Base Station Antenna Power Amplifier Energy Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication networks face challenges in managing capacity efficiently, particularly in reducing system physical resources during low traffic periods, leading to energy wastage as devices like antennas are not turned off.

Innovation Solution

A method and base station configuration that manages multiple overlay networks with a sector combining function, where power amplifiers are maintained for active antennas and turned off for inactive ones, allowing sub-sectors to combine into larger sectors, thereby conserving energy while ensuring network capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If cell combination is implemented by deleting cell resources of multiple antennas, then system physical resources are reduced, but energy is wasted because relevant devices such as antennas are not turned off

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem physical resourcesVSAvoidenergy
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple antenna groups into fewer active antenna groups. Specifically, when traffic load is low, multiple antenna groups that would otherwise be inactive are merged and connected to a single active power amplifier, allowing the system to reduce the number of active physical resources while turning off unnecessary power amplifiers to save energy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent makes a single power amplifier serve multiple antenna groups by dynamically configuring connections. The power amplifier is designed to handle traffic from multiple antenna groups sequentially or simultaneously, allowing one power amplifier to perform the function that would otherwise require multiple dedicated power amplifiers, thus reducing energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If the number of antennas is increased to expand capacity, then communication system capacity is improved, but system physical resources and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication system capacityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic configuration of antenna groups and power amplifier connections based on real-time traffic load conditions. When traffic is high, more antenna groups are activated with dedicated power amplifiers to maximize capacity. When traffic is low, antenna groups are dynamically reconfigured to share fewer power amplifiers, reducing energy consumption while maintaining adequate service capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the operational parameters of the communication system by dynamically adjusting the number of active power amplifiers and their connection configurations based on traffic load. This allows the system to optimize the balance between capacity and energy consumption by modifying system parameters rather than maintaining fixed configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2800424B1Method for managing wireless communication network capacity and base station
Publication Date: 2017.07.26 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP2800424B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2800424B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2800424B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a method and a base station for managing capacity of a wireless communication network, which relates to the field of wireless communications and is capable of saving energy while adjusting capacity of a wireless communication network of a base station. The present invention is mainly applied to a base station with a multi-sector structure, and includes: checking total traffic of all overlay networks belonging to the base station; if the checked total traffic keeps being smaller than a preset load threshold, searching for and determining a first overlay network; maintaining normal work of a power amplifier of at least one antenna in each group of antennas in the first overlay network, and turning off power amplifiers of one or more other antennas; and connecting the one or more other antennas to the power amplifiers maintaining normal work in the groups in which the one or more other antennas are located. Embodiments of the present invention are applied to the process of capacity management of the wireless communication network.