Method, antenna management system and program for optimization of broadcast characteristics of an antenna and method for determining physical parameters of an antenna

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, an antenna management system and a program for optimizing the transmission characteristics of an antenna and a method for detecting physical parameters of an antenna and a computer program product.

[0002] In modern radio networks, optimization of many parameters controlling network behavior is required. Antenna features, such as azimuth or slope, have a significant effect on the propagation of radio signals and thus on the radio coverage of the secreted cells. Both parameters: slope and azimuth, which significantly affect the level of interference in the radio network and the total power needed to cover a certain area by the RF network.

[0003] Typically, these parameters are set manually during installation in a physical manner and are immutable over time. The antenna builder installs the antenna in accordance with the network operator's physical azimuth and slope requirements, taking into account the antenna specification provided by the antenna supplier. Firstly, this procedure is prone to errors, and secondly, any change during the lifetime of the antenna must be done manually, which results in costs of field visits. US 6829491 B1 discloses a system and method that provides dynamic configuration / reconfiguration of network resources. US 2008/273506 A1 relates to configuring a wireless access point.

[0004] Another solution is known from the prior art document WO 2009/097 282 A1, which describes an antenna management system for the remote management of antennas of a cellular communication network in response to traffic needs and environmental factors, including packet switching networks, antennas , base transceivers, slope controllers, interface modules, management databases and control networks. The system uses feedback from various sensors, including, for example, tilt sensors, azimuth sensors, weather sensors, gas sensors and cameras. The system allows remote viewing of sensor data and analyzing them to determine if an adjustment of antenna settings is needed. After analyzing the data, a system or system user such as a network operator can remotely position the antenna to make the necessary adjustments.

[0005] The system further allows data obtained from the sensors to be available in a packet switched network, such as the Internet or a local or wide area network, for any device, e.g. a computer or mobile device, connected to the packet switched network [0006] The prior art is based on the detection of the antenna's physical orientation using indicators directly in the physical antenna for physical azimuth and slope measurement. The disadvantage of this approach is that the antenna must be equipped with expensive sensors for measuring the orientation of the antenna, such as mechanical sensors for measuring the slope or azimuth of the antenna. In addition, such sensors require calibration and maintenance, and obviously require structural work, resulting in higher antenna system costs.

Summary [0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for detecting the physical parameters of a cellular network base antenna as well as a method, antenna management system and program for optimizing the transmission characteristics of a cellular network base antenna that are relatively effective and cost effective, and which can be implemented in a very simple way, without the need for additional sensors.

[0008] The object of the present invention is achieved by a method for determining the physical parameters of a cellular base station antenna according to claim 1.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is preferably possible in this way that the physical parameters, preferably the azimuth and / or antenna slope, are determined by the cellular parameters provided by radio measurements made by the user equipment, located inside or near the station coverage area the cellular network. In particular, the present invention provides a method of automatically determining the physical orientation of an antenna without the need for additional sensors or other expensive devices, and cellular parameters are measured by user devices that are already within or near the coverage area. Therefore, the method of the present invention is feasible in existing cellular radio networks because it does not require any physical configuration operations. In addition, this method is adapted to operate during typical operating conditions of a cellular network base station.

Radio measurements can be considered as single measurement values ​​or average values ​​of a series of single measurements. Preferably, radio measurements are performed by user equipment, such as e.g. mobile stations, which can see several base stations of cellular networks. In principle, it is possible to measure cellular parameters of a cellular telephone also further cellular base stations to obtain information regarding the orientation of the antenna. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that physical parameters preferably relate to all parameters affecting the direction and geometry of the electromagnetic fields emitted by the antennas. According to the present invention, the history of measurement of cellular radio parameters, physical parameters and / or adjustment of the antenna is stored by the antenna controller and taken into account to determine at least one physical antenna parameter. This helps to increase the accuracy of determining physical and / or cellular parameters and optimizes antenna orientation. In particular, the antenna positioning can be improved by developing a history to identify specific coverage patterns or bandwidth requirements of the mobile radio cell, for example. If the history data is used for a certain period of time, and if the assumption that users use their phones often in the same places is verified, a very clear picture of local radio distribution and its changes can be developed using the method according to the invention.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is further preferred that the history of the measured cellular parameters of some user devices relates to measurements made over a predetermined period, such as a day or week or month or year. In particular, it is preferred according to the invention when the variable and adaptive nature of historical values ​​of measured cellular parameters is taken into account. This means that in the case of, for example, special events such as fairs or similar, another typical pattern usage pattern may result from a different distribution of mobile stations, so that a different type of antenna physical parameters setting is more favorable than the type of physical antenna parameters settings in period in which no fairs take place.

