Patent Application
20240320114
The subject disclosure relates to testing wireless devices.
Wireless devices may undergo testing for various reasons, including certification testing, protocol testing, transceiver testing, acceptance testing, and the like. Test environments, test costs, and test durations may vary based on many factors.
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrative embodiments for performing thermal mitigation actions during device testing. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device, comprising a processing system including a processor; at least one temperature sensor coupled to the processing system; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations. The operations may include communicating with test equipment when the device is undergoing a test; communicating with the at least one temperature sensor to determine a temperature during the test; and responsive to the temperature, providing a metric to the test equipment.
Additional aspects of the subject disclosure may include the metric comprising the temperature, a rate of change of the temperature, or a determination that the temperature has exceeded a threshold.
Further additional aspects of the disclosure may include the communicating with the test equipment being performed over a wired connection, a wireless connection, or any combination. A wired connection may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) port on the device, or may be coupled to a digital port on the device.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations. The operations may include communicating with a device to perform at least one test of the device; receiving, from the device, a thermal metric; and responsive to the thermal metric, performing a thermal mitigation action.
Additional aspects of the subject disclosure may include the thermal mitigation action comprises a passive process, an active process, or any combination. Examples of passive processes include pausing the at least one test. Examples of active processes causing a cooling medium to exchange heat with the device.
Further additional aspects of the subject disclosure include the thermal metric comprising a temperature value, a rate of change of temperature, or an indication that a temperature of the device has exceeded a threshold.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method, comprising communicating, by a processing system including a processor, with a user equipment (UE) under test; receiving, by the processing system, a thermal metric from the UE under test; determining based on the thermal metric, by the processing system, that a thermal mitigation action is warranted; and performing, by the processing system, the thermal mitigation action.
Additional aspects of the subject disclosure may include the receiving the thermal metric comprising receiving a temperature value sensed by the UE under test; the determining that the thermal mitigation action is warranted comprising comparing the thermal metric to a threshold; the performing the thermal mitigation action comprising pausing a test of the UE under test; or the performing the thermal mitigation action comprises causing an external cooling of the UE under test.
Referring now to
The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or the distribution of content from content sources 175. The communications network 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) network, Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network, UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communications network.
In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices.
In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point that operates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or other wireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or other mobile computing devices.
In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a private branch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIP gateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. The telephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with or without a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephony devices.
In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cable head-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or other media terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions with or without a set top box, personal computers and/or other display devices.
In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcast television and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streaming video and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks, data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or other sources of media.
In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can include wired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transfer points, service control points, network gateways, media distribution hubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and other network nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic over wired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and other public networks as well as one or more private networks, for managing subscriber access, for billing and network management and for supporting other network functions.
In some embodiments, DUT 202A includes antenna 204A and communications port 206A. DUT 202A may be any type of device being tested within a test environment. Examples include wireless devices such as cellular capable devices such as User Equipment (UE), wireless network devices, or any other wireless device that may undergo a test. In some embodiments, DUT 202A may communicate with test equipment 212A over a Radio Frequency (RF) channel using antenna 204A. Also in some embodiments, DUT 202A may communicate with test equipment 212A over a cabled connection 240A. In some embodiments, cabled connection 240A may be coupled to DUT 202A at port 206A. In some embodiments, port 206A may be an RF port, and in other embodiments port 206A may be a digital port. Further, DUT 202A may include both an RF port and a digital port. In some embodiments, DUT 202A omits antenna 204A when being tested, and cabled connection 240A is coupled to an RF port 206A that connects to a transceiver within DUT 202A to effect RF communications over cabled connection 240A. In other embodiments, cabled connection 240A may be a digital connection, such as a USB port, serial port, or the like. In some embodiments, DUT 202A communicates with test equipment 212A over a digital cabled connection to provide out-of-band communications while at the same time communicating using RF signals over either a wireless connection using antenna 204A, or a separate RF port.
Test equipment 212A may be any type of test equipment capable of performing tests of DUT 202A. For example, test equipment 212A may be a cellular network emulator that simulates the operation of a network cell tower. In these embodiments, test equipment 212A may broadcast a signal imitating a cell tower that allows DUT 202A to connect to the network simulator in the same manner that it would connect to a cell tower.
