A system and method for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling and managing detection devices (DUT) in a wireless network (2). The system (1) comprises at least a first detection (T1) and a second detection device (T2), the first and second detection devices (T1, T2) having a respective first and second configuration set and according to said configuration sets being adapted to obtain measurement data (D1, D2). Said measurement data (D1, D2) being indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of at least a first device under testing (DUT1) communicating through the wireless network (2). The system further comprises an XR (extended reality) device (10) for providing a virtual XR representation. The XR device (10) comprises a sensor unit (12) for capturing a user input and a presentation unit (14) for presenting said virtual XR representation. The XR device (10) is adapted to receive said measurement data (D1, D2) obtained by the detection devices (T1, T2) and to present it for XR representation. The XR device (10) is further adapted to transmit a configuration command (CON) to said detection devices (T1, T2) for modifying said configuration sets in response to a user input.

Description

[0001] A system and method for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network

[0002] The invention relates to controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network comprising at least a first and a second detection device being adapted to obtain measurement data indicative of an operating condition of a wireless network. An XR (extended reality) device is used to process said measurement data, control the detection devices and provide a virtual XR representation of the measurement data. The XR device is used for transmitting configuration commands to the detection devices. The invention further relates to a method for controlling and managing detection devices and a software product related to the above. In general, the invention also is applicable to wired communication networks.

[0003] Today, wireless network technicians control and manage the network (i.e. perform a root cause analysis of the wireless connectivity problems for e.g. home wireless access, or wireless network within production / logistic facilities) either remotely or by dispatching an on-site technician. In the process, detection devices may be used by the technician which are connected to the devices under testing that are communicating through the network.

[0004] However, contemporary approaches of employing detection devices for wireless network diagnostics are limited by the number of detection devices, measurement frequencies, the types of collected measurements and analysis capabilities. For example, poor accessibility of the device under testing and the detection device may compromise the flexibility of a technician to visualize different measurements simultaneously and to observe the effect of modified operation and / or measurement parameters. In production environments like on a factory floor, it may also be prohibited for safety reasons to physically interact with detection devices within the network for changing the configuration of detection devices. Moreover, poor visibility in the wireless network environment or large distances between detection devices may limit the diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities of conventional approaches.

[0005] From US 11 ,146,459 B2, it is known to use augmented reality in order to support installation of wireless network devices. This document discloses a method for facilitating configuration of a networking device using a mobile computing device. The method comprises: capturing image data depicting the networking device; recognizing features of the depicted networking device based on the captured image data, the recognized features including a physical interface of the networking device; and displaying guidance for facilitating configuration of the networking device based on the recognized features of the networking device by overlaying a virtual diagram on top of the captured image data depicting the networking device, the virtual diagram indicating where different cables should be inserted in the physical interface of the networking device. Such a method supports individuals and also service technicians in a correct installation of the networking devices on-site. Even though such method would help connecting single devices on-site correctly, in- depth analysis and troubleshooting of the network is still is not possible. Moreover, no user interface for observing the status of the network is provided.

[0006] A similar method is known from EP 3 090 507 B1 , in which a system for supporting an intervention to be carried out by a human operator on a network apparatus of a communication network is known. The system comprises a terminal device provided in the equipment of the human operator, the terminal device being provided with a personal proxy, wherein said personal proxy is configured to: process a live view of said network apparatus for extrapolating first information on said network apparatus; retrieve second information on said network apparatus from a network inventory of a network management system of said communication network; compare said first information with said second information; when a mismatch is detected between said first information and said second information, carry out a synchronization procedure of said network inventory; by means of said terminal device, provide to said human operator at least one instruction to carry out at least one operation of said intervention, by displaying at least one augmented reality element overwritten to a live view of at least a portion of said network apparatus; cooperate with said network management system of said communication network for checking whether said at least one instruction was properly executed; and by means of said terminal device report an outcome of said checking to said operator by displaying at least one further augmented reality element overwritten to said live view of at least a portion of said network apparatus, wherein said terminal device is provided with a camera suitable for framing said live view and a display suitable for showing both said framed live view and one or more augmented reality elements overwritten to said live view. Even though this system and method may help the operator to solve specific problems, it does not help to collect information on the specific network and its specific problems in order to perform a root cause analysis.

[0007] A further known method is described in WO 2017 / 182523. The method described therein includes the following steps: The user requests support, using his or her smartphone, contact a support provider on his or her smartphone. When the support provider responds to the request for support, a one-way video call is activated in which the user requesting support sends the video, captured by the camera of his or her smartphone, to the smartphone of the support provider. The user requesting support frames on his / her smartphone the object on which he / she desires to receive support. The support provider receives the video and uses a special interface to affix tags on the object in augmented reality. The tags function as references which indicate specific parts of the scene with respect to which it is giving support. The tags are kept in the correct position even when the user requesting support moves his / her smartphone. Thus, this system provides an improved communication between a support provider and a user but it does not enhance the network diagnosis ability of an operator.

[0008] In this context, it is the object of the invention to provide an interactive system for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network. This involves an XR control tool for controlling and managing multiple detection devices for remote diagnosis of the network.

[0009] In a first aspect of the invention, the problem of providing relevant information to a technician analyzing a wireless network is solved by means of a system for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network. The system comprises at least a first detection device and a second detection device, the first detection device having a first configuration set and according to said first configuration set being adapted to obtain first measurement data, the second detection device having a second configuration set and according to said second configuration set being adapted to obtain second measurement data. Said first measurement data is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of at least a first device under testing, which may comprise a first radio unit communicating through the wireless network. Said second measurement data is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of at least the first device under testing or a second device under testing, which may comprise a second radio unit communicating through the wireless network. The system further comprises an XR (extended reality) device having an XR communication unit and an XR processing unit for executing an XR application for providing a virtual XR representation. The XR device comprises a sensor unit for capturing a user input and a presentation unit for presenting said virtual XR representation. The XR device is adapted to receive said first and second measurement data obtained by the first and second detection devices via the XR communication unit. The XR processing unit is adapted to process obtained first and second measurement data to provide said processed first and second measurement data to said presentation unit in a format suitable for XR representation. The XR device is further adapted to transmit a configuration command to said first and / or second detection devices for modifying said respective first and / or second configuration sets in response to a user input received via the sensor unit.

