Power Control for Asynchronous Carrier Aggregation Subframes

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Solution Overview

Problem

In millimeter wave frequency bands used for future 5G communications, the challenge arises from differing frame structures between carriers, leading to difficulties in power control, especially when a subframe of one cell corresponds to multiple subframes of another, resulting in potential excessive transmission power and compromised communication quality.

Innovation Solution

A power determining method is introduced to calculate and adjust transmit powers on subframes of both primary and secondary cells, ensuring overall transmission power does not exceed the maximum allowed, by scaling power requirements based on the maximum transmit power, thereby maintaining communication quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If power control is performed based on existing methods for carriers with same frame structure, then power control works correctly for synchronous carriers, but it cannot resolve power control issues when carriers have different frame structures (one subframe corresponding to multiple subframes)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower control adaptabilityVSAvoidpower control reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the power control process into distinct phases: calculating power requirements for each subframe separately, then aggregating them according to the frame structure correspondence relationship. This segmentation allows the system to handle different frame structures by treating each subframe's power calculation independently before combining them, resolving the adaptability issue while maintaining reliability through structured aggregation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic adjustment mechanisms where the power control algorithm adapts to different frame structure configurations. The system dynamically determines the correspondence relationship between subframes of different carriers and adjusts power allocation accordingly, enabling power control to work reliably across both synchronous and asynchronous carrier scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If transmission power is increased to maintain communication quality in millimeter wave frequency bands, then communication quality improves, but overall transmission power may exceed maximum allowed power

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication qualityVSAvoidoverall transmission power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter aggregation method by introducing a summation formula that accounts for frame structure correspondence: P_total = Σ(P_subframe × correspondence_ratio). This parameter change allows the system to calculate overall power consumption accurately across different frame structures, ensuring that communication quality is maintained while preventing total power from exceeding maximum limits through mathematical constraint enforcement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of time

If frame structure is shortened to meet latency requirements in millimeter wave systems, then latency is reduced, but power control becomes more complex due to subframe correspondence issues

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovelatencyVSAvoidpower control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing the frame structure correspondence relationship between carriers before power control execution. The system pre-calculates how many subframes of one carrier correspond to one subframe of another carrier, and stores this mapping information. This preliminary setup simplifies subsequent power control operations by providing a ready-reference framework, reducing the complexity that would otherwise arise from real-time frame structure analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3370462B1Power determining method and user equipment
Publication Date: 2020.02.05 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3370462B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3370462B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3370462B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a power determining method. UE is configured with multiple cells, a first subframe of a first cell is corresponding to multiple second subframes of a second cell, and the method includes: calculating a first power requirement on the first subframe, and calculating multiple second power requirements on the multiple second subframes; calculating a power indicator on the multiple second subframes according to the multiple second power requirements; and determining transmit powers on the first subframe and the multiple second subframes according to a magnitude relationship between a maximum transmit power and a sum of the first power requirement and the power indicator. In the embodiments of this application, the power indicator is determined for multiple subframes of the second cell. When the sum of the first power requirement and the power indicator is greater than the maximum transmit power, the first power requirement and/or the second power requirement are/is adjusted, so as to ensure that an overall transmission power is not greater than the maximum transmit power, so that transmission efficiency can be ensured.