User Equipment Tracking Area Update for RRC Failure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of user equipment (UEs) and data transmission requirements in wireless communication systems pose challenges for base stations (BS) to efficiently manage limited radio resources, particularly in scenarios involving infrequent small data transmission and RRC connection failures.
Innovation Solution
A method where user equipment (UE) initiates a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure by sending a TAU request, specifically in cases of RRC connection failure with no pending signaling or uplink user data, utilizing the control plane connection to transport user data and indicating expected downlink data reception to the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the BS provides service to increasing number of UEs and transmits more data and control information, then the communication service quality improves, but the limited radio resources are depleted faster
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data transmission into two distinct planes: control plane for small infrequent data and user plane for bulk data transmission. This segmentation allows efficient resource utilization by matching the appropriate plane to the data characteristics, thereby improving overall throughput while conserving radio resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically selects between control plane and user plane transmission based on data characteristics and network conditions. The UE and network can adaptively choose the optimal transmission plane, enabling flexible resource allocation that improves productivity while managing limited radio resources effectively.
2Reliability
If the UE frequently initiates TAU procedure to recover from RRC connection failure, then the connection reliability improves, but the signaling overhead and network load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by establishing control plane connection and transmitting small data before RRC connection failure occurs. The network is pre-informed about pending downlink data expectations, allowing it to prepare appropriate handling strategies. This preliminary action reduces the need for frequent TAU procedures after failure, thereby improving reliability while minimizing signaling overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane connection serves as an intermediary mechanism that allows UE to maintain a lightweight connection for small data transmission without requiring full RRC connection. This intermediary approach provides a fallback path that improves connection reliability for critical small data while reducing the impact of RRC connection failures and associated signaling overhead.
3Device complexity
If the UE uses control plane connection to transport user data, then the device complexity is reduced, but the data transmission capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data transmission tasks by using control plane for small infrequent data (reducing UE complexity) and user plane for bulk data transmission (maintaining capacity). This segmentation allows low-complexity UEs to efficiently handle control plane small data while preserving overall system throughput capacity through user plane for larger data volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane connection is designed with multi-functionality, serving both control signaling and small data transmission purposes. This universal approach allows the same connection mechanism to handle both control and user data, reducing UE complexity while maintaining adequate transmission capacity for IoT and M2M applications through efficient resource utilization.
Data Source
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AI summary
When a specific case occurs, user equipment can initiate a tracking area update (TAU) step by transmitting a TAU request. If the user equipment is using a control plane connection for the transport of user data when a radio resource control (RRC) connection failure occurs and there is no pending signaling or uplink user data, the specific case can be applied to a case in which it is indicated, to a network, that downlink data reception subsequent to the uplink data transmission is predicted.