Service-area based configuration and use of operational-failure model

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing service of a user equipment device (UE) in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas. An example method includes detecting entry of the UE into a service area of the multiple service areas. Further, the example method includes, responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with configuration data, the configuration data correlating each location of multiple locations in the service area, respectively, with predicted operational failure at the location. Still further, the example method includes determining, based on the configuration data, that a current location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and responsively taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WOService-Area Based Configuration and Use of Operational-Failure ModelBACKGROUND

[0001] A traditional cellular wireless communication system includes multiple access nodes configured to serve user equipment devices (UEs) such as cell phones, tracking devices, wirelessly equipped personal computers, gaming devices, media players, Internet of Things (loT) devices, and other wirelessly-equipped devices, whether or not technically “user” operated.

[0002] Each access node may provide one or more cells each defining wireless coverage in which to serve UEs over a respective air-interface. Further, each access node may be coupled with a core network that includes infrastructure configured to support the access node’s service of UEs and that provides connectivity with a transport network such as the Internet. With this arrangement, when a UE is positioned within coverage of an access node, the UE may be able to engage in air-interface communication with the access node and may thereby be able to communicate through the access node, the core network, and the transport network with various remote servers and / or other entities.

[0003] A representative wireless communication system could operate in accordance with one or more radio access technologies (RATs), which may define the physical structure of the air interface between access nodes and UEs and may also define associated procedures for service of UEs.

[0004] Recent examples of these RATs include, without limitation, (i) “4G” Long Term Evolution (LTE), which facilitates mobile broadband service using technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO), (ii) “5G NR” (5G New Radio), which may use a more scalable OFDM air interface and other advanced features to support higher data rates and advanced applications, and (iii) “6G”, which might support even higher data rates, possibly by making use of millimeter wave and Terahertz spectrum.

[0005] Under such a RAT, the access node may be configured to provide each of its one or more cells on a respective radio frequency (RF) carrier that defines a downlink channel for carrying communications from the access node to UEs and an uplink channel for carrying communications from UEs to the access node. Each such carrier, and thus each such cell, may be either frequency division duplex (FDD), with separate frequency channels definedAttorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO respectively for downlink and uplink use, or time division duplex (TDD), with a single frequency channel multiplexed over time between downlink and uplink use.

[0006] Further, the downlink and uplink channels of each cell on which an access node provides service may be structured in a manner that defines physical air-interface resources for carrying both control signaling and user-plane communications between the access node and UEs. For instance, the air interface may be divided over time into frames, subframes (e.g., 1 millisecond (ms) each), timeslots (slots), and symbol time segments (symbols), and over frequency into subcarriers, so as to define an array of resource elements each occupying a respective subcarrier and spanning a respective symbol time segment. Each resource element may then serve to carry data (user-plane or control -plane) through modulation of the resource element’s subcarrier with an applicable modulation-and-coding scheme. Further, the air interface may be divided over time and channel bandwidth into physical resource blocks (PRBs), each of which may span a certain number of subcarriers (e.g., 12) in frequency and a certain duration (e.g., half of a timeslot) in time. In addition, certain resource elements in these PRBs may be reserved for particular use, such as to carry control signaling or to carry user-plane data communications.

[0007] On the downlink, for instance, certain resource elements may cooperatively carry signaling from the access node that UEs could measure as a basis to gauge cell coverage strength. Further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for carrying downlink control signaling such as scheduling directives from the access node to UEs. Still further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the access node could schedule use of the PDSCH on a PRB basis for use to carry user-plane data from the access node to served UEs. In addition, certain resource elements may cooperatively carry cell-related information, such as a Master Information Block (MIB) and various System Information Blocks (SIBs).

[0008] On the uplink, on the other hand, certain resource elements may cooperatively define an access channel for carrying access requests from UEs to the access node. Further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for carrying various uplink signaling such as measurement reports and scheduling requests from UEs to the access node. Still further, other resource elements may cooperatively define a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the access node could schedule use of the PUSCH on a per PRB basis to carry user-plane data from served UEs to the access node.2Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WOSUMMARY

[0009] When a UE operates within coverage of a wireless communication network, the UE may experience varying quality of service.

[0010] For instance, when the UE is served by an access node’s cell, signaling between the UE and the access node may have varying levels of signal-to-interference-plus- noise ratio (SINK) or other varying quality based on where the UE is positioned in the cell, in view of factors such as the distance of the UE from the access node, the carrier frequency on which the cell operates, and presence of RF obstructions, interference, and / or noise. In addition, the UE may experience varying levels of data throughput or other quality metrics (e.g., packet loss) in view of factors such as the number of UEs concurrently served by the cell and the level of use of the cell’s air-interface resources.

[0011] Further, if a UE transitions from being served by one cell to being served by another cell (whether the other cell is provided by the same access node on a different carrier or is provided by another access node), the UE may experience a change in quality of service. This may also be based on various factors, such as but not limited to differences in configurations of the two cells, differences in the UE’s distance from the access node(s), differences in RF obstructions, interference, and / or noise, and differences in load, among other possibilities.

[0012] A wireless service provider may structure its network in an effort to provide many partially overlapping cells throughout a market area so that UEs can move between the cells in the market area without loss of coverage.

[0013] When a UE is served by a given cell, the UE may regularly monitor the quality of its coverage from its coverage from neighboring cells. And if and when the UE discovers that quality of its currently serving cell is threshold poor and that quality of an adjacent cell is threshold good (e.g., threshold better than that of its current cell), the UE may send a measurement report to its serving access node in order to trigger a handover (HO) to the adjacent cell, or the UE may autonomously transition to be served by the adjacent cell.

