Method Of Physical Downlink Control Channel Monitoring And Related Device
Patent No. US11368911 (titled "Method Of Physical Downlink Control Channel Monitoring And Related Device") was filed by Hannibal Ip Llc on Apr 27, 2020.
What is this patent about?
’911 is related to the field of wireless communication systems, specifically addressing power consumption issues in user equipment (UE) within a 5G New Radio (NR) network. The background involves the need for UEs to efficiently manage battery life, especially considering the bursty nature of data traffic and the continuous monitoring of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information. Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mechanisms are used to reduce power consumption by allowing the UE to sleep periodically, but existing DRX implementations can still lead to unnecessary power usage.
The underlying idea behind ’911 is to introduce a wake-up signal (WUS) mechanism that allows the base station to explicitly signal the UE when to wake up and monitor the PDCCH. This is achieved by configuring a separate search space for the WUS. The key insight is that if the UE is already in an active DRX state (monitoring the PDCCH), it doesn't need to monitor the WUS search space, thus saving power. The base station transmits the WUS only when it anticipates scheduling data for the UE, avoiding unnecessary PDCCH monitoring.
The claims of ’911 focus on a method and apparatus for a UE to monitor the PDCCH. The UE receives two configurations from the base station: one for a first search space used for monitoring scheduling signals, and another for a second search space used for monitoring a power saving signal (WUS). The UE monitors the first search space when in DRX active time, but specifically avoids monitoring the second search space during this active time . The UE starts a DRX on-duration timer in response to not receiving the power saving signal while monitoring the second search space.
In practice, the UE is configured with two distinct search spaces on the PDCCH: one for regular scheduling information and another specifically for the WUS. When the UE is in DRX active time (e.g., an inactivity timer is running), it continues to monitor the scheduling search space as usual. However, it deliberately skips monitoring the WUS search space during this period. This prevents the UE from wasting power trying to decode the WUS when it's already awake and actively monitoring the PDCCH for scheduling assignments.
This approach differentiates itself from prior solutions by intelligently disabling WUS monitoring during DRX active time . Existing DRX mechanisms might still require the UE to periodically wake up and monitor the PDCCH, even if no data is scheduled. By adding the WUS and selectively disabling its monitoring, the network can more precisely control when the UE wakes up, leading to significant power savings. The UE only monitors the WUS when it's in a sleep state or transitioning to an active state, avoiding redundant monitoring and reducing overall power consumption.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the late 2010s when ’911 was filed, wireless communication systems commonly relied on discontinuous reception (DRX) to conserve user equipment (UE) power. At a time when 5G NR was emerging, UE battery life was a critical design consideration, and techniques for improving power efficiency were actively being studied. The power saving schemes focused on UE adaptation to traffic characteristics in frequency, time, and antenna domains, as well as DRX configurations. The power saving signal/channel/procedure was used for triggering adaptation of UE power consumption characteristics.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art, whether considered individually or in combination, did not anticipate or suggest the limitations of the independent claims. The applicant addressed objections from dependent claims by incorporating their limitations into the independent claims. A new search in EAST and NPL databases did not reveal any prior art that would result in a rejection based on anticipation or obviousness of the amended independent claims.
Claims
This patent contains 18 claims, with independent claims 1 and 10. The independent claims are directed to a method and user equipment (UE) for monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) using first and second search spaces for scheduling and power saving signals, respectively, in the context of Discontinuous Reception (DRX) functionality. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the specifics of the method and UE described in the independent claims.
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Description
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US11368911
- Application Number
- US16859945
- Filing Date
- Apr 27, 2020
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Aug 11, 2040
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents