WO2020223890A1

WO2020223890A1 - Dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation

Info

Publication number: WO2020223890A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/085790
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shuang Wang; Haojun WANG; Zhenqing CUI; Xuesong Chen; Xiaomeng Lu; Guojing LIU
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2019-05-07
Filing date: 2019-05-07
Publication date: 2020-11-12

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) in a dual-connectivity mode for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT may determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode. The UE may release an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or may monitor a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

DUAL-CONNECTIVITY POWER CONSUMPTION MITIGATION

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, and/or the like). Examples of such multiple- access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP).

[0003] A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations (BSs) that can support communication for a number of user equipment (UEs). A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station (BS) via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP), a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, and/or the like.

[0004] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. New Radio (NR), which may also be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DF), using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UF), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MEMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in FTE and NR technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

SUMMARY

[0005] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a user equipment (UE) in a dual-connectivity mode for a Fong Term Evolution (FTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT, may include determining whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; and releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator.

[0006] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication in a dual-connectivity mode for an LTE RAT and an NR RAT may include memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; and to release an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or monitor a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator.

[0007] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a UE in a dual-connectivity mode for an LTE RAT and an NR RAT, may cause the one or more processors to determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; and to release an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or monitor a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator.

[0008] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include means for determining whether the apparatus is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode, wherein the apparatus is in a dual-connectivity mode for an LTE RAT and an NR RAT; and means for releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator; or means for monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the high data indicator.

[0009] Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and specification.

[0010] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] So that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equally effective aspects. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a wireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a base station in communication with a UE in a wireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation for a UE that is not associated with an active NR connection, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation for a UE that is associated with an active NR connection, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a user equipment, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0019] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, and/or the like (collectively referred to as“elements”). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. [0020] It should be noted that while aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 3G and/or 4G wireless technologies, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied in other generation-based communication systems, such as 5G and later, including NR technologies.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. The wireless network 100 may be an LTE network or some other wireless network, such as a 5G or NR network. The wireless network 100 may include a number of BSs 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 1 lOd) and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UEs) and may also be referred to as a base station, an NR BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G node B (NB), an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), and/or the like. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area.

In 3GPP, the term“cell” can refer to a coverage area of a BS and/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0022] A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a BS 110a may be a macro BS for a macro cell 102a, a BS 110b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a BS 110c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms“eNB”,“base station”,“NR BS”,“gNB”,“TRP”,“AP”,“node B”, “5GNB”, and“cell” may be used interchangeably herein.

[0023] In some aspects, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected to one another and/or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the like using any suitable transport network.

[0024] Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a relay station 1 lOd may communicate with macro BS 110a and a UE 120d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay base station, a relay, and/or the like.

[0025] Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs of different types, e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, and/or the like. These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 Watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 Watts).

[0026] A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

[0027] UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, and/or the like. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor, smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0028] Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, and/or the like, that may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, for example, - connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and/or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) devices. Some UEs may be considered a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as processor components, memory components, and/or the like.

[0029] In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, and/or the like. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, and/or the like. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0030] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using a base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with one another). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to- device (D2D) communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which may include a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol, and/or the like), a mesh network, and/or the like. In this case, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and/or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110.

[0031] As indicated above, Fig. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 1.

[0032] Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of a design 200 of base station 110 and

UE 120, which may be one of the base stations and one of the UEs in Fig. 1. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T > 1 and R > 1. [0033] At base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS(s) selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and/or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and/or the like) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM and/or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively. According to various aspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals can be generated with location encoding to convey additional information.

[0034] At UE 120, antennas 252a through 252r may receive the downlink signals from base station 110 and/or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM and/or the like) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280. A channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), and/or the like. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in a housing.

[0035] On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports comprising RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, and/or the like) from controller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, and/or the like), and transmitted to base station 110. At base station 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs may be received by antennas 234, processed by demodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller/processor 240. Base station 110 may include communication unit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294, controller/processor 290, and memory 292.

[0036] Controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any other component(s) of Fig. 2 may perform one or more techniques associated with dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any other component(s) of Fig. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 600 of Fig. 6 and/or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. A scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink.

[0037] In some aspects, UE 120 may include means for determining whether the UE 120 is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; means for releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; means for monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator; means for determining that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; means for reporting a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released; and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of UE 120 described in connection with Fig. 2.

