Base Station Handover via Neighbor Signal Measurement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing handover methods in wireless communication systems using beam forming technologies often result in communication disruptions and inefficient use of radio resources, particularly when estimating terminal positions and selecting new base stations for handover.

Innovation Solution

A wireless communication system where base stations measure and report signal intensities to a control station, which determines the optimal handover destination without requiring the terminal to transmit sounding pulses, thus avoiding communication disruptions and optimizing radio resource allocation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal transmits a sounding pulse explicitly on handover trigger and performs base station selection, then the terminal can select an appropriate base station for handover, but the communication of the terminal is stopped during execution of the procedure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandover reliabilityVSAvoidcommunication continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of the terminal initiating the handover process by transmitting sounding pulses, the base station initiates the handover measurement process. The base station transmits measurement requests and receives measurement results from neighboring base stations, thereby inverting the traditional handover initiation role from terminal to base station. This eliminates communication stoppages while maintaining handover reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The base station performs preliminary measurements of neighboring base stations' reception of terminal signals before the handover is actually needed. By continuously monitoring signal conditions and pre-evaluating handover candidates, the system prepares handover information in advance, allowing seamless handover execution without terminal communication interruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If position information is carried on the sounding pulse, then the terminal position can be estimated, but the information amount of the sounding pulse increases and radio resources are uselessly consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal position estimation accuracyVSAvoidradio resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the position information transmission function from the sounding pulse. Instead of embedding position information in the sounding pulse, the terminal's position is estimated by neighboring base stations through signal measurement and triangulation methods. This separation eliminates the need to carry position information in the sounding pulse, reducing radio resource consumption while maintaining position estimation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Power

If beam forming is performed with a large number of antenna elements, then a high transmission gain can be obtained and a fixed signal level is maintained, but signal deterioration is less easily detected and handover timing cannot be appropriately determined

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission gainVSAvoidsignal deterioration detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the base station continuously monitors the terminal's signal reception quality and provides feedback information to determine appropriate handover timing. The base station measures the terminal's signal level and deterioration, and uses this feedback to trigger handover procedures before complete signal loss occurs, maintaining transmission gain while enabling accurate handover decision-making.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach prevents communication stoppages during handover and conserves radio resources by eliminating the need for terminal-initiated sounding pulses, ensuring seamless communication and efficient resource allocation.

Implementation Method 1

the base station forms beams only in a direction of a communication target terminal (beam forming) and transmits signals using a plurality of antennas

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBeam forming:

Data Source

PatentEP3160186B1Base station, control station, and handover method

Publication Date: 2019.01.02 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP

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AI summary

The present invention provides a base station of a wireless communication system including a plurality of base stations and a control station that controls the base stations, the base station including an antenna unit (11) that forms a transmission beam and a reception beam, a transmitting and receiving unit (13) that measures, when other base stations determine that a terminal communicating with the other base stations around the own station needs to perform handover, signals transmitted to the other base stations by a handover target terminal which is the terminal determined to need to carry out the handover, and a control unit (15) that notifies the control station of measurement results of the signals as information referred to when the control station determines a handover destination of the handover target terminal.