Backup Central Unit Protocol Connection for Network Resilience
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed cellular networks, the failure of a central unit controlling distributed base station units can lead to interrupted connections and poor user experience, especially for machine-type devices like connected car modules, due to the time it takes to re-establish connectivity through existing signaling processes.
Innovation Solution
Pre-establishing protocol connections with backup central units in an inactive state allows for immediate activation and control when a central unit failure is detected, ensuring seamless continuity of user equipment connections by synchronizing control data and maintaining backup interfaces ready for switchover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a central unit failure occurs in a distributed cellular network, then connectivity must be re-established through existing signaling processes, but this causes connection interruption and delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing protocol connections between distributed units and backup central units in an inactive state before failures occur. These pre-configured connections include synchronization of control plane user equipment contexts, allowing the backup central unit to immediately activate and take over control when a failure is detected, eliminating the need for time-consuming reconnection signaling processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by creating redundant inactive protocol connections as a protective measure against central unit failures. The backup connection remains in an inactive state with synchronized data, ready to provide immediate support and prevent service interruption, cushioning the impact of potential failures on network reliability
2Speed
If backup protocol connections are pre-established in an inactive state, then switchover speed improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing protocol connections with backup central units in an inactive state before failures occur. These pre-configured connections include synchronization of control plane user equipment contexts, allowing the backup central unit to immediately activate and take over control when a failure is detected, eliminating the need for time-consuming reconnection signaling processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing the inactive protocol connection to serve dual purposes: it remains dormant during normal operation to minimize overhead, but can be rapidly activated to provide backup control capabilities when needed. The same connection infrastructure supports both active control and standby recovery functions
3Reliability
If control data is synchronized to backup nodes, then service continuity is maintained during failures, but data synchronization overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively synchronizing control plane user equipment contexts to specific backup central units based on their designated backup roles. Rather than universal synchronization to all nodes, each distributed unit maintains synchronized data only with its assigned backup central unit, optimizing the synchronization overhead while ensuring service continuity for the specific failure scenarios it protects against
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to perform as a base station central unit control plane node, setup, into an inactive state, a protocol connection with at least one client node, wherein the apparatus does not control or actively serve the said client node while the protocol connection is in the inactive state, synchronize, while the protocol connection is in the inactive state, at least one control plane user equipment context of the base station from a second base station central unit control plane node which controls the at least one client node, and responsive to receiving an instruction from outside the apparatus, switch the protocol connection into an active state and begin controlling the at least one client node. The apparatus may serve user equipments directly or indirectly.