Managed DRX Transmission with Packet Thresholds and Latency Timers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing discontinuous reception (DRX) schemes in cellular networks lead to inefficient power consumption and increased latency due to frequent packet transmissions, as the base station initiates transmission whenever it has packets to send, without considering the number of packets in the buffer or their duration.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a minimum packet transmission threshold N, latency timer T, and maximum single-transmission packet number M, along with sleep instructions and wake-up signals, to manage DRX cycles, ensuring that transmission occurs only when the number of packets in the buffer exceeds N or the latency timer exceeds T, thereby optimizing sleep and ON periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the base station initiates transmission whenever it has packets to send, then the data transmission efficiency is improved, but the battery consumption of mobile devices increases and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the transmission initiation parameter from 'any packet available' to 'N or more packets accumulated'. This parameter modification allows the system to balance between transmission efficiency and power consumption by requiring a minimum threshold of packets before initiating transmission, thereby reducing unnecessary wake-ups while maintaining acceptable data delivery performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary packet accumulation in the buffer before transmission initiation. Instead of transmitting immediately when packets arrive, the system preliminarily stores packets and waits until the accumulation threshold N is reached or the latency timer T expires, thus preparing data in advance to minimize transmission frequency and reduce mobile device power consumption
2Speed
If the base station initiates transmission whenever it has packets to send, then the data transmission speed is improved, but the latency increases due to frequent wake-ups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces two parameters N (minimum packet threshold) and T (latency timer) to control transmission timing. By adjusting these parameters, the system optimizes the balance between transmission speed and latency, ensuring that data is transmitted promptly when thresholds are met while avoiding excessive delays through the latency timer mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic transmission timing based on buffer status and timer conditions. The transmission decision is not static but dynamically adjusted based on whether N packets are available and whether the latency timer T has expired, allowing the system to adapt between faster transmission (when packets accumulate quickly) and slower transmission (when packets arrive slowly)
3Use of energy by moving object
If the base station uses a minimum packet threshold N and latency timer T, then the battery consumption is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the base station monitors buffer status and timer states, then makes transmission decisions based on this feedback. The base station continuously checks whether N packets are available and whether timer T has expired, using this feedback information to dynamically control transmission timing and minimize mobile device power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the base station as an intermediary that manages the complexity of DRX parameters N and T. Instead of requiring mobile devices to independently manage complex transmission timing decisions, the base station acts as a mediator that handles buffer monitoring, threshold checking, and transmission initiation, thereby reducing the computational burden on mobile devices
4Quantity of substance
If the base station transmits all packets in the buffer during each ON period, then the data transmission completeness is improved, but the transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by transmitting only N packets (the minimum threshold) or a limited number of packets during each ON period, rather than transmitting all available packets in the buffer. This partial transmission approach reduces the duration each mobile device must remain awake, thereby reducing power consumption while still ensuring adequate data delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic transmission based on DRX cycles with defined ON and sleep periods. Instead of continuous transmission, the system uses periodic opportunities (ON periods) to transmit packets, allowing mobile devices to return to sleep mode after each transmission cycle, thus reducing overall transmission duration and power consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A base station of a cellular network determines that a mobile device is in an ON period of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. The base station determines that a number of data units in a buffer corresponding to the mobile device is at least a threshold value. The threshold value is a number greater than one. In response to determining that the number of data units in the buffer is at least the threshold value and that the mobile device is in the ON period, the base station initiates transmission, to the mobile device over the cellular network, of at least some of the data units in the buffer. Some implementations include a latency timer that can trigger initiation of data unit transmission.