Graph-Based Power Switching for Network Dependency Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication network power management systems fail to optimize the timing and order of switching network elements on/off, leading to increased energy consumption, impaired Quality of Experience (QoE), and potential hardware failures due to suboptimal inter-dependency management.

Innovation Solution

A graph-based approach using reinforcement learning to generate a policy for managing power control by representing interdependencies among network components as graph nodes and edges, determining edge weights, and optimizing the order of switching components on/off to minimize energy consumption while maintaining QoS.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If network elements are switched off to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but Quality of Experience (QoE) is impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidQuality of Experience
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by switching off dependent components before switching off parent components in the dependency hierarchy. This ensures that when a component is powered down, all components that depend on it are already in a safe state, preventing QoE degradation while achieving energy savings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the power management process into discrete switching decisions for each component based on its position in the dependency graph. By treating each component's power state independently but coordinated through the graph structure, the system can optimize energy consumption without compromising overall system reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of energy

If components are switched on/off frequently, then energy consumption is reduced, but hardware failures increase due to excessive cycling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidhardware failure rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes preliminary switching sequences that minimize the number of transitions by coordinating power state changes across the dependency graph. This reduces excessive cycling by ensuring that components are switched in an optimal order, thereby extending hardware lifetime while maintaining energy efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of energy

If components are switched off in the wrong order, then energy consumption increases, but network performance is impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidnetwork performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system inverts the conventional approach by switching off dependent components first rather than parent components. This reversal of the traditional power-down sequence prevents energy waste and network performance impairment by ensuring that components remain powered as long as they are needed by dependent components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the dependency graph to determine the optimal switching sequence before execution. This preliminary planning ensures that components are switched in the correct order, preventing both energy waste and network performance degradation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4218306B1Graph-based systems and methods for controlling power switching of components
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
  • EP4218306B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4218306B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4218306B1 patent drawingFigure 5A

AI summary

A computer implemented method of managing power control in a communication system includes generating a graph representation of interdependencies of components of the communication system, wherein the graph representation includes graph nodes corresponding to the components of the communication system and edges between pairs of graph nodes representing dependency relationships between the pairs of nodes. The method generates edge weights for the edges of the graph representation that correspond to the relative importance of the dependency relationship represented by the edge weight, and generates a policy for managing power control by determining an order for switching the components of the communication system on or off based on the edge weights.