ASA Cell Clearance Handover via Pre-Reserved Random Access Resources

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In LTE-Advanced networks, existing methods for authorized shared access (ASA) struggle with efficient and fast handovers to neighboring cells during cell clearance, leading to abrupt needs for random access channel resources and ineffective load-balancing procedures.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for obtaining resource information from target nodes, choosing suitable nodes for traffic transfer based on available resources, informing them of incoming traffic, and performing handover procedures using enhanced signaling messages to reserve and allocate random access channel resources, ensuring efficient traffic transfer and cell evacuation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If traditional handover procedures are used during cell clearance in ASA networks, then handover can be performed, but the handover process is slow and random access channel resources are not efficiently managed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover speedVSAvoidhandover preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having target nodes pre-reserve random access channel resources before handover traffic actually arrives. When a cell clearance is anticipated, the source node informs target nodes in advance, which then allocate dedicated random access resources. This eliminates the need for abrupt resource requests during actual handover, significantly reducing handover preparation time and enabling faster traffic transfer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If random access channel resources are allocated on-demand during handover, then resource allocation flexibility is maintained, but handover efficiency decreases due to abrupt resource needs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover efficiencyVSAvoidresource management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary resource allocation by having target nodes reserve random access channel resources in advance based on predicted handover traffic. This is managed through signaling messages that convey resource information before handover occurs, reducing the complexity of on-demand resource management during actual handover while improving overall handover efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where source nodes inform target nodes about upcoming traffic transfers, and target nodes provide resource information back to source nodes. This feedback loop enables coordinated resource allocation, allowing the system to optimize handover efficiency while managing resource allocation complexity through structured information exchange.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If cell clearance is performed without advance resource reservation, then resource allocation remains simple, but load-balancing procedures become ineffective

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload-balancing effectivenessVSAvoidsignaling message complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enhances load-balancing effectiveness by performing preliminary resource reservation at target nodes before cell clearance traffic arrives. Through enhanced signaling messages that convey resource information in advance, the system ensures that target nodes are prepared to efficiently handle incoming handover traffic, making load-balancing procedures effective while managing signaling complexity through structured protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2868138B1Clearance of frequency spectrum in a cell using authorized shared access (ASA)
Publication Date: 2019.11.27 NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY
  • EP2868138B1 patent drawingFigure 1~5
  • EP2868138B1 patent drawingFigure 2~6
  • EP2868138B1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

The invention relates to the Authorized Shared Access (ASA) concept in which a source node temporarily uses ASA spectrum as secondary user and on request of an ASA controller said ASA spectrum needs to be cleared (evacuated) and made available to a primary spectrum user and thus target nodes have to be selected by the source node to take over traffic from the source node; the source node thus obtains resource information of at least one target node for the spectrum clearance, choose at least one target node for clearance traffic transfers based on the resource information of the at least one target node, inform the chosen at least one target node about the coming traffic transfers, and transfer traffic by using a handover procedure; the target node reserves resources after receiving the information about the coming traffic transfers.