HK1170875B - Method and system for obtaining radio access network (ran) information of cellular telecommunications networks - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for obtaining information relating to an idle mobile station in a cellular network is provided. The system includes a computing platform which is in communication with a radio network controller of the cellular network. The computing platform is configured for (i) generating and sending an input signal through the radio network controller to the radio access network; and (ii) identifying in data outputted by the radio network controller an output signal resulting from the input signal, the output signal including information relating to at least one idle mobile station.

Description

Method and system for obtaining Radio Access Network (RAN) information of a cellular communication network

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and system for obtaining Radio Access Network (RAN) information of a cellular communication network.

Background

The cellular communication network comprises a core network for handover purposes and a so-called Radio Access Network (RAN) comprising a multitude of cells serving the mobile stations. The RAN is divided into registration areas, which typically include several to sometimes hundreds of contiguous cells. Cellular communication networks are designed with overlapping contiguous cells to enable smooth handover of a mobile station between adjacent cells as the mobile station changes its geographical location. The cell includes a Cell Configuration Register (CCR) for storing cell configuration information (e.g., cell identifier, its registration area, broadcast strength, etc.).

The mobile station has two operating states:

first, a so-called default passive or idle state in which the mobile station is only in a receive mode. The passive mobile station is located in a so-called camping cell. The passive mobile station does not send measurement reports to the radio access network to save battery consumption and network resources.

Second, the so-called active state, in which the mobile station is engaged in a two-way communication session with its home network. The active mobile station is located in at least one so-called serving cell. During the two-way communication session, the serving cell may change, but the initial serving cell for the active mobile station is the last camped cell when it was in the passive state before it became active. The active mobile station sends a measurement report to the radio access network, which includes, inter alia, the current at least one serving cell, the signal reception quality, etc.

The mobile station is pre-installed with a local Camping Cell Determination (CCD) mechanism to periodically determine a preferred camping cell from among more than two available camping cells that are receiving service in their passive state. A passive mobile station automatically switches to its active state to upload a registration area reporting event to its core network in the event of a change in its registration area due to a possible change in its geographical location, preferred camping cell, etc. These registration area reporting events are important to assist the core network in routing services to the mobile station.

Cellular network operators are required to maintain very high levels of quality of service and are constantly challenged by the ever-increasing demand for more coverage, increased transmission capacity, more new services and better quality of service. This demand requires cellular network operators to continuously monitor the status and conditions of the entire network and to address various issues affecting different parts of the network and the user experience. Up to now, cellular network operators have three major sources of information from which they can rely to detect and diagnose network operational problems such as load balancing, low quality of service, dropped calls, coverage holes, etc. The sources of information are as follows:

(a) signal measurement reports sent by active mobile stations during their communication sessions. However, active mobile stations typically constitute no more than about 10% of the entire user population of a cellular network operator, and therefore this information requires long term acquisition and is statistical in nature.

(b) To so-called drive tests of a vehicle equipped with a GPS and a mobile station and moving along a predetermined route. Acquiring this information is time and resource consuming and does not provide the cellular network operator with indicative real-time information about the status of its entire network and areas where users may encounter poor service.

(c) An Operations Support System (OSS) and a probe that monitor an interface between network entities. To obtain this information, it is necessary to configure the probes on multiple interfaces and analyze their data. This approach relies on detecting anomalies in the data traffic in order to detect and analyze the above-mentioned problems.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, the present invention is directed to methods and systems for obtaining Radio Access Network (RAN) information from passive mobile stations to monitor, analyze, and optionally provide for adjusting and/or detecting the location of an MS for the operation of a cellular telecommunications network. The invention performs actions at the level of the Core Network (CN) that in turn generate induced traffic from which RAN information can be inferred.

The Network Operating System (NOS) of the present invention includes a camping cell configuration operation (CCCM) module for changing one or more parameter values of a camping cell that are processed by the CCD mechanism of a passive mobile station camping on the camping cell to determine whether they remain on its camping cell, should camp on a neighboring cell for reception purposes, or enter an out-of-service mode when no cell can provide sufficient service. Passive mobile stations are switched to a reporting mode where they may upload reporting events in certain situations. The NOS also includes a Reporting Event Acquisition (REA) module for capturing uploaded reporting events. The NOS also includes a Network Operation Analysis (NOA) module for processing the uploaded reporting events to determine network operation metrics and provide information about one or more mobile stations.

The present invention can generate different types of RAN information according to the selected CCT parameters. And are not intended to be limiting in any way;

the NOS of the present invention can be implemented in one of the following two preferred embodiments:

first, a Mobile Station (MS) operates an embodiment in which the CCCM module changes the actual value of the CCR of the selected cell processed by the local CCD mechanism of the passive mobile station. In this embodiment, passive mobile stations upload reporting events that indicate actual changes in the relationship between themselves and their host networks. Exemplary reporting events include, inter alia, GSM and umts lac updates, GSM and umts rac updates, etc.

Second, a customer-assisted embodiment, wherein at least some of the mobile devices are configured with suitable hardware or software implemented customer applications, includes a CCD simulator, which may operate in a manner similar to its native CCD mechanism. In this case, the CCCM module transmits a point-to-multipoint (PTMP) message with an analog CCR value processed by the CCD emulator to the passive mobile station camped on the selected cell. The CCD simulator uploads a reporting event that will indicate a change in the relationship between the passive mobile station and its host network if the reporting event has been uploaded by the local CCD mechanism. The reporting event may be uploaded through various signaling messages, SMS, data sessions, etc. Preferably and optionally, the message should contain supplementary data, such as GPS coordinates (in the case of a device with a GPS module) and other local data stored in the device.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of non-limiting example, to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are numbered alike and in which:

figure 1 shows a cellular telecommunications network;

fig. 2A illustrates a cell configuration register listing typical cell configuration information;

figure 2B illustrates a UMTS cell configuration register listing UMTS cell configuration information;

fig. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating the operation of a Camping Cell Determination (CCD) mechanism for determining the camping cell of a passive mobile station;

