DRX Wake-Up Signaling for Concurrent Energy Harvesting and Data Decoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing energy consumption during discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles, particularly in devices that monitor control channels, as continuous monitoring is energy-intensive, while DRX can lead to inefficiencies in data harvesting and decoding.
Innovation Solution
A UE determines whether to harvest energy, decode data, or both during an on duration of a DRX cycle based on a wake-up message indicating the appropriate actions, allowing concurrent or partial concurrent operations during the on duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous monitoring of control channels is performed, then data can be received without delay, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles where the UE alternates between active monitoring periods (on duration) and sleep periods (off duration). During on duration, the UE monitors control channels for wake-up signals and data; during off duration, the UE enters sleep mode to conserve energy. This periodic action resolves the contradiction by enabling data reception during active periods while reducing energy consumption during sleep periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses wake-up signals transmitted before the on duration to indicate whether data will be transmitted during the upcoming on duration. The UE can decode these wake-up signals while in a low-power state and prepare accordingly. This preliminary action allows the UE to avoid entering full active mode unnecessarily, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining data reception capability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the UE enters sleep mode during off duration, then energy consumption is reduced, but the UE may miss important data transmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wake-up signals as an intermediary mechanism between the network and the sleeping UE. These signals are transmitted during the off duration and serve as a mediator to inform the UE about upcoming data transmissions. The UE can detect these wake-up signals using minimal power and activate only when necessary, thus maintaining data reception reliability while keeping energy consumption low during sleep mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through wake-up signals that provide information about upcoming data transmissions. The network monitors UE status and sends appropriate wake-up signals to ensure the UE is active when data needs to be received. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable data transmission while allowing the UE to remain in low-power state during periods when no data is expected.
3Reliability
If the UE monitors for wake-up signals during off duration, then data reception reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial monitoring during off duration where the UE monitors only for wake-up signals (a subset of full control channel monitoring) rather than all control channels. This partial action is sufficient to detect data transmission opportunities while consuming significantly less energy than full monitoring would require, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy consumption.
4Productivity
If the UE performs both energy harvesting and data decoding during on duration, then resource utilization is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the on duration into separate time resources: some resources are allocated for energy harvesting and others for data decoding. This segmentation allows the UE to perform both functions during the on duration without requiring complex simultaneous processing, as each function has dedicated time slots. The segmentation approach optimizes resource utilization while keeping device complexity manageable through temporal separation of tasks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces energy consumption by optimizing energy harvesting and data decoding processes during DRX cycles, enhancing the efficiency of wireless communication devices.
Implementation Method 1
a wireless device (e.g., a base station, a second UE) may transmit a wake-up message including an indicator of whether an on duration of a discontinuous reception cycle is associated with harvesting energy from a signal transmitted during the on duration
Implementation Method 2
harvesting energy from a signal transmitted during the on duration
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. For instance, a wireless device (e.g., a base station, a user equipment (UE)) may transmit a wake-up message including an indicator of whether an on duration of a discontinuous reception cycle is associated with harvesting energy from a signal transmitted during the on duration. The wireless device may transmit the signal during the on duration based on the wake-up message. In some examples, the UE may determine, from the indicator, whether to harvest energy, decode data or both during the on duration. If both harvesting energy and decoding data, the UE may harvest the energy and decode the data concurrently for at least a portion of the on duration. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may harvest the energy during a first portion of the on duration and may decode data during a second portion of the on duration.