Femtocell Thermal Control via Dynamic Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Femtocells face challenges with high temperatures, which can be mitigated by additional heat dissipating measures like heat sinks, but these increase the form factor and cost, limiting their application in various settings.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method within the femtocell to manage temperature by receiving temperature measurements, determining if the femtocell is above a threshold, and modifying power consumption characteristics, such as reducing frequency resources, scheduling fewer UEs, or changing reception modes, to reduce power consumption and heat generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heat sink is added to dissipate heat, then the temperature control is improved, but the form factor and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the thermal management function from physical heat dissipation hardware and relocates it to software-based power control mechanisms. By removing the heat sink and similar physical components, the system achieves temperature control through virtual means (power reduction, duty cycling) rather than physical heat dissipation structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (power consumption, transmission power, duty cycle) to control temperature without physical thermal management hardware. By dynamically adjusting these parameters based on temperature sensors, the system achieves thermal control through parameter modulation rather than structural modifications.
2Temperature
If a heat sink is added to dissipate heat, then the temperature control is improved, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes expensive physical heat dissipation components (heat sinks, fans, thermal management hardware) and replaces them with software-based control mechanisms. This extraction of thermal management from hardware to software significantly reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining temperature control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own power consumption characteristics to manage temperature. By controlling its own power usage patterns (reducing power during high temperature conditions), the femtocell self-regulates temperature without requiring external thermal management hardware, thereby eliminating additional manufacturing costs.
3Temperature
If power consumption is reduced to lower temperature, then the temperature is controlled, but the communication capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts power consumption and transmission parameters based on real-time temperature conditions and communication demand. During high temperature periods, the system can reduce power consumption to control temperature while maintaining adequate communication capacity through adaptive modulation and scheduling, rather than a static reduction in capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic duty cycling and intermittent transmission to manage thermal load. By alternating between active and low-power states in a periodic manner, the system controls temperature through thermal mass and cooling cycles while maintaining average communication capacity through strategic transmission scheduling.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (500) of controlling a temperature of a femtocell (200) includes receiving, at data processing hardware (210) of the femtocell, temperature measurements (232) from a temperature sensor (230) configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the data processing hardware or a power amplifier (220) of the femtocell. The method further includes determining, by the data processing hardware, whether the femtocell is operating above a threshold temperature based on the temperature measurements. When the femtocell is operating above the threshold temperature, the method includes modifying, by the data processing hardware, a power consumption characteristic of the femtocell that results in a power consumption reduction of at least one of the data processing hardware or the power amplifier.