FIG. 4 shows an event diagram illustrating a simplified MS-initiated registration area update procedure;

FIG. 5 shows a timeline illustration of the operation of a mobile station transitioning between its active state and its passive state;

FIG. 6 shows a graphical representation of the received signal strength theoretically spread from a cellular antenna;

fig. 7 shows an initial state of four mobile stations camped on two overlapping cells allocated to different registration areas;

fig. 8A shows a later state of the four mobile stations of fig. 7 in which one of the mobile stations has moved to camp on a new cell as the mobile station moves out of the coverage area of the previously camped cell;

fig. 8B shows a later state of the four mobile stations of fig. 7, where one of the mobile stations has moved to a new cell for camping purposes due to radio interference degrading the signal quality of the previously camped cell;

FIG. 9 depicts a high level schematic diagram of NOS operation;

FIG. 10 shows a top level flow chart illustrating the operation of NOS of the present invention;

fig. 11 shows a top-level flow diagram of the NOS operation for obtaining Passive Mobile Station (PMS) segmentation information in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 depicts a high level schematic diagram of a Mobile Station (MS) operating a Network Operating System (NOS) in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 shows a cellular telecommunications network comprising a Mobile Station (MS) operating a Network Operating System (NOS) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 shows a detailed flowchart of the operation of the NOS-steering MS of fig. 12 for collecting PMS segmentation information; and

FIG. 15 depicts a high level schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a client assisted Network Operation System (NOS) in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 illustrates a cellular telecommunications network including a customer-assisted Network Operation System (NOS) in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 shows a top-level flow chart of the operation of a client CCD simulator in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 18 shows a detailed flowchart of the operation of the client-assisted NOS of fig. 15 for obtaining PMS segmentation information.

Figure 19 is a diagrammatic representation of five passive mobile devices camped on two overlapping cells;

fig. 20A to 20D are tables illustrating a method of PMS segmentation of a Mobile Station (MS) including an operating Network Operating System (NOS) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 21A to 21D are tables illustrating a method of PMS segmentation including a client-assisted Network Operating System (NOS) according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 22A to 22B show the final result of PMS segmentation.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system). The present invention is equally applicable to any cellular communication system that provides communication services to mobile stations that are capable of moving between cells. For example, such cellular communication systems may use multiple access techniques such as Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), third generation partnership project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and so forth.

Methods for maximizing the capacity and quality of service of a cellular network are well known in the art. Such methods generally involve monitoring and adjusting the communication traffic generated by active mobile stations.

Upon reducing the present invention to practice, the present inventors speculated that: the quality of service of a cellular network can be greatly improved by monitoring parameters related to, for example, radio communication between an idle mobile station and the network and adjusting network parameters accordingly, for example, to direct the mobile station to an appropriate pre-selected neighboring cell.

Although monitoring network resources for the purpose of steering idle mobile stations has been proposed in the prior art (US7187934), such steering of mobile stations is caused by adjusting antenna parameters, and is therefore a trial and error process with unpredictable results. The inventors have devised a system that is able to monitor idle mobile stations of a cell by actively querying the radio access network for information on a parameter or parameters characterizing the idle mobile stations. The system utilizes a communication pipeline existing between the wireless access controller and the core network to send signals to the wireless access network, and captures corresponding return signals from the conversion data from the wireless access controller to the core network. By using signal analysis algorithms, the system can analyze the return signal and derive information related to specific parameters of the device and change parameters of the network in order to maximize network load capacity, improve service, etc.

The invention will now be described in more detail starting from a description of a cellular network and its operation as shown in fig. 1-8B.

The terms:

active MS mobile station having a two-way communication session with its home network

Status of state

ARSS absolute acceptance signal strength-dependent on the passive mobile station camping on its cell

Location in a nest, its location in a building, isolation of RF interference, etc

And (6) comparing the measured values. UMTS System pass function E_c/N₀(in dB)

Or RSCP (in dBm) computing ARSS

BCC optimal camping honeycomb-CCD mechanism adopted for finding the best for camping

Procedure for bundling optimal cells

Cell to be used in camping on a cell for initiating communication with or from a mobile station

CCCM Module camping cell configuration handling Module-configuring selected cells with New cells

NOS module for configuration information

The CCD simulator is installed at the client end of the mobile station, and can be connected with the local CCD machine thereof

Operate in a similar manner and receive signals from CCCM modules

Instructions

Cellular configuration information in CCICCR

CCT cell camping threshold-all passive mobiles camped on a cell from a cell

The threshold value broadcasted by the mobile station is used for defining the threshold value of the mobile station staying in the cell.

The threshold should be, for example, the signal quality/strength received from a camped cell

CCR cell configuration register-each cell having a register for storing cell configuration

Location-aware CCR

MS mobile station-mobile communication device

Local CCD Mobile station preinstalled with local camping Honeycomb determination (CCD)

Mechanism for periodically determining from more than two available camping cells

Preferably camped to receive service in its passive mode.

NOA module network operation analysis module-NOS module for processing uploaded newspaper

Event to determine network operation metrics and provide information about one or more

Information of the mobile station

NOS network operating system for obtaining wireless access from passive mobile station

Network (RAN) information for monitoring, analysing cellular communication networks

Operating and optionally providing maintenance for operation of the cellular communication network

Default state of passive MS mobile station, wherein mobile station is in receiving mode only

PMS segmentation Passive Mobile station segmentation-a type of Passive by camping on a selected cell

RAN information for mobile station to determine received signal strength

RA registration area-the mobile station may register without location

A roaming area. The zone routes incoming service to the secondary core network

To the mobile station.

