Neighbor Cell IP Discovery via Server Query
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Solution Overview
Problem
In E-UTRAN systems, user equipment (UE) cannot provide the IP addresses of neighboring cells, making it difficult for Node B to establish connections with these cells for handover and self-configuration, as it only knows the cell ID.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus to identify the IP address of a neighboring node by sending an inquiry containing the cell ID to a server or other nodes, receiving the IP address, and establishing a connection with the neighboring node through unicast or multicast inquiries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If UE provides only cell ID without IP address, then UE can identify neighboring cells, but Node B cannot establish connections with neighboring nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary entity that stores the mapping relationship between cell IDs and IP addresses. When Node B needs to connect to a neighboring node, it queries the server with the cell ID, and the server returns the corresponding IP address. This intermediary mechanism resolves the information gap without requiring UE to provide IP addresses directly or manual configuration at Node B.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-populates a database on the server with the mapping relationships between cell IDs and IP addresses before the Node B needs to establish connections. This preliminary action allows Node B to perform automatic self-configuration by simply querying the server with available cell ID information, eliminating the need for manual IP address configuration or complex discovery protocols.
2Reliability
If manual configuration of neighbor cell IP addresses is used, then Node B can establish connections, but operational efforts and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables Node B to perform self-configuration by automatically querying the server for IP addresses corresponding to neighboring cell IDs. The Node B independently resolves the addressing information without requiring manual configuration by network operators or complex pre-provisioning, thereby reducing operational efforts while maintaining connection reliability.
3Productivity
If UE provides cell ID only, then UE can report neighboring cells, but handover process becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The server pre-stores the mapping between cell IDs and IP addresses, allowing Node B to quickly resolve addressing information during handover without requiring time-consuming discovery protocols or manual configuration. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces connection setup time and improves handover efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The present patent application comprises a method and apparatus to identify an address of a neighboring node, comprising the steps of identifying an existence of a neighboring cell, receiving a measurement report containing an identifier of the cell; sending an inquiry containing the identifier of the cell to a server, wherein the inquiry inquires what the IP address of the neighboring node of the cell is, and receiving an inquiry response containing the IP address of the neighboring node. In another embodiment, the inquiry containing the identifier of the cell is sent to other nodes.