DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING PLACEMENT OF CUSTOMER PREMISE EQUIPMENT (CPE) WITHIN USER’S ENVIRONMENT

Jio Platforms Limited, an Indian company, having registered address at Office -102, Saffron, Nr. Centre Point, Panchwati 5 Rasta, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380006, Gujarat, India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communication networks and systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and a method for optimizing placement of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) within a user’s environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter disclosed in the background section should not be assumed or construed to be prior art merely because of its mention in the background section. Similarly, any problem statement mentioned in the background section or its association with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed or construed to have been previously recognized in the prior art.
[0003] In recent years, the landscape of wireless communications has undergone significant evolution due to advancements in technology and dynamic nature of user demands. With widespread adoption of mobile devices and continuous rise in demand for high-speed internet connectivity and High Definition (HD) voice calls, challenges associated with indoor network coverage has become a major concern for wireless service providers. Users expect seamless access to high-speed internet and reliable voice communication within indoor spaces for both personal and professional requirements. Many locations, including residential homes, offices, and commercial buildings, suffer from poor network coverage indoors, leading to connectivity issues and degraded service quality for end-users.
[0004] Despite advancements in outdoor network coverage, existing methods for maintaining consistent connectivity within the indoor spaces or environments faces various challenges and have certain limitations. One of the primary reasons behind such challenges is attenuation and interference caused by building materials such as concrete, steel, and glass, which can significantly degrade strength and quality of a wireless signal. Additionally, density of indoor structures and presence of obstacles may further intensify coverage issues, leading to signal attenuation and dead zones.
[0005] Further, the existing methods for maintaining the consistent connectivity within user’s environment struggle to deliver a level of coverage and capacity required to meet increasing demands of indoor users, particularly in densely populated areas or buildings with high user densities. As a result, the indoor users experience degraded performance, dropped calls, and slow internet speeds, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction.
[0006] Therefore, to overcome aforementioned challenges and limitations associated with the existing methods for maintaining the consistent connectivity within the user’s environment, there lies a need for a system and a method capable of providing robust coverage and capacity within the user environments.
SUMMARY
[0007] The following embodiments present a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed invention. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
[0008] In an embodiment, disclosed herein is a method for optimizing placement of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) within a user’s environment. The method comprises obtaining, by an acquisition module, information including a current location of a user device and network and signal parameters associated with the user device. Further, the method comprises calculating, by a computation module from a cell ID based on the network and signal parameters, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) value of a node serving the user device. Thereafter, the method comprises transmitting, by a transceiver module, a request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to an application server for validating whether the current location of the user device and the ECGI value exist in a master database, and receiving, by the transceiver module from the application server, a plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device in response to the transmitted request. Furthermore, the method comprises calculating, by the computation module based on the plurality of node parameters, a plurality of network test values associated with the node for installing the CPE at an optimal location, and controlling, by a display engine based on the plurality of network test values, a display screen to display one or more suggestions including a guide for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
[0009] In an aspect, the plurality of network test values includes at least one of a half power horizontal beam width value, a full power horizontal beam width value, a full power vertical beam width value, and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of an antenna of the CPE for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
[0010] In an aspect, the network and signal parameters include at least one of a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a latitude and a longitude of the user device.
[0011] In an aspect, the user’s environment corresponds to one of an indoor environment or an outdoor environment, and a hexadecimal length of the cell ID is in a configurable range less than 9.
[0012] In an aspect, the node parameters are determined based on the validation that the current location of the user device and the ECGI value exist in the master database. Further, the plurality of node parameters includes at least one of an antenna azimuth of the node, a distance of the node from the user device, a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device, a node’s latitude and longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device.
[0013] In an aspect, for obtaining the information including the current location of the user device and the network and signal parameters, the method comprises controlling, by the display engine, the display screen to display a plurality of options including a first option for selection of a network node among the plurality of network nodes and a second option for accessing a current location of the user device along with network and signal parameters. Further, the method comprises obtaining, by the acquisition module, the information including the current location of the user device and the network and signal parameters based on a reception of a user input via the displayed plurality of options.
[0014] In an aspect, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values comprises calculating, by the computation module, a half power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum half power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of an antenna of the node. Further, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values comprises calculating, by the computation module, a full power horizontal beam width value based on a minimum half power horizontal beam width value and a maximum full power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node.
[0015] In an aspect, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values comprises calculating, by the computation module, a full power vertical beam width value based on a distance of the node from the user device, a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device, a node’s latitude and the longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device. Thereafter, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values comprises calculating, by the computation module, based on the full power vertical beam width value, a height of the antenna of the node and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of the antenna of the node with respect to the current location of the user device.
[0016] In an aspect, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values further comprises determining, by the computation module, whether the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to a user location height or the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height. Further, the process of calculating the plurality of network test values comprises controlling, by the display engine, the display screen to display a first notification indicating a suggestion to tilt an antenna of the CPE downside by a first tilt angle in a specific direction upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to the user location height, or controlling, by the display engine, the display screen to display a second notification indicating a suggestion to tilt the antenna of the CPE upside by a second tilt angle in the specific direction upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height.
[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, disclosed is a user device for optimizing placement a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) within a user’s environment. The user device comprises an acquisition module, a computation module, a transceiver module, and a display engine. The acquisition module is configured to obtain information including a current location of the user device and network and signal parameters associated with the user device. The computation module is configured to calculate, from a cell ID based on the network and signal parameters, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) value of a node serving the user device. The transceiver module is configured to transmit a request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to an application server to validate whether the current location of the user device and the ECGI value exist in a master database, and receiving, from the application server, a plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device in response to the transmitted request. The computation module is further configured to calculate, based on the plurality of node parameters, a plurality of test values associated with the node for installing the CPE at an optimal location. Further, the display engine is configured to control, based on the plurality of network test values, a display screen of the user device to display one or more suggestions including a guide for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
[0018] In an aspect, to obtain the information current location of the device and the network and signal parameters, the display engine is further configured to control the display screen to display a plurality of options including a first option for selection of a network node among the plurality of network nodes and a second option for accessing a current location of the user device along with network and signal parameters. Further, the acquisition module is configured to obtain the information including the current location of the user device and the network and signal parameters based on a reception of a user input via the displayed plurality of options.
