Donor Base Station Handover for Wireless Backhaul Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

In cellular wireless networks, air interface congestion can lead to insufficient resource allocation for relay-UEs, resulting in delays and poor user experience due to high load and the competing demands of non-relay UEs for resources.

Innovation Solution

A donor base station monitors air interface congestion and the number of UEs served by a relay base station, selectively handing over non-relay UEs to neighboring base stations with lower load to free up capacity and ensure sufficient resources for relay-UEs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the donor base station serves both relay-UEs and non-relay UEs over the air interface, then the network coverage and service capacity are improved, but air interface congestion occurs leading to insufficient resource allocation for relay-UEs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice capacityVSAvoidresource allocation for relay-UEs

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the UE population into relay-UEs and non-relay UEs, applying different resource allocation strategies. Relay-UEs are guaranteed minimum resources while non-relay UEs compete for remaining resources, resolving the contradiction between serving both types and preventing congestion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different quality of service (QoS) treatments to different UE types. Relay-UEs receive prioritized resource allocation with guaranteed minimums, while non-relay UEs receive best-effort service, allowing the system to maintain high service capacity while ensuring reliable resource allocation for critical relay connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If the donor base station allocates more resources to non-relay UEs to maximize overall throughput, then network productivity increases, but relay-UEs experience delays and poor user experience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoverall throughputVSAvoiddelay for relay-UEs

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent establishes preliminary resource reservations for relay-UEs before allocating remaining resources to non-relay UEs. By pre-allocating guaranteed minimum resources to relay-UEs, the system ensures they experience no delays while still maximizing overall throughput through efficient utilization of remaining capacity by non-relay UEs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces QoS parameters and resource priority mechanisms as intermediaries between relay-UEs and non-relay UEs. These intermediaries mediate resource allocation by ensuring relay-UEs receive their guaranteed minimums first, then allowing non-relay UEs to utilize remaining resources, thus achieving both high throughput and minimal delay for relay-UEs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Area of stationary object

If the donor base station serves a large number of non-relay UEs to expand network coverage, then the area served increases, but air interface congestion worsens reducing service quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoverage areaVSAvoidair interface congestion

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic resource allocation where the donor base station continuously monitors air interface congestion levels and adjusts resource distribution between relay-UEs and non-relay UEs in real-time. When congestion is detected, the system dynamically reduces non-relay UE allocations while maintaining relay-UE guarantees, thus expanding coverage area while preventing harmful congestion effects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes resource allocation parameters dynamically based on congestion conditions. By adjusting the proportion of resources allocated to non-relay UEs versus relay-UEs based on real-time congestion metrics, the system can serve large numbers of non-relay UEs across expanded coverage areas while preventing air interface congestion from degrading service quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10085197B1Controlled handover of UEs to reduce wireless backhaul congestion

Publication Date: 2018.09.25 SPRINT SPECTRUM LLC

AI summary

In an example method, a donor base station determines that an air interface, over which the donor base station serves a relay-UE and plurality of second UEs, is threshold highly congested and that a relay base station is serving a threshold high number of first UEs. The relay base station is coupled to a relay-UE that provides wireless connectivity for the relay base station and that is served by the donor base station. Responsive to at least the determining that the air interface is threshold highly congested and that the relay base station is serving a threshold high number of first UEs, the donor base station (i) selects one or more of the plurality of second UEs and (ii) hands over the selected one or more second UEs to another base station other than the donor base station.