Terminal Registration Area Control for Low-Power Location Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Zero-power terminals in communication systems experience frequent registration update processes, leading to significant battery energy consumption, which contradicts their low-power requirements.

Innovation Solution

A network device sends a message to a terminal device to determine its location within specific registration update areas, allowing the terminal to perform updates only in designated candidate areas, reducing the frequency of registration processes and energy consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal device performs registration update process whenever it moves out of a registration area, then the network can track the terminal's location accurately, but the energy consumption of zero-power terminals increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation tracking accuracyVSAvoidterminal energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating between ordinary terminals and zero-power terminals in terms of registration update behavior. Zero-power terminals are assigned a specific registration update area where they only perform registration updates when entering or leaving this designated area, rather than whenever moving between any registration areas. This localized approach reduces the frequency of registration updates specifically for zero-power terminals, thereby reducing their energy consumption while maintaining adequate location tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the terminal device frequently performs registration update processes, then the network maintains accurate terminal location information, but the frequency of registration processes increases energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation information accuracyVSAvoidbattery energy loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of registration update triggering conditions for zero-power terminals. Instead of using the conventional parameter of 'moving out of any registration area', the system introduces a new parameter: 'entering or leaving the registration update area'. This parameter change reduces the frequency of registration updates for zero-power terminals, thereby reducing energy loss while maintaining location information accuracy through selective updates at area boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4697766A1Communication method and device
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD
  • EP4697766A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4697766A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4697766A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The disclosure relates to a communication method, device, computer-readable storage medium, computer program product, and computer program. The method includes: a network device sends a first message to a terminal device, where the first message is used by the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device is located in a first registration update area. The first registration update area is an area where the terminal device triggers a registration update process, and the first registration update area is one of multiple registration areas of the terminal device. Each of the plurality of registration areas is a candidate area where the terminal device can trigger the registration update process.