DRX Wake-Up Timer Control for Low-Latency Computation Offloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication networks face challenges in efficiently managing power consumption and latency in user equipment (UE) during computation offloading tasks, particularly in latency-critical applications like augmented and virtual reality, due to discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles and the lack of consideration for correlated uplink and downlink traffic.
Innovation Solution
Implementing additional timers, such as minOffloadingTimer and maxOffloadingTimer, to manage UE sleep modes during computation offloading, allowing for efficient power saving while maintaining low latency by correlating uplink and downlink traffic patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If DRX cycles are used to reduce power consumption, then power usage is reduced, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by introducing wake-up signals before the UE actually needs to wake up for data reception. The base station sends wake-up signals in advance to alert the UE to wake up early, allowing the UE to prepare for incoming data before the traditional DRX wake-up time, thus reducing latency while maintaining power savings. This is implemented through early wake-up mechanisms where the UE wakes up before the expected data arrival time based on advance notifications from the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the DRX cycle adaptable rather than fixed. The wake-up time is dynamically adjusted based on actual network conditions, data arrival predictions, and UE requirements. The system transitions from static DRX cycles to dynamic wake-up schedules where the base station can adjust wake-up signals based on real-time factors like data size, network load, and UE priorities, optimizing the balance between power consumption and latency.
2Loss of time
If wake-up signals are introduced to reduce paging delay, then latency is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing wake-up signals that serve multiple functions simultaneously. These signals not only indicate when the UE should wake up but also convey additional information such as data size estimates, priority levels, and network conditions. By making the wake-up signal a multi-functional control element, the system reduces the need for separate signaling mechanisms and minimizes the complexity additions required at both UE and base station.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the UE to autonomously determine optimal wake-up times based on information provided in wake-up signals. The UE uses the data from wake-up signals (such as expected data arrival time and size) to independently decide when to wake up and how long to stay awake, without requiring complex centralized control. This distributed decision-making reduces the complexity burden on the network side while maintaining effective latency reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer programs for offloading computing tasks to one or more computers, e.g., that implement an edge server. In one aspect, the method can include actions of transmitting, for a user equipment and to the one or more computers, uplink information via an air interface; determining whether the uplink information has been fully transmitted across the air interface; based on determining that the uplink information has been fully transmitted across the air interface, triggering a sleep mode for the user equipment and starting a first timer; determining that the first timer has expired; and based on determining that the first timer has expired, triggering (i) a user equipment wake-up operation and (ii) maintaining a second timer that indicates when the user equipment should enter the sleep mode if result data, to be generated using the uplink information, has not been received.