System and method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cellular site

Abstract

A system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) includes a memory storing instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to: obtain input data for a source cell and its neighbor cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine an overlap percentage from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine at least one TA percentage for the source cell for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell; determine that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; and recommend an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Systems and methods consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure relate to optimizing antenna tilt at cell sites of a Radio Access Network (RAN). [Background technology]

[0002] In the related art, a Radio Access Network (RAN) comprises a plurality of radio cells (i.e., cells), information about which is available along with their geolocation. A cell comprises at least one base station that provides communication to a plurality of user equipments (UEs) distributed over an area defining the cell. A cell coverage area corresponds to the reachable range of a radio signal transmitted by the base station. The reachable range of a base station's radio signal (i.e., cell coverage area) is highly dependent on the antenna configuration of the base station.

[0003] In particular, antenna tilt is one of the key configuration parameters for a base station in a cell of a RAN. In the related art, it is known that antenna tilt has a significant impact on capacity and service quality in a RAN, since it determines the direction and orientation of radio signal propagation and can control inter-cell overlap (i.e., interference level between neighboring cells) and self-interference.

[0004] In the case of a cell being configured with an antenna tilt that results in coverage that exceeds the coverage area defined for the cell (i.e., the cell is overshooting its coverage area), problems (i.e., negative impact on overall performance and capacity) can occur in the RAN.

[0005] Negative effects on overall performance and capacity due to cells exceeding (or falling short of) their defined cell coverage areas can include dropped calls, inter-cell interference, handover errors, etc. For example, handover errors can occur due to frequent cell switching of terminals between interfering cells in a particular geographic location in the RAN. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] To avoid the above-mentioned negative effects on overall performance and capacity due to low dominance (e.g., undershooting cells that do not reach the defined cell coverage area) or overshooting (i.e., cells that exceed the defined cell coverage area), at each geolocation of the RAN, low dominance or overshooting cells must be identified in order to adjust the antenna tilt with respect to the defined cell coverage area of ​​the cell itself and neighboring cells. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to embodiments, a system and method are provided for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a radio access network (RAN). Based on an overlap percentage determination and a time advance (TA) percentage determination (e.g., a self-interference percentage), one or more source cells are determined to exceed or fall short of a predetermined cell coverage area. In particular, the system and method provide recommendations for adjusting the antenna tilt of one or more source cells. Based on the determination that the source cell is overshooting and / or booming the predetermined cell coverage area, if electrical tilt is available, the overshooting and / or booming cell is recommended to tilt down its antenna. Based on the determination that the source cell is a low-dominance cell below the predetermined cell coverage area, if electrical tilt is available, the low-dominance cell below the predetermined cell coverage area is recommended to tilt up its antenna.

[0008] As a result, based on predetermined conditions including the overlap percentage and the timing advance (TA) percentage of TA key performance indicator (KPI) sample data within at least one predetermined distance range from the cell center of the source cell at a predetermined geolocation (i.e., the timing advance distribution (TAD) of the TA KPI samples available for the source cell in the performance management module (PMM)), a source cell exceeding a defined cell coverage area may be recommended to tilt down its antenna, and a source cell having a low cell coverage area below the defined cell coverage area may be recommended to tilt up its antenna, to achieve improved overall performance and capacity of cells in the RAN. In this manner, the system and method enable optimization of antenna tilt for a cell itself and for a defined cell coverage area of ​​neighboring cells at each geolocation of the RAN, avoiding the negative effects on overall performance and capacity caused by cells exceeding (i.e., overshooting) the defined cell coverage area or low-dominance cells that do not reach the defined cell coverage area.

[0009] According to an embodiment, a system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) includes a memory storing instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to: obtain input data for a source cell and its neighbor cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine an overlap percentage for the source cell and its neighbor cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell for the source cell; determine that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; and recommend an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0010] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0011] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0012] When determining at least one timing advance (TA) percentage for at least one distance range from the center of the source cell, the at least one processor may be configured to execute instructions to: calculate a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculate a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculate a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0013] Upon determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, the at least one processor may be further configured to execute instructions to: determine that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommend antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0014] Upon determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, the at least one processor may be further configured to execute instructions to: determine that the source cell is a low dominant cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommend antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low dominant cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0015] The first distance range is between the center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell, the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, and the third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell.

[0016] According to an embodiment, a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) includes obtaining, via a processor, input data for a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, via the processor, overlap percentages for the source cell and its neighboring cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, via the processor, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell; determining, via the processor, that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; and recommending, via the processor, an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0017] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0018] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0019] Determining at least one TA percentage may include calculating, via a processor, a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating, via a processor, a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculating, via a processor, a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0020] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining, via the processor, that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0021] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining, via the processor, that the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low-dominance cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0022] The first distance range is between the center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell, the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, and the third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell.