Test equipment 212A may also include an antenna 214A and a communications port 216A. In some embodiments, test equipment 212A provides RF signals at port 216A, which then communicates with DUT 202A over cabled connection 240A using RF signals. In these embodiments, the RF signals over cabled connection 240A may be in lieu of wireless RF signals that would otherwise be communicated between antennas 204A and 214A. In other embodiments, cabled connection 240A is omitted, and test equipment 212A communicates wirelessly with DUT 202A between antennas 214A and 204A. In still further embodiments, test equipment 212A may communicate with DUT 202A wirelessly using antennas 214A and 204A, while at the same time communicating over cabled connection 240A using either RF signals or digital signals.
Test equipment 212A may perform any type or number of tests of DUT 202A. For example, in some embodiments, DUT 202A may be an engineering sample or proof of concept device, and test equipment 212A may perform engineering tests or laboratory tests as part of the design cycle of a wireless device such as a cellular capable device. Also for example, test equipment 212A may perform conformance testing such as PCS Type Certification Review Board (PTCRB) testing, Global Certification Forum (GCF) testing, or the like. In still further embodiments, with test equipment 212A may perform protocol tests or tests specifically designed to test one or more subsystems within DUT 202A. For example, a battery of tests may be designed to test a receiver or transceiver within DUT 202A. Also for example, a test or battery of tests may be designed to test the battery life of a battery within DUT 202A under certain conditions. In general, the test environment 200A and test equipment 212A may perform any type of test while communicating with DUT 202A.
Test environment 200A also includes thermal mitigation mechanism 222A in communication with test equipment 212A. In some embodiments, thermal mitigation mechanism 222A is included wholly within test equipment 212A. For example, thermal mitigation mechanism 222A may include software components that modify the operation of test equipment 212A based on various factors. Also in some embodiments, thermal mitigation mechanism 222A may include elements that are outside of test equipment 212A. For example, thermal mitigation mechanism 222A may include an actuator or other device that facilitates active cooling of DUT 202A. In still further embodiments, thermal mitigation mechanism 222A may include a combination of elements within test equipment 212A and elements outside of test equipment 212A. Elements of thermal mitigation mechanism 222A that are included within test equipment 212A may include any combination of hardware and software components. Similarly, elements of thermal mitigation mechanism 222A that are outside of test equipment 212A may also include any combination of hardware and software components.
In operation, test equipment 212A may perform a test or a battery of tests of DUT 202A. During the test or battery of tests, DUT 202A may provide information regarding its thermal state to test equipment 212A. For example, DUT 202A may report over either an RF connection or a digital connection one or more thermal metrics that describe a thermal state of one or more elements within DUT 202A. Thermal metrics reported by DUT 202A may include any amount or type of information relating to one or more thermal states of one or more elements within DUT 202A. For example, in some embodiments, DUT 202A may provide a temperature value that is determined from one or more temperature sensors within (or attached to) DUT 202A. Also in some embodiments, the thermal metric may include a rate of change of temperature, or an indication that a temperature threshold has been exceeded.
In response to receiving the thermal metric, test equipment 212A may employ thermal mitigation mechanism 222A to mitigate any effects that the thermal state of DUT 202A may have on the successful completion of the test or battery of tests. For example, test equipment 212A may employ a thermal mitigation mechanism that includes a passive process, such as pausing the test or battery of tests until the thermal metric satisfies a particular criteria. For example, a test may be paused until a temperature value drops below a threshold. Also for example, a test may be paused until the rate of change of temperature drops below a particular threshold. Further, a test may be paused until a thermal metric is reported indicating that a temperature threshold is no longer being exceeded. In some embodiments, the temperature threshold used includes a hysteresis value such that once a thermal mitigation mechanism is employed, the thermal state must change in a manner that satisfies a hysteresis metric prior to the test being resumed.
In some embodiments, test equipment 212A may employ a thermal mitigation mechanism that includes an active process, such as turning on a fan, opening a door, or otherwise providing the ability for a cooling medium to exchange heat with DUT 202A. In some embodiments, the active mechanism may be automatic such as turning on a fan. In other embodiments, the active process may include a notification to an operator to perform an action such as opening a door to allow air exchange within test environment 200A.
