Radio Link Failure Indication Using Consecutive Discontinuous Signals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in effectively detecting and indicating radio link failures, particularly in scenarios where traditional radio link monitoring methods are inadequate or unavailable.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that count consecutive discontinuous indications and compare them to a predetermined threshold to provide a radio link failure indication, allowing for timely detection of radio link failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE performs random access procedures and sends multiple messages before indicating radio link failure, then the network can identify the failure cause and improve handover reliability, but the handover time and signaling overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover reliabilityVSAvoidhandover time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The network configures the UE with multiple potential failure cause indicators in advance (e.g., in RRC connection reconfiguration or system information). When radio link failure occurs, the UE can immediately select and report the appropriate pre-configured indicator without needing to perform multiple random access messages, thus reducing handover time while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the failure cause indication from the random access procedure and implements it as a separate, dedicated signaling mechanism. This allows the failure cause to be reported independently and efficiently, separating the failure detection function from the random access procedure to reduce overall handover time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Measurement precision

If the network uses multiple random access messages to determine failure cause, then the failure identification accuracy improves, but the signaling overhead and procedure complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefailure identification accuracyVSAvoidprocedure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The network pre-configures multiple failure cause indicators with different meanings (e.g., different beam failure causes, different connection failure scenarios). The UE simply needs to select the appropriate pre-configured indicator based on the actual failure scenario, achieving accurate failure identification without complex multi-message procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of having the UE send multiple messages for the network to determine the failure cause, the patent inverts the approach: the network provides multiple possible indicators to the UE, and the UE reports the relevant one. This reverses the traditional signaling direction and simplifies the procedure while maintaining identification accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the UE reports detailed failure cause information, then the network can optimize handover decisions, but the signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover optimization capabilityVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different levels of detail to different failure scenarios. For common failure cases, simple pre-configured indicators are used. For complex or uncommon scenarios, more detailed reporting can be triggered. This localized approach to information detail reduces overall signaling overhead while maintaining optimization capability where needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The UE reports only the necessary portion of failure cause information based on the specific scenario. The network configures a set of indicators, and the UE reports only the relevant one(s) for the actual failure condition, avoiding excessive signaling while providing sufficient information for handover optimization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4032363B1Providing a radio link failure indication
Publication Date: 2026.04.29 LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
  • EP4032363B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4032363B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4032363B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for providing a radio link failure indication. One method (500) includes counting (502) a number of consecutive discontinuous indications. The method (500) includes comparing (504) the number of consecutive discontinuous indications to a predetermined threshold. The method (500) includes, in response to the number of consecutive discontinuous indications being greater than the predetermined threshold, providing (506) a radio link failure indication.