Energy optimization in ultra-dense radio access networks via traffic-aware cell switching

We propose a reinforcement learning based cell switching algorithm to minimize the energy consumption in ultra-dense deployments without compromising the quality of service (QoS) experienced by the users. In this regard, the proposed method can intelligently learn which small cells (SCs) to turn off at any given time based on the traffic load of the SCs and the macro cell. To validate the idea, we used the open call detail record (CDR) data set from the city of Milan, Italy, and tested our algorithm against typical operational benchmark solutions. With the obtained results, we demonstrate exactly when and how the proposed method can provide energy savings, and moreover how this happens without reducing QoS of users. Most importantly, we show that our solution has a very similar performance to the exhaustive search, with the advantage of being scalable and less complex

Sincronismo eficiente de relógios para redes de sensores sem fio em aplicações orientadas a alarmes

Many applications of wireless sensor networks require that nodes, besides monitoring a given phenomenon, must be able to detect and communicate asynchronous events (e.g. alarms), implying that they have to often listen to the medium in idle mode, which is inherently energy wasteful. In such a scenario time synchronization is crucial to efficiently operate in duty-cycles and minimize energy consumption. In this work we assess the impact of the trade-off between spending energy with more frequent synchronizations and in return saving it by reducing the idle listening window necessary for the desired reliability of the communication. The optimal frequency of time synchronizations is obtained analytically and corroborated by numerical results, showing that several times less overall energy may be spent with a finer synchronization when compared with maintaining the minimum clock precision required by the phenomenon being monitored, greatly extending the life-span of the network.Furthermore, a closed form upper bound to this optimal number is derived by approximating transmit power being of much more significance when compared to receive power. Using this result, we predict and then simulate that this optimal number will be increased by the listening power, the number of times which a node has to listen to the medium idly, the level of confidence at which the system is designed to work, the synchronization interval and the variance of the relative oscillation frequency between synchronizing nodes. On the other hand, this number will be smaller when the energy cost of synchronization is higher (e.g. when active communication energy increases).Muitas aplicações de redes de sensores sem fio exigem que nós, além de monitorar certo fenômeno, devem ser capazes de detectar e comunicar eventos assíncronos (e.g. alarmes), o que implica que eles deverão ouvir o meio em modo ocioso, o que é inerentemente um desperdício de energia. Nesse cenário, sincronização de relógio é crucial para operar com eficiência em ciclos de trabalho e minimizar o consumo de energia. Nesta dissertação, avaliamos o impacto do \textit{trade-off} entre a energia gasta com sincronizações mais frequentes e, em troca reduzir a janela de escuta ociosa necessária para que a confiabilidade desejada da comunicação seja atingida. A frequência ideal de sincronizações é obtida analiticamente e corroborada por resultados numéricos, mostrando que é possível gastar uma pequena fração da energia total com uma rede com sincronização mais precisa quando comparada com a manutenção da precisão do relógio mínima exigida pelo fenômeno que está sendo monitorado, aumentando significativamente a vida útil da rede. Além disso, uma solução fechada para o limite superior a este número ideal é derivada através da aproximação de que a energia gasta para transmitir ser muito menos significativa quando comparada à gasta para receber. Usando este resultado, pudemos prever através de simulações que este número ideal será aumentado pela energia de escuta, o número de vezes que um nó precisa ouvir o meio à espera de alarmes, ao nível de confiança em que o sistema foi concebido para trabalhar, ao intervalo de sincronização e à variância da frequência de oscilação relativa entre os nós. Por outro lado, este número será menor quando o custo energético de sincronização for maior (i.e. Quando a energia de comunicação aumentar)

Performance analysis of hybrid ARQ for ultra-reliable low latency communications

Abstract Considering an ultra-reliable low latency communication scenario, we assess the trade-off in terms of energy consumption between achieving time diversity through retransmissions and having to communicate at a higher rate due to latency constraints. Our analysis considers Nakagami-m block-fading channels with Chase combining hybrid automatic repeat request. We derive a fixed-point equation to determine the best number of allowed transmission attempts considering the maximum possible energy spent, which yields insights into the system behavior. Furthermore, we compare the energy consumption of the proposed approach against direct transmission with frequency diversity. Results show substantial energy savings using retransmissions when selecting the maximum number of transmission attempts according to our approach. For instance, considering a Rayleigh channel and smart grid teleprotection applications, our approach uses around 8 times less energy per bit compared with a direct transmission with frequency diversity