MR-DC Secondary Node Configuration Release and Resumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-radio access technology (RAT) dual connectivity (MR-DC) solutions face challenges in efficiently handling the release and resumption of SN-terminated radio bearers, leading to potential misalignments and performance issues when a user equipment (UE) transitions between RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED states.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves methods for a UE to store and manage context information related to MR-DC configurations, including instructions to release and suspend connections, and to discard specific configurations upon receiving messages from network nodes, ensuring accurate handling of SN-terminated bearers and PDCP entities during the MR-DC release procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the UE stores MR-DC configurations in the inactive context to enable faster resumption, then the resumption speed is improved, but the risk of configuration misalignment between network and UE increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UE performs preliminary actions by storing MR-DC configurations (including SN PDCP entity configurations) in the inactive context before suspension. This allows the UE to quickly resume connections without re-establishing all configurations from scratch, thereby improving resumption speed while maintaining configuration consistency through proper release handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The network provides feedback to the UE through release indications that specify whether SN PDCP entity configurations should be released or maintained. This feedback mechanism ensures that both network and UE have consistent understanding of the configuration state, preventing misalignment while allowing fast resumption when configurations are maintained.
2Reliability
If the UE releases all MR-DC configurations upon suspension to ensure consistency, then configuration misalignment is prevented, but the complexity of re-establishing configurations upon resumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly releasing all MR-DC configurations, the solution applies local quality by selectively maintaining or releasing specific configuration elements (SN PDCP entity configurations) based on network instructions. This allows the UE to preserve beneficial configurations locally while releasing others, reducing re-establishment complexity upon resumption.
3Ease of operation
If the UE maintains SN PDCP entity configurations during suspension to enable faster resumption, then the resumption process is simplified, but the risk of using outdated configurations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network provides explicit feedback through release indications that inform the UE whether to maintain or release SN PDCP entity configurations. This feedback ensures configuration validity by allowing the network to control which configurations are maintained, preventing the use of outdated configurations while simplifying the resumption process for maintained configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The UE performs preliminary actions by maintaining SN PDCP entity configurations in the inactive context before suspension, prepared for potential fast resumption. This preliminary maintenance simplifies the resumption process when configurations are valid, while the network's release indication mechanism ensures outdated configurations are properly invalidated beforehand.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments include methods for a user equipment (UE) configured for multi-radio access technology dual-connectivity (MR-DC) with a wireless network. Such methods include storing context information related to the UE's MR-DC. The context information includes a configuration associated with a secondary node for the UE's MR-DC. Such methods include receiving, from a master node for the UE's MR-DC, a first message that instructs the UE to release MR-DC and to suspend the UE's connection with the wireless network and, in response to the first message, releasing the MR-DC and suspending the UE's connection with the wireless network. Such methods include discarding at least part of the stored context information in response to one of the following: receiving the first message; a first indication included in or with the first message; or a second indication received from a target node for resuming the UE's connection with the wireless network.