Wireless Handover Bandwidth Allocation for Seamless Connection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing handover protocols for wireless connections between heterogeneous networks often result in degradation of signal quality during the transition, leading to inconvenient or impossible continuation of tasks, and may result in complete loss of connection when no suitable alternative is available.

Innovation Solution

A handover control system that includes a probing mechanism to assess the capabilities of new connections and trigger processes to maximize the existing connection's utilization before degradation, prioritizing bandwidth allocation to ensure data buffering and quality maintenance, and network management to suspend or limit data feeds to other users to provide maximum bandwidth to the terminal experiencing signal degradation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If handover is performed based on conventional triggers, then connection continuity is maintained, but connection quality degrades significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection continuityVSAvoidconnection quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary probing of the new connection's capabilities before handover is triggered. This allows the system to assess whether the new connection will provide adequate quality and to prepare appropriate actions (such as buffering data or adjusting transmission parameters) in advance of the handover event, thereby maintaining both continuity and quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the probing results about new connection capabilities are used to inform the handover decision. The Connection Manager receives feedback about whether the new connection's capabilities are sufficient and adjusts the handover timing and parameters accordingly, preventing handovers that would result in quality degradation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If handover is delayed to maintain quality, then connection quality is preserved, but data loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection qualityVSAvoiddata loss
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

When probing indicates that a handover will result in quality degradation, the system takes preliminary actions to buffer critical data and maximize utilization of the existing connection before handover occurs. This allows the system to prepare data for transfer in advance, reducing the impact of the quality-degraded connection and minimizing data loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a cushioning mechanism by buffering data in advance of the expected handover. This creates a data reserve that can be transmitted during or after the handover event, protecting against data loss even when the new connection has lower quality. The buffer acts as a cushion that absorbs the impact of the transition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Loss of substance

If bandwidth is allocated to buffer data before handover, then data loss is minimized, but service to other terminals deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata lossVSAvoidservice to other terminals
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by providing differentiated bandwidth allocation: the terminal experiencing imminent handover receives prioritized bandwidth for buffering critical data, while other terminals continue to receive normal service. This localized resource allocation ensures that only the affected terminal receives enhanced bandwidth temporarily, minimizing impact on overall network productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements preliminary anti-action by temporarily limiting or suspending data feeds to other terminals only when and where necessary - specifically for the terminal experiencing imminent handover. This targeted approach prevents data loss for the affected terminal while minimizing the duration and scope of impact on other users, allowing normal service to resume quickly after handover.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentEP2123099B1Handover of wireless connections
Publication Date: 2010.09.15 BRITISH TELECOM PLC
  • EP2123099B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2123099B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2123099B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A connection between a communications terminal and a communications network is arranged such that on detection of imminent degradation (30) or loss of such connection, the utilisation of the connection is maximised in advance of such degradation. The network temporarily reallocates the maximum bandwidth that the terminal is capable of using to that terminal, which may result in a small temporary degradation of the bandwidth available to other terminals (33), and the terminal downloads (351) the data most likely to be required next to a cache (in the case of specific web pages, identified by recent accession, bookmarks, or hyperlinks from the page currently being viewed), or a buffer (if the data is being streamed) using this extra bandwidth made available.