Battery Relay Selection for User Terminal Energy Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The short lifetime of batteries powering terminals in high transmission rate PMR networks, such as LTE or 4G, poses a critical challenge during upgrades from narrowband to broadband technologies, necessitating a method to optimize energy management.
Innovation Solution
A communication method that selects nearby terminals with sufficient battery levels to act as relays for data transmission to a base station, reducing the energy consumption of user terminals by transmitting data over shorter distances using the energy of proximate terminals with higher battery levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If terminals use high transmission rate technologies (LTE, 4G, broadband) for upgraded PMR networks, then transmission speed and service capability are improved, but battery lifetime deteriorates significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediate relay terminals between the user terminal and base station. These relay terminals act as mediators that receive data from user terminals with low battery and forward it to the base station, thereby extending the effective communication range and preserving user terminal battery life while maintaining high transmission rates through LTE/4G technology
Solution Approach 2:
The communication path is segmented into multiple hops: user terminal → relay terminal → base station. This segmentation allows the transmission burden to be distributed across multiple devices, enabling user terminals to conserve battery energy while still achieving high-speed data transmission through the relay infrastructure
2Reliability
If terminals transmit data directly to base station over long distances, then communication reliability is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Relay terminals serve as intermediaries that receive data from user terminals and forward it to the base station. This intermediary approach maintains communication reliability by establishing multiple transmission paths while reducing the energy consumption of user terminals, as they only need to transmit over short distances to nearby relays rather than directly to distant base stations
3Adaptability or versatility
If the network supports more services and higher transmission rates, then network capability and service diversity are improved, but battery power depletion accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The relay terminal infrastructure enables user terminals to access advanced services and high transmission rate capabilities through the network without directly bearing the full energy cost. Relays handle the power-intensive operations of maintaining LTE/4G connections and supporting diverse services, while user terminals conserve battery power by communicating only with nearby relays
Data Source
AI summary
A method of communication between a user terminal powered by a battery and a base station allowing optimization of the management of the battery of the user terminal, includes a step of selecting from among terminals, termed surrounding terminals, powered by battery and situated in a zone within range of the base station, terminals whose distance with the user terminal is less than a predetermined distance and whose battery level is greater than a predetermined threshold, termed neighbour terminals, a step of configuring the neighbour terminals and the user terminal by way of a configuration setpoint, a step of transmitting data between the user terminal and the base station according to the configuration setpoint defining at least one neighbour terminal through which the data pass.