Patent ID: 8780728

Claim:
A base station for use in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, comprising: a processor that generates outgoing data bits and outgoing test data bits; transceiver circuitry that transmits radio frequency (RF) signals based on at least one of the outgoing data bits and outgoing test data bits; and control circuitry configured to: determine an actual loading value within at least a portion of a cellular service area; determine required additional loading to comply with a test-loading value based on a difference between the actual loading value and the test-loading value; generate transmission schedules for outgoing orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) transmission signals that are based on the outgoing data bits; generate transmission schedules for outgoing OFDMA test data transmission signals that are based on the outgoing test data bits to correspond with the required additional loading; specify, in the transmission schedules for the OFDMA transmission signals and for the OFDMA test data transmission signals a sub-carrier for each of a plurality of symbols to be transmitted in a communication signal sub-frame; generate the OFDMA transmission signals and the OFDMA test data transmission signals; transmit the OFDMA transmission signals and the OFDMA test data transmission signals based on the transmission schedules for the outgoing OFDMA transmission signals and on the transmission schedules for the outgoing OFDMA test data transmission signals to create loading that corresponds with the test-loading value; and transmit at least a portion of the transmission schedules using a plurality of sub-channels and a subset of symbols of the sub-frame, the subset including at least the first symbol of the sub-frame, wherein the base station defines a specific geometric pattern in a sub-frame scheduling table for at least one of the transmission schedules for the outgoing OFDMA transmission signals and the outgoing OFDMA test data transmission signals.