Radio Bearer Compatibility Management in Wireless Handovers

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, when a User Equipment (UE) establishes or re-establishes a radio connection with a second base station, conflicts can arise due to unsupported or unrecognized Signaling Radio Bearers (SRB) configurations, leading to communication failures.

Innovation Solution

The second base station manages radio bearer compatibility by causing the UE to release the SRB4 and establish a radio bearer of another type, or by reconfiguring the SRB4, using techniques such as omitting SRB4 configurations, including explicit indicators, or providing full configurations that omit SRB4 details.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the second base station provides full configuration without checking SRB4 compatibility, then configuration speed is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to logical channel identity conflicts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration speedVSAvoidcommunication reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The second base station performs preliminary checking of SRB4 configuration compatibility before providing full configuration to the UE. This preliminary action identifies potential logical channel identity conflicts in advance, allowing the system to maintain high configuration speed while preventing communication failures by avoiding incompatible configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the second base station checks SRB4 configuration compatibility, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidbase station complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the second base station checks SRB4 configuration compatibility through a structured process involving identification of the UE's SRB4 configuration, comparison with available logical channel identities, and determination of compatibility. This intermediary checking process maintains reliability while managing complexity through systematic evaluation rather than ad-hoc checks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If the UE continues using SRB4 with the second base station, then ease of operation is improved, but communication failures occur due to unsupported SRB4 configuration

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUE operation simplicityVSAvoidcommunication reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The second base station provides feedback to the UE regarding SRB4 configuration compatibility. This feedback mechanism informs the UE whether its current SRB4 configuration is supported, allowing the UE to adjust its operation accordingly. The feedback enables the UE to maintain simple operation by continuing to use SRB4 when compatible, while preventing communication failures by allowing the UE to modify or disable SRB4 when incompatible.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4042826B1Systems and methods for managing radio bearer compatibility in a communication network
Publication Date: 2025.04.30 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP4042826B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4042826B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4042826B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A user device (UE) for managing radio bearers communicates, with a first base station over a first radio bearer associated with a dedicated control channel and configured to carry at least application-layer measurement reporting information, the radio bearer associated with a logical channel identity (2502); receives, from a radio access network (RAN) including the first base station and a second base station, a message related to (i) the first radio bearer or (ii) a second radio bearer having the logical channel identity and terminated at the second base station (2504); and release or reconfigure the first radio bearer in response to the message (2506).