Terminal Device RRC State Control via Inactivity Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In communication systems, terminal devices acting as network relays can improperly transition to a radio resource control (RRC) non-connected state while still-connected remote devices are active, disrupting communication and service reliability.
Innovation Solution
Implementing inactivity monitoring at both the terminal device and network levels to ensure that a terminal device only transitions to RRC non-connected state when both itself and all connected remote devices are inactive, using inactivity timers and activity status reporting to coordinate RRC state changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If inactivity monitoring is performed only at terminal device level, then the transition to RRC non-connected state is simplified, but the terminal device may be improperly transferred to non-connected state while connected remote devices are still active
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines inactivity monitoring at two levels: terminal device level and network level. The user plane performs monitoring at terminal device level while the control plane performs monitoring at network level, merging these monitoring functions to ensure comprehensive activity detection before RRC state transitions occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the user plane reports activity status to the control plane, and the control plane makes decisions based on this feedback. The control plane sends RRC connection release messages only after confirming inactivity through this feedback loop, preventing premature state transitions
2Speed
If the terminal device transitions to RRC non-connected state immediately upon its own inactivity, then the response time is reduced, but the connected remote devices lose network connectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary inactivity monitoring at the network level before allowing RRC state transition. The control plane monitors activity status and only initiates the RRC connection release process after confirming that both the terminal device and all connected remote devices are inactive, preventing premature transitions that would disrupt service
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for controlling connection state of a terminal device. A user plane of a base station determines whether a first terminal device that acts as a terminal device to network relay for one or more second terminal devices in radio resource control (RRC) connected state is inactive, based on traffic conditions of the first terminal device and the one or more second terminal devices. The user plane reports a result of the determination to a control plane of the base station.