Base Station Self-Healing Network Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Base stations in wireless communication networks are prone to failures due to cost constraints, environmental stresses, and remote locations, leading to significant service downtime and increased mean-time-to-repair, with existing networks relying on wireless terminals to reconnect, often resulting in service disruption.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a self-healing network mechanism where adjacent base station elements reconfigure themselves to maintain service continuity by increasing transmission power and monitoring wireless terminals, with one base station detecting a failure condition and sending a notification to others to expand coverage and establish connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless terminals rely on their own reconnection actions when a base station fails, then the network structure remains simple, but service disruption occurs because coverage overlap is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having base stations proactively detect failure conditions and initiate reconfiguration actions before service disruption occurs. The network performs advance preparation by monitoring base station health and pre-planning reconfiguration scenarios, so when a failure is detected, the system can rapidly transition to alternative base stations without waiting for terminal devices to detect and initiate reconnection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where base stations continuously monitor their own operational status and communicate failure conditions to neighboring base stations. This feedback loop enables the network to detect failures and trigger reconfiguration actions based on real-time status information, improving service continuity by closing the information loop between network elements.
2Ease of manufacture
If base stations are deployed in non-climate-controlled locations to reduce cost, then deployment cost decreases, but hardware failure rate increases due to environmental stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling base stations to autonomously detect their own failure conditions and initiate reconfiguration actions without requiring external intervention. When a base station experiences hardware failure, it automatically notifies neighboring base stations and triggers the reconfiguration process, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and intervention while managing the reliability challenge in cost-effective deployments.
3Area of stationary object
If base stations are deployed in remote non-staffed locations to expand coverage, then geographic coverage increases, but mean-time-to-repair increases due to travel time for repair personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service at remote locations by enabling base stations to autonomously detect and respond to their own failures without requiring on-site staff. The base station automatically detects failure conditions, notifies neighboring base stations, and initiates reconfiguration actions, eliminating the need for repair personnel to travel to remote sites and significantly reducing mean-time-to-repair while maintaining extensive geographic coverage.
4Reliability
If base station reconfiguration is triggered only after failure detection by wireless terminals, then network complexity remains low, but service disruption duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having base stations proactively detect failure conditions and initiate reconfiguration actions before service disruption occurs. The network performs advance preparation by monitoring base station health and pre-planning reconfiguration scenarios, so when a failure is detected, the system can rapidly transition to alternative base stations without waiting for terminal devices to detect and initiate reconnection.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention includes a method and apparatus for reconfiguring a first base station element to attempt to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals served by a second base station element in response to detection of a failure condition at a second base station element that was serving the plurality of wireless terminals prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.