Light-Weight RRC Connection Setup in Multi-RAT Network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018041925-A1
Application number	US-201515108848-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2015
Publication date	Feb 8, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of Radio Resource Control (RRC). More specifically, the present disclosure relates to techniques of supporting and initiating RRC connection establishment in a wireless communication network. A method embodiment relates to supporting RRC connection establishment in a wireless communication network and comprises setting up context information during a first RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a first RRC connection towards a radio access network element ( 200 ) of the wireless communication network implementing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT). The context information is associated with a wireless communication device ( 100 ) of the wireless communication network and is usable for a second RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a second RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a second RAT.

First claim

1 - 25 . (canceled)

26 . A method of supporting Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:
setting up context information during a first RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a first RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT); wherein the context information is associated with a wireless communication device of the wireless communication network and usable for a second RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a second RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a second RAT.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising receiving, by the radio access network element implementing the first RAT, the context information or information needed for setting up the context information.

28 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the radio access network element implementing the first RAT corresponds to or is different from the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

29 . The method of claim 28 , further comprising, in response to the radio access network element implementing the first RAT being different from the radio access network element implementing the second RAT, providing, by the radio access network element implementing the first RAT, the context information to the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

30 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising providing the wireless communication device with information related to the establishment of the second RRC connection.

31 . The method of claim 30 , further comprising at least one of:
providing the information related to the establishment of the second RRC connection in a Downlink (DL) message of the first RRC connection establishment procedure; or providing the information related to the establishment of the second RRC connection via broadcast system information.

32 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the information related to the establishment of the second RRC connection comprises at least one of:
a cell identity of the cell associated with the radio access network element implementing the second RAT; an identifier to be used when accessing the radio access network element implementing the second RAT; access information for accessing the radio access network element implementing the second RAT; information about conditions or trigger events indicating when to connect to the radio access network element implementing the second RAT; and security re-activation information for the second RRC connection establishment procedure.

33 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising establishing, in parallel, the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT and the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

34 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT by using the context information.

35 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising maintaining the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT and the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT at the same time.

36 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising, in response to the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT being lost, establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

37 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT based on at least one of a trigger event and a network command.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein the trigger event comprises or is a Radio Link Failure (RLF) of the RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT.

39 . A method of initiating Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:
initiating, using context information associated with a wireless communication device of the wireless communication network and set up during a first RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a first RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), a second RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a second RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a second RAT.

40 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the initiating comprises transmitting an RRC reestablishment message.

41 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising providing the radio access network element implementing the second RAT with a previous identifier of the wireless communication device.

42 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising establishing, in parallel, the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT and the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

43 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT by using the context information.

44 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising maintaining the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT and the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT at the same time.

45 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising, in response to the first RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT being lost, establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT.

46 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising establishing the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the second RAT based on at least one of a trigger event and a network command.

47 . The method of claim 46 , wherein the trigger event comprises or is a Radio Link Failure (RLF) of the RRC connection towards the radio access network element implementing the first RAT.

48 . A method of initiating Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:
setting up context information during a first RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a first RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), the context information associated with a wireless communication device of the wireless communication network and usable for a second RRC connection establishment procedure to establish a second RRC connection towards a radio access network element of the wireless communication network implementing a second RAT; and initiating, using the context information, the second RRC connection establishment procedure to establish the second RRC connection towards the radio access network element of the wireless communication netw

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Yilmaz Osman Nuri Can
• Myhre Elena
• Pradas Jose Luis
• Schliwa Bertling Paul
• Wager Stefan

Classifications

• H04W36/0033 Primary

  with transfer of context information · CPC title

• H04W36/0038

  of security context information · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04W76/27

  Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states · CPC title

• H04W36/0066

  of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network · CPC title