Multi-Connectivity Radio Resource Management in 5G Heterogeneous Networks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems face challenges in managing multi-radio interface connections across different types of access nodes with varying L1/L2 characteristics, particularly in heterogeneous networks, which affects mobility and throughput in 5G deployments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of multi-connectivity operations in user devices, allowing simultaneous connections to a primary cell and one or more secondary cells, with monitoring and selection of secondary cells based on signal quality and other criteria, and coordinated resource configuration between primary and secondary cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple radio interface connections are established for single UE to enhance throughput and mobility robustness, then user plane capacity and throughput are improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase due to varying L1/L2 characteristics across different nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection management into distinct functional components: a connection manager that handles high-level coordination and selection, and separate connection controllers for each radio interface that handle low-level characteristics. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific aspects, reducing overall system complexity while enabling multiple concurrent connections with different L1/L2 characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection manager acts as an intermediary between the UE and individual connection controllers. It receives capability information from the UE, selects appropriate radio interfaces, and coordinates resources across multiple connections. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of varying L1/L2 characteristics from the UE, simplifying the overall management of multi-connectivity scenarios.
2Productivity
If dual connectivity is implemented to aggregate small cells and provide extra user plane capacity, then throughput is improved, but mobility management becomes more challenging across heterogeneous network nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The connection manager implements a universal approach that can handle multiple types of radio interfaces (e.g., LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi) with different L1/L2 characteristics through a single unified control entity. This multi-functional design allows the system to maintain consistent mobility management policies across heterogeneous network nodes while still exploiting the throughput benefits of dual connectivity and carrier aggregation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If radio interfaces with different L1/L2 characteristics are used to serve multiple frequencies (wide area, cmW, mmW), then network coverage and capacity are improved, but coordination and resource allocation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection manager dynamically selects and reconfigures radio interfaces based on real-time conditions such as signal quality, available capacity, and mobility state. It can dynamically allocate resources across different frequency bands (wide area, cmW, mmW) and adjust the active connections to optimize performance. This dynamic adaptation simplifies resource allocation coordination by responding to current network conditions rather than requiring static, complex pre-planning.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: obtain a system access to a primary cell from a user device, carry out a radio connection setup for the user device for the primary cell in a response to the system access and/or obtain an indication of a system access of the user device to at least one secondary cell from the at least one secondary cell, and carry out a resource configuration for the user device with the secondary cell in response to the obtaining the indication, and carry out a radio connection setup for the user device for the secondary cell based on the resource configuration.