REA module report event acquisition module-NOS module is used for capturing uploaded reports

Notice event

RM reporting mode-requiring the mobile station to upload a reporting event in some cases

State of (1)

RRSS relative received signal strength-selected cell and more than one of its neighbors

Relative measurement between nests

Serving cell for bidirectional communication

Adopted by SCC-adapted camping honeycomb-CCD mechanism to filter out non-defects

Can provide subscribed quality of service (QOS) and is therefore considered to be

Improper cell procedures.

Fig. 1 shows a basic schematic diagram of a cellular telecommunications network 100, which is broadly divided into a Core Network (CN)101 and a Radio Access Network (RAN)102, the Radio Access Network (RAN)102 being connected to the Core Network (CN)101 via an interface, e.g. a umts iu interface. The core network 101 comprises the following core network entities: a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)103, a Visitor Location Register (VLR)104, and an identity location register (HLR) 105. The RAN102 comprises a Radio Network Controller (RNC)106 connected to a cellular antenna 107 via an interface, such as a umts iub interface.

Each cellular antenna 107 includes a Cellular Configuration Register (CCR)108 for determining its configuration for serving mobile stations camped within its cell 109. CCR108 may enable a network operator to create different cell configurations for each cell 109 as needed within the cell's service area. Some Cellular Configuration Information (CCI) affects the procedures of camping MSs, SCCs, and BCCs, and other CCIs may control cellular broadcast messages that the cell sends to all camping MSs for various purposes, such as business and security purposes.

The network 100 includes an Operations Support System (OSS)110 connected to network entities to assist in managing network operations. The OSS110 supports a variety of functions such as fault detection, performance, safety, configuration, etc.

Fig. 2A illustrates a Cellular Configuration Register (CCR)108 listing some typical Cellular Configuration Information (CCI) used in cellular communication networks. CCR108 is primarily controlled by RNC106 and OSS 110. The CCI typically includes, inter alia, a cell identifier for cell identification by the mobile station; a registration (registration) area for indicating the assignment of cells to a set of cells or service areas to more efficiently route communications to a mobile station; a camping cell threshold for determining whether the mobile station may camp on; and a wireless configuration for configuring aspects of wireless components of the cell.

Fig. 2B shows a umts crs 108 with exemplary UTMS-specific parameters. E.g. a cell ID as a cell identifier parameter, a Location Area Code (LAC) as a registration area parameter. Camping cell thresholds also include, inter alia, Qrxlevmin, which specifies the minimum level of reception and quality required to camp on a cell, Qqualmin, which specifies the offset between two cells for cell reselection, and Qoffset.

Classification of mobile stations

The powered-on mobile station is classified as being in one of two operating states:

the "passive" or "idle" state means that the mobile station is not actively engaged in a communication session and, therefore, does not require network resources. A mobile station in a passive state is hereinafter referred to as a passive/idle mobile station or a passive/idle MS.

The "active" state means that the mobile station is actively engaged in a communication session and, therefore, requires network resources. A mobile station in an active state is hereinafter referred to as an active mobile station or active MS. Other common terms in the art refer to connected or dedicated modes.

Operation of passive mobile station

Passive mobile stations monitor network radio channels and periodically perform certain conventional transactions to assist in locating available resources to establish an active communication session. Conventional transactions include:

1. the CCD mechanism is operated to periodically determine a preferred cell from among more than two available cells for camping purposes (i.e., to receive service). Exemplary CCD mechanisms include, inter alia, GSM cell selection and reselection, UMTS cell selection and reselection, and the like.

2. And listening to the paging message.

3. If necessary, registration update is performed. Exemplary registration updates include, inter alia, UMTS location area code updates, etc.

The network 100 is unaware that a passive mobile station is camped on it and does not interfere with or affect the camped cell of a particular mobile station.

Operation of active mobile station

RAN102 controls active mobile stations. RAN102 orders each active mobile station from which cell or cells each should receive service. In addition, RAN102 instructs each active mobile station to perform measurements on the cell selected by RAN 102. The measurement results are sent as measurement reports to the RAN102 for processing by various network elements, such as the RNC in a UMTS network. The measurement reports sent by the active mobile stations are critical to successfully performing the communication session. The measurement reports provide the RAN120 with various parameters (such as, but not limited to, received signal strength of the serving cell and its neighbors).

The active mobile station may also send event reports regarding specific events that occurred during the active communication session. One type of event is: when the mobile station finds that a cell can provide better service than the cell from which it is now receiving service. Another type of event is: when the mobile station detects that the strength of the signals received from more than one of its serving cells is below a certain threshold. Such information assists the RAN in determining the best way to assist the mobile station in performing handover or handoff between cells, etc., in allocating more resources, adjusting the transmission power of the mobile station.

Camping Cellular Determination (CCD) mechanism

Fig. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating the operation of the CCD mechanism for maintaining a mobile station camped on the best available cell. It is necessary for the mobile station to change the cell on which the mobile station is camped if the mobile station moves or network conditions change. Under normal circumstances, when the mobile station is in the passive mode, the mobile station may monitor several cells and the information transmitted on the broadcast channel (including important information such as, but not limited to, paging information, system information, and performance of cell measurements). The process is performed periodically at short time intervals.

UMTS technical standard 3gpp ts-25.304 (entitled "User Equipment (UE) procedure in idle mode and cell reselection procedure in connected mode") implements the CCD mechanism.

The CCD mechanism comprises the following steps:

step 301: the MS scans for radio signals of the network cells.

Step 302: if the MS does not find more than one cell, it enters the no service mode 303 and the end user cannot receive cellular service. If the MS finds more than one cell, the MS continues to find the best cell for camping and continues with step 304.

Step 304: the MS employs an appropriate camping cell (SCC) procedure to evaluate each detected cell, filtering out cells that cannot provide subscribed quality of service (QOS) and are therefore considered unsuitable. The SCC procedure is referred to as cell selection in UMTS.

