At&t Wireless Services, Inc.

Cingular Wireless Ii, LLC

Michael Jeffrey Dunn

Reinaldo A Valenzuela

Kapil K Chawla

Michael Allen Raffel

Masud Kibria

Automated adjustment of system organization parameters in a wireless communication system is provided by determining the parameter settings using a characterization of signal propagation of the system's coverage area. This characterization is based on measurements of path loss-related characteristics by the system's base stations and wireless terminals. An exemplary path loss-related characteristic is path loss as determined by measuring received signal strength (RSS) at wireless terminals based on signals transmitted at known powers by a plurality of the system's base stations. It is possible for the wireless terminals to take measurement while operating in the coverage area, whether idle or during communication with the system, and for such terminals to be associated with the system's subscribers. A resulting characterization of signal propagation in the coverage area based on the measured path loss-related characteristic can then be used to determine a variety of parameter settings.

Method for determining organization parameters in a wireless communication system

A level of automated adjustment of system organization parameters in a wireless communication system is provided by determining the parameter settings using a characterization of signal propagation of the system's coverage area. This characterization is based on measurements of path loss-related characteristics by the system's base stations and wireless terminals operating throughout the coverage area. An exemplary path loss-related characteristic is path loss as determined by measuring received signal strength (RSS) at wireless terminals based on signals transmitted at known powers by a plurality of the system's base stations. It is possible for the wireless terminals to take measurements while operating in the coverage area, whether idle or during communication with the system, and for such terminals to be associated with the system's subscribers. A resulting characterization of signal propagation in the coverage area based on the measured path loss-related characteristic can then be used to determine a variety of parameter settings including base station transmission power settings, wireless terminal access parameters, neighbor lists, sets of base stations that can reuse channels and base station transmission power settings when base stations are added to or removed from the system.

A level of system self-organization in a wireless communication system is provided using a combined design, planning and verification process to determine system organization parameters. The process determines the parameters based on a measured path loss-related characteristic, such as path loss or bit error rate, between base stations and a plurality of regions in a coverage area. For each region, the characteristic is measured to each base station irrespective of the proximity between the region and the base stations. The measured characteristics enable the prediction of signal strength received at the regions of signals transmitted by the base stations independent of the region location. Accordingly, the characteristics can be measured without information correlating the absolute geographic locations of the regions. The resulting unique characterization of the path loss-related information can be used to determine a variety of system organization parameters, such as the number and transmission power of base stations, neighbor lists, sets of base stations that can reuse channels and the identity of base stations, if any, that can be omitted from the system.

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Issaquh, WA, United States of America

Michael Jeffrey Dunn