System and method for visualizing top candidate serving cells for wireless devices in communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed is a system (200) and a method (400) for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network (100). The method (400) involves selecting a specific wireless device from a multiple wireless devices using device ID of the specific wireless device present in crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices. Further, based on cell identification information in the crowdsource data, a set of serving cells for serving the wireless device is identified. Furthermore, session information of each cell in the set of serving cells is extracted and analyzed to calculate a dominancy percentage for each identified cell. Thereafter, a ranked list of top candidate serving cells along with their dominancy percentage is displayed on a display interface.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUALIZING TOP CANDIDATE SERVING CELLS FOR WIRELESS DEVICES IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication networks and systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and a method for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The subject matter disclosed in the background section should not be assumed or construed to be prior art merely due to its mention in the background section. Similarly, any problem statement mentioned in the background section or its association with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed or construed to have been previously recognized in the prior art.

[0003] With the advent of technological advancements in telecommunications, several wireless technologies have emerged to meet the growing demand from broadband subscribers for improved applications and services. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones, laptop, computers, pagers, personal digital assistants, tablets, loT devices, and similar devices are increasingly used in wireless communication networks for a variety of activities ranging from basic communications to conducting business transactions, managing entertainment media, and a host of other tasks.

[0004] To this end, various communication networks face several challenges that impact the performance of the wireless devices and the efficiency of network resource utilization. One of the primary challenges is continuous re-selection of serving cells within the communication networks due to frequent changes in Radio Frequency (RF) conditions. The continuous re-selection of the serving cells is particularly problematic for fixed wireless devices that should ideally remain connected to a dominant serving cell.

[0005] Further, another significant issue is lack of direct information about the dominant serving cell to which the wireless devices are latched. Currently, crowdsource data collected from the wireless devices does not provide insights into which cell a device predominantly connects to, which again makes it difficult for network administrators to analyze and optimize network performance.

[0006] In light of the aforementioned challenges, there is a need for a system and a method that can infer dominance based on observed behavior of serving cells without relying on direct information from the crowd-sourced data.SUMMARY

[0007] The following embodiments present a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed invention. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key / critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0008] In an embodiment, a method for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network is disclosed. The method comprises selecting, by a selection engine, the wireless device from a plurality of wireless devices based on a device Identifier (ID) of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the plurality of wireless devices. Further, the method comprises identifying, by an identification engine from a plurality of cells, a set of serving cells for the wireless device based on cell identification information of the plurality of cells included in the crowdsource data. Furthermore, the method comprises extracting, from the crowdsource data, session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells, and calculating, by a determination engine, a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the session information of each session. Thereafter, the method comprises displaying, on a display interface based on the sorted set of serving cells calculated dominancypercentage, a list indicating a mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage.

[0009] In one or more aspects, the crowdsource data is acquired from a data collection entity, and the crowdsource data includes the session information associated with each of the plurality of wireless devices and performance metrics data.

[0010] In one or more aspects, the session information includes session durations of user sessions between a corresponding cell of the set of serving cells and the wireless device. Further, the performance metrics data includes network usage information and a plurality of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including at least one of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

[0011] In an aspect, for calculating the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells, the method comprises adding, by the determination engine, a corresponding session duration of the user sessions between the wireless device and the corresponding cell of the set of serving cells. Further, the method comprises determining, by the determination engine, a total time duration of the user sessions based on the addition of the corresponding session duration.

[0012] In an aspect, the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is calculated based on the session durations included in the session information. Further, the method comprises sorting, by a sorting engine, the set of serving cells in a descending order based on the total time duration of the user sessions.

