MME Resend Logic for Failed ETWS Broadcast Areas

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Solution Overview

Problem

In the LTE system, when a Mobility Management Entity (MME) receives a WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message indicating that the broadcast of Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) information has failed, existing technologies do not effectively reprocess or resend the warning message to the affected areas, leading to incomplete or delayed notification of users, which can result in increased losses during disasters.

Innovation Solution

The MME determines areas where the broadcast has failed based on the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message and reinitiates the warning message transmission by resending a revised WRITE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message to the eNodeB, specifically targeting the failed areas with the same warning content, ensuring timely notification to users.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the MME follows the existing 36.413 protocol without additional processing after receiving a WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message, then the protocol implementation is simple, but the ETWS information cannot be timely and effectively notified to all users in areas where broadcast fails

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification reliabilityVSAvoidMME processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The MME analyzes the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message to determine whether broadcast failed entirely or partially, and based on this feedback information, decides whether to initiate a warning message resend procedure. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable notification by using the response message content to guide subsequent actions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The MME proactively determines broadcast failure status before users are affected, and preemptively initiates the resend procedure by constructing and sending a new WRITE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message to the eNB. This preliminary action ensures that failure areas are addressed before the warning period expires.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the MME resends the warning message to all areas again, then all areas receive the warning message, but the message cannot be timely sent to failure areas and the warning period may expire

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewarning message delivery reliabilityVSAvoidwarning time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The MME segments the broadcast area into successful areas and failure areas based on the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message content. By identifying and targeting only the failure areas for resend, the system avoids redundant transmissions to successful areas while ensuring coverage of areas that need warning messages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The MME performs partial action by resending warning messages only to the specific failure areas identified from the response message, rather than resent to all areas. This partial action is sufficient to achieve the goal of notifying all users who missed the initial broadcast.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Ease of operation

If the MME does not process the broadcast failure information, then the processing procedure is simple, but the escape or precaution warnings cannot be sent to users in failure areas

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveMME operation simplicityVSAvoidwarning information delivery
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The MME automatically determines broadcast failure status by analyzing the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message itself, without requiring external intervention or additional monitoring systems. The system uses its own response message as the source of failure information and autonomously initiates the resend procedure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The MME uses the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message as feedback to identify broadcast failures and triggers the resend procedure accordingly. This feedback-driven approach ensures that warning information is delivered to all users while maintaining operational simplicity through automated decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2451199B1Warning message transmission method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2019.07.17 ZTE CORP
  • EP2451199B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2451199B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2451199B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a warning message transmission method and apparatus after the warning message transmission procedure is completed. The method comprises: after sending a WRTTE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message to an eNB and receiving a WRITE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message corresponding to the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message and returned by the eNB, a mobility management entity (MME) determining areas where warning broadcast fails based on the WRTTE-REPLACE WARNING RESPONSE message corresponding to the WRITE-REPLACE WARNING REQUEST message and returned by the eNB, and then controlling the eNB to resend a warning message to the areas where warning broadcast fails. The present invention can ensure that disastrous information associated with the ETWS can be timely and effectively notified to all users in areas where broadcast fails so as send an escape or precaution warning to them to further minimize huge losses of human life and property when the disaster comes.