Core Network Mobility State Alignment for Cross-Access Paging
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile communication systems supporting mobility between Legacy and Evolved access systems, efficient paging mechanisms are challenged when a User Equipment (UE) is in Non Radio Connected state over Legacy 3G coverage but camping on LTE coverage, leading to unnecessary bandwidth consumption and delayed delivery of downlink packets due to mismatched mobility states between the Core Network and the actual UE state.
Innovation Solution
The method involves releasing the UE's radio signaling connection when leaving Legacy 3G coverage and issuing a location update to align mobility states, ensuring the UE is correctly set to Idle mode, thereby optimizing paging by ensuring packets are sent over the correct coverage, reducing unnecessary signaling and delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the Core Network maintains the UE in Connected state over Legacy 3G coverage, then the UE can be reached for downlink traffic, but unnecessary bandwidth is consumed and paging delays occur when the UE is actually camping on LTE coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the RAN notifies the Core Network when the UE leaves its coverage area. This feedback allows the Core Network to update the UE's mobility state from Connected to Idle, preventing unnecessary bandwidth consumption while maintaining reachability through proper paging procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic state transitions for the UE's mobility management. The UE's state in the Core Network changes from Connected to Idle based on real-time location information from the RAN, allowing the system to adapt bandwidth usage and paging behavior to the UE's actual coverage status.
2Productivity
If the Core Network pages the UE over Legacy 3G coverage, then downlink packets can be delivered, but delays occur when the UE is actually on LTE coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The RAN provides feedback to the Core Network about the UE's actual coverage location. This feedback enables the Core Network to determine whether to page the UE over Legacy 3G or LTE coverage, ensuring packets are sent over the correct coverage and eliminating delivery delays.
3Reliability
If the UE maintains radio signaling connection over Legacy 3G, then mobility state alignment is achieved, but unnecessary signaling occurs when UE camps on LTE
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the radio signaling connection maintenance function from the Core Network and relocates it to the RAN level. The RAN directly manages the UE's connection state and notifies the Core Network of state changes, eliminating unnecessary signaling while maintaining proper mobility state alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for Mobility Management MM in a system architecture supporting mobility between different access systems having separate Core Network CN-level MM entities while using common MM Area, the method comprising a step of: when a User Equipment UE leaves the coverage of a first one of the access systems where it is in a Non Radio Connected state as seen from Radio Access Network RAN, but seen in Connected State from CN-level MM entity, for the coverage of a second one of the access systems where it is in Idle state as seen from CN-level MM entity, putting the UE into Idle state as seen from CN-level MM entity of said first access system.