5G UE Uplink Power Boosting Based on Neighbor-Cell Pathloss
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 5G NR power control methods do not consider interference to neighboring cells when boosting uplink transmit power, leading to inefficient throughput enhancement due to potential harmful interference.
Innovation Solution
A method to boost uplink transmit power of a UE by selecting candidates based on pathloss and buffer size, measuring and reporting neighboring cell power, and adjusting power control to avoid interference, with conditions to stop power boosting when interference or overheating occurs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the UE transmit power is increased to improve throughput, then the uplink throughput is improved, but harmful interference is caused to neighboring cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating power control treatment for different UEs based on their specific spatial relationships with neighboring cells. UEs that are far from serving gNBs but close to neighboring gNBs are identified and granted power boosting permissions, while other UEs maintain standard power control. This localized differentiation allows specific UEs to increase throughput without causing widespread interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power control parameters dynamically by introducing a pathloss comparison mechanism. The system compares the pathloss to the serving gNB (PL_serving) with the pathloss to neighboring gNBs (PL_neighboring) and adjusts the power control state accordingly. When PL_serving > PL_neighboring + threshold, the UE is permitted to boost power, effectively changing the power parameter based on spatial conditions.
2Productivity
If the UE transmit power is boosted without considering neighboring cell pathloss, then the uplink throughput is enhanced, but the interference to neighboring cells increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having UEs report their measured pathloss values to the serving gNB. The UE measures both the serving cell pathloss and neighboring cell pathloss, then reports these values back to the gNB. The gNB uses this feedback information to make informed decisions about whether to permit power boosting, ensuring that throughput enhancement does not come at the cost of harmful interference to neighbors.
3Reliability
If the standard power control equation is used per cell, then the received power at the serving gNB is controlled, but the interference level to neighboring cells is not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by extending the power control mechanism to serve multiple functions simultaneously. The same power control framework continues to ensure reliable received power at the serving gNB, while the added pathloss comparison capability enables interference awareness toward neighboring cells. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain existing reliability while gaining adaptability to interference conditions.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method to boost uplink transmit power of the UE in at least one of 5G NR and O-RAN wireless communication systems includes: i) selecting, by a serving next generation node B (gNB), at least one candidate user equipment (UE) in a serving cell for boosting transmit power; ii) requesting, by the serving gNB, the at least one candidate UE to measure and report received power from neighboring cells, to estimate pathlosses of the at least one candidate UE to the neighboring cells; iii) selecting, by the serving gNB, the at least one candidate UE as an eligible UE for power boosting in the case the estimated pathlosses of the at least one candidate UE to the neighboring cells is higher than a specified threshold; and iv) boosting, by the serving gNB, transmit power of the eligible UE using Transmit Power Control (TPC) command.