5G Terminal Power-Saving Control Across Frequency Resource Units

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Solution Overview

Problem

The higher power consumption of 5G NR terminals compared to LTE terminals due to wider bandwidth and coverage requirements affects user experience, necessitating a solution to reduce power consumption without compromising performance.

Innovation Solution

A communication method and apparatus that utilizes a power saving signal to control terminal behaviors by indicating specific statuses on frequency resource units, such as PDCCH monitoring, CSI measurement, and BWP, reducing unnecessary functions to minimize power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the terminal monitors PDCCH and performs CSI measurement on multiple frequency resource units to ensure good user experience, then the coverage and service quality are improved, but the power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser experienceVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the terminal's monitoring behavior adaptive rather than static. The terminal dynamically adjusts whether to monitor PDCCH and perform CSI measurement on each frequency resource unit based on received indication information. This allows the system to switch between active monitoring and power-saving modes, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliable service and reducing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by applying different monitoring strategies to different frequency resource units. Instead of uniformly monitoring all frequency resources, the terminal selectively monitors only those units indicated by the network device. This localized approach ensures good user experience on necessary frequency resources while avoiding unnecessary power consumption on others.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Use of energy by moving object

If the terminal disables functions on multiple frequency resource units to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but the signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies merging by combining multiple pieces of indication information into a single power saving signal transmitted by the network device. This signal simultaneously indicates the terminal's behavior on multiple frequency resource units, reducing signaling overhead while still enabling the terminal to disable unnecessary functions and reduce power consumption effectively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the terminal monitors all PDCCH in all search space sets to ensure no service is missed, then service reliability is improved, but the power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the taking out principle by extracting only the necessary PDCCH monitoring requirements from the complete set of search space sets. The network device indicates specific search space sets and PDCCH formats that the terminal should monitor, allowing the terminal to exclude unnecessary monitoring activities. This ensures service reliability is maintained for indicated search spaces while reducing power consumption by eliminating monitoring of non-essential search spaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3890407B1Communication method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2025.07.30 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3890407B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3890407B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP3890407B1 patent drawingFigure 7

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus, to reduce power consumption of a terminal to a maximum extent. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal, a power saving signal that is sent by a network device and that is used to indicate statuses of the terminal on N frequency resource units, where N is an integer greater than 1; and determining, by the terminal, the statuses of the terminal on the N frequency resource units based on the power saving signal. Each of the statuses of the terminal on the N frequency resource units includes at least one piece of the following information: information that the terminal monitors a PDCCH or does not monitor a PDCCH, information about a manner in which the terminal monitors the PDCCH, information that the terminal performs CSI measurement or does not perform CSI measurement, information about an active BWP on which the terminal is located, information about a quantity of receive antennas of the terminal, information about a quantity of receiving layers of the terminal, information about a maximum quantity of receiving layers of the terminal, information about a quantity of transmit antennas of the terminal, information about a quantity of transmit layers of the terminal, information about a maximum quantity of transmit layers of the terminal, and information that the terminal performs cross-slot scheduling or does not perform cross-slot scheduling.