A load balancing handoff algorithm based on RSSI and energy-aware in HAPs network

Abstract

When high altitude platforms (HAPs) work as communication relay platforms, mobile terminals (MTs) generally make use of the handoff algorithm based on RSSI for handoff between HAPs. However, when several MTs send information to ground command center simultaneously, using the handoff algorithm based on RSSI will lead to HAPs with large received signal strength overload and HAPs with small received signal strength idle, putting HAPs network at risk of load imbalance and causing the phenomenon of congestion and packet loss, which thereby increases end-to-end delay and reduces packet delivery ratio. Aiming at the above problem and considering the limited energy of HAPs, a load balancing handoff algorithm based on RSSI and energy-aware in HAPs network is proposed. The simulation results obtained show that compared with the handoff algorithm based on RSSI, the proposed handoff algorithm can effectively balance network loads, reduce end-to-end delay and improve packet delivery ratio.