Sub-group Paging Control for Wireless Device Power Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communications networks, particularly in LTE systems, the current paging mechanisms require all devices to periodically power up and check for paging messages, leading to unnecessary power consumption and inefficiency, especially when only a subset of devices are intended to receive data, as there is no effective grouping of devices to differentiate paging messages.
Innovation Solution
The infrastructure equipment transmits control messages that identify specific sub-groups of communications devices, indicating the shared channel resources where paging messages will be transmitted, allowing only devices within the relevant sub-group to power up and receive the message, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption and optimizing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all communications devices power up to check for paging messages periodically, then paging reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the group of communications devices into multiple sub-groups, where each device is assigned to a specific sub-group. The infrastructure equipment transmits control messages indicating which sub-group should wake up at each paging occasion. This segmentation allows devices to sleep longer and wake up less frequently, reducing power consumption while maintaining reliable paging delivery to the intended sub-group.
2Reliability
If all communications devices decode every paging message, then paging completeness is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting devices into sub-groups and including sub-group identifiers in control messages, the patent ensures that only devices belonging to the indicated sub-group need to decode and process the paging message. This eliminates the need for devices to blindly decode every paging message, significantly reducing processing overhead while maintaining complete paging coverage for the targeted sub-group.
3Reliability
If paging messages are transmitted to all devices, then paging coverage is improved, but resource efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the paging process by sub-group, allowing the infrastructure equipment to transmit control messages that specify which sub-group should wake up and receive the paging message. This targeted approach ensures complete paging coverage for the intended sub-group while avoiding wasteful transmissions to other sub-groups, thereby improving resource efficiency in terms of power, bandwidth, and processing.
4Loss of time
If communications devices wake up frequently to check for paging, then paging responsiveness is improved, but battery life deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting devices into sub-groups and coordinating their wake-up schedules through control messages, the patent enables devices to wake up less frequently while maintaining responsive paging. Each sub-group has designated paging occasions, allowing devices to sleep longer between wake-ups, thus extending battery life while preserving timely paging responsiveness for the targeted sub-group.
Data Source
AI summary
An infrastructure equipment of a wireless communications network is configured when data is to be transmitted to a communications device, to transmit a control message providing an indication that the infrastructure equipment intends to transmit a paging message to the communications device, and providing an indication of communications resources of a shared channel on which the paging message is to be transmitted. The paging message includes an indication that the communications device should establish a connection with the infrastructure equipment to receive the data from the infrastructure equipment. The communications device is one of a group of communications devices, configured to receive the control message, sub-divided into sub-groups of communications devices. The control message can include an indication of one of the sub-groups which should receive the paging message to be transmitted in the communications resources of the shared channel identified by the control message.