5G to 4G Handover Bearer Context Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge is to ensure a successful handover between 5G and 4G networks, as the 5G network supports more bearers than the 4G network, leading to potential faults and handover failures.

Innovation Solution

A communication method where the first access management network element sends indication information to the session management network element to feed back only the context information corresponding to bearers supported by the second access management network element, ensuring that only relevant context information is transferred during handover.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the 5G network supports more bearers (15 bearers) than the 4G network (11 bearers), then the 5G network provides greater capacity and versatility, but handover between networks fails when the terminal attempts to transfer with more than 11 bearers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebearer capacityVSAvoidhandover success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the bearer context information into two categories: bearers that are supported by the target 4G network and bearers that are not supported. The access management network element selectively transfers only the supported bearer context information during handover, while leaving the unsupported bearers to be reestablished in the 4G network. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining handover reliability for supported bearers while preserving the overall high-capacity capability of the 5G network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by transferring only a subset of the bearer context information (specifically, only those bearers that the target 4G network supports) rather than transferring all 15 bearers. This partial transfer ensures successful handover for the supported bearers, while the unsupported bearers are handled separately through reestablishment procedures in the 4G network, thus resolving the handover failure issue.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Stability of the object's composition

If all bearer context information is transferred during handover, then complete service continuity is maintained, but the handover fails when the target network cannot support all bearers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice continuityVSAvoidhandover success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the bearer context information into supported and unsupported categories, transferring only the supported portion to ensure handover success. The unsupported bearers are excluded from the transfer but can be reestablished in the target network, thus maintaining overall service continuity while ensuring handover reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The access management network element performs beforehand cushioning by pre-filtering the bearer context information based on the target network's capabilities before transfer. This prevents the target network from receiving unsupported bearer information that would cause handover failure, thus cushioning against potential handover failures and ensuring successful service continuity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Adaptability or versatility

If context information for unsupported bearers is transferred to the 4G network, then all 5G bearers are preserved, but faults occur in the 4G network due to inability to process extended bearer identities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebearer supportVSAvoidnetwork faults

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the context information for unsupported bearers from the transfer data before sending it to the 4G network. This extraction prevents the harmful fault condition of attempting to process extended bearer identities in the 4G network, while still allowing the supported bearers to be transferred successfully. The unsupported bearers can then be reestablished using 4G-compatible methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of having unsupported bearers into a benefit by using the indication information mechanism. The indication information explicitly identifies which bearers are unsupported, allowing the system to deliberately exclude them from transfer. This transforms what would be a harmful situation (mismatched capabilities) into a structured process that ensures handover success for supported bearers while planning for reestablishment of unsupported ones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS20250203465A1Communication method and apparatus

Publication Date: 2025.06.19 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus, and the communication method and apparatus are applicable to a system for interworking between a first network and a second network. In one example, a first access management network element in the first network sends indication information to a session management network element in the first network, so that the session management network element feeds back context information corresponding to a bearer that a second access management network element in the second network supports.