[0013] In an aspect, the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is further calculated based on the network usage information and values of the KPIs.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network is disclosed. The system comprises a selection engine, an identification engine, an extraction engine, a determination engine, and a display engine. The selection engine is configured to select the wireless device from a plurality of wireless devices based on a device Identifier (ID) of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the plurality of wireless devices. The identification engine is configured to identify, from a plurality of cells, a set of serving cells for the wireless device based on cell identification information of the plurality of cells included in the crowdsource data. The extraction engine is configured to extract, from the crowdsource data, session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells. The determination engine is configured to calculate a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the session information of each session. The display engine is configured to display, on a display interface, a list indicating a mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Various embodiments disclosed herein will become better understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present disclosure and illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. Further, components and elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. For the purpose of consistency and ease of understanding, similar components and elements are annotated by reference numerals in the exemplary drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication environment, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system architecture of a server for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in the communication environment, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a system architecture depicting a configuration of a network management device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed flowchart depicting a method for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless device in the communication environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates another example flowchart depicting the method for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless device in the communication environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one or more example embodiments. The embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Rather, these descriptions are provided to ensure a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosed subject matter by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the various embodiments described herein may be modified, combined, or adapted without departing from the overall scope and intent of the invention.

[0022] The following description presents various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are presented as teaching examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified, omitted, or expanded upon without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0023] The following description contains specific information pertaining to embodiments in the present disclosure. The detailed description uses the phrases “in some embodiments” or “some implementations” which may each refer to one or more or all of the same or different embodiments or implementations. The term “some” as used herein is defined as “one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” In view of the same, the terms, for example, “in an embodiment” or “in an implementation” refers to one embodiment or one implementation and the term, for example, “in one or more embodiments” refers to “at least one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”. Further, the term, for example, “in one or more implementations” refers to “at least one implementation, or more than one implementation, or all implementations.

[0024] The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to;” it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion in the so-described one or more listed features, elements in a combination, unless otherwise stated with limiting language. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “have,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

[0025] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features.

[0026] The description provided herein discloses exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing anyof the exemplary embodiments. Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it may be understood by one of the ordinary skilled in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details.

[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein the description, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural forms unless the context of the invention indicates otherwise.

[0028] The terminology and structure employed herein are for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and do not limit, restrict, or reduce the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and / or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.

[0029] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for efficiently analyzing a performance of a wireless device versus cell performance. Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method using which the wireless device to the top candidate serving cells mapping can be visualized, and the top candidate serving cells for the wireless device can be displayed to network administrator or engineer on a display screen / interface or on a user interface.

[0030] In the disclosure, various embodiments are described using terms used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Extensible Radio Access Network (xRAN), and Open-Radio Access Network (O- RAN)), but these are merely examples for description. Various embodiments of the disclosure may also be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0031] In order to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed invention, a number of terms are defined below.

[0032] The term “cells” or “plurality of cells” refers to a group of two or more logical or physical coverage areas, each served by one or more base stations (Example. eNodeBs, gNodeBs) in a wireless communication network, where each cell facilitates radio access for User Equipment’s (UEs) within a defined geographical area. Each cell may be uniquely identified by a Cell Global Entity (CGI) or an NR Cell Identity (NCI) and may be characterized by specific attributes including frequency band, bandwidth, Physical Cell ID (PCI), and transmission power. The plurality of cells may include a combination of macro cells, micro cells, pico cells, and femto cells, and may operate on the same or different carrier frequencies.

[0033] The term “serving cells” refers to a communication infrastructure component (e.g., base stations, cell towers, small cells) that are currently serving or are capable of serving one or more User Equipment’s (UEs) (e.g., a mobile phone) or electronic devices (e.g., switches, routers, other network devices) with wireless connectivity. In the context of the present disclosure, the serving cells include communication towers or antennas located in the vicinity of the electronic device and capable of providing a network coverage based on a selected network type (for example, 3G, 4G, 5G, or beyond 5G networks).

[0034] The term “crowdsource data” refers to network measurement and performance data collected passively or actively from a plurality of wireless devices in the communication network, typically without user intervention. Such data may include location, signal strength, session details, and device identifiers, and is collected by a data collection entity for use in network planning, optimization, and analytics.

[0035] The term “session information” refers to data characterizing individual user sessions between a wireless device and a serving cell, including but not limited to session start and end times, session duration, session type (e.g., voice, data), and handover details.

[0036] The term “dominancy percentage” refers to a calculated metric indicating a proportion of time a wireless device is served by a specific cell in relation to a total session duration that is observed across all candidate serving cells. The dominancy percentage is used to identify frequently used serving cells for the wireless devices.