[0019] In an aspect, to calculate the plurality of network test values, the computation module is further configured to calculate a half power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum half power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of an antenna of the node, and calculate a full power horizontal beam width value based on a minimum half power horizontal beam width value and a maximum full power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node.
[0020] In an aspect, to calculate the plurality of network test values, the computation module is further configured to calculate a full power vertical beam width value based on a distance of the node from the user device, a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device, a node’s latitude and the longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device. Further, the computation module is configured to calculate, based on the full power vertical beam width value, a height of the antenna of the node and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of the antenna of the node with respect to the current location of the user device.
[0021] In an aspect, the computation module is further configured to determine whether the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to a user location height or the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height. The display engine is further configured to control, upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to the user location height, the display screen to display a first notification indicating a suggestion to tilt an antenna of the CPE downside by a first tilt angle in a specific direction, or control, upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height, the display screen to display a second notification indicating a suggestion to tilt the antenna of the CPE upside by a second tilt angle in the specific direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] Various embodiments disclosed herein will become better understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present disclosure and illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. Further, components and elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. For consistency and ease of understanding, similar components and elements are annotated by reference numerals in the exemplary drawings.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a communication network depicting an example system for optimizing placement of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) within a user’s environment, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system architecture of an application server, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates an example system architecture of a user device for optimizing placement of CPE within the user’s environment, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart depicting operations performed by the user device for calculating network test values, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Inventive concepts of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of one or more embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Further, the one or more embodiments disclosed herein are provided to describe the inventive concept thoroughly and completely, and to fully convey the scope of each of the present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are not mutually exclusive concepts. Accordingly, one or more components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present or used in any other embodiment.
[0029] The following description presents various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are presented as teaching examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified, omitted, or expanded upon without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0030] The following description contains specific information pertaining to embodiments in the present disclosure. The detailed description uses the phrases “in some embodiments” which may each refer to one or more or all of the same or different embodiments. The term “some” as used herein is defined as “one, or more than one, or all”. Accordingly, the terms “one”, “more than one”, “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” In view of the same, the terms, for example, “in an embodiment” refers to one embodiment and the term, for example, “in one or more embodiments” refers to “at least one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”
[0031] The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to;” it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion in the so-described one or more listed features, elements in a combination, unless otherwise stated with limiting language. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “have,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”
[0032] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features.
[0033] The description provided herein discloses exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing any of the exemplary embodiments. Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it may be understood by one of the ordinary skilled in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details.
[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein the description and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural forms unless the context of the invention indicates otherwise.
[0035] The terminology and structure employed herein are for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and do not limit, restrict, or reduce the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.
[0036] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for optimizing or identifying an optimal location for placement or installation of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) within a user’s premises such as indoor environments, nearby indoor environments, or in an outdoor environment. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for identifying a plurality of network test values including an optimal azimuth angle of an antenna in a horizontal direction for installation of the CPE within the user’s environment.
[0037] According to various aspects described herein, the present disclosure relates to a user device for optimizing the placement of the CPE at an optimal location within the user’s environment and a method thereof. The electronic user device may correspond to a user device used by network engineers or planning engineer while installing the CPE such as Outdoor CPE (ODCPE) or Indoor CPE (IDCPE) in the user’s environment.
[0038] In the disclosure, various embodiments are described using terms used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)), but these are merely examples for description. Various embodiments of the disclosure may also be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.
[0039] In order to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed invention, a number of terms are defined below.
[0040] The term “half power horizontal beam width value” of a node antenna refers to an angular separation in horizontal plane where the antenna’s radiation power decreases to half of its maximum value. This parameter characterizes a spread of the antenna’s main lobe in an azimuthal direction.
[0041] The term “full power horizontal beam width value” of the node antenna refers to an angular width in the horizontal plane where the antenna radiates at or above its peak power level.
[0042] The term “full power vertical beam width value” of the node antenna refers to an angular width in the vertical plane where the antenna maintains its maximum radiation power.
[0043] The following description provides specific details of certain aspects of the disclosure illustrated in the drawings to provide a thorough understanding of those aspects. It should be recognized, however, that the present disclosure can be reflected in additional aspects and the disclosure may be practiced without some of the details in the following description.
[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 through FIG. 5, discussed below, and the one or more embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.
[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a communication network 100 depicting an example system for optimizing placement of the CPE within the user’s environment, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the communication network 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the communication network 100 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include a plurality of nodes (for example, gNBs 102, 104), CPEs (106, 114), a network 110, a load balancer 120, an application server 130 (hereinafter also referred to as the “server 130”), a user device 140 (hereinafter also referred to as “network management device 140” or “electronic device 140”) used by network engineer/planning engineer for installing CPEs in the user’s environment), a first database 150-1 (hereinafter also referred to as a “master database”), a second database 150-2, and a gateway server 160. The server 130 communicates with each of the user device 140, the load balancer 120, the first database 150-1, the second database 150-2, and the gateway server 160 via the network 110. The load balancer 120 may communicate with the server 130 via one or more webservers (not shown in FIG. 1).