[0010] The invention is based on the idea that the traditional way of diagnostics and troubleshooting is too slow and lacks knowledge about the operating condition of the wireless network including its physical environment. In order to improve the knowledge of the properties of the system, detection devices are employed to record the operating condition of the network at the local position of different devices under testing. The invention further makes use of the idea that XR technology can be used to increase visibility of the obtained measurement data and thus may assist the user to understand the problems and to control the detection devices in order to efficiently analyze the network status. The disclosure herein provides a wireless-XR control and management infrastructure where an XR interface is employed for controlling the detection devices.

[0011] As used herein, the term "wireless network" refers to a network following any suitable wireless communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High- Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Wireless Mesh Network (WMN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and so on. The "wireless network" may also be referred to as a "wireless communication network". Furthermore, communications between network devices, between a network device and a terminal device, or between terminal devices in the wireless communication network may be performed according to any suitable communication protocol, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), New Radio (NR), wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 standards, and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard either currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0012] The invention however also is applicable to wired communication networks and therefore, it shall be understood that every time this disclosure refers to a “wireless network” also a “wired network” should be contemplated. A wired network in particular can be a local area network (LAN). In particular, in terms of the present disclosure, embodiments should be contemplated in which the devices under testing are provided in a wired network and are (exclusively) communicating via said wired network.

[0013] The term “detection device” may refer to any device capable of obtaining data that is indicative of an operating condition of a device under testing. This operating condition can be a property that is directly related to the communication of the device under testing in the wireless network (e.g. current bandwidth, constellation diagram, jitter, ping time, antenna directivity, antenna beam quality) or a property that is not or only indirectly related to the communication in the network (e.g. time-dependent voltage measurement or a frequency analysis at an electronic component of the device under testing, a power consumption measurement, velocity, a measurement of temperature / pressure etc.). A preferred example of a detection device can be an oscilloscope which performs a timedependent voltage measurement for instance at an antenna, a chip or any other electronic part of the device under testing. A detection device may also be capable of different types of measurements and may perform these simultaneously or sequentially. Moreover, a detection device may be part of the device under testing. For instance, terminals communicating in a wireless network often have the capability of observing at least some of their own operating conditions. These conditions may include one or more of signal strength, bandwidth, constellation diagrams and the like. A detection device in the sense of the claim, can therefore also include the device under testing itself or a part of the device under testing, as long as this part is capable of obtaining data that is indicative of an operating condition of a device under testing. Moreover, a detection device can be physically connected to the device under testing for instance by one or more wire connections or it can interact wirelessly with the device under testing, for instance by means of an antenna or radio unit placed in the vicinity of the radio unit of the device under testing. The number of detection devices is not particularly limited. The number of detection devices can be adapted depending on the size of the network, the number of devices under testing or the number of different measurements required. For instance, two detection devices may be used for one device under testing or for each device under testing. Alternatively, the number of detection devices can be the same as the number of devices under testing. In this case, each device under testing may be associated with one detection device. In large wireless networks, the number of detection devices can be larger than 5 and preferably between 5 and 20.

[0014] A “configuration set” of a detection device can be any information used in the process of obtaining the measurement data. For instance, in another embodiment, the configuration set of each of the first and second detection devices indicates at least one of a) an activation command to start or stop the detection process, b) a type of measurement that is performed by the detection device, c) a measuring rate to adjust the time interval between each measurement and / or d) a set of configuration parameters used in the measurement process. In a related embodiment, the type of measurement can be one or more of a time-dependent voltage measurement, a frequency analysis, a bandwidth test, a ping test, an interference test or a measurement of transmit or receive signal degradation, jitter, antenna directivity, antenna beam quality or power consumption. In the example given above of an oscilloscope as a detection device, the configuration set may include any of the typical configuration parameters known to the skilled person like for example sweep speed, vertical sensitivity, trigger control and offsets. If the detection device is a spectrum analyzer the configuration set may include settings for the center frequency, span or filter settings. The configuration set may also comprise a command to start or stop a certain detection process, wherein the process can be a bandwidth test a ping test, recording of a constellation diagram and the like. Such commands may be typical for a detection device that is integrated in a programmable device under testing.

[0015] A “configuration command” may refer to any command that is transmitted to one or more detection devices for modifying the respective one or more configuration sets. A configuration command my include a full configuration set for the detection device or may only indicate differences compared to the current configuration set. The form, e.g., data type, of the configuration command can furthermore be adapted to the detection device for which it is intended and to the communication protocol that is used by this device. Accordingly, configuration commands for different detection devices can be in accordance with different communication protocols. A configuration command can also be intended for multiple detection devices. An example for such a configuration command can be the command to run a specific test on all detection devices simultaneously. “Measurement data” can be any data obtained by a detection device. The kind of data depends on the type of measurement or test that the detection device performs. The measurement data is indicative of an operating condition of the wireless network at the local position of the associated device under testing. Such data may comprise an indication of interference, transmit / receive signal degradation, jitter, antenna directivity, antenna beam quality, data bandwidth received or transmitted by the device under testing, an indication of the type of modulation used by the device under testing or the like. “Operating condition” may also include any wireless management key performance indicators, such as an indication of the quality of service like latency, jitter, error rate / packet loss rate, data bandwidth / throughput, etc. “Operating condition” may further include wireless control parameters such as operating a frequency, bit and / or power allocation, user scheduling, adaptive modulation, channel coding scheme, modulation index, subcarrier spacing, data rate, etc. Being indicative of the operating condition of the wireless network does not require that the measurement data directly relates to a property of the wireless network. The measurement data could also indicate a property of the network by containing information on the behavior or condition of the device under testing. For example, the measurement data may comprise an indication of temperature, pressure, humidity, an indication of power consumption of the device under testing.

