Thermal Automaton for Wireless Device Overheating Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance wireless communication devices face thermal and power consumption issues due to self-heating during intense operations, leading to potential overheating and failure to conform to UE categories above Cat-7, with existing methods being unpredictable and potentially non-compliant.
Innovation Solution
A thermal automaton system is implemented to manage thermal states by signaling between the device and network, allowing for efficient transitions between thermal states to prevent overheating, including a permanent, high, recovery, and emergency shutdown state, with configurable thresholds and autonomous transitions to maintain maximum throughput while avoiding thermal emergencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high performance device configurations are used to achieve maximum throughput, then data rate and system capacity are improved, but thermal state deteriorates leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic thermal state management by transitioning between multiple thermal states (permanent, high, recovery, emergency shutdown) based on real-time temperature monitoring. The system dynamically adjusts device operation modes according to thermal conditions, allowing high performance operation when thermal state permits and automatically reducing performance when overheating is detected, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining high data rates and preventing overheating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the thermal state is continuously monitored and fed back to the network node. The UE signals its thermal state to the network, which then adjusts scheduling decisions accordingly. This feedback loop enables the system to maintain high throughput when thermal conditions are acceptable while preventing overheating through network-coordinated performance adjustment, directly addressing the technical contradiction
2Reliability
If autonomous thermal state transitions are implemented to prevent overheating, then thermal management reliability is improved, but network coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the thermal management function by defining distinct thermal states (permanent, high, recovery, emergency shutdown) with specific transition conditions for each state. This segmentation allows autonomous transitions within defined boundaries while maintaining network coordination through standardized signaling protocols, reducing the complexity burden on the network while ensuring reliable thermal management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes (temperature thresholds, time-based conditions) to trigger autonomous thermal state transitions. By defining clear parameter thresholds for state transitions, the system achieves reliable thermal management through autonomous decisions while keeping network coordination simple through standardized parameter-based signaling rather than complex network-controlled adjustments
Data Source
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AI summary
A thermal finite-state-automaton includes system states and transitions between the system states. The system states may be based on a combination of network parameters for communicating through the wireless communication system and UE processing parameters. A default state is for operation of the UE at a sustainable performance configuration level for the network parameters and the UE processing parameters to maintain a UE temperature below a first temperature threshold. A high state is for operation of the UE during up to a maximum time duration at a peak performance configuration level for the network parameters and the UE processing parameters. A recovery state is for operation of the UE during at least a minimum time duration at a reduced performance configuration level for the network parameters and the UE processing parameters. An emergency shutdown state is triggerable by the UE temperature exceeding a second temperature threshold.