UE-Substitute Unit for Service Continuity After Radio Link Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud-native communication networks, temporary loss of communication links with user equipment (UE) due to radio technology failures disrupts data traffic, leading to service and application interruptions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a UE-substitute-unit within the network that mirrors UE-network-functions, allowing it to retrieve and write data to a shared database, ensuring continuity of service even if the UE's radio link is broken.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If UE communicates with the network via radio link to enable mobile connectivity, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential radio link failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the UE (virtual UE) that mirrors the actual UE's identity, capabilities, and operational state. This virtual copy resides in the network and can take over communication functions when the actual UE is unavailable due to radio link failures, thus maintaining service continuity while preserving mobile connectivity benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The network pre-configures the virtual UE as a backup mechanism before any radio link failure occurs. When the actual UE disconnects, the virtual UE is already in place and can immediately assume the communication role, cushioning against the reliability impact of radio link instability
2Productivity
If UE data is stored locally on the device to enable autonomous operation, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data storage and processing functions from the actual UE device and relocates them to the network infrastructure. The virtual UE maintains the necessary data and operational capabilities in the network, allowing the physical device to be simpler while retaining autonomous operation capabilities through network-supported functionality
3Reliability
If a virtual UE is created in the network to maintain service during radio link failures, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and network resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual UE is designed as a universal backup mechanism that can serve multiple actual UEs and various service types. Rather than creating dedicated backup systems for each UE, the virtual UE provides multi-functional support across different scenarios, reducing overall network complexity while maintaining service continuity
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques for communication in a communication system, comprising the following steps • providing domain units, wherein the domain units provide a functionality of the network for communication by means of network functions; wherein at least one of the domain units is represented by a UE having at least one UE-network-function, wherein the UE communicates with the network by means of a radio link; • providing a database within the network, wherein the domain units communicate via a communication link with the database, and wherein the domain units each retrieve data from the database and/or write data output obtained by their network functions into the database to execute their network functionality; • providing a UE-substitute-unit within the communication system having at least one of said UE-network-functions, said UE-substitute-unit at least temporarily substituting for said UE, which is temporarily not connected because of network interrupts, wherein the UE-substitute-unit executes the at least UE-network-functions and retrieves data from said database and/or writes data output obtained by the UE-network-function into said database.