Dynamic Handover Criteria Adjustment for Wireless Access Node Offloading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication networks, larger access nodes can mask or interfere with signals from smaller access nodes, leading to inefficient resource utilization and degradation of communication quality due to overlapping coverage areas, where devices may not detect the smaller nodes as viable communication providers.
Innovation Solution
Adjusting the handover criteria for smaller access nodes based on changes in loading and throughput of larger access nodes, allowing devices to handover when the signal level from the smaller node meets a decreased threshold, and subsequently adjusting criteria based on monitored changes in loading and throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If larger access nodes transmit with higher signal power to cover larger areas, then coverage area is improved, but smaller access nodes become undetectable or unviable due to signal masking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing access node-specific handover criteria. Each access node (larger and smaller) has its own customized handover criteria parameters that reflect its local characteristics such as signal power, coverage area, and capacity. This allows the system to account for the signal masking effect locally at each node rather than using uniform handover thresholds, enabling devices to properly detect and connect to smaller nodes even when larger nodes are transmitting at high power.
2Reliability
If devices connect to larger access nodes for better signal strength, then connection reliability is improved, but resource utilization becomes inefficient when larger nodes are overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic handover criteria adjustment based on real-time network conditions. The handover criteria for access nodes are not fixed but are dynamically modified based on factors such as device throughput, access node loading, and signal levels. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to redirect devices from overloaded larger nodes to smaller nodes with available capacity, optimizing resource utilization while maintaining connection reliability through continuous monitoring and adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors device throughput, access node loading, and signal levels, then uses this information to adjust handover criteria. The network entity receives feedback about network conditions and device performance, and modifies handover parameters accordingly to achieve optimal resource allocation. This closed-loop control ensures that devices are handed over to appropriate nodes based on current network state, balancing reliability and resource utilization.
3Productivity
If handover criteria are lowered to enable connections to smaller access nodes, then resource distribution is improved, but connection stability decreases due to more frequent handovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying handover criteria based on multiple dynamic factors including device throughput, access node loading, and signal level differences. Rather than simply lowering thresholds, the system adjusts specific parameters (such as threshold offsets, signal level requirements) based on the particular conditions of each handover scenario. This nuanced parameter adjustment enables resource distribution to smaller nodes while maintaining connection stability by ensuring handovers occur only when genuinely beneficial.
Data Source
AI summary
When a first loading of a first access node is determined to meet a loading criteria, a handover criteria is decreased for a second access node comprising a coverage area at least a portion of which is within a coverage area of the first access node. A handover is performed of at least one of a plurality of wireless devices from the first access node to the second access node when a signal level of the second access node received at the at least one of the plurality of wireless devices meets the decreased handover criteria. Changes are determined in the first loading and in a throughput provided to the at least one of the wireless devices, and the handover criteria for the second access node is adjusted based on the changes in the first loading and the throughput provided to the at least one wireless device.