Energy-Harvesting UE Scheduling Under Variable Power Modes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems, particularly in 5G NR, face challenges in efficiently managing resources and power consumption for reduced capability devices like wearables and IoT devices that use energy harvesting, as the power available to these devices varies significantly depending on the energy harvesting mechanism, necessitating adaptive resource allocation and energy mode management.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method where user equipment (UE) transmits an indication of a maximum time-frequency resource size based on its energy mode, allowing for dynamic adjustment of processing and communication parameters, such as transport block size, modulation and coding scheme, and number of decoding iterations, to optimize energy usage and communication efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If energy harvesting devices use standard communication resource allocation, then communication reliability is maintained, but power consumption increases beyond available energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adaptation of communication parameters based on real-time energy availability. The UE determines its energy mode (first or second mode) based on harvested energy levels and adjusts transmission parameters accordingly. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain communication reliability when energy is abundant while reducing power consumption when energy is limited, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes communication parameters (transport block size, modulation and coding scheme, number of decoding iterations) based on energy mode. In the first energy mode with sufficient energy, standard parameters are used to ensure reliability. In the second energy mode with limited energy, parameters are adjusted to reduce power consumption while maintaining acceptable communication performance, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy consumption.
2Productivity
If energy harvesting devices increase processing resources for communication, then communication efficiency improves, but energy availability is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by adjusting processing resources to match available energy. Instead of always using maximum processing resources to achieve high communication efficiency, the system uses only the necessary amount of processing resources based on energy mode. In the second energy mode, processing resources are intentionally limited to match energy availability, accepting reduced communication efficiency as a necessary trade-off, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and energy availability.
3Use of energy by moving object
If energy harvesting devices adapt communication parameters to energy mode, then power consumption is optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication operation into distinct energy modes (first mode with sufficient energy, second mode with limited energy). Each mode has predefined parameter sets that the UE selects based on its current energy state. This segmentation approach simplifies the adaptation process compared to continuous optimization, as the UE only needs to determine its energy mode and select the corresponding parameter set, thus resolving the contradiction between power consumption optimization and system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for communicating with an energy harvesting (EH) user equipment (UE). The EH UE may have limited power available for communications depending on an energy mode of the EH UE. The EH UE transmits an indication of an EH communication parameter to a scheduling device. The EH communication parameter may be a maximum time-frequency resource size for one or more physical channels during a time period based on an energy mode of the UE for the time period. The scheduling device schedules the UE transmit or receive a signal satisfying the maximum time-frequency resource size on the one or more physical channels. In some implementations, the scheduling device or another network device may provide radio frequency energy that the EH UE may harvest to power the EH UE for the communications.