NR UE Power Reporting for DRX and PDCCH Energy Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) in LTE and NR networks spends a significant amount of energy on unnecessary monitoring of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) without detecting scheduling assignments or resource grants, leading to inefficient power consumption, especially in scenarios with discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations.
Innovation Solution
UEs report energy consumption information and supported configurations to the network, and network nodes schedule UEs based on this information to reduce unnecessary PDCCH monitoring, allowing for more efficient power management by selecting optimal configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UE continuously monitors PDCCH to ensure reliable reception of scheduling assignments and resource grants, then communication reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discontinuous reception (DRX) where the UE alternates between active monitoring periods and sleep periods. During active periods, the UE monitors PDCCH for scheduling assignments and grants; during sleep periods, the UE stops monitoring to conserve energy. This periodic action resolves the contradiction by making monitoring intermittent rather than continuous, reducing energy consumption while maintaining reliability through scheduled check-ins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a feedback mechanism where the UE reports its energy consumption status and preferred DRX configuration to the network, and the network adjusts monitoring schedules based on this feedback. The network can configure different DRX parameters (cycle lengths, active durations) based on UE feedback about its energy constraints and traffic patterns, dynamically balancing reliability and energy consumption.
2Speed
If UE monitors PDCCH with high frequency to quickly detect scheduling assignments, then response time is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses DRX to create periodic monitoring cycles with configurable active durations and sleep periods. During active periods, the UE monitors PDCCH at high frequency to quickly detect scheduling assignments; during sleep periods, monitoring stops completely. This resolves the contradiction by concentrating monitoring effort into periodic bursts rather than continuous high-frequency monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables dynamic adjustment of DRX parameters including cycle length, active duration, and monitoring frequency based on network conditions and UE energy status. The network can configure shorter DRX cycles for latency-sensitive traffic to maintain faster detection speed, or longer cycles for energy-constrained scenarios, dynamically balancing speed and energy consumption.
3Use of energy by moving object
If UE uses DRX configuration to reduce energy consumption by sleeping more often, then energy efficiency is improved, but scheduling responsiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements DRX with configurable periodic monitoring cycles where the UE wakes up at predetermined intervals to check for scheduling assignments. By adjusting the DRX cycle length and active duration parameters, the system can ensure the UE wakes up frequently enough to maintain acceptable scheduling responsiveness while still spending most time in low-power sleep mode, thus resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and scheduling delay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows dynamic modification of DRX parameters (cycle length, active duration, offset values) based on network conditions, traffic patterns, and UE energy status. The network can configure shorter DRX cycles or longer active durations when rapid scheduling response is needed, and longer cycles with shorter active durations when energy conservation is prioritized, flexibly balancing energy efficiency and scheduling responsiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments include methods, performed by a user equipment (UE), for reporting UE energy consumption information to a network node in a radio access network (RAN). Such methods include acquiring a set of candidate configurations related to UE operation in the RAN and determining UE energy consumption information related to the set. The UE energy consumption information can include respective energy consumption metrics associated with the candidate configurations, and/or a relative priority of the candidate configurations with regards to UE energy consumption reduction. Such methods also include reporting at least a portion of the UE energy consumption information to the network node. Other embodiments include complementary methods, performed by a network node, that include selecting a particular candidate configuration, for the UE, based on the reported UE energy consumption information, and scheduling the UE for operation in the RAN according to the selected configuration.