Reduced Capability UE Cell Camping Decision
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cellular communications, network nodes and user equipment (UE) with differing capabilities face challenges in interoperability, particularly when UEs with reduced capabilities attempt to camp on cells not configured to support such devices.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves an apparatus and method that allow a UE of a reduced capability type to determine, based on system information received from a cell, whether the cell supports UEs of its type. If not, the UE can decide whether to camp on the cell or not, and the network node can provide an indication to the UE regarding its camping permissions on cells that do not support reduced-capability UEs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a cell is configured to support only full-capability UEs, then network performance and reliability for full-capability UEs is maintained, but coverage and accessibility for reduced-capability UEs is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of cell configuration by introducing a new system information parameter (e.g., ueCategoriesNotSupportedException) that explicitly indicates whether a cell supports reduced-capability UEs. This parameter change allows UEs to make informed camping decisions based on cell capabilities, enabling reduced-capability UEs to access cells that previously would have been incompatible, thereby expanding coverage while maintaining reliability through informed selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables reduced-capability UEs to autonomously determine whether a cell supports their UE type by reading and interpreting system information broadcast by the cell. The UE performs self-assessment of compatibility based on its own capabilities and the cell's indicated support, allowing it to make independent camping decisions without requiring network reconfiguration or manual intervention, thus expanding coverage selflessly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cells broadcast detailed capability information, then interoperability compatibility is improved, but system information complexity and overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential capability information needed for interoperability compatibility from the full set of cell capabilities. Instead of broadcasting all possible capability parameters, the system extracts and broadcasts a specific indicator (e.g., ueCategoriesNotSupportedException) that directly answers whether the cell supports reduced-capability UEs. This extraction approach maintains interoperability compatibility by providing necessary information while reducing system information complexity and overhead by omitting unnecessary details.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having UEs query the network for capability information or having the network provide comprehensive capability sets, the patent inverts the approach by having cells broadcast a concise negative indication (what they do NOT support). This inversion simplifies the information structure: if a UE type is not explicitly excluded, it can assume compatibility, thereby achieving interoperability compatibility with minimal information overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus configured to perform as a user equipment of a first type, receive system information from a cell and determine, based on the system information, that the cell does not support user equipments of the first type, and determine, whether to camp on the cell or to not camp on the cell.