[0047] The gNBs 102 (hereinafter interchangeably referred to and designated as “node 102”) communicates with the gNB 104 (hereinafter interchangeably referred to and designated as “node 104”). The gNB 102 also communicates with the network 110. The network 110 may comprise, but not limited to, the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network. The network 110 enables communication between components of the communication environment 100. The gNBs 102 and 104 also communicates with the server 130 in the communication network 100. The server 130 is communicatively coupled to the user device 140. The user device 140 includes a display screen 340 (shown in FIG. 3) for displaying one or more suggestions for adjusting a tilt angle of an antenna of the CPE during installation of the CPE at an optimal location in the user’s environment. In context of the present discourse, the “optimal location” corresponds to a location for placing, positioning, or installing the CPE to achieve a best performance, network coverage, and efficiency within a communication environment. In one or more embodiments, one or more applications 360 (shown in FIG. 3) are installed on the user device 140 to communicate with the server 130. Further, the user’s environment may correspond to one of the indoor environment or the outdoor environment associated with the user of the user device 140.
[0048] The gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 120 for a first plurality of wireless devices within a cell area 150-1 of the gNB 102. Examples of the first plurality of wireless devices may include, but not limited to, a first Outdoor Customer Premise Equipment (ODCPE) 106, a fixed wireless device 108, a wireless laptop 112 connected to the fixed wireless device 110, and the like. Similarly, the gNBs 104 provide wireless broadband access to the network 110 for a second plurality of wireless devices within a cell area 150-2 of the gNB 104. Examples of the second plurality of wireless devices may include, but not limited to, an ODCPE 114, a fixed wireless device 118, a wireless PDA 113 and a wireless laptop 116 connected to the fixed wireless device 118, and the like. In some embodiments, the gNBs 102 and 104 may communicate with each other and with the wireless devices 106-118 using a communication technique, such as a 5th Generation 5G/ New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), or other wireless communication techniques. The server 130 may manage communications with the nodes 102 and 104, the network 110, and the wireless devices 106-118 (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links).
[0049] The term “node” may refer to any component (or collection of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as Transmit Point (TP), Transmit-Receive Point (TRP), an Evolved Base Station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G/NR base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. The nodes may provide wireless access in accordance with wireless communication protocols, e.g., 5G/NR 3GPP New Radio interface/access (NR), LTE, LTE-A, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, etc. For the sake of convenience, the terms “nodes” and “gNBs” are used interchangeably in the present disclosure to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals.
[0050] Further, depending on the network type, the term “device” may refer to any component such as “mobile station,” “subscriber station,” “remote terminal,” “wireless terminal,” “receiver terminal”. In a non-limiting example, the “device” in this disclosure wirelessly accesses the nodes (i.e., gNB 102 or gNB 104). In a non-limiting example, the CPE disclosed herein may correspond to the ODCPE or IDCPE which is designed to transmit, receive, or process wireless signals for communication purposes, typically utilizing radio frequency technology, and may include components such as antennas, transmitters, receivers, and processors. The term “CPE”, “ODCPE”, or “IDCPE” are used interchangeably throughout the disclosure without any deviation from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0051] The load balancer 120 is an intermediary between the network 110 and the server 130. The load balancer 120 is configured to distribute incoming input from the user device 140 to the server 130 for providing one or more suggestions for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
[0052] The server 130 may be a network of computers, a software framework, or a combination thereof, that may provide a generalized approach to create a server implementation. Examples of the server 130 may include, but are not limited to, personal computers, laptops, mini-computers, mainframe computers, any non-transient and tangible machine that can execute a machine-readable code, cloud-based servers, distributed server networks, or a network of computer systems. The server 130 may be realized through various web-based technologies such as, but not limited to, a Java web-framework, a .NET framework, a personal home page (PHP) framework, or any web-application framework. In other aspects of the present disclosure, the server 130 may be configured to perform one or more operations for validating a current location of the user device 140 and a presence of an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) value calculated by the user device 140 in the master database i.e., the first database 150-1. The ECGI value is associated with a node serving the user device 140.
[0053] The user device 140 may further include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for intuitive interaction, data processing units for real-time analysis, and storage units for data archiving. The user device 140 may be utilized by network administrators for identifying the optimal location for placing the CPE in the user’s environment. A detailed functionality of the user device 140 for providing one or more suggestions to place the CPE at the optimal location is described below with reference to FIGS. 3 through 5.
[0054] The first database 150-1 is configured to store network configuration data, signal strength related data, geospatial information, historical records of signal strength measurements and network performance metrics over time, and test configurations, test results, and performance metrics generated by the server 130 and the user device 140.
[0055] The second database 150-2 may correspond to a distributed repository and stores real-time signal strength data collected from the user device 140 while performing the tests, temporal data related to signal strength measurements and network performance metrics, data generated as a result of calculating network test values, metadata associated with stored data, including timestamps, device identifiers, and test session identifiers.
[0056] The gateway server 160 is configured to manage and process data transferred by the server 130 and the user device 140 and stores the processed data into the first database 150-1 and the second database 150-2. Further, the gateway server 160 may fetch any requisite data stored in each of the first database 150-1 and the second database 150-2, and transfers the fetched requisite data to the server 130 or the user device 140 that can be used in calculating the network test values (described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.
[0057] Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of the communication network 100, various changes may be made to FIG. 1. For example, the communication network 100 may include any number of gNBs, CPEs, user devices, application servers, gateway servers, and databases in any suitable arrangement in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1. Further, various components in FIG. 1 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components may be added according to particular needs.
[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system architecture of the application server 130, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the server 130 as shown in FIG. 2 is for illustration only. However, the server 130 may come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular implementation of the server 130.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, the server 130 includes one or more processors 202 (hereinafter also referred to as “processor 202”), a memory 204, a network communication manager 206, and a database 208. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 211).