[0037] The term “device Identifier (ID)” refers to a unique or pseudonymized identifier associated with a wireless device, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), or a hashed / obfuscated representation thereof, used for tracking device-specific data in a privacy-compliant manner.

[0038] The term “performance metrics data” refers to quantifiable indicators representing operational performance of the network or a specific cell, typically comprising network usage information and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), and other network parameters.

[0039] The “network usage information” refers to data indicative of an extent and distribution of utilization of radio access resources by one or more UEs across the serving cells within the communication network. The network usage information may include, but not limited to, one or more of a count of active users per cell, cell throughput, Physical Resource Block (PRB) utilization, traffic volume per cell, and volume of uplink and downlink data transferred at each cell over a specific measurement time period.

[0040] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, discussed below, and the one or more embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication environment 100 for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the communication environment 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided by way of example only, and other configurations may be implemented without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the terms “communication environment 100” and “communication network 100” may be used interchangeably herein without implying any deviation in meaning.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 includes a plurality of base stations such as gNodeBs (gNBs) 102 and 104 (hereinafter interchangeably referred to and designated as “cell 102” or “cell 104”). The gNB 102 communicates with the gNB 104. The gNB 102 also communicates with a network 120, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network. The gNBs 102 and 104 also communicates with a server 130 in the communication network 100. The server 130 is communicatively coupled to a network management device 140 having a console for visualizing the wireless device to the top candidate serving cells mapping in the communication network 100. Further, the server 130 is communicatively coupled to a trace collection entity 150 (hereinafter also referred to as “data collection entity 150”) configured to collect crowdsource data from wireless devices connected to the one or more cells within the communication environment 100.

[0043] The gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 120 for a first number of wireless devices within a cell area 150-1 of the gNB 102. Examples of the first number of wireless devices may include, but not limited to, a mobile device 106, a tablet 108, a fixed wireless device 110, a wireless laptop, a wireless PDA, or the like. Similarly, the gNBs 104 provide wireless broadband access to the network 120 for a second number of wireless devices within a cell area 150-2 of the gNB 104. Examples of the second number of wireless devices may include, but not limited to, a set of mobile devices 112 and 116, a smart wearable device 113, a wireless laptop 114, a fixed wireless device 118, a wireless PDA, or the like. In someembodiments, the gNBs 102 and 104 may communicate with each other and with the wireless devices 106-118 using a communication technique, such as a 5th Generation 5G / New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), or other wireless communication techniques.

[0044] The term “base station” may refer to any component (or collection of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as Transmit Point (TP), Transmit-Receive Point (TRP), an Evolved Base Station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5thGeneration(5G) / New Radio (NR) base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. The base stations may provide wireless access in accordance with wireless communication protocols, e.g., 5G / NR 3GPP New Radio interface / access (NR), LTE, LTE-A, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For the sake of convenience, the terms “base station”, “gNB”, and “cells” are used interchangeably in the present disclosure to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Further, depending on the network type, the term “wireless device” or “device” may refer to any component such as “mobile station,” “subscriber station,” “remote terminal,” “wireless terminal,” “receiver terminal”. For the sake of convenience, the terms “device” and “wireless device” are used in this disclosure to refer to devices that wirelessly accesses the base station (i.e., cell 102 or cell 104).

[0045] The server 130 is configured to acquire, from the data collection entity 150, the crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices within the communication network 100 for visualizing top candidate serving cells for the wireless devices. The crowdsource data may include, but not limited to, information and KPIs related to timestamps of the user’s sessions (hereinafter referred to as “sessions”) associated with the wireless devices 106-118, location information of the wireless devices 106-118, serving cell information of the wireless devices 106- 118, device information including the device IDs of the wireless devices, cell data including cell IDs of the cells serving the wireless devices, types of networkactivities, data consumption metrics, RSRP value associated with the cells, voice and data traffic Volume, handover success rate, radio resource utilization, dropped call rates, packet loss and latency, throughput, Quality of Service (QoS) metrics, or any other relevant network usage details. The timestamps of the sessions associated with the wireless devices 106-118 may include duration of each session (interchangeably referred to as “session duration”), end time of each session, and start time of each session. The serving cell information of the wireless devices 106- 118 may include serving cell information at start of each session and serving cell information at end of each session.

