WO2022064507A1 - Procédé de commutation de branche de liaison montante pour un équipement utilisateur (ue) fonctionnant en mode double porteuse (dc) entre une première station de base et une seconde station de base - Google Patents

Procédé de commutation de branche de liaison montante pour un équipement utilisateur (ue) fonctionnant en mode double porteuse (dc) entre une première station de base et une seconde station de base Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022064507A1
WO2022064507A1 PCT/IN2020/050811 IN2020050811W WO2022064507A1 WO 2022064507 A1 WO2022064507 A1 WO 2022064507A1 IN 2020050811 W IN2020050811 W IN 2020050811W WO 2022064507 A1 WO2022064507 A1 WO 2022064507A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
base station
uplink
leg
switching
throughput
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PCT/IN2020/050811
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English (en)
Inventor
Sen AYAN
Gupta Deepak
Mondal URAJIT
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Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
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Priority to PCT/IN2020/050811 priority Critical patent/WO2022064507A1/fr
Publication of WO2022064507A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022064507A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H04W76/15—Setup of multiple wireless link connections
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W36/00—Hand-off or reselection arrangements
    • H04W36/24—Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
    • H04W36/30—Reselection being triggered by specific parameters by measured or perceived connection quality data
    • H04W36/304—Reselection being triggered by specific parameters by measured or perceived connection quality data due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H04W76/15—Setup of multiple wireless link connections
    • H04W76/16—Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates generally to dual connectivity for wireless communication networks and. more particularly, to uplink switching for EUTRA New Radio (NR) Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).
  • NR EUTRA New Radio
  • EN-DC Dual Connectivity
  • the Fifth Generation (5G) standard supports a non-standalone (NSA) deployment in which a new Radio (NR) base station connects to an existing Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network.
  • the NR NSA standard includes features to support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to provide increased data bandwidth and lower latency while maintaining connection reliability through dual connectivity.
  • eMBB enhanced mobile broadband
  • a 5G NR base station which is known as Evolved UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) New Radio (NR) - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC)
  • E-UTRAN Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service
  • NR New Radio
  • EN-DC New Radio
  • a 5G NR base station known as a 5G NodeB (gNB)
  • EUTRA Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access
  • eNB Evolved NodeB
  • SGW Serving Gateway
  • the S1 interface is for the user plane traffic only.
  • the EUTRA base station serves as a master node (MN) and 5G base station serves as a secondary node (SN).
  • MN master node
  • SN secondary node
  • a group of serving cells for the master node are referred to as the master cell group (MCG) and a group of serving cells for the secondary Node are referred to as the secondary cell group (SCG).
  • MCG master cell
  • Single uplink operation (SUO) for EN-DC is a mode where a NSA capable user equipment (UE) supports a single uplink cell group.
  • the uplink cell group in EN-DC was fixed to either SCG or MCG with no possibility to change cell group based on quality of the NR link. In this case, fixing the uplink cell group to the SCG could result in bad uplink throughput when the NR quality declines. This limitation has prevented operators from configuring the uplink cell group to SCG.
  • Uplink switching is a procedure for EN-DC split bearers that addresses degradation in the quality of the NR uplink leg by allowing the uplink leg to be switched.
  • the EUTRA base station e.g. (eNB) acting as the master node detects the quality of the NR link using measurements made by the NR base station. Based on the quality measurements provided by the NR base station and operator configured thresholds, the master node can initiate an UL cell group switch from NR to EUTRA or vice versa.
  • the uplink leg can be switched from NR to EUTRA.
  • the uplink leg can be switched back from EUTRA to NR.
  • the present disclosure relates to uplink switching for a EN-DC capable UE.
  • the UL switching techniques improves UL user throughput for EN-DC capable UEs by reducing unnecessary UL switching from NR to LTE.
  • achievable LTE UL throughput is predicted by a ML based model and using LTE channel and capacity metrics as input to the model.
  • the predicted UL LTE throughput is compared with the UL NR throughput to preserve the user experience thereby improving the user’s overall experience while the network performance indicators pertaining to UL throughput also improves.
  • the UL switching techniques also builds a safety net to check before an UL leg switch to LTE whether LTE coverage of EUTRA base station is being assessed for A2 (poor coverage) condition and prevents a possible switching if such condition is detected.
  • a first aspect of the disclosure comprises a method implemented by a first base station of switching an uplink leg for a user equipment (UE) operating in a dual carrier mode between the first base station and a second base station, wherein the first base station uses a first radio access technology and the second base station uses a second radio access technology.
