Network device for use in a wireless communication network and an end-to-end over-the-air test and measurement system for one or more network devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11233584-B2
Application number	US-201916700155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2019
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

Among network devices for use within a wireless communication network, a transmitting network device is configured to transmit to a receiving network device via a control channel one or more control signals for configuring the receiving network device for a characterization of at least one of the transmitting network device and the receiving network device and/or for a characterization of one or more communication channels between the transmitting network device and the receiving network device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network device for use within a wireless communication network, comprising:
at least one of a primary wireless communication interface, an integrated secondary communication interface, and a secondary external communication interface,
wherein the network device is configured to provide a control channel at at least one of the communication interfaces,
wherein the network device is configured to transmit to a plurality of other network devices via the control channel one or more control signals for configuring the plurality of other network devices for a test comprising at least one of
a characterization of at least one of the network device and the plurality of other network devices, and
a characterization of one or more communication channels between the network device and the plurality of other network devices,

wherein the network device is configured to control an operation and/or a configuration of the network device and/or of at least one of the plurality of other network devices by means of the one or more control signals transmitted to the plurality of other network devices via the control channel so that the test is cooperatively performed by the network device and the at least one of the plurality of other network devices, and
wherein the network device is configured to orchestrate operation of the plurality of other network devices by transmitting a plurality of same or different control signals via the control channel to the plurality of other network devices at a same time or time intervals or at a different time or different time intervals.

2. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to instruct each of the plurality of other network devices, by means of the one or more control signals transmitted via the control channel, to operate in a predetermined mode and/or to perform a predetermined action and/or to perform a predetermined test procedure and/or to perform a predetermined measurement procedure for the characterization of at least one of the network device and the plurality of other network devices and/or of the one or more communication channels between the network device and the plurality of other network devices.

3. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to instruct each of the plurality of other network devices, by means of the one or more control signals transmitted via the control channel, to operate in a predetermined mode and/or to perform a predetermined action and/or to perform a predetermined test procedure and/or to perform a predetermined measurement procedure at the same time or time interval for the characterization of at least one of the network device and the plurality of other network devices and/or of the one or more communication channels between the network device and the plurality of other network devices.

4. The network device claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to instruct each of the plurality of other network devices, by means of the one or more control signals transmitted via the control channel, to operate in a predetermined mode and/or to perform a predetermined action and/or to perform a predetermined test procedure and/or to perform a predetermined measurement procedure sequentially one after another for the characterization of at least one of the network device and the plurality of other network devices and/or of the one or more communication channels between the network device and the plurality of other network devices.

5. The network device of claim 3 , wherein the network device is configured to instruct each of the plurality of other network devices by means of the one or more control signals transmitted via the control channel, to operate in the same predetermined mode and/or to perform the same predetermined action and/or to perform the same predetermined test procedure and/or to perform the same predetermined measurement procedure for the characterization of at least one of the network device and the plurality of other network devices and/or of the one or more communication channels between the network device and the plurality of other network devices.

6. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to instruct the plurality of other network devices, by means of the one or more control signals transmitted via the control channel, to operate in a receive mode for receiving a signal via the primary wireless communication interface, or to operate in a transmission mode for transmitting a signal via the primary wireless communication interface.

7. The network device of claim 6 , wherein the network device is configured to transmit the one or more control signals to the plurality of other network devices via the control channel for instructing the plurality of other network devices to operate in the transmission mode and to transmit a signal via the primary wireless communication interface, and wherein the network device is further configured to receive, via the primary wireless communication interface, the signal from the plurality of other network devices via the primary wireless communication interface, and to perform a measurement of the received signal for evaluating one or more reception parameters of the received signal.

8. The network device of claim 7 , wherein the network device is configured to perform a predetermined action if the one or more evaluated reception parameters are outside a predetermined target range.

9. The network device of claim 6 , wherein the network device is configured to transmit the one or more control signals to the plurality of other network devices via the control channel for instructing the plurality of other network devices to operate in a receive mode for receiving a signal via the primary wireless communication interface from the network device, and for instructing the plurality of other network devices to perform a measurement of the received signal for evaluating one or more reception parameters of the received signal and to report a result of the measurement to the network device and/or to yet another network device and/or to an external Test and Measurement System.

10. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to transmit the one or more control signals to at least two of the plurality of other network devices via the control channel for performing a download test, and wherein the network device is configured to download predetermined data from each of the at least two another network devices via its primary communication interface.

11. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to transmit the one or more control signals to at least two of the plurality of other network devices via the control channel for performing an upload test, and wherein the network device is configured to upload predetermined data to each of the at least two of the plurality of other network devices via the primary communication interface.

12. The network device of claim 10 , wherein the network device is configured to compare a result of the download test and/or an upload test of the at least two of the plurality of other network devices with each other and to select, based on the result of the download test and/or the upload test, one of the at least two of the plurality of other network devices for connecting thereto via the primary wireless communication interface.

13. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the network device is configured to transmit the one or more control signals to the plurality of other network devices via the control channel for instructing the plurality of other network device

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Leather Paul Simon Holt
• Haustein Thomas
• Sakaguchi Kei
• Askar Ramez

Classifications

• H04B17/191

  Over-the-air testing · CPC title

• H04B17/309

  Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters · CPC title

• H04B17/11

  for calibration · CPC title

• H04B17/104 Primary

  of other parameters, e.g. DC offset, delay or propagation times · CPC title

• H04B17/101 Primary

  for measurement of specific parameters of the transmitter or components thereof · CPC title