US 9,432,866 B2Granted

Network diagnostic system for analyzing performance of a radio network during functional over-the-air operation

AssigneeLocus Location Systems, LLC

InventorsJohn McCarthy, Robert Mitchell

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Abstract

An apparatus determining network health in a network comprising base station transceivers in bidirectional communication with radios, each having an identifier and transmitting a signal including the identifier. First and second devices each receive the transmitted signal during normal over-the-air operation of the radio, measure signal parameters, and determine operating characteristics of the radio from the parameters. Each of the devices produce a responsive received signal when the first operating characteristics determined by the first device indicate a healthy first radio and the second device produces a responsive received signal when the second operating characteristics determined by the second device indicate a healthy first radio. The devices determine respective signal parameters of the respective received signals. The received signals are time aligned to insure that the devices have determined the respective signal parameters of the same transmitted signal. Network health is indicated by the first and second operating characteristics.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A communications network health-determining apparatus, the network comprising a plurality of network base station transceivers distributed over a geographic area and in bidirectional communication with radios operating in the network, each radio having a respective radio identifier and transmitting a signal including the respective radio identifier, the apparatus comprising:

health determining devices:
configured to receive the signal during normal over-the-air operation of one of the radios;
and
configured to determine if the signal received by the one radio was transmitted from an authorized one of the radios;
and
when a health determining device determines that the signal is from an authorized radio:
the health determining device measures signal parameters of the signal;
the health determining device determines operating characteristics of the authorized radio from the measured signal parameters;
and
the health determining device determines a current location of the authorized radio within the geographic area;
a master controller communicatively coupled to the health determining devices;
a first of the health determining devices:
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of the authorized radio and determining if the authorized radio is healthy;
and
configured to send a first analysis result of the authorized radio to the master controller;
a second of the health determining devices:
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of the authorized radio and determining if the authorized radio is healthy;
and
configured to send a second analysis result of the authorized radio to the master controller;
and
after both the first and second analysis results sent to the master controller indicate that the authorized radio is healthy, the master controller determines from the first and second analysis results that a geographically unhealthy location of the network exists within the geographic area at the current location of the authorized healthy radio.

18 more elements

health determining devices:
configured to receive the signal during normal over-the-air operation of one of the radios;
configured to determine if the signal received by the one radio was transmitted from an authorized one of the radios;
and
when a health determining device determines that the signal is from an authorized radio:
the health determining device determines a current location of the authorized radio within the geographic area;
and
the health determining device forwards the signal of the authorized radio along with the radio identifier and the current location of the authorized radio to the master controller;
a master controller:
communicatively coupled to the health determining devices;
configured to receive the signal, the radio identifier, and the current location from the health determining devices;
configured to measure signal parameters of the signals received;
configured to determine operating characteristics of each of the authorized radios from the respective measured signal parameters;
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of each of the authorized radios and determining if each of the authorized radios is healthy;
and
configured to create an analysis result of each of the authorized radios;
after at least two analysis results sent to the master controller from two different health determining devices indicate that one of the authorized radios is healthy, the master controller determines that a geographically unhealthy location of the network exists within the geographic area at the associated current location of the one authorized radio within the geographic area.

14 more elements

health determining devices configured to receive the signal during normal over-the-air operation of one of the radios;
a master controller communicatively coupled to the health determining devices;
either:
the health determining devices:
configured to determine if the signal was transmitted from an authorized one of the radios;
and
when a health determining device determines that the signal is from an authorized radio:
the health determining device measures signal parameters of the signal;
the health determining device determines operating characteristics of the authorized radio from the measured signal parameters;
and
the health determining device determines a current location of the authorized radio within the geographic area;
a first of the health determining devices:
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of the authorized radio and determining if the authorized radio is healthy;
and
configured to send a first analysis result of the authorized radio to the master controller;
and
a second of the health determining devices:
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of the authorized radio and determining if the authorized radio is healthy;
configured to send a second analysis result of the authorized radio to the master controller;
and
after both the first and second analysis results sent to the master controller indicate that the authorized radio is healthy, the master controller determines from the first and second analysis results that a geographically unhealthy location of the network exists within the geographic area at the current location of the authorized healthy radio;
or
the health determining devices:
configured to determine if the signal was transmitted from an authorized one of the radios;
and
when a health determining device determines that the signal from an authorized radio:
the health determining device determines a current location of the authorized radio within the geographic area;
and
the health determining device forwards the signal of the authorized radio along with the radio identifier and the current location of the authorized radio to the master controller;
and
the master controller:
configured to receive the signal, the radio identifier, and the current location from the health determining devices;
configured to measure signal parameters of the signals received;
configured to determine operating characteristics of each of the authorized radios from the respective measured signal parameters;
configured to analyze the operating characteristics of each of the authorized radios and determining if each of the authorized radios is healthy;
and
configured to create an analysis result of each of the authorized radios;
after at least two analysis results sent to the master controller from two different health determining devices indicate that one of the authorized radios is healthy, the master controller determines that a geographically unhealthy location of the network exists within the geographic area at the associated current location of the one authorized radio within the geographic area.

35 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/316,920Filed 27 Jun 2014 · division
Priority: 12 May 2011
Published: US 2014/0308904 A116 Oct 2014
Granted: 30 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04W 24/08
Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements: testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
H04B 17/17
Performance testing: detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations
H04B 17/18
Performance testing: monitoring during normal operation
H04B 17/318
Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters: received signal strength

Family

Application13/106,833Parent of this division · filed 12 May 2011
US 2014/0308904 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Oct 2014
US 8,825,042 B2Parent of this division
US 2012/0289242 A1Published application
US 9,432,866 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.