[0060] The processor 202 may include various processing circuitry and communicates with the memory 204, the network communication manager 206, and the database 208. The processor 202 is configured to execute instructions 204A stored in the memory 204 and to perform various processes related to the validation of the current location of the user device 140 and the validation related to the presence of ECGI value calculated by the user device 140 in the master database. The processor 202 may include an intelligent hardware device including a general-purpose processor, such as, for example, and without limitation, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Processor (AP), a dedicated processor, or the like, a graphics-only processing unit such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a microcontroller, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof.
[0061] The memory 204 stores the set of instructions 204A required by the processor 202 for controlling overall operations of the server 130. The memory 204 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically Programmable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and Programmable (EEPROM) memories. In addition, the memory 204 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The "non-transitory" storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted as the memory 204 is non-movable. In some examples, the memory 204 may be configured to store larger amounts of information. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache). The memory 204 may be an internal storage unit or an external storage unit of the server 130, cloud storage, or any other type of external storage.
[0062] More specifically, the memory 204 may store computer-readable instructions 204A including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 202) cause the server 130 to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 204 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
[0063] The network communication manager 206 may manage communications with the nodes (102, 104), the CPEs (106, 114), and the user device 140 via one or more wired backhaul links. The network communication manager 206 may include an electronic circuit specific to a standard that enables wired or wireless communication. The network communication manager 206 may also be configured to communicate with external devices via one or more networks.
[0064] The database 208 is managed by the processor 202 and configured to store location information, network parameters, and signal parameters related to the user device 140. The database 208 may be configured to handle data comprising tables dedicated for storing raw measurement data and network test values.
[0065] Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of the server 130, various changes may be made to FIG. 2. For example, the server 130 may include any number of components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2. Further, various components in FIG. 2 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components may be added according to particular needs.
[0066] FIG. 3 illustrates an example system architecture of the user device 140, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the system architecture of the of the user device 140 as shown in FIG. 3 is for illustration only. However, the user device 140 may come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular system architecture of the user device 140.
[0067] As shown in FIG. 3, the user device 140 includes one or more processors 310 (hereinafter also referred to as “processor 310”), a memory 315, a transceiver module 320, an interface(s) 325, a processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330, a display screen 340, one or more Application(s) 360. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., communication bus 350). Depending on the network type, the term “user device” may refer to any electronic device such as “mobile terminal,” “smartphone” “handheld device” “subscriber terminal,” “remote terminal,” or “wireless terminal,”. For the sake of convenience, the term “user device” used herein refers to an electronic device such as the UE that wirelessly accesses the server 130 via the network 120 and being served by the nodes (i.e., gNBs 102 and 104).
[0068] The one or more components of the user device 140 are communicatively coupled with the processor 310 (described below) to perform operations for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment. The processor 310 may include various processing circuitry and configured to execute programs or computer readable instructions stored in the memory 315. The processor 310 may also include an intelligent hardware device including a general-purpose processor, such as, for example, and without limitation, the CPU, the AP, a dedicated processor, or the like, a microcontroller, the FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof. In some cases, the processor 310 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 310. The processor 310 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 315) to cause the user device 140 to perform various functions (e.g., calculating the ECGI value of the node serving the user device 140, transmitting a request to the application server 130 for validating the current location of the user device 140 and an existence of the ECGI value in the master database, and calculating the network test values associated with the node for installing the CPE at the optimal location).
[0069] The memory 315 is communicatively coupled to the processor 310. A part of the memory 315 may include a Random-Access Memory (RAM), and another part of the memory 315 may include a flash memory or other ROM. The memory 315 is configured to store a set of instructions required by the processor 310 for controlling overall operations of the user device 140. The memory 315 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of EPROM or EEPROM memories. In addition, the memory 315 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The "non-transitory" storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted that the memory 315 is non-movable. In some examples, the memory 315 can be configured to store larger amounts of information. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in the RAM or cache). The memory 315 can be an internal storage unit or it can be an external storage unit of the user device 140, cloud storage, or any other type of external storage.
[0070] More specifically, the memory 315 may store computer-readable instructions including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 310) cause the user device 140 to perform various functions for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment. In some cases, the memory 315 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
[0071] The transceiver module 320 may include one or more antennas, one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceivers, a transmit processing circuitry, and a receive processing circuitry. The transceiver module 320 may be configured to receive incoming signals, such as signals transmitted by the test servers 1 through N, the server 130, and the user device 140. The transceiver module 320 may down-convert the incoming signals to generate baseband signals which may be sent to the receiver processing circuitry. The receiver processing circuitry may transmit the processed baseband signals to the processor 310 for further processing. The transmit processing circuitry may receive analog or digital data from the processor 310 and may encode, multiplex, and/or digitize the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband signals. The transceiver module 320 may further receive the outgoing processed baseband from the transmit processing circuitry and up-converts the baseband signals to Radio Frequency (RF) signals that may be transmitted to the server 130 and the network management device 160.
[0072] The interface 325 may include suitable logic, circuitry, a variety of interfaces, and/or codes that may be configured to receive input(s) and present output(s) on an application interface of the user device 140. The variety of interfaces may include interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. For example, the I/O interface may have an input interface and an output interface. The interface 325 may facilitate communication of the user device 140 with various devices and systems connected to it. The interface 325 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the user device 140. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330.
[0073] In one or more embodiments, processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the user device 140. In non-limiting examples, described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330 may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processor 310 may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330. In such examples, the user device 140 may also comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the user device 140 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330 may be implemented using an electronic circuitry.
[0074] In one or more embodiments, the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330 may include one or more engines/modules selected from any of an acquisition module 332, a computation module 334, and a display engine 336.
