Base Station Power Control Using UE Location and Beamforming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional base station power management solutions often result in undesirable consequences for user equipment (UE) when reducing power consumption, such as loss of service or unnecessary roaming, due to imprecise load-based deactivation, especially in macro cell sites serving hundreds or thousands of devices.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing device location and capability information to adjust base station transmission power, optimizing power consumption without causing UE performance to fall below a threshold by determining optimal beamforms based on UE location and capabilities, allowing for coordinated power adjustments across multiple base stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If base station transmission power is reduced to save energy, then power consumption decreases, but user equipment service quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adjusting transmission power specifically for different user equipment based on their individual capabilities and locations. Instead of uniformly reducing power across all users, the system identifies specific UEs that can tolerate power reduction (those with better reception capabilities or closer to alternative base stations) and applies power reduction locally to those specific connections while maintaining full power for others who need it, thus achieving energy savings without compromising overall service quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making transmission power adjustable and adaptive rather than static. The system continuously monitors UE capabilities, locations, and network conditions, then dynamically adjusts transmission power levels in real-time. This allows the base station to optimize power consumption based on current conditions while ensuring service quality requirements are met, resolving the contradiction between energy savings and reliable service.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If base stations are deactivated based on load thresholds, then power consumption decreases, but service coverage is lost causing unnecessary roaming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by implementing partial base station deactivation rather than complete deactivation. Instead of fully turning off underloaded base stations, the system selectively reduces transmission power for specific UEs or on specific carrier frequencies while maintaining partial operation. This allows the base station to consume less power while still providing service coverage, preventing UEs from needing to roam to other base stations and maintaining service continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the base station operation into different functional parts that can be independently controlled. It separates the base station's service provision function into UE-specific or frequency-specific transmission components, allowing selective power reduction for particular UEs or carriers while maintaining other functions. This segmentation enables fine-grained power management that avoids complete deactivation and the associated service disruption and roaming issues.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If transmission power is reduced uniformly across all users, then power consumption decreases, but network performance for individual users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing UE-specific transmission power adjustment rather than uniform reduction. The system evaluates each user equipment's individual characteristics (reception capability, location, mobility state) and applies appropriate power levels locally to each UE. This ensures that power reduction is applied only where it won't harm performance, while maintaining full power for users who need it, thus achieving energy savings without degrading overall network performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by adjusting transmission power based on varying UE parameters such as reception capability, location, and mobility state. Instead of using a fixed power level or uniform reduction, the system changes the transmission power parameter dynamically according to specific UE characteristics and network conditions. This parameter-based approach allows optimization of power consumption while maintaining performance requirements for each individual user.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for improving the power efficiency of base stations are provided herein. One or more entities of a telecommunication network utilize device location and device capability information relating to a device's ability to receive and process downlink signals as a basis for making transmission power decisions. Excess transmission power used to communicate downlink signals beyond the range of devices in a coverage area can be eliminated. In some cases, distant devices may be handed over to neighboring base stations with or without power modification to the neighboring base station.