Predictive Cell-Load Handover for Balanced 5G Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G mobile communication systems, cell loads are often unbalanced, leading to reduced service quality in high-load cells and resource waste in low-load cells, with load fluctuations making it difficult to maintain a balanced state.

Innovation Solution

A handover method and device that utilize predicted cell load information to instruct terminals to move to lower-loaded cells, with network elements exchanging cell information to manage handovers and potentially switching off high-load cells.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If handover decisions are made based on current cell load information, then handover responsiveness is improved, but load fluctuations make it difficult to maintain balanced cell loads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover responsivenessVSAvoidcell load balance
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by predicting future cell load conditions before making handover decisions. The network element receives predicted cell load information from the target cell, evaluates whether the predicted load will be below a threshold, and proactively initiates handover accordingly. This allows the system to anticipate load changes rather than merely reacting to current conditions, thereby maintaining more stable cell load balance while preserving handover responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If terminals are handed over to cells with lower current load, then resource utilization is improved, but predicted load information is required to prevent future load imbalance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidinformation exchange mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs an intermediary mechanism where the target cell provides predicted load information to the source network element through a standardized interface. This intermediary information exchange allows the source cell to make informed handover decisions based on future load conditions rather than just current load, improving resource utilization by preventing terminals from being handed over to cells that will soon become overloaded, while maintaining a relatively simple implementation through standardized messaging.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Stability of the object's composition

If predicted cell load information is used for handover decisions, then cell load balance is improved, but additional information exchange between network elements is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecell load balanceVSAvoidinformation exchange overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential predicted load information from the target cell that is necessary for handover decision-making. Rather than exchanging comprehensive cell state information, the system selectively obtains predicted load metrics below a threshold, reducing information overhead while maintaining the ability to achieve cell load balance. This selective information extraction minimizes the loss of information to only what is strictly necessary for the handover function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4024949B1Handover method, handover device, and network system
Publication Date: 2025.08.13 ZTE CORP
  • EP4024949B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4024949B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP4024949B1 patent drawingFigure 6~8

AI summary

Provided are a handover method, a handover device, and a network system. The handover method includes: receiving (S202) cell information of a second cell sent by a second network element, wherein the second cell is a cell managed by the second network element, and the cell information includes predicted cell load information of the second cell; and sending (S204) a handover instruction to a terminal in a case where the cell information satisfies a preset condition, wherein the handover instruction is used for instructing the terminal to perform handover to the second cell, and the case where the cell information satisfies the preset condition at least indicates that the predicted cell load information of the second cell is lower than a configured first threshold.