Method and apparatus for base station audit correction in wireless communication networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11570648-B2
Application number	US-202117152669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2021
Priority date	May 15, 2020
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A method for operating a base station is provided. The method includes in response to a triggering event, fetching information on a base station (BS) configuration parameters comprising a location, a height, an antenna pattern, and topographical details surrounding the BS; determining the BS configuration parameters that are error prone and require re-estimation; obtain measurement reports created by at least one user equipment (UE); determining an audit method to perform an audit correction, the audit correction based on the one or more of the BS configuration parameters to re-estimate, available BS information and the measurement reports; performing the audit correction, to obtain a result based on a computed score for each candidate value of the BS configuration parameters; generating, based on the result, one or more corrective actions; and adjusting at least one of the BS configuration parameters based on the one or more corrective actions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a transceiver configured to communicate via a wired or wireless communication medium; and
a processor configured to:
in response to a triggering event, fetch information on a base station (BS) configuration parameters, the BS configuration parameters comprising at least one of: a location of the BS, a height of the BS, an orientation of the BS, an antenna pattern of the BS, and topographical details surrounding the BS;
determine one or more of the BS configuration parameters that are error prone and require re-estimation;
obtain measurement reports created by at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement reports comprise a signal strength value and a location of the at least one UE;
determine an audit method to perform an audit correction;
perform the audit correction, to obtain a result based on a computed score for each candidate value of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters;
generate, based on the result, one or more corrective actions; and
adjust at least one of the BS configuration parameters based on the one or more corrective actions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the audit method based on an availability of a cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool, and required topographical information, wherein:
when both the cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool and required topographical information is available, the computed score is based on a comparison of user measurements to tool-predicted signal strength values, and
when one of the cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool or topographical information is unavailable, the computed score is based on a matching between the measurement reports and some statistical rules,
wherein the processor is configured to use the determined audit method to calibrate parameters of the signal strength prediction tool.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the audit correction is based on the one or more of the BS configuration parameters to re-estimate, available BS information and the measurement reports.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the result comprises one of:
candidate values for the one or more of the BS configuration parameters with a highest score; or
a score of a particular choice of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters, and wherein:

the one or more corrective actions comprises at least one of:
updating of database parameters with the re-estimated parameters; or
raising an alarm for site visit based on a score value being below a certain threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to obtain the measurement reports, the processor is configured to receive the measurement reports from the at least one UE based on at least one of:
periodically, in response to expiration of a timer;
in response to a specific user device condition;
in response to a request from the BS or apparatus,
in response to a signaling message that includes a list of attributes to report or conditions for the at least one UE to be eligible for reporting, or
in response to the at least one UE being in a specified location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein to estimate the one or more BS configuration parameters, the processor is configured to one or more of:
filter one or more measurement reports that are faulty, corrupted, or unwanted;
estimate a reference signal received power (RSRP) heat map from the BS to its surrounding for each candidate value of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters based on one or more of: wireless ray-tracing, statistical channel models, and distance-dependent pathloss equations;
compare RSRP values in measurement reports to the RSRP values in the RSRP heat map to predict correct values of the one or more BS configuration parameters;
perform parameter estimation based on a weighting applied to the at least one UE among a plurality of UEs providing the measurement reports, where in the weighting is based on one or more of a location error of the at least one UE or a reported RSRP value;
perform parameter estimation based on one or more of: an estimate of a cell boundary of the BS, apriori knowledge of a number of UE locations, or previous estimates of the one or more BS configuration parameters; and
perform parameter estimation based using a neural network configured to encode the measurement reports as an image in which pixel coordinates represent location and pixel color represents a reference signal received power (RSRP) value, wherein a score function returned by the neural network comprises a measure of an estimation accuracy.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the triggering event comprises one of:
expiration of a timer,
an output of a root cause analysis algorithm, and
comparison of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters against stored values of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters.

8. A method comprising:
in response to a triggering event, information on a base station (BS) configuration parameters, the BS configuration parameters comprising at least one of: a location of the BS, a height of the BS, an orientation of the BS, an antenna pattern of the BS, and topographical details surrounding the BS;
determining one or more of the BS configuration parameters that are error prone and require re-estimation;
obtaining measurement reports created by at least one user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement reports comprise a signal strength value and a location of the at least one UE;
determining an audit method to perform an audit correction;
performing the audit correction to obtain a result based on a computed score for each candidate value of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters;
generating, based on the result, one or more corrective actions; and
adjusting at least one of the BS configuration parameters based on the one or more corrective actions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the audit method is determined based on an availability of a cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool, and required topographical information, wherein:
when both the cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool and required topographical information is available, the computed score is based on a comparison of user measurements to tool-predicted signal strength values,
when one of the cell-planning or signal strength prediction tool or topographical information is unavailable, the computed score is based on a matching between the measurement reports and some statistical rules, and
wherein the determined audit method is used to calibrate parameters of the signal strength prediction tool.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the audit correction is based on the one or more of the BS configuration parameters to re-estimate, available BS information and the measurement reports.

11. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein the result comprises one of:
candidate values for the one or more of the BS configuration parameters with a highest score; or
a score of a particular choice of the one or more of the BS configuration parameters, and wherein:

the one or more corrective actions comprises at least one of:
updating of database parameters with the re-estimated parameters; or

raising an alarm for site visit based on a score value being below a certain threshold.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein obtaining the measurement reports comprises receiving the measurement reports from the at least one UE based on at least one of:
periodically, in response to expiration of a timer;
in response to a specific user device condition;
in response to a request from t

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• RATNAM Vishnu Vardhan
• Albert Samuel
• Shafin Rubayet
• Chen Hao
• Xin Yan
• Kulkarni Mandar N
• Zhang Jianzhong

Classifications

• H04W24/10 Primary

  Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} · CPC title

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04W16/18

  Network planning tools · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title