Radio signal quality pattern mapping in geo space to provide guided location alignment indication to user equipment
Processes and systems for determining perceived signal strength indicator values of a cellular signal transmitted by a base station within a coverage region are discussed herein. In one example, user equipment measures signal strength indicator values for a cellular signal in a coverage region. A base station receives the signal strength indicator values measured by the user equipment and generates a signal strength indicator map using the received values and respective locations of the user equipment that measured the received values. Data indicative of the signal strength indicator map is transmitted to user equipment to guide users of user equipment to move to a region in the coverage region that has a greater perceived signal strength indicator for the cellular signal.
1. A method of determining signal strength indicator values of a cellular signal used by user equipment to communicate with a base station in a coverage region of the base station, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal from the user equipment and respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region of the base station;
generating a signal strength indicator map of the cellular signal in the coverage region of the base station, the signal strength indicator map associating the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal from the user equipment and the respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region, wherein the signal strength indicator map includes a first frequency range associated with a first signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective location of the first signal strength indicator value and a second frequency range associated with a second signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective location of the second signal strength indicator value;
determining, for a particular user equipment, information indicative of the signal strength indicator map to guide a user of the particular user equipment to a new location having a larger signal strength indicator value than a signal strength indicator value measured at a current location of the particular user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map being determined based on frequency-specific variations in the signal strength indicator map for a particular frequency used by the particular user equipment to communicate with the base station; and
transmitting, to the particular user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining, for the particular user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map comprises:
determining a first location of the particular user equipment; and
determining, based in part on the signal strength indicator map, information indicative of a second location, wherein a signal strength indicator value of the cellular signal corresponding to the second location is greater than a signal strength indicator value of the cellular signal corresponding to the first location.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising displaying the information indicative of the second location on a display of the particular user equipment.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising sending an instruction to the particular user equipment to move to the second location.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map includes transmitting a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, or a file to be displayed.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating the signal strength indicator map of the cellular signal in the coverage region of the base station, wherein updating includes adding one or more additional signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal from another user equipment and the respective locations of the one or more additional signal strength indicator values within the coverage region.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of signal strength indicator values is one of a reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indication (RSSI), or reference signal received quality (RSRQ).
8. A system for generating a signal strength indicator map of a cellular signal used by user equipment to communicate with a base station in a coverage region of the base station, the system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory storing computer instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
receiving a plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal from the user equipment and respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal;
generating a signal strength indicator map of the cellular signal in the coverage region of the base station, the signal strength indicator map associating the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal from the user equipment and respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region, wherein the signal strength indicator map includes a first frequency range associated with a first signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective location of the first signal strength indicator value and a second frequency range associated with a second signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective location of the second signal strength indicator value;
determining, for a particular user equipment, information indicative of the signal strength indicator map to guide a user of the particular user equipment to a new location having a larger signal strength indicator value than a signal strength indicator value measured at a current location of the particular user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map being determined based on frequency-specific variations in the signal strength indicator map for a particular frequency used by the particular user equipment to communicate with the base station; and
transmitting, to the particular user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region were received from the user equipment from which the plurality of signal strength indicator values were received.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the acts further comprise determining at least one of the respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the respective locations of the plurality of signal strength indicator values within the coverage region is determined, in part, by a Global Positioning System (GPS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), or timing advance information.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of signal strength indicator values is one of a received signal received power (RSRP), reference signal strength indication (RSSI), or reference signal received quality (RSRQ).
13. The system of claim 8 , the signal strength indicator map comprises a table.
14. The system of claim 8 , wherein transmitting the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map includes transmitting a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia message service (MMS) message, or a file to be displayed.
15. A user equipment for identifying signal strength indicator values of a cellular signal transmitted by a base station within a coverage region, the base station coupled to a cellular network, the user equipment comprising:
one or more processors;
a display; and
a memory storing computer instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
determining a signal strength indicator value for a cellular signal transmitted by the base station at a first position;
transmitting, to the base station, data indicative of the signal strength indicator value at the first position; and
receiving a signal strength indicator map of the cellular signal transmitted by the base station, the signal strength indicator map including a plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal transmitted by the base station and respective positions of the signal strength indicator values within the coverage region, wherein the signal strength indicator map includes a first frequency range associated with a first signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective position of the first signal strength indicator value and a second frequency range associated with a second signal strength indicator value of the plurality of signal strength indicator values of the cellular signal and the respective position of the second signal strength indicator value; and
determining, for the user equipment, information indicative of the signal strength indicator map to guide a user of the user equipment to a new location having a larger signal strength indicator value than a signal strength indicator value measured at a current location of the user equipment, the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map being determined based on frequency-specific variations in the signal strength indicator map for a particular frequency used by the user equipment to communicate with the base station.
16. The user equipment of claim 15 , wherein the determining the information indicative of the signal strength indicator map to guide the user of the user equipment to the new location comprises:
determining a first position for the user equipment; and
determining, based in part on the signal strength indicator map, information indicative of a second position, wherein the signal strength indicator value of the cellular signal in the coverage region corresponding to the second position is greater than the signal strength indicator value of the cellular signal in the coverage region corresponding to the first position.
17. The user equipment of claim 16 , wherein the acts further comprise: displaying, on the display, information indicative of directing a user of the user equipment to move toward the second position to guide a user of the user equipment to a new location having a larger signal strength indicator value than the signal strength indicator value measured at a current location of the user equipment.
18. The user equipment of claim 16 , wherein the acts further comprise: displaying, on the display, a map depicting the second position, directions to the second position, or a coordinate defining the second position.
19. The user equipment of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of signal strength indicator values is one of a received signal received power (RSRP), reference signal strength indication (RSSI), or reference signal received quality (RSRQ).