[0014] Unfortunately, however, even with such an arrangement, there may be some scenarios where a UE may experience RF connectivity problems.

[0015] For example, in some cases, the UE’s coverage quality in its currently serving cell may be especially poor due to factors such as those noted above, so the UE may experienceAttorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO radio link failure (RLF), i.e., loss of its wireless connection, which may then cause the UE to start the connection process anew.

[0016] As another example, in some cases, the UE may detect coverage conditions that justify a handover from its currently serving cell to a target cell and may therefore attempt that handover (e.g., at the direction of its serving access node, or autonomously), but for any of a variety of reasons, the UE may experience handover failure (HOF), where the attempted handover fails, in which case the UE may likewise lose its wireless link. These or other such problems may adversely impact user experience.

[0017] The present disclosure provides a technical mechanism that may help to address such issues. In accordance with the disclosure, a UE could be provisioned with configuration data that correlates each of various locations with a predicted operational failure (e.g., of RLF or HO failure), possibly based on per-location historical data indicating occurrence of such failure, and possibly based on various factors such as UE device type, time of day, and so forth. The UE could then monitor its location and, upon finding that the UE is at a location that the configuration data correlates with a predicted operational failure, the UE could then responsively take action (i.e., proactive action) to help avoid the operational failure. For instance, the UE could responsively control its measurement reporting and / or handover in a manner that may help to avoid the predicted operational failure. Further, similar principles could apply with respect to one or more other events aside from operational failures.

[0018] A further technical issue that may arise when trying to implement this mechanism, however, is that it may be impractical for a UE to be provisioned with such configuration data for the entire network, e.g., for an entire market area, as the UE may have limited storage capacity for such data. In addition, it may be inefficient to provision the UE with that extent of configuration data, as the UE may merely have use for configuration data related to the area of the network in which the UE is currently operating.

[0019] To address this further technical issue, the present disclosure provides for dynamically provisioning a UE with a network-area-based subset of the configuration data when the UE enters into a new service area of the network. Namely, in response to the UE entering into a new network service area (e.g., a new cell, a new cell cluster, etc.), a server could dynamically provision the UE with configuration data that correlates each of various locations in that service area with a predicted operational failure. As the UE operates in that service area, the UE could then monitor its location and, upon finding from the configuration4Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO data that its location in the service area corresponds with a predicted operational failure, the UE could responsively take action to help avoid that operational failure.

[0020] Accordingly, in one respect, disclosed is a method for managing service of a UE in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas. The method includes detecting entry of a UE into a service area of the multiple service areas. Further, the method includes, responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with a set of configuration data based on the configuration data corresponding with the service area, the configuration data defining a mapping between (i) each location of multiple locations in the service area and (ii) a predicted operational failure at the location. Still further, the method includes the UE then determining, based on the provisioned configuration data, that a location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and, responsive to the determining, the UE taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

[0021] Further, in another respect, disclosed is a UE configured to manage service of the UE in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas. The UE includes a processor, non-transitory data storage, and program instructions stored in the non- transitory data storage and executable by the a processor to cause the UE to carry out various operations, such as the operations of the method noted above for instance.

[0022] Still further, in another respect, disclosed is non-transitory data storage having stored thereon program instructions executable by a processor to cause a UE to carry out operations such as those noted above for instance.

[0023] Yet further, in another respect, disclosed is a computer program comprising program instructions executable by at least one processor of a UE to perform operations such as those noted above for instance.

[0024] Additionally disclosed herein is a computing system, such as a cloud-based or core-network-based computer server for instance, configured to dynamically provision a UE with proper subset of wireless-network configuration data based on the proper subset corresponding with a wireless network service area into which the UE has entered, the configuration data defining a mapping between (i) each location of multiple locations in the service area and (ii) a predicted operational failure at the location. Such a computing system may be configured to receive reports of operational failures corresponding with locations, and using the received reports as a basis to establish the configuration data.5Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0025] These, as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives, will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that the disclosure provided here and elsewhere in this document is provided by way of example only and that numerous variations and other examples may be possible as well.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure l is a simplified block diagram of an example communication system in which various disclosed features could be implemented.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process.

[0028] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example method.

[0029] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating another example method.

[0030] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example UE.

[0031] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present disclosure will discuss example implementation in relation to a cellular wireless communication system operating according to a RAT such as one of those noted above for instance. It will be understood, however, that the disclosed principles are not limited to that arrangement but could extend as well to apply with respect to other network systems operating according to other protocols. For instance, the principles could apply with respect to networks operating according to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, among other possibilities.

[0033] Further, it will be understood that any disclosed embodiment is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments unless stated as such. Further, it should be understood that variations from the specific arrangements and processes disclosed are possible. For instance, various disclosed entities, components, connections, operations, and other elements could be added, omitted, distributed, replicated, re-located, re-ordered, combined, or changed in other ways. In addition, it will be understood that various disclosed technical operations could be implemented at least in part by one or more processing units programmed to carry out the operations or to cause one or more other entities to carry out the operations.6Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0034] Referring to the drawings, as noted above, Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example communication system in relation to which various disclosed features could be implemented.

[0035] In Figure 1, the example communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 102, which may cooperatively define a cellular wireless network possibly provided by a cellular wireless service provider. The RAN 100 may include numerous access nodes 104 configured to cooperatively provide coverage throughout a given market area. Each access node 104 may include an antenna structure and associated equipment (neither shown) configured to provide UEs with cellular service over a respective air interface 106 defining a cell. The core network 102 may then include a user-plane subsystem 108 for carrying user-plane communications (e.g., application-layer communications) to and from UEs, and a control-plane subsystem 110 for controlling registration and setup and management of service flows for UEs. In addition, the core network 102 is shown providing connectivity with an example transport network 112 such as the internet.

