Base Station Load Balancing via Dynamic Antenna Port Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cellular communication networks face a contradiction between providing good user experience and managing increased system load as the number of users grows, leading to degraded performance and inefficient resource usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for optimizing base station system load by using a weighted product of median user throughput and the number of user equipment as a performance metric, allowing for load balancing and spectral efficiency adjustments, particularly suited for 5G network architectures with NFV and SDN services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of users in a cell is increased to attract more customers, then the customer base and potential revenue are improved, but the system load on the network significantly increases and the perceived user experience significantly degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the base station's operating state adjustable and adaptable. The system dynamically changes the number of active antenna ports and adjusts system load based on real-time conditions, allowing the network to optimize performance as user numbers fluctuate, thereby maintaining user experience while supporting variable customer bases
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying physical layer parameters such as the number of active antenna ports, system load, and resource allocation. These parameter adjustments allow the network to maintain optimal performance metrics across different user densities, resolving the contradiction between serving more users and maintaining quality
2Productivity
If the system load of a base station is increased to serve more users, then the capacity to handle users is improved, but the energy consumption and hardware effort in the overall system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the number of active antenna ports and system load based on actual user需求和 traffic conditions. When user demand is low, the base station operates with fewer resources activated, reducing energy consumption. When demand increases, resources are scaled up to maintain service quality, achieving efficient energy utilization across different load conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by activating only the necessary number of antenna ports and resources required to serve the current user base. Instead of always operating at full capacity, the system uses just enough resources to meet demand, avoiding excessive energy consumption while maintaining adequate service capacity
3Productivity
If the number of active antenna ports is increased to improve network capacity, then the spectral efficiency and user throughput are improved, but the device complexity and hardware requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically configures the number of active antenna ports based on user equipment density and traffic demands. In sparse scenarios, fewer antenna ports are activated, reducing complexity. In dense scenarios, more antenna ports are activated to provide higher capacity, allowing the base station to adapt its complexity to actual needs rather than being fixed at maximum capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by configuring different numbers of active antenna ports in different geographic areas or cells based on local user density requirements. This allows each base station or cell to have optimized complexity appropriate to its specific deployment scenario, rather than using a uniform high-complexity configuration everywhere
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and a device (103) for operating a base station (101) of a cellular communication network (100), in order to perform load balacing, taking into account an optimized performance in terms of number of users and througput per user. The method comprises operating the base station (101) to communicate with a first number of user equipments (105a-c) defining a first median user throughput, wherein the first number of user equipments (105a-c) and the first median user throughput correspond to a first system load of the base station (101); and adjusting the first system load of the base station (101), in case the first system load of the base station (101) differs from an optimum system load of the base station (101), wherein the optimum system load of the base station (101) is defined by a performance metric based on a weighted product of the number of user equipments (105a-c) and the median user throughput. The pre-defined weighting parameter p, may be dynamically adjusted in response to changing conditions of the cellular communication network (or to changing requirements of the network operator. The system load of the base station is defined by the fraction of physical resources blocks used by the base station.