Screening information for a coverage model

Abstract

It is disclosed to determine whether information useable for a generating/updating process that comprises generating and/or updating at least one model for a coverage area of a communication node shall be discarded or made available to said generating/updating process.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processor, and   a memory, said memory storing a program comprising program code,   said program configured to cause said apparatus, when said program is executed on said processor, to perform determining whether information useable for a process that comprises generating and/or updating at least one model for a coverage area of a communication node shall be discarded or made available to said process,   wherein said determining is based on a state machine and at least one of one or more determination rules, and wherein at least two states of said state machine are associated with different determination rules of said one or more determination rules, respectively.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said determining is based on at least one model for said coverage area of said communication node produced by said process. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said determining comprises checking if a position contained in said information is covered by said at least one model on which said determining is based and discarding said information or making said information available to said process at least partially based on an outcome of said checking. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said information is discarded if a position contained in said information is covered by said at least one model on which said determining is based. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said process, in addition to said at least one model on which said determining is based, produces at least one further model that differs from said at least one model on which said determining is based at least in its format, and
 wherein said checking if said position is covered by said at least one model on which said determining is based is less complex than a checking if said position is covered by said at least one further model.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one model of said at least one model on which said determining is based is at least one of a rectangular model, an elliptical model or a polygonal model. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said rectangular model defines one of a rectangle that is considered to be completely within said coverage area of said communication node or a rectangle that is considered to completely enclose said coverage area of said communication node. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said elliptical model describes an ellipse by the matrix 
       
         
           
             
               A 
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                       a 
                     
                     
                       b 
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       b 
                     
                     
                       d 
                     
                   
                 
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       with parameters a>0, d>0 and b and the two-dimensional centre position c so that a two-dimensional position x is within the ellipse if (x−c) T A(x−c)≦1. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a determination rule of said one or more determination rules requires that no information shall be discarded. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a determination rule of said one or more determination rules requires that said information shall be discarded if a position contained in said information is covered by a first-type model for said coverage area of said communication node produced by said process, that said information shall be discarded if said position contained in said information is not covered by said first-type model but is covered by a second-type model for said coverage area of said communication node produced by said process, and that said information shall be made available to said process otherwise. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a determination rule of said one or more determination rules requires that said information shall be made available to said process if a position contained in said information is not covered by a model for said coverage area of said communication node produced by said process, and that, if said position contained in said information is covered by said model, said information shall be discarded randomly according to a pre-defined probability criterion and otherwise maintained. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus further comprises at least one of a user interface, IP connectivity or a memory. 
     
     
         13 . A method, performed by an apparatus, comprising:
 determining whether information useable for a process that comprises generating and/or updating at least one model for a coverage area of a communication node shall be discarded or made available to said process, wherein said determining is based on a state machine and at least one of one or more determination rules, and wherein at least two states of said state machine are associated with different determination rules of said one or more determination rules, respectively.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein said determining is based on at least one model for said coverage area of said communication node produced by said process. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein said determining comprises checking if a position contained in said information is covered by said at least one model on which said determining is based and discarding or making said information available to said process at least partially based on an outcome of said checking. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein at least one model of said at least one model on which said determining is based is at least one of a rectangular model, an elliptical model or a polygonal model. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having a program stored thereon, the program comprising:
 program code for performing the method according to  claim 13 , when said program is executed on a processor.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said at least one model for a coverage area of a communication node is a geometrical model. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said information is a report that contains a position of a terminal that is able to hear the communication node, and wherein said generating and/or updating at least one model for a coverage area of said communication node is based on a plurality of reports from one or more terminals that report their respective positions and respective lists of one or more communication nodes that can be heard at said respective positions. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein said information is a report that contains a position of a terminal that is able to hear the communication node, and wherein said generating and/or updating at least one model for a coverage area of said communication node is based on a plurality of reports from one or more terminals that report their respective positions and respective lists of one or more communication nodes that can be heard at said respective positions.