Base Station Synchronization With Off-Peak MIMO Muting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high power consumption at LTE base stations due to the use of power amplifiers in MIMO and other components is a significant drawback, despite the benefits of increased capacity and robustness.
Innovation Solution
Implementing adaptive scheduling and antenna/MIMO muting during off-peak hours, reducing cell size, and using alternative energy sources to minimize power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If MIMO and power amplifiers are used in LTE base stations, then capacity and signal robustness are increased, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The base station dynamically adjusts its operational state by switching between MIMO mode and single-antenna mode based on traffic conditions. During off-peak hours with light traffic, the system deactivates MIMO and power amplifiers, transitioning to a low-power state while maintaining basic connectivity functions. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by enabling high robustness only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key operational parameters including MIMO configuration (switching between 2x2 and single-antenna modes), power amplifier states (on/off), and scheduler configurations (full functionality vs. minimal signaling). These parameter changes allow the base station to maintain signal robustness during peak hours while dramatically reducing power consumption during off-peak hours.
2Productivity
If MIMO and power amplifiers are used in LTE base stations, then capacity is increased, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The base station implements periodic monitoring of traffic conditions and periodically switches between high-capacity MIMO mode and low-power single-antenna mode. The scheduler is reconfigured periodically based on traffic patterns, enabling the system to achieve high capacity during peak periods while consuming minimal power during off-peak periods, thus resolving the capacity-power consumption contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its capacity provision by activating MIMO only when traffic demand requires it. During off-peak hours, the base station operates in a minimal capacity mode with single-antenna transmission and reduced signaling, dramatically reducing power consumption while maintaining essential network functions.
3Reliability
If full signaling and control information is transmitted continuously, then network functionality is maintained, but power consumption increases during off-peak hours
Solution Approach 1:
During off-peak hours, the base station transmits only the minimal necessary signaling and control information required to maintain basic network functionality. The scheduler is configured to transmit reduced signaling including essential reference symbols, minimal control channels, and basic synchronization signals, rather than full signaling. This partial action maintains sufficient network reliability while dramatically reducing power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and computer software are disclosed for providing an energy efficient base station with synchronization. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: performing traffic analysis to determine off-peak hours duration when traffic is light; updating downlink and uplink schedulers to transmit a minimum required signaling and control information; and wherein updating downlink and uplink scheduler for minimum required signaling and control information further comprises scheduling, in a downlink direction, at least one of transmitting only reference symbols over selected OFDM symbols, PDCCH on up to a first three OFDM symbols, PSS and SSS on a central six PRBs and PBCH.