[0038] As indicated above, Fig. 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 2. [0039] Dual-connectivity (DC) allows a UE to contemporaneously transmit and receive data on multiple component carriers via a first cell (e.g., a master cell or a primary cell) and a second cell (e.g., a secondary cell). In some cases, dual-connectivity may be used to provide contemporaneous connections on two different radio access technologies (RATs). This may be useful when a first RAT is deployed in an area that is well-covered by a second RAT. One example of such a dual-RAT dual-connectivity system is Evolved-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access-New Radio DC (EN-DC), which provides a data and/or control connection via LTE and a data and/or control connection via NR. A UE that uses EN-DC to contemporaneously connect to LTE and NR cells may be referred to as being in a non-standalone (NSA) mode, whereas a UE that is connected only to an LTE cell or only to an NR cell may be referred to as being in an LTE standalone (SA) mode or an NR SA mode, respectively.

[0040] EN-DC may consume significant power for the UE. For example, the UE may need to contemporaneously monitor control channels (e.g., physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) and/or the like) for the LTE RAT and the NR RAT. This may increase the UE’s power consumption and reduce the UE’s standby battery life. Furthermore, EN-DC may provide diminishing returns when the UE does not have a large amount of data to transmit or receive, such as when the UE is in standby and/or no application of the UE is performing a data-intensive task.

[0041] Some techniques and apparatuses described herein provide UE-side management of DC to mitigate UE power consumption in connection with the DC. For example, a UE may determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator. The low data indicator may indicate that the UE need not use a 5G connection, since the UE’s data usage is expected to be low, the UE is in a low battery state, and/or the like. The high data indicator may indicate that the UE should use a 5G connection, since the UE is associated with adequate battery power and/or high data usage. The UE may selectively establish or use a 5G connection, or end the 5G connection and/or prevent the 5G connection from being established, based at least in part on whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator. Thus, the UE may improve battery efficiency by selectively deactivating 5G in a DC mode, such as EN-DC.

[0042] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation for a UE that is not associated with an active NR connection (as shown by reference number 310), in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, example 300 includes a UE 120 that includes an application processor (AP) 320 and an NR modem 330. AP 320 may include an application processing unit, a system-on-chip (SOC) component, and/or the like. NR modem 330 may include a modem capable of communication using the NR RAT. In some aspects, UE 120 may include an LTE modem, which may be combined with the NR modem or may be separate from the NR modem.

[0043] As shown by reference number 340, the AP 320 may provide a low data indicator to the NR modem 330. The low data indicator may indicate that the UE 120 is to perform one or more actions to mitigate power consumption in connection with a 5G connection, as described in more detail below. In some aspects, the AP 320 may provide the low data indicator (or a high data indicator) based at least in part on a timer, which may reduce the likelihood of ping-ponging between the LTE RAT and the 5G RAT and, thus, conserve resources associated with activating and deactivating a 5G connection.

[0044] In some aspects, the AP 320 may provide the low data indicator based at least in part on a data usage state of the UE 120. For example, the AP 320 may determine that the UE 120 is using a data rate that fails to satisfy a threshold, may determine that no active application of the UE 120 is associated with a high data rate, and/or the like. In some aspects, the AP 320 may provide the low data indicator based at least in part on a battery level of the UE 120. For example, the AP 320 may provide the low data indicator based at least in part on a remaining battery power of the UE 120 failing to satisfy a threshold. This may cause the UE 120 to release an NR connection or prevent an NR connection from being established, which may conserve battery power of the UE, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. In some aspects, the UE 120 may determine that the UE 120 is associated with the low data indicator based at least in part on the AP 320 providing the low data indicator to the NR modem 330.

[0045] As shown by reference number 350, the UE 120 may perform one or more actions based at least in part on the low power indicator, or based at least in part on determining that the UE 120 is associated with the low power indicator (e.g., based at least in part on the AP 320 providing the low power indicator to the NR modem 330).

[0046] In some aspects, the UE 120 may close an NR radio frequency (RF) function. For example, the UE 120 may deactivate the NR modem 330’s NR RF function or control the NR modem 330 into a low power mode. Thus, the UE 120 may reduce power consumption in connection with the NR RF function or the NR modem 330 when in a full power state.

