RAN Mobility Management for Airborne Devices Using Satellite Geolocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airborne mobile devices, such as drones and UAVs, experience inefficient and erroneous handover decisions in wireless telecommunications networks due to high signal strength levels from multiple nearby cells, leading to unpredictable and resource-intensive handover processes, especially when operating above local clutter.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a radio access network (RAN) mobility management element that uses satellite-based geolocation measurements to determine handover decisions, supplementing with signal strength, quality, and interference measurements to identify candidate handover cells and reduce the number of compared cells, thereby improving handover accuracy and reducing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If handover decisions are based solely on signal strength measurements, then the handover process is simple to implement, but handover accuracy deteriorates due to high signal strength levels from multiple nearby cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from only signal strength to include satellite-based geolocation measurements. By using geolocation data to determine distance between the airborne device and serving cell, and comparing this with distances to other cells, the system achieves more accurate handover decisions that account for the unique propagation conditions of airborne devices.
2Measurement precision
If all nearby cells are compared for handover decisions, then handover accuracy is maximized, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of all nearby cells into a focused subset of candidate handover cells. By using geolocation-based distance calculations to identify only those cells that are actually close to the airborne device, the system reduces the number of cells that need to be evaluated, thereby reducing computational resources and energy consumption while maintaining handover accuracy.
3Speed
If signal strength measurements are used for airborne devices, then the handover process is fast, but handover reliability deteriorates due to unpredictable signal strength levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces satellite-based geolocation measurements as an intermediary parameter that mediates between the speed requirement and reliability requirement. The geolocation data provides a stable, predictable basis for handover decisions that is not subject to the unpredictable signal strength variations experienced by airborne devices, thereby improving reliability while maintaining relatively fast handover execution.
Data Source
AI summary
A radio access network (RAN) mobility management element can receive a satellite-based measurement of a geolocation of an airborne mobile device. The RAN mobility management element can determine, based on the satellite-based measurement, a distance between the geolocation of the airborne mobile device and a geolocation of a serving cell that is serving the airborne mobile device, and a respective distance between the geolocation of the airborne mobile device and a respective geolocation of each cell of a plurality of cells. The RAN mobility management element can determine whether to hand over the airborne mobile device to a cell, included in the plurality of cells, based on the distance between the geolocation of the airborne mobile device and the geolocation of the serving cell, and a distance between the geolocation of the airborne mobile device and a geolocation of the cell included in the plurality of cells.