[0011] Preferably, the base station is connected to connected user devices via an antenna and has access to all signal data, such as RF measurements of received power and quality indicators, as well as signal data of neighboring base stations measured by connected user devices. .

In particular, measurements of a plurality of mobile stations (or cells) made in a cell cluster (e.g., signal strengths, propagation time measurements such as access time and interference indicators) combined with knowledge of the location of these cells and associated mobile stations. can be processed to produce information about the azimuth and tilt of a single cell antenna.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the radio measurements performed by the user devices relate to the signal strength value, i.e. the signal strength received from the serving cellular network base station, are measured by the user devices. signal delay, i.e., measured delay indicating the distance between the respective user device and the base station in the cellular network, data throughput in data transmission with a given band, error rate (bit error rate), switching errors and / or rate of broken connections.

[0014] According to the present invention, the respective positions of the user devices are determined in the fifth stage, before the fourth stage. Preferably, the radio measurements given for the cellular cluster of multiple cells combined with the location data of these cells and associated user equipment can be processed to determine physical parameters the actual azimuth and tilt of a single cell antenna, for example. The positioning data of the user's devices are based on GPS coordinates or obtained indirectly from cell identification or typical RF fingerprints. Positioning data is assumed to be combined with other information, such as radio measurements and typical information of cellular networks, such as switching error rates, broken connection rates, etc.

[0015] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the actuator is controlled by the antenna controller to optimally orientate the antenna depending on the physical parameters in the sixth step. Preferably, the actuator comprises a mechanical servo that is remotely controlled by the antenna controller to optimize the orientation of the antenna. In particular, at least the second, third, fourth and sixth stages are repeated many times until the antenna orientation is optimized. Preferably, the method of the present invention is carried out as a self-organizing procedure in such a way that the orientation of a single antenna or the corresponding orientation of a plurality of antennas is automatically optimized by the antenna driver or the multi-antenna controllers. In another embodiment of the present invention, other antenna characteristics, such as antenna gain and beam width, may also be remotely changed by appropriate radio measurements made by user equipment and / or further radio network base stations. In this case, the characteristics of the radio base stations, e.g. power increase, are also responsible for remote control depending on the radio measurements.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is a method of optimizing the transmission characteristics of a cellular network base station antenna, comprising the steps of: providing a mobile radio cell by an antenna in a first stage, measuring the cellular parameters of a mobile radio cell by a plurality of user devices in a second stage, and regulating antenna orientation depending on cellular parameters to optimize antenna orientation in the sixth stage.

[0017] According to the present invention, it is preferably possible in this way that the settings, in particular the azimuth and angle of inclination, of the antenna orientation are adjusted automatically to optimize the overall network performance and / or to optimize the network performance at certain places and / or at certain intervals. In particular, the network performance is adapted to support hot spot traffic and / or to prevent areas of local problems such as holes in coverage or insufficient capacity. In addition, a method of optimizing transmission characteristics is used to increase the performance (e.g., bandwidth) of a cellular network, at least temporarily, in some places, especially in so-called hot spots, where high user traffic can be expected at certain intervals. Therefore, antenna adjustment is preferably carried out depending on the time, preferably time of day, date, day of the week, season of the year, etc.