[0023] According to an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has stored thereon instructions executable by at least one processor configured to perform a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN), the method including: obtaining input data for a source cell and its neighbor cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining an overlap percentage for the source cell and its neighbor cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, for the source cell, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell; determining, based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage, that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area; and, based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, recommending an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0024] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0025] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0026] Determining at least one TA percentage may include calculating, via a processor, a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating, via a processor, a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculating, via a processor, a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0027] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0028] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining that the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low-dominance cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0029] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be realized by practice of presented embodiments of the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] Features, aspects, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements.

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates a number of predefined geolocations, including a source cell and its neighboring cells, according to one embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site in a radio access network (RAN), according to one embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for determining overlap percentages for each source cell and neighbor cell at a plurality of predetermined geolocations, according to one embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for determining that a source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area.

[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for determining at least one TA percentage of a source cell within at least one distance range from a source cell center based on a TA sample data condition.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows the classification criteria and tilt-down recommendations for an overshooting or booming source cell.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows the classification criteria and tilt-up recommendations for low-dominance cells.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example environment in which the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a diagram of example components of a device, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The following detailed description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. Furthermore, one or more features or components of one embodiment may be combined or integrated with other embodiments (or one or more features of other embodiments). Additionally, in the flowcharts and operational descriptions provided below, it is understood that one or more operations may be omitted, one or more operations may be added, one or more operations may be performed concurrently (at least in part), or the order of one or more operations may be rearranged.

[0041] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specific control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not a limitation of the implementation. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It will be understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

[0042] Although particular feature combinations are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. Indeed, many of these features may be combined in ways other than those specifically recited in the claims and / or specifically disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may depend directly on only one claim, the disclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with all other claims in the claim group.

[0043] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or required unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Where only one item is intended, the term "one" or similar words are used. Also, as used herein, the terms "has," "have," "having," "include," "including," etc. are intended to be open-ended terms. Furthermore, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based, at least in part, on," unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, phrases such as "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" are understood to include A only, B only, or both A and B.

[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system that can determine that a source cell exceeds a defined cell coverage area or that a source cell has a low cell coverage area below a defined cell coverage area based on an overlap percentage between a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations (i.e., based on Physical Cell Identity (PCI) check input data samples of the source cell and its neighboring cells) and based on a Timing Advance (TA) percentage of TA Key Performance Indicator (KPI) sample data within at least one predetermined distance range from the source cell center (i.e., Timing Advance Distribution (TAD) of TA KPI samples available for the source cell in a Performance Management Module (PMM)). Thus, the method and system enable a tilt-down recommendation for an overshooting source or a tilt-up recommendation for a low-dominance source to be issued to improve overall cell performance and capacity in the RAN. In this way, the system and method enable avoiding the negative effects on overall performance and capacity due to exceeding the defined cell coverage area and antenna tilt (i.e., cell coverage area), and enable optimization of antenna tilt with respect to the defined cell coverage area of ​​the cell itself and neighboring cells at each geolocation of the RAN.

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of predetermined geolocations including a source cell and its neighboring cells, according to one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a grid (e.g., GL1-GL20) of the predetermined geolocations (GL) is configured with portions having areas (areas), such as 4, 10, 20 sqm, etc. These areas are used to obtain input data samples (e.g., test drive samples (e.g., KPIs such as RSRP, CQI, etc.)) mapped to the respective areas (i.e., predetermined geolocations). The input data samples may be obtained from a collection of L3 layer data (i.e., network layer data of the RAN) in the predetermined geolocations (e.g., GL1-GL20). The test drive samples (i.e., input data samples) include input data samples of the source cell and input data samples of its neighboring cells.

[0046] In Figure 1, a source cell S1 is a predetermined dominant cell for a geolocation mapped by a grid. (That is, according to network topology data (e.g., a cell plan) of the RAN, the source cell S1 is a predetermined dominant cell for grids GL1-GL20.) For each of the predetermined geolocations (e.g., GL1-GL20), input data samples of L3 layer data (i.e., network layer data of the RAN) of the source cell S1 and its neighboring cells may be collected.

[0047] For example, at a given geolocation GL1, input data samples of L3 layer data from a source cell S1 and neighboring cells N1 and N2 may be obtained by drive testing (ie, obtained by drive test data collection).

[0048] In one embodiment, a precondition for input data samples at a predetermined geolocation may be introduced. According to the precondition for input data samples at a predetermined geolocation, the input data samples obtained from the predetermined geolocation must include input data samples from the source cell and at least two neighboring cells. This means that, according to the embodiment, input data samples collected from the predetermined geolocations GL9, GL10, GL12, and GL18 are not eligible for further processing and may be discarded during drive testing.

