Sidelink Relay UE Identifier Management for Reliable Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing relay discovery procedures in 3GPP TSs lack adequate mechanisms to uniquely identify relay user equipment (UE), leading to disambiguation and reachability issues during handover processes in NR wireless networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a relay UE ID system where the core network or base station assigns unique identifiers to relay UEs, which are managed and updated to ensure synchronization and tracking across different network states, including RRC idle, connected, and inactive states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If relay UE IDs are not permanently assigned to allow flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to disambiguation and reachability issues during handovers
Solution Approach 1:
The network performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring multiple candidate relay UE IDs for each relay UE before handover scenarios occur. When a relay UE moves or handover is needed, the network can quickly switch to a pre-assigned candidate ID, ensuring continuous reachability without the delays and failures associated with dynamic ID assignment during handover.
Solution Approach 2:
The network introduces an intermediary management layer that maintains a mapping between relay UEs and their candidate IDs. This intermediary structure mediates between the flexible non-permanent ID assignment and the reliability requirement during handovers, allowing the network to manage ID allocation dynamically while ensuring that valid IDs are always available for reachability.
2Device complexity
If relay UE IDs are dynamically assigned without permanent allocation, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information increases due to ID disambiguation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The ID management system is segmented into multiple independent candidate IDs for each relay UE, rather than relying on a single dynamic ID. This segmentation allows the network to maintain simpler individual ID structures while preventing information loss through disambiguation, as each candidate ID is pre-validated and trackable through the network's candidate ID data structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The network implements feedback mechanisms through the candidate ID data structure that tracks the status and validity of each candidate ID associated with a relay UE. This feedback system allows the network to monitor ID usage, detect disambiguation issues, and maintain accurate information about which IDs are currently valid for each relay UE, preventing information loss.
3Ease of operation
If relay UE IDs lack synchronization across network elements, then ease of operation is improved for individual nodes, but reliability deteriorates due to handover failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ID management functions across different network elements by introducing a centralized candidate ID data structure that all network elements can access. This allows each network element to maintain operational autonomy while simultaneously ensuring synchronization of relay UE ID information, as the candidate ID structure serves as a shared reference that coordinates ID usage across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The candidate ID data structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a local ID cache for individual network elements, a synchronization mechanism for maintaining ID consistency across the network, and a coordination system for managing handovers. This multi-functionality allows network elements to operate autonomously while ensuring reliability through synchronized ID management.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to devices and components including apparatus, systems, and methods for managing relay identifiers for sidelink relays in wireless networks.