5G UE Back-Off Timer Management for Network Slice Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The implementation method for managing the number of User Equipment (UEs) allowed for each network slice in the 5G System (5GS) has not been clearly clarified, posing a technical challenge for network slice management.
Innovation Solution
A User Equipment (UE) that includes a transmission and/or reception unit and a controller, which transmits a registration request message with an S-NSSAI and receives a registration accept message containing a cause value and a back-off timer value, uses this information to manage back-off timers for configuration updates, paging, and de-registration requests, ensuring proper UE management within network slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a back-off timer is started to manage the number of UEs allowed for each network slice, then network slice management capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple timer management scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the back-off timer management into distinct scenarios based on the type of message received (configuration update command vs. other messages like paging or de-registration request). Each scenario has specific handling logic: updating the timer value when receiving configuration update commands, or stopping the timer when receiving other messages. This segmentation simplifies the overall complex timer management system by breaking it into manageable, scenario-specific sub-tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The back-off timer mechanism is made dynamic by allowing the timer value to be updated based on the second back-off timer value received in configuration update commands. The timer can be extended, stopped, or restarted depending on the received messages and their associated cause values and timer values. This dynamic adjustment capability enables flexible network slice management while maintaining clear operational rules for each scenario.
2Speed
If multiple message types are monitored before back-off timer expiration, then network responsiveness is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different message types received during the back-off period. Configuration update commands trigger timer value updates with specific cause value evaluations, while other messages (paging, de-registration requests, notification messages) trigger timer stopping. This localized quality approach optimizes processing by applying appropriate handling logic to each message type without requiring uniform complex processing for all messages, thus reducing overall processing overhead while maintaining responsiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A UE transmits a registration request message including an S-NSSAI and receives a registration accept message including the S-NSSAI, a first cause value, and a first back-off timer value. The UE starts a back-off timer using the first back-off timer value corresponding to the S-NSSAI. In a case that the UE receives a configuration update command including the S-NSSAI, a second cause value, and a second back-off timer value before expiration of the back-off timer, the UE updates, in a case that the second back-off timer value indicates a value other than zero the back-off timer to be the second back-off timer value and stops, in a case that the second back-off timer value indicates zero, the back-off timer. In a case that the back-off timer expires or stops, the UE transmits the registration request message including the S-NSSAI or a PDU session establishment request message. This allows for provision of a communication unit for implementing a function related to management of a maximum number of UEs and/or a maximum number of PDU sessions connected for each network slice in a 5GS.