[0016] The term “measurement data” also encompasses data that represents the same information or a subset of the same information but has been processed into a different format or size. For instance, the first measurement data is obtained by the first detection device and received by the XR device. This includes embodiments in which the measurement data is compressed, reformatted or combined with other measurement data before it is received by the XR device. The first measurement data is therefore understood as any representation of the operating condition detected by the first detection device and can also relate to a fraction of the initially obtained data.

[0017] The term "device under testing" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communications or a component of such a device. By way of example rather than limitation, a device under testing may also be referred to as a communication device, a user device, user equipment (UE), a station (STA), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT), a robot machine. The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), robotic platforms and the like. A device under testing may also refer to a component of the above-mentioned devices that is not communicating trough the wireless network independently but as a component of the larger device, e.g., a chip or an antenna of the above-mentioned devices.

[0018] As yet another example, in an Internet of Things (IOT) scenario, a device under testing may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another terminal device and / or network equipment through a wireless network. The device under testing can in this case be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as a machine-type communication (MTC) device. As one particular example, the device under testing may be a user device implementing the 3GPP narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) standard. Examples of such machines or devices are industrial machinery, autonomous, non-autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, autonomous, non-autonomous or semi-autonomous robot or home or personal appliances, for example refrigerators, televisions, personal wearables such as watches etc. In other scenarios, a device under testing may represent an equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation, like sensors and metering devices such as power meters.

[0019] The term “extended reality (XR)” refers to, for example, mixed reality, virtual reality, assisted reality, augmented reality and the like. The term “XR device” refers to a device suitable of carrying out XR tasks, such as head mounted displays, virtual reality or augmented reality glasses, smart glasses, wearable devices, smartphone, tablet, laptop, gaming headset, like Oculus Quest of Meta Platforms, Inc. and the like. XR devices may also refer to devices which are not dedicated to depicting an XR representation but may refer to any kind of device capable of running an XR application to represent and presenting an XR representation to a user. The communication unit of the XR device preferably is formed as or comprises an XR radio unit so that the XR device may communicate over said wireless network. In an alternative, the XR device may communicate via a different wireless network in order to be independent of the functionality of the wireless network under analysis. In yet another alternative, the XR device may be connected to the first detection device or any other device via a wired connection. An “XR application” may include or may be formed as an XR engine and may be configured to cooperate according to client-server scheme for generating and displaying the virtual XR representation. Preferably, the client-server scheme is one of the following: a client-site scheme, wherein the XR device is configured to generate the XR representation and view the XR representation using the presentation unit; a server-site scheme, wherein a server is configured to generate the virtual XR representation and provide it to the XR device for presentation using the presentation unit; or a hybrid scheme, wherein the XR device is configured to cooperate with a server to generate the virtual XR representation. The server can be part of the wireless communication system and communicating over the wireless network, can be part or implemented in one of the detection devices or the control unit or can be connected with the XR device via an access point or via a separate communication line and may be provided remotely as a cloud-based service. The “XR processing unit” of the system may be a separate unit of the system or may be at least partially provided in the XR device. In one example of a client-server scheme, the XR processing unit may also be connected to a cloud service and configured to transmit data to the cloud service for processing and receive processed data from the cloud service. In this embodiment, the XR processing unit may not perform the processing itself but may outsource this function to a remote cloud server.

[0020] The XR device includes a presentation unit for representing said virtual XR representation. The presentation unit may be configured to show an XR presentation of the processed measurement data to a user of the system. In an embodiment, the presentation unit may be a display. Such display may be a transparent display through which a user may observe the real environment. The virtual XR representation may be simply presented on that display, so that a user may perceive the virtual XR representation together with the physical environment. The presentation unit may be a screen, a transparent or nontransparent display, a projector, a hologram generation unit, or any other suitable means for presenting the virtual XR presentation to the user.

[0021] In an embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a control unit comprising a first interface with some or each of the first and second detection devices and adapted to receive said first and second measurement data obtained by the first and second detection devices via said first interface. The control unit also comprises a second interface with the XR device via which the control unit is adapted to transmit said first and second measurement data obtained by the first and second detection devices to the XR device. As described above, the measurement data may be compressed, reformatted or combined with other measurement data before it is transmitted to XR device.

[0022] The term “control unit” may refer to a computer or node in the distributed computing environment of the system. In particular, the control unit can be connected to multiple or all detection devices. This can enable the control unit to receive the obtained measurement data and transmit it to the XR device. For this purpose, the control unit may comprise a first interface with each of the detection devices and a second interface with the XR device, preferably with the XR communication unit of the XR device. Including a control unit into the system may have the advantage of providing a separate entity for collecting and combining and optionally processing the measurement data from the detection devices. This allows more flexibility in choosing the XR device, since the XR device, in this embodiment, is only required to have one interface with the control unit and does not need to communicate with each detection device directly. This may also make the system compatible for use with a variety of XR devices in a simple plug and play manner. For example, a single user may use an XR device like augmented reality glasses for visualizing the measurement data. When the XR presentation should, however, be available for multiple users simultaneously an XR device, like a larger display may be used. Replacing one XR device by another is simplified by the existence of a control unit, since only one connection (between the XR device and the control unit) needs to be established.