[0036] This cellular wireless communication system could operate in accordance with one or more RATs as noted above, which may define the physical structure of the air interface 106 including channels like those described above, and may also define associated procedures for handling service of UEs.

[0037] Figure 1 also illustrates an example UE 114, which could be any of the types of UEs noted above, among other possibilities. When such a UE powers on in or otherwise enters into coverage of such a system, the UE may search for sufficiently strong coverage of a cell. For instance, the UE may search for and discover a broadcast reference signal respectively in each of one or more cells covering the UE’s position, and the UE may evaluate the reference signal per cell to determine a strength metric such as Reference Signal Receive Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Receive Quality (RSRQ), among other possibilities. The UE may then select a cell based on the UE having detected at least predefined threshold strong coverage and / or the strongest coverage of multiple detected cells.

[0038] The UE may then engage in signaling with the access node that provides that cell, to connect with the access node. For instance, the UE may engage in random-access signaling and Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling with the access node to establish a logical RRC connection between the UE and the access node, thus transitioning the UE from an RRC idle mode to an RRC connected mode. Further, if the UE is not already registered with7Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO the core network, the UE may register with the core network through the UE’s established RRC connection.

[0039] With the example network, once the UE is RRC-connected and registered, the UE may then engage in wireless packet-data communication, with the access node coordinating use of air-interface resources for carrying packet-data to and from the UE.

[0040] For instance, when the UE has data to transmit to an entity on the transport network 112, the UE may transmit a scheduling request (SR) to the access node on the PUCCH, and, in response, the access node may assign one or more uplink PRBs for use to carry at least some of the data over the air from the UE to the access node and may transmit to the UE on the PDCCH a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message that specifies the assigned uplink PRB(s). The UE may then receive and read this DCI message to determine the assigned uplink PRB(s), and the UE may accordingly transmit data over the air to the access node in the assigned uplink PRB(s). Upon receipt of this data transmitted by the UE, the access node may then forward the data through the core network for output onto the transport network and ultimate routing to the destination entity.

[0041] Further, when a remote entity transmits data on the transport network 112 for receipt by the UE, that data may arrive at the core network and may flow through the core network to the UE’s serving access node. The access node may then assign one or more downlink PRBs for use to carry at least some of that data over the air from the access node to the UE, and the access node may transmit to the UE on the PDCCH a DCI message specifying the assigned downlink PRB(s) and may accordingly transmit data over the air to the UE in the assigned downlink PRB(s). The UE may thus receive and read the access node’s DCI message to determine the assigned downlink PRB(s) and may accordingly receive the transmitted data in the assigned downlink PRB(s).

[0042] When a UE is RRC connected, the UE may regularly monitor the coverage strength of its serving cell as well as the coverage strength of one or more other cells encompassing the UE’s position. And if the UE detects that another cell provides sufficiently strong coverage, possibly compared with the UE’s currently serving cell, the UE may work with its currently serving access node to process a handover to the other cell.

[0043] To facilitate this monitoring and possible handover, the access node may provision the UE (e.g., through RRC signaling) with one or more measurement objects (data structures) that define thresholds for triggering UE measurement-reporting to the access node. For instance, measurement objects may define an A3 measurement event that indicates howAttorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO much stronger a neighbor cell must be than the serving cell to trigger a measurement report, and an A4 measurement event that indicates how strong a neighbor cell must be (not by comparison to the serving cell) to trigger a measurement report, among other possibilities.

[0044] If and when the UE detects that such a measurement event occurs with respect to a neighbor cell, the UE may then transmit a measurement report to the UE’s serving access node. The serving access node may then engage in processing to hand over the UE from being served in the UE’s current cell to being served in the neighbor cell, and the UE would thus transition to being RRC connected with and served in the neighboring cell.

[0045] Further, after a period of inactivity where no data gets scheduled for transmission over the air between the UE and the UE’s serving access node, the UE may transition from the RRC connected mode to the RRC idle mode. In the RRC idle mode, the UE may periodically check the PDCCH of its serving cell in search for any paging messages that may alert the UE to a new communication, and if the UE detects a paging message directed to the UE, the UE may then engage in random access and RRC signaling to reconnect with its serving access node.

[0046] In addition, in the RRC idle mode, the UE may continue to regularly monitor coverage of each available cell, to help ensure that the UE continues to be served by the best available cell. If the UE thereby detects that another cell provides sufficiently strong coverage, the UE may then autonomously transition to be served by that other cell.

[0047] A wireless communication network like this may effectively define multiple network service areas, each of which may comprise separate respective physical and / or logical network infrastructure to facilitate serving UEs. Further, each such service area may have a respective identifier that helps to distinguish the service area from one or more other service areas of the network.

[0048] An example of such serving areas are the cells of the network. Another example of such serving areas are tracking areas (or likewise routing areas or location areas), each of which may encompass a cluster of cells for instance, and registration or RAN notification areas, each of which may encompass a cluster of tracking areas. Further, other examples of such serving areas may include areas defined by particular RF beams or other antenna patterns or other service areas of access nodes, access points, or other wireless communication devices such as wireless-communication dongles, near-field-communication devices, or satellite reception areas, among other possibilities.9Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0049] A SIB, reference signal, and / or other broadcast message respectively in each cell of such a network may carry or otherwise indicate an identifier of the service area, which may help to indicate UE transition (physically or logically) between service areas. For instance, a broadcast signal in each cell may carry a cell identifier that identifies the cell itself, and the UE may read those broadcast identifiers in relation to the UE’s movement from one cell to another. Likewise, a broadcast signal in each cell may carry a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) that identifies the tracking area of which the cell is part, and the UE may read those broadcast identifiers in relation to the UE’s movement from one tracking area to another.

