RLC Status Report Generation in NTN with Adaptive Timer

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Solution Overview

Problem

In Non-terrestrial Networks (NTN), the large Round-Trip Time (RTT) causes challenges in generating Radio Link Control (RLC) status reports efficiently, particularly when Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) is enabled or disabled.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves methods for generating status reports and setting timers in a terminal of an NTN system. Specifically, it includes determining when a reassembly timer expires and a status prohibition timer is not started, generating an RLC status report, and submitting it to the MAC layer. Additionally, during the running of the status prohibition timer, if a new RLC status report is triggered and meets certain conditions, the terminal can generate and submit a new RLC status report.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the status prohibition timer is started after generating an RLC status report, then the terminal avoids generating duplicate status reports during large RTT, but the terminal cannot generate new status reports for newly triggered conditions during the prohibition period

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavoiding duplicate status reportsVSAvoidstatus report generation capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the status prohibition timer configurable with different durations based on network conditions. The timer duration can be adjusted to balance between avoiding duplicate reports and allowing new report generation, transforming a static prohibition mechanism into a dynamic adaptive one that responds to actual network RTT conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of timer duration from a fixed value to a configurable parameter that can be adjusted based on network conditions. By modifying this temporal parameter, the system can adapt the prohibition period to match actual RTT characteristics, resolving the contradiction between preventing duplicates and allowing timely report generation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the reassembly timer duration is extended to accommodate large RTT in NTN, then the terminal can wait longer for missing SDUs, but the status report generation is delayed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling large RTTVSAvoidstatus report generation delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the timing mechanism into two independent timers: the reassembly timer for waiting for missing SDUs and the status prohibition timer for preventing duplicate reports. This segmentation allows each timer to be optimized independently - the reassembly timer can be extended for large RTT while the prohibition timer maintains appropriate duration for report generation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by starting the status prohibition timer immediately after status report generation, before any potential duplicate report conditions can occur. This preliminary timing action ensures that subsequent status report triggers during large RTT periods are properly managed without unnecessary delays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the terminal generates status reports immediately upon triggering conditions, then the response time is minimized, but duplicate status reports may be generated during large RTT

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus report response timeVSAvoidduplicate report generation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by using the status prohibition timer to provide temporal feedback to potential duplicate trigger conditions. When a status report is generated, the prohibition timer starts and provides feedback that suppresses any immediate duplicate triggers, allowing the system to distinguish between legitimate new conditions and duplicate attempts during large RTT

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20250080283A1Methods and apparatuses for generating status report, setting timer, and configuring information

Publication Date: 2025.03.06 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD

AI summary

Methods and apparatuses for generating a status report, setting a timer, and configuring information, and a storage medium. The method for generating a status report includes: determining that a reassembly timer has expired and a status prohibition timer has not started, generating a Radio Link Control (RLC) status report, submitting the RLC status report to a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and then starting up the status prohibition timer; and during the operation of the status prohibition timer, determining that a new RLC status report has been triggered and a target condition for generating the new RLC status report is met, generating the new RLC status report, and submitting the new RLC status report to the MAC layer.