Handover Scheduling Assignment Power Boosting in LTE

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Solution Overview

Problem

The handover procedure in LTE radio access networks is vulnerable to interference, leading to decreased handover performance and user dissatisfaction due to dropped calls, necessitating improved robustness and reliability in high-interference and coverage-limited areas.

Innovation Solution

Increasing the transmission power of scheduling assignments specific for communication devices involved in handover processes, particularly through the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), only during critical phases of the handover, to enhance robustness without compromising overall system capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If transmission power is increased for scheduling assignments during handover, then handover robustness and success rate improve, but system capacity and resource efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover success rateVSAvoidsystem capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by increasing transmission power specifically for scheduling assignments related to handover processes, rather than uniformly increasing power across all scheduling assignments. This targeted approach enhances handover robustness while minimizing impact on overall system capacity. The network entity identifies handover-related scheduling assignments and applies power boosting only to those specific signals.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by applying power boosting only to a subset of scheduling assignments - specifically those associated with handover operations. This partial application of the power increase strategy improves handover success rates without the full resource cost of system-wide power boosting, thus maintaining better overall system capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If transmission power is increased for scheduling assignments during handover, then handover robustness in interference-limited areas improves, but interference to other users increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover robustnessVSAvoidinterference to other users
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by spatially and functionally localizing the power boost to only those scheduling assignments that are critical for handover. This localized power enhancement improves handover robustness in interference-limited areas while confining the harmful interference effect to a minimal set of resources and time slots, thereby reducing overall interference to other users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses partial action by applying power boosting selectively only during handover events rather than continuously. This temporary and selective power enhancement provides the necessary robustness during critical handover moments while minimizing the duration and scope of interference generation to other users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If transmission power is increased for all scheduling assignments, then overall system reliability improves, but resource efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidresource efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating between handover-related scheduling assignments and other scheduling assignments. Power boosting is applied locally only to the handover-related subset, providing targeted reliability enhancement for critical operations while avoiding unnecessary resource consumption for non-critical transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by applying power boosting only to the extent necessary for handover operations. This selective approach provides sufficient reliability for handover success without the excessive resource consumption that would result from system-wide power boosting, thus maintaining better resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3245827B1Method and system relating to handover
Publication Date: 2021.04.14 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
  • EP3245827B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3245827B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3245827B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method (30) relating to handover in a communication system (1). The method (30) comprises establishing (31) that a communication device (3) is involved in a handover process from a first cell(C1) to a second cell(C2); and increasing (33) transmission power of a scheduling assignment specific for the communication device (3). The disclosure also relates to a system, computer program and computer program products.