Discontinuous Reception in Carrier Aggregation Wireless Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carrier aggregation in wireless communication systems faces challenges in reducing power consumption while maintaining high peak data rates, particularly in achieving wider spectrum allocations and ensuring backward compatibility.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanism in carrier aggregation systems, where user equipment and network elements negotiate time intervals for data transfer, allowing the UE to turn off its receiver during non-active intervals and enter a low power state, using a primary component carrier with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to signal allocations for both primary and secondary carriers, and configuring on-duration and inactivity timers to manage power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If carrier aggregation is implemented to achieve wider spectrum allocations and higher peak data rates, then data transmission capability is improved, but power consumption increases due to continuous monitoring of multiple component carriers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discontinuous reception (DRX) in carrier aggregation systems by introducing periodic active intervals (on-duration) and sleep intervals. The UE monitors PDCCH only during configured on-duration periods on the primary component carrier, then enters low-power state. This periodic monitoring pattern allows the system to maintain carrier aggregation capability for high peak data rates while significantly reducing average power consumption during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the power consumption problem by separating the monitoring function from continuous operation. Instead of continuously monitoring all component carriers, the system extracts only the essential monitoring function to the primary component carrier during specific on-duration intervals, allowing secondary carriers to remain inactive during sleep periods while still being available for rapid activation when needed.
2Use of energy by moving object
If discontinuous reception is implemented to reduce power consumption, then power efficiency is improved, but data transfer latency increases due to negotiated time intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring DRX parameters including on-duration lengths, periodicity, and offsets before data transmission begins. The network and UE negotiate and establish these timing parameters in advance through RRC signaling, so that when data needs to be transmitted, the UE is already prepared to wake at the correct time intervals, minimizing latency while maintaining power savings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic DRX operation where the network can adjust DRX parameters (on-duration, periodicity, offsets) based on traffic conditions. During active data transmission, the system dynamically switches from sleep mode to continuous monitoring, and the inactivity timer dynamically controls the transition back to DRX mode, optimizing the balance between latency and power consumption in real-time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A communication system is presented, which is capable of sending a transmission over an interface having at least two aggregated component carriers including a primary component carrier (102a) and at least one secondary component carrier (102b-1, 102b-2), wherein the primary component carrier (102a) has a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) (124a, 124b, 124c) associated therewith and wherein the PDCCH is capable of signaling allocations for the primary component carrier and the at least one secondary component carrier. A method of operating a network element comprising sending to a user equipment a transmission indication indicative of the transmission in the PDCCH (124a, 124b, 124c) of the primary component carrier. A method of operating a user equipment comprises monitoring downlink control signaling for a transmission indication indicative of a transmission to the user equipment only on the PDCCH (124a, 124b, 124c) of the primary component carrier (102a).