[0050] In practice, the UE may monitor when the UE enters into a service area of the network, so that the UE can trigger associated action. The UE’s entry into a service area may be when the UE starts or will start to be served by infrastructure of the coverage area, such as when the UE first powers on or otherwise moves into the service area, or when the UE is about to hand over to the service area, is handing over to the service area, or has just handed over to the service area, among other possibilities.

[0051] This monitoring may be especially useful with tracking areas, to help managing UE paging. For instance, when the core network 102 receives a communication destined to an idle-mode UE, the control-plane subsystem 110 of the core network 102 may cause the UE to be paged in each cell of the tracking area in which the UE is operating. Based on the UE’s monitoring of the TAI broadcast in each cell, if the UE determines that the UE has entered into a new tracking area, the UE may then transmit to the control-plane subsystem 110 a Tracking Area Update (TAU) message informing the control-plane subsystem 110 of the UE’s newly serving tracking area, so that the control-plane subsystem 110 can then direct any future paging messages for the UE to be broadcast in each cell of that new tracking area.

[0052] Note that when a UE is in RRC connected mode, this process may alternatively involve the UE’s serving access node generating and transmitting a TAU to the control-plane subsystem 110, in conjunction with handover of the UE to a neighbor cell. Other arrangements are possible as well.

[0053] In line with the discussion above, the present disclosure provides a mechanism to help address potential operational failures in this or another network. As noted above, examples of operational failures may include radio link failure (RLF) and handover failure (HOF).

[0054] When a UE is RRC-connected, the UE may experience RLF in a situation where the UE’s coverage of its serving cell is especially poor. The UE may detect an occurrence10Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO of RLF by detecting factors such as threshold “out-of-sync” indications at the physical layer, a threshold retransmissions at a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and threshold issues with random access signaling, among other possibilities. Further, RLF may occur before the UE has a chance to engage in measurement reporting and handover in scenarios where handover may have been possible. When the UE experiences RLF, the UE may have to then newly search for coverage and newly establish an RRC connection (or may resort to using a separately established connection), which may delay or interrupt communications and / or pose other issues.

[0055] Further, when a UE is RRC-connected, the UE may experience HOF in a situation where the RAN 100 and / or core network 102 try to hand the UE over to another cell but that handover does not succeed, in which case the UE may have lost the UE’s serving cell connection and be unable to continue in the RRC connected mode with the target cell, again possibly forcing the UE to newly search for coverage and so forth. Various causes for HOF may exist. For instance, HOF failure may occur where the target cell is overloaded or congested such that it cannot accept a new connection, where the network is misconfigured such as with incorrect neighbor relations between access nodes, where the handover is initiated too late or too early, and possibly where sudden RLF issues occur with the target cell.

[0056] Some locations within coverage of an example network may be more prone to UEs experiencing these or other such operational failures than other locations within the coverage of the network. Within a given cell, for instance, factors that may make some locations more prone to RLF or HOF include being relatively distant from the access node, being more RF obstructed from the access node, and being closer to sources of RF interference or noise. Further, factors that may make some locations more prone to HOF may also include the locations being within relatively strong coverage of a neighbor cell that has one or more issues that would prevent successful handover to the neighbor cell.

[0057] In addition, the likelihood of occurrence of these or other such operational failures at certain locations in the network may vary based on a number of other factors as well. For instance, the likelihood of occurrence of RLF at a given location may vary over time (e.g., time of day, day of week, etc.) based on changes in sources of RF interference or noise near the location over time. Further, the likelihood of occurrence of HOF at a given location may vary over time based on changes in level of congestion of a neighbor cell that provides strong coverage at that location. Still further, the likelihood of a UE experiencing RLF or HOF at a11Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO given location may also depend on the model of the UE, which may relate to the UE’s capabilities for handling or avoiding such operational failures, among other possibilities.

[0058] As noted above, to help proactively avoid these or other operational failures, a UE could be provisioned with configuration data that is specific to the UE’s current network service area and that indicates, respectively for each of various locations within that service area, that there is threshold high probability of operational failure at that location, i.e., that there is a predicted operational failure at that location. The UE may then use that configuration data as a basis to determine when the UE is at a location within the service area where the configuration data indicates that there is a predicted operational failure, and the UE may responsively take action to help avoid that operational failure (whether or not successful).

[0059] In practice, a computing system could build a statistical model indicating for each of various locations within the network a probability of each of one or more operational failure events at the location, based on various factors such as but not limited to those noted above. When a UE enters a service area of the network, the computing system may then dynamically provision the UE with configuration data that defines that statistical model as to locations within that service area, so that the UE can then apply the statistical model as a basis to determine when the UE is at a problematic location within the service area and to proactively take action to help avoid the predicted operational failure.

[0060] The computing system could be implemented in the core network 102 or as a cloud-based platform external to the core network, among other possibilities. Figure 1 shows these two example scenarios, as a computing system 116. In particular, the figure shows one example of the computing system 116 being provided in the core network 102 and another example of the computing system 116 provided as a cloud-based server accessible through the transport network 112.

[0061] With either example arrangement, UEs may be able to engage in network communication with the computing system 116. For instance, if the computing system 116 is accessible at an Internet Protocol (IP) address, UEs may be provisioned with that IP address and may be able to engage in IP -based communication with the computing system at that address. Further, if the computing system 116 is provided as part of the control -plane subsystem 110 of the core network, UEs may be able to communicate with the computing system 116 through non-access-stratum (NAS) messaging (e.g., via RRC communication), among other possibilities.12Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0062] The computing system could build its statistical model based on reporting from UEs over time, which the computing system may record over time. For instance, UEs may transmit to the computing system reports that indicate an extent to which the UEs have experienced operational failures such as RLF and HOF on a per location basis, and the computing system could record these reports and build its statistical model based on those reports.

