Cell Selection Using Slice Matching and Coverage Fallback

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems struggle to balance the slicing requirements of terminal devices with network coverage during cell selection or reselection, often resulting in either selecting unsuitable cells that support the required slice or losing coverage.

Innovation Solution

A wireless communication method that prioritizes slice-based cell selection or reselection when the network and terminal device slice information matches, and falls back to channel quality-based selection when no suitable slice-matching cells are available, ensuring both slicing requirements and coverage are met.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cell selection or reselection is performed based on channel quality, then the terminal device can maintain good signal quality, but the selected cell may not support the slice required by the terminal device

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveslice support reliabilityVSAvoidslice compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device performs slice-based cell selection or reselection before channel quality evaluation. By first identifying cells that support the required slice from broadcast slice information, the terminal ensures slice compatibility is established in advance, then applies channel quality criteria only among the filtered suitable cells, preventing the issue of selecting cells with good signal but wrong slice support

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cell selection process is divided into two independent stages: first slice-based selection to ensure service requirement matching, then channel quality-based selection to ensure signal quality. This segmentation allows each criterion to be applied independently without conflict, resolving the contradiction between slice support reliability and slice compatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If cell selection or reselection is performed based on slice information, then the terminal device can select a cell that supports the required slice, but the terminal device may lose coverage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveslice compatibilityVSAvoidcoverage reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device performs slice-based cell selection or reselection before channel quality evaluation. By first identifying cells that support the required slice from broadcast slice information, the terminal ensures slice compatibility is established in advance, then applies channel quality criteria only among the filtered suitable cells, preventing the issue of selecting cells with good signal but wrong slice support

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cell selection process is divided into two independent stages: first slice-based selection to ensure service requirement matching, then channel quality-based selection to ensure signal quality. This segmentation allows each criterion to be applied independently without conflict, resolving the contradiction between slice support reliability and slice compatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12581398B2Wireless communication method, terminal device and network device

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a wireless communication method, a terminal device, and a network device, capable of taking into account both the slicing requirement of the terminal device and the coverage of the terminal device. The method includes: performing, by a terminal device, cell selection or cell reselection according to slice information of the terminal device and/or slice information of a network device.