UE Unavailability Reporting for Slice-Aware Wireless Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in managing coverage gaps and unavailability periods due to satellite visibility issues and UE-based events like reboots or software updates, leading to inefficiencies and increased power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A UE reporting mechanism for generalized unavailability periods, allowing the network to prepare for and mitigate the impact of such events by buffering data and optimizing resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a wireless device determines separate unavailability periods for each network slice, then slice-specific availability information is provided, but the amount of signaling and information processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unavailability information by introducing a slice-specific indicator that divides the unavailability period information into network-wide portions and slice-specific portions. This allows precise tracking of availability for each network slice while maintaining a structured, manageable information format that reduces overall processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to unavailability reporting by introducing slice identifiers as an additional layer of information. Instead of reporting unavailability periods as a single dimension, the system now reports them across two dimensions: time periods and network slices, enabling more efficient organization and processing of slice-specific data.
2Loss of information
If a wireless device reports unavailability periods for multiple network slices, then comprehensive network access information is provided, but the size of the report increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges slice-specific unavailability information with network-wide unavailability information into a single unified report structure. By combining these previously separate information streams, the system provides comprehensive network access information while optimizing the overall report size through shared formatting and consolidated presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal report structure that can accommodate both network-wide and slice-specific unavailability information. This multi-functional reporting mechanism allows the same message format to convey different types of availability information, reducing the need for multiple separate reports and thereby optimizing total information transmission.
3Productivity
If network slice availability information is made available, then slice selection and reselection can be optimized, but additional signaling overhead is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential slice-specific unavailability information that is necessary for slice selection and reselection optimization. By taking out and reporting only the relevant portions of availability data rather than complete detailed information, the system enables optimized slice selection while minimizing unnecessary signaling overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides unavailability period information in advance before the wireless device needs to make slice selection or reselection decisions. This preliminary provision of availability information allows the device to optimize its slice selection process without requiring additional real-time signaling, thereby reducing signaling overhead while maintaining productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A user equipment (UE) may send a reporting capability to a network entity of a wireless network to indicate that the UE can report generalized unavailability periods to the wireless network for a plurality of different events, where the generalized unavailability periods comprise periods of time during which the UE does not have wireless communication access to the wireless network. The UE may later determine an upcoming unavailability period due to one or more of the plurality of events. The UE may then send an unavailability period report to the network entity prior to the unavailability period and indicative of the unavailability period. The UE may include in the report a start time, end time, duration and/or event for the unavailability period. The UE may later indicate to the network entity when the unavailability report has ended or has been cancelled or modified.