Telecom Test Apparatus Inter-Cell Interference Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile-terminal simulators are inadequate for simulating inter-cell interference phenomena with sufficiently numerous populations of mobile terminals, particularly in complex OFDM-based telecommunication networks, where accurate verification of radio resource management and interference is crucial, especially in cell-boundary regions.
Innovation Solution
A test apparatus and method that utilize a mobile-terminal simulator with a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) unit and protocol-simulator stage to create simulated mobile terminals, which include SDR stages with parallel processing branches, channel-simulator modules, and inter-cell interference modules to simulate communication channels and inter-cell interference, allowing for realistic simulations of multiple mobile terminals and eNodeBs with minimal computational load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional channel simulators are used for the entire population of terminals, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability of inter-cell interference verification deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation system is segmented into multiple independent SDR stages, each handling a specific cell's mobile terminals. Each SDR stage processes a subset of terminals independently, enabling precise inter-cell interference simulation while distributing computational complexity across multiple modular units rather than requiring a single complex simulator to handle all terminals.
2Measurement precision
If numerous mobile terminals are simulated simultaneously, then measurement precision of network performance improves, but use of energy and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the population of numerous mobile terminals into multiple groups, with each SDR stage handling a specific subset of terminals for a particular cell. This segmentation allows the system to simulate many terminals simultaneously across multiple stages while keeping the computational load per stage manageable, as each stage processes only its assigned subset rather than all terminals centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimension centralized simulation approach to a multi-dimensional parallel architecture where multiple SDR stages operate simultaneously in different computational dimensions. Each stage processes terminals for its assigned cell independently, enabling the system to scale to numerous terminals by adding stages rather than increasing the burden on a single processor.
3Measurement precision
If accurate simulation of cell-boundary region interference is implemented, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the simulation of cell-boundary interference by dedicating specific SDR stages to represent adjacent cells that create interference at cell boundaries. Each SDR stage simulates the radio environment and interference characteristics of its assigned cell, enabling accurate cell-boundary verification through the interaction of multiple specialized stages rather than requiring a single overly complex simulator.
Data Source
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AI summary
A test apparatus for a telecommunication network includes: simulated mobile terminals (11), which supply respective bit streams (BS1, ..., BSM); and SDR stages (12.1, ..., 12.N), which receive the bit streams (BS1, ..., BSM) of respective simulated mobile terminals (11) that communicate with respective base stations (3) and have respective SDR uplink stages (14.1, ..., 14N) and SDR downlink stages (15.1, ..., 15.N). An SDR uplink stage (14.1) includes: at least one processing branch (17), which converts the bit stream (BS11, ..., BS1M) of a respective mobile terminal (11) into a baseband signal (SBB11, ..., SBB1M); a mapping module (25), which generates a respective uplink sub-carrier vector (SAU1, ..., SAUN) via a mapping of the baseband signals (SBB11, ..., SBB1M); an inter-cell interference module (27), which combines the sub-carrier vector (SAU1) with the uplink sub-carrier vectors (SAU2, ..., SAUN) of at least one of the other SDR stages (12.2, ..., 12.N); and an inverse-transform module (28), which performs an inverse transform of the baseband signals.