Gateway Changeover Method for Wireless Handover Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication networks, frequent handovers between control plane and user plane serving gateways during handover events lead to increased process loads, necessitating a method to determine whether both gateways need to be changed.

Innovation Solution

A gateway change method that acquires correspondence information associating base stations with control plane and user plane serving gateways, identifies target and source gateways upon handover requests, and determines whether to change each gateway based on this information, allowing for controlled change requests only where necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If both control plane SGW and user plane SGW are changed every time handover occurs, then handover completeness is ensured, but process load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover completenessVSAvoidprocess load
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by selectively changing only the necessary gateway(s) during handover. Instead of uniformly changing both control plane SGW and user plane SGW, the system evaluates the handover request and determines whether to change control plane SGW, user plane SGW, both, or neither based on specific conditions. This reduces unnecessary gateway changes and lowers process load while maintaining handover reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Productivity

If gateway change determination is made selectively, then process load is reduced, but handover reliability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess loadVSAvoidhandover reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the gateway change determination unit continuously monitors handover requests, base station identifiers, and gateway correspondence information. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically decides whether to change control plane SGW, user plane SGW, both, or neither. This feedback-driven approach ensures that gateway changes are made only when necessary, maintaining reliability while reducing unnecessary process load.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If uniform gateway change policy is applied, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but unnecessary changes increase process load

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimplementation simplicityVSAvoidprocess load
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the gateway change decision into distinct components: control plane SGW change determination and user plane SGW change determination. Each can be independently evaluated and executed based on specific conditions. This segmentation allows the system to apply complex selective logic without overwhelming implementation complexity, as each segment handles a specific aspect of the decision-making process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3419334B1Gateway changeover method
Publication Date: 2019.09.25 NTT DOCOMO INC
  • EP3419334B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3419334B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3419334B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A correspondence information storage 32 acquires correspondence information in which an eNB 20, an SGW-C 60, and an SGW-U 70 are associated with each other in advance, and a connection controller 31 receives a handover request from the eNB 20 and identifies a target eNB 20 and a source eNB 20. A connection changer 33 identifies the SGW-C 60 and the SGW-U 70 associated with the target eNB 20 and identifies the SGW-C 60 and the SGW-U 70 associated with the source eNB 20, with reference to the correspondence information. The connection changer 33 determines whether or not the SGW-C 60 and the SGW-U 70 are to be changed on the basis of the identified result, and controls change requests for at least one of the SGW-C 60 and the SGW-U 70 on the basis of a result of the determination.