UE Handover Policy with Validity Conditions for Network Congestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current mobile communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing handovers between 3GPP and non-3GPP access networks due to limitations in the ANDSF's ability to dynamically adapt to user and network status, leading to suboptimal user-experienced performance, especially in congested wireless LAN networks.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution extends the routing policy to include validity conditions such as user status information, allowing the UE to determine whether to perform handovers based on factors like congestion levels, battery life, and mobility, and extends the update policy to include necessary conditions for requesting policy updates, enabling more informed access network selection and reducing unnecessary policy updates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the ANDSF policy is used to manage handovers between 3GPP and non-3GPP access networks, then network selection capability is provided, but the policy cannot dynamically adapt to changing user or network status, leading to suboptimal user-experienced performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedynamic adaptation to user and network statusVSAvoiduser-experienced performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the handover policy dynamic by allowing the UE to autonomously determine whether to trigger a handover based on real-time evaluation of validity conditions (congestion level, battery life, mobility state) rather than following static ANDSF policies. The UE continuously monitors its status and network conditions, and only initiates handover when validity conditions are satisfied, enabling adaptive response to changing conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The UE performs self-service by autonomously evaluating its own status (battery life, mobility state) and network conditions (congestion level) against validity conditions stored in its memory. The UE independently decides whether to trigger handover without requiring continuous ANDSF intervention or policy updates, making the system self-adapting to current conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If handover is performed based on static routing policy without considering current network status, then handover simplicity is maintained, but handover may occur to congested networks, degrading data communication quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandover operation simplicityVSAvoiddata communication quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The UE stores validity conditions (congestion level threshold, battery life threshold, mobility state conditions) in advance in its memory before handover is needed. These pre-stored conditions serve as decision criteria that the UE evaluates against current status at handover time, enabling simple autonomous decision-making without complex real-time calculations or additional signaling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE autonomously evaluates current network congestion level and its own status against pre-stored validity conditions, and independently decides whether to trigger handover. This self-service mechanism maintains operational simplicity while ensuring handover only occurs when it will improve data communication quality, avoiding handover to congested networks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If the UE frequently requests policy updates from ANDSF to adapt to changing conditions, then policy adaptability improves, but signaling overhead and network load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepolicy adaptability to changing conditionsVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The ANDSF provides the UE with pre-configured validity conditions (congestion level thresholds, battery life thresholds, mobility state conditions, APN conditions) in advance. The UE then autonomously evaluates these pre-provided conditions against its current status and network conditions, eliminating the need for frequent policy update requests and reducing signaling overhead while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE performs self-service by autonomously monitoring its status and network conditions, and independently determining whether validity conditions are satisfied to trigger handover. This eliminates the need for the UE to frequently request policy updates from ANDSF, significantly reducing signaling overhead while maintaining policy adaptability to changing conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If the UE considers multiple validity conditions (congestion level, battery life, mobility state) before handover, then user-experienced performance improves, but decision-making complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser-experienced performanceVSAvoidhandover decision complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ANDSF provides the UE with pre-configured validity conditions including congestion level thresholds, battery life thresholds, mobility state conditions, and APN conditions. The UE stores these in advance and simply evaluates current status against these pre-set criteria, making the decision-making process straightforward despite considering multiple factors. The complexity is shifted from the UE's real-time decision logic to the pre-configured validity conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2763465B1Mobile communication system and method of information processing for improving user experience in the mobile communication system
Publication Date: 2019.12.18 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP2763465B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for processing information between mobile communication systems in order to prevent the degradation of user-experienced performance when different types of mobile communication networks are used. The method for processing information at user equipment (UE) to improve user-experienced performance of a mobile communication system includes performing a data communication through a first network and receiving, from a policy server, a routing policy including a validity condition which is information about a condition of designating a UE status for handover. The method further includes, in the handover, if a searched second network satisfies the validity condition, performing the data communication through the second network. Accordingly, a network for data transmission can be selected using a routing policy created in consideration of a UE status or a network status, thereby enhancing user-experienced performance.