Wireless Terminal Relay Operation for Energy Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In cellular networks, especially in 5G and LTE, wireless terminals like wearables and IoT devices face high energy consumption and limited bandwidth when using relay nodes for communication, leading to increased latency and resource bottlenecks due to self-scheduling methods and limited resource allocation.
Innovation Solution
A wireless terminal operates in a TX-limited mode, receiving direct downlink signals from the cell station and transmitting uplink information to a relay station using configured resources, reducing energy consumption and latency by avoiding direct transmission to the cell station when the relay station is closer, and allowing the network to optimize resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If a wireless terminal uses relay nodes for communication, then coverage is extended to remote devices, but energy consumption increases and bandwidth is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay station as an intermediary node between the cell station and remote wireless terminals. The relay station receives downlink signals from the cell station and forwards them to remote terminals, while also receiving uplink signals from terminals and forwarding to the cell station. This mediator approach extends coverage to devices that cannot directly communicate with the cell station, solving the coverage extension problem while managing energy consumption through optimized resource allocation.
2Ease of operation
If self-scheduling methods are used by wireless terminals, then devices can autonomously allocate resources, but latency increases and resource bottlenecks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional self-scheduling approach by implementing network-controlled scheduling. Instead of wireless terminals autonomously selecting resources (self-scheduling), the cell station and relay station centrally allocate time-frequency resources to terminals. This inversion eliminates the latency and resource bottlenecks associated with self-scheduling conflicts, while the network maintains full control over resource distribution efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If relay stations are introduced to extend coverage, then remote UEs can connect to the network, but resource allocation becomes limited and bandwidth is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into multiple hierarchical levels: cell stations at the core level and relay stations at the edge level. Each level manages its own resource allocation independently. The cell station allocates resources to relay stations, which then allocate to remote terminals. This segmentation allows the network to serve more remote UEs by distributing bandwidth across multiple relay nodes, effectively increasing total available bandwidth through parallel resource pools at different network levels.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for operating a wireless terminal to communicate in a cellular network, said cellular network comprising at least one first cell station, said first cell station serving a first cell, and at least one relay station served by a second cell station serving a second cell, the method comprising the steps of the wireless terminal receiving a downlink signal sent by the first cell station and carrying downlink control information, said downlink control information including at least an indication of an allocated uplink resource to be used by the wireless terminal for transmitting a signal to the relay station, the wireless terminal generating uplink information, the wireless terminal transmitting to the relay station on the allocated uplink resource the signal carrying the uplink information, said uplink information to be forwarded to the second cell station.