Handover Function Unit Bearer Mapping for Network Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The diversification of networks to which a mobile station can connect poses challenges for handover, as the number of bearers that can be set up with the source and destination networks may differ, leading to inadequate handover performance.
Innovation Solution
A radio communication system with a handover function unit that manages bearers and prioritizes their disconnection to match the number of bearers between the source and destination networks, ensuring seamless handover by mapping EPS bearers to PDP contexts and disconnecting excess bearers based on priority or external network priority.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If handover is performed from a network with more bearers to a network with fewer bearers, then network switching capability is improved, but service continuity is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a bearer mapping relationship before handover occurs. The mapping table is prepared in advance to associate bearers from the source network with bearers in the target network, ensuring that service continuity is maintained from the outset of the handover process rather than attempting to resolve bearer mismatches after handover begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mapping table as an intermediary mechanism between the source network and target network bearers. This mapping table acts as a mediator that translates and associates bearers from networks with different bearer capacities, allowing seamless service continuity during handover despite the difference in bearer numbers between source and destination networks.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of bearers is reduced to match destination network capacity, then handover compatibility is improved, but service quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary mapping of bearers before handover execution. By establishing the bearer correspondence relationship in advance, the system can maintain the original service quality of high-priority bearers while only disconnecting low-priority bearers that exceed the destination network's capacity, thus preserving service quality as much as possible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between different bearers based on their priority levels. Instead of uniformly reducing all bearers, the system selectively maintains high-priority bearers with full service quality while disconnecting only the necessary number of low-priority bearers, thereby preserving service quality locally where it matters most.
3Adaptability or versatility
If bearers are disconnected to match network capacity, then handover feasibility is improved, but complexity of bearer management is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mapping table as an intermediary data structure that simplifies bearer management during handover. This mapping table automatically tracks the correspondence between source and target network bearers, reducing the complexity of manually managing bearer disconnections and associations while enabling feasible handover between networks with different bearer capacities.
Data Source
AI summary
A radio communication system includes an EPC 100, a 3G network 200 and a mobile station 10 connectable to an external network 300 via any one of the EPC 100 and the 3G network 200. The communication system includes: a handover function unit configured to control a handover from the EPC 100 to the 3G network 200. The number of EPS bearers allowed to be set up with the mobile station 10 and the EPC 100 is larger than the number of PDP contexts allowed to be set up with the mobile station 10 and the 3G network 200. The handover function unit controls the handover in accordance with the number of the EPS beaters already set up with the mobile station 10 and the EPC 100 and the number of the PDP contexts to be newly set up with the mobile station 10 and the 3G network 200.