[0046] The server 130 may manage communications with the cells 102 and 104, the network 120, or the wireless devices 106-118 (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links).

[0047] The network management device 140 may include the console having a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for intuitive interaction, data processing units for real-time analysis, and storage units for data archiving. The console may be deployed as a software application on a dedicated server, a cloud-based solution, or a hybrid system, depending on the communication network requirements. The network management device 140 may be utilized by the network administrators for visualizing the wireless device to serving cell mapping, and may support various types of visualizations, such as heat maps, charts, and graphs, to represent the dominancy percentages of serving cells for different wireless devices. Additionally, the network management device 140 may integrate with network monitoring tools, database management systems, and security modules to provide a holistic view of the network's performance and health.

[0048] The trace collection entity 150 (also referred to as the data collection entity 150) refers to a network-side system or module configured to collect, aggregate, and manage performance and network usage data from the wireless devices, including but not limited to the crowdsource data and session logs, which is further utilizedby the server 130 for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless devices in the communication network 100.

[0049] Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of the communication network 100, various changes may be made to FIG. 1. For example, the communication network 100 may include any number of gNBs, wireless devices, servers, and databases in any suitable arrangement. Further, the gNB 102 may communicate directly with any number of wireless devices and provide those devices with wireless broadband access to the network 120. Further, the gNBs 102 and 104 may provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system architecture 200 of the server 130 for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless devices in the communication network 100, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the server 130 as shown in FIG. 2 is for illustration only. However, the server 130 may come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular implementation of the server 130.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the server 130 includes one or more processors 202 (hereinafter may also be referred to as “processor 202” or “at least one processor 202”), a memory 204, an interface(s) 206, a network communication manager 208, a console host 210, and a processing engine(s) 250, and a database 260.

[0052] The processor 202 may include various processing circuitry and communicates with the memory 204, the network communication manager 208, the console host 210, and the database 260. The processor 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, processing units, or a general-purpose processor, such as, for example, and without limitation, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Processor (AP), a dedicated processor, a graphics-only processing unit such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or the like, a programmable logic device, or any combinationthereof that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor 202 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 204 to perform various processes for identifying the top candidate serving cells for one or more wireless devices in the communication network 100.

[0053] The memory 204 stores a set of instructions required by the processor 202 of the server 130 for controlling its overall operations. The memory 204 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically Programmable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and Programmable (EEPROM) memories. In addition, the memory 204 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The "non-transitory" storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted as the memory 204 is nonmovable. In some examples, the memory 204 may be configured to store larger amounts of information. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache). The memory 204 may be an internal storage unit or an external storage unit of the server 130, cloud storage, or any other type of external storage.

[0054] The Interface 206 may include suitable logic, circuitry, a variety of interfaces, and / or codes that may be configured to receive input(s) and present (or display) output(s) on the server 130. The variety of interfaces may include interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as VO devices, storage devices, and the like. For example, the I / O interface may have an input interface and an output interface. The interface 206 may facilitate communication of the server 130 with various devices coupled to it. The interface 206 may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the server 130. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, the processing engine(s) 250 and the database 260.

[0055] The network communication manager 208 may manage communications with the gNBs 102-104 and the wireless devices 106-118 (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 208 may manage the transfer of data communications for the gNBs 102-104 and the wireless devices 106-118. The network communication manager 208 may include a communication interface including an electronic circuit specific to a standard that enables wired or wireless communication. The communication interface may be configured for communicating internally between internal hardware components and with external devices via one or more networks.

[0056] The console host 210 may include suitable logic, instructions, and / or codes for executing various operations of one or more computer executable applications to host a console on an external device, by way of which the server 130 can be triggered to generate visualization data indicative of top candidate serving cells within the communication network 100 for the wireless device selected by the network administrator or network engineer.

[0057] In an embodiment, the processing engine(s) 250 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 250. In non-limiting examples, described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 250 may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processor 202 may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 250. In such examples, the server 130 may also comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine- readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the server 130 and theprocessing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 250 may be implemented using an electronic circuitry.

