Multi-Connectivity Base Station Segmentation for Mobile Network Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile communication systems, such as LTE, face challenges in accommodating rapidly increasing mobile data traffic due to limitations in physical layer technologies and frequency spectrum allocation, necessitating efficient methods for small cell deployment and cooperation between macro and small cell base stations for capacity expansion.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an apparatus and method that enables multiple connectivity in a heterogeneous network environment by configuring a first base station with RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers and a second base station with deactivated RRC layer, allowing for signaling and data bearers, and transferring configuration information for radio resource management, including CSI, DM-RS, SRS, PUCCH, and PRB allocation, to support terminal connections across multiple base stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a terminal connects to a single base station, then the system complexity is low, but the network capacity and throughput are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the base station functionality into two independent parts: a first base station providing signaling bearer and a second base station providing data bearer. This segmentation allows the control plane and user plane to be separated across different nodes, enabling network capacity expansion without requiring a complete overhaul of the single-base-station architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality by enabling the terminal to simultaneously connect to multiple base stations, where the first base station handles signaling functions and the second base station handles data transmission. This universal approach allows the system to adapt to different traffic requirements while maintaining a unified control structure.
2Productivity
If multiple base stations are deployed to increase capacity, then network throughput improves, but resource allocation and connection management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments resource allocation responsibilities by assigning signaling resource management to the first base station and data resource management to the second base station. This division allows each base station to focus on specific resource types, reducing the overall complexity of multi-base-station resource allocation while maintaining high network throughput.
3Reliability
If a terminal maintains connection with multiple base stations, then mobility management and connection reliability improve, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the RRC layer functionality from the second base station, leaving only data bearer capabilities. This extraction allows the terminal to maintain simplified connections with the second base station for data transmission while relying on the first base station for control signaling, thereby improving connection reliability without significantly increasing power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a control method for supporting multiple connections in a mobile communication system and an apparatus for supporting multiple connections. In the method for supporting the multiple connections to be performed in first and second base stations, a first base station receives the measured results for multiple connections from a terminal, determines whether the plurality of connections are set on the basis of the measured results, transmits the information for setting the multiple connections to the second base station when setting the multiple results, and the second base station generates the control information for setting the multiple connections of the terminal on the basis of the information for setting the multiple connections received from the first base station. Thus, the multiple connections can be easily supported and the performance of the mobile communication system can be improved therethrough.