I and Q signal components becoming distorted;

wherein the analytic computer unit analyzes the signal spectrum data and determines therefrom the power level of the combined I and Q signal components (I²+Q²) and generates a combined power level signal representative thereof;

wherein the at least one memory has stored therein a predetermined threshold power level;

wherein the at least one comparator, in response to the combined power level signal, compares the power level of the combined I and Q signal components with the stored predetermined threshold power level and provides an excessive power level signal in response thereto indicative of when the power level of the combined I and Q signal components exceeds the predetermined threshold power level; and

wherein the analytic computer unit, in response to the excessive power level signal, determines at least partially therefrom that distortion of the I and Q signal components is probably caused by the maximum allowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment being exceeded.

30. A method for determining the cause of distortion or corruption of signals in a cellular communications network, the cellular communications network including radio equipment and at least one radio equipment controller, and an uplink signal transmission medium and a downlink signal transmission medium interconnecting the radio equipment and the radio equipment controller, the uplink and downlink signal transmission media carrying transport digital data signals, including I (in phase) and Q (quadrature phase) digital data signals relating to cellular communications signals, the method comprising the steps of:

operatively coupling to the uplink and downlink signal transmission media, and providing the transport digital data signals of selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media, including the I and Q digital data signals, carried thereby;

extracting the I and Q digital data signals from the transport digital data signals carried by the selected uplink and downlink signal transmission media;

processing the extracted I and Q digital data signals, and generating therefrom signal spectrum data relating thereto;

storing reference spectra of normal cellular communications signals having no distortion or corruption or abnormal cellular communications signals having known causes of signal distortion or corruption;

comparing the signal spectrum data with the stored reference spectra to determine if the signal spectrum data has similar or dissimilar characteristics to the characteristics of the stored reference signal spectra, and generating a first signal corresponding to one or more possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating thereto;

analyzing the possible cause first signal and determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion or corruption, and generating a probable cause signal corresponding to the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption; and

displaying, in response to the probable cause output signal, the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

31. The method as defined by claim 30, wherein the uplink and downlink signal transmission media are fiber optic signal transmission lines;

wherein the transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, are in optical format; and

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

converting the optical transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, in optical format, into corresponding electrical transport digital data signals, including electrical I and Q digital data signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals, and providing output signals corresponding thereto.

32. The method as defined by claim 30, wherein the uplink and downlink signal transmission media are fiber optic signal transmission lines;

wherein the transport digital data signals, including the I and Q digital data signals, are in optical format; and

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

converting the optical transport digital data signals, including the optical I and Q digital data signals, of the selected uplink and downlink fiber optic signal transmission lines into corresponding electrical transport digital data signals, including electrical I and Q digital data signals respectively corresponding to the optical I and Q digital data signals, and providing output signals corresponding to the electrical transport digital data signals.

33. The method as defined by claim 30, wherein the cellular communications network further includes an equipment monitoring system which generates alarm signals or indicator signals representing abnormal conditions relating to the radio equipment;

and

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

storing as a look-up table a set of alarm data or indicator data corresponding to the alarm signals or indicator signals received from the network equipment monitoring system, and a list of possible causes of signal distortion or corruption associated with the alarm data or indicator data of the stored set of alarm data or indicator data;

receiving the alarm or indicator signals from the network equipment monitoring system;

comparing the alarm or indicator signals with the stored set of alarm data or indicator data, and generating a second signal corresponding to possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to a received alarm signal or indicator signal; and

analyzing the second possible cause signal and the first possible cause signal and determining therefrom a probable cause of signal distortion or corruption, and generating the probable cause signal corresponding to the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

34. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

generating a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, and displaying on a display the frequency spectrum trace.

35. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

operatively coupling a web server to an internet protocol network, and providing by the web server the probable cause output signal to the internet protocol network.

36. The method as defined by claim 35, which further comprises the step of:

operatively coupling to the web server through the internet protocol network a remotely located display.

37. The method as defined by claim 35, which further comprises the steps of:

generating a spectral output signal of a frequency spectrum trace from the signal spectrum data, and displaying on a display the frequency spectrum trace; and

providing by the web server the spectral output signal to the internet protocol network.

38. The method as defined by claim 37, which further comprises the step of:

remotely locating the display from the web server, and operatively coupling the display to the web server through the internet protocol network.

39. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the step of:

storing on at least one of a high speed, solid state memory and a hard disk drive memory operatively coupled to the solid state memory at least one of the extracted I and Q digital data signals and the signal spectrum data.

40. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the step of:

storing at least one of the extracted I and Q digital data signals and the signal spectrum data on a non-transitory recording medium.

41. The method as defined by claim 40, wherein the non-transitory recording medium is one of a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a digital storage disk.

42. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the step of:

storing the extracted I and Q digital data signals on a high speed, static random access memory (SRAM).

43. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

extracting from the I and Q digital data signals at least one of Physical Cell Identity (PCI) codes and Cellldentity codes, and generating at least one of a PCI code signal representative of the PCI codes and a Cellldentity code signal representative of the Cellldentity codes;

storing a list of at least one of PCI codes and Cellldentity codes, each stored PCI code and Cellldentity code corresponding to a particular radio equipment;

comparing the at least one of the PCI code signal and the CellIdentity code signal with the stored list of the at least one of the PCI codes and the CellIdentity codes, and providing an RE identification signal representative of the particular radio equipment; and

providing, in response to the RE identification signal, the transport digital data signals, including I and Q digital data signals, of selected uplink and downlink transmission media.

44. The method as defined by claim 33, which further comprises the step of:

displaying at least one of

     1) possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the received alarm signal or indicator signal, and

     2) possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data.

45. The method as defined by claim 44, wherein the possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the received alarm signal or indicator signal having a first degree of probability of accuracy, and the possible causes of signal distortion or corruption relating to the signal spectrum data having a second degree of probability of accuracy, the second degree of probability of accuracy being greater than the first degree of probability of accuracy.

46. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

extracting from the I and Q digital data signals ACK (Acknowledgement) codes and NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes;

effectively counting the number of times the ACK codes and the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of time, and providing an ACK count signal and a NACK count signal in response thereto; and

determining from the ACK count signal and the NACK count signal a ratio between the ACK codes and the NACK codes, and storing the period of time when the ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold.

47. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

extracting from the I and Q digital data signals NACK (Not Acknowledgement) codes;

effectively counting the number of times the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal within a predetermined period of time, and providing a NACK count signal in response thereto; and

determining from the NACK count signal whether the NACK codes appear in the I and Q digital data signal more than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined period of time.

48. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

extracting from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control CHannel) codes, and generating a PDCCH code signal representative of the PDCCH codes; and

determining from the PDCCH code signal times or frequencies when or spectrally where no cellular communications signals are transmitted by cellular telephones communicating with the cellular communications network, and analyzing the signal spectrum data at said times or frequencies.

49. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

monitoring at least one of the time of the day, the week, the month and the year, and generating a clock signal in response thereto;

storing known predetermined times of the day, the week, the month or the year when cellular communications signals transmitted between the cellular communications network and cellular telephones communicating with the cellular communication network are less frequent than at other times of the day, the week, the month or the year; and

analyzing the signal spectrum data of I and Q digital data signals occurring at a known predetermined time of the day, the week, the month or the year when cellular telephone communications with the cellular communications network are less frequent.

50. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

analyzing the signal spectrum data and determining if communications signal noise, distortion or corruption is present in the signal spectrum data, and generating an event occurrence signal in response thereto;

counting, in response to the event occurrence signal, the number of times similar types of signal noise, distortion or corruption are present in the signal spectrum data over a predetermined period of time, and generating a similar events count signal in response thereto; and

storing the similar events count signal.

51. The method as defined by claim 30, wherein the signal spectrum data has a slope associated therewith at a particular frequency;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

quantifying the slope of the signal spectrum data at the particular frequency, and providing therefrom a quantified slope signal; and

analyzing the quantified slope of the signal spectrum data from the quantified slope signal, and determining at least partially therefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

52. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

analyzing the signal spectrum data and determining therefrom the power level of cellular communications signals.

53. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

extracting from the I and Q digital data signals PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) codes, and determining therefrom the modulation format of cellular communications signals received by a radio equipment;

determining from the signal spectrum data the power level of the cellular communications signals;

storing known modulation formats and power levels associated with the known modulation formats which are expected to be received by the radio equipment;

comparing the determined modulation format and the power level with the stored known modulation formats and associated power levels, and generating a power level signal if the determined power level is different from the stored power level associated with a stored known modulation format that is the same as or similar to the modulation format of the signal spectrum data; and

determining at least partially therefrom the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

54. The method as defined by claim 30, which further comprises the steps of:

using a pattern recognition neural network and a database operatively coupled to the pattern recognition neural network;

storing in the database a library of different types of known interference which can cause signal distortion or corruption;

analyzing by the neural network at least the signal spectrum data and, based on the library of different types of known interference stored in the database, characterizing the type of interference that may effect the signal spectrum data, and generating by the neural network a pattern recognition signal in response thereto; and

determining at least partially from the pattern recognition signal the probable cause of signal distortion or corruption.

55. The method as defined by claim 30, wherein the radio receiver controller of the cellular communications network includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and wherein the total received signal power of the radio equipment may exceed a maximum allowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment, resulting in the I and Q signal components becoming distorted;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

analyzing the signal spectrum data and determining therefrom the power level of the combined I and Q signal components (I²+Q²), and generating a combined power level signal representative thereof;

storing a predetermined threshold power level;

comparing, in response to the combined power level signal, the power level of the combined I and Q signal components with the stored predetermined threshold power level, and providing an excessive power level signal in response thereto indicative of when the power level of the combined I and Q signal components exceeds the predetermined threshold power level; and

determining, in response to the excessive power level signal, at least partially therefrom that distortion of the I and Q signal components is probably caused by the maximum allowable signal power level of the ADC in the radio equipment being exceeded.