Fast Wireless Backhaul for Low-Latency 5G Handover

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing 5G mmWave and Terahertz cellular networks face challenges in maintaining low latency and high reliability due to frequent handovers caused by blockages, which are exacerbated by wireless backhauling, leading to inefficient handover procedures and increased capital and operational costs.

Innovation Solution

A Fast Wireless Backhaul (FWB) scheme is introduced, where user equipment devices maintain connections with multiple base stations, designating a primary and secondary base station, and utilize a multicast tree for data transmission, enabling efficient handovers and reduced latency through proactive connection management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If wireless backhaul is used to reduce deployment cost, then capital and operational cost is reduced, but handover latency increases and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment costVSAvoidhandover latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing multiple candidate base station connections before actual handover is needed. The user equipment maintains measurement reports and connection parameters with multiple candidate base stations, so when handover is triggered, the process can be executed rapidly without time-consuming setup procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the handover process into independent phases: measurement phase (monitoring multiple base stations), selection phase (choosing target base station), and execution phase (switching connections). This segmentation allows parallel processing of measurement and selection operations, reducing overall handover latency while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If frequent handovers are performed to maintain connectivity in mmWave networks, then reliability is improved, but latency increases and network complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnectivity maintenanceVSAvoidhandover latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary measurements and maintains connection parameters with multiple candidate base stations in advance. When a handover is needed, the user equipment can quickly switch between pre-configured connections without performing full measurement and setup procedures, thus maintaining reliability while minimizing latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the user equipment continuously monitors signal quality from multiple base stations and reports to the network. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of candidate base station lists and connection parameters, allowing the system to respond rapidly to changing conditions without unnecessary handovers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If connection-oriented handover procedures are used in 3GPP architecture, then protocol compatibility is maintained, but control plane latency increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotocol compatibilityVSAvoidcontrol plane latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the handover process into control plane (connection setup) and user plane (data transmission) components. By separating these functions and maintaining pre-established connection parameters, the system can quickly switch between base stations without waiting for complete protocol handover procedures, thus reducing control plane latency while maintaining compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary connection setup and parameter exchange with multiple candidate base stations before actual handover is needed. This pre-configuring of connection parameters allows the control plane to be bypassed during rapid handovers, reducing latency while maintaining protocol compatibility through the use of standardized measurement and selection procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12389292B2Handover with low latency in response to blockages in a wireless network

Publication Date: 2025.08.12 NEW YORK UNIV

AI summary

To address challenges in existing 5G wireless networks, a new wireless backhaul scheme, referred to as Fast Wireless Backhaul (FWB), is described. More specifically, in order to reduce handover delays in a network including a gateway device, at least two base stations, and a user equipment device, one of a group of the base stations selected is identified as a primary base station, and each of the other of the group of base stations selected is identified as a secondary base station. A control plane wireless connection is maintained between the user equipment device and each of the preferred base stations selected. A data plane wireless connection is maintained only between the user equipment device and the primary base station.