System and method for testing a mobile telephone network

• US 8,050,670 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobiwire
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Buyse, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG-HURST, KATHY W
• Application Number:
  US10/553,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20060223521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,805 Days
• Field of Search: 455/446, 455/67.1, 455/67.14, 455423-425, 455/67.11, 370/241, 370/254
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A method for testing a mobile telephony network having a plurality of cells whose sizing depends on at least one selection or reselection parameter comprises a step for the recording, on an onboard computer connected to a mobile telephone, of predefined values of selection and reselection parameters for each cell to be tested, a step for the presetting, for each cell to be tested, of the predefined values of the selection and reselection parameters, and for the capture of data obtained by the mobile telephone for each cell, and a step for the processing of the captured data and the determining of the sizing of each cell. The system for implementing this method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A test system for testing a mobile telephony network having a plurality of cells, a geographical sizing of each cell depending on at least one selection or reselection parameter, the at least one selection or reselection parameter being used to modify said geographical sizing, the system comprising:

at least one mobile test telephone adapted to select a server cell among plural cells at a given location, said server cell being selected on the basis of the selection or reselection parameters of said plural cells stored by the at least one mobile test telephone; and

an onboard computer connected to the at least one mobile test telephone,

wherein predefined values of selection or reselection parameters are stored in the computer, and

wherein each mobile test telephone includes a presetting function to receive and store the predefined value of the selection and reselection parameters, each mobile test telephone being shiftable between a normal mode in which the mobile test telephone receives values of the selection or reselection parameters from the mobile telephony network and stores these values, and a preset mode in which said mobile test telephone receives the predefined values of the selection or reselection parameters from the onboard computer and stores these values, the predefined values of selection or reselection parameters overwriting the values of the selection or reselection parameters received from the mobile telephony network; and

wherein the onboard computer further comprises means for transferring to each mobile test telephone in preset mode predefined values of selection or reselection parameter corresponding to said plural cells.

2. The test system according to claim 1, further comprising an onboard GPS unit associated with the at least one mobile test telephone and with the onboard computer for determining said given location.

3. The test system according to claim 1, wherein the selection or reselection parameter is a parameter making it possible to determine a coefficient C1 or C2 for a GSM mode, or a coefficient C31 or C32 for a GPRS mode.

4. The test system according to claim 1, wherein several mobile test telephones are connected to the onboard computer.

5. A test method for testing a mobile telephony network having a plurality of cells, a geographical sizing of each cell depending on at least one selection or reselection parameter, the at least one selection or reselection parameter being used to modify said geographical sizing, the test method being implemented by a system comprising:

at least one mobile test telephone adapted to select a server cell among plural cells at a given location, said server cell being selected on the basis of the selection or reselection parameters of said plural cells; and

an onboard computer connected to the at least one mobile test telephone, wherein predefined values of selection or reselection parameters are stored in the computer; and

wherein each mobile test telephone includes a presetting function to receive and store the predefined value of the selection and reselection parameters, each mobile test telephone being shiftable between a normal mode in which the mobile test telephone receives values of the selection or reselection parameters from the mobile telephony network and stores these values, and a preset mode in which said mobile test telephone receives the predefined values of the selection or reselection parameters from the onboard computer and stores these values, the predefined values of selection or reselection parameters overwriting the values of the selection or reselection parameters received from the mobile telephony network; and

wherein the onboard computer transfers to each mobile test telephone in preset mode predefined values of selection or reselection parameter corresponding to said plural cells.

6. A determining method for determining a configuration of a mobile telephony network having a plurality of cells, a geographical sizing of each cell depending on at least one selection or reselection parameter, the at least one selection or reselection parameter being used to modify said geographical sizing, the determining method being implemented by a system comprising:

at least one mobile test telephone adapted to select a server cell among plural cells at a given location, said server cell being selected on the basis of the selection or reselection parameters of said plural cells; and

an onboard computer connected to the at least one mobile test telephone,

wherein predefined values of selection or reselection parameters are stored in the computer; and

wherein each mobile test telephone includes a presetting function to receive and store the predefined value of the selection and reselection parameters, each mobile test telephone being shiftable between a normal mode in which the mobile test telephone receives values of the selection or reselection parameters from the mobile telephony network and stores these values, and a preset mode in which said mobile test telephone receives the predefined values of the selection or reselection parameters from the onboard computer and stores these values, the predefined values of selection or reselection parameters overwriting the values of the selection or reselection parameters received from the mobile telephony network,

wherein the onboard computer transfers to each mobile test telephone in preset mode predefined values of selection or reselection parameter corresponding to said plural cells; and

wherein the configuration of the telephony network is determined on the basis of signal reception level values determined by the at least one mobile test telephone for various predefined values of selection or reselection parameter.