[0023] The control unit can also be used for preprocessing of the measurement data. In a related embodiment, the control unit is further adapted to combine, summarize and / or compress said first and second measurement data obtained by the first and second detection devices before transmitting said first and second measurement data to the XR device. The control unit may also add meta-data to the measurement data as e.g. time stamps or the like. As explained above, this resulting data still comprises the measurement data of the detection devices in the sense of this application also when the data has been processed. In some embodiment, the control unit may serve as the central intelligence for data processing. In others, it may forward the received measurement data to the XR device without any further processing or without amending the data.

[0024] In another related embodiment, the configuration command to said first and / or second detection devices are transmitted to the respective one of said first and / or second detection devices via said control unit and the second interface between the XR device and the control unit and the respective first interface between the control unit and the first and / or second detection devices, respectively. Accordingly, the configuration command may be transmitted via the same interfaces over which the measurement data is received. For example, a configuration command may be transmitted only to the first detection device by first being transmitted by the XR device to the control unit and then being forwarded to the first detection device. Configuration commands intended for multiple detection devices are first sent to the control unit and then distributed to said multiple detection devices. The invention also includes embodiments in which the control unit is further configured to identify the respective detection devices among the first and second detection devices for which the configuration command is intended and transmit the configuration command only to the intended detection devices.

[0025] Accordingly, the control unit may also forward commands and / or data in the opposite direction, i.e. from the XR device to one or more of the detection devices. In this embodiment, the XR device is adapted to transmit the configuration command first to the control unit via the interface between the XR device and the control unit. At the control unit, the configuration command may be received and the control unit may identify the one or more detection devices among all of the detection devices for which the configuration command is intended. For example, the configuration command may comprise the command to modify the configuration set of one specific detection device. In this case, the control unit may identify this one detection device from the received configuration command and transmit the command only to this detection device. If the configuration command is intended for more than one detection device the control unit may forward the command to these multiple detection devices. Alternatively, all commands may be forwarded to all detection devices and each detection device may asses whether the command is intended for it.

[0026] In any of the embodiments involving a control unit, the first and / or second interfaces can be wireless interfaces of said wireless network. In some embodiments, a fraction or all of the interfaces of the control unit may be wireless interfaces of the network through which the devices under testing are communicating. Alternatively, first and / or second interfaces can be wireless interfaces of another wireless network different to the wireless network that is analyzed.

[0027] In an embodiment, the system may further comprise an access point, wherein said XR device, said control unit, and said first and / or second device under testing are communicating via said access point and / or directly. The “term access point” refers to a networking hardware device that allows the respective other devices to connect to the network. The access point may be a wireless access point and integrated into a router or any other type of access point known to the skilled person. In a related embodiment, the access point, the XR device, the control unit, and said first and / or second device under testing are communicating via said wireless network. In this embodiment, the test and measurement infrastructure provided by the detection devices, the control unit and the XR device is completely integrated into the wireless network through which the devices under testing are communicating. In another related embodiment, the access point is connected to the internet and said XR device, said control unit and / or said detection devices can transmit and receive data and / or commands and / or updates via the internet and the access point. The internet connection via the access point may enable remote analysis of the wireless network. The XR device may in addition or as an alternative to showing the XR representation on its XR presentation unit, also transmit an XR presentation to a remote operator via the internet. The internet connection may serve various other purposes like maintenance of the system and its components, and providing analysis data or usage information to the vendor of the system.

[0028] Moreover, the internet connection enables to perform processing steps remotely in a cloud service. Therefore, in another related embodiment, said control unit and / or said XR device are connected to a cloud service and are configured to transmit data to the cloud service for processing and receive processed data from the cloud service. This embodiment can be particularly advantageous when the processing required for generating the XR presentation is substantial. Outsourcing the processing to a cloud service, minimizes the hardware, i.e. processing requirements, of the control unit and / or the XR device.

[0029] In order to enable the XR device to build a suitable XR representation of the measurement data, it may be advantageous when the XR device is capable of identifying the respective device under testing to which the respective measurement data relates. For instance, the XR representation may include a representation of the measurement data close to or at the position of the detection device or the related device under testing in the virtual XR environment. In one embodiment, said first and second measurement data obtained by each of the first and second detection devices includes an indication of the one or more devices under testing to which the obtained first and second measurement data relates. In this embodiment, the identification of devices under testing may for instance be performed by a user when the detection device is set up and / or connected to the device under testing. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the XR device comprises a camera for capturing image data depicting an environment in which the wireless network is active and in which the detection devices are distributed. Preferably, the XR device is adapted to view the captured image data using said presentation unit and said virtual XR representation preferably overlaid over said captured image data. Such an embodiment for example is preferred when the presentation unit is or includes a non-transparent display, as it is common for smartphones or tablets. The camera may also be used to capture the user input, e.g. a user gesture. Preferably, the XR device is adapted to view the captured image data in real-time on said display, so that always the environment can be seen by means of the display and provides the illusion of a transparent display.

[0030] In a related embodiment, the system further comprises an identification unit for identifying the first detection device and / or the second detection device in the image data. The identification unit may be a part of the XR device. In a preferred embodiment, the identification unit uses image recognition for identifying the detection devices in the image data.

[0031] When the identification unit in any of the previously described embodiments has identified the detection devices, the virtual XR representation can be adapted accordingly. For instance, one embodiment provides that the XR processing unit is adapted to include for each detection device a menu icon in said virtual XR representation adjacent to the identified detection device using said presentation unit. The menu icon may allow the user of the system to interact and to select a certain set of measurement data to be presented or to send configuration commands to the respective detection device.

