Access Control Timer Management During RRC State Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing access control mechanisms in wireless communications, such as Unified Access Control (UAC), face inefficiencies due to unpredictable timing of data transmission resumption after RRC state transitions, which can lead to mismatched network congestion management.
Innovation Solution
A user equipment (UE) continues or stops an access control timer based on specific indications from the network, ensuring consistent access control application across RRC state transitions, allowing for category-specific access control status updates and handover scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the UE stops the access control timer during RRC state transitions according to existing protocols, then the UE can quickly transition between states, but the network congestion management becomes unpredictable and mismatched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the UE continue the access control timer beyond the RRC state transition point, ensuring that access control decisions are made based on network conditions before the transition occurs. This prevents the unpredictability caused by stopping the timer during transitions, while still allowing state changes to proceed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the access control timer behavior adaptive to RRC state transitions. Instead of a fixed stop rule, the timer continues dynamically through transitions when access control is still relevant, allowing the system to flexibly maintain congestion management across state changes while adapting to current network conditions.
2Reliability
If the UE continues the access control timer through RRC state transitions, then network congestion management becomes predictable and efficient, but the UE must maintain timer state across transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by having the UE autonomously continue the access control timer through RRC state transitions based on predefined criteria. The UE independently determines when to maintain the timer without requiring network intervention or complex coordination, simplifying the overall system while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the timer management logic into distinct scenarios: when to continue the timer through transitions versus when to stop it. By dividing the complex timer behavior into manageable segments based on specific conditions (access category, transition type), the system achieves reliability without overwhelming complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If the UE performs access barring check using probabilistic method, then traffic is reduced for congested access categories, but the transmission timing becomes unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the access control timer to provide deterministic timing information back to the transmission process. While the access barring check itself remains probabilistic for traffic reduction, the timer provides a predictable framework that tells the UE when access control applies and when it expires, restoring timing predictability to the transmission process.
Data Source
AI summary
A UE activates a timer for applying access control to transmissions associated with a certain access category during an access control period, in response to a first system information message received via a radio interface and a mobile-originated access request (1702). While the timer is running, the UE receives a second message that indicates a potential transition of the UE (i) from a current state associated with a protocol for controlling radio resources to another state associated with the protocol, or (ii) from a current cell to a new cell (1704). In response to the second message, the UE continues to apply the access control to the transmissions for the access category, for a remainder of the access control period (1706).