[0058] The database 260 is managed by the processor 202 and configured to store the input data including, but not limited to, the crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices and the performance metrics data associated with each of the gNBs / cells in the communication network 100. Further, the database 260 may be configured to handle data comprising tables dedicated for storing the crowdsource data from the wireless devices within the communication network 100. In a nonlimiting example, the database 260 is configured to store the crowdsource data in multiple column each column representing a specific field corresponding to device IDs of the wireless devices, cell IDs of the cells, and the session duration of user sessions between the wireless devices and the serving cells. The database 260 may correspond, but not limited to, a centralized database, a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), a non-RDBMS, and a Network Database Management System (NDMS), and the like.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) 250 may include one or more engines selected from any of an acquisition engine 212, a selection engine 214, an identification engine 216, an extraction engine 218, a determination engine 220, a sorting engine 222, a display engine 224, and other units / engines (not shown). The other units / engines may include, but are not limited to, an analytics engine, an execution engine, a monitoring engine, and the like.

[0060] In an embodiment, the processor 202 is configured to acquire, from the data collection entity 150 via the acquisition engine 212, the crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices within the communication network 100.

[0061] In an embodiment, the processor 202, using the selection engine 214, is configured to select a wireless device from the wireless devices present in the communication network 100 when a user input including device ID information of the wireless device is received at the server 130 via the network management device 140. Further, the processor 202, using the identification engine 216, identifies a setof serving cells from the cells within the communication network 100 for serving the selected wireless device based on the cell ID information of the cells included in the collected crowdsource data. In operation, the set of serving cells for the selected wireless device are identified using cell ID information extracted from the collected crowdsource data. Each serving cell is identified by matching the cell ID information included in the crowdsource data with previously defined cell IDs provisioned in the communication network 100.

[0062] In an embodiment, the processor 202, using the extraction engine 218 extracts the session information of each cell of the set of serving cells from the crowdsource data. In a non-limiting example, the session information includes session durations of each user session between a corresponding cell of the set of serving cells and the selected wireless device. In an embodiment, the processor 202, using the determination engine 220, calculates a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the extracted session information of each user session. For instance, the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is calculated by the determination engine 220 based on the session durations included in the session information. In some embodiments, the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells may be calculated based on the network usage information and values of the KPIs.

[0063] In an embodiment, the processor 202 sorts, using the sorting engine 222, the set of serving cells in a descending order based on a total time duration of the user sessions.

[0064] For sorting the set of serving cells, at first the processor 202, using the determination engine 220, adds a corresponding session duration of each user session between the selected wireless device and the corresponding cell of the set of serving cells. Secondly, the processor 202, using the determination engine 220, determines the total time duration of the user sessions based on the addition of the corresponding session duration. Thirdly, the processor 202, using the sorting engine 222, sorts the set of serving cells in the descending order based on the determinedtotal time duration of the user sessions between the selected wireless device and the corresponding cell of the set of serving cells.

[0065] In an embodiment, the processor 202 may display, using the display engine 224, a list indicating a mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage on a display screen 310 (shown in FIG. 3 described below) of the network management device 140. In a non-limiting example, the mapping of the top candidate serving cells may be displayed in the descending order in accordance with the sorted the set of serving cells.

[0066] Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of system architecture or configuration of the server 130, various changes may be made to FIG. 2. For example, the server 130 may include any number of components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2. Further, various components in FIG. 2 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components may be added according to particular needs.

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a system architecture 300 depicting a configuration of the network management device 140, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the network management device 140 illustrated in FIG. 3 is for illustration only. However, the network management device 140 may come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of this disclosure to any particular implementation of the network management device 140.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 3, the network management device 140 may include a processor 302, a memory 304, a communication interface 306, one or more applications 308 installed in the network management device 140, a display screen 310. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the network management device 140 may also include an input / output (VO) interface and a touchscreen.

[0069] The processor 302 may execute operating system instructions stored in the memory 304 in order to control the overall operation of the network managementdevice 140. For example, the processor 302 may control the reception of forward channel signals via a receiver of the communication interface 306 and the transmission of reverse channel signals via a transmitter of the communication interface 306 in accordance with well-known principles and concepts.