[0032] The present invention relates to controlling and managing detection devices for analysis and troubleshooting in a wireless network. The described system can be combined with other systems for controlling computing devices, like the devices under testing, which are communicating over said wireless network. A system of this type is disclosed in the German patent application with the application number 10 2022 130 357.8, that has not been published at the time of filing this application. In an embodiment of the present invention that incorporates features of the older application, the XR device is further adapted to receive first operating data of said first device under testing, said first operating data including data indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of said first device under testing. The XR processing unit is further adapted to process said first operating data to provide it to said presentation unit in a format suitable for XR representation. In a related embodiment, XR device is further adapted to transmit configuration commands to said first device under testing in response to a user input received via the sensor unit. In these embodiments, the XR device may not only be used for controlling the detection devices but may also reconfigure the devices under testing. It therefore enables the user after performing a root cause analysis to adapt the setting of the devices under testing in order to optimize the functionality of the wireless network. This is also integrated in the XR environment of the XR device.

[0033] In a second aspect, the above-mentioned object is solved by a method for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network. The method comprises providing at least a first detection device and a second detection device, the first detection device having a first configuration set and the second detection device having a second configuration set. The method also comprises obtaining according to said first configuration set first measurement data and obtaining according to said second configuration set second measurement data. Said first measurement data is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of at least a first device under testing comprising a first radio unit communicating through the wireless network, and said second measurement data is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of at least the first device under testing or a second device under testing comprising a second radio unit communicating through the wireless network. The method further includes providing an XR device having an XR processing unit, an XR communication unit, a sensor unit for capturing a user input and a presentation unit. An XR application is executed for providing a virtual XR representation using the XR processing unit. The method also involves to receive said first and second measurement data obtained by the first and second detection devices via the XR communication unit and to include a representation of said obtained first and second measurement data in said XR representation. The method further comprises transmitting configuration commands to said first and second detection devices for modifying said respective first or second configuration sets in response to a user input received via the sensor unit.

[0034] It should be understood that the system according to the first aspect of the invention and the method according to the second aspect of the invention comprise similar and identical sub-aspects as in particular described in the dependent claims. Insofar, reference for beneficial features and embodiments is fully made to the above description of the first aspect of the invention.

[0035] The method may comprise the steps of receiving first operating data of said first device under testing, said first operating data including data indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network at the local position of said first device under testing; and includ- ing a representation of said first operating data in said virtual XR representation. In a related embodiment, the method also comprises transmitting configuration commands to said first device under testing in response to a user input received via the sensor unit. The method may additionally comprise capturing image data depicting a space in which the wireless network is active; and presenting the captured image data on said presentation unit, wherein said virtual XR representation is overlaid over said captured image data. In yet another embodiment, the method includes recognizing in said image data the first detection device and / or the second detection device.

[0036] In a third aspect, the above-mentioned problem is solved by a software product comprising software code, which when carried out on one or more devices of the previously described system causes the system to carry out the method according to one of the methods described above.

[0037] It shall be understood that the system according to the first aspect of the invention, the method according to the second aspect of the invention and the software product according to the third aspect of the invention comprise similar and identical sub-aspects as in particular defined in the dependent claims. Insofar, reference is made to the above description.

[0038] For a more complete understanding of the invention, the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description will illustrate and describe what is considered as a preferred embodiment of the invention. It should of course be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention may not be limited to the exact form and detail shown and described herein, nor to anything less than the whole of the invention disclosed herein and as claimed herein after. Further, the features described in the description, the drawings and the claims disclosing the invention may be essential for the invention considered alone or in combination. In particular, any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The wording “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps. The word “a” or “an” does not exclude the plurality.

[0039] Before the detailed embodiments are described some possible scenarios are described for the application of the invention described herein. Today, wireless network operators test and analyze the network either by automated workflows remotely or by dispatching technicians on-site. Further automation of the wireless network analysis is limited by the number of detection devices, measurement frequencies, the types of collected measurements and analysis capabilities for both off- and on-site root-cause analysis. For example, the root-cause analysis of the wireless coverage problem or intermittent connectivity for the industrial robot movement in the production facility. Thus, effective wireless access control in real-time is limited by poor physical visibility or accessibility of the on-site wireless network environment (e.g., factory, harbor, home, etc.) and complex interactions between numerous moving terminals (e.g., robots, cars, smartphones).

[0040] The present invention provides an immersive / interactive wireless network analysis system, including an extended reality (XR) interface for real-time control and management of the detection devices. The XR device is preferably directly connected to the wireless network for controlling the detection devices. For example, this enables more flexible testing and measurement, effective diagnostics and troubleshooting as well as real-time coverage and interference management. The disclosed invention is applicable to monitor and track the status of the wireless network with the XR device in real-time.

[0041] The invention can for instance be applied in a home or company network. It is a typical issue that after setting up a local wireless network, the performance lacks behind the typical expectations on the system. This can be caused by interference for example. Under such circumstances, the system for controlling and managing detection devices can be applied in order to find the cause of the network problem. A user may for example use pre-installed detection devices or connect the detection devices to the devices under testing. The user may then connect to the detection devices with an XR device and / or a control unit. The system provides an immersive presentation of the status of the network to the user visualizing operating conditions at different positions simultaneously. The XR interface also enables the user to switch between different test and measurement configurations by submitting configuration commands directly from the XR device. This enables an efficient analysis without repeated, time-consuming physical interactions with the detection devices.

[0042] In another scenario the invention supports secure multi-device big-data visualization in an industrial factory setting. For instance, the devices under testing may be robots in a factory connected wirelessly. The detection devices may be integrated into the robots or can be separate entities connected by wire or wirelessly to the robots. The measurement data may then be used for diagnostics and troubleshooting. For this purpose, the detection devices are connected to an industrial XR-Platform, which is the XR device in this example of application. Factory workers can therefore access measurement data of detection devices wirelessly with the XR device, without having to interact physically with the instruments. The invention therefore provides remote error diagnosis to ensure worker’s safety and faster resolution of issues on the factory floor.

[0043] In the accompanying drawings:

[0044] Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the system according to the invention; and

[0045] Fig. 2 is a view through a display.

