Patent ID: 12262315

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is intended to provide several examples that will illustrate the broader concepts that are set forth herein, but it is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base transceiver station (BTS) and a wireless mobile device. The deployment of a large number of small cells presents a need for energy efficiency power management solutions in fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks. While massive multiple-input multiple outputs (MIMO) will reduce the transmission power it results in not only computational cost but for the computation required, the input power requirements for transmission can be a significant factor for power energy efficiency (especially when operating in a backup mode) of 5G small cell networks. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, the BTS can be a combination of evolved Node Bs (also commonly denoted as enhanced Node Bs, eNodeB s, or eNBs) and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) in a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), which communicates with the wireless mobile device, known as user equipment (UE). A downlink (DL) transmission can be a communication from the BTS (or eNodeB) to the wireless mobile device (or UE), and an uplink (UL) transmission can be a communication from the wireless mobile device to the BTS.

The power consumption of base stations (BS's) is classified into three types which are the transmission power, the computational power, and power for base station operation. The transmission power is the power used by the power amplifiers (PAs) and RF chains, which perform the wireless signals change, i.e., signal transforming between the baseband signals and the wireless radio signals. The computation power represents the energy consumed at baseband units (BBU's) which includes digital single processing functions, management and control functions for BS's and the communication functions among the core network and BS s. All these operations are executed by software and realized at semiconductor chips. The additional power represents the power consumed for maintaining the operation of BS's. More specifically, the additional power includes the power lost at the exchange from the power grid to the main supply, at the exchange between different direct current to direct current (DC-DC) power supply, and the power consumed for active cooling at BS's.

Power loss and outages are commonplace in networks today as a result of natural disasters, rolling brownouts, etc. Base stations include backup power (e.g., batteries), these forms of backup power may not provide sufficient power during lengthy power outages, use of commercial wireless communications services may increase due to users' needs and/or desires.

Operating the BS in a sleeping mode can be a way to reduce energy consumption in cellular networks, however, this method focuses on the output power and does not consider a loss or interrupt of the commercial power on the input to the BS. Hence, queueing decision techniques for BS sleeping techniques while can maximize energy-efficient utilization of the BS s in a green communication network is not applicable when commercial power is lost to the BS.

The physical or network node either represents an access node (e.g. Radio Distributed Units) or non-access node (e.g. servers and routers) while a physical link represents an optical fiber link between two physical nodes. Every physical node is characterized by a set of available resources, namely computation (CPU), memory (RAM), and storage which define the load characteristics of a cell. Each physical link is characterized by a bandwidth capacity and a latency value which is the time needed by a flow to traverse that link. Finally, both physical nodes and links have associated utilization power requirements for each type of available resource.

The power delivery to a BS is rectified and regulated to a nominal measured DC voltage 48 (i.e. voltage direct current (VDC)) which is fed to a backup battery or a set of backup batteries for charging. The rectifier unit includes circuitry to keep the batteries fully charged and ready in case of a commercial power interrupt or failure. At full charge, the backup battery is kept at a voltage in the vicinity of 50 volts. The battery pack parameter in general per customer's requirement is in the order or 2-hour work time under 100 W AC system, 48.1V/65 Ah battery that can last of about 150 minutes with a full load.

There are at least two scenarios in which a power outage that affects the cell site and coverage area will trigger an unexpected peak in traffic demand. First, when normal activities are interrupted caused when a high number of UEs are engaged on the wireless network and second, if Wi-Fi access points aren't functioning, requiring the UEs to use the cellular networks instead.

Base stations typically use a 48V input supply that is stepped down by DC/DC converters to 24V or 12V, then further stepped down to the many sub rails ranging from 3.3V to less than 1V to power ASICs in the baseband processing stages.

FIG.1shows a graphical representation of a 5G or other data networks100that includes multiple cells121,122,123that provide access to a network105for any number of UE devices110. AlthoughFIG.1shows only one user equipment (UE) device110for simplicity, in practice the concepts described herein may be scaled to support environments of other data networks100that include any number of devices110and/or cells121-123, as well as any sort of network architecture for assigning bandwidth to different slices and performing other tasks, as desired.

In the example ofFIG.1, a mobile telephone or other user equipment (UE) device110suitably attempts to connect to network105via an appropriate access cell121,122,123. In the illustrated example, each cell121includes the components for transmission of a base station controller131, a base station transceiver138, a node140, an RF Radio135, a Radio Network controller142; the linking components of the antenna interface132and the antenna; and the power components of the commercial power interface150, the backup power supply152of a battery circuitry154and UPS (or batteries)156.

