Small Cell Thermal Control

• US 20180077640A1
• Filed: 09/14/2016
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jibing, Statezni, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 10,334,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of controlling a temperature of a femtocell includes receiving, at data processing hardware of the femtocell, temperature measurements from a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the data processing hardware or a power amplifier of the femtocell. The method further includes determining, by the data processing hardware, whether the femtocell is operating above a threshold temperature based on the temperature measurements. When the femtocell is operating above the threshold temperature, the method includes modifying, by the data processing hardware, a power consumption characteristic of the femtocell that results in a power consumption reduction of at least one of the data processing hardware or the power amplifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at data processing hardware of a femtocell, temperature measurements from a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the data processing hardware or a power amplifier of the femtocell;

determining, by the data processing hardware, whether the femtocell is operating above a threshold temperature based on the temperature measurements; and

when the femtocell is operating above the threshold temperature, modifying, by the data processing hardware, a power consumption characteristic of the femtocell by at least one of reducing frequency resources or adjusting time slots allocated to user equipment for use by the user equipment when communicating with the femtocell, the modified power consumption characteristic resulting in a power consumption reduction of at least one of the data processing hardware or the power amplifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing frequency resources comprises reducing a physical downlink shared channel frequency resource and/or a physical uplink shared channel frequency resource to communicate with the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein reducing the physical downlink shared channel frequency resource comprises scheduling a fewer number of user equipment per downlink subframe of a corresponding downlink communication frame, and reducing the physical uplink shared channel frequency resource to communicate with user equipment comprises scheduling a fewer number of user equipments per uplink subframe of a corresponding uplink communication frame.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein reducing the physical downlink shared channel frequency resource and/or the physical uplink shared channel frequency resource comprises scheduling a fewer number of resource blocks per user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the power consumption characteristic is further modified by reducing a power spectral density of the power amplifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the power spectral density is a measure of a physical downlink shared channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power consumption characteristic is further modified by reducing a number of user equipment communicating with the femtocell.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting time slots comprises changing a reception mode of one or more user equipment communicating with the femtocell to a discontinuous mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting time slots comprises reducing a transmission duty cycle of the femtocell.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting time slots comprises reducing a reception duty cycle of the femtocell.

11. A femtocell comprising:

a power amplifier;

data processing hardware;

a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the data processing hardware or the power amplifier; and

memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising;

receiving temperature measurements from the temperature sensor;

determining whether the femtocell is operating above a threshold temperature based on the temperature measurements; and

when the femtocell is operating above the threshold temperature, modifying a power consumption characteristic of the femtocell by at least one of reducing frequency resources or adjusting time slots allocated to user equipment for use by the user equipment when communicating with the femtocell, the modified power consumption characteristic resulting in a power consumption reduction of at least one of the data processing hardware or the power amplifier.

12. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein reducing frequency resources comprises reducing a physical downlink shared channel frequency resource and/or a physical uplink shared channel frequency resource to communicate with the user equipment.

13. The femtocell of claim 12, wherein reducing the physical downlink shared channel frequency resource comprises scheduling a fewer number of user equipment per downlink subframe of a corresponding downlink communication frame, and reducing the physical uplink shared channel frequency resource to communicate with user equipment comprises scheduling a fewer number of user equipments per uplink subframe of a corresponding uplink communication frame.

14. The femtocell of claim 12, wherein reducing the physical downlink shared channel frequency resource and/or the physical uplink shared channel frequency resource comprises scheduling a fewer number of resource blocks per user equipment.

15. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the power consumption characteristic is further modified by reducing a power spectral density of the power amplifier.

16. The femtocell of claim 15, wherein the power spectral density is a measure of a physical downlink shared channel.

17. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein the power consumption characteristic is further modified by reducing a number of user equipment communicating with the femtocell.

18. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein adjusting time slots comprises changing a reception mode of one or more user equipment communicating with the femtocell to a discontinuous mode.

19. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein adjusting time slots comprises reducing a transmission duty cycle of the femtocell.

20. The femtocell of claim 11, wherein adjusting time slots comprises reducing a reception duty cycle of the femtocell.