Anchor Carrier Selection for Wireless Power Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless networks, the aggregation of multiple narrow bandwidth carriers to achieve wide bandwidths for high data rates is challenging due to increased complexity and power consumption in user equipment receivers, especially in non-contiguous spectrum scenarios, where radio receivers must suppress blocking signals and manage multiple carrier frequencies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an anchor carrier selection mechanism that minimizes power consumption by periodically monitoring carriers, allowing the user equipment to select a single or multiple anchor carriers based on signal reliability, and dynamically adjust receiver capacity, with options for power conservation modes and carrier hopping to manage load and enhance system capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user equipment listens to the entirety of the aggregated spectrum for control signals, then control signal reception is comprehensive, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The aggregated spectrum is segmented into multiple component carriers, and the user equipment is configured to monitor control signals on only a subset of these carriers (anchor carriers) rather than all carriers. This segmentation allows the device to divide the monitoring task across multiple carriers while activating receivers for only the necessary portion, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable control signal reception.
2Reliability
If multiple receivers are activated to listen on different component carriers, then control signal reliability is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver architecture is segmented such that multiple receivers can be shared across different component carriers through time-multiplexed operation. Instead of dedicating a separate receiver to each carrier simultaneously, the system segments the monitoring task temporally, allowing receivers to be activated only when needed on specific carriers, thus reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple receiver functions are merged into a shared receiver resource pool that can be dynamically allocated to different component carriers based on configuration. The receivers are combined into a flexible resource that can be assigned to monitor anchor carriers as needed, reducing the total number of dedicated receivers required and simplifying the overall device architecture.
3Reliability
If the user equipment continuously monitors all component carriers, then control signal detection is maximized, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring of all component carriers, the system implements periodic monitoring where the user equipment is configured to monitor control signals only at specific periodic intervals on designated anchor carriers. This periodic action allows the device to activate receivers only during scheduled monitoring occasions, significantly reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate control signal detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The essential control signal monitoring function is extracted from the set of all component carriers and concentrated on a selected subset of anchor carriers. By taking out only the necessary monitoring tasks from the full set of carriers and consolidating them on fewer anchor carriers, the system reduces the overall monitoring burden and associated power consumption while preserving control signal detection reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Mechanism to receive control signals transmitted from a base station to the user equipment in a manner that minimizes power consumption on the user equipment while still maintaining some acceptable level of performance is described. The user equipment periodically measures the signal quality of component carriers used by the base station and requests control signaling (anchor) carrier reselection. Either a single component carrier can be chosen if the single carrier has sufficient quality or multiple component carriers can be selected when the quality of the single quality is low. The anchor carrier reselection may also be triggered to manage the system as a whole. For fast moving user equipments, anchor carrier hopping pattern can be provided to increase robustness and reduce reselection signaling overhead.