Network Device Thermal Mitigation for User Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) in 5G networks, such as smartphones, often overheat due to increased power consumption and strain from handling high data loads, leading to connectivity issues, resource wastage, and potential hardware damage, especially in congested areas or high-temperature environments.
Innovation Solution
A network device, like a base station, performs thermal mitigation by receiving thermal reports from UEs, determining if temperature thresholds are met, and selecting appropriate network actions to reduce the UE's temperature, such as adjusting frequency bands, component carriers, or MIMO layers, thereby preventing overheating and conserving resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If user equipment operates at high power consumption to handle high data loads in 5G networks, then data transmission capability is improved, but temperature increases causing overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic thermal mitigation by continuously monitoring temperature through thermal reports and adjusting network parameters in real-time. The base station dynamically modifies communication parameters such as frequency bands, component carriers, and MIMO layers based on current thermal conditions, allowing the system to adapt between high performance and thermal safety states
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical and operational parameters to manage temperature. Specifically, it modifies communication parameters (frequency bands, component carriers, MIMO layers) in response to temperature thresholds. When temperature exceeds thresholds, the system changes these parameters to reduce power consumption and heat generation, thereby resolving the contradiction between high data transmission capability and temperature control
2Reliability
If user equipment maintains constant communication in powered-on state, then connectivity availability is improved, but thermal stress accumulates leading to hardware damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary thermal mitigation by establishing temperature thresholds and monitoring mechanisms in advance. Before thermal damage occurs, the system proactively detects temperature increases through thermal reports and preemptively adjusts network parameters to reduce power consumption, preventing hardware damage while maintaining connectivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the user equipment continuously reports thermal status to the base station. This feedback loop allows the system to monitor temperature conditions and automatically adjust communication parameters in response, balancing connectivity availability with thermal stress prevention through continuous adaptation
3Productivity
If user equipment increases power consumption to handle high data loads, then network throughput is improved, but resource wastage occurs due to disconnections and shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service thermal management where the user equipment autonomously monitors its own temperature and reports thermal status to the base station. The device can independently trigger thermal mitigation by reporting temperature conditions, enabling self-protection against overheating without requiring external intervention, thus reducing resource wastage from forced shutdowns
Data Source
AI summary
A device may receive a thermal report from a user equipment. The thermal report may indicate a temperature of the user equipment. The device may determine, based on the thermal report, whether the temperature of the user equipment satisfies a temperature threshold. The device may select a network action to reduce the temperature of the user equipment based on the temperature of the user equipment satisfying the temperature threshold. The device may perform the network action.