Mobility Tracking Pilot Signal Serving Node Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional methods for mobility tracking and serving node selection in cellular networks place a significant computational burden and power consumption on user equipment, and may not optimize network performance due to reliance on user equipment to determine its serving node.

Innovation Solution

A distributed approach where pilot signals are used to identify nearby nodes, with either the nodes or a zone controller selecting the serving node based on factors like signal strength and load balancing, reducing the messaging and bandwidth required for user equipment and optimizing network performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If user equipment determines its own serving node using traditional methods, then the user equipment can autonomously select a serving node, but the computational burden and power consumption on user equipment increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautonomous serving node selectionVSAvoidpower consumption on user equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary entity (network controller or base station) that performs the computationally intensive serving node selection process. Instead of user equipment independently evaluating multiple nodes and making decisions, the network infrastructure acts as a mediator that receives location information from user equipment and determines the optimal serving node, thereby reducing the computational burden and power consumption on user equipment while maintaining autonomous selection capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/computational system where user equipment performs complex calculations and message exchanges with a network-based system. The computationally intensive tasks are shifted from the mobile device to the network infrastructure, substituting the user equipment's mechanical processing with network-based processing that does not consume user equipment power

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If user equipment exchanges multiple messages with multiple nearby nodes to determine serving node, then accurate serving node selection can be achieved, but the bandwidth consumption and messaging burden increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveserving node selection accuracyVSAvoidbandwidth consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex multi-message exchange process from the user equipment-side operation and relocates it to the network infrastructure. The network controller or base station performs the serving node determination by evaluating location information and network conditions, eliminating the need for user equipment to engage in extensive message exchanges with multiple nodes while maintaining selection accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary network entity consolidates the information gathering and evaluation process. Instead of user equipment communicating with multiple nodes, the intermediary receives necessary information and performs the selection, reducing the total message exchange volume while achieving the same selection accuracy through centralized processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Speed

If user equipment independently selects serving node, then fast initial connection can be established, but overall network capability and efficiency may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinitial connection speedVSAvoidnetwork efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having the network infrastructure pre-evaluate and identify optimal serving nodes based on network conditions, load balancing requirements, and user equipment location. This pre-computation allows for fast connection establishment while ensuring that the selected serving node is optimal for overall network efficiency, as the network has already performed the necessary evaluations beforehand

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the network controller or base station receives location information from user equipment and provides optimized serving node selections based on current network conditions. This feedback loop ensures that serving node selections consider overall network capability and efficiency while maintaining fast connection establishment through streamlined information exchange

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3269071B1System and method for mobility tracking of user equipment
Publication Date: 2021.09.01 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3269071B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3269071B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3269071B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A system and method for mobility tracking of user equipment in a network includes a user equipment. The user equipment includes an antenna for receiving and sending signals to a plurality of network nodes in a network and a processor coupled to the antenna. The processor is configured to broadcast, using the antenna, a pilot signal to advertise the user equipment, receive, using the antenna, a pilot response from a first network node acting as a serving node for the user equipment, and communicate with the network through the serving node. The pilot signal includes a reference sequence for the network nodes to track followed by a payload including information about an identity of the user equipment. In some embodiments, the reference sequence varies based on a state of the user equipment. In some embodiments, the reference sequence is randomly selected.