Inter-Cell Handover Separation with CU-Anchored Context Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communications systems face challenges in managing inter-cell handovers and context transfers, particularly in high-frequency environments, leading to increased signaling overhead, latency, and potential handover failures, which affect the quality of service for applications with stringent performance specifications.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves separating inter-cell handover and context transfer by anchoring the user plane and control plane sessions at a centralized unit (CU) during inter-distributed unit handovers, allowing concurrent connections to multiple CUs and reducing the need for context transfers between CUs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inter-cell handover and context transfer are performed together in traditional wireless systems, then handover can be completed, but signaling overhead increases and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the handover process into two independent parts: (1) inter-cell handover executed by the distributed unit (DU) to transfer user plane communications, and (2) context transfer executed by the centralized unit (CU) to transfer control plane context. This segmentation allows handover to complete faster while context transfer occurs separately, reducing overall signaling latency and overhead.
2Reliability
If inter-cell handover and context transfer are performed together in traditional wireless systems, then handover can be completed, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the handover process into two independent parts: (1) inter-cell handover executed by the distributed unit (DU) to transfer user plane communications, and (2) context transfer executed by the centralized unit (CU) to transfer control plane context. This segmentation allows handover to complete faster while context transfer occurs separately, reducing overall signaling latency and overhead.
3Reliability
If user plane sessions are transferred during inter-DU handovers, then handover can be completed, but handover failures increase and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the handover process into two independent parts: (1) inter-cell handover executed by the distributed unit (DU) to transfer user plane communications, and (2) context transfer executed by the centralized unit (CU) to transfer control plane context. This segmentation allows handover to complete faster while context transfer occurs separately, reducing overall signaling latency and overhead.
4Reliability
If traditional handover procedures are used in high-frequency environments, then communications can be maintained, but service continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the handover process into two independent parts: (1) inter-cell handover executed by the distributed unit (DU) to transfer user plane communications, and (2) context transfer executed by the centralized unit (CU) to transfer control plane context. This segmentation allows handover to complete faster while context transfer occurs separately, reducing overall signaling latency and overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for separation of inter-cell handover and context transfer. An example method for wireless communications by a first network entity includes obtaining, from a first user equipment, a first request to establish a first communication link between the first user equipment and a second network entity; transmitting a second request for a first address of the second network entity; obtaining an indication of the first address of the second network entity; transmitting, to the second network entity at the first address, the first request; and forwarding communications associated with the first communication link between the first user equipment and the second network entity.