[0075] In an embodiment, the processor 310, using the acquisition module 332, is configured to obtain information including the current location of the user device 140 and network and signal parameters associated with the user device 140. In particular, the processor 310 may utilize one or more Application Programming Interface (APIs) to capture various signals and network parameters associated with the user device 140. The captured network and signal parameters may include, but not limited to, a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and location coordinates such as a latitude and a longitude of the user device 140.
[0076] Upon capturing the location information and the signals and the network parameters, the processor 202, using the computation module 334, is configured to calculate the ECGI value of the node (for example, ECGI value of one of the node among the nodes 102 and 104) serving the user device 140. The ECGI value may be calculated from a cell ID of the node serving the user device 140 based on obtained location information and the network and signal parameters. In one or more embodiments, a hexadecimal length of the cell ID is in a configurable range less than 9.
[0077] In an embodiment, the processor 310, using the transceiver module 320, is configured to transmit a request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to the application server 130 for validating whether the current location of the user device 140 and the calculated ECGI value exist in the master database or not. Further, the processor 202 of the application server 130 may validate an existence of the current location of the user device 140 and the calculated ECGI value in the first database 150-1 in response to the validation request received from the user device 140.
[0078] Further, in an embodiment, the processor 310 may receive a validation response from the application server 130 via the transceiver module 320. For instance, if it is determined at the application server 130 that the current location of the user device 140 and the ECGI value is available in the master database (i.e., the first database 150-1) the application server 130 may determine a plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device 140 and send the determined node parameters to the user device 140 in response to the validation request received by the application server 130 from the user device 140. The plurality of node parameters may include, but not limited to, an antenna azimuth of the node, a distance of the node from the user device 140, a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device 140, a latitude and longitude of the node serving the user device 140, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device 140.
[0079] Further, the processor 310, using the computation module 334, is configured to calculate network test values associated with the node for installing the CPE at an optimal location based on the plurality of node parameters. In a non-limiting example, the network test values may include, but not limited to, the half power horizontal beam width value, the full power horizontal beam width value, the full power vertical beam width value, and one of the downtilt angle or the uptilt angle of an antenna of the CPE for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
[0080] The calculated network test values may be transmitted by the transceiver module 320 to the database 150-2 where the calculated network test values may be stored and may include fields such as a half power horizontal beam width value, a full power horizontal beam width value, a full power vertical beam width value, a downtilt angle of an antenna of the wireless device, an uptilt angle of the antenna of the wireless device, which are parsed and validated upon ingestion by the processor 310 for identifying the optimal location and adjusting the tilt angle of the antenna of the CPE during the installation.
[0081] Further, the processor 310, using the display engine 336, is configured to control the display screen 340 to display suggestions including a guide for placing the CPE at the optimal location. The controlling of the display screen 340 by the display engine 336 may be performed based on the calculated network test values.
[0082] The display screen 340 may be considered as a communication channel to interact with the user device 140. The display screen 340 may visually provide information to the outside (e.g., the user) of the user device 140. In an embodiment, display screen 340 may include a touch sensor adapted to sense a touch, or a pressure sensor adapted to measure an intensity of a force incurred by the touch when the user interact with the user device 140. Further, the application(s) 360 may represent software applications or interfaces that run on the user device 140 to communicate with the application server 130. Furthermore, the application(s) 360 may be a program requesting data from the software applications running on the user device 140.
[0083] Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of the system architecture of the user device 140, various changes may be made to FIG. 3. Further, the user device 140 may include any number of components in addition to those shown in FIG. 3, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the user device 140 may further include circuitry, programing, applications, or a combination thereof. Further, various components in FIG. 3 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components may be added according to particular needs.
[0084] In an alternate embodiment, each engine/module of the processing Engine(s)/module(s) 330 (i.e., the acquisition module 332, the computation module 334, and the display engine 336) is configured to independently perform various operations of the processor 310, as described herein, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, different engines/modules shown in FIG. 3 may be split into two or more engines/modules each operating independently in communication with one another, optionally in a distributive manner, with shared responsibilities. Furthermore, multiple instances of the engines/modules may be implemented for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment or multiple modules can be combined into a single engine/module to perform all corresponding functions described herein.
[0085] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method 400 for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 comprises a series of operation steps indicated by blocks 402 through 416. The method 400 starts at block 402.
[0086] Example blocks 402 through 416 of the method 400 are performed by one or more components of the user device 140 as disclosed in FIG. 3, for optimizing the placement of the CPE within the user’s environment. Although the method 400 shows the example blocks of operation steps 402 through 416, in some embodiments, the method 400 may include additional steps, fewer steps or steps in different order than those depicted in FIG. 4. In other embodiments, the steps 402 through 416 may be combined or may be performed in parallel. The method 400 starts at block 402.
[0087] At block 402, the acquisition module 332 obtains the information including the current location of the user device 140 and network and signal parameters associated with the user device 140. In particular, for obtaining the information including the current location of the user device and the network and signal parameters, at first the display engine 336 controls the display screen 340 to display multiple options including a first option for selection of a network node among a plurality of network nodes and a second option for accessing a current location of the user device 140 along with the network and signal parameters. Secondly, the acquisition module 332, obtains the information including the current location of the user device 140 and the network and signal parameters based on a reception of a user input via the displayed options.
[0088] At block 404, the computation module 334 calculates, from the cell ID based on the obtained network and signal parameters, the ECGI value of the node serving the user device. Once the ECGI value is calculated, the transceiver module 320 transmits the request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to the application server 130 to validate whether the current location of the user device 140 and whether the ECGI value exist in the master database.
[0089] At block 406, the processor 202 of the application server 130 determines the current location of the user device 140 and the calculated ECGI value exists or not in the first database 150-1 by querying the first database 150-1 for the current location of the user device 140 and the calculated ECGI value. If a result of the determination performed at block 406 is yes, then the flow of the method 400 proceeds to block 408. However, if a result of the validation performed at block 406 is No, then the flow of the method 400 proceeds to block 414.
