User Equipment Capability Biasing for Handover Reliability

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, user equipment (UE) often lacks sufficient information to provide complete capability details to the network, leading to incorrect decisions and failed procedures due to limited message lengths and bandwidth constraints, resulting in unsuccessful handovers or redirections to unsupported frequency bands or radio access technologies (RATs).

Innovation Solution

The UE prioritizes its capability information based on neighbor cell information received from the network, transmitting only the supported RATs and bands to ensure accurate mobility indications and reduce the likelihood of redirection to unsupported bands, using flags and additional band information in messages like RRC_CONNECTION_REQUEST to guarantee successful handovers and redirections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE provides complete capability information to the network, then the network can make correct decisions about handover and redirection, but the message length and bandwidth consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover decision accuracyVSAvoidmessage length
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The UE applies local quality by selectively providing capability information only for radio access technologies and frequency bands that are relevant to the current network context. Instead of transmitting all capabilities uniformly, the UE filters and prioritizes capabilities based on the serving network's supported RATs and bands, ensuring the network receives only the necessary information for accurate handover decisions while minimizing message size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The UE implements partial action by providing a subset of capability information rather than complete capability lists. The UE includes capability details for RATs and frequency bands that are either currently active or potentially relevant based on network information, omitting unrelated capabilities. This partial provision is sufficient for the network to make correct handover decisions without requiring exhaustive capability disclosure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Length of moving object

If the UE transmits minimal capability information to reduce bandwidth consumption, then message length is reduced, but the network cannot make correct decisions due to lack of complete information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage lengthVSAvoidhandover decision accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The UE applies preliminary action by first obtaining network information about supported RATs and frequency bands before transmitting capability information. The UE uses this preliminary network context to pre-filter and prioritize its capability list, ensuring that the minimal information transmitted is already tailored to the network's capabilities. This prevents the network from receiving incomplete or irrelevant information while maintaining concise messaging.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE implements feedback mechanisms where it receives network information about supported technologies and adjusts its capability information transmission accordingly. The UE monitors network responses and modifies subsequent capability disclosures based on network feedback, ensuring progressively more accurate and complete information is provided only when necessary, balancing message size with decision-making accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If the network redirects the UE to frequency bands or RATs without complete capability information, then connection establishment speed increases, but failed procedures occur when the UE cannot complete the redirection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection establishment speedVSAvoidredirection success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The UE applies preliminary action by proactively filtering its capability information based on network-supported RATs and frequency bands before transmitting. The UE uses network broadcast information about supported technologies to pre-identify which capabilities to include, ensuring that any redirection command received from the network will be for a RAT or band the UE actually supports. This prevents failed redirections while maintaining rapid connection establishment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE implements beforehand cushioning by preparing and filtering capability information in advance based on network context, creating a buffer against potential redirection failures. The UE anticipates which capabilities are relevant and pre-validates them against network information, so when redirection occurs, the UE is already configured to handle it correctly. This cushioning prevents procedure failures without slowing down connection establishment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP2324653B1User equipment capability biasing
Publication Date: 2019.10.23 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2324653B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2324653B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2324653B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the invention there is at least a method, apparatus, and executable computer program to perform operations including receiving at a user equipment information from a network access node, prioritizing capability information of the user equipment in accordance with the received information, and transmitting all or at least part of the prioritized capability information to the network access node.