Base Station Identifier Allocation via Handover Clustering
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cellular wireless networks, identifier conflicts arise due to the limited availability of unique coverage area identifiers, particularly in densely populated areas or when deploying multiple femtocells, leading to ambiguity in handover requests between base stations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine a particular third base station with low handover likelihood with a second base station, allowing a first base station to use the same coverage area identifier as this third base station, thereby reducing identifier conflicts by evaluating handover histories and geographic distances to select an identifier that is less likely to cause ambiguity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If coverage area identifiers are re-used among nearby base stations, then the quantity of available identifiers is increased, but identifier conflict and ambiguity occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating identifier allocation based on geographic location and handover characteristics. Base stations are grouped into clusters based on their handover relationships, and identifiers are allocated locally within each cluster. This allows identifier reuse in distant locations while maintaining uniqueness in areas with high handover interaction, thus resolving the contradiction between identifier quantity and ambiguity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing handover relationship graphs and identifying clusters of base stations with significant handover interactions before allocating identifiers. This preliminary clustering allows the system to proactively assign identifiers that avoid conflicts, rather than resolving conflicts after they occur. The handover history analysis is performed in advance to guide identifier allocation.
2Reliability
If unique identifiers are assigned to all nearby base stations, then identifier ambiguity is eliminated, but the quantity of available identifiers is depleted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into multiple clusters based on handover relationship analysis. Each cluster is treated as an independent unit for identifier allocation purposes. This segmentation allows identifier reuse across different clusters while maintaining uniqueness within each cluster, effectively multiplying the available identifier pool without causing conflicts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of identifier allocation by considering handover relationship clusters rather than purely geographic proximity. This dimensional shift allows identifiers to be reused in base stations that are geographically close but have minimal handover interactions, effectively expanding the available identifier space beyond traditional geographic constraints.
3Device complexity
If identifier allocation is based on geographic proximity, then simplicity is maintained, but handover ambiguities occur when base stations with same identifier have overlapping coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring handover performance and using this information to refine identifier allocation. Handover success rates and failure patterns are fed back into the cluster formation process, allowing the system to adapt identifier assignments based on actual network behavior rather than static geographic analysis alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the allocation parameters from purely geographic distance to a composite metric that includes handover relationship strength, signal overlap, and cluster membership. This parameter transformation maintains algorithmic simplicity while significantly improving handover clarity by base stations with identical identifiers.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for configuring a first base station to use a coverage area identifier is described. For instance, a computing system may determine that coverage provided by the first base station overlaps with coverage provided by a second base station. Further, of a plurality of third base stations that also provide coverage overlapping the coverage provided by the second base station, the computing system may identify one or more third base stations having an extent of handover with the determined second base station that is below a threshold extent of handover. The computing system may then select, as the coverage area identifier to be assigned to the first base station, a coverage area identifier that is also assigned to a particular one of the one or more identified third base stations. The computing system may configure the first base station to use the selected coverage area identifier.