UE Secondary Cell Connection Threshold Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication systems face challenges in handling multiple secondary cell group failures, leading to excessive signaling, low data throughput, battery consumption, and unstable connections due to continuous attempts to connect to secondary cells despite poor signal quality.
Innovation Solution
A user equipment (UE) device modifies its signal quality threshold after initial failures to connect to a secondary cell, attempts to reconnect using the modified threshold, and disables secondary cell connections if repeated failures occur, thereby managing secondary cell failures and maintaining stable connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UE continuously attempts to connect to secondary cells despite poor signal quality, then connection availability is maintained, but excessive signaling occurs and battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the signal quality threshold based on failure history. When radio link failures occur, the threshold is modified (raised) to prevent future connection attempts to poor-quality secondary cells. This changes the decision parameter from a fixed threshold to an adaptive one, reducing unnecessary connection attempts and thus lowering battery consumption while maintaining reliable connections only when signal quality is sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the UE monitors connection outcomes and uses this information to adjust future connection decisions. The failure counter and threshold modification create a feedback loop: connection attempts are made, outcomes are measured (success/failure), and subsequent behavior is adjusted accordingly. This feedback reduces excessive signaling and energy consumption by learning from past connection outcomes.
2Reliability
If the UE continuously attempts to connect to secondary cells despite poor signal quality, then connection availability is maintained, but excessive signaling occurs
Solution Approach 1:
By dynamically changing the signal quality threshold parameter based on failure history, the system prevents unnecessary connection attempts to secondary cells with poor signal quality. This parameter adjustment reduces the frequency of connection attempts and associated signaling messages, eliminating excessive signaling while maintaining connection availability when signal conditions are adequate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by making connection attempts only when signal quality exceeds the adaptive threshold, rather than continuously attempting connections. This selective approach prevents excessive signaling by limiting connection attempts to situations where they are likely to succeed, avoiding redundant signaling overhead.
3Ease of operation
If the UE uses a fixed signal quality threshold for connection attempts, then connection decisions are simple, but data throughput is low due to connections with poor signal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static, fixed threshold into a dynamic threshold that adapts based on failure history and signal conditions. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain simple decision logic (compare signal quality to threshold) while improving data throughput by ensuring connections are only attempted when signal quality is sufficiently high, avoiding poor-quality connections that would reduce throughput.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the UE attempts to connect to secondary cells with poor signal quality, then connection diversity is maintained, but connections become unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptive threshold mechanism changes the connection decision parameter dynamically, maintaining connection diversity by still allowing connections to multiple secondary cells when conditions permit, while improving stability by raising the threshold to prevent connections to cells with persistently poor signal quality. The failure history-based adjustment ensures that only stable, reliable secondary cells are selected for connection.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are presented herein of apparatuses, systems, and methods for mitigation of secondary cell failures. A user equipment (UE) may establish communication with a macro cellular base station. The UE may perform a signal quality measurement of a small cell base station and compare the signal quality measurement to a threshold. Based on the signal quality measurement exceeding the threshold, the UE may attempt to additionally connect to the small cell base station. In response to a radio link failure of the second base station, the UE may modify the first threshold. In response to subsequent failures to additionally connect to the small cell base station using the modified first threshold, the UE may disable connections to the small cell base station.