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GoogleGranted patentNetworks & wirelessInterest 3/10

Google patents method to speed up 5G handovers in distributed base stations

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

This patent describes a way for parts of a 5G base station to communicate more efficiently when a phone moves between coverage areas. It allows the lower-level hardware to prepare specific settings in advance based on signals from the central control unit, rather than waiting for a full command.

Why it mattersIt is a technical improvement to how 5G networks manage connections, which could help reduce lag when users move through cities, but it is unlikely to be visible to most users.

In the filing’s own words

To configure a UE, a DU of a distributed base station receives, from a central unit (CU) of the distributed base station, a UE context request message including a conditional indication related to a conditional procedure ( 2202); generates, and in response to the conditional indication, configuration information related to the conditional procedure ( 2220); and transmits, to the CU, a UE context response message including the configuration information ( 2216).

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method in a distributed unit, DU, of a distributed base station, for configuring a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a central unit, CU, of the distributed base station, a UE context request message; in a first instance, determining that the UE context request message includes a conditional indication related to a conditional procedure and generating, based on the conditional indication, configuration information related to the conditional procedure, including generating a cell group configuration with a reconfiguration with sync information element (IE) or field; in a second instance, determining that the UE context request message does not include a conditional indication related to a conditional procedure and determining that the UE context request message includes a handover preparation information, generating, based on the handover preparation information, configuration information related to an immediate procedure, including generating a cell group configuration with a reconfiguration with sync IE or field; and transmitting, to the CU, a UE context response message including the configuration information.

Facts

Company
Google (GOOGLE LLC)
Official title
Conditional configuration in a distributed base station
Patent number
US12764617B2
Application number
17760095
Filed
Feb 3, 2021
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
16

Classified under

H04W 36/00698 Electricity & electronicsH04W 36/087 Electricity & electronicsH04W 36/362 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.