Enhanced DRX Paging Intervals for Shared Spectrum Power Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems operating in shared frequency bands face challenges with inefficient paging mechanisms, leading to increased power consumption and imperfect transmission scheduling due to reliance on longer idle times and imperfect information about data availability for devices.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an enhanced discontinuous reception (DRX) design that includes multiple or extended paging intervals and the use of paging queue status indications, such as pending and empty indications, to optimize reception windows and reduce power consumption by allowing devices to adjust their reception based on pending data, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If devices use longer idle times in traditional DRX, then power consumption is reduced, but transmission scheduling efficiency deteriorates due to imperfect information about data availability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtransmission scheduling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The base station provides feedback to the UE through paging queue status indications (empty indication, pending indication) that inform the UE about the presence or absence of pending data. This feedback mechanism allows the UE to make informed decisions about extending its awake period, resolving the contradiction between power savings and scheduling efficiency by eliminating the need for conservative long idle times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The base station performs preliminary actions by determining whether data is pending for the UE before the UE enters idle mode, and communicates this information through paging queue status indications. This preliminary action allows the UE to adjust its DRX behavior in advance, avoiding unnecessary wake-ups while ensuring timely data reception, thus improving both power efficiency and scheduling performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If devices monitor for pages continuously, then transmission scheduling accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission scheduling accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The UE dynamically adjusts its monitoring behavior based on received paging queue status indications. When an empty indication is received, the UE can extend its awake period to monitor for additional pages with high accuracy. When a pending indication is received, the UE extends monitoring to ensure it doesn't miss important data. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting monitoring precision to actual network conditions rather than using fixed continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of monitoring duration based on the paging queue status indication received from the base station. The UE transitions between different monitoring states (extended awake period vs. normal DRX cycle) depending on whether empty or pending indications are received, optimizing the balance between scheduling accuracy and power consumption for each specific scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If devices extend awake periods to monitor for pages, then paging reliability is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepaging reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The base station provides feedback through paging queue status indications that enable the UE to extend its awake period only when necessary. The empty indication signals that no data is pending, allowing the UE to extend monitoring for potential new pages while the pending indication triggers extension to ensure reliable reception of existing pending data. This feedback-driven approach improves paging reliability without causing unnecessary power consumption during periods when no data is available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3446506B1Enhanced discontinuous reception design for a shared frequency band
Publication Date: 2020.08.12 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3446506B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3446506B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3446506B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A base station may transmit a configuration for enhanced paging to a UE being served by a cell over a shared frequency band. The enhanced paging may include multiple paging intervals for each paging cycle. The UE may enable reception for a paging interval and determine whether the UE receives a downlink transmission. The UE may lengthen a paging interval or enable reception during a second paging interval based in part on determining whether the UE receives a downlink transmission. In some examples, the UE may receive a paging queue status indication indicating that paging information will be transmitted during a paging interval or a later interval, or indicating that no paging information is present at a serving cell.