[0046] Fig. 1 shows a general overview over the system for controlling and managing test and measurement devices. Wireless interfaces are illustrated with dashed arrows while interfaces illustrated by solid arrows may be wired or wireless. Short arrows next to the interfaces indicate transmitted data or commands and are labelled with the respective type of data / command.

[0047] The system 1 includes a plurality of detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn. Each of the plurality of detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn is connected to at least one of the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn. In the illustrated embodiment, the first detection device T1 is connected to the first and second devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2. The second detection device T2 is connected only to the second device under testing DUT2. Therefore, the first measurement data D1 obtained by the first detection device T1 may be indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network 2 at the local position of the first device under testing DUT1 and the second device under testing DUT2. The second measurement data D2 may only be indicative of the operating condition at the local position of the second device under testing DUT2. Interfaces DI between the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn and the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn are illustrated by solid arrows in Fig. 1 , indicating that these interfaces DI can be wired interfaces to any electronic part of the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn or wireless interfaces. A wired interface can be established for example with a test probe. A wireless interface may be realized for instance by placing an antenna of the detection device T in the vicinity of an antenna of the device under testing DUT such that the antenna of the detection device receives the emissions of the antenna of the device under testing DUT. The interface DI may also be a physical interface like a thermal connection between a temperature sensor of the detection device and the environment or a component of the device under testing DUT. The detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn may also be integrated with the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn, in which case the interface DI is an internal interface of the device under testing DUT.

[0048] All of the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn are connected to the control unit CU in Fig. 1. The control unit CU therefore provides a network node for the network of detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn. The control unit CU can collect, combine, process and redistribute measurement data D1 , D2 and / or configuration commands CON. Interface Cl between the control unit CU and the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn can be of any kind appropriate for transmitting the measurement data D1 , D2 ...Dn. The control unit CU communicates with the XR device 10 either via a direct interface XRI or via the access point AP. In the embodiment shown in Fig.1 , the access point AP is an access point of the wireless network 2 that is analyzed. The devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn are therefore also communicating through the wireless network 2 with this access point AP. It is, however, understood that this is not a mandatory feature of the invention. In Fig. 1 , the XR device 10 is also connected to the wireless network 2 and may therefore perform all of its functions wirelessly given a sufficient working condition of the wireless network 2.

[0049] The control unit CU in Fig. 1 is further configured to connect to the internet 3 by itself. In this way, the control unit CU is capable of acting as a wireless access point for the detection system 1. This can have the advantage that the detection system 1 can connect to the internet 3 independently from an access point AP which may be part of the wireless network 2 under testing.

[0050] XR device 10 receives the measurement data D1 , D2 ...Dn from the control unit CU. Via the same interface XRI, it can transmit configuration commands CON to the control unit CU, where it is forwarded to the respective detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn. On top of this wired or wireless interface XRI to the control unit CU, the XR device 10 may also communicate via the wireless network 2. As shown in Fig. 1 , the XR device 10 can connect to the wireless access point AP and thereby gain access to the internet 3. An internet connection could alternatively be established via the control unit CU. Fig. 1 shows an embodiment, in which the XR device 10 may furthermore transmit commands to the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn. This is preferably done via the wireless network 2 and can either be transmitted directly from the XR device 10 to the respective device under testing DUT or via the access point AP. The XR device 10 may be provided in the form of augmented reality glasses, a smartphone, tablet or the like. One embodiment may for example be the Microsoft Ho- loLens obtainable via Microsoft Corporation, but also other devices are envisaged. The XR device 10 comprises an XR communication unit 11 , a sensor unit 12, an XR processing unit 13 and a presentation unit 14. The XR communication unit 11 is used to communicate over the wireless network 2 and over the wired interfaces. The sensor unit 12 of the XR device 10 is adapted to capture a user input. The user input can be any kind of user input, such as e.g., a gesture, a voice input, a tactile input or the like. In this instance, the sensor unit 12 may include a camera for capturing the user gesture, a microphone to record voice input, a controller to capture a tactile input, or basic sensors like a mouse and / or a keyboard. The XR processing unit 13 includes a processor for executing an XR application which may be stored in the XR processing unit 13 or may be provided to the XR processing unit 13 by a cloud service, a server, or the like. It is also possible that portions of the XR application are provided on the control unit CU or the access point AP.

[0051] The presentation unit 14 may be in form of a display may be a transparent or a nontransparent display and is adapted for presenting at least the virtual XR representation, provided by the XR processing unit 13. In case the display is a non-transparent display, it is preferred that the sensor unit 12 also includes a camera for capturing the environment and a live or real-time image of the captured environment is viewed on the display 14.

[0052] The XR device 10 in Fig. 1 also comprises a camera 15 for capturing image data. The image data preferably depicts an environment in which the wireless network 2 is active and in particular the view of the user of the system 1. The XR device 10, using the XR processing unit 13, may overlay the captured image data with a virtual XR representation show it on the presentation unit 14. Depending on the type of XR device 10 and presentation unit 14, the image captured by the camera may not be viewed by the presentation unit 14. This can be the case for transparent displays smart glasses and the like, where the user is able to see real environment and only the virtual representation is viewed on top of the real environment by the presentation unit 14.

[0053] Finally, the XR device 10 comprises an identification unit 16. The identification unit 16 is configured to identify the used detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn in the image data captured by the camera 15. The identification unit 16 may for instance use image recognition to identify the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn. The identified positions of the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn in the image data may then be used by the XR processing unit 13 for presenting the measurement data D1 , D2 ...Dn of the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn adjacent to the respective detection device in the image data.