[0049] Discarding input data samples means that input data samples obtained from a given geolocation that do not include input data samples from two or more neighboring cells may not be counted for determining the overlap percentage or may not be used to determine the TA percentage within at least one distance range from the source cell center.

[0050] The distance range from the source cell center may be concentric bands within a predetermined distance from the source cell center (i.e., for example, a distance range of less than 1.0 kilometer from the source cell center, between 1.0 KM and less than 1.5 KM from the source cell center, or 1.5 KM or more from the source cell center). The distance range may be determined by multiple grids around the source cell center or by the timing advance distribution (TAD) of TA KPI samples available for the source cell in the performance management module (PMM).

[0051] In other embodiments, all input samples for a given geolocation may be used to determine the overlap percentage or may be used to determine the TA percentage within at least one distance range from the source cell center.

[0052] The overlap percentage determination is determined by the ratio of the number of input data samples for the source cell across all predetermined geolocations of the grid (e.g., GL1-GL20) to the total number of input data samples for the source cell across all predetermined geolocations of the grid (e.g., GL1-GL20) plus the number of input data samples for the neighboring cells. The input data for the source cell and its neighboring cells may be distinguished by the physical cell ID (PCI) of the cell in a given GL.

[0053] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site in a radio access network (RAN), according to one embodiment.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 2 , in step 201, L3 data (i.e., Layer 3 network layer data of the RAN) is collected by test drives (i.e., obtained by at least one processor of a system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of the RAN) from a source cell S1 and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations.

[0055] In step 202, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN determines an overlap percentage of a source cell and its neighboring cells from input data acquired at a plurality of predetermined geolocations (e.g., grids GL1-GL20), for example, based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions (e.g., the number of neighboring cells is greater than or equal to two and / or the number of input data samples is greater than or equal to a predetermined number).

[0056] In one embodiment, in step 202, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN may determine a condition that the number of neighbor cells is greater than or equal to two and / or the number of input data samples is greater than or equal to a predetermined number at a plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell, where one or more predetermined overlap conditions are met and the input data samples collected from the predetermined locations are eligible for further processing by steps 203-205.

[0057] In another embodiment, if the number of neighboring cells is determined to be less than two neighboring cells, the input data sample collected from a given geolocation is not eligible for further processing and may be discarded during drive testing. The input data sample is used in steps 203-205.

[0058] In a further exemplary embodiment, the predetermined overlap condition may include input data samples collected from a predetermined geolocation, where input data samples from only one neighboring cell may be obtained.

[0059] Alternatively, only input data samples from sources may be obtained, and input data samples from a given geolocation may be considered eligible.

[0060] In step 203, at least one processor in the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN determines, for a source cell, at least one timing advance (TA) percentage for at least one distance range from the source cell center (e.g., first, second, and third TA percentages within predetermined first, second, and third distance ranges, respectively).

[0061] In step 204, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN determines that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the overlap percentage determination and the at least one TA percentage determination.

[0062] In step 205, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN recommends an adjustment of antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area (e.g., if the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area, a tilt down may be recommended for the cell site, and if the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area, a tilt up may be recommended for the cell site).

[0063] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for determining overlap percentages for each source cell and neighbor cell at a plurality of predetermined geolocations, according to one embodiment.

[0064] 3, in step 301, at least one processor in a system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN evaluates, for a source cell, a condition that the number of neighbor cells is greater than or equal to two and / or a condition that the number of input data samples is greater than or equal to a predetermined number at a plurality of predetermined geolocations. Based thereon, in step 302, the at least one processor determines that one or more predetermined overlap conditions are met.

[0065] If one or more predetermined overlap conditions are not met (NO at step 302), then at step 303, the input data samples collected from the predetermined geolocation are not eligible for further processing and are discarded during drive testing (i.e., the input data collected at that particular GL is not used to determine the overlap percentage and TA advance percentage).

[0066] Based on the determination (YES in step 302), in step 303, an overlap percentage is calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell. The input data of the source cell and its neighboring cells may be distinguished by the physical cell IDs (PCIs) of the cells in a given GL.

[0067] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for determining that a source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area.

[0068] 4, in step 401, an overlap percentage is calculated based on a ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for a source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell. The input data of the source cell and its neighboring cells may be distinguished by the physical cell IDs (PCIs) of the cells in a predetermined GL.

