5G NR Inter-Frequency Measurement Priority for Better Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dense 5G New Radio (NR) deployments, identifying the best target cell for mobility is challenging due to the large number of configured inter-frequencies, leading to issues like lower performance, throughput problems, and increased power consumption in user equipment (UE) due to improper handovers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing priority-based inter-frequency measurement configurations for user equipment (UE) and base stations, where neighbor cells are assigned priorities, allowing UE to report mobility measurements in descending order of priority and delaying or relaxing reporting criteria for lower priority frequencies as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the network configures a large number of inter-frequencies for dense 5G NR deployment, then network coverage and capacity are improved, but the complexity of identifying the best target cell for mobility increases and performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large number of configured inter-frequencies into priority groups, where the network configures a priority value for each frequency. The UE then performs measurements and reports results organized by priority levels, allowing the network to focus on evaluating only the highest priority frequencies for handover decisions, thus reducing the complexity of managing dense deployments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a priority parameter associated with each frequency configuration. This parameter change enables the UE to organize measurement results by priority and report only the most relevant frequencies to the network, transforming the mobility management process from evaluating all frequencies to evaluating only prioritized ones, thereby reducing complexity in dense network scenarios.
2Speed
If the network triggers mobility to a cell based on available measurements without knowing UE detection capability, then handover decisions can be made quickly, but the handover may not be to the best cell resulting in lower throughput and performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by requiring the UE to perform measurements on all configured frequencies and organize results by priority before the network makes a handover decision. The UE reports measurement results including priority information in advance, allowing the network to make informed decisions about the best target cell rather than relying on limited available measurements, thus ensuring both speed and quality of handover decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the UE reports measurement results with priority information to the network. This feedback enables the network to understand which frequencies the UE has detected and their relative qualities, allowing the network to trigger handovers to the best available cell based on comprehensive measurement feedback rather than incomplete information.
3Loss of information
If the UE performs measurements on multiple frequencies and reports all results, then the network has complete information for handover decisions, but the signaling overhead and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information needed for handover decisions by organizing measurement results according to priority and reporting them in a structured manner. Instead of transmitting all raw measurement data for every frequency, the UE reports results prioritized by the configured priority values, allowing the network to obtain sufficient information for making informed handover decisions while reducing the volume of signaling data and associated power consumption.
4Reliability
If immediate handover is triggered after moving to a suboptimal cell, then the network can correct the handover decision quickly, but this causes additional power consumption, signaling overhead, and throughput degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prevents suboptimal handovers through preliminary action by ensuring the network has comprehensive prioritized measurement information before triggering handover. The UE reports measurement results organized by priority, allowing the network to identify the truly best target cell before initiating handover, thereby avoiding the need for corrective handovers and the associated performance degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms where the UE provides prioritized measurement results to the network, enabling the network to make accurate handover decisions based on complete information about available frequencies and their qualities. This feedback prevents incorrect handover decisions from occurring in the first place, eliminating the need for immediate corrective handovers and maintaining continuous high throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
A user equipment (UE) is configured to receive an inter-frequency measurement configuration comprising a plurality of frequencies, wherein neighbor cells transmit at at least one of the frequencies, the inter-frequency measurement configuration further comprising a priority associated with each of the frequencies, performing the frequency measurements of the neighbor cells according to the inter-frequency measurement configuration and reporting inter-frequency measurement results of the neighbor cells according to the priority in the inter-frequency measurement configuration.