Prioritized Random Access During 5G Handover to Reduce Collisions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile telecommunication systems face challenges in efficiently managing random access procedures during handover, particularly in 5G networks, leading to increased collisions and access failures due to contention-based access and beam failure recovery, which are not adequately addressed by current 3GPP requirements.

Innovation Solution

Implementing prioritized random access procedures by network nodes and user equipment, where the source gNB indicates the need for special treatment to the target gNB, allowing for high-priority RA parameters such as power ramping step and backoff settings based on UE buffer status, QoS flows, and dedicated capabilities, ensuring efficient handover with reduced collisions and access failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If contention-based random access is used during handover, then the random access procedure is simple to implement, but collisions and access failures increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of implementationVSAvoidaccess success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The random access procedure is segmented into two distinct types: contention-based random access for normal scenarios and prioritized collision-based random access for handover scenarios. This segmentation allows the system to apply the appropriate access method based on the specific situation, reducing collisions during handover while maintaining implementation simplicity for standard operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects between contention-based and prioritized collision-based random access procedures based on the handover indication received from the source gNB. This dynamic adaptation enables the network to optimize access performance for handover events while maintaining the simplicity of contention-based access for other scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If prioritized collision-based random access is implemented, then collisions and access failures are reduced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess success rateVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The source gNB provides a handover indication to the target gNB in advance, allowing the target gNB to prepare prioritized random access resources and parameters before the UE attempts access. This preliminary action enables the prioritized collision-based random access to function smoothly without requiring complex real-time decision-making during the actual access procedure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The source gNB acts as an intermediary by transmitting the handover indication to the target gNB, which contains information about the UE's buffer status, QoS flows, and capabilities. This intermediary communication enables the target gNB to configure appropriate prioritized random access parameters without the UE needing to directly assess network conditions, simplifying the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If standard random access parameters are used during handover, then the configuration is simple, but handover performance and latency are degraded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration simplicityVSAvoidhandover performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Different random access parameters are applied locally based on the specific handover scenario. The target gNB configures UE-specific prioritized random access parameters including power ramping step, backoff indicator, and preamble selection based on the UE's buffer status, QoS requirements, and capabilities. This local customization optimizes handover performance for each UE without requiring complex network-wide reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes key random access parameters dynamically during handover, including power ramping step, backoff indicator, and preamble selection. These parameter changes are tailored to the specific handover scenario and UE characteristics, enabling optimized handover performance while maintaining a relatively simple configuration framework based on existing random access mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3753292B1Methods and apparatuses for prioritized random access during handover
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP3753292B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3753292B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3753292B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4b

AI summary

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for prioritized random access during handover are provided. One method may include transmitting, by a source network node, a handover request to a target network node. The handover request may include an indication of a recognition of prioritized random access for a user equipment. The method may also include receiving an acknowledgement from the target network node, building a reconfiguration message, for the user equipment, comprising a prioritized set of random access parameters, and transmitting, to the user equipment, the reconfiguration message comprising the prioritized set of random access parameters.