Terminal Processing Time Signaling for 5G Power Saving

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current terminal devices face challenges in balancing power saving with time domain resource configuration flexibility due to mismatches between network and device processing times, particularly in 5G communications, leading to suboptimal power consumption and resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

The terminal device communicates its processing times to the network, allowing the network to configure time domain resources accordingly, ensuring they align with the device's capabilities, thereby adapting to minimize resource flexibility loss while saving power.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by stationary object

If the terminal device reduces the clock frequency to the most power-saving capability, then power consumption is minimized, but time domain resource configuration flexibility is sacrificed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtime domain resource configuration flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by stationary objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device dynamically adjusts its processing capability level based on network scheduling conditions. When the network configures time domain resources that allow sufficient processing time, the terminal can operate at lower clock frequencies (capability 3) for maximum power saving. When tighter scheduling is required, the terminal can switch to higher processing capabilities (capability 1 or 2) to maintain flexibility. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the processing capability adjustable rather than fixed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces processing time as a configurable parameter that the terminal device reports to the network. The network uses this information to configure appropriate time domain resources. By changing the processing time parameter based on operational conditions, the system can optimize between power consumption and resource flexibility - longer processing times enable lower clock frequencies and power saving, while shorter processing times maintain scheduling flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the network device schedules time domain resources without considering terminal processing time, then resource configuration flexibility is maintained, but mismatch occurs between network and terminal device

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime domain resource configuration flexibilityVSAvoidmatch between network device and terminal device
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device provides feedback to the network by reporting its processing time capability. This feedback mechanism enables the network to understand the terminal's actual processing requirements and configure time domain resources accordingly. The network uses the reported processing time information to make informed scheduling decisions, ensuring that configured resources are both flexible and matched to the terminal's capabilities, thereby resolving the contradiction between flexibility and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal device performs preliminary action by reporting its processing time capability to the network before actual resource allocation occurs. This advance information allows the network to pre-configure appropriate time domain resources that will work with the terminal's processing capabilities, avoiding mismatches during actual operation while maintaining configuration flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3869873B1Power saving method and apparatus for terminal device, and device and storage medium
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3869873B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3869873B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3869873B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

This application provides a terminal device power saving method and apparatus, a device, and a storage medium The method includes: sending, by a terminal device, first information to a network device, where the first information is used to indicate processing time required by the terminal device to process to-be-processed information; and configuring, by the network device, a time domain resource for the to-be-processed information based on the first information, and sending second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate the time domain resource. After receiving the second information, the terminal device adjusts the foregoing processing time based on the time domain resource indicated by the second information, to relax a clock of each module corresponding to the processing time, thereby implementing terminal device power saving. In addition, the network device configures the time domain resource based on the processing time of the terminal device, so that the configured time domain resource is adapted to the corresponding processing time, thereby ensuring time domain resource configuration flexibility.