Mobile Base Station Handover via Advance Resource Reservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

In cellular telecommunications networks, mobile base stations face challenges in maintaining Quality of Service (QoS) during handovers due to the lack of advance resource reservation and configuration with neighboring base stations, leading to potential disruptions in service.

Innovation Solution

A method where a mobile base station configures its transmissions in advance of arrival at a target donor base station by requesting and reserving resources based on determined configuration parameters, ensuring continuity of QoS by establishing wireless connections through WLAN or cellular networking interfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a mobile base station performs handover without advance resource reservation, then the handover process is simpler and faster to initiate, but the Quality of Service (QoS) continuity is disrupted and service interruptions occur

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveQoS continuityVSAvoidhandover process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile base station determines configuration parameters of neighboring base stations in advance and reserves necessary resources before the actual handover occurs. This preliminary configuration includes identifying target base stations, determining their parameters, and securing resources to ensure seamless QoS continuity during handover, eliminating service interruptions while maintaining manageable complexity through automated advance preparation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If a mobile base station configures transmissions in advance with target donor base station, then QoS continuity is maintained during handover, but the time and signaling overhead for handover preparation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidhandover preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs configuration parameter determination and resource reservation in advance of the actual handover event. By identifying target base stations and securing resources before handover execution, the system ensures service continuity while the automated nature of this preliminary configuration minimizes the perceived preparation time and overhead during the critical handover moment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If a mobile base station requests and reserves resources in advance, then resource availability is guaranteed for seamless handover, but the signaling overhead and network complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover efficiencyVSAvoidnetwork signaling complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile base station initiates resource reservation and configuration parameter determination in advance of handover, sending necessary requests to target base stations and the network. This advance resource securing ensures that when handover occurs, all resources are already allocated and configured, maximizing handover efficiency while the automated resource management minimizes ongoing signaling complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile base station autonomously determines configuration parameters of neighboring base stations and manages its own resource reservation requirements. By self-identifying target base stations and self-managing resource allocation requests, the system reduces the need for complex centralized coordination, thereby improving handover efficiency while limiting the increase in network signaling complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3679744B1Method in a cellular telecommunications network, computer program, computer-readable data carrier and network node.
Publication Date: 2023.08.16 BRITISH TELECOM PLC
  • EP3679744B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3679744B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3679744B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Cellular telecommunications network including a first and second base station, the first base station having a first interface for communicating with a first cellular core networking node and a second interface for wirelessly communicating with the second base station, the second base station being mobile and having a first interface for wirelessly communicating with the first base station and a second interface for communicating with a User Equipment, UE, wherein the UE's user traffic is transmitted between the first cellular core networking node and the UE via the first and second base stations, the method comprising the steps of: determining a first identity of a third base station and a second identity of a fourth base station, wherein an overlap of the third and fourth base stations' respective coverage areas cover a route of the second base station; determining a time of arrival of the second base station within the overlap; determining a first configuration parameter of the third base station and a second configuration parameter of the fourth base station in advance of the second base station's time of arrival; based on the determined first configuration parameter of the third base station, initiating a handover of the second base station to the third base station; and configuring a transmission of the second base station based on the determined second configuration parameter of the fourth base station.