Handover Optimization for UAV-Assisted LEO Satellite Networks Based on IPPO and Three-Sided Matching Theory

Due to the triple mobility of mobile users (MUs), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) relays, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, handover becomes a critical and challenging issue for maintaining the continuity and quality of communication services in UAV-assisted LEO satellite networks. This paper proposes a distributed handover decision-making process aimed at improving scalability and reducing communication overhead. The handover problem is modeled as a decentralized Markov decision process (DEC-MDP) with the objective of maximizing the total end-to-end (E2E) throughput. We design an independent proximal policy optimization-based distributed intelligent handover (IPPO-DIH) algorithm within a centralized training with decentralized execution framework to solve the DEC-MDP. To analyze the theoretical optimal E2E throughput, we eliminate the correlation between handover decisions at different time steps. A three-sided matching algorithm with theoretical convergence guarantees is designed to obtain a stable matching among MUs, UAV relays, and LEO satellites at each time step. These stable matchings are combined to provide a theoretical performance benchmark for the handover algorithms. Simulation results validate the convergence of the proposed IPPO-DIH and three-sided matching algorithms. Additionally, the total E2E throughput achieved by the IPPO-DIH algorithm approaches the theoretical performance benchmark and outperforms typical handover algorithms.