Transparent User Equipment Relay for Extended Cell Coverage

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 3GPP LTE networks, certain regions may experience limited cell coverage due to environmental factors or power limitations, leading to areas where signals from the eNB cannot be decoded by UEs, resulting in reduced services and increased latency for users.

Innovation Solution

A method where user equipment (UE) acts as a relay node by generating a logical channel and assigning an identifier to it, allowing it to forward data between a network node entity and a target entity without decoding or encoding the data, thereby improving cell coverage and offloading network resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If base stations transmit communications directly to user equipment, then communication quality is maintained, but cell coverage is limited in certain geographical areas

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell coverage areaVSAvoidsignal decoding reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a relay user equipment as an intermediary node between the base station and target user equipment. The relay UE receives communications from the base station and forwards them to the target UE, enabling extended coverage in geographical areas where direct base station-to-UE communication is not feasible.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If relay user equipment forwards data by decoding and re-encoding, then communication can be relayed, but processing latency increases and device resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverelay communication capabilityVSAvoiddata processing latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the data processing function from the relay UE by implementing a transparent relay mode where the relay UE forwards data without decoding or re-encoding. This extraction of the decoding function eliminates processing latency and resource consumption at the relay UE, while maintaining relay communication capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Adaptability or versatility

If relay user equipment is used to extend coverage, then service availability improves, but network resource overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice availabilityVSAvoidnetwork configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the relay UE autonomously establishes the relay connection and the network automatically configures the transparent relay mode without requiring complex manual intervention. This reduces network configuration complexity while maintaining improved service availability through relay functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2910047B1Optimized user equipement relaying

Publication Date: 2022.12.21 NEC CORP

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AI summary

The invention relates to a method for relaying a communication in a network, wherein a user equipment (UER) relays a communication between a network node entity (eNB) and a target entity (UET), the method including the steps, generating a logical channel at least between the user equipment relay (UER) and the target entity (UET), and assigning at least one identifier (LC_ID_R) to said logical channel, and upon reception from the network node entity (eNB), at the user equipment relay (UER), of data received with said identifier (LC_ID_R), the user equipment relay (UER) forwards the received data to the target entity (UET).