Preferably, the method of the present invention is carried out iteratively as a self-organizing procedure in such a way that the orientation of a single antenna or the corresponding orientation of a plurality of antennas are automatically optimized by the antenna driver or the multi-antenna controllers. In particular, cellular parameters are obtained based on radio measurements of user equipment and / or further mobile base stations as described above.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multiple radio cell cluster is formed by a plurality of base stations of cellular networks, each comprising at least one antenna in a first step, wherein the cellular parameters of the multiple radio cells are measured by user equipment located inside cluster coverage area in the second stage, and the orientation of at least one of the antennas is adjusted depending on the cellular parameters in order to optimize the transmission properties of at least one antenna. Preferably, the respective positions of the user devices are also determined, so that the radio measurements given in a cluster of cells of many radio cells can be advantageously combined with knowledge about the location of these cells, for example to generate physical parameters of the actual azimuth and antenna slope of a single cell and / or in to adjust the antenna orientation. The positioning data of the user's devices are based on GPS coordinates or obtained indirectly from cell identification or typical RF fingerprints.

[0019] The invention further relates to an antenna management system for optimizing the transmission characteristics of an antenna of a cellular network base station according to claim 8.

[0020] The invention further relates to a program for optimizing the transmission characteristics of a cellular network base station antenna according to claim 9.

[0021] The invention further relates to a computer program product according to claim 10.

[0022] These and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The description is given by way of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference numbers given below refer to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0023]

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary cell cluster of multiple radio cells.

Figures 2a and 2b schematically illustrate exemplary radio cells formed by cellular network base stations.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates an example antenna management system according to the present invention

Figure 4 schematically shows another exemplary cell cluster of multiple radio cells.

Detailed description of the invention [0024] The present invention will be described with reference to specific embodiments and with reference to the drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and do not constitute a limitation of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale, but for illustrative purposes.

[0025] Where the singular noun is used, this includes the plural of the noun, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and other similar in the description and in the claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe the next or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and that the embodiments of the invention described herein may operate in a different order than described and illustrated herein.

[0027] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary cluster 1 of cells of multiple radio cells 2. Radio cells 2 are formed by three base stations 3 of cellular networks. Each of the radio cells 2 is formed by at least one antenna 4. In addition, user devices 5, also referred to as mobile stations 5, are within the range of the cellular network of certain radio cells 2. The slope and azimuth of at least one 4 'antenna of a particular cellular network base station 3' is determined by a method of detecting physical parameters of a cellular base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein at least several mobile stations 5 measure cellular parameters of 2 'radio cells formed by the 4 'antenna.

[0028] The cellular parameters include signal strength values, i.e. the strength of the signals received from the serving base station 3 'is measured by the mobile stations 5', the signal delay, i.e. the measured delay determines the distance between individual 5 'mobile stations and their serving base stations 3 'cellular networks, data bandwidth in a given bandwidth, error rate, switch error rate, dropped call rate or the like. In addition, the position of the 3 'station is determined using GPS coordinates and / or cellular identification and / or typical RF fingerprints. In subsequent stages, cellular parameters and positioning data are combined with each other as indicators for determining the physical parameters of a particular 4 'antenna. In particular, the azimuth and angle of the 4 'antenna are evaluated, depending on both cellular parameters and positioning data.

[0029] Physical parameters can be used e.g. to adjust the azimuth and angle of the 4 'antenna by using remotely controlled actuators and / or to check the required orientation of the 4' antenna after installing the antenna or after a storm or act of vandalism etc. Preferably, the actuator is remotely controlled via cable, Internet, LAN, WLAN, Bluetooth or similar.

[0030] Accordingly, Fig. 1 shows a scenario in which a plurality of mobile stations 5, each with a well-known location, providing signal power values ​​(normalized based on knowledge of the energy sent by the base stations of cellular networks 3) providing a distribution scheme and antenna range of different radio cells 2. The purpose of knowing the antenna pattern is to improve the performance of the cellular communication network, and preferably to provide an almost real-time self-organizing mechanism for optimizing the location of the antenna 4, which strongly depends on the current environmental conditions, such as the actual scope and size of the network's demand.

