Delayed Power Ramping for LTE Random Access Channel Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing LTE Random Access Channel (RACH) mechanisms in IoT devices lead to power wastage due to unnecessary power ramping in dense deployments, as devices often experience RACH request collisions rather than unreachability issues, which is not efficiently addressed by current protocols.

Innovation Solution

Implement a delay-based power ramping method where devices compute time delays based on received signal strength indicators (RSSI) values to determine when to ramp up power, rather than increasing power at every failure, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving communication efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If devices increase transmit power at every RACH failure, then the device can reach the base station in case of insufficient power, but power is wasted unnecessarily when failures are due to collisions instead of unreachability

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveRACH success rateVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic power ramping where the power level is adjusted based on the detected cause of failure. Devices transition from a first power level during initial RACH attempts to a second, higher power level only after detecting collision failures (through repeated failure patterns), while maintaining the first power level for unreachability scenarios. This dynamic adjustment optimizes energy usage by applying power increases only when necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the power parameter adaptively based on failure type detection. By monitoring RACH failure patterns and distinguishing between collision-induced failures and unreachability-induced failures, the system modifies the transmit power parameter accordingly - maintaining lower power levels for unreachability cases and ramping up power only for collision cases, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If devices ramp up power immediately upon RACH failure, then communication reliability improves, but energy efficiency deteriorates in dense IoT deployments where collisions are common

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidenergy wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs feedback mechanisms where devices monitor RACH failure patterns to determine the cause of failure. By analyzing whether failures are due to collisions or unreachability, the system provides feedback that controls subsequent power ramping decisions. This feedback loop enables intelligent power management - ramping power only when collision feedback is detected, thereby improving communication reliability without causing energy wastage in dense deployments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts power ramping behavior based on real-time failure analysis. Instead of static immediate power increases, the patent implements dynamic power adjustment where the timing and magnitude of power ramping depend on the detected failure cause, optimizing the balance between communication reliability and energy efficiency in dense IoT environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If power is increased at every RACH attempt, then the device can overcome unreachability issues, but RACH request collisions increase in dense deployments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebase station reachabilityVSAvoidRACH message collision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the transmit power parameter adaptively based on failure type detection. By monitoring RACH failure patterns and distinguishing between collision-induced failures and unreachability-induced failures, the system changes the power parameter accordingly - maintaining lower power levels for unreachability cases and ramping up power only for collision cases, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3373667B1Delayed power ramping of devices
Publication Date: 2021.11.17 TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD
  • EP3373667B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3373667B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3373667B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In LTE Random Access Channel (RACH) mechanism, devices use slotted ALOHA based protocol for RACH message exchange. During these messages exchange, if a device does not get a response from a base-station (BS), the device assumes that it is not able to reach base station due to insufficient transmission power and increases transmit power to reach to the base station. However, at higher density most of requests are lost due to collision. In existing RACH procedure, device unnecessarily ramps power in next RACH process which leads to power wastage in already resource constrained device. When there is failure of reception of RACH process, the present disclosure computes time delays (TD) based on a RSSI value obtained from a message transmitted by the BS, and initiates RACH process accordingly. The embodiments further enable requests transmission from device to BS by ramping power of the devices based on the computed TD.