Master eNB Location Reporting for Dual Connectivity Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dual connectivity wireless communication systems, there is a lack of method for effectively transmitting location information of a serving small cell, which is necessary for mobility management and charging purposes, as existing solutions only report location information corresponding to the master eNB, not the secondary eNB.
Innovation Solution
A method where a first eNB receives and transmits the location information of a serving small cell, which is served by a second eNB, to a mobility management entity (MME), and the MME further transmits this information to a serving gateway (S-GW) for charging purposes, enabling accurate location reporting and potential charging policy adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If location information is reported based on master eNB only, then the system complexity is reduced, but the location information completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The master eNB acts as an intermediary that collects location information from both the master eNB itself and the secondary eNB, then consolidates and reports this information to the MME. This mediator approach enables complete location information reporting without requiring direct communication between secondary eNB and MME, thus maintaining system simplicity while achieving information completeness.
2Measurement precision
If location information of secondary eNB is reported to MME, then the charging accuracy is improved, but the signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the location information reporting function into the existing path switch signaling procedure. Instead of introducing separate reporting mechanisms, the location information of the secondary eNB is combined with the path switch request/response messages that are already exchanged between master eNB and MME during dual connectivity operations. This approach achieves accurate charging information without significantly increasing signaling overhead.
3Productivity
If dual connectivity is implemented, then the system capacity is improved, but the location management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the location information collection function from the complex dual connectivity management and consolidates it into the master eNB. The master eNB is responsible for obtaining location information from both itself and the secondary eNB, then reporting this consolidated information to the MME. This extraction approach simplifies location management by centralizing the function in the master eNB, which already plays a coordinating role in dual connectivity operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for transmitting location information of a serving small cell in a wireless communication system is provided. A first evolved NodeB (eNB), which may be a master eNB (MeNB) in dual connectivity, receives the location information of the serving small cell served by a second eNB, which may be a secondary eNB (SeNB) in dual connectivity, from the second eNB, and transmits the received location information of the serving small cell to a mobility management entity (MME).