SCG Activation Control for Dual Connectivity Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dual connectivity (DC) mode, terminal devices experience high power consumption due to simultaneous data transmission on two air interface links, and frequent secondary node (SN) addition and release lead to increased overheads of air interface signaling and delays.
Innovation Solution
A communication method where a first access network node determines to deactivate or activate a secondary cell group (SCG), sending appropriate commands to a terminal, thereby retaining SCG configuration and quickly recovering link communication without the need for SN addition or release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the terminal always works in DC mode to maintain high data rate capability, then the data rate performance is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic switching between DC mode and normal mode based on data rate requirements. The network side determines when to activate or deactivate SCG configuration, allowing the terminal to adapt its operating mode dynamically rather than staying in a fixed state, thus balancing performance and power consumption
2Use of energy by moving object
If SN release is performed to save power when terminal is in low data rate state, then power consumption is reduced, but air interface signaling overheads and delay increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SCG configuration into retainable and releasable parts. When deactivating SCG, the configuration is preserved in a suspended state rather than completely released, allowing rapid reactivation without full reconfiguration. This segmentation enables partial retention of configuration data to avoid the overhead of complete re-addition
Solution Approach 2:
The network side performs preliminary suspension of SCG configuration instead of complete release. The configuration parameters are kept in a suspended state in advance, so when reactivation is needed, the terminal can quickly resume using the stored configuration without waiting for lengthy reconfiguration procedures, thus reducing delay
3Adaptability or versatility
If frequent SN addition and release are performed to adapt to data rate fluctuations, then the adaptability is improved, but air interface signaling overheads increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the state parameter of SCG configuration from completely released to suspended/retained. By modifying the configuration status parameter rather than performing full addition/release cycles, the system achieves adaptability to data rate changes while minimizing signaling overhead. The configuration parameters remain stored with updated state indicators instead of being completely retransmitted
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus, and relate to the field of communication technologies. A first access network node determines to deactivate a secondary cell group SCG or activate the SCG; and the first access network node sends first indication information to a second base station, where the first indication information indicates the second base station to send an SCG deactivation command or an SCG activation command to a terminal, where the first access network node belongs to a first base station, the first base station is a master node or a secondary node of the terminal during dual connectivity communication, and the SCG is one or more cells managed by the secondary node.