Dual-Connectivity Cell Activation for UE Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, particularly in dual connectivity (DC) and carrier aggregation (CA), user equipment (UE) consumes excessive power due to monitoring multiple cells even when there is minimal data transmission, leading to inefficient power usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for activating or deactivating cells in a wireless communication system, where a central unit (CU) of a secondary node (SN) transmits instructions to deactivate secondary cells based on packet reception or measurement reports, allowing the UE to skip physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring during deactivation, and activate specific cells when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UE monitors multiple cells in dual connectivity to maintain service availability, then service quality and coverage are improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic cell activation and deactivation based on data packet detection. The gNB-CU monitors data packets for the UE and dynamically adjusts the activation state of secondary cells accordingly. When data packets are detected, secondary cells are activated to ensure service availability; when no packets are present, cells are deactivated to reduce power consumption. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining service availability and reducing power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring secondary cells and maintaining their configuration information in the gNB-CU. When data packets arrive, the system can quickly activate pre-configured cells without lengthy setup procedures. This preliminary preparation ensures that service availability is rapidly restored when needed while allowing cells to remain inactive during idle periods, thus balancing reliability and power consumption.
2Productivity
If the UE continuously monitors all configured cells to ensure quick data transmission, then data transmission speed is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic cell activation where secondary cells are activated only when data packets are detected for the UE. The gNB-CU monitors incoming data packets and triggers cell activation accordingly. This ensures that cells are monitored and ready for data transmission only when actually needed, maintaining productivity while significantly reducing energy consumption during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a self-service mechanism where the gNB-CU automatically detects data packets and triggers cell activation without requiring UE initiation. The network side monitors and manages cell activation based on traffic conditions, enabling quick data transmission when packets arrive while avoiding unnecessary monitoring during idle periods, thus balancing transmission speed and energy consumption.
3Productivity
If the UE activates all secondary cells to handle potential data traffic, then system capacity is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration of secondary cells including storing configuration information and establishing cell contexts in the gNB-CU. This preliminary setup maintains system capacity readiness without requiring full cell activation. When data packets arrive, the pre-configured cells can be quickly activated to handle traffic, ensuring system capacity is available while avoiding continuous power consumption during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic cell activation where the number of active secondary cells adjusts based on actual data traffic conditions. The gNB-CU monitors data packets and activates only the necessary number of cells required to handle the traffic load. This dynamic adjustment ensures system capacity scales with demand while minimizing power consumption when traffic is low or absent.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a power saving in wireless communications. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a central unit (CU) of a secondary node (SN) serving a wireless device with a master node (MN) in a dual connectivity (DC) in a wireless communication system comprises: transmitting, to a distributed unit (DU) of the SN, a first message comprising an instruction to deactivate one or more cells in a secondary cell group (SCG) related to the SN, wherein the one or more cells comprise a primary secondary cell (PSCell); receiving, from the DU, a second message comprising information informing a successful deactivation of the one or more cells; determining a list of cells to be activated in the SCG based on at least one of an amount of packets received by the CU or a measurement report received from the wireless device, wherein the list of cells comprises the PSCell; transmitting, to the DU, a third message comprising information informing the list of cells to be activated in the SCG; and receiving, from the DU, a fourth message comprising information informing a successful activation of the list of cells.