[0047] In some aspects, the UE 120 may cease NR measurement and/or

transmission. For example, the UE 120 may cease performing an NR measurement, such as one or more measurements associated with a measurement event (e.g., Al, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, Bl, and/or the like). As another example, the UE 120 may cease transmitting a measurement value or reporting a measurement event. For example, the UE 120 may cease reporting a Bl measurement event, may cease reporting a channel quality indicator (CQI), and/or the like. This may prevent the BS 110 from configuring an active NR connection for the UE 120, thereby reducing power consumption of the UE 120.

[0048] In some aspects, the UE 120 may suspend an NR protocol stack. For example, the UE 120 may deactivate the NR protocol stack, may temporarily suspend the NR protocol stack, may tear down the NR protocol stack, and/or the like. Thus, the UE 120 may reduce power consumption in connection with maintaining or operating the NR protocol stack.

[0049] In some aspects, the UE 120 may perform a combination of two or more of the above operations. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 120 may perform one or more of the above operations and/or one or more of the operations described in more detail in connection with examples 400 and 500 of Figs. 4 and 5, respectively.

[0050] As indicated above, Fig. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 3.

[0051] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation for a UE that is associated with an active NR connection (as shown by reference number 410), in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, example 400 includes an AP 420, an LTE modem 430, and an NR modem 440. The LTE modem 430 may include a modem capable of

communication using the LTE RAT. The AP 420 and the NR modem 440 are described in more detail in connection with Fig. 3, above.

[0052] As shown by reference number 450, the AP 420 may provide a low data indicator to the LTE modem 430. In some aspects, the AP 420 may provide the low data indicator to the NR modem 440, such as when the UE 120 does not include the LTE modem 430 or when the LTE modem 430 and the NR modem 440 comprise a single chipset. The AP 420 may provide the low data indicator based at least in part on a threshold associated with a battery level of the UE 120, a data usage state of the UE 120, and/or the like.

[0053] As shown by reference number 460, the UE 120 may report a diminished measurement value and/or block measurement events based at least in part on the low data indicator. For example, the UE 120 (e.g., an NR radio resource control (RRC) layer of the UE 120) may report an A2 measurement value with a lowest possible value, a decreased value (e.g., relative to a measured value), and/or the like. As another example, the UE 120 may provide a CQI report with a lowest value, a zero value, and/or the like. As still another example, the UE 120 may block measurement events, such as one or more of the measurement events identified elsewhere herein. This may cause the BS 110 to release an NR connection with the UE 120, thereby conserving battery power of the UE 120 that would otherwise be used to maintain and transmit or receive data on the NR connection.

[0054] As shown by reference number 470, in some aspects, the UE 120 may report a secondary cell group (SCG) failure based at least in part on a timer. For example, the UE 120 may start the timer after reporting the diminished measurement value. If the timer expires and the NR connection is still active, the UE 120 (e.g., an LTE RRC layer of the UE 120) may report an SCG failure. In some aspects, the UE 120 may report the SCG failure with a cause of T310-Expiry to cause the BS 110 to release the NR connection.

[0055] As shown by reference number 480, the LTE modem 430 may control the NR modem 440 to enter a low power mode. The low power mode may be a mode wherein the NR modem 440 is configured to use a lower amount of power than a default mode. For example, the low power mode may use a discontinuous reception approach, a diminished monitoring configuration, a diminished number of antennas, a diminished operating bandwidth, and/or the like. Thus, battery power of the NR modem 440 may be conserved until the UE 120 determines that the UE 120 is associated with a high power indicator.

[0056] As indicated above, Fig. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 4.

[0057] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process 500 for dual connectivity power consumption mitigation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The operations described in connection with process 500 may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 120, AP 320, AP 420, NR modem 330, NR modem 440, LTE modem 430, and/or the like).

[0058] As shown in Fig. 5, the UE 120 may provide an indicator (e.g., a low data indicator or a high data indicator) based at least in part on a timer. The timer may prevent the UE 120 from switching between the low data indicator and the high data indicator too frequently, which might otherwise reduce battery life of the UE and congest the network.