[0054] In a preferred mode of operation of the system 1 in Fig. 1 , the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn are each connected to one or more of the devices under testing DUT1 , DUT2 ... DUTn and continuously obtain measurement data D1 , D2 ...Dn indicative of the operating condition of the wireless network 2 at the local position of the respective device under testing DUT. This real-time data is transmitted to the control unit CU, where it can be pre- processed before it is forwarded to the XR device 10. The XR device 10 receives measurement data D1 , D2 ... Dn via the XR communication unit 11 and processes it using the XR processing unit 13. The XR processing unit 13 combines the measurement data D1 , D2 ...Dn, the image data captured by the camera 15 as well as the position of the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn identified by the identification unit 16 to from a virtual XR representation to be presented to the user on the presentation unit 14. Upon inspecting the XR representation, the user may indicate to the XR device 10 that a configuration command CON should be sent to one or more of the detection devices T1 , T2 ...Tn. For instance, the user may indicate by gestures recorded by the sensor unit 12 the first detection device T1 should perform a specified test or measurement on the first device under testing DUTI . This configuration command CON is transmitted to the control unit CU using the XR communication unit 11 and forwarded to the relevant detection device T1 .

[0055] This process may be repeated multiple times in order to enable the user of the system 1 to thoroughly analyze the wireless network 2 and to perform a root-cause analysis of network problems.

[0056] Optionally, the user of the system 1 may furthermore use the XR device 10 to make changes to the operating parameters of one or more of the devices under testing DUT. This may be done via the wireless network 2 itself and by communicating new settings or parameters to one or more of the devices under testing DUT.

[0057] Fig. 2 shows a presentation unit 14 in form of a display, which in this case is a transparent display. In the background, the usual environment 20 can be perceived, which in case of a non-transparent display may also be captured by a camera. In the environment 20, a first detection device T1 can be seen comprising a first radio unit SDRT. The first detection device is shown as a red wireless receiver. The first detection device in Fig. 2 is connected either to a control unit CU or directly to the XR device 10 by a wire 22. The first detection device T1 is arranged closely to a first device under testing DUT1 shown as a blue wireless transmitter. The first device under testing also comprises a radio unit SDR1. Accordingly, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the first detection device T1 and the first device under testing DUT1 are communicating wirelessly, while the interface between the first detection device T1 and the control unit CU or the XR device 10 is wired.

[0058] The device under testing DUT1 is depicted as mounted on a rail and moving around the detection device T1 . This is to test and illustrate the situation that may occur in the application of the invention as described above. For instance, the system may be used to control detection devices T1 , T2,...Tn in order to control the connectivity of factory robots moving in an industrial environment. Thus, the situation that the device under testing DUT1 may be moving with respect to the detection device T1 can be expected in some applications.

[0059] In Fig. 2, virtual XR representations 21 , 22 are overlaid over the real environment 20 which, because it is a transparent display 14, is a real-time image. The first virtual XR representation 21 in the shown embodiment includes a presentation of a 3D spectrogram showing time on one axis, frequency on the other and amplitude as peaks. The 3D spectrogram is shown as a virtual representation 21 floating over the detection device T1. The first virtual XR representation 21 further comprises a first menu icon 23 adjacent to the 3D spectrogram. By clicking the menu icon 23 a play mode can be activated or deactivated by the user of the XR device using the sensor unit 12. Activating the play mode may initiate a real time measurement of spectra and presenting them in real time in the 3D spectrogram of the first virtual XR representation 21 . When the play mode is deactivated, the last recorded spectra may be presented in the spectrogram. The information to activate or de-activate the play mode is therefore an example of a configuration command CON to the first detection device T 1 .

[0060] The second virtual XR representation 22 comprises a constellation diagram. The constellation diagram may be used for illustrating the transmission quality and likelihoods of errors. The second virtual XR representation also comprises a set of second menu icons 24. The second menu icons 24 may allow the user to select types of measurements to be carried out by the detection device using the sensor unit 12. The type of selected measurements can also be comprised in a configuration CON transmitted to the detection device T1 . It shall be understood that it is not necessary that menu icons 23 and 323 are provided; rather it may also be sufficient that directly only results of measurements performed by the detection device T1 , such as the constellation diagram and the spectrogram, are shown.

[0061] In the shown embodiment, the first and second virtual XR representations 21 , 22 are shown adjacent to the first detection device T1 , which generates the illustrated measurement data D1 . This is a preferred example of presenting the virtual XR representations 21 , 22 as they can be easily identified with the corresponding detection device T1 in this arrangement. For arranging the virtual XR representations 21 , 22 in this manner, it may be beneficial if the detection device T1 can be identified in the captured image. The identification can be done by the user by e.g. pointing on that particular devices using the sensor unit 12 or by using an identification unit 16 of the XR device 10. The identification unit 16 may then be adapted to link the virtual XR representations 21 , 22 to the position of the related detection device T1. The identification unit 16 is preferably adapted to keep this relationship even though the user may reposition the display 14.

Claims

Claims1 . A system for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network (2) comprising at least a first detection (T1) and a second detection device (T2), the first detection device (T1) having a first configuration set and according to said first configuration set being adapted to obtain first measurement data (D1), the second detection device (T2) having a second configuration set and according to said second configuration set being adapted to obtain second measurement data (D2), wherein said first measurement data (D1) is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of at least a first device under testing (DUT1) comprising a first radio unit (SDR1) communicating through the wireless network (2), and said second measurement data (D2) is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of at least the first device under testing (DUT1) or a second device under testing (DUT2) comprising a second radio unit (SDR2) communicating through the wireless network (2); an XR (extended reality) device (10) having an XR communication unit (11); an XR processing unit (13) for executing an XR application for providing a virtual XR representation; wherein said XR device (10) comprises a sensor unit (12) for capturing a user input and a presentation unit (14) for presenting said virtual XR representation; wherein said XR device (10) is adapted to receive said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) obtained by the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) via the XR communication unit (11); wherein said XR processing unit (13) is adapted to process obtained first (D1) and second measurement data (D1 , D2) to provide it to said presentation unit (14) in a format suitable forXR representation; and wherein said XR device (10) is adapted to transmit a configuration command (CON) to said first and / or second detection devices (T1 , T2) for modifying said respective first and / or second configuration sets in response to a user input received via the sensor unit (12).