  • the method comprises receiving, from the second base station supporting the uplink leg for the UE, an indication of a need to switch the uplink leg for the UE.
  • the method further comprises determining an actual uplink throughout for the second base station using the second radio access technology.
  • the method further comprises predicting an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first radio access technology.
  • the method further comprises switching the uplink leg for the UE from the second base station to the first base station depending on a comparison of the predicted uplink throughput for the first radio access technology with an actual throughput for the second access technology.
  • a second aspect of the comprises a base station configured to switch an uplink leg for a user equipment (UE) operating in a dual carrier mode between the first base station and a second base station, wherein the first base station uses a first radio access technology and the second base station uses a second radio access technology.
  • the base station is configured to receive, from the second base station supporting the uplink leg for the UE, an indication of a need to switch the uplink leg for the UE.
  • the base station is configured to determine an actual uplink throughout for the second base station using the second radio access technology.
  • the base station is configured to predict an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first radio access technology.
  • the base station is configured to switch the uplink leg for the UE from the second base station to the first base station depending on a comparison of the predicted uplink throughput for the first radio access technology with an actual throughput for the second access technology.
  • a third aspect of the comprises a base station configured to switch an uplink leg for a user equipment (UE) operating in a dual carrier mode between the first base station and a second base station, wherein the first base station uses a first radio access technology and the second base station uses a second radio access technology.
  • the base station comprises communication circuitry for communicating with a UE and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the communication circuitry.
  • the processing circuitry is configured to receive, from the second base station supporting the uplink leg for the UE, an indication of a need to switch the uplink leg for the UE.
  • the processing circuitry is configured to determine an actual uplink throughout for the second base station using the second radio access technology.
  • the processing circuitry is configured to predict an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first radio access technology.
  • the processing circuitry is configured to switch the uplink leg for the UE from the second base station to the first base station depending on a comparison of the predicted uplink throughput for the first radio access technology with an actual throughput for the second access technology.
  • a fourth of the disclosure comprises a computer program comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit in a source base station, causes the source base station to perform the method according to the first aspect.
  • a fifth of the disclosure comprises a carrier containing a computer program according to the fourth aspect, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a wireless communication network configured for dual connectivity.
  • Figure 2 illustrates uplink switching from a NR base station base station to EUTRA base station.
  • Figure 3 illustrates uplink switching from a EUTRA base station to a NR base station.
  • Figure 4 illustrates thresholds and timers for UL switching for EN-DC.
  • Figure 5 illustrates the signaling flow for uplink switching for EN-DC.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for uplink switching for
  • Figure 7 is a graph of parameters used for prediction of the LTE UL throughput.
  • Figure 8 illustrates a machine learning system for uplink switching in EN-DC.
  • Figure 9 illustrates a method of uplink switching implemented by a master base station.
  • Figure 10 illustrates a master base station configured to perform uplink switching.
  • Figure 11 illustrates the main functional components of a master base station in a EN-DC system configured to perform uplink switching.
  • Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example wireless network, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a user equipment, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a virtualization environment, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 15 is a schematic illustrating an example telecommunication network, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example communication system, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • Figures 17-20 are flow diagrams, each of which illustrates an example method implemented in a communication system, according to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • the present disclosure relates to dual connectivity for wireless communication networks.
  • a wireless communication network 10 including an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 20.
  • EPC Evolved Packet Core
  • Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the techniques herein described are not limited to use for with EPC-based networks but could also be implemented in networks using a 5G core (5GC) or other networks featuring dual connectivity.
  • 5GC 5G core
  • the wireless communication network 10 includes an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) base station 30 and a New Radio (NR) base station 40 providing dual connectivity to the EPC 20 for a UE 50
  • the NR base station 40 serves as a secondary node and implements the NR air interface.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 and NR base station 40 connect to the EPC via the Sl-U interface for user plane traffic.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 connects to the EPC 20 via the SI-MME interface for control plane traffic.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 and NR base station 40 are connected via the X2- U for user plane traffic and the X2-C interface for control plane traffic.
  • the UE 50 may comprise any type of equipment capable of communicating with the base station 100 over a wireless communication channel.
  • the UEs 200 may comprise cellular telephones, smart phones, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablets, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices (also known as machine type communication (MTC) devices), embedded devices, wireless sensors, or other types of wireless end user devices capable of communicating over wireless communication networks 10.
