Bearer Management Signalling Consolidation for Wireless Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bearer management procedures in wireless communication networks lead to delayed service access and underutilization of backhaul bandwidth due to the excessive exchange of messages between user equipment (UE) and relay nodes (RN) for creating or modifying bearers, which wastes resources and causes delays.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to optimize bearer management by transporting a 'Union of Resource Request' (UR Request) signalling message from Evolved Packet Edge (EPE) entities to managing entities via the Base station and receiving an 'Independent Admission Response' (IA Response) signalling message, allowing for efficient bearer setup and management by consolidating messages and reducing unnecessary exchanges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate bearer management procedures are used for UE and RN, then individual bearer control is achieved, but signalling message exchange increases and service access delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate bearer management procedures into a unified procedure where the eNB performs both UE bearer management and RN bearer management through integrated signalling messages. The S1-AP message exchanges are merged so that bearer setup, modification, and release operations for both UE and RN are handled in a single coordinated process, eliminating the need for separate message exchanges and reducing service access delay.
2Reliability
If separate bearer management procedures are used for UE and RN, then individual bearer control is achieved, but backhaul bandwidth utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate bearer management signalling into unified S1-AP message exchanges between eNB and MME. By combining UE bearer management and RN bearer management operations into single integrated procedure flows, the patent reduces redundant message exchanges over the backhaul interface, thereby optimizing bandwidth utilization while maintaining individual bearer control capabilities.
3Reliability
If multiple separate signalling messages are exchanged for bearer creation/modification, then detailed bearer control is achieved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate signalling messages into unified S1-AP message structures that carry both UE bearer management information and RN bearer management information. This merging reduces the total number of messages that need to be processed, transmitted, and managed by network elements, thereby reducing device complexity and processing overhead while preserving detailed bearer control functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Independent signalling method for bearer management in a communication network with transporting bearer resource request message of both the UE and RN via Base station to managing entity of RN within EPC, as a signalling message over uplink channel referred to as ‘Union of Resource Request (UR Request)’ message. The bearer resource response message referred to as ‘Independent Admission Response (IA Response)’ from one of the management entity of EPE or management entities of UE and RN within EPC are transported as a signalling message to Evolved Packet Edge (EPE) via Base station over the downlink channel. This manages bearer setup signalling as a single loop, by transportation of ‘UR Request’ signalling message and receiving one “Independent Admission Response” signalling message over uplink and downlink channels respectively. EPE is a conglomeration of network nodes comprising of UEs, RNs and all other network nodes that communicate over EPC via Base station.