Conditional Configuration Management in MR-DC Handovers

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) systems face challenges in managing conditional configurations, leading to increased latency and potential handover failures due to unclear procedures for releasing and reconfiguring radio connections, particularly when user equipment (UE) needs to determine if a condition is satisfied before changing or adding secondary cells or nodes.

Innovation Solution

The system introduces a method for UE to manage conditional configurations by receiving explicit indicators from the Radio Access Network (RAN) to release or add MR-DC, allowing the UE to determine whether to apply or release conditional configurations based on pre-defined conditions, such as signal quality thresholds, thereby reducing latency and improving handover success rates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conditional configurations are used in MR-DC to enable condition-based handover decisions, then handover reliability is improved, but latency increases due to additional evaluation time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover reliabilityVSAvoidhandover latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring conditional handover parameters including conditions, target cells, and execution triggers before actual handover is needed. The UE stores these configurations and evaluates them continuously, so when a condition is met, the handover can be executed immediately without waiting for network signaling, thus reducing latency while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the UE monitors network conditions and measurement results against predefined thresholds. When conditions are satisfied, the UE triggers handover execution and reports status to the network, creating a closed-loop feedback system that ensures reliable handover decisions while minimizing delays through rapid response to condition changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If MR-DC release procedures are implemented to manage dual connectivity, then network resource optimization is improved, but configuration management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork resource optimizationVSAvoidconfiguration management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and separates the conditional configuration management from the main MR-DC operation flow. By isolating conditional configurations as distinct, manageable entities with dedicated release procedures, the system simplifies the overall configuration management complexity while enabling efficient network resource optimization through targeted MR-DC release and reconfiguration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If conditional configurations are retained after MR-DC release, then future handover readiness is improved, but configuration validity becomes uncertain

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuture handover readinessVSAvoidconfiguration validity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making conditional configurations adaptable and flexible. The configurations are designed to be automatically activated or deactivated based on triggering events and network conditions. After MR-DC release, the system dynamically manages configuration validity by activating retained configurations when appropriate conditions are met, ensuring both future handover readiness and configuration reliability through event-driven activation rather than static retention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4082293B1Managing conditional configuration in dual connectivity scenarios
Publication Date: 2024.04.03 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP4082293B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4082293B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4082293B1 patent drawingFigure 1C~2

AI summary

To manage configuration when a UE operates in multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), the UE receives, by processing hardware and from a radio access network (RAN), conditional configuration information including (i) a conditional configuration related to a base station operating in the RAN, and (ii) a condition to be satisfied before the UE applies the configuration (1102). The UE receives, by the processing hardware and from the RAN, an indication that the UE is to release the MR-DC (1104), and determines, by the processing hardware and prior to the UE transitioning from the MR-DC to a new connectivity mode, whether the UE is to release the conditional configuration (1106).