Minimization of drive test (MDT) data donor device selection

• US 10,716,021 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2018
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Peden, Mark D., Reeves, Raymond E., Youngs, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu Ha T
• Application Number:
  US16/040,462
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A minimization drive test (MDT) selection server computer. The server comprises a processor, a non-transitory memory; and an MDT selection application stored in the non-transitory memory. When executed by the processor the MDT selection application receives a mobile communication device selection criteria, where the criteria identifies a device candidate profile, determines a degree of match of a plurality of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to the device candidate profile, selects a population of mobile communication devices to perform the MDT based at least in part on the degree of match of the mobile communication devices to the device candidate profile, and causes the selected population of mobile communication devices to perform the MDT.

Claims

1. A method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices, comprising:

receiving a mobile communication device selection criteria by a MDT selection application executing on a computer system, where the criteria defines at least two of a mobile communication device location, a mobile communication device model, a mobile communication device software version, a mobile communication service subscriber profile, and a subscriber mobility pattern;

selecting a first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices by the MDT selection application based on the subscribers associated with the mobile communication device having consented to use of the mobile communication device in MDT;

for each mobile communication device in the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices, determining a degree of match of the MDT candidate mobile communication device to the mobile communication device selection criteria by the MDT selection application;

selecting a second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices from the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices by the MDT selection application based at least in part on the degree of match of first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to the mobile communication device selection criteria;

causing at least some of the mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to perform a MDT;

collecting MDT data from the at least some of the MDT candidate mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices;

generating a block of a MDT block chain where the block comprises a nonce value, comprises a data content portion that comprises the collected MDT data, and comprises a hash value that is calculated based on a hash value of a preceding block of the MDT block chain, based on the data content portion, and based on the nonce value; and

sending the block to a MDT block chain management server for adding to the MDT block chain.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication devices are mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wearable computers, headset computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, or tablet computers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing MDT data produced by the mobile communication devices in a MDT results data store;

retrieving MDT data from the MDT results data store;

analyzing the MDT data retrieved from the MDT results data store;

adapting operation parameters of a cell site based on analyzing the MDT data.

4. The method of claim 3, where the MDT data is produced by mobile communication devices associated with a first wireless communication service provider and the MDT data is retrieved by, analyzed by a second wireless communication service provider to adapt operation parameters of a cell site of the second wireless communication service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing at least some of the mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to perform the MDT comprises building a MDT manifest that identifies the mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices and transmitting the MDT manifest to a server computer that executes an MDT server application that commands the mobile communication devices identified in the MDT manifest to perform the MDT.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the MDT manifest identifies tests to be performed by MDT candidate mobile communication devices.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the MDT manifest identifies performance data to be collected by MDT candidate mobile communication devices.

8. A minimization drive test (MDT) selection server computer, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory; and

a MDT selection application stored in the non-transitory memory that, when executed by the processor

receives a mobile communication device selection criteria, where the criteria identifies a device candidate profile, identifies a matching threshold, and identifies a number of mobile communication devices that are to perform a MDT,

determines a degree of match of a plurality of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to the device candidate profile,

identifies a first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices that achieve a degree of match to the device candidate profile above the matching threshold of the criteria,

analyzes a MDT participation history of each of the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices,

identifies a second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices among the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices based on the analysis of the MDT participation histories of the devices in the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices, where the number of devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices is at least as large as the number of mobile communication devices identified in the mobile communication device selection criteria,

causes the mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to perform a MDT,

collects MDT data from the at least some of the MDT candidate mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices,

generates a block of a MDT block chain where the block comprises a nonce value, comprises a data content portion that comprises the collected MDT data, and comprises a hash value that is calculated based on a hash value of a preceding block of the MDT block chain, based on the data content portion, and based on the nonce value, and

sends the block to a MDT block chain management server for adding to the MDT block chain.

9. The MDT selection server of claim 8, wherein the device candidate profile defines at least two of a mobile communication device location, a mobile communication device model, a mobile communication device software version, and a subscriber mobility pattern.

10. The MDT selection server of claim 8, further comprising accessing MDT participation history about the first population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices from a MDT participation history data store by the MDT selection application.

11. The MDT selection server of claim 10, further comprising accessing information about the plurality of MDT candidate mobile communication devices from a device profile data store by the MDT selection application, wherein determining a degree of match of a MDT candidate mobile communication device to the device candidate profile comprises determining a match of the information about the MDT candidate mobile communication device accessed from the device profile data store.

12. The MDT selection server of claim 8, wherein causing the mobile communication devices in the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices to perform the MDT comprises causing the MDT candidate mobile communication devices to collect and report MDT data about at least one of dropped call rates, blocked call rates, signal strength, or signal to noise ratio.

13. The MDT selection server of claim 8, wherein the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices are all associated with a single wireless communication service provider network.

14. The MDT selection server of claim 8, wherein the second population of MDT candidate mobile communication devices are all associated with at least two different wireless communication service provider networks.

15. A method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices, comprising:

receiving a mobile communication device selection criteria by a MDT selection application executing on a computer system;

selecting a plurality of MDT candidate mobile communication devices by the MDT selection application based on the selection criteria;

causing the MDT candidate mobile communication devices to perform a MDT;

collecting MDT data from the MDT candidate mobile communication devices;

generating a block of a MDT block chain where the block comprises a nonce value, comprises a data content portion that comprises the MDT data collected from the MDT candidate mobile communication devices, and comprises a hash value that is calculated based on a hash value of a preceding block of the MDT block chain, based on the data content portion, and based on the nonce value; and

sending the block to a MDT block chain management server for adding to the MDT block chain, whereby MDT data generated by multiple different wireless communication service providers is shared in a transparent and secure manner.

16. The method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices of claim 15, further comprising:

retrieving MDT data from the MDT block chain;

analyzing the MDT data retrieved from the MDT block chain;

adapting operation parameters of a cell site based on analyzing the MDT data.

17. The method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices of claim 16, where the MDT mobile communication devices from which MDT data is collected are configured to receive wireless communication service primarily with a first wireless communication service provider and the MDT data is retrieved by and analyzed by a second wireless communication service provider to adapt operation parameters of a cell site of the second wireless communication service provider.

18. The method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices of claim 16, where the MDT mobile communication devices from which MDT data is collected are configured to receive wireless communication service primarily with a first wireless communication service provider and the MDT data is retrieved by and analyzed by the first wireless communication service provider to adapt operation parameters of a cell site of the first wireless communication service provider.

19. The method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices of claim 15, wherein the mobile communication devices are mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wearable computers, headset computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, or tablet computers.

20. The method of performing a minimization drive test (MDT) using mobile communication devices of claim 15, wherein the collected MDT data comprises information about at least one of dropped call rates, blocked call rates, signal strength, or signal to noise ratio.