[0063] Each of various UEs could be configured to report to the computing system each time the UE experiences such an operational failure. (If the UE has lost connectivity, the UE could do so once the UE regains connectivity, or the UE may do so through a separate communication channel that was not impacted by the loss of connectivity). Alternatively, each UE could be configured to report to the computing system periodically or in response to one or more trigger events, such as upon the UE entering into a new service area, or in response to the UE having experienced a threshold number of operational failures at a given location, among other possibilities.

[0064] To facilitate robust statistical modeling, UEs could keep track of how often they experience particular operational failures on a per-location basis in the network. For instance, on a per-location basis, each UE could maintain a count of how many times the UE is at the location (e.g., incrementing the count periodically if the UE remains at the location), and how many times the UE experiences each of one or more operational failures such as RLF and HOF at the location. The UE may then include these raw counts in the UE’s reporting to the computing system or may report to the computing system a ratio, such as a ratio of (i) number of instances of the operational failure at the location to (ii) number of times the UE was at the location.

[0065] The computing system could then use these counts or ratios from potentially many UEs over time as a basis to establish rolled up probabilities of operational failure per location in the network. For instance, the computing system may compute the probability of RLF at a given location in the network as a ratio of the cumulative number of instances of RLF reported at that location to the cumulative number of times UEs were at that location.

[0066] The computing system could also base these probability estimates on one or more other factors that may impact the likelihood of operational failures, possibly combining these and / or other factors as a basis.

[0067] For example , if the UEs include in their reports to the computing system, or the computing system can otherwise glean, indications of the UEs’ device configurations (e.g.,Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO make, model, firmware version, etc.), the computing system may establish per-location probabilities of particular operational failures on a per-device-configuration basis. Thus, for a given location in the network, the computing system may establish that UEs of a first configuration have a first probability of experiencing a particular operational failure such as RLF or HOF, and that UEs of a second, different configuration have a second, different probability of experiencing that operational failure.

[0068] As another example, if the UEs include in their reports to the computing system, or if the computing system can otherwise glean, the times of day (i.e., times of day, days of week, etc.) of reported instances of UEs being at particular locations and UEs experiencing particular operational failures at those locations, the computing system may establish per-location probabilities of particular operational failures on a per-time-of-day basis. Thus, for a given location in the network, the computing system may establish that, at a first time of day (e.g., a first range of times of day), UEs have a first probability of experiencing a particular operational failure such as RLF or HOF, and that at a second, different time of day, UEs have a second, different probability of experiencing that operational failure.

[0069] The computing system may also map each reported location to a service area of the network, i.e., a service area that encompasses the location, so that the computing system can establish configuration data defining the computing system’s statistical model on a per service area basis. The service areas here could take various forms as discussed above, such as cell, tracking area, registration area, antenna beam area, etc.

[0070] To facilitate this, for each location indicated by a UE’s reporting to the computing system, the UE could also specify the service area in which the UE was operating when at that location. As noted above, each cell in the network may provide broadcast signaling indicating a service area of the cell, such as an identity of the cell, an identity of a tracking area encompassing the cell, etc. When a UE is served by a cell, the could thus receive and read this broadcast signal in that cell, to determine an identifier of the UE’s service area, and the UE could then specify that service-area identifier in correlation with each location indicated by the UE’s reporting to the computing system.

[0071] Note that predictions of RLF as to locations in a service area could be keyed to particular cells in the service area, such as a prediction that when a UE is at a given location in the service area and is served by a particular cell, the UE is likely to experience RLF. Whereas, predictions of HOF as to locations in a service area could be keyed to particular serving and target cell combinations, such as a prediction that when a UE is at a given location14Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO in the service area and is served by a particular cell, handover of the UE to a particular target cell is likely to fail.

[0072] Further, location as used in this process could take various forms and could be defined with various levels of granularity.

[0073] As one example, location could be geographic location represented by latitude and longitude coordinates for instance. To facilitate this, UEs may be configured with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) subsystem to be able to determine their geographic location, and UEs could thus report their instances of being at particular geographic locations and of establishing particular operational failures at those locations.

[0074] Further, the geographic locations could be ranges of geographic locations that are small enough to reasonably facilitate the present process but large enough to avoid excessive use of processing resources to track. For instance, each location could be defined as a respective combination of (i) a range of latitudes and (ii) a range of longitudes.

[0075] As another example, location could be defined in terms of UE measurement of coverage strength on a per cell basis or the like. For instance, each location could be defined as a combination of (i) UE measurement of coverage strength of the UE’s serving cell at the location and (ii) UE measurement of coverage strength of each of one or more neighbor cells at the location, keyed to the identities of these cells. Here, coverage strength could be based on various metrics, such as but not limited to RSRP, RSRQ, Receive Signal Strength Indicator (RS SI), SINR, or SNR. Thus when a UE is served by cell A and the UE is also in coverage of cell B, the UE’s location may be represented as a combination of (i) the UE’s measured RSRP of serving cell A and (ii) the UE’s measured RSRP of neighbor cell B. With this approach, two UEs may be considered to be at the same location as each other if they each had the same measured serving cell coverage strength and the neighbor cell coverage strength.

[0076] Here too, locations could be ranges that are small enough to reasonably facilitate the present process but large enough to avoid excessive use of processing resources to track. For instance, each location could be defined as a respective combination of (i) a particular range of serving cell coverage strength and (ii) a particular range of neighbor cell coverage strength, keyed to the identifies of these cells.

[0077] As noted above, the computing system could dynamically provision a given UE with configuration data that defines the computing system’ s statistical model as to locations that are in the UE’s current service area of the network, so that the UE can then apply that statistical model to help proactively avoid operational failures.15Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0078] To facilitate this, the UE could signal to the computing system each time the UE enters into a service area, and the computing system could respond to that signaling from the UE by transmitting to the UE the configuration data for that service area. The UE could then store that configuration data and refer to the data over time as a basis to determine when the UE is at a problematic location within the service area, so that the UE can proactively take action to help avoid predicted operational failure.

[0079] As noted above, the UE may receive a broadcast signal that indicates the UE’s service area. For instance, the access node that provides a cell serving the UE may broadcast in the cell an indication of an identifier of the service area. When the UE initially enters into the network and is served by a cell, the UE may thus read this broadcast signal to determine an identifier of the UE’s service area. Likewise, when the UE transitions from one cell to another (e.g., hands over from one cell to another), the UE may newly read this broadcast signal to determine an identifier of the UE’s service area. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may receive a dedicated signal, perhaps an RRC signal, that indicates an identity of the UE’s service area.

[0080] The UE may thereby determine when the UE enters into a service area, e.g., when the UE starts to be served in a service area in which the UE was not being served. In response to determining that the UE starts to be served in a service area, the UE may then transmit to the computing system a message informing the computing system of the UE’s service-area identifier.

[0081] In response to receiving this message from the UE informing the computing system that the UE has entered into a service area, the computing system may then respond to the UE with a message providing the UE with an applicable set of configuration data defining the computing system’s statistical model for that service area. The computing system could provide this configuration data to the UE in various forms, such as but not limited to an extensible markup document like a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) document for instance.

[0082] The computing system may filter its statistical model to define per-location probabilities of operational failure (e.g., respectively for RLF, HOF, and perhaps one or more others) for each of various locations in the UE’s indicted service area. The configuration data that the computing system sends to the UE may then specify for each such location a corresponding probability of operational failure, so that, from the UE’s perspective, the configuration data may effectively define a predicted operational failure as to each location16Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO where the indicated probability is at least as high as a predefined threshold level (e.g., at least a 75% or 85% chance).

[0083] Alternatively, the computing system may structure the configuration data to indicate just each location in the service area where the computing system’s statistical model indicates such a predefined high threshold probability of occurrence of operational failure, thus likewise defining a predicted operational failure at each indicated location. Namely, the computing system may omit from the configuration data locations where the statistical model shows no predicted operational failure.

[0084] The computing system may also structure the configuration data to be limited in accordance with one or more other applicable context factors. For instance, if the UE’s message to the computing system indicates the UE’s device model or the computing system can otherwise glean the UE’s device model, the computing system could structure the configuration data to be limited to statistical-model data based on reporting from UEs having the same or a similar device model. Further, the computing system could structure the configuration data to be limited to statistical-model data based on UE reported instances of being at location and / or experiencing operational failures at the same or a similar time of day.

[0085] The UE may then store this configuration data, effectively configuring itself to use the configuration data as a basis to determine when the UE is at a location in the service area that has a predicted operational failure, so that the UE can take proactive action to try to avoid the operational failure.

[0086] As the UE operates in the service area, the UE may thus monitor the UE’s location in the service area and refer to the configuration data to determine if and when the UE is at a location that the configuration data indicates has a predicted operational failure, so that the UE can take proactive action. (In other implementations, the UE may track its change in location over time as a basis to predict that the UE is headed to such a location and may responsively take the proactive action.)

[0087] For example, as the UE operates in a cell within the service area, the UE may determine that the UE is at a location where the configuration data indicates there is predicted occurrence of RLF. In response to this determination, the UE may then take action to help avoid occurrence of the RLF.

[0088] For instance, the UE may responsively transmit to the UE’s serving access node a measurement report that the UE designs to cause the access node to hand the UE over to a neighbor cell. One way to do this is for the UE to measure coverage strength of the neighborAttorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO cell that may or may not be low enough to normally justify measurement reporting, and for the UE to bias that coverage strength to a higher level (i.e., a fake measurement value) in its measurement report in order to cause the access node to perceive that the UE’s coverage of the neighbor cell is so good that the UE should be handed over to that neighbor cell. The access node may then responsively process that handover of the UE, which may help to avoid having the UE experience the predicted RLE

[0089] As another example, as the UE operates in a cell within the service area, the UE may determine that the UE is at a location where the configuration data indicates there is a predicted occurrence of HOF as to an attempted handover to a given target neighbor cell. In response to that determination, the UE may then take action to help avoid occurrence of this HOF.

[0090] For instance, in response to that predicted HOF, the UE may forgo transmitting to its serving access node a measurement report that would likely cause the access node to process a handover of the UE to the given target cell. If the UE detects threshold strong coverage of the target cell such that the UE may normally send an associated measurement report to the UE’s serving access node, the UE may forgo sending that measurement report, or the UE may bias its report of the detected target-cell coverage strength down from its actual value so as to avoid having the access node process handover of the UE to that target cell.

[0091] Another way that the UE may be able to respond to a predicted operational failure such as RLF or HOF is to offload the UE’s communications to another network. For instance, the UE may transition from engaging in cellular communications to instead engaging in communication via a local Wi-Fi network.

[0092] In practice, when the UE receives the configuration data from the computing system, the UE may also treat each indicated prediction of operational failure as having a designated lifetime and may avoid responding to an indicated prediction once that lifetime expires. The UE may be preconfigured to apply a given lifetime for all such configuration data, or the computing system may specify a lifetime to apply when the computing system sends the configuration data to the UE. Further, once the lifetime expires, the UE may then responsively signal to the computing system to request an updated set of configuration data.