[0069] In step 402, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN determines a (TA) percentage for at least one distance range from a center of a source cell (i.e., determine a TA percentage of TA KPI sample data within at least one predetermined distance range from a center of the source cell at a predetermined geolocation from a Timing Advance Distribution (TAD) of TA KPI samples available for the source cell in a PMM, for example). According to one embodiment, the determining may include calculating a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell, calculating a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell, and calculating a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0070] In step 403, based on the results of step 402 and the determination of step 403, at least one processor of the system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN determines that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0071] In step 404, the at least one processor determines that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2% (i.e., the self-interference percentage being greater than 2%).

[0072] Further, in step 404, the at least one processor may recommend antenna downtilt for a source cell determined to exceed a predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value (i.e., if an electrical tilt below the maximum value is available).

[0073] In step 405, at least one processor determines that the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach a predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2% (i.e., the self-interference percentage being greater than 2%).

[0074] Additionally, in step 405, the at least one processor may recommend an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a less dominant cell if the electrical tilt is above a minimum value.

[0075] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for determining at least one TA percentage of a source cell within at least one distance range from the center of the source cell, according to one embodiment.

[0076] 5, in step 501, at least one processor in a system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a RAN calculates a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a first distance range from a center of a source cell, the first distance range being between the center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer from the center of the source cell.

[0077] Further, in step 502, the at least one processor calculates a second TA percentage based on the TA data from the TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell, and marks the TA percentage as a self-interference percentage, the second distance range being equal to or greater than 1.0 KM from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell.

[0078] Further, in step 503, the at least one processor calculates a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a third distance range from the center of the source cell, the third distance range being greater than or equal to 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell.

[0079] FIG. 6 shows the classification criteria and tilt-down recommendations for overshooting and / or booming source cells.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 6, if all the conditions in steps 601-603 are met, the cell site is considered (i.e., classified) as exceeding the predetermined cell coverage area (i.e., overshooting / booming). In step 601, more than 50% of the TA samples of the cell site (i.e., source cell) should fall within a distance band greater than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell. In step 602, the cell site (i.e., source cell) should have a calculated overlap percentage greater than 20%. In step 603, the cell site should have a calculated self-interference percentage greater than 2% (i.e., more than 2% of the TA sample percentages fall within a distance band greater than 1.0 KM and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, or within a distance band greater than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell).

[0081] Still referring to Figure 6, in step 604, if all conditions from steps 601-603 are met, the cell site (source cell) is classified as exceeding (i.e., overshooting) the predetermined cell coverage area. In step 605, the method or system enables a recommendation to adjust the antenna tilt at the cell site to downtilt.

[0082] In one embodiment, in step 605, if electrical tilt is available to adjust the antenna tilt at the cell site, the method or system provides a downtilt recommendation to the cell site (i.e., a downtilt recommendation to the cell site's E2 node or O-RU to implement the antenna downtilt).

[0083] In another embodiment, in step 606, if the electrical tilt is at a maximum, no recommendations for downtilting the antenna at the cell site are possible. For example, the electrical tilt of an antenna may have 18 levels of azimuth tilt (with the zero level being the maximum vertical downtilt level and the 18th level being the minimum horizontal uptilt value). Thus, when the electrical tilt is at the zero level, no further downtilt is possible and no further downtilt recommendations are possible.

[0084] In another embodiment, if electrical tilt is not available at the cell site in step 606, the method or system may not provide a downtilt recommendation to the cell site (i.e., no tilt-down recommendation is provided to the cell site's E2 node or O-RU for implementing downtilt). In step 607, if none of the conditions from steps 601-603 are met, no action is taken.

[0085] FIG. 7 shows classification criteria and tilt-up recommendations for low-dominance cell sites. Referring to FIG. 7, if all conditions in steps 701-703 are met, the cell site is considered (i.e., classified) as being below a predetermined cell coverage area in the RAN (i.e., a low-dominance cell site). In step 701, more than 50% of the TA samples of the cell site (i.e., the source cell) should fall within the distance band between 0 KM (the center of the source cell) and less than 1.0 KM from the center of the source cell. In step 702, the cell site (i.e., the source cell) should have a calculated overlap percentage greater than 30%. In step 703, the cell site should have a calculated self-interference percentage greater than 2% (i.e., more than 2% of the TA sample percentages should fall within the distance band between 1.0 KM or more and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, or the distance band greater than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell).

[0086] Still referring to Figure 7, in step 704, if all conditions from steps 701-703 are met, the cell site (source cell) is classified as being below a predetermined cell coverage area (i.e., a low-dominance cell site). In step 705, the method or system enables a recommendation to adjust the antenna tilt at the cell site to uptilt.

[0087] In one embodiment, in step 705, if electrical tilt is available to adjust the antenna tilt at the cell site, the method or system provides an uptilt recommendation to the cell site (i.e., an uptilt recommendation to the cell site's E2 node or O-RU to implement the antenna uptilt).

