Layer 2 Relay UE for mmW Link Diversity
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Solution Overview
Problem
5G New Radio (NR) technologies face challenges with impaired or blocked communication links due to line of sight requirements and vulnerabilities of millimeter wave (mmW) communications, where existing link diversity solutions do not always ensure reliable connectivity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a relay User Equipment (UE) for dual connectivity, using a Layer 2 (L2) relay option that allows data and control signaling to bypass higher layer processing by using split-bearer PDCP functionality and radio resource control (RRC) layer control, enabling communication through both direct and sidelink connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If millimeter wave (mmW) communication links are used to provide high data rates, then communication speed is improved, but the links become vulnerable to impairment or blockage due to line of sight requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay UE as an intermediary node between the base station and the remote UE. This relay UE establishes a direct link with the base station and creates a sidelink with the remote UE, effectively mediating the communication path to bypass line-of-sight blockages that would otherwise prevent reliable mmW communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication path into multiple hops: a first link between the base station and relay UE, and a second sidelink between the relay UE and remote UE. This segmentation allows each segment to be optimized independently, with the relay UE potentially using different frequencies or beamforming strategies for each link, thereby maintaining high speed while improving overall reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing link diversity solutions are implemented to provide communication link diversity, then connectivity options are increased, but they do not always ensure reliable connectivity when direct links are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The relay UE acts as a dedicated intermediary that provides an alternative communication path when direct links are impaired. Unlike conventional link diversity that merely provides alternative direct paths, the relay-based approach creates an indirect path through a node that can potentially maintain connectivity even when direct line-of-sight is blocked.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to link diversity by moving from direct base station-UE paths to an indirect path through a relay UE. This dimensional change in the communication topology allows the system to overcome spatial blockages that affect direct links, providing reliability that conventional two-dimensional link selection cannot achieve.
3Reliability
If relay UE is implemented for dual connectivity using Layer 2 relay option, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional configuration and signaling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts higher layer processing requirements from the relay operation by implementing Layer 2 relay functionality. This extraction allows data and control signaling to bypass complex higher layer processing, reducing the processing burden on the relay UE and simplifying the overall system while maintaining reliability benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the relay UE by configuring it to operate at Layer 2 rather than requiring full Layer 3 processing. This parameter change in the protocol layer at which relaying occurs significantly reduces device complexity while preserving the reliability improvements provided by the relay architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for new radio layer two relay are disclosed. In an example, a base station may configure a user equipment (UE) and a relay UE having individual direct communication links with the base station to configure a sidelink communication link between the UE and the relay UE. The sidelink communication link may allow the UE to communicate with the base station via the direct communication link between the base station and the UE and the sidelink communication link between the UE and the relay UE.