User Equipment Measurement Report Trigger Adaptation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In cellular systems, especially in 5G networks, the existing methods for triggering cell measurement reports are not tailored to handle multiple serving cells simultaneously, leading to sub-optimal performance in terms of throughput and active set updates, and do not adequately address the need for robust control-channel management during handovers.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves adapting the measurement report trigger parameters based on the size of the user equipment's active set, allowing the user equipment to autonomously configure its trigger conditions by linking the trigger event parameters with the active set size, and dynamically adjusting these parameters to reflect changes in the active set configuration, thereby enabling more efficient handover decisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the terminal permanently sends measurement reports to the network, then the network has complete information about surrounding cells, but the signaling overhead becomes too large

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the parameter of measurement report transmission from permanent continuous reporting to event-triggered reporting. The terminal only sends measurement reports when specific triggering conditions are met (such as when a neighbor cell's signal quality exceeds the serving cell by a threshold), thereby reducing signaling overhead while ensuring the network receives critical information about cell conditions for handover decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If the network uses fixed trigger parameters for all UEs, then the configuration is simple, but the performance in terms of throughput and active set updates becomes sub-optimal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration simplicityVSAvoidthroughput
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention makes the trigger parameters dynamic by adapting them based on the UE's active set size. When the active set size changes, the network adjusts the trigger parameters (such as the threshold offset) accordingly. This dynamic adaptation optimizes throughput and active set update performance for different UE scenarios while maintaining manageable network control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the terminal has multiple serving cells in the active set, then the connection robustness improves, but the existing trigger mechanisms become inadequate for optimal handover management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection robustnessVSAvoidhandover management adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies different trigger parameters for different neighbor cells based on their individual characteristics and the UE's active set configuration. Instead of using a uniform trigger threshold for all cells, the network can configure cell-specific offsets and thresholds, allowing optimized handover management for each cell while maintaining overall connection robustness through multiple active serving cells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3318080B1User equipment adaptation of reporting triggers based on active set size
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP3318080B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3318080B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3318080B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

When a given user equipment (UE) has a plurality K of cells currently serving it, in various embodiments there is an algorithm for triggering the UE to wirelessly send a cell measurement report. The algorithm utilizes a parameter whose value is dependent on the number K of cells currently in the UE's active set. The UE updates K anytime a new cell is added to, or a serving cell is removed from, the UE's active set. In various examples the parameter is an offset that operates such that for adding a new cell increasing values of K make it more difficult to satisfy the algorithm. One example has the offset's value computed using a slope value provided by the network and a default offset value; another has the offset's value computed using maximum and minimum allowable values of both K and the offset which are provided by the network.