Wireless Device Awake State Adjustment for Direct Control Signaling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unsynchronized direct control signaling between wireless communication devices leads to excessive power consumption, as devices must remain in an awake state for extended periods to detect signaling, reducing power efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A wireless communication device synchronizes with a common timing reference within its group but not across groups, receiving messages or autonomously estimating misalignment ranges to adjust awake and sleep states, ensuring monitoring for direct control signaling only during expected reception intervals, thereby minimizing power usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If devices remain in an awake state for extended periods to detect unsynchronized direct control signaling, then detection reliability is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The receiving device performs preliminary actions by determining expected reception time intervals for direct control signaling before actually monitoring. The device calculates when signaling is likely to occur based on synchronization information, then enters sleep mode during periods when signaling is not expected, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining detection reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device dynamically adjusts its operational state between awake and sleep modes based on the determined expected reception time intervals. Instead of remaining continuously awake, the device transitions to sleep mode during intervals when direct control signaling is not expected to be received, optimizing the balance between detection reliability and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Use of energy by moving object

If devices narrow awake state intervals to match expected signaling times, then power efficiency is improved, but detection latency may increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower efficiencyVSAvoiddetection latency
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The device performs preliminary determination of expected reception time intervals using synchronization information and misalignment ranges before monitoring begins. This allows the device to accurately predict when direct control signaling will occur, ensuring that narrowed awake intervals are precisely positioned to capture signaling without introducing excessive latency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device uses feedback from synchronization information and timing references to continuously refine its determination of expected reception time intervals. This feedback mechanism ensures that the narrowed awake state intervals remain accurately aligned with actual signaling times, preventing detection latency while maintaining power efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3451714B1Direct control signaling in a wireless communication system
Publication Date: 2021.10.06 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
  • EP3451714B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3451714B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3451714B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A first wireless communication device (14-1) belongs to a first (12-1) of multiple groups (12) of wireless communication devices (14). Devices (14) in any given group (12) are synchronized to the same timing reference and devices (14) in different groups (12) are not synchronized to the same timing reference. The first device (14-1) receives a message that indicates, for each of one or more of the groups (12), a range of possible values for misalignment between the timing reference of that group (12) and a common timing reference. The range accounts for uncertainty in that misalignment. The first device (14-1) determines, based on the one or more ranges, intervals of times during which direct control signaling is expected to be received at the first device (14-1) from one or more devices (14) in one or more other groups (12-2, 12-3). The first device (14-1) then adjusts intervals of times during which it is configured to operate in an awake state to narrowly encompass the intervals of times during which the direct control signaling is expected to be received.