As cellular industry continues to develop and deploy advanced services such as 5G services, various embodiments described herein help mitigate thermal issues that otherwise may become a limiting factor for device or User Equipment (UE) testing. Test labs rely heavily on test automation to validate and certify devices promptly and cost effectively. If a device under test gets too hot during lengthy/overnight automated test campaign, it may drop a radio connection, shut down its radio, or turns off completely to protect its hardware, and the test campaign fail as a result. In these scenarios, it can be very difficult for test operators to figure out the reason for the failure, especially if the overheating condition happens when operators are not present (e.g., overnight automation). For example, test operators might think that device failed some tests due to device bugs and thus request a device vendor to investigate the failure. Test operators might also start a test campaign again, which results in further loss of productivity. Various embodiments described herein help mitigate these issues by implementing methods to allow the UE to communicate with the test system when it is in an overheated condition and needs to be cooled. For example, test equipment can enable thermal mitigation for automated testing at the beginning of the test campaign. Consequently, devices under test will indicate to test equipment when overheat condition is triggered. In response, test equipment can mitigate the overheat condition by deploying cooling mechanism (e.g., turn on fan in test chamber, open chamber door, etc.) or simply pause test campaign until devices cool down.
Various embodiments described herein include a software component in test equipment, that activates thermal mitigation for automated testing from the beginning of the test campaign. It may monitor thermal reports from the UE which indicates that UE is in overheated condition. When thermal mitigation for automated testing report is received from UE, test equipment can mitigate the overheat condition by deploying cooling mechanism (i.e., turn on fan in test chamber, open chamber door, etc.) or simply pause test campaign to let devices cool down. Once the temperature is below a threshold and the device is no longer in a problematic thermal situation, testing may continue. Using thermal mitigation for automated testing during lab testing prevents thermal situations from interfering with device testing. It allows for the wireless device to operate for the entire duration of the test campaign, improve testing efficiency & reduce test downtime experienced during long test campaigns such as those that take overnight or longer to perform.
At 204B, test execution begins. Continuing with the example of a throughput test, test equipment 212A may command DUT 202A to download data at a particular data rate (e.g., 100 megabits per second). In some embodiments, the test execution at 204B may include the execution of any number of tests and may last for any duration. For example, a conformance test may be performed lasting many hours or a battery of tests may be performed lasting many days.
During test execution, DUT 202A may send a thermal report to test equipment 212A At 206B. The thermal report provided by DUT 202A may include any information related to a thermal state or multiple thermal states of one or more elements within DUT 202A. For example, in some embodiments, the thermal report may include one or more thermal metrics such as a temperature value, a rate of change of a temperature value, an indication that a temperature has exceeded or dropped below a threshold, or the like. Also for example, the thermal report may include an indication of a thermal state of more than one element within DUT 202A. For example, the thermal report may include a thermal metric related to a battery temperature, a thermal metric related to a receiver temperature, or a thermal metric related to any other element within DUT 202A.
In some embodiments, test equipment 212A will perform thermal mitigation At 220B in response to the thermal report received at 206B. For example, the thermal report may include an indication that a temperature has exceeded a threshold, and in response thereto, test equipment 212A may perform thermal mitigation At 220B. Also for example, the thermal report may include one or more temperature values or one or more rate of change of temperature values, and in response thereto, test equipment 212A may perform thermal mitigation at 220B.
In some embodiments, the conditional thermal mitigation At 220B may include passive processes, active processes, or any combination. For example, in some embodiments, the conditional thermal mitigation At 220B may include a passive process performed by test equipment 212A to pause the test which began execution at 204B until such time that a second condition is met. Also for example, in some embodiments, the conditional thermal mitigation at 220B may include an active process performed by test equipment 212A to provide cooling of DUT 202A. For example, the conditional thermal mitigation at 220B may include turning on a fan, opening a door, or providing an alert to an operator to perform a manual thermal mitigation process.
In some embodiments, DUT 202A may continue to send thermal reports 206B when the conditional thermal mitigation at 220B is being performed, and test equipment 212A may not stop or complete the conditional thermal mitigation process until the thermal metric provided in the thermal report satisfies a second criteria. For example, if testing is paused as a part of the conditional thermal mitigation process at 220B, testing may be resumed at 204B when a thermal metric provided in a thermal report at 206B satisfies a second condition. Examples of the second condition may include a temperature value dropping below a second threshold, a rate of change of temperature dropping below a second threshold, or the like. In general, test equipment 212A may make a determination to perform conditional thermal mitigation based on any criteria and may make a determination to end conditional thermal mitigation based on any other criteria.