[0090] At block 408, the transceiver module 320 receives the plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device 140 from the application server 130 upon the validation that the current location of the user device 140 and the calculated ECGI value exist in the first database 150-1.
[0091] At block 410, the computation module 334 calculates the network test values associated with the node serving the user device 140 for installing the CPE at the optimal location based on the plurality of node parameters received from the application server 130. A detailed process involved in calculation of the network test values is described below with reference to FIG. 5.
[0092] At block 412, the display engine 336 controls, based on the calculated network test values, the display screen 340 to display the one or more suggestions including the guide for placing the CPE (for example, ODCPE 106, 114) at the optimal location within the user’s environment.
[0093] At block 414, the acquisition module 332 re-obtains the information including the current location of the user device 140 and network and signal parameters associated with the user device 140. Further, the computation module 334 may recalculate, from the cell ID based on the re-obtained network and signal parameters, the ECGI value of the node serving the user device 140. Once the ECGI value is calculated, the transceiver module 320 may again transmits (at block 416) the request including the re-obtained information and the recalculated ECGI value to the application server 130 to validate whether the re-obtained current location of the user device 140 and whether the recalculated ECGI value exist in the master database or not. Further, the operations of block 406 through 414 based on a result of the determination performed based on the updated ECGI value.
[0094] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart depicting operations performed by the user device 140 for calculating 410 network test values, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation step 410 comprises a series of sub operation steps indicated by blocks 502 through 518. Example blocks 502 through 518 are performed by the computation module 334 of the user device 140 as disclosed in FIG. 3, for calculating the network test values. The
[0095] At block 502, the computation module 334 calculates the half power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum half power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node serving the user device 140. The computation module 334 may calculate the maximum half power horizontal beam width value as shown below in equation (1):
MaxHalfPowerBeamWidth = Antenna Azimuth (from server 130) + 20 (Max value) … (1)
[0096] Further, computation module 334 may calculate the minimum half power horizontal beam width value as shown below in equation (2):
MinHalfPowerBeamWidth = Antenna Azimuth (from server 130) – 20 (Min value) … (2)
[0097] Similarly, at block 504, the computation module 334 calculates the full power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum full power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node serving the user device 140. The computation module 334 may calculate the maximum full power horizontal beam width value as shown below in equation (3):
MaxFullPowerBeamWidth = Antenna Azimuth (from server ) + 32.5 … (3)
[0098] Further, the computation module 334 may calculate the minimum full power horizontal beam width value as shown below in equation (4):
MinFullPowerBeamWidth = Antenna Azimuth (from server) - 32.5 … (4)
[0099] Additionally, the computation module 334 may determine a user relay between the minimum half power horizontal beam width value and the maximum half power horizontal beam width value, and adds a user direction (180°) to the direction of the node serving the user device 140. Further, the computation module 334 determines whether the user direction is inside the half power horizontal beam width based on the below shown equation (5):
MinHalfPowerBeamWidth <= userDirection <= MaxHalfPowerBeamWidth … (5)
[0100] If it is determined that the user direction is inside the half power horizontal beam width, the computation module 334 may determine a user relay between the minimum and maximum full power horizontal beam width values, and adds the user direction (180°) to the direction of the node serving the serving the user device 140. Moreover, the computation module 334 determines whether the user direction is inside the full power horizontal beam width based on the below shown equation (6):
MinFullPowerBeamWidth <= userDirection >= MinFullPowerBeamWidth … (6)
[0101] Further, in a case if it is determined that the user direction is inside full power horizontal beam width, then at block 506, the computation module 334 determines or calculates the full power vertical beam width value of the antenna of the node based on the distance of the node from the user device 140, the node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device 140 from earth’s surface, the node’s latitude and the longitude, and the node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device 140.
[0102] At block 508, the computation module 334 calculates a height of the antenna of the node and the downtilt angle or the uptilt angle of the antenna of the node with respect to the current location of the user device 140. In one or more embodiments, the computation module 334 may calculate the downtilt angle of the antenna of the node based on the height of the antenna of the node and the current elevation of the user device 140 from the earth’s surface. For determining the downtilt angle of the antenna, firstly the computation module 334 calculate a height difference between the height of the antenna and the determined elevation by subtracting the determined elevation from the height of the antenna. Thereafter, the computation module 334 calculates, using a Pythagoras theorem and tangent value, a base of the antenna by multiplying the calculated height difference with a mechanical tilt of the antenna. Thirdly, the computation module 334 determines whether the calculated base of the antenna is less than the distance between the node and the user device 140. If it is determined that the calculated base of the antenna is less than the distance between the node and the user device 140, the computation module 334 determines that the user device 140 is in a range of the antenna of the node serving the user device 140 and calculate a tilt angle of the antenna of the node. The tilt angle of the antenna of the node is calculated based on a ratio of the height difference and the distance between the node and the user device 140. The ratio of the height difference and the distance can be calculated as shown below in equation (7):
Double ration = heightDifference/(distance *1000) … (7)
[0103] Thereafter, the computation module 334 determines the downtilt angle of the antenna of the node based on the calculated ratio. The flow of the calculation process now proceeds to block 510.
[0104] At block 510, the computation module 334 determines whether the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to a user location height. If it is determined that the height of the antenna is less than or equal to the user location height, then at block 512, the display engine 336 controls the display screen 340 to display a notification that the antenna of the CPE (i.e., ODCPE 106, 114) is required to be tilted downside.