Step 305: if no cell passes the SCC procedure, the MS enters the no service mode 303, otherwise the MS proceeds to step 306.

Step 306: the MS employs a Best Camped Cell (BCC) procedure to re-evaluate all cells found to be suitable for camping to find the best camped cell. The evaluation process includes the use of signal measurements and information broadcast from each cell for this purpose. The BCC procedure is referred to as cell reselection in UMTC.

Step 307: the MS camps on the camping cell that is found to be optimal.

Registration area update program

Cellular communication standards have defined so-called Registration Area Update (RAU) events to receive the current Registration Area (RA) of all passive and active mobile stations to assist the network in routing communications thereto. The RAU event can be triggered in the following three modes:

standard RAU: RAU events that are automatically triggered when a mobile station decides to camp on a cell in a different RA than its previous camped cell.

Regular RAU: RAU events that are automatically triggered by the timing mechanism embedded in the mobile station. A timing mechanism is set by the network and when the subscription time expires, an RAU update is triggered. The timing mechanism is automatically reset to a maximum duration each time the mobile station becomes an active mobile station.

Connect/disconnect RAU: RAU events that are automatically triggered when a mobile station is turned on and off. The start triggers a connection RAU event. The shutdown triggers a disconnect RAU event.

In UMTS and GSM systems, RAUs are also known as Location Area Code (LAC) updates and Routing Area Code (RAC) updates.

Fig. 4 shows an event diagram of an MS-initiated RAU procedure triggered by any of standard, periodic, connect/disconnect RAU events. The flow of the event graph is as follows:

step 400: the MS sends an RAU request to the RNC 106. In the case of a standard RAU, the RAU request includes a new RA identifier and a previous RA identifier. The RAU request also specifies the type of event and MS identifier that triggered the update request.

Step 401: the RNC106 forwards the RAU request with the MS identifier to the MSC 103.

Step 402: the MSC103 sends an RAU accept/reject message 402 to the RNC106 addressed to the identifier specified in the RAU request message.

Step 403: the RNC106 sends an RAU accept/reject message to the requesting MS.

Figure 5 shows a graphical representation of a timeline of the operation of a mobile station switching between its active mode, denoted by +1, and its passive mode, denoted by-1. Except for the time to engage in a communication session (e.g., a voice call), a data session, and perform a Registration Area Update (RAU) event, the mobile station will remain in its default passive mode. A RAU event is typically a very short communication session, lasting only a few seconds.

Fig. 6 shows a cellular antenna 107 broadcasting radio signals throughout a flat cell 109 and shows a theoretical linear relationship between signal strength, MS response time and distance of the cellular antenna 107. In the case of cell 109 having a minimum Camping Cell Threshold (CCT) -110dBm, all three passive mobile stations MS-1, MS-2 and MS-3 will camp on that cell and can receive service in their active state. Setting the CCT of the cell to-70 dBm causes mobile station MS-3 to stop camping on the cell. Similarly, setting the CCT of a cell to-50 dBm causes mobile station MS-2 to stop camping on that cell. Today, all major standards design SCC and BCC procedures to relay only on radio signal strength/quality. Future standards may design MS, SCC and/or BCC procedures to relay on signal time response, distance between MS and cell, and other parameters. Future standards may also specify various CCT parameters such as temporal response thresholds and distance thresholds. The example given above is also true in the case where the CCT parameter is not radio strength/quality but is based on signal time response, distance and any other parameters.

Figures 7 and 8A/B show four mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, MS-3 and MS-4 camped on two overlapping cells 109A and 109B. Cell 109A is assigned RA 1111. Cell 109B is assigned to RA 2222. Figure 7 shows mobile stations MS-1 and MS-2 camped on cell 109A and mobile stations MS-3 and MS-4 camped on cell 109B, including measured signal strengths from each cell. Figure 8A shows mobile station MS-1 physically moving out of the coverage area of cell 109A and into the coverage area of cell 109B, whereupon the mobile station mobile camps on cell 109B and issues a standard RAU event.

Figure 8B shows mobile station MS-1 mobile camped on cell 109B. MS-1 moves to camp on cell 109B with a better signal strength due to the degradation of the received signal strength of cell 109A caused by radio interference 802 occurring in the coverage area of cell 109A. MS-1 issues a standard RAU event after cell reselection. Radio interference may be some sort of physical electromagnetic broadcast that causes interference to radio transmissions from a cell.

Fig. 9-22B illustrate the present invention and an exemplary application thereof.

Fig. 9 shows the basic concept of the operation of the system of the present invention, referred to herein as the Network Operating System (NOS) 901.

The NOS901 can be implemented as a Mobile Station (MS) that operates the NOS or as a client-assisted NOS.

A Mobile Station (MS) operating NOS is exemplified by the configuration shown in fig. 13, which will be described in more detail below.

The client assisted NOS is exemplified by the configuration shown in fig. 16, which will be described in more detail below.

Regardless of the configuration used, the Network Operating System (NOS)901 sends at least one signal to the RAN903 that includes a triggering event 902. The trigger event 902 is directed to a particular cell of the RAN903 and includes a certain CCT and its value.

Trigger event 902 is designed to elicit a determined response from RAN903 and thus includes signal information that will cause an MS camped on the triggered cell to reassess whether to continue camping on the cell or move to another cell and provide a signaling indication of such movement to the core network.

The trigger event 902 activates any MS (not shown in fig. 9) that is not CCT compliant that is camped on the triggered cell. The consistency of the CCT of the MS with the cell on which the MS is camped depends on the potential reception of radio antenna signals, which may be affected by the power, tilt, orientation, or any other physical properties of the antenna.

The activated MS then transmits RAN-directed data (RANOD) to RAN 903. The data includes, for example, messages that RAN903 receives from the MSs and provides sufficient radio services to allow the MSs to communicate with each other and with other devices.