[0088] In another embodiment, in step 706, if the electrical tilt is at a minimum, no recommendation to uptilt the antenna at the cell site is possible. For example, the electrical tilt of an antenna may have 18 levels of azimuth tilt (with the zero level being the maximum vertical downtilt level and the 18th level being the minimum horizontal uptilt value). Thus, if the electrical tilt is at the 18th level, no uptilt beyond the minimum horizontal uptilt value is possible, and no uptilt recommendation is possible.

[0089] In other embodiments, if electrical tilt is not available at the cell site in step 706, the method or system may not provide an uptilt recommendation to the cell site (i.e., no tilt-up recommendation is provided to the cell site's E2 node or O-RU for implementing uptilt).

[0090] Furthermore, if the conditions in step 701 regarding the percentage of TA samples falling within a particular distance range, the calculated overlap percentage in the condition in step 702, and the self-interference percentage in step 703 are not met, then no action is required (i.e., no recommendation is provided) according to step 707. As a result, the cell site is within the predetermined coverage area of ​​the RAN and no antenna tilt adjustment is required.

[0091] In one embodiment, if driving test data (DT) or TA sample data is unavailable, classification may not be initiated and the method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site in the RAN may be reset.

[0092] 8 is a diagram of an example environment 800 in which the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 8, environment 800 may include a user device 810, a platform 820, and a network 830. The devices of environment 800 may be interconnected via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. In an embodiment, any of the functions and operations described above with reference to FIG. 1 may be performed by any combination of elements illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0093] User device 810 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and / or providing information related to platform 820. For example, user device 810 may include a computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a smart speaker, a server, etc.), a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone, a wireless phone, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., smart glasses or a smart watch), or a similar device. In some implementations, user device 810 may receive information from and / or send information to platform 820.

[0094] Platform 820 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and / or providing information. In some implementations, platform 820 may include a cloud server or a group of cloud servers. In some implementations, platform 820 may be designed to be modular, such that particular software components may be swapped in or out depending on particular needs. In this manner, platform 820 may be easily and / or quickly reconfigured for different uses.

[0095] In some implementations, as shown, platform 820 may be hosted in a cloud computing environment 822. Note that although the implementations described herein describe platform 820 as being hosted in a cloud computing environment 822, in some implementations platform 820 may not be cloud-based (i.e., may be implemented outside of a cloud computing environment) or may be partially cloud-based.

[0096] Cloud computing environment 822 includes an environment that hosts platform 820. Cloud computing environment 822 may provide services such as computation, software, data access, storage, etc. that do not require end-user (e.g., user device 810) knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the systems and / or devices that host platform 820. As shown, cloud computing environment 822 may include a group of computing resources 824 (collectively referred to as “computing resources 824” and individually referred to as “computing resource 824”).

[0097] Computing resources 824 include one or more personal computers, clusters of computing devices, workstation computers, server devices, or other types of computation and / or communication devices. In some implementations, computing resources 824 may host platform 820. Cloud resources may include compute instances executing on computing resources 824, storage devices provided on computing resources 824, data transfer devices provided by computing resources 824, etc. In some implementations, computing resources 824 may communicate with other computing resources 824 via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

[0098] As further shown in FIG. 8, computing resources 824 include a group of cloud resources such as one or more applications (“APP”) 824-1, one or more virtual machines (“VM”) 824-2, virtualized storage (“VS”) 824-3, and one or more hypervisors (“HYP”) 824-4.

[0099] Applications 824-1 include one or more software applications that may be provided to or accessed by user device 810. Applications 824-1 may obviate the need to install and run software applications on user device 810. For example, applications 824-1 may include software associated with platform 820 and / or any other software that may be provided via cloud computing environment 822. In some implementations, one application 824-1 may send and receive information to one or more other applications 824-1 via virtual machine 824-2.

[0100] Virtual machine 824-2 includes a software implementation of a device (e.g., a computer) that executes programs like a physical device. Virtual machine 824-2 may be a system virtual machine or a process virtual machine, depending on the use by virtual machine 824-2 and the degree of correspondence with any real-world device. A system virtual machine may provide a complete system platform that supports the execution of a complete operating system (“OS”). A process virtual machine may execute a single program or support a single process. In some implementations, virtual machine 824-2 may execute on behalf of a user (e.g., user device 810) and manage the infrastructure of cloud computing environment 822, such as data management, synchronization, or long-term data transfer.

[0101] Virtualized storage 824-3 includes one or more storage systems and / or one or more devices or computing resources 824 that use virtualization technology within a storage system. In some implementations, within the context of a storage system, types of virtualization may include block virtualization and file virtualization. Block virtualization may represent the abstraction (or separation) of logical storage from physical storage so that the storage system may be accessed without consideration of the physical storage or heterogeneous structure. The separation may provide storage system administrators with flexibility in managing storage for end users. File virtualization may remove the dependency between data accessed at the file level and where the file is physically stored. This may enable storage usage optimization, server consolidation, and / or non-disruptive file migration performance.