  • M2M machine-to-machine
  • MTC machine type communication
  • embedded devices embedded devices
  • wireless sensors or other types of wireless end user devices capable of communicating over wireless communication networks 10.
  • the UE 50 can connect to the EPC 20 through the EUTRA base station 30, the NR base station 40, or both.
  • the UE 50 has a MCG bearer that terminates at the EUTRA base station 30 and a split bearer that terminates at the NR base station 40.
  • the split bearer includes a NR leg for communication with the NR base station 40 and a LTE leg for communication with the EUTRA base station 30.
  • user plane traffic for the UE 50 can be switched between the NR base station 40 and LTE base station 30, with only one leg being active at any given time.
  • Uplink switching is a procedure of switching the uplink leg between and EUTRA base station 30 and a NR base station 40.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 e.g., eNB acting as the master node detects the quality of the NR link using measurements made by the NR base station 40. Based on the quality measurements provided by the NR base station 40 and operator configured thresholds, the EUTRA base station 30 can initiate an UL cell group switch from NR to EUTRA or vice versa.
  • the uplink leg can be switched from NR to EUTRA.
  • the uplink leg can be switched back from EUTRA to NR.
  • FIGS 2 and 3 illustrate UL switching between an EUTRA base station 30 and NR base station 40.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 and NR base station 40 both include a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer an Radio Link Control (RLC) entity for a split bearer with a common Packet Data Convergence (PDCP) protocol entity located at the NR base station 40.
  • MAC Medium Access Control
  • RLC Radio Link Control
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence
  • Figure 4 illustrates the thresholds and timers used in an exemplary UL switching procedure.
  • the thresholds and timers and other parameters include:
  • endcUILegSwitchEnabled this parameter enables EN-DC uplink switching at the cell level.
  • endcUINrLowQualThresh -this parameter referred to as the deactivation threshold, sets the NR radio quality level threshold used for SN Terminated split bearer. Below this threshold the NR leg will not be used for uplink user data transmission. SINR is used to represent quality.
  • endcUINrQualHyst this parameter sets the NR radio quality hysteresis used for SN Terminated split bearer. Quality need to be hysteresis better than endcUINrLowQualThresh to start using the NR leg for uplink user data transmission again. SINR is used to represent quality.
  • endcUINrRetProhibTimer this parameter sets the minimum time between an uplink leg switch from NR to LTE and an uplink switch from LTE to NR. Valid for SN Terminated split bearer.
  • the NR radio quality at time TO is below the deactivation threshold (endcUINrLowQualThresh) and the LTE leg is assumed to be active for the UL.
  • the NR radio quality reaches the activation threshold (endcUINrLowQualThresh + endcUINrQualHyst)
  • the NR leg is activated for the UL.
  • the NR radio quality degrades after time T1 and reaches the deactivation threshold at time T2.
  • the LTE leg is activated and the prohibition timer (endcUINrRetProhibTimer) is started.
  • the NR radio quality improves after time T2 and reaches the activation threshold at time T3. Because the prohibition time is still running, the NR leg is not activated.
  • the prohibition timer expires at time T4
  • the NR radio quality is still above the activation threshold, so the NR leg is activated for the UL.
  • Figure 5 illustrates signaling flow in an exemplary UL switching procedure.
  • the switching procedure is used to switch from NR to LTE and vice versa.
  • the NR base station 40 acting as the secondary node, detects a change in the quality of the NR link (S1). For example, the NR base station 40 may detect that the NR radio quality drops below the deactivation threshold while the NR leg is active for the UL. As another example, the NR base station 40 may detect that the NR radio quality rises above the activation threshold while the LTE leg is active for the UL. Responsive to the detected change in NR radio quality, the NR base station sends a modification request (SGNBModificationRequired) to the EUTRA base station 30 to indicate a need to switch the UL leg (S2).
  • SGNBModificationRequired modification request
  • the EUTRA base station 30 sends a reconfiguration message (RRCConnectionReconfiguraiton) to the UE 50 via Radio Resource Control (RRC) to switch the UL leg (S3). After switching the UL leg, the UE 50 answers with a reconfiguration response message (RRCConnectionReconfiguraitonComplete) (S4). Upon receipt of the reconfiguration response message from the UE 50, the EUTRA base station 30 sends a modification confirm message (SGNBModificationConfirm) to the NR base station 40 (S5).
