Keep-Alive Signaling for Cellular Burst Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cellular networks, mobile devices switch to a power-saving RRC idle state during silent periods in burst mode data transmission, leading to increased signaling overhead and reduced capacity to serve users simultaneously, as existing solutions require extra control messages to re-establish connectivity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Network Element that sends keep-alive signals during silent periods and divides burst packets into sub-bursts to prevent RRC idle state transitions, thereby reducing power consumption and signaling overhead, and identifying burst mode sessions to optimize data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If mobile devices switch to RRC idle state during silent periods, then power consumption is reduced, but signaling overhead increases and network capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The network element sends a keep-alive signal to the mobile device before the silent period begins, preliminarily establishing that the connection should be maintained. This preliminary action prevents the device from transitioning to idle state, avoiding the subsequent signaling overhead of re-establishing connectivity after the silent period.
Solution Approach 2:
The keep-alive signal acts as an intermediary mechanism between the network element and the mobile device. This intermediary signal conveys the instruction to maintain connection state, mediating the interaction and preventing the device from entering idle state without requiring complex reconnection procedures.
2Use of energy by moving object
If mobile devices switch to RRC idle state during silent periods, then power consumption is reduced, but the number of simultaneous users that can be served decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By sending the keep-alive signal before the silent period, the network preliminarily determines which devices should maintain connected state. This allows the network to proactively manage connection states, preventing unnecessary idle transitions and maintaining higher network capacity without forcing all devices to stay connected.
Solution Approach 2:
The keep-alive signal is sent selectively to specific mobile devices based on their traffic patterns and service requirements. This local application of the connection maintenance strategy allows the network to optimize power consumption for individual devices while maintaining overall network capacity, rather than applying a blanket policy to all users.
3Device complexity
If keep-alive signals are sent to prevent RRC idle state transitions, then signaling overhead increases, but power consumption increases and network capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The network element changes the parameter of connection state maintenance by introducing the keep-alive signal mechanism. This parameter change allows the system to transition from automatic idle state entry to controlled connection maintenance, optimizing the balance between signaling overhead and power consumption based on traffic patterns and service requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts connection state management by sending keep-alive signals only when appropriate based on traffic patterns and service requirements. This dynamic approach allows the network to adaptively maintain connections for devices that need them while allowing others to enter idle state, optimizing the trade-off between signaling overhead and power consumption in real-time.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique, to keep alive one or more radio connections over a cellular network in order to carry downloaded data packets sent in a burst mode, is disclosed. In burst mode the flow of the data packets has a pattern with repeating two types of periods, an active period and a silent period. During an active period a plurality of data packets are sent and during a silent period almost no data packets are sent. The technique is implemented by an intermediate network element (NE) that is configured to send, during the silent period, a keep-alive signal (KAS) toward a relevant CD. The KAS can be a TCP acknowledgement, for example.