Virtual RAN Cell Handover for Server Migration Without Service Drops

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Solution Overview

Problem

The disaggregated Open RAN architecture complicates migration of virtualized radio access network (vRAN) components due to vendor-specific and architecture-specific state transfer challenges, leading to potential degradation of user device connections during load balancing, maintenance, and updates.

Innovation Solution

Implement virtual cells sharing a physical radio unit, utilizing a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) to manage mobility and handovers between these cells, enabling standardized state information transfer and load balancing without disrupting user connections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If virtualized RAN components are migrated between servers for load balancing and maintenance, then network efficiency and resource utilization are improved, but user device connections may be degraded due to state transfer challenges

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork efficiencyVSAvoiduser device connection

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a state transfer mechanism as an intermediary that facilitates the migration of virtual RAN components between servers. This intermediary handles the complex state information transfer, ensuring that user device connections are maintained during migration by properly transferring connection states between source and target servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary actions by establishing target server readiness before migration, pre-transferring state information, and preparing handover procedures in advance. This ensures that when virtual RAN components are migrated, user connections are seamlessly transferred without degradation through pre-configured state transfer and target server preparation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple virtual cells share a physical radio unit, then resource utilization and scalability are improved, but device complexity increases due to mobility management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidmobility management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements universality by creating a standardized state transfer mechanism that works across multiple virtual cells sharing a physical radio unit. This universal approach handles mobility management consistently across different cell configurations, reducing the complexity that would otherwise arise from managing multiple specialized systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses parameter changes to manage mobility by dynamically adjusting state information parameters during handovers between virtual cells. By changing and transferring specific state parameters (such as connection states, configuration parameters) between cells, the system manages mobility complexity through standardized parameter manipulation rather than complex procedural management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If dedicated processing hardware is used for each base station, then processing reliability is improved, but deployment costs and single point of failure risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing reliabilityVSAvoiddeployment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies merging by consolidating multiple virtual RAN instances and their processing functions onto shared physical infrastructure. Instead of separate dedicated hardware for each base station, multiple virtual cells share common processing resources while maintaining individual processing reliability through virtualization and state transfer mechanisms that ensure each virtual instance operates reliably.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by creating virtual copies of base station processing functions that can be instantiated on shared hardware. These virtual copies maintain the reliability of dedicated processing through standardized state transfer and configuration copying, while avoiding the deployment complexity of physical dedicated hardware for each instance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12550003B2Repurposing mobility management with virtual radio in software radio access networks

Publication Date: 2026.02.10 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Described are examples for repurposing mobility management with virtual radio in software radio access networks. A virtual mobile network includes a first server configured to host a first mobile network distributed unit (DU) for providing a first virtual cell to a plurality of user devices via a radio unit. The virtual mobile network also includes a second server configured to host a second mobile network distributed unit providing a second virtual cell via the same radio unit. A radio access network (RAN) intelligent controller (RIC) is configured to control the first DU and the second DU to hand over the plurality of user devices from the first virtual cell to the second virtual cell. The first server may then be shut down for maintenance or updates without dropping service to the user devices.