RSRP Power Estimation via Intentional Signal Aliasing

Solution Overview

Problem

Current power estimation methods in mobile devices, such as those used in LTE networks, consume significant power and resources during search and measurement operations, particularly when measuring Reference-Signal-Received-Power (RSRP), leading to increased power consumption and reduced battery life.

Innovation Solution

The method involves decimating received signals without anti-aliasing filtering to introduce aliased frequencies, reducing memory and clock-rate requirements, which allows for lower power consumption by optimizing search and measurement procedures, including using a transceiver with a decimator and ADC that samples at a rate that introduces aliasing, thereby reducing the sampling rate and memory usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional power estimation methods are used for RSRP measurement, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but power consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveRSRP measurement accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful effect of frequency aliasing into a beneficial feature by intentionally introducing aliasing through decimation. Instead of preventing aliasing with complex anti-aliasing filters, the system embraces aliasing and uses it to fold multiple frequency components into a measurable range, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining measurement capability through coherent integration of aliased components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the sampling rate parameter by using decimation to reduce the sampling frequency. This parameter change allows the system to operate at lower clock rates and reduces memory access requirements, directly addressing the power consumption issue while maintaining RSRP measurement functionality through appropriate signal processing of the decimated signal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Use of energy by moving object

If decimation without anti-aliasing filtering is performed, then power consumption and memory requirements are reduced, but frequency aliasing occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidsignal distortion due to aliasing

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful effect of frequency aliasing into a beneficial feature by intentionally introducing aliasing through decimation. Instead of preventing aliasing with complex anti-aliasing filters, the system embraces aliasing and uses it to fold multiple frequency components into a measurable range, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining measurement capability through coherent integration of aliased components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies coherent integration and phase alignment techniques that effectively use feedback from the known reference signal structure to compensate for the aliasing effects. By correlating the decimated signal with expected reference signal patterns, the system can recover accurate RSRP measurements despite the presence of aliasing, thus converting information loss into manageable distortion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If high sampling rates are used for accurate measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and resource usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal measurement accuracyVSAvoidmemory and processing requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the sampling rate parameter by using decimation to reduce the sampling frequency. This parameter change allows the system to operate at lower clock rates and reduces memory access requirements, directly addressing the power consumption issue while maintaining RSRP measurement functionality through appropriate signal processing of the decimated signal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful effect of frequency aliasing into a beneficial feature by intentionally introducing aliasing through decimation. Instead of preventing aliasing with complex anti-aliasing filters, the system embraces aliasing and uses it to fold multiple frequency components into a measurable range, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining measurement capability through coherent integration of aliased components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS10123221B2Power estimation system and method

Publication Date: 2018.11.06 APPLE INC

AI summary

A communication device can be configured to estimate a Reference-Signal-Received-Power (RSRP). The communication device can include a transceiver and a controller. The transceiver can be configured to downsample a received signal having a plurality of reference signal resource elements to generate a downsampled signal. The downsampling can alias a first of the plurality of reference signal resource elements into a second of the plurality of reference signal resource elements to generate an aliased reference signal resource element. The transceiver can also be configured to extract the aliased reference signal resource element from the downsampled signal. The controller can be connected to the transceiver and be configured to estimate the RSRP based on the extracted aliased reference signal resource element.