The mobile station may also transmit radio service (905) independent information including, for example, messages received by the CN from the RAN903 for routing services such as umts lac updates and RAC updates and call and session handovers. RAN903 receives all data transmitted by the MS, but it forwards only irrelevant radio information 905 to CN 900. The NOS901 then collects irrelevant radio information 905 from the network at a higher level than the RAN903, e.g. via SMS or web sites through the core network, the public network.

The irrelevant radio information 905 includes data resulting from the trigger event 902, including LAC/RAC updates. Thus, the NOS901 can acquire RAN903 information by communicating a trigger event 902 to the RAN903 and collecting irrelevant radio information 905 from the network.

The information obtained from the trigger event 902 may be used to determine various RAN information obtained from a passive MS camped on the triggered cell. Such RAN information may be, for example, signal strength/quality, MS response time, MS-to-cell distance.

The RAN information obtained from the trigger event 902 may be used to perform the following actions:

(i) analyzing quality of service (QOS) of the cell: when a NOS is operating on any given network cell, it will generate a coverage map indicating the overall strength/quality of signals received by MSs camped on the particular cell and optionally neighboring cells, using the CCT parameter of the radio strength/quality. Such a result may indicate whether the cell provides good service for the camped user.

(ii) Analyzing MS receiving QOS: because the MS is camped on a certain cell, the NOS can also run on it. Since the NOS runs on all passive MSs camped on a cell, rather than on a single MS, the perceived RAN information (e.g., signal strength/quality of the camped cell and optional neighboring cells) of the MS being examined can be compared to all other MSs camped on the same cell. Such a result may indicate whether the MS received poor QOS, while other MSs on the same camped cell did not, thereby alerting the MS to a high likelihood of failure.

(iii) Calculating the estimated position of the MS: when a NOS is operating on any given cell (which it utilizes) with the CCT parameter of radio strength/quality, the end result will be a list of users camped on the cell, and the received signal strength/quality of the cell and optionally the neighboring cells. This information may be used to estimate the geographic location of each MS.

(iv) Establishing a Cell Relationship Matrix (CRM) -NOS can determine the radio overlap between any two cells. By utilizing the CCT parameter of the vector, MSs that do not comply with the CCT parameter may be required to change their camped cell to a particular neighbor cell. In the case where the MS moves from the original test cell to the designated neighboring cell, this indicates that there is radio signal overlap between the two cells. In addition, the signal strength/quality of the neighboring cells should be inferred by the NOS, as explained earlier. Further, since the total number of MSs camped on a cell and the number of MSs that can receive service from neighboring cells are known to NOS, the strength or weight of the overlap can be calculated.

Several applications can use CRM to produce results that are faster, more accurate, and more reliable than other systems:

1. load balancing: when cellular resources are overloaded, traffic may be directed to neighboring cells. The CRM allows the system to know which neighboring cells can offload traffic from an overloaded cell and how much traffic can be directed to each neighboring cell while ensuring that a certain standard QOS is maintained. Thus, idle users can be directed from an overloaded cell to the appropriate neighboring cell in the correct proportion, thereby preventing future overload. Furthermore, the system may direct the active MS to the best possible neighbor cell if the CRM data and the current load of the neighbor cell are taken into account.

2. Energy conservation: some cells may be turned off during times when low communication capacity is needed (e.g., during the evening hours), thus saving energy and reducing costs for the network operator. Not every cell will be shut down because some cells are important for providing service coverage and shutting down these cells creates coverage holes. Thus, using CRM, the system can classify each cell as being a cell that is important for coverage. Thus, when a low traffic demand occurs, the system will shut down cells that are not important for coverage, and will turn them on when the traffic demand rises.

3. Optimizing the adjacent list: since CRM provides quantitative information about signal overlap between two cells, the system can detect pre-configured neighbor cells in the neighbor list that are redundant and should be removed from the neighbor list. In addition, the system can find other cells that are not in the neighbor list but overlap with the detected cells, and therefore should add these cells. The optimized neighbor list will reduce the amount of dropped calls and will improve the overall QOS and network resource utilization.

10-22B illustrate the operation of the present invention in more detail.

Fig. 10 is a generalized flow chart illustrating the operation of NOS 901:

step 1000: selecting a cell to obtain RAN information from a passive mobile station camped on the selected cell

Step 1001: sending a radio trigger message to the selected cell;

step 1002: active MS will broadcast Switch Oriented Data (SOD)

Step 1003: collecting SOD from the selected cells;

step 1004: converting handover oriented data (SOD) into Radio Oriented Data (ROD)

Step 1005: finishing;

fig. 11 is a flow chart showing the operation of NOS901 in acquiring passive mobile station segmentation information from a selected cell:

step 1110: cells are selected for PMS segmentation purposes.

Step 1101: the splitting parameters are selected from a list of absolute received signal strength (ars) split, Relative Received Signal Strength (RRSS) split, and combined ars/RRSS split. The segmentation parameter may be any CCT parameter including, but not limited to, Absolute Received Signal Strength (ARSS) such as umts qrxlevmin, Qqualmin, or Relative Received Signal Strength (RRSS) such as umts qoffset, or any other threshold such as maximum response time, maximum distance of the MS from the cell, MS access category, number of perceived neighboring cells, etc.

Step 1102: the CCCM module 1601 activates a reporting mode in the selected cell.

Step 1103: the CCCM module 1601 sets a new Camping Cell Threshold (CCT) for at least one camping cell parameter. Different PMS segmentations employ different CCT parameters. For example, the ARSS segmentation employs appropriate camping cell (SCC) parameters; RRSS segmentation employs Best Camped Cell (BCC) parameters; the combined ARSS/RRSS segmentation employs SCC and BCC.

Step 1104: the REA module 1602 collects reporting events and primary (previling) CCTs.

Step 1105: the CCCM module 1601 increments or decrements the camping cell threshold to the new camping cell threshold.