[0102] The hypervisor 824-4 may provide hardware virtualization technology that allows multiple operating systems (e.g., "guest operating systems") to run simultaneously on a host computer, such as the computing resource 824. The hypervisor 824-4 may present a virtual operating platform to the guest operating systems and may manage the execution of the guest operating systems. Multiple instances of different operating systems may share virtualized hardware resources.

[0103] Network 830 may include one or more wired and / or wireless networks. For example, network 830 may include a cellular network (e.g., a fifth-generation (5G) network, a long-term evolution (LTE) network, a third-generation (3G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, etc.), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, an optical fiber-based network, etc.), and / or a combination of these or other types of networks.

[0104] The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in Figure 8 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged devices and / or networks than those shown in Figure 8. Furthermore, two or more devices shown in Figure 8 may be implemented within a single device, and a single device shown in Figure 8 may be implemented as multiple distributed devices. Additionally or alternatively, a set of devices in environment 800 (e.g., one or more devices) may perform one or more functions that are described as being performed by other sets of devices in environment 800.

[0105] 9 is a diagram of example components of a device 900. The device 900 may correspond to a user device 810 and / or a platform 820. As shown in FIG. 9, the device 900 may include a bus 910, a processor 920, a memory 930, a storage component 940, an input component 950, an output component 960, and a communication interface 970.

[0106] The bus 910 includes components that enable communication between the components of the device 900. The processor 920 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The processor 920 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other type of processing component. In some implementations, the processor 920 includes one or more processors that are programmable to perform functions. The memory 930 includes random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and / or other types of dynamic or static storage devices (e.g., flash memory, magnetic memory, and / or optical memory) that store information and / or instructions for use by the processor 920.

[0107] The storage component 940 stores information and / or software related to the operation and use of the device 900. For example, the storage component 940 may include a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, and / or solid-state disk), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and / or other type of non-transitory computer-readable medium, along with a corresponding drive. The input component 950 includes components that enable the device 900 to receive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touchscreen display, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, buttons, switches, and / or a microphone). Additionally or alternatively, the input component 950 may include sensors for measuring information (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) component, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or an actuator). The output component 960 includes components that provide output information from the device 900 (e.g., a display, a speaker, and / or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs)).

[0108] The communication interface 970 includes transceiver-like components (e.g., a transceiver and / or a separate receiver and transmitter) that allow the device 900 to communicate with other devices, such as via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. The communication interface 970 allows the device 900 to receive information from and / or provide information to other devices. For example, the communication interface 970 may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency (RF) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellular network interface, etc.

[0109] Device 900 may perform one or more processes described herein. Device 900 may perform these processes in response to processor 920 executing software instructions stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 930 and / or storage component 940. The computer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memory device. A memory device includes memory space within a single physical storage device or memory space distributed across multiple physical storage devices.

[0110] The software instructions may be loaded into memory 930 and / or storage component 940 from other computer-readable media or other devices via communication interface 970. When executed, the software instructions stored in memory 930 and / or storage component 940 may cause processor 920 to perform one or more of the processes described herein.

[0111] Additionally or alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to perform one or more processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 9 are provided as an example. In practice, device 900 may include additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged components than those shown in FIG. 9. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components of device 900 (e.g., one or more components) may perform one or more functions described as being performed by other sets of components of device 900.

[0112] In embodiments, any operation or process of Figures 1-7 may be implemented by or using any of the elements illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. It is understood that other embodiments are not so limited and may be implemented in a variety of different architectures (e.g., bare metal architectures, any cloud-based architectures, deployment architectures such as Kubernetes, Docker, OpenStack, etc.).

[0113] According to an embodiment, a system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) includes a memory storing instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to: obtain input data for a source cell and its neighbor cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine an overlap percentage for the source cell and its neighbor cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determine at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell for the source cell; determine that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; and recommend an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0114] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0115] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0116] When determining at least one timing advance (TA) percentage for at least one distance range from the center of the source cell, the at least one processor may be configured to execute instructions to: calculate a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculate a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculate a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0117] Upon determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, the at least one processor may be further configured to execute instructions to: determine that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommend antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0118] Upon determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, the at least one processor may be further configured to execute instructions to: determine that the source cell is a low dominant cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommend antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low dominant cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0119] The first distance range is between the center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell, the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, and the third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell.

