Intercell Handover Preselection for High-Speed Mobile Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

In mobile networks, particularly for high-speed moving user equipment like aircraft, frequent handovers due to similar RSRP and RSRQ values from multiple base stations lead to increased latency and throughput drops, exacerbated by biased measurements from directional antennas and line-of-sight conditions, necessitating a method to optimize handover selection.

Innovation Solution

User equipment preselects base stations based on criteria such as attitude, speed, altitude, and antenna direction, modifying signal measurement reports to promote or handicap certain cells, thereby guiding the attachment base station to make more efficient handover decisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the user equipment reports all measured base stations with similar RSRP and RSRQ values, then the attachment base station has more information for handover decisions, but this leads to frequent and unnecessary handovers increasing latency and reducing throughput

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The user equipment extracts and filters out base stations with similar signal characteristics from the measurement report, sending only the most relevant candidates to the attachment base station. This reduces the information volume while maintaining decision-quality, preventing unnecessary handovers and reducing latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The user equipment performs preliminary selection and ranking of base stations based on signal strength and other criteria before reporting to the attachment base station. This pre-processing action ensures that only the most promising handover candidates are considered, reducing the number of handovers and associated latency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the user equipment uses directional antennas for high-speed communication, then the communication quality improves, but the measurements become biased leading to incorrect handover decisions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidmeasurement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The user equipment applies different weighting or processing to measurements from different directional antennas based on their orientation and signal characteristics. This allows the system to account for the directional nature of the antennas, correcting measurement bias while maintaining the communication quality benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback mechanisms where the attachment base station receives measurement reports, evaluates them against network conditions, and adjusts handover decisions accordingly. This feedback loop allows correction of measurement biases through network-side intelligence while preserving the directional antenna advantages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the attachment base station makes handover decisions based on all received measurements, then the decision process is comprehensive, but this results in excessive handovers for high-speed moving user equipment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandover decision flexibilityVSAvoidthroughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of considering all measured base stations, the user equipment selectively reports only the most relevant candidates based on signal strength and spatial proximity. This partial action approach reduces the number of handover decisions while maintaining sufficient adaptability for optimal communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system modifies the handover decision parameters by incorporating user equipment mobility information, antenna directionality, and signal characteristic weighting. These parameter changes enable more intelligent handover decisions that reduce unnecessary transitions while maintaining network adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12563462B2Method for optimizing an intercell handover in a mobile network and associated system

Publication Date: 2026.02.24 AIRBUS DS SLC

AI summary

A method for a user equipment to preselect at least one base station in a mobile network, the user equipment being attached to an associated base station of the plurality of base stations, the method being implemented by the user equipment and including receiving a signal from each base station of the plurality of base stations; measuring at least one characteristic of each received signal, the measurement including the creation of a report including all of the assigned values; preselecting at least one base station according to at least one criterion relating to the user equipment and the measurement carried out in the measurement stage; modifying at least one value of the report created in the measurement stage according to the preselection, and sending the report to the associated base station.