  • the UL switching procedure shown in Figure 5 can result in degraded quality of service after switching the UL leg from NR to LTE.
  • This unintended result can be due to many reasons, such as poor radio quality on the LTE UL leg, high load on the LTE cell where the UL leg is anchored, or a combination of poor radio quality and high UL load.
  • the radio quality of the LTE leg nor the UL load in the anchor cell is checked prior to switching from NR, even when an A2 measurement report is received from the UE 50, which may indicate poor radio quality on the LTE leg.
  • the NR radio quality may be better than the radio quality of the LTE leg so the UE 50 would be better served by keeping the NR leg active even though the NR radio quality is poor.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 acting as the mast node predicts the UL throughput of the LTE leg before switching from the NR leg.
  • the deactivation threshold is reached or some other triggering event occurs
  • the predicted throughout of the LTE leg is compared to the current throughput on the NR leg.
  • the decision to switch the UL leg from NR to LTE is based on a comparison of the UL throughout for the NR and UL legs respectively.
  • a machine learning model is used to predict the UL throughout of the LTE leg under the prevailing radio and loading conditions of the EUTRA base station 30.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 may use a Random Forest model to predict the UL throughput of the LTE leg before making a switching decision.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 may check the serving NR Reference signal Received Power (RSRP) before switching from NR to LTE.
  • RSRP Reference signal Received Power
  • Figure 6 illustrates a procedure 100 for uplink switching for EN-DC according to an embodiment.
  • the procedure starts when the NR leg is active (block 105).
  • the NR base station 40 monitors the radio quality of the NR UL leg (block 110). If the NR UL quality is below the deactivation threshold (endcUINrLowQualThresh) or the UE 50 goes out of coverage, the NR base station 40 sends an modification required message (SgNB Modification Required) over the X2 interface X2 to the EUTRA base station 30 for NR to LTE UL switching (block 120). Otherwise, the UE 50 continues to transmit user data on the NR UL leg while continuing to monitor the radio quality of the NR UL leg (block 115).
  • SgNB Modification Required modification required message
  • the EUTRA base station 30 When the EUTRA base station 30 receives the modification required message, it checks whether a current A2 measurement report is being process or is buffered (block 125). If so, the EUTRA base station 30 compares the RSRP for the NR UL to a threshold denoted nrrsrpthresholdsswitch. The EUTRA base station 30 gets the NR RSRP values from the NR base station 40 using X2 private messages. If the NR RSRP is above the threshold, the EUTRA base station 30 does not send a RRC reconfiguration message to the UE 50 for UL switching from NR to LTE (block 130) and the NR base station 40 continues transmit user data via the NR leg (block 115) while continuing to monitor the radio quality of the NR leg. If the NR RSRP is below nrrsrpthresholdsswitch, the EUTRA base station 30 evaluates the predicted UL throughput for the LTE leg to determine whether to switch the UL leg (block 135).
  • the RSRP threshold nrrsrphresholdswitch is new operator configurable parameter that is used as a NR RSRP threshold for UL switching to LTE.
  • the RSRP threshold may, for example, have a default value of about -112 dB, a range of about -156 dB to -29 dB with a step value of about 1 dBM.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 monitors and/or collects various radio and capacity metrics used to predict the UL throughput for the LTE leg. These metrics are input to a predictive model, which can be updated continuously (block 155). Based on the radio and capacity metrics, the predictive model predicts the UL throughput for the LTE leg (block 160). The prediction is input to the main decision process (block 165).
  • the EUTRA base station 30 evaluates the predicted UL throughput for the LTE leg before making a decision to switch from NR to LTE (block 135).
  • the EUTRA base station 30 computes a throughput ratio representing a ratio of the predicted LTE UL throughput to a measured NR UL throughput and compares the computed ratio to a switching threshold denoted UlthresholdLte.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 gets the current NR throughput from the NR base station 40 via a X2 message.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 does not send a RRC reconfiguration message to UE 50 for UL switching from NR to LTE (block 130) and the UE 50 continues to transmit UL user data via NR leg while continuing to monitor the radio quality of the NR leg (block 115). If the ratio of the predicted LTE UL throughput to the current NR UL throughput is below UlthresholdLte, the EUTRA base station 30 sends a RRC reconfiguration message to UE 50 for UL switching from NR to LTE (block 140). The procedures ends when the RRC message is sent.