[0059] As shown by reference number 520, in some cases, the UE 120 may determine that the UE 120 is associated with a high data indicator. The high data indicator may indicate that the UE 120 is to monitor a control channel (e.g., a PDCCH and/or the like) on a 5G connection of the UE 120, or that the UE 120 is to permit a 5G connection to be established. For example, the UE 120 may determine that the UE 120 is associated with the high data indicator when a data usage state or a battery level of the UE 120 satisfies a threshold. As shown by reference number 530, the UE 120 may configure (e.g., control, switch, maintain) an NR modem of the UE to an operational or active state. In some cases, when the NR modem of the UE is in a low power mode (e.g., due to the operations described in connection with reference numbers 540-590), the UE 120 may switch the NR modem to a full power mode (e.g., an operational or active state).

[0060] As shown by reference number 540, in some aspects, the UE 120 may determine that the UE 120 is associated with a low data indicator, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. As shown by reference number 550, the UE 120 may determine whether the UE 120 is associated with an active NR cell (e.g., an active NR connection). When the UE 120 is not associated with an active NR cell (block 550 - NO), then the UE 120 may stop measuring the NR cell and block a measurement report B 1, and may control the NR modem to enter a low power mode (LPM) (block 560). When the UE is associated with an active NR cell (block 550 - YES), then the UE 120 may report a diminished (e.g., lowest) A2 measurement value and/or CQI value to the BS 110, if the UE 120 is configured to report the CQI value. Furthermore, the UE 120 may start a timer (block 570).

[0061] As shown by reference number 580, the UE 120 may determine whether the NR cell (e.g., the active NR connection) was released before the timer expired (block 580). If the NR cell was released (block 580 - YES), then the UE 120 may proceed to block 560. If the NR cell was not released (block 580 - NO), then the UE 120 may report an SCG failure with a case of T310-Expiry (block 590), and may proceed to block 560. In some aspects, the UE may return to block 510 from block 560 or block 530 (not shown).

[0062] As indicated above, Fig. 5 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with respect to Fig. 5.

[0063] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process 600 performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 600 is an example where a UE (e.g., UE 120 and/or the like), such as a UE in a dual-connectivity mode for an LTE RAT and an NR RAT, performs operations associated with dual-connectivity power consumption mitigation.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 6, in some aspects, process 600 may include determining whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode (block 610). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, controller/processor 280, and/or the like) may determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual

connectivity mode, as described above.

[0065] As further shown in Fig. 6, in some aspects, process 600 may include releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR

connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator (block 620). For example, the UE (e.g., using receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller/processor 280, memory 282, and/or the like) may release an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, as described above.

[0066] As further shown in Fig. 6, in some aspects, process 600 may include monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator (block 630). For example, the UE (e.g., using receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller/processor 280, memory 282, and/or the like) may monitor a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator, as described above. The operations described in connection with block 620 may be performed when the UE is associated with the low data indicator, whereas the operations described in connection with block 630 may be performed when the UE is associated with the high data indicator.

[0067] Process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0068] In a first aspect, determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on an application processor of the UE providing the high data indicator or the low data indicator. In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on a modem of the UE receiving the low data indicator or the high data indicator from an application processor of the UE. In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a data usage state of the UE.

[0069] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a battery level of the UE. In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises closing a radio frequency (RF) function of the UE or suspending an NR protocol stack of the UE. [0070] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, when the NR connection is an active NR connection, releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises controlling, by an LTE modem of the UE, an NR modem of the UE to enter a low power mode.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises ceasing measurement or transmission in association with an inter-RAT measurement event.

[0072] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises transmitting a measurement report with a diminished measurement value or a diminished channel quality indication (CQI) value.

[0073] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, the UE may determine that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; and report a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released.

[0074] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is performed intermittently based at least in part on a timer. [0075] Although Fig. 6 shows example blocks of process 600, in some aspects, process 600 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 6. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 600 may be performed in parallel.

[0076] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise form disclosed.

Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

[0077] As used herein, the term“component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software.

[0078] As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, and/or the like.

[0079] It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code— it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein. [0080] Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to“at least one of’ a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example,“at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a- a-c, a-b-b, a-c- c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0081] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles“a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms“set” and“group” are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related and unrelated items, and/or the like), and may be used interchangeably with“one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase“only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms“has,”“have,”“having,” and/or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase“based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) in a dual-connectivity mode for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT, comprising:

determining whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; and

releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or

monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on an application processor of the UE providing the high data indicator or the low data indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on a modem of the UE receiving the low data indicator or the high data indicator from an application processor of the UE.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a data usage state of the UE.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a battery level of the UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises closing a radio frequency (RF) function of the UE or suspending an NR protocol stack of the UE.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the NR connection is an active NR connection, releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises controlling, by an LTE modem of the UE, an NR modem of the UE to enter a low power mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises ceasing measurement or transmission in association with an inter- RAT measurement event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator further comprises transmitting a measurement report with a diminished measurement value or a diminished channel quality indication (CQI) value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; and

reporting a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is performed intermittently based at least in part on a timer.

12. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication in a dual-connectivity mode for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to:

determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode; and

release an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator; or

monitor a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the UE being associated with the high data indicator.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on an application processor of the UE providing the high data indicator or the low data indicator.

14. The UE of claim 12, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on a modem of the UE receiving the low data indicator or the high data indicator from an application processor of the UE.

15. The UE of claim 12, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a data usage state of the UE.

16. The UE of claim 12, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a battery level of the UE.

17. The UE of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors, when releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, are further to close a radio frequency (RF) function of the UE or suspending an NR protocol stack of the UE.

18. The UE of claim 12, wherein, when the NR connection is an active NR connection, the one or more processors, when releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, are further configured to control, by an LTE modem of the UE, an NR modem of the UE to enter a low power mode.

19. The UE of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors, when releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, are further configured to cease measurement or transmission in association with an inter-RAT measurement event.

20. The UE of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors, when releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, are further configured to transmit a measurement report with a diminished measurement value or a diminished channel quality indication (CQI) value.

21. The UE of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; and

report a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released.

22. The UE of claim 12, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is performed intermittently based at least in part on a timer.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether the UE is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with a dual-connectivity mode,

wherein the UE is in the dual-connectivity mode for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT; and

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on an application processor of the UE providing the high data indicator or the low data indicator.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on a modem of the UE receiving the low data indicator or the high data indicator from an application processor of the UE.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a data usage state of the UE.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a battery level of the UE.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to release the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, further cause the one or more processors to close a radio frequency (RF) function of the UE or suspending an NR protocol stack of the UE.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein, when the NR connection is an active NR connection, the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to release the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, further cause the one or more processors to control, by an LTE modem of the UE, an NR modem of the UE to enter a low power mode.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to release the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, further cause the one or more processors to cease measurement or transmission in association with an inter-RAT measurement event.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to release the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or prevent the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the UE being associated with the low data indicator, further cause the one or more processors to transmit a measurement report with a diminished measurement value or a diminished channel quality indication (CQI) value.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; and report a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining whether the UE is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is performed intermittently based at least in part on a timer.

34. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining whether the apparatus is associated with a low data indicator or a high data indicator in connection with a dual-connectivity mode,

wherein the apparatus is in the dual-connectivity mode for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) and a New Radio (NR) RAT; and

means for releasing an NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing an NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator; or

means for monitoring a control channel associated with the NR RAT based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the high data indicator.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein determining whether the apparatus is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on an application processor of the apparatus providing the high data indicator or the low data indicator.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein determining whether the apparatus is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator is based at least in part on a modem of the apparatus receiving the low data indicator or the high data indicator from an application processor of the apparatus.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein determining whether the apparatus is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a data usage state of the apparatus.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein determining whether the apparatus is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is based at least in part on a battery level of the apparatus.

39. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator further comprises means for closing a radio frequency (RF) function of the apparatus or suspending an NR protocol stack of the apparatus.

40. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein, when the NR connection is an active NR connection, the means for releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator further comprises means for controlling, by an LTE modem of the apparatus, an NR modem of the apparatus to enter a low power mode.

41. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator further comprises means for ceasing measurement or transmission in association with an inter-RAT measurement event.

42. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the means for releasing the NR connection associated with the NR RAT or preventing the NR connection from being established based at least in part on the apparatus being associated with the low data indicator further comprises means for transmitting a measurement report with a diminished measurement value or a diminished channel quality indication (CQI) value.

43. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

means for determining that the NR connection has not been released after expiration of a timer; and

means for reporting a secondary cell group failure in connection with the NR connection to cause the NR connection to be released.

44. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein determining whether the apparatus is associated with the low data indicator or the high data indicator in connection with the dual-connectivity mode is performed intermittently based at least in part on a timer.