Conditional Mobility Using Universal Bearers for Stable Handover

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing conditional mobility operations in wireless communication systems face issues due to network configuration changes during the evaluation phase, leading to reconfigurations that can fail or result in discrepancies between UE and target cell configurations, especially when new bearers or QoS flows are established.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a preconfigured set of universal bearers, including a non-GBR and GBR bearer, which the UE uses during the transient phase until the target cell provides a new configuration, reducing the need for immediate reconfiguration updates and ensuring consistent communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If network configuration changes are made during the evaluation phase to establish new bearers or QoS flows, then service quality and adaptability are improved, but configuration consistency and reliability deteriorate due to reconfiguration failures and discrepancies between UE and target cell

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice qualityVSAvoidconfiguration consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The target cell prepares and stores configuration data (including bearer configurations and QoS flow parameters) in advance during the conditional mobility evaluation phase. This preliminary configuration preparation ensures that when mobility execution occurs, the UE can immediately apply the pre-configured parameters without requiring real-time reconfiguration, thus maintaining both service quality and configuration consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces configuration data as an intermediary element that mediates between the network's service quality requirements and the UE's configuration consistency needs. The configuration data acts as a bridge, carrying pre-negotiated bearer and QoS parameters from the target cell to the UE, ensuring that service adaptations are implemented reliably without causing configuration discrepancies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If reconfiguration updates are performed immediately during mobility execution, then configuration accuracy is improved, but processing complexity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Configuration data including bearer configurations and QoS parameters are prepared and validated in advance by the target cell during the evaluation phase. This preliminary configuration work transfers the processing burden from the mobility execution moment to the evaluation phase, reducing real-time processing complexity while maintaining configuration accuracy through pre-validated data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE applies the pre-configured configuration data autonomously during mobility execution without requiring complex real-time negotiation or additional signaling with the network. The self-service mechanism allows the UE to independently apply the stored configuration, simplifying the overall processing while ensuring configuration accuracy through the use of pre-validated parameters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple reconfiguration signaling operations are performed during conditional mobility, then configuration completeness is improved, but signaling overhead and time delay increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration completenessVSAvoidsignaling time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The target cell performs complete configuration preparation including all bearer configurations and QoS flow parameters in advance during the evaluation phase. By consolidating all configuration operations into the preliminary stage, the patent eliminates the need for multiple subsequent reconfiguration signaling operations during mobility execution, thus reducing signaling time while maintaining configuration completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple configuration operations (bearer setup, QoS flow configuration, parameter allocation) into a single unified configuration data structure that is prepared in advance. This consolidation allows the UE to receive and apply all necessary configuration information in one operation rather than through multiple separate signaling exchanges, reducing both signaling overhead and time delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4440197B1Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs for conditional mobility
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP4440197B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4440197B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4440197B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided an apparatus, method and computer program for causing a source access node to perform: signalling, to a user equipment, a first radio resource control reconfiguration for configuring the user equipment to perform a conditional mobility operation with respect to at least one of a plurality of target cells, the first radio resource control reconfiguration comprising an indication of a universal data bearer configuration and an indication that use of the universal data bearer configuration is allowed to be used for accessing at least one of the plurality of target cells upon fulfilment of at least one execution condition, the universal data bearer configuration comprising a first universal data bearer configuration for non-guaranteed bit rate data and a second universal data bearer configuration for guaranteed bit rate data.