[0070] The processor 302 is configured to execute programs and instructions stored in the memory 304. The processor 302 is further configured to move data into or out of the memory 304 as required by an executing process. The processor 302 may also be configured to execute the one or more applications 308, for example, an application installed on the network management device 140 for visualizing the top serving cells in the communication network 100 on wireless device selection basis using the operating system or in response to signals received from the network administrator or network operator. The processor 302 may also be coupled to the I / O interface, which provides the network management device 140 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as the wireless devices 106-118. The I / O interface may act as a communication path between the above-described components of the network management device 140 and the processor 302.

[0071] The memory 304 is coupled to the processor 302. The memory 304 can include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or the processor 302, such as RAM, ROM, tapes, magnetic discs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In an aspect, for example, the memory 304 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes or instructions.

[0072] The communication interface 306 may be configured to communicate with the server 130 or the database 260 via a communication gateway or the network 120. The communication interface 306 may include an electronic circuit specific to a standard that enables wired or wireless communication. The communication interface 306 may also be configured to communicate with external devices via one or more networks.

[0073] Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of the network management device 140, various changes may be made to FIG. 3. For example, various components in FIG. 3 could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components could be added according to particular needs. As a particular example, the processor 302 may be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more CPUs and one or more GPUs.

[0074] FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed flowchart of a method 400 for visualizing the top serving cells for the wireless devices in the communication environment 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 comprises a series of operation steps indicated by blocks 402 through 418. The method 400 starts at block 402. The method 400 described herein is a process executed by the processor 202 utilizing the processing engine(s) 250 to map the selected wireless device to the top candidate serving cells within the communication environment 100 based on the dominancy percentage, and to visualize the dominancy percentage of each serving cell serving the selected wireless device.

[0075] At the block 402, the processor 202 acquires the crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices from the data collection entity 150.

[0076] At block 404, the processor 202 selects a specific wireless device using the unique device ID of the selected wireless device. The unique device ID indicates that the selected wireless device is distinctly recognized among the wireless devices in the communication network 100.

[0077] At block 406, using the crowdsource data, the processor 202 identifies all possible serving cells for the selected wireless device. Each serving cell is recognized through the unique cell ID, ensuring that the processor 202 accurately maps the selected wireless device to the corresponding cells serving the selected wireless device. For instance, the processor 202 uses NR Cell Global Identifier (NCGI) decimal included in the crowdsource data to identify and list all potential candidate serving cells for the selected wireless device. The NCGI is a unique identifier used in 5G networks to distinguish individual cells within a network. Byusing the NCGI decimal, the processor 202 can identify all possible cells serving the selected wireless device regardless of device manufacturer.

[0078] At block 408, the processor 202 extracts the session information of each cell of the set of serving cells from the crowdsource data. For instance, the processor 202 may extract the session information of each cell of the set of serving cells from the crowdsource data by analyzing logs or telemetry data captured in the crowdsource data, and correlating. The logs and the telemetry data may be indexed by device IDs, timestamps, and geographical coordinates associated with the wireless devices. In particular, the processor 202, using the extraction engine 218, may correlate and group data points in the logs and the telemetry data into individual session records based on temporal continuity, association of the cell ID, and common device IDs.

[0079] At block 410, for each identified serving cell, the processor 202 sums (adds) duration of all user sessions the wireless device has had with that serving cell. The duration column within the crowdsource data provides the duration of each of user sessions the wireless device has had with serving cells for the calculation. The calculation helps in determining the total time the selected wireless device has spent connected to each serving cell in the identified set of serving cells.

[0080] At block 412, once the total duration for each serving cell is calculated, the processor 202 sorts the serving cells in the descending order based on corresponding calculated duration of a corresponding user session. The sorting helps in identifying which serving cells have been dominant in serving the selected wireless device.

[0081] At block 414, the processor 202 calculates the dominancy percentage for each serving cell by dividing the session duration of each serving cell by the total duration across the identified set of serving cells. The division provides a normalized value that represents a proportion of time the wireless device spent connected to each identified serving cell. Also, to express the dominancy percentage in a more readable format, the processor 202 multiplies the normalized values by 100. The multiplication results in conversion of the normalized values intopercentages and makes it easier to interpret the dominance of each cell in serving the wireless device.

