Carrier Activation via State Bitmap to Reduce Signaling Overhead

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current carrier aggregation methods in mobile communication systems are inefficient in minimizing battery consumption and signaling overhead, particularly in activating and deactivating carriers, which hampers the performance of LTE systems.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for efficient carrier activation in mobile communication systems, involving determining bit positions and states per carrier using a state bitmap, to activate or deactivate carriers based on received instruction messages, thereby minimizing signaling overhead and optimizing battery usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If carrier aggregation is performed by sending carrier configuration information and then activating carriers at an appropriate time, then battery consumption is minimized by turning on only activated carriers, but signaling overhead increases due to separate configuration and activation procedures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery consumptionVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines carrier configuration information and carrier activation information into a single downlink carrier state control message. The control message includes both configuration parameters (center frequency, bandwidth, physical cell ID) and activation state indicators (bitmap or flag) for multiple carriers, eliminating the need for separate signaling procedures and reducing overall signaling overhead while maintaining battery optimization benefits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If carriers are activated frequently to optimize data transmission, then system performance improves, but signaling overhead increases due to repeated activation/deactivation commands

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem performanceVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

By merging configuration and activation states into a single control message, the system enables frequent carrier activation/deactivation for performance optimization without incurring additional signaling overhead for separate configuration procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control message structure allows dynamic adjustment of carrier activation states through bitmap or flag indicators, enabling the system to rapidly respond to changing data transmission requirements by activating or deactivating specific carriers based on current traffic conditions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3734868B1Method and apparatus for activating carriers in a mobile communication system
Publication Date: 2023.11.15 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3734868B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3734868B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3734868B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for activating carriers in a mobile communication system, and includes determining, when an instruction message for aggregating multiple carriers is received, a bit position per carrier according to an identifier per carrier in the instruction message; checking, when a carrier state message including a state bitmap indicating state per carrier, the state per carrier according to the bit position per carrier in the state bitmap; and activating/deactivating the carriers according to the per-carrier states. According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize signaling overhead caused by carrier activation and deactivation.