User equipment reallocation between nodes

• US 9,357,513 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Sergeyev, Vadim, Fwu, Jong-Kae, Davydov, Alexei
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/332,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20150043404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 23/0218 Increasing or restoring the load-bearing capacity of building construction elements E04G23/0203 and E04G23/0266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 9/025 Structures with concrete columns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0626 Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/165 for reducing network power consumption H04W36/18 - H04W36/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/28 involving a plurality of connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 : by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 : using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 : in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 : in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 : where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 : synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 : Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 : Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A technology for a power management module that is operable to reduce power consumption in a communications network. A resource availability of one or more evolved node B (eNode Bs) in the communications network can be determine to receive data traffic of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) in communication with a serving eNode B. A power consumption rate of the communications network can be calculated when the serving eNode B is placed in a power saving mode. The serving eNode B can be switched to a power savings mode when the resource availability of the one or more eNode Bs enables the plurality of UEs to be handed over from the serving eNode B to selected eNode Bs of the one or more eNode Bs.

Claims

1. A network device configured to reduce power consumption in a communications network, the network device having computer circuitry configured to:

select a first evolved node B (eNode B) for power consumption reduction;

determine that a second eNode B has available resources to communicate data traffic of a user equipment (UE) in communication with the first eNode B;

calculate a power consumption rate of the communications network when a first eNode B is placed in a power savings mode;

handover the UE to the second eNode B based on a reduction in the power consumption rate of the communications network; and

switch the first eNode B to the power savings mode when the UE is handed over to the second eNode B.

2. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to calculate the power consumption rate of the communications network by comparing an amount of power consumed by the communications network before UE traffic is reallocated to the second eNode B with an amount of power consumed by the communications network after UE traffic is reallocated to the second eNode B and the first eNode B is switched to power savings mode.

3. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to determine a data rate of the UE when the UE is reallocated to the second eNode B.

4. The computer circuitry of claim 3, further configured to handover the UE when:

the data rate of the UE remains within a selected threshold range when the UE is handed over to the second eNode B; and

the power consumption rate of the communications network decreases by at least a threshold amount.

5. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to continue to maintain the UE connection with the first eNode B when the calculated power consumption rate of the communications network remains above a selected threshold rate.

6. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to turn off the first eNode B or switch the first eNode B to a sleep mode when the first eNode B enters the power savings mode.

7. The computer circuitry of claim 6, wherein the sleep mode is a minimum power operating level of the first eNode B.

8. An power management module configured to reduce power consumption in a communications network, the power consumption module having computer circuitry configured to:

determine a resource availability of one or more evolved node B (eNode Bs) in the communications network to receive data traffic of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) in communication with a serving eNode B;

calculate a power consumption rate of the communications network when the serving eNode B is placed in a power saving mode; and

switch the serving eNode B to a power savings mode when the resource availability of the one or more eNode Bs enables the plurality of UEs to be handed over from the serving eNode B to selected eNode Bs of the one or more eNode Bs.

9. The computer circuitry of claim 8, further configured to calculate the power consumption rate of the communications network by comparing an amount of power consumed by the communications network before the serving eNode B is placed in the power saving mode with an amount of power consumed by the network after the serving eNode B is placed in the power saving mode.

10. The computer circuitry of claim 9, further configured to:

calculate the amount of power consumed by the communications network before the serving eNode B is placed in the power saving mode using;

11. The computer circuitry of claim 10, wherein the serving eNode B is the N^th eNode B of the N eNode Bs in the communications network.

12. The computer circuitry of claim 10, further configured to determine a change in power consumption of the communications network using P_0,serv−

P_sleep when the serving eNode B is switched to the power saving mode.

13. The computer circuitry of claim 8, further configured to reallocate the data traffic of the plurality of UEs from the serving eNode B to the one or more eNode Bs in the communications network when:

a data rate of each UE in the plurality of UEs remains within a selected threshold range when each UE is reallocated to the one or more eNode Bs; and

the power consumption rate of the communications network decreases by at least a threshold amount.

14. The computer circuitry of claim 8, wherein the one or more eNode Bs are small cell eNode Bs and the serving eNode B is a small cell eNode B.

15. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that are adapted to be executed to implement a method of reducing power consumption of a communications network, the method comprising:

determining resource availability of evolved node Bs (eNode Bs) in the communications network to receive data traffic of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) in communication with a selected eNode B in the communications network;

calculating a power consumption rate of the communications network when the selected eNode B is placed in a power saving mode; and

switching the selected eNode B to the power savings mode when the resource availability of the eNode Bs in the communications network enables the plurality of UEs to be handed over from the selected eNode B to the eNode Bs in the communications network.

16. The product of claim 15, the method further comprising calculating the power consumption rate of the communications network by comparing an amount of power consumed by the communications network before the selected eNode B is placed in the power saving mode with an amount of power consumed by the network after the selected eNode B is placed in the power saving mode.

17. The product of claim 15, the method further comprising handing over the plurality of UEs to the eNode Bs based on a reduction in the power consumption rate of the communications network.

18. The product of claim 17, the method further comprising handing over the plurality of UEs from the selected eNode B to the eNode Bs in the communications network when:

a data rate of each UE in the plurality of UEs remains within a selected threshold range when each UE is reallocated to the eNode Bs; and

the power consumption rate of the communications network decreases by at least a threshold amount.

19. The product of claim 15, the method further comprising maintaining the UE connection with the selected eNode B when the calculated power consumption rate of the communications network remains above a selected threshold rate.

20. The product of claim 15, the method further comprising dynamically handing over the plurality of UEs to the eNode Bs based on a reduction in the power consumption rate of the communications network to continuously reduce the power consumption rate of the communications network.

21. The product of claim 15, the method further comprising:

calculating the amount of power consumed by the network before the selected eNode B is placed in the power saving mode using;

22. The product of claim 21, wherein the serving eNode B is the N^th eNode B of the N eNode Bs in the communications network.