[0093] Further, a UE may carry out this process in an RRC-connected mode or an RRC-idle mode. Carrying out the process in the RRC-connected mode may help avoid an operational failure that may occur while the UE is in the RRC-connected mode. Whereas, carrying out the process in the RRC-idle mode may help avoid an operational failure that may18Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO occur if and when the UE is thereafter in the RRC-connected mode. In the RRC-idle mode, for instance, the UE may find from the configuration data that there is a predicted operational failure at the UE’s location, and the UE may responsively reselect to another cell to help avoid getting into a situation where that predicted operational failure would occur.

[0094] Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating how some aspects of this process may work in an example implementation. As shown in Figure 2, at step 200, a UE receives from its serving access node a first message (Msgl) that indicates the service area of the network in which the UE is operating. At step 202, the UE sends to a computing system a second message (Msg2) that reports the UE’s service area. At step 204, the computing system transmits to the UE, and the UE thus receives from the computing system, a third message (Msg3) that provides the UE with configuration data defining an applicable portion of the computing system’s statistical model, indicating per location in the service area where operational failure is predicted. At step 206, the UE then uses the provided configuration data as a basis to determine that the UE is at a location in the service area where operational failure is predicted, and as a basis to therefore take proactive action to help avoid the operational failure.

[0095] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method that can be carried out in accordance with the disclosure, to manage service of a UE in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas. As shown in Figure 3, at block 300, the method includes detecting entry of the UE into a service area of the multiple service areas. At block 302, the method includes, responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with configuration data based on the configuration data corresponding with the service area, the configuration data correlating each location of multiple locations in the service area, respectively, with predicted operational failure at the location. At block 302, the method then includes determining, based on the configuration data, that a current location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and, responsive to the determining, taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

[0096] Example implementations may involve detecting entry of the UE into a new service area and responsively dynamically configuring the UE with the configuration data to enable the UE to then predict an operational failure based on the UE’s location. The act of the UE then using the configuration data as a basis to predict an operational failure may be an optional further feature.19Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0097] In line with the discussion above, for instance, the given predicted operational failure could involve an operational failure such as RLF or HOF, among other possibilities. For instance, the predicted operational failure could involve RLF, in which case taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure could involve taking action to hand over, e.g., to hand over to a neighbor cell in an effort to avoid RLF in a current serving cell. Alternatively, the predicted operational failure could involve handover failure as to a given target cell, in which case taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure could involve taking action to avoid handover to the given target cell.

[0098] As further discussed above, for instance, the service area could take various forms, such as a cell, a tracking area, a routing area, a RAN notification area, a downlink transmit beam of a cell, or a registration area for instance. Further, each location could be defined in various ways, such as based on a combination of serving cell coverage strength and neighbor cell coverage strength or otherwise a measurement result from the serving cell and / or measurement result(s) from one or more neighboring cells. Still further, the act of detecting entry of the UE into the service area could involve the UE receiving and reading a broadcast signal indicating that the UE is served in the service area.

[0099] In addition, as discussed above for instance, the act of dynamically configuring the UE with the configuration data could involve the UE reporting to a computing system an identity of the service area, and, responsive to the reporting, the UE receiving from the computing system the configuration data and storing the configuration data for reference by the UE in the service area. In some implementations, the configuration data may be keyed to measurement results, possibly defining intervals of measurement results and a representative value such as an index number for each interval, so that the UE could report its location in terms of measurement results by reporting the value representing its measurement results.

[0100] As additionally discussed above, for instance, the configuration data could be established based on reporting from multiple UEs over time. Further, the configuration data could be associated with one or more items, such as a device model of the UE and / or a time of day. And the method could additionally include updating the configuration data in response to at least one trigger event such as a passage of time and / or entry of the UE into another service area.

[0101] Figure 4 is next a flow chart illustrating another method that can be carried out in accordance with the disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, at block 400, the method includes a computing system receiving reports from multiple UEs indicating locations where the UEs20Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO encountered operational failure, such as RLF or HOF for instance. Further, at block 402, the method includes, based on the reports, the computing system establishing a statistical model that indicates predicted operational failure on a per location basis. Still further, at block 404, the method includes the computing system receiving an indication that a UE is within a given service area of a communication network. And at block 406, the method includes responsive to the indication, provisioning the UE with a set of service-area specific configuration data based on the statistical model, for use by the UE to determine when the UE is at a location where operational failure is predicted and to take associated proactive action.

[0102] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example UE, showing some of the components that such a device may include. As shown in Figure 5, the example UE includes a user interface 500, a wireless communication interface 502, a processor 504, and non- transitory data storage 506. These components could be integrated together and / or communicatively linked together in various ways. For instance, the components could be linked together through a system bus, network, or other connection mechanism 508. Alternatively, various integrations and other arrangements are possible. For instance, the processor 504 could be a component of the wireless communication interface 502.

[0103] The user interface 500 could comprise components that would allow the UE to receive user input and provide user output, if applicable. For instance, the user interface 500 may include one or more input components (not shown) such as a microphone, a keypad, and a touch-sensitive display. Further, the user interface 500 may include one or more output components (not shown) such as a sound speaker and a display screen.

