Drone Base Station Replacement Using Shared Cell Identity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for replacing drone base stations in wireless telecommunications are complex and slow, leading to service interruptions and requiring changes in cell identity and radio network temporary identifiers, which affect user terminals during handovers.
Innovation Solution
A method for replacing a first drone base station with a second using the same radio frequency band and cell identifier, allowing seamless replacement invisible to user terminals, with the second drone base station flying to the vicinity of the first, taking over service without changing cell identifiers or RNTIs, and switching data paths through the backhaul node using IP addresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional handover methods are used for drone base station replacement, then user terminals can be handed over from one drone to another, but the process is complex and slow, requiring changes in cell identity and radio network temporary identifiers which affect service continuity
Solution Approach 1:
The second drone base station copies the cell identifier and radio network temporary identifier from the first drone base station. This creates an identical communication interface, allowing user terminals to continue communicating without detecting any change in cell identity, thereby eliminating traditional handover procedures and reducing service interruption time
Solution Approach 2:
A backhaul node acts as an intermediary to switch data paths between the first and second drone base stations. The backhaul node receives data from user terminals and redirects it to the appropriate drone, enabling seamless replacement without requiring user terminals to perform handover operations, thus improving service continuity
2Ease of operation
If drone base stations use different cell identifiers for identification, then each drone can be uniquely identified, but replacement requires complex handover procedures and causes service interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The cell identifier and radio network temporary identifier parameters are changed from being unique to each drone to being reusable across multiple drones. The second drone adopts the same identifiers as the first drone, simplifying the replacement process by eliminating the need for complex handover procedures and making the replacement operation straightforward
3Reliability
If the second drone base station uses the same radio frequency band and cell identifier as the first, then seamless replacement is achieved invisible to user terminals, but coordination between drones is required
Solution Approach 1:
The backhaul node serves as a coordinating intermediary that manages the switch between the first and second drone base stations. It handles the complexity of coordinating identifier reuse and data path switching, allowing the drones themselves to operate with simple identifier copying while maintaining service quality through centralized coordination
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided of replacing a first drone base station with a second drone base station, the first drone base station, the method comprising: sending by the first drone base station first pilot signals indicating a cell identifier; receiving by the first drone base station information that the second drone base station is in the vicinity of the first drone base station; sending by the second drone base station second pilot signals which indicate the same cell identifier as the first drone base station; receiving by the first drone base station from the second drone base station an indication to cease to send first pilot signals; and dependent upon receiving by the first drone base station from the second drone base station the indication to cease to send first pilot signals, ceasing by the first drone base station the sending of first pilot signals.