Probabilistic Event Reporting for Heterogeneous Network Fault Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

In heterogeneous networks (HetNets) with high node density, fault events like power outages and interference lead to a flood of alarms, increasing management traffic and operational costs for network operators.

Innovation Solution

Configuring network nodes with a 'probability of reporting' attribute or a common random seed to determine whether to report events, reducing the overall number of reported alarms while ensuring sufficient reporting to the operations and maintenance system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If network nodes are deployed with high density to improve coverage and capacity, then network performance is improved, but management traffic increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork coverage and capacityVSAvoidmanagement traffic volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by configuring network nodes to report events probabilistically rather than reporting all events. Each node uses a probability value (e.g., 0.5) to determine whether to report a detected event, thereby reducing the total number of reports while maintaining sufficient fault management capability across the high-density network

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If all network nodes report every detected event, then fault detection completeness is improved, but operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault detection completenessVSAvoidoperational expenditures

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the reporting parameter from deterministic (always report) to probabilistic (report with probability P). The operations and maintenance system configures each node with a probability value, and nodes use this parameter to randomly decide whether to report events, thereby reducing operational costs while maintaining adequate fault detection through statistical sampling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If network nodes use individual random seeds for event reporting, then reporting distribution is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereporting distributionVSAvoidconfiguration management

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the random seed configuration into a single common value that is distributed to all network nodes. Instead of managing individual random seeds for each node, the system uses one common random seed that all nodes share, simplifying configuration management while still achieving distributed and balanced event reporting across the network

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9538402B2Fault management traffic reduction in heterogeneous networks

Publication Date: 2017.01.03 WSOU INVESTMENTS LLC

AI summary

A method includes configuring one or more network nodes in a radio access network using information to be used by the one or more network nodes to determine whether an event detected by the one or more network nodes and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Another method includes configuring a network node in a radio access network using information to be used by the network node to determine whether an event detected by the network node and associated with the radio access network should be reported. Responsive to the configuring, the network node may or may not report the event. Apparatus, computer programs, computer program products, and communication systems are also disclosed.