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit (CU) comprising a first interface (Cl) with each of the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) and adapted to receive said first and second measurementdata (D1 , D2) obtained by the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) via said first interface (Cl), wherein the control unit (CU) also comprises a second interface (XRI) with the XR device (10) via which the control unit (CU) is adapted to transmit said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) obtained by the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) to the XR device (10).

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the control unit (CU) is further adapted to combine, summarize and / or compress said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) obtained by the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) before transmitting said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) to the XR device (10).

4. The system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the configuration command (CON) to said first and / or second detection devices (T1 , T2) are transmitted to the first and / or second detection devices (T1 , T2) via said control unit (CU) and the second interface (XRI) between the XR device (10) and the control unit (CU) and the respective first interface (Cl) between the control unit (CU) and the first and / or second detection devices (T1 , T2).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control unit (CU) is further configured to identify the detection devices among the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) for which the configuration command (CON) is intended and transmit the configuration command (CON) only to the intended detection devices.

6. The system of one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the first and / or second interfaces (Cl, XRI) are wireless interfaces of said wireless network (2).

7. The system of one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising an access point (AP), wherein said XR device (10), said control unit (CU), and said first and / or second device under testing (DUT1 , DUT2) are communicating via said access point (AP) and / or directly.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said access point (AP), said XR device (10), said control unit (CU), and said first and / or second device under testing (DUT1 , DUT2) are communicating via said wireless network (2).

9. The system of claim 7 or 8, wherein said access point (AP) and / or said control unit (CU) are connected to the internet (3) and wherein said XR device (10), said control unit(CU) and / or said detection devices (T1 , T2) can transmit and receive data and / or commands and / or updates via the internet (3) and the access point (AP).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said control unit (CU) and / or said XR device (10) are connected to a cloud service and are configured to transmit data to the cloud service for processing and receive processed data from the cloud service.11 . The system of any of the preceding claims wherein said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) obtained by each of the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) includes an indication of the one or more devices under testing (DUT1 , DUT2) to which the obtained first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) relates.

12. The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the configuration set of each of the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) indicates at least one of a) an activation command to start or stop the detection process; b) a type of measurement that is performed by the detection device; c) a measuring rate to adjust the time interval between each measurement; and / or d) a set of configuration parameters used in the measurement process.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the type of measurement is one of a time-dependent voltage measurement, a frequency analysis, a bandwidth test, a ping test, an interference test or a measurement of transmit or receive signal degradation, jitter, antenna directivity, antenna beam quality or power consumption.

14. The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein said XR device (10) comprises a camera (15) for capturing image data depicting an environment in which the wireless network (2) is active, and wherein said XR device (10) is adapted to view the captured image data using said presentation unit (14), said virtual XR representation overlaid over said captured image data.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising an identification unit (16) for identifying the first detection device (T1) and / or the second detection device (T2) in the image data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the identification unit (16) uses image recognition for identifying the detection devices (T1 , T2) in the image data.

17. The system of claim 15 or 16, wherein said XR processing unit (13) is adapted to include for each detection device (T1 , T2) a menu icon in said virtual XR representation adjacent to the identified detection device using said presentation unit (14).

18. The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein said XR device (10) is further adapted to receive first operating data of said first device under testing (DUT1), said first operating data including data indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of said first device under testing (DUT1), and wherein said XR processing unit (13) is adapted to process said first operating data to provide it to said presentation unit (14) in a format suitable forXR representation.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said XR device (10) is further adapted to transmit configuration commands to said first device under testing (DUT1) in response to a user input received via the sensor unit (12).

20. A method for controlling and managing detection devices in a wireless network (2) comprising providing at least a first detection device (T1) and a second detection device (T2), the first detection device (T1) having a first configuration set and the second detection device (T2) having a second configuration set; obtaining according to said first configuration set first measurement data (D1) and obtaining according to said second configuration set second measurement data (D2); wherein said first measurement data (D1) is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of at least a first device under testing (DUT1) comprising a first radio unit (SDR1) communicating through the wireless network (2), and said second measurement data (D2) is indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of at least the first device under testing (DUT1) or a second device under testing (DUT2) comprising a second radio unit (SDR2) communicating through the wireless network (2); providing an XR (extended reality) device having an XR processing unit (13), an XR communication unit (11), a sensor unit (12) for capturing a user input and a presentation unit (14); executing an XR application for providing a virtual XR representation using the XR processing unit (13); receiving said first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) obtained by the first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) via the XR communication unit (11);including a representation of said obtained first and second measurement data (D1 , D2) in said XR representation; and transmitting configuration commands (CON) to said first and second detection devices (T1 , T2) for modifying said respective first or second configuration sets in response to a user input received via the sensor unit (12).21 . The method according to claim 20 further comprising receiving first operating data of said first device under testing (DUT1), said first operating data including data indicative of an operating condition of said wireless network (2) at the local position of said first device under testing; and including a representation of said first operating data in said virtual XR representation.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising transmitting configuration commands to said first device under testing in response to a user input received via the sensor unit (12).

23. The method according to claim 21 further comprising capturing image data depicting a space in which the wireless network (2) is active; and presenting the captured image data on said presentation unit (14), wherein said virtual XR representation is overlaid over said captured image data.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising recognizing in said image data the first detection device (T1) and / or the second detection device (T2).

25. A software product comprising software code, which when carried out on one or more devices of a system according to claim 1 causes the system to carry out the method according to claim 20.

Images