Infrastructure Equipment Handover Mapping for 5G to EPC Transition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in wireless communication networks is to enable seamless handover between different core network architectures, such as 5G and EPC, where the mapping of multiple QoS flows to a single data radio bearer is supported in 5G but not in EPC, leading to difficulties in handover preparation and data forwarding.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented in infrastructure equipment to maintain a mapping between packet bearers and data radio bearers, determining when a handover is necessary, and providing an indication of this mapping to the target infrastructure equipment for configuration after handover, allowing for successful handover even if the target equipment does not support the initial mapping, by using signaling messages and transparent containers to facilitate the transition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the second infrastructure equipment does not support the mapping of multiple packet bearers to a data radio bearer, then handover between different core network architectures becomes difficult, but providing the mapping indication enables seamless handover and service continuity
Solution Approach 1:
The source infrastructure equipment performs preliminary actions by determining the mapping between packet bearers and data radio bearers before handover occurs, and provides this mapping information to the target equipment in advance. This allows the target equipment to be properly configured for the handover even if it doesn't natively support the mapping functionality, ensuring service continuity during the transition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the source infrastructure equipment acts as a mediator that knows the packet bearer to data radio bearer mapping and communicates this information to the target equipment through signaling messages. This intermediary approach allows compatibility between different core network architectures (5G and EPC) during handover without requiring the target equipment to inherently support the mapping.
2Reliability
If the mapping of packet bearers to data radio bearers is maintained, then quality of service can be ensured, but the complexity of handover preparation and configuration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the packet bearer to data radio bearer mapping information as a separate, manageable element that can be independently determined and communicated during handover preparation. By extracting this mapping information and providing it through standardized signaling messages, the system maintains quality of service while managing the complexity of handover configuration through modular information handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is performed in a first infrastructure equipment for a handover of a wireless device from the first infrastructure equipment as a source to a second infrastructure equipment as a target. The method comprises maintaining a mapping between a plurality of packet bearers and a data radio bearer for the wireless device, each of the plurality of packet bearers being configured to provide a specified quality of service, determining that the wireless device should handover from the first infrastructure equipment to the second infrastructure equipment, determining that the second infrastructure equipment does not support the mapping of the plurality of packet bearers to the data radio bearer, and providing an indication of a mapping of the plurality of packet bearers for the second infrastructure equipment after handover to one of a core network equipment and the second infrastructure equipment.