AMF Node Congestion Control via Back-Off Timer Reject Messages

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current network architectures, particularly in 4G LTE systems, face challenges in managing congestion effectively, leading to inefficiencies in data transmission and increased latency, which are inadequate for the high reliability and low latency requirements of emerging 5G applications such as automatic driving and factory automation.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method for congestion control that involves transmitting a reject message with a back-off timer to the AMF node when session management congestion occurs, preventing further requests for a given time and optimizing network resource allocation to prevent unnecessary waste and signaling overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If congestion control is not implemented, then data transmission capability is maintained, but network latency increases and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary congestion control by detecting congestion conditions and sending reject messages with back-off timers before the network becomes completely overwhelmed. This proactive approach prevents further requests from exacerbating congestion, thereby maintaining network reliability while controlling latency through early intervention rather than waiting for severe congestion to occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If session management requests are processed during congestion, then service continuity is maintained, but signaling overhead increases and network resources are wasted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice continuityVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts session management requests from the normal processing flow during congestion conditions. By identifying and separating these requests, the system can apply specific congestion control measures (reject messages with back-off timers) to session management traffic, reducing signaling overhead and preventing unnecessary network resource consumption while maintaining essential service continuity for other critical traffic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality control by implementing congestion-specific handling for session management requests rather than uniformly treating all traffic. The AMF node applies targeted reject messages with back-off timers specifically to session management requests during congestion, allowing differentiated quality of service that reduces signaling overhead for non-critical traffic while maintaining service continuity for essential communications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of energy

If back-off timer is implemented, then network resource waste is reduced, but request transmission delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork resource wasteVSAvoidrequest transmission delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by implementing back-off timers selectively only for session management requests during congestion conditions, rather than applying them to all traffic types universally. This partial application reduces network resource waste for the specific congested traffic type while minimizing the impact on overall request transmission delay by leaving other critical traffic unaffected.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10999779B2Method for controlling congestion when congestion occurs in network

Publication Date: 2021.05.04 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

One disclosure of the present specification provides a method for performing congestion control when session management congestion occurs in a network system. The method comprises the steps of: transmitting, to an access and mobility function (AMF) node, a request message requesting access to the network system; and receiving a refusal message rejecting the access request from the AMF node when the session management congestion occurs, wherein upon receiving the refusal message, the request message may not be transmitted again for a predetermined period of time.