Home Base Station Identification via Cell History Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile telecommunications networks, particularly those operating under 3GPP standards, it is challenging for base stations to accurately identify and prioritize home base stations (HNBs) for handover procedures due to the increasing deployment of HNBs and limited information available to neighboring cells about the mobile device's history and access modes.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves maintaining and exchanging detailed cell history data, including access mode information (Open, Closed, or Hybrid) between base stations and mobile devices, to enhance handover decision-making. This data is used to filter neighbor cell lists and prioritize the mobile device's home base station for handover, improving service continuity and reducing 'ping pong' situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If detailed cell history data and access mode information are maintained and exchanged between base stations, then handover decision accuracy is improved, but device complexity and information management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having base stations maintain and exchange cell history data and access mode information in advance of handover decisions. The source base station collects UE camped cell history information during the connected state and prepares this data before handover is needed, enabling the target base station to make informed decisions about whether to allow access to CSG cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the source base station as an intermediary that collects, processes, and forwards UE history information to the target base station. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system by centralizing information management at the source base station rather than requiring direct UE-to-target-base-station communication for history data.
2Loss of information
If UE provides detailed camped cell history information to serving cell, then target cell identification capability is improved, but information transmission overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary history information elements from the complete UE camped cell history data. Instead of transmitting all available history information, the source base station identifies and extracts specific elements (such as CSG cell identifiers and access modes) that are relevant for handover decisions, reducing transmission overhead while maintaining decision accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of information detail to different base stations based on their specific needs. The UE provides comprehensive history information to the serving cell, which then processes and forwards only the locally relevant portions to specific target base stations, optimizing the information-to-need ratio.
3Reliability
If base stations maintain comprehensive cell history data, then service continuity is improved, but memory and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by maintaining complete cell history data only at the source base station for the duration needed to make handover decisions, rather than permanently storing all historical data. The data is retained just long enough to enable informed handover decisions about CSG cell access, then can be discarded, reducing long-term storage requirements while ensuring service continuity.
Data Source
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Figure 3a
AI summary
A user communications device having active and idle states operates in a cellular communications network in which user communications devices communicate via network communications devices of cells of the network. History data identifying the cells in which the user communications device has camped whilst in the idle mode or identifying the cells in which the mobile device has been connected whilst in the connected mode is maintained. This history data can be used to identify a home base station.