Gateway Handover Using Shared-Link SSB Measurements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gateway handover methods in non-terrestrial networks suffer from poor reliability and high hardware overheads, with hard handovers being unreliable and soft handovers requiring additional hardware and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A method where a terminal device receives synchronization signals from both the source and candidate target gateways on the same service link, allowing for efficient channel quality measurement and handover decision-making, reducing hardware requirements by using shared spectrum resources and optimizing handover reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soft handover method is used to improve handover reliability, then handover reliability is improved, but hardware costs and bandwidth increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the terminal device measure and report channel quality of candidate target gateways in advance before actual handover occurs. The source gateway uses these pre-collected measurement results to make handover decisions, eliminating the need for complex simultaneous multi-link monitoring and reducing hardware requirements while maintaining reliable handover.
2Device complexity
If hard handover method is used to reduce hardware overheads, then hardware costs are reduced, but handover reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having the terminal device continuously measure and report channel quality information of candidate target gateways to the source gateway. This feedback mechanism enables the source gateway to make informed handover decisions based on actual channel conditions, achieving reliable handover with simplified hardware architecture by using software-based measurement and decision logic.
3Reliability
If multiple transceiver apparatuses are deployed for soft handover, then handover reliability is improved, but spectrum resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling a single transceiver apparatus in the terminal device to perform multiple functions: measuring channel quality of the source gateway, measuring channel quality of candidate target gateways, and supporting handover decisions. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate transceiver apparatuses for each gateway, reducing spectrum resource consumption while maintaining reliable handover capability.
Data Source
AI summary
This application provides a gateway handover method and an apparatus, to ensure the reliability of a gateway handover of a terminal device and reduce hardware overheads in a gateway handover process. The terminal device receives a synchronization signal/PBCH (physical broadcast channel) block (SSB) from a network device through a service link. The SSB includes an SSB of a source gateway and an SSB of at least one candidate target gateway. The terminal device obtains a measurement value of channel quality corresponding to the SSB of the at least one candidate target gateway, and sends a measurement result to the network device. The network device forwards the measurement result to the source gateway, which determines, based on the measurement result, whether to hand over the terminal device from the source gateway to one of the at least one candidate target gateway.