Secondary Cell-User Equipment Handovers for Low-Latency Wireless Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless communication systems face latency issues due to network links between user equipment (UE), base stations, and other network entities, which degrade performance in time-sensitive communications like telemetry and sensor data transmission.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a base station-user equipment dual connectivity (BUDC) group that uses a secondary cell-user equipment (SC-UE) handover mechanism, allowing UEs to communicate directly through a secondary cell provided by an SC-UE, thereby bypassing traditional network paths and reducing latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transmitted through traditional network paths (UE → base station → core network → other UE), then network coverage and reliability are improved, but network latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traditional monolithic network path into multiple possible routes: traditional routed path (through base station and core network) and direct peer-to-peer path (through SC-UE). This segmentation allows the system to select the optimal path based on latency requirements while maintaining the reliability of the traditional path for other scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary cell-user equipment (SC-UE) acts as an intermediary that enables direct communication between UEs. Instead of all data passing through the base station and core network, the SC-UE mediates direct data exchange between source and target UEs, reducing latency for time-sensitive applications while maintaining network coverage.
2Device complexity
If a base station manages all wireless connections centrally, then network control and management are simplified, but communication latency for direct UE-UE transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network management functions between the base station and SC-UE. The base station maintains overall network control and management, while the SC-UE is empowered to handle direct data transmission between UEs. This segmentation reduces latency for data transmission while preserving centralized management for control functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The SC-UE performs self-service by directly managing data transmission between UEs without requiring base station intervention for each data packet. The SC-UE autonomously handles the peer-to-peer communication, reducing latency while the base station maintains overall network management and control.
3Reliability
If UEs communicate through multiple network entities (base station, core network), then network security and control are improved, but communication speed and latency performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication path into control plane (through base station for security and management) and user plane (direct UE-to-UE through SC-UE for speed). This segmentation allows security functions to remain centralized while enabling high-speed direct communication for data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The SC-UE serves as an intermediary that establishes direct communication channels between UEs while maintaining security through base station-configured parameters. The SC-UE enables fast direct transmission while the base station maintains security control through initial configuration and oversight.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques and apparatuses are described for secondary cell-user equipment (SC-UE) handovers. In aspects, a base station (121) provides, as a primary cell, primary cell services to a first group of user equipments (UEs) in a first base station-user equipment dual connectivity (BUDC) group (704). In implementations, the base station determines to perform an SC-UE handover that disconnects a first UE (710) from a first secondary cell-user equipment (SC-UE) (708) that provides a first secondary cell to the first BUDC group and connects the first UE to a second SC-UE (714) that provides a second secondary cell to a second BUDC group (706). The base station directs the first SC-UE to release the first UE from the first BUDC group, and communicates, as the primary cell, control-plane information or user-plane data with one or more UEs in the first group of UEs that remain in the first BUDC group.