[0031] The features of the 4 'antenna, such as azimuth or slope, have a significant effect on the propagation of radio signals and thus on the radio coverage of the secreted cells 2 ;. Both parameters essentially affect the level of interference in the radio network and the total power needed to cover a certain area by the RF network. These are important variables that, along with some other main antenna features, such as antenna gain and beam width and RF power used, affect the level of electromagnetic pollution that can be minimized by the method described herein. The great advantage of the present invention is that the antenna parameters can be dynamically configured so that the antenna power supply can be used very efficiently, so that electromagnetic pollution is always kept to a minimum.

[0032] Figures 2a and 2b schematically illustrate an exemplary one base station of a 3 'cellular network providing, inter alia, a reliable 2' radio cell. In this example, mainly the first mobile station 10, the second mobile station 11, the third mobile station 12 and the fourth mobile station 13 are all considered, each of which is in the coverage area of ​​the cellular radio network of cell 2 '. Changes in the appropriate signal strength received by the first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 10, 11, 12, 13 from the base station 3 'depend on the slope of the corresponding 4' antenna, the slope being the angle between the main emission direction 21 of the 4 'antenna, and the horizontal plane 20 in place of the antenna 4 '(as shown in Figure 3). The horizontal plane 20 is perpendicular to gravity. For example, an increase in antenna 4 'inclination reduces the first signal level received by the first mobile station 10 and decreases the fourth signal level received by the fourth mobile station 13, the first and fourth signals likewise decrease by a first constant value. At the same time, also the second signal strength level received by the second mobile station 11 and the third signal strength level received by the third mobile station 12 decrease as a result of the increased slope, the second and third signal levels likewise change by a second constant value. The reduced first, second, third and fourth signal levels are due to the reduced range of the 2 'radio cell, 4' tilted antenna. This effect depends on the distance between the 4 'antenna and the respective mobile station, so that the first value differs from the second value. With a stronger increase in slope, the first and fourth mobile stations 10, 13 see adjacent 2 "radio cells because the 2" radio cells become dominant, assuming that their slopes have not changed.

[0033] Fig. 2b illustrates another example in which the azimuth of the 4 'antenna has been changed by rotating the 4' antenna by about 10 ° (e.g., relative to north 100) in the horizontal plane 20, compared to Fig. 2a. Accordingly, the first signal decreases because the first mobile station 10 is no longer in the main coverage area of ​​the radio cell 2 ', the level of the fourth signal increases as the fourth mobile station 13 moves away from the boundary surface of the 2 "radio cell. The first, second, third and fourth signals have been shown to depend on the azimuth and 4 'antenna angle. Consequently, knowing the positions of the first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 10, 11, 12, 13 ensures the determination of physical parameters, in particular the azimuth and / or antenna slope 4 '. The accuracy of this method can be advantageously increased by using further cellular parameters of the 2 'radio cell provided, for example, by neighboring base stations of the cellular network.

[0034] Figure 4 schematically illustrates an exemplary antenna management system according to the invention, wherein the antenna management system comprises an antenna 4 'attached to the radio mast 22. The antenna slope 4' corresponds to the angle between the main emission direction 21 of the 4 'antenna and the horizontal plane 20 in place 4 'antennas. According to the example of Fig. 2a, the slope of the antenna 4 'is increased by rotating the antenna 4' counterclockwise (in the drawing plane).

