Automated testing for cellular telephone system including emergency positioning

Abstract

A method for automatically testing cellular telephone equipment includes a method for determining a geographic location of a mobile unit. The system includes monitoring sites located, e.g., at high elevations, so that each monitoring site electronically covers a geographical area including several cellular telephone base stations. Locations of mobile cellular stations, especially of such stations placing emergency 911 calls, are determined by comparing signal time-of-reception and other observable signal parameters at a combination of three cell sites and/or monitoring sites. Testing functions include transmitting gradually increasing power levels on a frequency assigned to a particular base station to determine the power level required to acquire service from that base station. Periodic repetitions are monitored over time to indicate any changes or degradation in performance. A scanner scans a designated group of control-channel frequencies, selecting active channels for measurement of transmission parameters and detection of anomalous transmission characteristics on any particular channel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.