NTN Relay Messaging Without Feeder Links for Out-of-Coverage UEs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in providing efficient and reliable communication between user equipments (UEs) outside the coverage area of terrestrial networks, particularly due to the need for feeder links and core network reconfigurations, which result in latency, increased load, and signaling overhead.
Innovation Solution
Configuring NTN entities with base station capabilities and providing an indication to UEs that they support direct NTN communication, enabling direct communication between UEs via the NTN Uu interface without a feeder link.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If direct NTN communication is implemented without feeder link, then latency is reduced and communication speed is improved, but device complexity increases due to base station capabilities being configured in NTN entities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the base station capabilities from the terrestrial network infrastructure and relocates them to NTN entities (satellites or aerial platforms). This extraction enables direct communication between UEs via NTN without requiring feeder links to terrestrial base stations, thereby reducing latency and eliminating the need for core network reconfigurations while the NTN entities independently handle communication functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The NTN entity acts as an intermediary between UEs, providing base station-like functionality directly in the non-terrestrial domain. The NTN entity receives messages from one UE and relays them to other UEs within its coverage area, mediating direct communication without involving terrestrial feeder links or core network elements, thus reducing communication latency and signaling overhead.
2Area of stationary object
If relay operation is enabled in NTN entities, then communication coverage is extended to areas outside terrestrial network coverage, but feeder link load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the relay functionality from the traditional terrestrial network architecture and embeds it directly in NTN entities. This allows NTN entities to perform message relaying between UEs independently within their coverage areas, eliminating the need for messages to traverse feeder links to terrestrial base stations, thus extending coverage without increasing feeder link load.
Solution Approach 2:
The NTN entity serves as a self-sufficient intermediary that can receive, process, and forward messages between UEs without requiring communication with terrestrial infrastructure. This intermediary capability enables extended coverage to remote areas while avoiding the bottleneck of feeder links, as the NTN entity handles all communication functions autonomously within its coverage area.
3Reliability
If core network reconfiguration is performed for each communication session, then communication reliability is maintained, but signaling overhead and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the session management and communication control functions from the core network and relocates them to the NTN entity level. This extraction eliminates the need for repeated core network reconfigurations for each communication session, as the NTN entity can independently manage message routing and UE communication without involving core network elements, thereby reducing signaling overhead and power consumption while maintaining communication reliability through local autonomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The NTN entity is empowered with self-service capabilities to manage communication sessions autonomously. It can independently establish, maintain, and terminate communication between UEs within its coverage area without requiring core network intervention for each session. This self-service approach significantly reduces signaling overhead and power consumption associated with repeated core network reconfigurations while ensuring communication reliability through localized control.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for receiving, from a non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, a signal comprising an indication that the NTN entity supports relay operation, via an NTN, of messages associated with one or more services; and sending, to the NTN entity, a message associated with one of the one or more services and configured for relay, via the NTN, to one or more user equipments.