IoE Relay Discovery Slots for Low-Power Base Station Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

IoE devices with high pathloss and limited transmit power face challenges in efficiently communicating with base stations, leading to reduced battery life and network performance due to high power consumption and latency issues.

Innovation Solution

IoE devices synchronize timing to derive common frames for relay discovery, broadcast information to select suitable relay devices that meet latency and energy constraints, and utilize distributed slot selection to minimize energy impact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If IoE devices transmit data directly to base station with high pathloss, then communication coverage is improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication coverageVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces relay devices as intermediaries between IoE devices and base stations. Relay devices receive data from IoE devices and forward them to the base station, enabling IoE devices to communicate over extended areas without directly transmitting to the base station, thus reducing their power consumption while maintaining communication coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Use of energy by moving object

If relay discovery and selection process is implemented, then energy efficiency is improved, but discovery time and association time increase latency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy efficiencyVSAvoiddiscovery time and association time
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary actions by having relay devices broadcast their availability and capabilities in advance through discovery messages. This allows IoE devices to pre-identify suitable relays before actual data transmission is needed, reducing the time required for relay selection and association during critical data transmission periods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of energy

If distributed slot selection is used, then energy impact is minimized, but coordination complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy impactVSAvoidcoordination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the time domain into multiple slots within discovery frames, allowing different relay devices to broadcast their availability in different time slots. This segmentation enables distributed selection where each relay operates independently in its assigned slot, minimizing energy impact while the slot structure itself provides the coordination mechanism, actually reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If relay devices are selected based on multiple parameters, then communication reliability is improved, but selection process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidselection process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where relay devices broadcast their status, capabilities, and available resources in discovery messages. IoE devices use this feedback information to evaluate and select suitable relays based on multiple parameters such as pathloss, power consumption, and reliability metrics, enabling reliable communication while the standardized feedback format simplifies the selection process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3843434B1Internet of everything device relay discovery and selection
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3843434B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3843434B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3843434B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Wireless communication systems and methods related to the discovery and selection of relay devices by internet of everything (IoE) devices are disclosed. For example, a first wireless communication device may listen for transmissions of one or more other wireless communication devices during a broadcast time of one or more discovery slots of a discovery frame. The first wireless device may broadcast a discovery message in a discovery slot of the discovery frame if no transmissions of the one or more other wireless communication devices are received during the discovery slot and the first wireless device may associate during an association time period, with a second wireless communication device that selected the first wireless communication device as a relay device based on the broadcast discovery message. Also, a corresponding apparatus and a computer-readable medium are described.