Uplink Grant Padding Control for Lower UE Power Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) experiences unnecessary power consumption and increased radio frequency exposure due to transmitting dummy bytes to fill excess uplink grants, leading to reduced transmission power and coverage, particularly in dual-connectivity scenarios with 5G NR and LTE networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a processor in the UE to dynamically evaluate uplink grants, blank unnecessary transmissions, maintain a smart buffer for non-time-sensitive data, and intelligently trigger buffer status reporting to optimize grant utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the UE transmits dummy bytes to fill excess uplink grants, then the UL grant is fully utilized, but power consumption increases and radio frequency exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful padding bytes from the uplink transmission. The UE identifies the excess grant size beyond what is needed to transmit actual data, and deliberately transmits only the necessary data without filling the remaining grant with dummy bytes. This extraction of unnecessary transmission content directly reduces power consumption while maintaining effective grant utilization for actual data.
2Productivity
If the UE transmits dummy bytes to fill excess uplink grants, then the UL grant is fully utilized, but radio frequency exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the harmful radiation exposure caused by unnecessary padding transmissions. By calculating the actual data size and comparing it with the granted uplink resources, the UE transmits only the required data volume, extracting and eliminating the superfluous radio frequency transmissions that would otherwise expose the user to unnecessary radiation while still utilizing the grant effectively for actual data transfer.
3Productivity
If the UE transmits with high Tx duty cycle to fill grants, then UL data transmission is maintained, but transmission power must be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by transmitting only the exact amount of data needed rather than filling the entire granted resources. The UE calculates the precise data volume required and transmits accordingly, using a portion of the granted uplink resources rather than the full amount. This partial utilization approach maintains adequate data transmission while avoiding the excessive power consumption that would result from transmitting dummy padding bytes to fill the complete grant.
4Use of energy by moving object
If the UE reduces Tx power to compensate for high duty cycle, then power consumption is managed, but UL coverage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the unnecessary padding transmissions that force the UE into high duty cycle operation. By removing these superfluous transmissions, the UE can operate at lower, more efficient power levels without compromising coverage, because the power is no longer wasted on transmitting dummy bytes. This extraction of harmful padding allows the UE to maintain adequate transmission power for actual data while managing overall power consumption effectively.
Data Source
AI summary
A user equipment (UE) configured to receive an uplink (UL) grant comprising a UL grant size, determine a current UL buffer size, compare the current UL buffer size to the UL grant size and determining an amount of padding to fill the UL grant and determine whether to transmit on the UL grant based on the amount of padding to fill the UL grant.