[0082] At block 416, the processor 202 tags the respective serving cell in order of their calculated dominancy percentage. Further, at block 418, the processor 202 controls the display screen 310 of the network management device 140 to display the list indicating the mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage. For instance, the list indicates the mapping of potential candidate serving cells with the selected serving cell in accordance with their dominancy percentage.

[0083] FIG. 5 illustrates another example flowchart depicting a method 500 for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless device in the communication environment 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 comprises a series of operation steps indicated by blocks 502 through 510. The method 500 starts at block 502. The method 500 described herein is the process executed by the processor 202 utilizing the processing engine(s) 250 for visualizing top candidate serving cells for the selected wireless device.

[0084] At the block 502, the processor 202, using the selection engine 214, selects the wireless device from the wireless devices based on the device ID of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the wireless devices.

[0085] At the block 504, the processor 202, using the identification engine 216, identifies, from the cells, the set of serving cells for the selected wireless device utilizing the cell identification information of the cells included in the crowdsource data.

[0086] At the block 506, the processor 202, using the extraction engine 218, extracts session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells from the crowdsource data.

[0087] At the block 508, the processor 202, using the determination engine 220, calculates the dominancy percentage for each cell in the set of serving cells utilizing the session information of each session extracted at the block 506.

[0088] At the block 510, the processor 202, using the display engine 224, displays the list indicating the mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage calculated at the block 508.

[0089] Embodiments of the present technology may be described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods and systems according to embodiments of the technology, and / or procedures, algorithms, steps, operations, formulae, or other computational depictions, which may also be implemented as computer program products. In this regard, each block or step of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks (and / or steps) in the flowchart, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation, formula, or computational depiction can be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, and / or software including one or more computer program instructions embodied in computer-readable program code. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions may be executed by one or more computer processors, including without limitation a general -purpose computer or special purpose computer, or other programmable processing apparatus to perform a group of operations comprising the operations or blocks described in connection with the disclosed methods.

[0090] Further, these computer program instructions, such as embodied in computer-readable program code, may also be stored in one or more computer- readable memory or memory devices (for example, the memory 204) that can direct a computer processor or other programmable processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory or memory devices produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s).

[0091] It will further be appreciated that the term “computer program instructions” as used herein refer to one or more instructions that can be executed by the one ormore processors (for example, the processor 202) to perform one or more functions as described herein. The instructions may also be stored remotely such as on a server, or all or a portion of the instructions can be stored locally and remotely.

[0092] Now, referring to the technical abilities and advantageous effect of the present disclosure, various operational advantages that may be provided by the system and method disclosed herein. The above disclosed system and method provides a visualization interface that can help a network administrator in understanding a relationship between the wireless device and the serving cells latched to the selected wireless device, based on the duration of user sessions between the serving cells and the selected wireless device. As a result, the performance of wireless device versus cell performance can be analyzed efficiently.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methodology described herein in the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific ways than those set forth herein in the above disclosed embodiments without departing from essential characteristics and features of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0094] The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Any combination of the above features and functionalities may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0095] In the present disclosure, each of the embodiments has been described with reference to numerous specific details which may vary from embodiment to embodiment. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others may, byapplying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be comprehended within the meaning of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and is not limited in scope.LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0096] The following list is provided for convenience and in support of the drawing figures and as part of the text of the specification, which describe innovations by reference to multiple items. Items not listed here may nonetheless be part of a given embodiment. For better legibility of the text, a given reference number is recited near some, but not all, recitations of the referenced item in the text. The same reference number may be used with reference to different examples or different instances of a given item. The list of reference numerals is:100 - Communication environment / communication network102-104 - gNodeBs (gNBs) / base stations / cells106-118 - Wireless devices106 - Mobile Device108 - Tablet110 - Fixed wireless device112 and 116 - Set of mobile devices113 - Smart wearable device114 - Wireless laptop118 - Fixed wireless device120 - Network130 - Server140 - Network management device150 - Trace collection entity / Data collection entity150-1 - Cell area of gNB 102150-2 - Cell area of gNB 104200 - System architecture of the server for visualizing the top candidate serving cells for the wireless devices in the communication network202 - Processor(s)204 - Memory206 - Interface(s)208 - Network communication manager210 - Console host212 - Acquisition engine214 - Selection engine216 - Identification engine218 - Extraction engine220 - Determination engine222 - Sorting engine224 - Display engine250 - Processing engine(s)260 - Database300 - System architecture of the network management device302 - Processor304 - Memory306 - Communication interface308 - Application(s)310 - Display screen / interface400 - Method for visualizing top candidate serving cells for the wireless devices in the communication network

