RRC Inactive State Prioritization for Delay-Sensitive UE Sessions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining an active RRC connection in scenarios where a UE has no data transmission requirements is wasteful of battery power and network resources, and transitioning from RRC Idle to Connected state introduces packet delay issues in delay-sensitive communications.
Innovation Solution
Prioritize UEs with ongoing packet sessions meeting selection criteria for the RRC Inactive state, allowing faster recovery from inactivity, while UEs without such sessions transition to RRC Idle state, based on inactivity timer expiration and base station capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the RRC connection is terminated to save battery power and network resources, then energy efficiency is improved, but packet delay latency increases for delay-sensitive communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the RRC state configuration adaptable and changeable based on real-time conditions. The base station dynamically configures whether the UE should transition to RRC Idle or RRC Inactive state based on service type, packet delay budget, and other criteria, allowing the system to optimize between energy saving and latency performance depending on current requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different quality levels of RRC state transitions for different UEs based on their specific service requirements. Delay-sensitive UEs receive configuration for RRC Inactive state with faster resume capabilities, while other UEs transition to RRC Idle state for maximum energy saving, thereby tailoring the state transition characteristics to local needs
2Loss of time
If the RRC connection is maintained active to reduce packet delay, then communication responsiveness is improved, but battery power and network resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by maintaining only the necessary portion of the RRC connection (context information) in the RRC Inactive state, rather than maintaining the full active connection. This allows partial preservation of connection state to enable fast resume while releasing sufficient resources to achieve energy savings, striking a balance between full connection maintenance and complete termination
3Quantity of substance
If the RRC connection is terminated for resource optimization, then network resource efficiency is improved, but the ability to quickly resume communication deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction by separating the RRC context information from the full RRC connection. When transitioning to RRC Inactive state, only the essential context information is extracted and retained in the base station, while the rest of the connection is terminated. This extracted context enables fast resume without requiring full connection maintenance, thus optimizing resource usage while preserving resume capability
Data Source
AI summary
Solutions are disclosed that provide service differentiation to prioritize which user equipment (UE) is assigned to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state, due to limitations on the number of UEs that a base station can support in that state. If a UE has an ongoing packet session (e.g., protocol data unit, PDU, session) meeting selection criteria, that UE is prioritized for the RRC Inactive state. UEs that do not have an ongoing packet session meeting the selection criteria are permitted to go to the RRC Idle state. Since resuming the RRC Connected state from the RRC Inactive state is faster than establishing the RRC Connected state from the RRC Idle state, the UEs having the packet session meeting the selection criteria experience less packet delay when resuming data transmission after a period of inactivity. The selection criteria may thus be generally related to packet delay budgets.