US 6,587,686 B1 · Method and apparatus for detecting base station transceivers malfunctions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to method and apparatus for detecting base station (BS) transceivers malfunctions in a cellular telecommunications system. A Transceiver Malfunction Detector (TMD) receives and stores information related to the service performance of the BS transceivers and sorts the information on a per transceiver basis, for generating a service quality value for each transceiver. The TMD computes a service quality threshold value proportional to the average performance of the BS transceivers, and compares the service quality value of each monitored transceiver with the threshold, for determining the acceptability of the transceiver performance. The TMD also detects the cause of a malfunction in a transceiver, by assigning the frequencies used by an adequate transceiver to a transceiver suspected to be malfunctioning and by further monitoring the activity of the initially malfunctioning transceiver. When the transceiver persists malfunctioning after the frequency change, it is concluded that the malfunction is due to a hardware or software problem in the transceiver, while if the transceiver performance improves after the frequency change, it is concluded that the malfunction is due to a frequency interference.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In a cellular telecommunications system, a method for detecting malfunctions of base station transceivers, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sorting information relating to a plurality of base station transceivers on a per transceiver basis and generating a service quality value for each one of said plurality of base station transceivers, said service quality value being representative of a performance level of each one of said plurality of transceivers;
b) computing a service quality threshold value through a function generating a result proportional to an average performance level of said plurality of transceivers, using said information relating to said plurality of transceivers;
and
c) for at least one particular transceiver from said plurality of transceivers, comparing said service quality value with said service quality threshold value for determining the acceptability of said performance level of said particular transceiver.

1 more element

In at least one node of a cellular telecommunications system, a transceiver malfunction detector for detecting malfunctions occurring in transceivers of at least one base station of said system, said transceiver malfunction detector comprising:

at least one database for storing information relating to a service performance of a plurality of base station transceivers;
means for generating a service quality value for each one of said plurality of transceivers by sorting said information on a per transceiver basis, each said service quality value being representative of a performance level of one transceiver;
means for generating a service quality threshold value proportional to an average of the service quality values of said plurality of transceivers;
and
means for comparing said service quality value of at least one transceiver from said plurality of transceivers with said service quality threshold value for determining the acceptability of said performance level of said at least one transceiver.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for detecting base station transceivers malfunctions

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for detecting base station transceivers malfunctions

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18