Wireless Network Access Unit Group-Based Upgrade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless network access unit upgrades in radio access networks cause service outages for user equipment due to the need for restarts, which are inefficient and affect all users within the network coverage area, especially with increasing IoT devices disrupting traditional low-traffic times.
Innovation Solution
A method that identifies groups of wireless network access units with overlapping coverage areas, allowing for seamless data traffic offloading to adjacent units during upgrades, enabling software or hardware upgrades without service outages by using an operating unit to manage and automate the process, including creating a network coverage map and selecting units for upgrade based on traffic and geographical considerations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless network access units are upgraded by restarting them, then software updates and security patches are applied, but service outages occur for all user equipment connected to the base station
Solution Approach 1:
The network access units are divided into multiple groups based on their geographical coverage areas. By segmenting the upgrade process into group-based batches, the system can upgrade one group while maintaining service for other groups, thereby reducing overall service disruption and allowing targeted updates without forcing a complete network shutdown
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by identifying and grouping network access units based on their coverage area overlaps before the upgrade process begins. This pre-planning enables the system to prepare handover paths and ensure that when one group is upgraded, user equipment can be seamlessly transferred to overlapping coverage areas, preventing service outages
2Productivity
If complete regions are upgraded at the same time, then upgrade efficiency is improved, but all user equipment within the network coverage area suffer from service outages
Solution Approach 1:
The upgrade process is segmented into multiple groups based on geographical coverage areas. Instead of upgrading all units simultaneously across the entire region, the system divides them into manageable groups that can be upgraded sequentially or in parallel batches, maintaining service continuity for users in non-upgraded areas while still achieving efficient overall upgrade progress
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by allowing different regions to be in different upgrade states simultaneously. Some geographical areas undergo upgrading while other areas maintain normal service operations. This localized approach ensures that service outages are confined to specific regions rather than affecting the entire network coverage area at once
3Reliability
If redundancy mechanisms are provided for each base station to avoid service outages, then service continuity is maintained, but cost efficiency decreases due to the distributed nature of RANs with thousands of individual base stations
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes base stations universal by enabling any base station within an overlapping coverage group to serve as a temporary backup for others. Instead of dedicating specific redundancy resources to each base station, any base station in the group can take over user equipment connections during upgrades, eliminating the need for expensive dedicated redundancy infrastructure while maintaining service continuity
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to techniques of upgrading wireless network access units of a network, wherein the wireless network access units are connected to an operating unit of the network via a communication link, the method comprises the following steps carried out by the operating unit: - Identifying a first group of wireless network access units based on a network coverage table, wherein each wireless network access unit within the first group shows an overlapping network coverage area with another wireless network access unit; - Selecting a first wireless network access unit of the first group for an upgrade process; - Outsourcing user equipment wirelessly connected to the first wireless network access unit to a second wireless network access unit of the first group, wherein the first wireless network access unit and the second wireless network access unit show a common overlapping network coverage area; - Triggering the upgrade process of the first wireless network access unit.