Radio Link Failure Handling in LTE Component Carrier Aggregation

The patent merges the timer starting condition for multiple component carriers or cells into a single unified condition. Instead of starting timers independently for each carrier or cell when radio problems are detected, the timer is started only when radio problems are detected on all component carriers or cells simultaneously. This combining approach reduces the frequency of timer initiation and associated signaling while maintaining comprehensive radio link failure detection coverage across the aggregated carriers.

The patent applies local quality by making the timer initiation condition specific to the state of all component carriers or cells. The timer is initiated based on the local condition where radio problems exist on all carriers or cells simultaneously, rather than applying a uniform timer initiation rule to individual carriers. This localized condition-based approach ensures timely detection of genuine radio link failures while avoiding spurious timer initiations that would destabilize the connection.

The patent implements a universal timer management approach that handles multiple component carriers or cells through a single timer mechanism. This universal timer can be initiated based on the collective state of all carriers or cells, providing flexible radio link failure management across different carrier aggregation configurations without requiring separate timer management logic for each carrier. The single timer serves multiple functions: detecting failures across individual carriers, detecting failures across aggregated carriers, and maintaining connection stability.