RedCap UE Identification Through RACH Partitioning and RSRP Thresholds

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge in next-generation wireless communication systems, such as 5G NR, is to effectively identify and serve Reduced Capability (RedCap) user equipment (UE) during the random access (RA) procedure, as existing methods struggle to differentiate RedCap UEs from legacy UEs before their capabilities are known, leading to inefficient resource allocation and management.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves partitioning random access channel resources based on service types, allowing RedCap UEs to implicitly indicate their service type through specific RACH resource usage, and employing RSRP thresholds for RA type determination, enabling early identification and differentiated treatment during the RA procedure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If existing random access methods are used, then legacy UEs can access the network, but RedCap UEs cannot be differentiated from legacy UEs before capability identification

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport for multiple UE typesVSAvoidcomplexity of RA procedure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The random access channel resources are segmented into different types (first RA type and second RA type) based on service types. RedCap UEs use a specific RA type that is differentiated from legacy UEs through resource partitioning, allowing the network to identify UE capabilities before the RA procedure completes without adding overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality characteristics are assigned to different RA resources based on local needs. Specifically, different RSRP thresholds are configured for different RA types, allowing optimized resource allocation and UE identification while maintaining simplicity in the overall RA framework

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If RSRP threshold comparison is performed for all UEs, then RA type can be determined, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveRA type determination accuracyVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The network pre-configures RSRP thresholds and RA type mappings before the RA procedure. UEs can determine their appropriate RA type by comparing their measured RSRP against these pre-configured thresholds, eliminating the need for extensive signaling during the actual RA procedure and reducing overhead while maintaining determination accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If RedCap UEs use same RA resources as legacy UEs, then resource allocation is simple, but resource utilization efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of resource configurationVSAvoidresource utilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

RA resources are segmented into different types with specific configurations for different service types. This segmentation allows the network to allocate resources more efficiently by matching UE capabilities with appropriate RA resources, improving resource utilization while maintaining configuration simplicity through standardized segmentation rules

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different parameters (such as RSRP thresholds, frequency ranges, and resource configurations) are changed based on service type requirements. RedCap UEs operate with specific parameter sets that differ from legacy UEs, enabling efficient resource utilization while keeping the configuration system manageable through parameter-based differentiation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12363758B2Method related to random access and user equipment

Publication Date: 2025.07.15 SHARP KK

AI summary

A method related to random access (RA) and a user equipment (UE) are provided. The method includes: initiating a RA procedure; identifying the RA procedure is associated with a service; identifying the service is supported by a base station (BS); determining whether to perform a comparison with a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold for determining a RA type of the RA procedure according to a resource configuration for the RA type; determining the RA type according to the resource configuration in response to the resource configuration being that a resource selected for the RA procedure is configured with merely one RA type associated with the service; and performing the comparison with the RSRP threshold for determining the RA type in response to the resource configuration being that the resource selected for the RA procedure is not configured with merely one RA type associated with the service.