Conditional thermal mitigation process 220B may be performed any number of times during a test. For example, a test or battery of tests expected to last many hours or days may be executed at 204B. During this time, the thermal reports received at 206B may trigger conditional thermal mitigation actions at 220B any number of times. For example, in an overnight test, thermal mitigation may be performed once at 10:00 PM, once at midnight, and once at 3:00 AM., thereby allowing the tests to be completed successfully overnight.
At 208B, the test is completed. In some embodiments, the test may be completed after conditional thermal mitigation processes at 220B have been performed any number of times. At 210B, the connection is relinquished and the process is complete.
At 210C, a device undergoing a test communicates with test equipment. In some embodiments, the device may communicate with test equipment over the air wirelessly or via a cabled connection. For example, a cellular device under test may communicate with a network emulator by entering a connected state as if it were communicating with a cell tower. Also for example, the device under test may communicate with the test equipment as part of the test, such as the communications during conformance testing or battery life testing or any other type of testing.
At 220C, the device communicates with at least one temperature sensor to determine a temperature during the test. In some embodiments, this corresponds to a device under test reading a value from a temperature sensor within the device under test. The temperature sensor may be located anywhere within or around the device enter test. Examples include near a battery, near a sensitive electronic component, or any other location for which temperature data is desirable.
At 230C, responsive to the temperature, the device provides a metric to the test equipment. In some embodiments, the metric may include a temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor. Also in some embodiments, the metric may include a determination that the temperature has exceeded a threshold. Also in some embodiments, the metric may include a rate of change of the temperature. In some embodiments, the metric is provided to the test equipment over a wireless connection, and in other embodiments the metric is provided to the test equipment over a wired connection such as cabled connection 240A (
At 210D, the test equipment communicates with a device to perform at least one test of the device. In some embodiments, the test equipment may include a network emulator and communicating with the device may include broadcasting signals over a wireless or wired connection to allow the device under test to enter a connected state with the test equipment. Also in some embodiments, the communications at 210D may include communications that are part of a test, such as a conformance test, a laboratory test, or an engineering test.
At 220D, the test equipment receives a thermal metric from the device under test. In some embodiments, the thermal metric may include one or more temperature values related to the temperatures sensed by one or more temperature sensors within or around the device under test. For example, the device under test may include a temperature sensor near a battery or a critical component and that temperature may be reported as part of the thermal metric at 220D. Also in some embodiments, the thermal metric may include a rate of change of temperature, an indication that the temperature has crossed a threshold, or any other information related to a thermal state of the device under test.
In some embodiments, method 200D determines whether to perform a thermal mitigation action responsive to the thermal metric at 230D. For example, if the thermal metric indicates that a temperature value is too high, a threshold has been exceeded, or a rate of change of temperature has been exceeded, the test equipment may perform a thermal mitigation action as described herein. In some embodiments, the thermal mitigation action may include a passive process, and active process, or any combination. For example, the thermal mitigation action may include a pausing of the test until the thermal metric satisfies a second criteria, such as decreasing beyond a second threshold. Also for example, the thermal mitigation action may include an active process such as causing a cooling medium to exchange heat with the device. In some embodiments, this may correspond to turning on a fan, opening a door, or providing a notification to an operator to take a manual thermal mitigation action.
At 210E, the test equipment communicates with a user equipment (UE) under test. In some embodiments, this may include communicating with a UE under test using RF signals over the air, and in other embodiments may correspond to communicating with the UE under test using RF signals over a cabled connection. Further, the actions of 210E may include communicating with a UE under test using digital signals over a cabled connection. For example, AT commands may be sent over a USB cable connecting the UE under test and the test equipment.
At 220E, a thermal metric is received from the UE under test. In some embodiments, the thermal metric is sent periodically from the UE to the test equipment to allow the test equipment to monitor a critical temperature of the UE. For example, a temperature sensor may be placed on the battery within the UE, and the temperature may be provided as part of the thermal metric to the test equipment to allow the test equipment to monitor the battery temperature of the UE. Also in some embodiments, the thermal metric may include other information related to one or more thermal states of the UE. For example, the thermal metric may include a rate of change of temperature, or an indication that the temperature has exceeded or dropped below a threshold.
At 230E, the test equipment determines, based on the thermal metric, that a thermal mitigation action is warranted. In some embodiments, this corresponds to the test equipment comparing a temperature value received in the thermal metric to a threshold and determining that the threshold has been exceeded. In other embodiments, this corresponds to the thermal metric including an indication that a temperature threshold has been exceeded, and the test equipment determining that the thermal mitigation action is warranted based on the indication provided in the thermal metric.
