Fixed Wireless Network Design Using Viewshed Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fixed wireless internet access in suburban areas faces challenges such as high construction and maintenance costs, scarce wireless spectrum, and difficulties in installing infrastructure due to physical space constraints and community concerns, while existing customer qualification and network design methods are inaccurate and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating a viewshed for base-station antennas, computing the area of rooftops within the viewshed, and identifying customer locations that can be served, as well as evaluating and ranking candidate locations for installing base-stations using geographical data and objective metrics to optimize network design and customer qualification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional customer qualification methods are used, then labor-intensive site surveys are required, but accuracy of customer qualification is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by generating viewsheds and computing rooftop area intersections before actual customer qualification. The system pre-processes geographical data, creates visibility maps from base-station locations, and identifies qualifying rooftops in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site surveys while maintaining high accuracy through objective geometric calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical field survey process with computational geometry operations. Instead of physically visiting sites to assess coverage, the system uses viewshed analysis algorithms that compute line-of-sight visibility from base-station antennas to customer rooftops, substituting manual measurement with automated geometric intersection calculations between viewshed polygons and rooftop footprints
2Productivity
If base-station infrastructure is deployed to provide wireless access, then internet service is delivered, but construction and maintenance costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary network design by evaluating multiple candidate base-station locations using viewshed analysis and rooftop intersection calculations before actual deployment. This allows planners to identify optimal locations that maximize customer coverage and qualify the highest number of potential customers in advance, ensuring that each base-station installation serves the maximum possible number of customers from the outset
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the evaluation parameters for base-station location selection by using objective geometric metrics such as viewshed coverage area and rooftop intersection counts. Instead of relying on subjective or incomplete assessment criteria, the system quantifies potential customer coverage through computational geometry, allowing for data-driven optimization of base-station placement to maximize productivity per infrastructure investment
3Productivity
If wireless spectrum is used for internet delivery, then service is provided, but spectrum availability is scarce in suburban areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by precisely identifying which specific rooftops within the viewshed have sufficient exposed area to support wireless service. Instead of treating coverage areas uniformly, the system calculates the intersection between viewshed polygons and individual rooftop footprints, qualifying only those locations where the rooftop surface area meets minimum thresholds for antenna installation and service delivery
4Ease of operation
If base-stations are installed to serve customers, then wireless access is provided, but physical space constraints and community concerns hinder installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary network design by evaluating multiple candidate base-station locations and their potential customer coverage using viewshed analysis and rooftop intersection calculations. This advance planning identifies optimal locations that balance accessibility for installation with maximum service potential, reducing on-site decision complexity and facilitating smoother deployment by pre-resolving location selection challenges
Data Source
AI summary
A customer location is identified that can be served by a base-station in a fixed wireless communication system. Embodiments of the invention generate a viewshed for an antenna of the base-station, compute an area of a rooftop at the customer location that is included in the generated viewshed, and identify the customer location as able to be served, or not, by the base-station, based on the area of the rooftop at the customer location that is included in the generated viewshed. Further, a parcel of land on which to install a fixed wireless communication base-station can be identified. Each candidate base-station parcel of land in a list (“candidate base-station locations”) is evaluated and ranked. An evaluated candidate base-station location having a particular ranking is selected as the location on which to install the base-station.