Paging Power Control for Link-Budget-Limited UEs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Link-budget-limited user equipment (UE) devices face challenges in receiving paging messages due to limited communication capabilities, leading to missed calls or lost data, and there is a need for mechanisms to enhance the likelihood of successful reception and to inform the network of this limitation for appropriate enhancements.

Innovation Solution

Implementing paging enhancement mechanisms at the base station, including repeated transmissions of paging messages with increased power and the use of special identifiers, allowing link-budget-limited UE devices to combine data records and improve signal reception, and enabling UE devices to signal their link-budget-limited status to the network for targeted enhancements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the base station transmits paging messages with normal power levels, then network capacity is maintained, but link-budget-limited UE devices cannot successfully receive the messages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepaging message reception reliabilityVSAvoidtransmission power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating transmission power based on UE category. Link-budget-limited UEs receive paging messages with enhanced power (P_DCH_PAGING = P_DCH_MAX - 3dB), while non-link-budget-limited UEs receive normal power transmissions. This localized power enhancement ensures reliable reception for vulnerable devices without unnecessarily consuming additional network power resources for all UEs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the transmission power parameter dynamically based on UE capability indication. When a UE signals it is link-budget-limited, the base station adjusts the paging transmission power from the normal level to an enhanced level (increased by 3dB). This parameter change resolves the contradiction by adapting power levels to specific UE requirements while maintaining overall network efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the base station implements repeated paging transmissions with increased power, then successful decoding probability increases, but network resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepaging message decoding success rateVSAvoidnetwork energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by restricting enhanced power repeated transmissions only to link-budget-limited UEs. The base station identifies these UEs through capability signaling and applies the power-enhanced repetition strategy selectively. This ensures that additional network energy consumption is incurred only when necessary for specific vulnerable devices, rather than being wasted on UEs that can successfully decode normal power transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by applying paging enhancements only to the subset of UEs that need them. Instead of repeatedly transmitting enhanced power paging messages to all UEs (excessive action), the system performs partial repetitions only for link-budget-limited devices identified through capability signaling. This reduces overall network energy consumption while maintaining high decoding success rates for vulnerable UEs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the network implements paging enhancement mechanisms, then link-budget-limited UE performance improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliability for LBL devicesVSAvoidpaging mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies self-service by enabling UEs to autonomously indicate their link-budget-limited status through capability signaling. The UE itself identifies its reception limitations and communicates this to the network, which then automatically applies appropriate paging enhancements. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex network-side detection and classification systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses parameter changes to manage complexity by introducing a simple UE capability indicator parameter that signals link-budget-limited status. This single parameter change enables the network to automatically adjust paging transmission parameters (power level, repetition count) without requiring complex device classification or multiple configuration parameters. The simplicity of this parameter-based approach minimizes the increase in system complexity while achieving reliable communication for vulnerable UEs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3119145B1Increasing power after n-th paging attempt
Publication Date: 2018.04.18 APPLE INC
  • EP3119145B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3119145B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3119145B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

When the UE does not reply to the paging messages, the following ones are increased in power. The Network signals to the Base Station the paging using a sequence number andthe base station increases the power in accordance with the sequence number.