Repeating steps 1103 through 1105 for camping cell thresholds within a predetermined range.

Step 1106: the CCCM module 1601 overrides the reporting mode in the cell.

Step 1107: the CCCM module 1601 restores the CCI of the cell to its initial configuration.

Step 1108: NOA block 1603 provides for selected segmentation of passive mobile stations camped on a selected cell.

Fig. 12 illustrates an operation of a Mobile Station (MS) operating a Network Operating System (NOS) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The Network Operating System (NOS)1201 sends a trigger event 1202 to the RAN1203 via the CN 1200. The trigger event 1202 is directed to a particular cell at the RAN1203 and includes a certain CCT and its value. The triggering event activates an MS camped on the triggered cell that does not comply with the CCT. During transmission, the MS transmits radio-directed data (ROD)1204, including, for example, messages received by RAN1203 from the MS, to RAN1203 in order to provide radio services that allow the MSs to communicate with each other and with other devices. The MS also transmits handover directed data (SOD)1205 including, but not limited to, messages that CN1200 receives from the MS required for routing services, such as umts lac updates and RAC updates. RAN1203 receives all data transmitted by MS, but only forwards SOD1205 to CN 1200. The NOS1201 then collects the SOD1205 from the CN1200, including its primary trigger message 1202, and can therefore infer from the SOD1205, ROD 1204.

Fig. 13 shows a Mobile Station (MS) operating NOS1300, comprising the following three modules: a Camping Cell Configuration Manipulation (CCCM) module 1301, a Reporting Event Acquisition (REA) module 1302, and a Network Operation Analysis (NOA) module 1303. CCCM module 1301 interacts with network entities such as RNC106 and OSS 110. CCCM module 1301 is employed to reconfigure new Cell Configuration Information (CCI) on CCR108 for the selected cell. The CCCM module changes a Cell Camping Threshold (CCT) parameter that affects the camping on a MS Camping Cell Determination (CCD) mechanism. In certain cases (e.g., after changing the selected camping cell), other CCI parameters used by the CCCM are used to switch the mobile station camping on the selected cell to a Reporting Mode (RM) for uploading reporting events. The REA module 1302 captures the reporting events, preferably synchronized with the CCCM module 1301 so it can add a primary CCI to each reporting event and pass this information to the NOA module 1303. The REA module 1302 monitors several interfaces, such as the Iu interface between the MSC103 and the RNC106 in a UMTS network.

NOA module 1303 processes the uploaded reporting events and the primary CCI to determine network operating metrics and provide information about more than one mobile station or cell 109.

Fig. 14 shows the operation of an MS operating NOS1300 for acquiring passive mobile station segmentation information:

step 1400: cells are selected for PMS segmentation purposes.

Step 1401: a segmentation is selected.

Step 1402: optional steps are preferred to avoid sudden bursts of traffic on the selected cell. The CCT parameter is selected according to the selected type of segmentation and set to a maximum value to disperse all passive mobile stations camped on the selected cell.

Step 1403: the CCCM module 1301 activates the reporting mode in the selected cell by changing its registration area parameter value to a value that is not allocated to any of its neighboring cells.

Step 1404: CCCM module 1301 sets a new camping cell threshold value for the at least one camping cell parameter. Different PMS partition types use different parameters. For example, the ARSS segmentation employs appropriate camping cell (SCC) parameters; RRSS segmentation employs Best Camped Cell (BCC) parameters; the combined ARSS/RRSS segmentation employs SCC and BCC.

Step 1405: the REA module 1302 collects reporting events and primary CCTs.

Step 1406: the CCCM module 1301 increments or decrements the camping cell threshold to the new camping cell threshold.

Steps 1404 to 1406 are repeated for camping cell thresholds within a predetermined range.

Step 1407: for the same reason, step 1402 is preferably repeated.

Step 1408: CCCM module 1301 cancels the reporting mode in the cell by restoring its registration area parameter value to its original value.

Step 1409: CCCM module 1301 restores the CCI of the cell to its initial configuration.

Step 1410: NOA module 1303 provides selected segmentation of passive mobile stations camped on selected cells.

FIG. 15 shows a schematic view illustrating a first preferred embodiment according to the present inventionCustomer-assistedA high level schematic of the operation of a Network Operating System (NOS)1501 sends trigger events 1502 from CN1500 to RAN 1503. The trigger event 1502 is directed to a particular cell on the RAN1503 and includes a certain CCT and its value. The trigger event 1502 causes an MS camped on the triggered cell and not complying with the CCT to be excited, thereby entering an active transmission state. The MS transmits to the RAN1503 radio direction data (ROD)1504 including, but not limited to, all messages received by the RAN1503 from the MS during the transmission in order to provide the MS with sufficient radio service to allow the MS to communicate with each other and with other devices. The MS also transmits an MS response 1505 to the trigger. MS response 1505 should include, without intended limitation, SMS and MMS messages, voice and video calls, data sessions, and the like. NOS then from CN1500 or someThe type of public network 1506 collects the MS response 1505 including its primary trigger message 1503. Optionally and preferably, the MS response 1505 will include supplemental data, such as MSGPS coordinates and other positioning data. The NOS may infer RAN information from the MS response 150 and the primary trigger event.

Fig. 16 illustrates a customer assistance network operations system 1600 similar to NOS1300, except that the customer assistance network operations system 1600 includes a customer module 1604 on at least some of the mobile stations. The client module 1604 is implemented by hardware or software and is configured to monitor a subscription broadcast channel that is different from a network management channel. Suitable broadcast channels include, for example, GSM cellular broadcast channels for commercial purposes, and the like. In the case of a software implementation, the client module may be part of the MS operating system, or installed as third party software. The client module 1604 includes a CCD simulator 1605 that can interact with other MS modules (e.g., local CCD mechanisms) and can access information about the camped cell and neighboring cells, such as cell identifiers, received signal strength, registration area, etc. Further, if the device has a GPS module, the client module may have access to GPS coordinates. In this embodiment, the CCCM module does not change the CCT parameter, but instead changes the cell broadcast message, which is the message broadcast by each cell to all camped MSs. Cellular broadcasting is commonly used for commercial or security purposes. The method has the advantage of not changing CCT parameters, thereby not influencing the normal operation of the network, but installing a client module along with a network end system.

