Adaptive power management for a node of a cellular telecommunications network

• US 6,584,330 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ruuska, Tauno
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D
• Application Number:
  US09/618,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343, 455/561, 455/574, 455/423, 455/417, 455/524
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Equipment and/or functions at a node (e.g., base station) of a cellular telecommunications network are turned off or put into sleep mode during periods of low traffic in order to reduce power consumption by the node. The equipment and/or functions are then turned back on again during periods of high traffic load in order to provide the required service to users. Exemplary actions which can be taken in order to save power during the power saving mode include, for example and without limitation: 1) switching off or putting to sleep one or more MCPAs, 2) turning off one or more carriers, 3) turning off one or more sectors with regard to a frequency, 4) turning off or putting to sleep at least a portion or part of one or more circuit boards, and/or 5) reducing fan speed based upon traffic load of the node. Any one or more of these or similar actions may be taken in order to enable the node to save power when its traffic load is at a low level. Power consumption can thus be reduced.

Claims

1. A method of reducing power consumption by a base station in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising:

providing a base station in the cellular telecommunications network;

determining a traffic load of the base station;

based at least in part upon the determined traffic load of the base station, determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion or part of a component or function of the base station in order to save power;

turning off or putting to sleep a first multi-carrier power amplifier (MCPA) in order to save power; and

increasing an output power of a second MCPA in parallel to the first MCPA so as to reduce adverse effects of turning off or putting to sleep the first MCPA.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the determined traffic load of the base station is below a predetermined threshold; and

based at least in part upon whether the determined traffic load of the base station is below the predetermined threshold, determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion or part of a component or function of the base station in order to save power.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the component comprises at least one of a multi-carrier power amplifier (MCPA) and a circuit board.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the component or function comprises transmission of one of more carriers by the base station to mobile stations in a cell of the base station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

wherein the component or function comprises at least a first carrier transmitted by the base station;

transferring traffic from the first carrier to at least one other carrier of the base station; and

following said transferring step, turning off or otherwise disabling the first carrier in order to save power.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising turning off or putting to sleep a component or function of the base station in order to save power.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said turning off or putting to sleep step comprises at least one of:

1) switching off or putting to sleep one or more MCPAs,

     2) turning off one or more carriers,

     3) turning off one or more sectors with regard to a frequency,

     4) turning off or putting to sleep one or more portions or parts of at least one circuit board, and

     5) turning off or putting to sleep one or more circuit boards.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining a traffic load of the base station is performed in one of the base station and a radio network controller node in communication with the base station.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a long-term statistical curve relating to historical traffic load data regarding the base station in said step of determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion of a component or function of the base station.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether or not both of the long-term statistical curve and the determined traffic load of the base station are both on one side of a predetermined threshold in determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion of a component or function of the base station.

11. A method of determining whether or not to turn off or otherwise disable a carrier of a base station in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising:

providing a base station in the cellular telecommunications network;

determining a traffic load of the base station;

based at least in part upon the determined traffic load of the base station, determining whether or not to turn off or otherwise disable a carrier of the base station, so that when the traffic load of the base station is below a predetermined threshold then said carrier is turned off or otherwise disabled; and

providing a filter (67) which prevents said carrier from being turned off or otherwise disabled, even when said traffic load is below said predetermined threshold, during a certain time period(s) which has historically experienced high traffic load volume.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether traffic on the carrier can be transferred to one or more other carriers of the base station;

transferring traffic from the carrier to at least one other carrier of the base station; and

following said transferring step, turning off or otherwise disabling the first carrier.

13. A cellular telecommunications network comprising:

a base station for transmitting signals on at least one carrier to mobile stations in a cell of the base station;

a radio network controller in communication with said base station;

a measurement circuit for measuring output power or traffic load of the base station;

power save control logic for determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion of at least one function or component of the base station based at least in part upon an output from said measurement circuit;

means for turning off or putting to sleep a first multi-carrier power amplifier (MCPA) in order to save power; and

means for increasing an output power of a second MCPA so as to reduce adverse effects of turning off of putting to sleep the first MCPA.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein said measurement circuit is located at one of the base station and the network controller.

15. The network of claim 13, wherein said power save control logic determines whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least one function or component of the base station associated with one of a plurality of carriers used by said base station, based at least in part upon an output from said measurement circuit.

16. A base station for use in a cellular telecommunications network, the base station comprising:

at least one antenna for transmitting signals to mobile users in a cell of the base station;

a circuit for turning off or putting to sleep at least a portion or part of at least one component of the base station based at least in part upon traffic load of the base station when it is determined that the traffic load falls below a predetermined threshold; and

filter means for preventing said component, or portion or part thereof, from being turned off or put to sleep even when the traffic load falls below said predetermined threshold, during certain time period(s) which has historically experienced high traffic load volume.

17. The base station of claim 16, further comprising a traffic load measurement circuit for measuring traffic load of the base station.

18. The base station of claim 16, wherein said circuit turns off at least one of a carrier of the base station and an amplifier of the base station based at least in part upon traffic load of the base station, in order to reduce power consumption by the base station.

19. A method of reducing power consumption by a node in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising:

providing the node in the cellular telecommunications network;

determining a traffic load of the node;

based at least in part upon the determined traffic load, determining whether or not to turn off or put to sleep at least a portion or part of a component or function of the node in order to save power;

turning off or putting to sleep a first multi-carrier power amplifier (MCPA) in order to save power; and

increasing an output power of a second MCPA so as to reduce adverse effects of turning off or putting to sleep the first MCPA.