[0120] According to an embodiment, a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) includes obtaining, via a processor, input data for a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, via the processor, overlap percentages for the source cell and its neighboring cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, via the processor, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell; determining, via the processor, that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; and recommending, via the processor, an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0121] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0122] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0123] Determining at least one TA percentage may include calculating, via a processor, a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating, via a processor, a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculating, via a processor, a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0124] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining, via the processor, that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0125] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining, via the processor, that the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low-dominance cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0126] The first distance range is between the center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell, the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell, and the third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell.

[0127] According to an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium has stored thereon instructions executable by at least one processor configured to perform a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN), the method including: obtaining input data for a source cell and its neighbor cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining an overlap percentage for the source cell and its neighbor cells from the input data obtained at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, for the source cell, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell; determining, based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage, that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area; and, based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, recommending an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area.

[0128] The overlap percentage may be determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions, and the one or more predetermined overlap conditions may include at least one of: the number of neighboring cells being greater than or equal to two; and the number of input data samples being greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

[0129] The overlap percentage may be calculated based on the ratio of the number of input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell to the total number of input data samples, which may include input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at multiple predetermined geolocations for neighboring cells of the source cell.

[0130] Determining at least one TA percentage may include calculating, via a processor, a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a first distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating, via a processor, a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; and calculating, via a processor, a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples obtained within a third distance range from the center of the source cell.

[0131] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated third TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 20%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to exceed the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

[0132] Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area may include determining that the source cell is a low-dominance cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the calculated first TA percentage being greater than 50%, the calculated overlap percentage being greater than 30%, and the calculated second TA percentage being greater than 2%, and recommending an antenna tilt adjustment may include recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be a low-dominance cell if the electrical tilt is greater than a minimum value.

[0133] According to an embodiment, a system and method realizes antenna tilt optimization at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN) based on predetermined conditions including an overlap percentage and a timing advance (TA) percentage of TA key performance indicator (KPI) sample data within at least one predetermined distance range from a cell center of a source cell at a predetermined geolocation (i.e., a timing advance distribution (TAD) of TA KPI samples available for the source cell in a performance management module (PMM)). As a result, to realize an improvement in overall performance and capacity of cells in the RAN, a source cell with a larger than predetermined cell coverage area may be recommended to tilt down, and a source cell with a smaller cell coverage area below the predetermined cell coverage area may be recommended to tilt up.

[0134] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.

[0135] Some embodiments may relate to systems, methods, and / or computer-readable media at any possible level of technical detail of integration. Furthermore, one or more of the above-described components may be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor (and / or may include at least one processor). The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium (or medium) having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon for causing a processor to perform operations.

[0136] A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes the following: portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, punch cards, or mechanically encoded devices such as raised structures in grooves in which instructions are recorded, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, computer-readable storage medium is not to be understood as a transitory signal per se, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., a light pulse passing through a fiber optic cable), or an electrical signal transmitted over a wire.

[0137] The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium into each computing / processing device, or may be downloaded to an external computer or external storage device over a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical fiber transmissions, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device.

[0138] The computer-readable program code / instructions for carrying out operations may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data for an integrated circuit, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk or C++, procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language, or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server, as a standalone software package. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), may execute computer-readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry to perform a certain aspect or operation.

[0139] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce an apparatus, such that the instructions, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, produce means for implementing the functions / acts set forth in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams (one or more blocks). These computer-readable program instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other device to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium on which the instructions are stored comprises an article including instructions that implement aspects of the functions / acts set forth in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams (one or more blocks).

[0140] The computer-readable program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device such that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process such that the instructions, executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device, implement the functions / acts described in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams (one or more blocks).

[0141] The illustrated flowcharts and block diagrams illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer-readable media according to various embodiments. Each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a microservice, module, segment, or portion of instructions, comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions. The method, computer system, or computer-readable medium may include additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged blocks than those shown in the figures. In some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may occur out of the order shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may actually be executed concurrently or substantially concurrently, depending on the functionality involved, or the blocks may be executed in the reverse order. Note that each block of the block diagram and / or flowchart illustrations, or combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system performing specific functions or acts, or by executing a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0142] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms, such as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit the implementation. As such, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It will be understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

Claims

1. 1. A system for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN), comprising: obtaining input data for a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining an overlap percentage of the source cell and its neighboring cells from the input data acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, for the source cell, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell, each of the at least one TA percentage indicating a percentage of a number of TA samples within a respective distance range of the at least one distance range; determining that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; recommending an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area; and A system configured to execute instructions to perform a

2. the overlap percentage is determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions; The one or more predetermined overlap conditions are: The condition that the number of neighboring cells is two or more; a condition that the number of input data samples is equal to or greater than a predetermined number; At least one of The system of claim 1 .

3. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the overlap percentage is calculated based on a ratio of a number of input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell to a total number of input data samples comprising the input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the neighboring cells of the source cell.

4. When determining the at least one timing advance (TA) percentage for the at least one distance range from the center of the source cell, calculating a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a first distance range from a center of the source cell; calculating a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a third distance range from the center of the source cell; configured to execute the instructions to perform The system of claim 1 .

5. When determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, The calculated third TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 20%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to be beyond the predetermined cell coverage area if the electrical tilt is below a maximum value; and further configured to execute the instructions to perform The system of claim 4.

6. When determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area, The calculated first TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 30%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell is a low dominant cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on the recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be the less dominant cell if the electrical tilt is above a minimum value; further configured to execute the instructions to perform The system of claim 4.

7. the first distance range is between a center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell; the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell; The third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell; The system of claim 4.

8. 1. A method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN), comprising: obtaining input data for a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining an overlap percentage of the source cell and its neighboring cells from the input data acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, for the source cell, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell, each of the at least one TA percentage indicating a percentage of a number of TA samples within a respective distance range of the at least one distance range; determining that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; recommending an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area; and A method for providing the above.

9. the overlap percentage is determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions; The one or more predetermined overlap conditions are: The condition that the number of neighboring cells is two or more; a condition that the number of input data samples is equal to or greater than a predetermined number; At least one of The method of claim 8.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the overlap percentage is calculated based on a ratio of a number of input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell to a total number of input data samples comprising the input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the neighboring cells of the source cell.

11. Determining the at least one TA percentage includes: calculating a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a first distance range from a center of the source cell; calculating a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a third distance range from the center of the source cell; The method of claim 8 comprising:

12. Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area includes: The calculated third TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 20%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on and recommending the adjustment of the antenna tilt comprises recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to be beyond the predetermined cell coverage area if an electrical tilt is below a maximum value. The method of claim 11.

13. Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area includes: The calculated first TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 30%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell is a low dominant cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on and recommending an adjustment to the antenna tilt comprises recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be the less dominant cell if an electrical tilt is above a minimum value. The method of claim 11.

14. the first distance range is between a center of the source cell and less than 1.0 kilometer (KM) from the center of the source cell; the second distance range is 1.0 KM or more from the center of the source cell and less than 1.5 KM from the center of the source cell; The third distance range is 1.5 KM or more from the center of the source cell; The method of claim 11.

15. 1. A program that causes one or more computers to execute a method for optimizing antenna tilt at a cell site of a Radio Access Network (RAN), comprising: The method comprises: obtaining input data for a source cell and its neighboring cells at a plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining an overlap percentage of the source cell and its neighboring cells from the input data acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations; determining, for the source cell, at least one TA percentage for at least one distance range from a center of the source cell, each of the at least one TA percentage indicating a percentage of a number of TA samples within a respective distance range of the at least one distance range; determining that the source cell is outside a predetermined cell coverage area based on the determined overlap percentage and the determined at least one TA percentage; recommending an adjustment of the antenna tilt for the source cell to fill the predetermined cell coverage area based on determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area; and A program that includes:

16. the overlap percentage is determined based on one or more predetermined overlap conditions; The one or more predetermined overlap conditions are: The condition that the number of neighboring cells is two or more; a condition that the number of input data samples is equal to or greater than a predetermined number; At least one of The program according to claim 15.

17. 16. The program of claim 15, wherein the overlap percentage is calculated based on a ratio of a number of input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell to a total number of input data samples comprising the input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the source cell and input data samples acquired at the plurality of predetermined geolocations for the neighboring cells of the source cell.

18. Determining the at least one TA percentage includes: calculating a first TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a first distance range from a center of the source cell; calculating a second TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a second distance range from the center of the source cell; calculating a third TA percentage based on TA data from TA data samples acquired within a third distance range from the center of the source cell; The program according to claim 15, comprising:

19. Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area includes: The calculated third TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 20%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell exceeds the predetermined cell coverage area based on and recommending the adjustment of the antenna tilt comprises recommending an antenna downtilt for the source cell determined to be beyond the predetermined cell coverage area if an electrical tilt is below a maximum value.

19. The program of claim 18.

20. Determining that the source cell is outside the predetermined cell coverage area includes: The calculated first TA percentage is greater than 50%; and the calculated overlap percentage is greater than 30%; and the calculated second TA percentage is greater than 2%; and determining that the source cell is a low dominant cell that does not reach the predetermined cell coverage area based on and recommending an adjustment to the antenna tilt comprises recommending an antenna uptilt for the source cell determined to be the less dominant cell if an electrical tilt is above a minimum value.

19. The program of claim 18.

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