LTE Base Station Radio Capability Query Optimization

Solution Overview

Problem

In the LTE system, obtaining radio capability information from User Equipment (UE) is a time-sensitive process, and existing methods for base stations to query this information result in high air interface overhead due to querying all possible radio access technologies, leading to increased connection delays.

Innovation Solution

The base station determines whether the initial context setup request message contains forbidden inter radio access technologies; if it does, it only includes non-forbidden technologies in the query message, reducing the number of technologies queried and thus the overhead, while if not, it queries all supported technologies, optimizing the information sent and received.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If all radio access technology types are included in the query message, then the base station can obtain complete radio capability information, but the air interface overhead increases and connection delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveradio capability information completenessVSAvoidair interface overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary radio access technology types from the complete set of supported technologies. The base station determines which radio access technology types to query based on network configuration and UE context, excluding forbidden or unnecessary types from the query message. This selective extraction reduces the amount of capability information that needs to be transmitted while still obtaining the required capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Loss of information

If all radio access technology types are included in the query message, then the base station can obtain complete radio capability information, but the connection delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveradio capability information completenessVSAvoidconnection delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary radio access technology types from the complete set of supported technologies. The base station determines which radio access technology types to query based on network configuration and UE context, excluding forbidden or unnecessary types from the query message. This selective extraction reduces the amount of capability information that needs to be transmitted while still obtaining the required capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of information

If the base station queries all radio access technology types, then it ensures obtaining all possible radio capability information, but the message size increases and air interface efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveradio capability information completenessVSAvoidair interface efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary radio access technology types from the complete set of supported technologies. The base station determines which radio access technology types to query based on network configuration and UE context, excluding forbidden or unnecessary types from the query message. This selective extraction reduces the amount of capability information that needs to be transmitted while still obtaining the required capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS8818366B2Method for base station to obtain radio capability information of user equipment in long term evolution system

Publication Date: 2014.08.26 ZTE CORP

AI summary

A method for a base station to obtain radio capability information of a User Equipment (UE) in long term evolution system comprises that: a mobility management entity sends an initial context setup request message to the base station, and the base station determines whether the received initial context setup request message contains an Information Element (IE) of forbidden inter radio access technologies; when contains, the base station writes the radio access technology types which are not included in the IE of forbidden inter radio access technologies into a query message, and sends the query message to the UE; otherwise, the base station writes all radio access technologies supported by protocol into a query message and sends the query message to the UE; after receiving the query message, the UE sends the UE radio capability information of radio access technologies supported by the UE itself to the base station. The above method avoids the blindness of writing query message for the base station, which reduces the overhead of the air interface, thereby shortens the connection delay of the UE in the long term evolution system.