[0104] The wireless communication interface 502 could comprise one or more modules (e.g., one or more chipsets) configured to facilitate wireless communication between the UE and access nodes according to one or more RATs, such as 4G LTE, 5GNR, and / or one or more other protocols. As shown, for instance, the wireless communication interface 502 may include one or more radios 510, one or more amplifiers 512, and one or more antennas 514. The one or more radios 510 may include one or more radio transmitters configured to modulate baseband signals onto radio frequency RF carriers and one or more radio receivers configured to demodulate baseband signals from one or more RF carriers. The one or more amplifiers 512 may be configured to amplify outbound signals for transmission and / or inbound signals for processing. And the one or more antennas 514 may be configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. The wireless communication interface 502 may further include various circuitry and / or other logic to facilitate operation according to one or more RATs.21Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0105] The processor 504 could comprise one or more general purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors) and / or one or more specialized processors (e.g., digital signal processors (DSPs), graphics processing units (GPUs), neural processing units (NPUs), etc.) Further, the non-transitory data storage 506 may comprise one or more volatile and / or nonvolatile storage components (e.g., flash, optical, magnetic, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), which may be integrated in whole or in part with the processor 504. As further shown, the non-transitory data storage 506 could store program instructions 516, which may be executable by the processor 504 to carry out (i.e., cause the UE to carry out) various UE operations described herein.

[0106] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing system, showing some of the components that such a system may include. As shown in Figure 6, the example computing system includes a network communication interface 600, a processor 602, and non-transitory data storage 604, all of which could be communicatively linked together by a system bus, network, or other connection mechanism 606 and / or integrated together in various ways.

[0107] The network communication interface 600 may comprise one or more wired and / or wireless network communication modules along with associated drivers and / or other logic, to enable communication over a network.

[0108] The processor 602 may comprise one or more general purpose processors (e.g., microprocessors) and / or one or more specialized processors (e.g., DSPs, GPUs, NPUs, etc.) Further, the non-transitory data storage 604 may comprise one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage components (e.g., flash, optical, magnetic, ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), which may be integrated in whole or in part with the processor 602. As further shown, the non-transitory data storage 604 could store program instructions 608, which may be executable by the processor 602 to carry out (i.e., cause the computing system to carry out) various computing-system operations described herein.

[0109] The present disclosure contemplates at least one non-transitory computer- readable medium (e.g., one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage components, such as magnetic, optical, flash, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) having stored thereon program instructions executable by at least one processor to carry out or cause to be carried out various disclosed operations.22Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO

[0110] Example embodiments have been described above. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.23

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WOCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for managing service of a user equipment device (UE) in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas, the method comprising: detecting entry of the UE into a service area of the multiple service areas; responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with configuration data corresponding with the service area of the multiple service areas, the configuration data correlating each location of multiple locations in the service area, respectively, with predicted operational failure at the location; and determining, based on the configuration data, that a current location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and, responsive to the determining, taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises an operational failure selected from the group consisting of radio link failure and handover.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises the radio link failure, and wherein taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure comprises taking action to hand over.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises the handover failure as to a given target cell, and wherein taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure comprises taking action to avoid handover to the given target cell.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service area comprises an area selected from the group consisting of a cell, a tracking area, a routing area, and a registration area.Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO6. The method of claim 1, wherein each location is defined based on a combination of serving cell coverage strength and neighbor cell coverage strength.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting entry of the UE into the service area comprises receiving and reading by the UE a broadcast signal indicating that the UE is served in the service area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically configuring the UE with the configuration data comprises: reporting by the UE to a computing system an identity of the service area; and responsive to the reporting, receiving by the UE from the computing system the configuration data and storing by the UE the configuration data for reference by the UE in the service area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is established based on reporting from multiple UEs over time.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration data is associated with at least one item selected from the group consisting of a device model of the UE and a time of day.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the configuration data in response to at least one trigger event selected from the group consisting of passage of time and entry of the UE into another service area.

12. A user equipment device (UE) comprising: a processor; non-transitory data storage; and program instructions stored in the non-transitory data storage and executable by the processor to cause the UE to carry out operations for managing service of the UE in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas, the operations including: detecting entry of the UE into a service area of the multiple service areas, responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with configuration data correspondingAttorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO with the service area of the multiple service areas, the configuration data correlating each location of multiple locations in the service area, respectively, with predicted operational failure at the location, and determining, based on the configuration data, that a current location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and, responsive to the determining, taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises an operational failure selected from the group consisting of radio link failure and handover.

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises the radio link failure, and wherein taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure comprises taking action to hand over.

15. The UE of claim 13, wherein the given predicted operational failure comprises the handover failure as to a given target cell, and wherein taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure comprises taking action to avoid handover to the given target cell.

16. The UE of claim 12, wherein the service area comprises an area selected from the group consisting of a cell, a tracking area, a routing area, and a registration area.

17. The UE of claim 12, wherein each location is defined based on a combination of serving cell coverage strength and neighbor cell coverage strength.

18. The UE of claim 12, wherein dynamically configuring the UE with the configuration data comprises: reporting to a computing system an identity of the service area; and responsive to the reporting, receiving from the computing system the configuration data and storing the configuration data for reference by the UE in the service area.

19. The UE of claim 12, wherein the configuration data is established based on reporting from multiple UEs over time.Attorney Docket No. 24-1173-WO20. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by at least one processor to cause a user equipment device (UE) to carry out operations for managing service of the UE in a wireless communication network that has multiple service areas, the operations comprising: detecting entry of the UE into a service area of the multiple service areas; responsive to detecting the entry of the UE into the service area of the multiple service areas, dynamically configuring the UE with configuration data corresponding with the service area, the configuration data correlating each location of multiple locations in the service area, respectively, with predicted operational failure at the location; and determining, based on the configuration data, that a current location of the UE matches a location that the configuration data correlates with a given predicted operational failure and, responsive to the determining, taking action to help avoid the given predicted operational failure.

21. A computer program comprising program instructions executable by a processor of the UE to perform a method according to any of claims 1-11.27

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