UE Power Control During DTX Operation

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, power control during discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation is challenging due to delays in applying transmit power control (TPC) commands, leading to inefficiencies in uplink power management.

Innovation Solution

A method where a user equipment (UE) saves unapplied TPC commands and applies them in subsequent transmission bursts, allowing for adjustments in transmit power based on combined, capped, or selected values to optimize power control during DTX operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE applies TPC commands in real-time during transmission bursts, then power control responsiveness is improved, but during DTX operation TPC commands received at the end of bursts cannot be applied and are wasted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower control effectivenessVSAvoidwasted TPC commands
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The UE saves unapplied TPC commands received at the end of transmission bursts for future use. Instead of discarding these commands, the UE stores them and applies them in subsequent transmission bursts, ensuring that the power control adjustments are eventually executed rather than being wasted during DTX periods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the UE saves and applies multiple saved TPC commands in subsequent bursts, then power control accuracy is improved, but the complexity of power control processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower control accuracyVSAvoidpower control processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent describes multiple methods for combining saved TPC commands including: applying them sequentially in different slots, combining the commands to obtain a single combined value, capping the combined value within a predetermined range, or selecting only one command (e.g., the last or most reliable). These parameter change strategies allow the system to balance accuracy improvements against processing complexity by choosing appropriate combination methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2115889B1Method and apparatus for power control during DTX operation
Publication Date: 2018.08.29 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP2115889B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2115889B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2115889B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Techniques for performing power control during discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation are described. A UE transmits on the uplink during a transmission burst and receives TPC commands generated by a Node B based on the uplink transmission. The UE may receive two TPC commands at the end of the transmission burst that are not applied during the transmission burst. The UE saves and applies these two TPC commands in the next transmission burst. In one design, the UE applies each saved TPC command in one slot of the next transmission burst. In another design, the UE combines the two saved TPC commands and applies the combined value in the first two slots of the next transmission burst. In yet another design, the UE selects one of the saved TPC commands and applies the selected TPC command in the first two slots of the next transmission burst.