Fig. 17 shows a top-level flow chart of the client CCD simulator operation:

step 1701: the client monitors the camping cellular broadcast channel;

step 1702: if the client detects that the report mode activation message is broadcast, proceed to step 1703, otherwise return to step 1701;

step 1703: the client enters a reporting mode in which the client begins monitoring the local CCD of the MS in real time;

step 1704: if the client detects that a CCT update message is broadcast, then proceed to step 1705, otherwise return to step 1704;

step 1705A: the client program applies the CCT parameter and the value to the CCD simulator, if the MS does not conform to the CCT, the step 1706 is continued, otherwise, the step 1704 is returned;

step 1705B: the client cancels the reporting mode and returns to step 1701;

step 1706: the client does not conform to the CCT and therefore will send a reporting event that may include supplemental data (e.g., MSGPS coordinates);

fig. 18 shows the operation of a client-assisted NOS for obtaining passive mobile station segmentation information, comprising the steps of:

step 1800: the PMS is selected for PMS partitioning purposes.

Step 1801: segmentation parameters are selected.

Step 1802: the CCCM module 1601 sends a first PTMP message to trigger a reporting mode for all passive mobile stations camped on the selected cell.

Step 1803: the CCCM module 1601 sends a second PTMP message to all passive mobile stations camped on the selected cell instructing them to run their CCD emulator 1605 on the CCCM module 1601 providing the CCT of the selected segment type. CCD simulators 1605 determine whether their host mobile stations will or will not change their camping cell at the new CCT. CCD simulators 1605 that determine that their host mobile stations will change their camping cell 107 send reporting events to network 100. In contrast, CCD simulators 1605 that determine that their host mobile stations will not change their camping cell 107 do not send reporting events to network 100.

Step 1804: the REA module 1602 collects reporting events and primary CCTs.

Step 1805: the CCCM module 1601 increments or decrements the camping cell threshold to the new camping cell threshold.

Steps 1803 to 1805 are repeated for camping cell thresholds within a predetermined range.

Step 1806: the CCCM module 1601 overrides the reporting mode in the cell.

Step 1807: NOA block 1603 provides for selected segmentation of passive mobile stations camped on a selected cell.

Fig. 19-22 show passive mobile station splitting based on signal strength CCT parameters in the case where five mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, MS-3, MS-4 and MS-5 are camped on two overlapping cells 109A and 109B.

FIG. 19 shows that mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, and MS-3 are located in the overlap area between cells 109A and 109B, mobile station MS-4 is located in cell 109A, and mobile station MS-5 is located in cell 109B.

FIGS. 20A-20D list the following information for each of the five mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, MS-3, MS-4, and MS-5: its current camping cell, an indication of whether it is in reporting mode, the received signal strength of each detected cell, the CCT of each detected cell, and CCD decisions regarding camping cell selection. These figures show MS-manipulated NOS.

Fig. 21A to 21D show the same state as fig. 20A to 20D, but fig. 21A to 21D show simulated CCT instead of CCT and show simulated CCD decision instead of local CCD decision. These figures show MS-assisted NOS. Fig. 20A shows the initial allocation of five mobile stations between two camping cells 109A and 109B at time T ═ 0. Three mobile stations MS-1, MS-2 and MS-3 detect cells 109A and 109B and have selected cell 109A as their camping cell. Mobile station MS-4 must have camped on cell 109A and not detect cell 109B. In contrast, mobile station MS-5 must already be camped on cell 109B and not detect cell 109A. Cells 109A and 109B have the same initial CCT value-105 dBm. Figure 19A shows four mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, MS-3 and MS-4 camped on cell 109A in reporting mode and mobile station MS-5 camped on cell 109B not in reporting mode.

Fig. 20B shows that the CCT of the cell 109A changes from its initial value to-70 dBm. The four mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, MS-3 and MS-4 camped on cell 109A run CCD programs to determine whether they should remain on cell 109A or possibly camp on cell 109B. Three mobile stations MS-1, MS-2 and MS-4 determine that they should remain on cell 109A. MS-3 determines that it should change its camping cell to cell 109B. Thus, mobile station MS-3 uploads a reporting event regarding its new preferred camping cell.

FIG. 20C shows that the CCT of the cell 109A changes from its most recent value of-70 dBm to-49 dBm. Three mobile stations MS-1, MS-2 and MS-4 camped on cell 109A run CCD programs to determine whether they should remain on cell 109A or possibly camp on cell 109B. Both mobile stations MS-1 and MS-2 determine that they should change their camping cell to cell 109B. Thus, mobile stations MS-1 and MS-2 upload reporting events regarding their new preferred camping cell. Mobile station MS-4 determines that cell 109A is no longer a suitable camped cell and therefore enters the no service mode.

FIG. 20D shows that the CCT of cell 109A has changed from its most recent value of-49 dBm to its original value of-105 dBm. The three mobile stations MS-1, MS-2 and MS-3 now camped on cell 109B would of course run the CCD program and determine that they should return to camp on cell 109A which is more preferred than cell 109B. Thus, mobile stations MS-1, MS-2, and MS-3 upload reporting events regarding their return to their original camping cell 109A. Mobile station MS-4 determines that cell 109A is back up to the appropriate camped cell and therefore exits out of the no service mode and returns to camping on cell 109A. Mobile station MS-4 therefore uploads the reporting event that they return to their original camping cell 109A.

