Mobile Handover Selection Using QoS Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing handover processes in mobile communications often rely solely on signal strength, leading to potential service quality deterioration due to factors like interference and congestion, especially when switching between different radio access technologies or during network upgrades, without considering the specific requirements of ongoing applications such as VoIP or video streaming.
Innovation Solution
A handover process that monitors the initial bearer link, determines the nature of the session traffic, retrieves capability profiles of candidate base stations, and selects a base station suited to handle the session traffic based on criteria like bearer type and Quality of Service Class identifiers, ensuring optimal handover for specific applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If handover selection is based solely on signal strength, then the handover process is simple and fast, but service quality deteriorates due to interference and congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the selection parameters from only signal strength to multiple parameters including signal strength, interference levels, and congestion indicators. This allows the system to evaluate candidate base stations comprehensively, selecting the one that best balances signal quality and service conditions, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple handover processes and reliable service quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts handover decisions by continuously monitoring multiple parameters (signal strength, interference, congestion) rather than relying on a static single metric. This dynamic evaluation enables the network to adapt to changing conditions and select the most appropriate target base station, improving service quality without significantly complicating the handover mechanism.
2Loss of time
If handover is based on signal strength only, then the decision process is quick, but application-specific requirements (low latency for VoIP, high bit rate for video) are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring capability profiles for each base station that include their supported services, latency characteristics, and bandwidth capabilities. When handover is needed, the system quickly matches the current application requirements against these pre-analyzed profiles, enabling fast decisions that are still application-aware. This resolves the contradiction between quick handover decisions and application-specific adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the mobile device reports current application requirements (VoIP, video streaming, etc.) to the network, which then uses this feedback to select an appropriate target base station. The capability profiles provide feedback on what services each base station can support, creating a closed-loop system that adapts handover decisions to actual application needs while maintaining reasonable decision times.
3Reliability
If capability profile information is retrieved and analyzed for each candidate base station, then optimal handover selection is achieved, but signaling overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The capability profiles serve multiple functions: they store base station capabilities, enable quick matching during handover, and provide a standardized interface for different types of services. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate evaluation mechanisms for each service type, thereby improving handover selection accuracy without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Capability profiles are established in advance for each base station, containing pre-analyzed information about their capabilities for different service types. This preliminary preparation means that during actual handover events, the system only needs to retrieve and compare existing profiles rather than performing complex real-time analysis, thus improving selection accuracy while limiting the increase in processing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cellular telephone handover process, mediated by a mobile terminal or a base station, is controlled in accordance with Quality of service Control Indicators (QCIs) (23) such that the base station to which handover is made (if any) is selected (60, 61) according to parameters (11, 12, 21, 22) which relate to the capability of each base station to handle the session or sessions currently is use. Handover may also be initiated if the user initiates an application (93, 94) not supported by the base station currently in use. If the session is running an application with a low latency threshold (e.g conversational voice call), and a handover could only be achieved by interrupting the session by a "release with redirection" process, the handover is not proceeded with (98).