The commercial power interface150may receive power AC power from a public utility or other sources. The antenna and antenna interface132control the signal to the UEs110. The radio network controller142can control the RF transmit output via the RF radio135to conserve power usage to reduce the power draw on the UPS156. By reducing the communication bit rate, the RF power can be reduced in decibels (“dB”). Additionally, step reductions can be implemented. The battery circuitry154can be configured as a rectifier type switch that can switch the output power from the UPS156at multiple levels. The Base Station controller131can include power control features to control the power drawn by the base station controller131. Additionally, the base station controller131can communicate wirelessly with a power management system170that can confirm the power outage or interrupt on the front end to change the power input power levels of multiple small cells121,122, and123, and a number of UEs110connected to the Node140and resources in a slice of a node (gNB).

In an example embodiment, the radio network controller142can implement logic is implemented with computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, hard drive or other non-transitory storage of device for execution by a processor contained within. Also, the radio network controller142can be configured with a remote radio unit (RRU)160for downlink and uplink channel processing. The RRU can be configured to communicate with a baseband unit (BBU) of a base station controller131via a physical communication link and communicate with a wireless mobile device via an air interface.

In various alternate embodiments, the base station controller131can be separated into two parts, the Baseband Unit (BBU)139and the Remote Radio Head (RRH)141, that provides network operators to maintain or increase the number of network access points (RRHs) for the Node (gNB), while centralizing the baseband processing functions at a master base station175. Using a master C-RAN base station175the power management system170can be instructed to coordinate operations in the tangent of power levels of multiple cells (121,122, and123).

FIG.2is an exemplary diagram of a feedback communication loop for power management of a base station responsive to a commercial power interrupt or failure of the base station power management system in a wireless data networking environment in accordance with an embodiment. InFIG.2, wireless network200includes an RF radio receiver210, DC power supply220, a cell site230, a random access channel (RACH) via router240, server250, UPS260, logic270with backhaul channel communications, element management system290, automated workflow280and uplink275. The RACH is a channel shared among wireless devices to access the mobile network for call setup and data transmission bursts such as text messages. The automated workflow280manages the transmission network.

The automated workflow280instructs the element management systems (EMS)290which are directly connected via logic270to the components of the cell205of the radio receiver210, the DC power supply220, the cell site230node calls/dropped calls/throughput in operation, the server250, and the UPS260. The EMS290monitors and controls the various components of the cell205to maintain the quality of service (QoS) of the cell site230. The automated workflow280maintains the network availability and monitors the status of network devices including the commercial power supplied to the network. The EMS290is connected to multiple eNodeB for power management. When a power outage in the network occurs, the automated workflow280which is monitoring the network instructs the element management system290via the logic270to reduce the output power of the radio receiver210and also takes into account other factors by communicating with the radio receiver210, cell site230via the router240connected to the server250in reducing the output power for transmission. This in turns reduces the DC power from the DC power supply220and the draw on the UPS260.

In an exemplary embodiment, the server250can be configured as NB-IoT Server is a software for data collection and monitoring and communicating via the router240for activating the automated workflow280via the EMS290and can display the log messages of each base station and the survival status of all sessions (including information such as signal, power, etc.).

FIG.3is an exemplary flowchart300for power management of a base station responsive to a commercial power interrupt or failure of the base station power management system in a wireless data networking environment in accordance with an embodiment.

InFIG.3, at task310, the automated workflow detects a loss of the commercial power in the network or to the input of a base station of a particular cell. The automated workflow performs functions related to fault management, a configuration of the directly connected components, and performance management. Security management functions may also be implemented with the automated workflow. The configuration management functions of the automated workflow can include change component operating settings via the element management system of a particular cell or set of cells. At task320, after the detection of an interrupt of the commercial power, power failure, power loss, and/or power outage of the network, the automated workflow which is monitoring the components and the network detects the change and the power loss.

The automated workflow in response to the detected power loss implements the configuration management functions to change the settings of the output power of the radio receiver by either changing the radio receiver settings or cropping the input power to the radio receiver. At task330, the element management system communicates with the radio receiver, the server, and other components at the cell site, to send messages via the cell site router to receiver collect cell statistics, and to execute appropriate plug and play functionality of the base station radio receiver. At task340, the automated workflow executes various functions to the element management system based on decisions from the cell site and base station. The element management system is configured with functionality to set parameters of the base station components and can maintain consistency between multiple small cells. Hence, in the case of a loss of commercial power, the element management system can attempt to prevent traffic congestion and dropped calls by implementing collective scheduling between multiple cells. At task340, the element management system reduces the output power of the radio receiver at the cell site.

As described, a data networking system includes several data processing components, each of which is patentable, and/or have patentable aspects, and/or having processing hardware capable of performing automated processes that are patentable. This document is not intended to limit the scope of any claims or inventions in any way, and the various components and aspects of the system described herein may be separately implemented apart from the other aspects.