At 240E, the thermal mitigation action is performed. As described above, the thermal mitigation action may include active processes, passive processes, or any combination. For example, a passive process may include pausing of a test, and an active process may cause an external cooling of the UE under test. During the thermal mitigation action at 240E, thermal metrics may continue to be received from the UE under test. Based on information provided in the thermal metric, the test equipment may determine that thermal mitigation action is longer needed to continue the test, and the test may be resumed. Thermal mitigation may be performed any number of times during a test of the UE prior to completion of the test.
While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in
Referring now to
In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leverages cloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via a transport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or one or more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, this cloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leverages application programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity from services and operations; supports more nimble business models; and rapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirements including traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity of performance and reliability expectations.
In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typically integrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communication network employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. that perform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrate of networking capability, often called Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of being directed with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocols to perform a broad variety of network functions and services. This infrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typical type of substrate being servers that support Network Function Virtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities based on generic computing resources, with specialized network technologies brought to bear when general-purpose processors or general-purpose integrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein as merchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communication services can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.
As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in
In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wired and/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces to provide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distribution of content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, in some cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place, and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times, the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannot be abstracted or virtualized and might require special DSP code and analog front ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementation as VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included in transport layer 350.
The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transport layer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specific NFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325 leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to support networking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334 can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-one mapping of traditional network element function or alternately some combination of network functions designed for cloud computing. For example, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain name system (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility management entity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers for IP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers and other network elements. Because these elements do not typically need to forward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributed across a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of the capability, and which creates an elastic function with higher availability overall than its former monolithic version. These virtual network elements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using an orchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.
The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualized network function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilities of the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expanded capabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. In particular, network workloads may have applications distributed across the virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computing environment 375 and in the commercial cloud or might simply orchestrate workloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these third-party locations.
Turning now to
Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.
As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors as well as other application specific circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. It should be noted that while any functions and features described herein in association with the operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a processing circuit.
The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data.
Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.
Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.
Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
With reference again to
The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406 comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 402, such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.
The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or, to read from or write to other high-capacity optical media such as the DVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can be connected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, a magnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428, respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external drive implementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.
The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.
A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412, comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs 432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions of the operating system. applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through an input device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc.
A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. It will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444 can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with computer 402 via any communication means, including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to the monitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.
The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remote computer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storage device 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprise wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can be connected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.
When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprise a modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.
The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10 BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices.
Turning now to
In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic and signaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticate PS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to the mobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550, enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can be embodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at least in part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) or radio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packet data protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 can comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Fi networks.
In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises serving node(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey the various packetized flows of data streams received through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s) (SGSN).
For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s) 514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Such application(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided by mobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gateway node(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. In addition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 to ensure network's operation and data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512 and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or Global Positioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s) can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobile network platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in
It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processors configured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobile network platform 510. To that end, the one or more processors can execute code instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It should be appreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.
In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related to operation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational information can comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served through mobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7 network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a remotely connected memory store.
In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter,
Turning now to
The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, Wi-Fi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.
The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device 600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display 610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology for conveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In an embodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all of the keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 with navigation features.
The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, the communication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface having graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can be used to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface.
The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard in proximity of a human car) and high-volume audio (such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audio system 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI 604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.
The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energy to the components of the communication device 600 to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitable tethering technologies.
The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618 can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. The orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 600 (north, south, west, and cast, as well as combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).
The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to also determine a proximity to a cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computing technologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementioned components of the communication device 600.
Other components not shown in
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only and does not otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “a first determination,” “a second determination,” and “a third determination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determination is to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.
In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “data store,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.
Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can be generated including services being accessed, media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained by various methods including user input, detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams, sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to an authorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types of data, and so forth.
Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more features described herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a ranking or priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4 . . . xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to training data. Other directed and undirected model classification approaches comprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority.
As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UE behavior, operator preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited to determining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing communication network coverage, etc.
As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, the terms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. While various components have been illustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from example embodiments.
Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communications media. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.
In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,” subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobile device” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the related drawings.
Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” and the like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.
As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.
As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components or computer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.
What has been described above includes mere examples of various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue” indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained.
As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Such items and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second item. In a further example of indirect coupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening items.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. In one or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further, more than or less than all of the features described with respect to an embodiment can also be utilized.
