RRC Inactive State Management via Location Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing the RRC inactive state of terminals, leading to delayed resumption of connected states and resource occupancy issues, especially when terminals remain or move out of wireless network areas.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves a terminal and access network device communication method where the terminal sends specific information to maintain or change its RRC state based on its location, allowing the network to store or release context accordingly, enabling quick resumption and optimizing resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the terminal remains in the RRC inactive state to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but the terminal cannot quickly resume to the connected state when needed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidresumption time
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The network device pre-allocates time resources for uplink transmission in the inactive state, so that when the terminal needs to resume to connected state, it can immediately use the pre-configured resources without waiting for resource allocation, thus reducing resumption time while maintaining power savings

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal dynamically transitions between inactive and connected states based on data transmission needs, with the network device maintaining context information during inactive state to enable fast resumption, balancing power consumption and response time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Speed

If the network device stores the terminal context to enable fast resumption, then resumption speed is improved, but network resources are occupied

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresumption speedVSAvoidnetwork resources
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The network device stores terminal context information locally in the access network device rather than in centralized core network elements, allowing fast local access to context for resumption while limiting the scope of resource occupation to only the specific access network device holding the context

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The network device maintains terminal context in the inactive state for fast resumption, and automatically releases the context when the terminal moves out of the network area or after a timeout period, thus recovering occupied resources while maintaining resumption capability when needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Reliability

If the terminal stays in the wireless network area in inactive state, then context can be maintained for fast resumption, but the terminal may move out without notification causing resource occupancy issues

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontext maintenanceVSAvoidterminal mobility handling
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal periodically sends uplink data or signaling messages while in inactive state, which triggers the network device to update and maintain the terminal context. This periodic activity ensures context reliability while providing opportunities for the network to detect terminal mobility and manage resources accordingly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal provides feedback to the network device through periodic uplink transmissions, allowing the network to track terminal presence and mobility. When the terminal moves out of the network area, the lack of feedback or failure to receive periodic messages triggers context release, resolving the contradiction between maintaining context and handling mobility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3567973B1Communication method, terminal, and access network device
Publication Date: 2024.01.31 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3567973B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3567973B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3567973B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

This application provides a communication method, a terminal, and an access network device. The method includes: sending, by a terminal in an RRC inactive state, first information to a first access network device, where the first information is used to indicate that the terminal is located in a wireless network area in which the terminal is in the RRC inactive state, and the first access network device is an access network device to which a cell in which the terminal is currently located belongs; receiving, by the terminal, a first message sent by the first access network device; and remaining, by the terminal, in the RRC inactive state based on the first message, or entering an idle state from the RRC inactive state based on the first message. According to the technical solutions of this application, performance of a communications system can be improved.