Preferably, the orientation of the 4 'antenna is controlled by means of an actuator (not shown in Fig. 4) which is controlled by the antenna controller depending on the cellular and / or physical parameters. [0035] Preferably, the history of radio measurements, cellular parameters, physical parameters and / or adjustment of the antenna is stored by the antenna controller. This helps to increase the accuracy of determining physical and / or cellular parameters and optimizes the orientation of the 4 'antenna. In particular, the antenna positioning can be improved by developing a history to identify, for example, specific coverage patterns or bandwidth requirements of the 2 'radio cell. In the long run and history, assuming that the user uses mobile stations 2 often in the same places, you can develop a very clear picture of the local distribution of stations and their changes. In particular, the features of mobile station 2, such as antenna gain, specific error of measurements and the like are neutralized because the same mobile stations 2 are in fact used to determine network change information. Accordingly, the method of the present invention increases the accuracy of radio measurements for problem cases where greater accuracy is needed. It is assumed that for most cellular network optimization problems, the statistical approach for mobile stations 2, based on radio measurements, is sufficient and can average the specific properties of the mobile station. [0036] Figure 5 schematically illustrates another example cluster 1 of multiple radio cells 2, in which the method optimizing the transmission characteristics of the cellular base station antenna in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, is described in this document. In this example, the tilt optimization of at least one antenna 4 is automatic due to coverage problems between two adjacent radio cells 2. The first cellular base station 60 provides the first radio cell 61 and the second base station cellular network 62 provides the second radio cell 63. The first mobile station 64 is within the coverage area of ​​the first radio cell 61 and the second mobile station 65 is within the coverage area of ​​the second radio cell 64. In addition, the third mobile station 66 is on the border of the coverage area of ​​the first radio cell 61 and the fourth mobile station 67 is on the border of the coverage area of ​​the second radio cell 63. To determine the transmission characteristics of the first and second base stations of the cellular network 60, 62, first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 64, 65, 66, 67 measure the cellular parameters of the first and second radio cells 61, 63. In particular, first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 64,

65, 66, 67 measure the strength of the signal received from the first or second base station of the mobile network 60, 62. In addition, the positions of the first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 64, 65, 66, 67 are determined based on GPS coordinates or indirectly by identification RF cells or fingerprints. The antenna driver combines cellular parameters measured by the first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 64, 65, 66, 67 and positioning data of the first, second, third and fourth mobile stations 64, 65, 66, 67 to generate the main pattern of coverage areas and a second radio cell 61.63.

[0037] In the present example, there is a gap 68 between the first and second radio cells 61.63. This gap 68 causes a higher number of dropped connections measured by the third and fourth mobile stations 66, 67, because the third and fourth mobile stations are near the border of the first and second radio cells 61, 63. The gap 68 can be identified by an antenna controller analyzing cellular parameters . In particular, the decrease in signal strength and the higher number of broken connections measured by the third and fourth mobile stations 66, 67 are indicators of the presence of slot 68. Then the antenna driver controls the actuator of at least one antenna 4 of the first and / or second base station of the mobile network 60, 62 to correct the orientation of at least one antenna 4 in such a way that the slope decreases. Decreasing the slope results in a "longer" antenna beam, so that coverage in the coverage area of ​​the first and / or second radio cell 61, 62 increases and the line 68 closes (not shown in Figure 6). Generally, the operations regarding the antenna beam width can also be optimized using the above-mentioned method.

[0038] The above approach can also be used in larger clusters 1 containing more cellular base stations 3, preferably using a general optimization loop including remote access to the necessary input data of cellular base stations 3 and associated radio cells 2 (such as radio measurements , antenna and base station characteristics). In this case, the performance and interference in cluster 1 are optimized by combining and reading data from various sources to remotely configure the transmission parameters of base stations 3 and their antenna systems. [0039] In general, the method for optimizing the transmission characteristics of a base station antenna according to the present invention includes a full closed loop optimizing the parameters of antennas 4, base stations of cellular networks 3 and user equipment 5. The remote antenna settings 4 mean in particular the slope, azimuth and beam width, the remote settings of the user devices 5 being obtained by normalized radio signaling, and the remote settings of the base stations of the cellular network 3 are obtained by means of remote access methods known in the art. The current physical settings of the antennas 4 can be obtained from the radio measurements of the user equipment 5 as described above, wherein the settings of the user equipment 5 can be evaluated by means of standard measurements and measurement events. The settings of the base station 3 cellular networks can be assessed by the performance and functionality of the monitoring system and tracking system as remote access methods known in the art. These parameters are analyzed automatically and iteratively optimized for actual network performance. In particular, real coverage and / or network capacity problems can be solved by changing the slope and / or azimuth.