Aerial Base Station Traffic Offloading With ECGI Handover Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile networks struggle with efficiently offloading data traffic to aerial base stations due to challenges in distinguishing between terrestrial and aerial base stations, leading to potential handover failures and data congestion, especially during events or disasters.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that involves obtaining the E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI) of an aerial base station, determining its location, and providing this information to terrestrial base stations, along with a cell individual offset (CIO) factor, to adjust signal strength measurements, enabling seamless handovers and data traffic offloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional mobile networks are used for terrestrial communications, then wide area connectivity is provided, but data traffic congestion occurs during events or disasters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces aerial base stations (drones, balloons, airships) operating in three-dimensional space to provide additional network capacity. These aerial stations create a new dimensional layer for traffic offloading, allowing users to connect vertically rather than only horizontally through terrestrial base stations, thereby increasing overall network capacity and reducing ground-based congestion.
Solution Approach 2:
The network infrastructure is segmented into multiple independent base station types: terrestrial base stations for standard coverage and aerial base stations for supplemental capacity. This segmentation allows traffic to be distributed across different physical platforms and locations, preventing single-point congestion and enabling flexible resource allocation during high-demand events or disasters.
2Productivity
If aerial base stations are deployed to offload traffic, then network capacity increases, but difficulty in distinguishing between terrestrial and aerial base stations causes handover failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the concept of visual differentiation by introducing distinct identification mechanisms for aerial base stations. The ECGI serves as a unique 'identifier color' that allows mobile devices to visually (electronically) distinguish aerial stations from terrestrial ones, enabling correct handover decisions and preventing connection errors caused by misidentification.
Solution Approach 2:
The ECGI acts as an intermediary identifier that bridges the gap between different base station types. This unique identifier is transmitted through signaling messages, serving as a mediator that enables mobile devices to correctly recognize and connect to aerial base stations without confusion with terrestrial stations, thus facilitating seamless handovers.
3Ease of operation
If signal strength measurements are used for handover decisions, then automatic base station selection occurs, but inaccurate measurements lead to failed handovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where mobile devices measure signal strength from both terrestrial and aerial base stations, report these measurements to the network, and receive guidance on handover decisions. This closed-loop feedback system allows the network to optimize handover timing and target selection, significantly improving handover success rates compared to purely autonomous device-based decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the handover decision parameters by introducing ECGI-based identification into the signal strength evaluation process. Instead of relying solely on raw signal strength comparisons, the system uses the unique ECGI identifier to weight and prioritize connections to aerial base stations, changing the mathematical parameters of handover decisions to favor appropriate base station selection.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining a first E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI) associated with an aerial base station (ABS), determining a location of the ABS, and determining that a terrestrial base station (TBS) is within a distance threshold of the location of the ABS. Further embodiments include providing the first ECGI of the ABS to the TBS, and providing instructions to the TBS to indicate to each terrestrial communication devices (TCDs) communicatively coupled to the TBS to add a cell individual offset (CIO) factor to a first signal strength associated with a first signal received from the ABS. The TBS provides instructions to each of the TCDs to add a CIO factor to the first signal strength associated with the first signal received from the ABS. The second instructions includes the first ECGI associated with the ABS. Other embodiments are disclosed.