The steps shown in fig. 21B-21D are similar to those described above with respect to fig. 20B-D.

Fig. 22A shows the final result of the PMS segmentation, where the NOS received the identifiers of all passive mobile stations camped on cell 109A, and furthermore, the NOS received their signal strengths of these passive MS receiving cell 109A and other neighboring cells.

This information is important for many applications including, without intending to be limiting in any way, cellular network planning, maintenance, and optimization. Other applications are related to location services that can be used for business or security purposes, since the signal strength received by the MS can calculate its position.

Fig. 22B shows a histogram of how many MSs receive each signal strength range. The histogram may help understand the quality of service (QOS) experienced by a user camped on cell 109A.

The term "about" as used herein means ± 10%.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, each of the various embodiments and aspects of the present invention as described above and as claimed in the claims section below will find experimental support in the following examples.

Examples

Reference is now made to the following examples, which together with the above descriptions illustrate the invention in a non limiting manner.

The Network Operating System (NOS) of the present invention was tested as part of a preliminary study using a public cellular network operating using UMTS technology. When in the active state, the NOS is used to run several partitions on the individual cells of the public network. Segmentation is affected using radio-related CCT parameters defined in 3gpp ts-25.304 entitled "User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode" (www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/25304. htm).

The present system utilizes the following CCT parameters:

1. Qqaulmin/Qrxlevmin-the signal quality (dB)/strength (dBm) received by the Mobile Station (MS) from the analyzed camping cell is obtained.

2. Qoffset-with Sintersearch/Sintrasearch-obtains the difference between the signal strength/quality of the neighboring cell and the camped cell for the MS camped on the camped cell. The received signal strength/quality can be calculated from the difference between the neighboring cell and the camped cell and the signal strength/quality of the camped cell.

The segmentation process and the final result are shown in fig. 19-22B.

Data from the segmentation process is processed by the NOA module, which generates the following user tools:

1. analyzing cellular quality of service (QOS): the present system provides a network operator with a fast (real-time) and accurate status report on the received signal strength/quality of MSs camped on the analyzed camped cell and its neighboring cells. The system operates on a cellular in urban areas, with the MS located in private offices and houses. Typically, to analyze cellular QOS networks, cellular providers/operators employ drive test bearers that physically monitor signal strength/quality in a common area.

The data is then integrated with other systems that monitor network activity (e.g., calls) and provide cellular QOS analysis for these systems.

2. Load balancing: idle users are enabled to steer between cells using the present system when radio interference levels or resource overload are detected. Steering relies on existing segmentation to build a Cell Relation Matrix (CRM) to select the correct neighbor for steering. In addition, the present system uses real-time segmentation to determine the best steering path based on MS allocation in the cell service area.

The present system produces a dynamically accurate response to changing traffic and radio environments that optimizes load balancing between cells (table 1). Thus, the capacity of the service area on which the present system operates is increased, a call drop phenomenon is less likely to occur, and more calls are received.

TABLE 1 cellular load before and after load redistribution implemented using the present system

After the load	Previous load	Honeycomb body
			30％	85％	111
20％	10％	222

16％	0％	333
			27％	20％	444
42％	42％	555
			20％	10％	666
12％	0％	777

3. Optimizing the adjacent list: with several segmentations, the NOA constructs a Cell Relationship Matrix (CRM) for the cell in which the NOA operates. The system then identifies in the list of neighbouring cells some cells that do not have any radio overlap with the cell under analysis. The system of the present invention therefore removes these cells from the neighbor cell list. In addition, the system of the invention also finds several other cells that are not in the neighbor list but that have radio overlap with the analyzed cell and therefore adds these cells to the neighbor list.

The end result is that the neighbor cell list for each cell on which the inventive system is operating includes only cells having radio overlap that can support the threshold QOS described above, and furthermore, the dropped call rate is reduced due to the use of the inventive system.

It is to be understood that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in any suitable subcombination.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. Further, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A system for obtaining information related to idle mobile stations in a cellular network, the system comprising a computing platform in communication with a radio network controller of the cellular network, the computing platform configured to:

(i) generating and transmitting at least one input signal comprising a cellular camping threshold to the radio access network via the radio network controller; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the input signal activates any idle mobile station camped on a particular cell that does not meet the cell camping threshold; and

(ii) identifying, in data output by the radio network controller, an output signal transmitted in response to the input signal, the output signal including information received from at least one idle mobile station activated by the input signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input signal comprises an instruction to modify a registration area code of a cell.

3. The system of claim 2, configured to transmit at least one further input signal comprising an instruction to modify the cell camping threshold of the particular cell.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signal includes information about a change in registration area, a change in CCT, and a restoration of the registration area.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the change in the CCT is followed by the recovery of the registration area within a few seconds to a few hours.

6. A method of automatic cellular network optimization, comprising:

(a) obtaining information related to idle Mobile Stations (MSs) in a plurality of cells of the cellular network to determine a load status of each of the plurality of cells; and

(b) directing one or more idle mobile stations between cells of the plurality of cells based on the load status of each of the plurality of cells,

further comprising shutting down a particular cell having a load condition below a predetermined threshold,

wherein (a) is carried out by:

(i) generating an input signal comprising a cell camping threshold and transmitting to a specific cell of the radio access network via the radio network controller; wherein

The input signal activates any idle mobile station camped on the particular cell that does not meet the cell camping threshold; and

(ii) identifying in the data output by the radio network controller an output signal transmitted in response to the input signal, the output signal comprising the information received from the idle Mobile Station (MS) activated by the input signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input signal comprises an instruction to modify a registration area code of a cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one further input signal configured to transmit an instruction comprising modifying the cell camping threshold of the particular cell.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the output signal includes information regarding a change in the registration area, a change in a cellular camping threshold, and a recovery of a registration area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the change in the cellular camping threshold is followed by the resumption of the registration area within seconds to hours.