[0105] However, if it is determined that the height of the antenna is not less than or equal to the user location height, the flow of the calculation process proceeds to block 514, where the computation module 334 determines whether the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height. If it is determined that the height of the antenna is greater than the user location height, then at block 518, the display engine 336 controls the display screen 340 to display another notification that the antenna of the CPE (i.e., ODCPE 106, 114) is required to be tilted upside. However, if it is determined that the height of the antenna is not greater than the user location height, then at block 516, the computation module 334 determines that no antenna tilt modification is required.
[0106] Additionally, the display engine 336 is configured to control the display screen 340 to display the one or more suggestions including the guide for placing the CPE at the optimal location. In a non-limiting example, if the computation module 334 determines that the antenna of the CPE is required to be tilted downside, then the display engine 336 may control the display screen 340 to display a notification indicating "You need downtilt upside by " + tiltAngle + "vertical". In another non-limiting example, if the computation module 334 determines that the antenna of the CPE is required to be tilted upside, then the display engine 336 may control the display screen 340 to display a notification indicating "You need uptilt upside by " + tiltAngle + " vertical". In particular, the above explained notification indicates that the user need to uptilt or downtilt the antenna of the CPE by a specific angle. These notifications may help the user (the network engineer or network technician) to take few readings of signal parameters corresponding to signal intensity.
[0107] Embodiments of the present technology may be described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods and systems according to embodiments of the technology, and/or procedures, algorithms, steps, operations, formulae, or other computational depictions, which may also be implemented as computer program products. In this regard, each block or step of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks (and/or steps) in the flowchart, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation, formula, or computational depiction can be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, and/or software including one or more computer program instructions embodied in computer-readable program code. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions may be executed by one or more computer processors, including without limitation a general-purpose computer or special purpose computer, or other programmable processing apparatus to perform a group of operations comprising the operations or blocks described in connection with the disclosed methods.
[0108] Further, these computer program instructions, such as embodied in computer-readable program code, may also be stored in one or more computer-readable memory or memory devices (for example, the memory 204, 315) that can direct a computer processor or other programmable processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory or memory devices produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s).
[0109] It will further be appreciated that the term “computer program instructions” as used herein refer to one or more instructions that can be executed by the one or more processors (for example, the processors 202, 310) to perform one or more functions as described herein. The instructions may also be stored remotely such as on a server, or all or a portion of the instructions can be stored locally and remotely.
[0110] One or more embodiments disclosed herein may provide one or more technical advantages and other advantages. The embodiments disclosed herein provide an efficient mechanism for optimizing the placement of the CPEs such as ODCPEs or IDCPEs in customers' premises to enhance coverage experience. The embodiments disclosed herein provide guidance for adjustment of antenna tilt of the CPEs during installation, thereby providing adequate indoor network coverage and enhancing coverage within the indoor environments through Wi-Fi connectivity.
[0111] Further, in certain embodiments, the system facilitates feasibility check for deploying the CPEs in specific locations by leveraging input coordinates (latitude and longitude), which helps in performing instant feasibility assessments. This capability empowers the network engineer or technician to make informed decisions regarding the placement of CPEs in customer’s premises, ensuring optimal coverage, and capacity considerations in planning phase.
[0112] Furthermore, the disclosed system and method involves calculating the network test values including optimal azimuth angles of the antenna of the node serving the user device in horizontal direction for installation or placement of the CPEs which further helps in ensuring optimal coverage, and capacity considerations during the installation.
[0113] Moreover, the network test values, and the notifications generated by the disclosed system and method can help the network engineers and technician in performing quality control and testing to verify that the ODCPE is functioning correctly or not.
[0114] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methodology described herein in the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific ways than those set forth herein in the above disclosed embodiments without departing from essential characteristics and features of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.
[0115] The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Any combination of the above features and functionalities may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments.
[0116] In the present disclosure, each of the embodiments has been described with reference to numerous specific details which may vary from embodiment to embodiment. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be comprehended within the meaning of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and is not limited in scope.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0001] The following list is provided for convenience and in support of the drawing figures and as part of the text of the specification, which describe innovations by reference to multiple items. Items not listed here may nonetheless be part of a given embodiment. For better legibility of the text, a given reference number is recited near some, but not all, recitations of the referenced item in the text. The same reference number may be used with reference to different examples or different instances of a given item. The list of reference numerals is:
100 – Communication network
102, 104 – Nodes/gNBs
110 – Network
106, 114 – Customer premise Equipment’s (CPEs)
108, 118 – Fixed wireless device
112, 116 – Laptop
113 - wireless PDA
120 - Load balancer
130 – Application server
140 – User device
150-1 – First database
150-2 – Second database
160 – Gateway server
202 – Processor(s)
204 – Memory
204A - Instructions
206 – Network communication manager
208 – Database
310 – Processor
315 - Memory
320 - Transceiver module
325 - Interface(s)
330 - Processing Engine(s)/module(s)
332 – Acquisition module
334 – Computation module
336 – Display engine
340 - Display screen
350 - Communication bus
360 – Application(s)
400 - Method for optimizing placement of CPE within user’s environment
500 - Flowchart depicting operations for calculating network test values
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A method (400) for optimizing placement of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) (106, 114) within a user’s environment, the method comprising:
obtaining, by an acquisition module (332), information including a current location of a user device (140) and network and signal parameters associated with the user device (140);
calculating, by a computation module (334) from a cell ID based on the network and signal parameters, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) value of a node serving the user device (140);
transmitting, by a transceiver module (320), a request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to an application server (130) for validating whether the current location of the user device (140) and the ECGI value exist in a master database (150-1);
receiving, by the transceiver module (320) from the application server (130), a plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device (140) in response to the transmitted request;
calculating, by the computation module (334) based on the plurality of node parameters, a plurality of network test values associated with the node for installing the CPE (106, 114) at an optimal location; and
controlling, by a display engine (336) based on the plurality of network test values, a display screen (340) to display one or more suggestions including a guide for placing the CPE (106, 114) at the optimal location.
2. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of network test values includes at least one of a half power horizontal beam width value, a full power horizontal beam width value, a full power vertical beam width value, and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of an antenna of the CPE for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
3. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network and signal parameters include at least one of a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a latitude and a longitude of the user device (140).
4. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user’s environment corresponds to one of an indoor environment or an outdoor environment, and wherein a hexadecimal length of the cell ID is in a configurable range less than 9.
5. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the node parameters are determined based on the validation that the current location of the user device (140) and the ECGI value exist in the master database (150-1), and
the plurality of node parameters includes at least one of an antenna azimuth of the node, a distance of the node from the user device (140), a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device (140), a node’s latitude and longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device (140).
6. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for obtaining the information including the current location of the user device (140) and the network and signal parameters, the method comprises:
controlling, by the display engine (336), the display screen (340) to display a plurality of options including a first option for selection of a network node among the plurality of network nodes and a second option for accessing a current location of the user device (140) along with network and signal parameters; and
obtaining, by the acquisition module (332), the information including the current location of the user device (140) and the network and signal parameters based on a reception of a user input via the displayed plurality of options.
7. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein calculating the plurality of network test values comprises:
calculating, by the computation module (334), a half power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum half power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of an antenna of the node; and
calculating, by the computation module (334), a full power horizontal beam width value based on a minimum half power horizontal beam width value and a maximum full power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node.
8. The method (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein calculating the plurality of network test values further comprises:
calculating, by the computation module (334), a full power vertical beam width value based on a distance of the node from the user device (140), a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device (140), a node’s latitude and the longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device (140); and
calculating, by the computation module (334), based on the full power vertical beam width value, a height of the antenna of the node and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of the antenna of the node with respect to the current location of the user device (140).
9. The method (400) as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
determining, by the computation module (334), whether the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to a user location height or the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height; and
controlling, by the display engine (336) upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to the user location height, the display screen (340) to display a first notification indicating a suggestion to tilt an antenna of the CPE (106, 114) downside by a first tilt angle in a specific direction; or
controlling, by the display engine (336) upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height, the display screen (340) to display a second notification indicating a suggestion to tilt the antenna of the CPE (106, 114) upside by a second tilt angle in the specific direction.
10. A user device (140) for optimizing placement of a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) (106, 114) within a user’s environment, the user device (140) comprising:
an acquisition module (332) configured to obtain information including a current location of the user device (140) and network and signal parameters associated with the user device (140);
a computation module (334) configured to calculate, from a cell ID based on the network and signal parameters, an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) value of a node serving the user device (140);
a transceiver module (320) configured to:
transmit a request including the obtained information and the calculated ECGI value to an application server (130) to validate whether the current location of the user device (140) and the ECGI value exist in a master database (150-1);
receiving, from the application server (130), a plurality of node parameters associated with the node serving the user device (140) in response to the transmitted request;
wherein the computation module (334) is further configured to calculate, based on the plurality of node parameters, a plurality of test values associated with the node for installing the CPE (106, 114) at an optimal location; and
a display engine (336) configured to control, based on the plurality of network test values, a display screen (340) of the user device (140) to display one or more suggestions including a guide for placing the CPE (106, 114) at the optimal location.
11. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plurality of network test values includes a half power horizontal beam width value, a full power horizontal beam width value, a full power vertical beam width value, and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of an antenna of the CPE for placing the CPE at the optimal location.
12. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the network and signal parameters includes at least one of a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a latitude and a longitude of the user device (140).
13. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the user’s environment corresponds to one of an indoor environment or an outdoor environment, and wherein a hexadecimal length of the cell ID is in a configurable range less than 9.
14. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein
the node parameters are determined based on the validation that the current location of the user device (140) and the ECGI value exist in the master database (150-1), and
the plurality of node parameters includes at least one of a distance of the node from the user device (140), a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device (140), a node’s latitude and longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device (140).
15. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein, to obtain the information current location of the user device (140) and the network and signal parameters:
the display engine (336) is further configured to control the display screen (340) to display a plurality of options including a first option for selection of a network node among the plurality of network nodes and a second option for accessing a current location of the user device (140) along with network and signal parameters; and
the acquisition module (332) is configured to obtain the information including the current location of the user device (140) and the network and signal parameters based on a reception of a user input via the displayed plurality of options.
16. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 10, wherein, to calculate the plurality of network test values, the computation module (334) is further configured to:
calculate a half power horizontal beam width value based on a maximum half power horizontal beam width value and a minimum half power horizontal beam width value of an antenna of the node; and
calculate a full power horizontal beam width value based on a minimum half power horizontal beam width value and a maximum full power horizontal beam width value of the antenna of the node.
17. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 16, wherein, to calculate the plurality of network test values, the computation module (334) is further configured to:
calculate a full power vertical beam width value based on a distance of the node from the user device (140), a node’s height with respect to a current elevation of the user device (140), a node’s latitude and the longitude, and a node’s direction with respect to the current location of the user device (140); and
calculate, based on the full power vertical beam width value, a height of the antenna of the node and one of a downtilt angle or an uptilt angle of the antenna of the node with respect to the current location of the user device (140).
18. The user device (140) as claimed in claim 17, wherein
the computation module (334) is further configured to determine whether the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to a user location height or the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height; and
the display engine (336) is further configured to:
control, upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is less than or equal to the user location height, the display screen (340) to display a first notification indicating a suggestion to tilt an antenna of the CPE (106, 114) downside by a first tilt angle in a specific direction; or
control, upon determining that the height of the antenna of the node is greater than the user location height, the display screen (340) to display a second notification indicating a suggestion to tilt the antenna of the CPE (106, 114) upside by a second tilt angle in the specific direction.