Claims

We Claim:

1. A method (400) for visualizing top candidate serving cells for a wireless device in a communication network (100), the method comprising: selecting, by a selection engine (214), the wireless device from a plurality of wireless devices based on a device Identifier (ID) of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the plurality of wireless devices; identifying, by an identification engine (216) from a plurality of cells, a set of serving cells for the wireless device based on cell identification information of the plurality of cells included in the crowdsource data; extracting, by an extraction engine (218) from the crowdsource data, session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells; calculating, by a determination engine (220), a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the session information of each session; and displaying, by a display engine (224) on a display interface (310) based on the calculated dominancy percentage, a list indicating a mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage.

2. The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crowdsource data is acquired from a data collection entity (150), and the crowdsource data further includes the session information associated with each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices and performance metrics data.

3. The method (400) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the session information includes session durations of user sessions between a corresponding cell of the set of serving cells and the wireless device, and the performance metrics data includes network usage information and a plurality of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including at least one of aReference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

4. The method (400) as claimed in claim 3, wherein, for calculating the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells, the method comprises: adding, by the determination engine (220), a corresponding session duration of the user sessions between the wireless device and the corresponding cell of the set of serving cells; and determining, by the determination engine (220), a total time duration of the user sessions based on the addition of the corresponding session duration.

5. The method (400) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is calculated based on the session durations included in the session information, and wherein the method further comprises sorting, by a sorting engine (222), the set of serving cells in a descending order based on the total time duration of the user sessions.

6. The method (400) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is further calculated based on the network usage information and values of the KPIs.

7. A system (200) for visualizing top candidate cells for a wireless device in a communication network 100, the system comprising: a selection engine (214) configured to select the wireless device from a plurality of wireless devices based on a device Identifier (ID) of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the plurality of wireless devices; an identification engine (216) configured to identify, from a plurality of cells, a set of serving cells for the wireless device based on cell identification information of the plurality of cells included in the crowdsource data;an extraction engine (218) configured to extract, from the crowdsource data, session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells; a determination engine (220) configured to calculate a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the session information of each session; and a display engine (224) configured to display, on a display interface based on the calculated dominancy percentage, a list indicating a mapping of the top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage.

8. The system (200) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the crowdsource data is acquired from a data collection entity (150), and the crowdsource data further includes the session information associated with each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices and performance metrics data.

9. The system (200) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the session information includes session durations of user sessions between a corresponding cell of the set of serving cells and the wireless device, and the performance metrics data includes network usage information and a plurality of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including at least one of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).

10. The system (200) as claimed in claim 9, wherein, for calculating the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells, the determination engine (220) is configured to: add a corresponding session duration of the user sessions between the wireless device and the corresponding cell of the set of serving cells; anddetermine a total time duration of the user sessions based on the addition of the corresponding session duration.

11. The system (200) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is calculated based on the session durations included in the session information, and wherein the system further comprises a sorting engine (222) configured to sort the set of serving cells in a descending order based on the total time duration of the user sessions.

12. The system (200) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells is further calculated based on the network usage information and values of the KPIs.

13. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and that, when executed by at least one processor performs operations comprising: selecting a wireless device from a plurality of wireless devices based on a device Identifier (ID) of the wireless device included in crowdsource data associated with the plurality of wireless devices; identifying, from a plurality of cells, a set of serving cells for the wireless device based on cell identification information of the plurality of cells included in the crowdsource data; extracting, from the crowdsource data, session information of each session in each cell of the set of serving cells; calculating a dominancy percentage for each cell of the set of serving cells based on the session information of each session; and displaying, on a display interface based on the calculated dominancy percentage, a list indicating a mapping of top candidate serving cells with corresponding dominancy percentage.

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