  • the parameter UlthresholdLte is new configurable parameter used as threshold for comparing predicted LTE UL throughput for the LTE leg to the current NR throughput on the NR leg
  • UlthresholdLte may have a default value of about 0.6 and a range of about 0 to 1 .
  • the general idea is that the UL throughput should provide a set percentage of the current UL throughput of the NR leg. That is, UlthresholdLte sets a limits on the amount of degradation that is allowed after switching from NR to LTE.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 may use a machine learning model to predict the throughput for the LTE UL leg.
  • the EUTRA base station 30 uses a Random Forest model. Table 1 below lists features that are included In the Random
  • the first main type is based on the various measurement available to EUTRA base station 30 from the UE 50 and the second main type includes various measurements performed by the EUTRA base station 30 on the communication channels and internal modules. These features have been selected based on the Chi-Square values associate P-Values for the dependent variable, UL LTE throughput. A graph of the P-value and Chi-Square values is shown in Figure 7.
  • FIG 8 is a schematic diagram of a machine learning subsystem for uplink switching in EN-DC.
  • the machine learning subsystem can be implemented as party of the EUTRA base station 30, or in another network node.
  • the UE 50 reports various measurements used in the Random forest model to the EUTRA base station 30 (1). These measurements include LTE RSRP and RSRQ, CQI, TA, etc. for the ongoing session. A more complete list is contained in Table 1 .
  • the EUTRA base station 30 also performs various measurements on the communication channels and the internal modules of the EUTRA base station 30 (2).
  • the UE measurements and EUTRA base station measurements are input to a Random forest Regressor Maximum Likelihood (ML) model (S3), which has been previously tuned.
  • the predictive model calculates the predicted throughout of the LTE UL leg and output the predicted value for use by the EUTRA base station 30 In making switching decisions (4)
  • the UL switching techniques described above improve UL user throughput for EN- DC capable UEs 50 by reducing unnecessary UL switching from NR to LTE.
  • achievable LTE UL throughput is predicted by a ML based model and using LTE channel and capacity metrics as input to the model.
  • the predicted UL LTE throughput is compared with the UL NR throughput to preserve the user experience thereby improving the user’s overall experience while the network performance indicators pertaining to UL throughput also improves.
  • the UL switching techniques also builds a safety net to check before an UL leg switch to LTE whether LTE coverage of EUTRA base station 30 is being assessed for A2 (poor coverage) condition and prevents a possible switching if such condition is detected.
  • Figure 9 illustrates a method 200 of uplink switching implemented by a first base station (e.g., EUTRA base station 30) to switch an uplink leg for dual connectivity capable UE 50 between the first base station and a second base station (e.g., NR base station 40) where the first base station and second base station use different RATs.
  • the first base station receives, from the second base station supporting the uplink leg for the UE 50, an indication of a need to switch the uplink leg for the UE 50 (block 210).
  • the first base station 30 determines an actual uplink throughout for the NR base station 40 using the second radio access technology (block 220).
  • the first base station further predicts an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first RAT (block 230).
  • the first base station switches the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station depending on a comparison of the predicted uplink throughput for the first RAT with an actual throughput for the RAT (block 240).
  • switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station comprises determining a throughout ratio representing the ratio of the predicted uplink throughput for the first base station to the actual uplink throughout for second base station and switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station when the throughput ratio meets a first switching threshold.
  • switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station further depends on a channel quality of a communication link with the first base station.
  • switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station further comprises receiving a measurement report from the UE 50 including a signal quality measurement indicative of the channel quality of the communication link with the first base station, wherein switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station when the signal quality measurement meets a second switching threshold.
  • switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station comprises switching the uplink leg when the throughput ratio meets a first switching threshold and the signal quality measurement meets a second switching threshold.
  • the signal quality measurement comprises a received power of a reference signal.
  • predicting an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first radio access technology comprises predicting the uplink throughput based on machine learning throughput model.
  • the machine learning model comprises a random forest model.
  • the throughput model predicts uplink throughput for the first base station based on three or more of the following parameters: a signal quality of an uplink shared channel between the UE 50 and the first base station; a uplink Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) performance metric; a uplink Radio Link Control (RLC) performance metric; a number of UE 50s active in the uplink; and a measure of unrestricted transport blocks transmitted on the uplink where UE 50 was not power limited.
  • HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request
  • RLC Radio Link Control
  • the throughput model predicts uplink throughput for the first base station is further based on one or more of the following parameters: a signal quality of a downlink channel between the UE 50 and the first base station; a downlink Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) performance metric; an aggregate number of UE 50s active in the downlink.
  • HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request
  • Some embodiments of the method 200 further comprise, after switching the uplink leg from the second base station to the first base station, prohibiting switching of the uplink leg back to the second base station for a predetermined time period.
  • Some embodiments of the method 100 further comprise switching the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the first base station to the second base station when a signal quality of an uplink channel between the UE 50 and the second base stations meets a threshold.
  • an apparatus can perform any of the methods herein described by implementing any functional means, modules, units, or circuitry.
  • the apparatuses comprise respective circuits or circuitry configured to perform the steps shown in the method figures.
  • the circuits or circuitry in this regard may comprise circuits dedicated to performing certain functional processing and/or one or more microprocessors in conjunction with memory.
  • the circuitry may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like.
  • DSPs Digital Signal Processors
  • the processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc.
  • Program code stored in memory may include program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments.
  • the memory stores program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, carries out the techniques described herein.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary base station 300 in a EN-DC system configured to perform uplink switching.
  • the base station 300 comprises a receiving unit 310, a determining unit 320, and predicting unit 330 and a switching unit 340.
  • the various units 310 - 340 can be implemented by hardware and/or by software code that is executed by a processor or processing circuit.
  • the receiving unit 310 is configured to receive, from the second base station supporting the uplink leg for the UE 50, an indication of a need to switch the uplink leg for the UE 50.
  • the determining unit 320 is configured to determine an actual uplink throughout for the second base station using the second radio access technology.
  • the predicting unit 330 is configured to predict an uplink throughout for the first base station using the first radio access technology.
  • the switching unit 340 is configured to switch the uplink leg for the UE 50 from the second base station to the first base station depending on a comparison of the predicted uplink throughput for the first radio access technology with an actual throughput for the second access
  • FIG 11 illustrates the main functional components of a base station 400 in a EN- DC system configured to perform uplink switching.
  • the base station 400 comprises an antenna array with multiple antenna 410, communication circuitry 420, processing circuitry 430, and memory 440.
  • the communication circuitry 420 is coupled to the antennas 410 and comprises the radio frequency (RF) circuitry needed for transmitting and receiving signals over a wireless communication channel.
  • the communication circuitry includes a transceiver configured to operate according to the LTE standard.
  • Communication circuitry further includes a network interface circuitry for communicating with a NR base station 40 over an x# interface.
  • the processing circuitry 430 controls the overall operation of the base station 400 and processes the signals transmitted to or received by the base station 400. Such processing includes UL switching as herein described.
  • the processing circuitry 430 may comprise one or more microprocessors, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.
  • Memory 440 comprises both volatile and non-volatile memory for storing computer program code and data needed by the processing circuitry 430 for operation.
  • Memory 440 may comprise any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing data including electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor data storage.
  • Memory 440 stores a computer program 450 comprising executable instructions that configure the processing circuitry 430 to implement the methods 100 and 200 according to Figures 6 and 9 respectively.
  • a computer program 450 in this regard may comprise one or more code modules corresponding to the means or units described above.
  • computer program instructions and configuration information are stored in a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) or flash memory.
  • Temporary data generated during operation may be stored in a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM).
  • computer program 450 for configuring the processing circuitry 430 as herein described may be stored in a removable memory, such as a portable compact disc, portable digital video disc, or other removable media.
  • the computer program 450 may also be embodied in a carrier such as an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.
  • a computer program 450 comprises instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out any of the respective processing described above.
  • a computer program 450 in this regard may comprise one or more code modules corresponding to the means or units described above.
  • Embodiments further include a carrier containing such a computer program.
  • This carrier may comprise one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.
  • embodiments herein also include a computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable (storage or recording) medium and comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform as described above.
  • Embodiments further include a computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the steps of any of the embodiments herein when the computer program product is executed by a computing device.
  • This computer program product may be stored on a computer readable recording medium.
  • the techniques as herein described enable the EUTRA base station 30 or master node to detect the optimum point for switching the UL leg from NR to LTE thereby maximizing the UL throughput and improving user perception of quality, the techniques also help avoid unwanted UL switching when an LTE A2 measurement report is received and UE 50 is connected to a NR cell with better coverage. Consideration of the A2 measurement report helps to maintain better user UL throughput by avoiding poor LTE condition and also reduce SCG bearer failure during UL switching. Another benefit is that the signaling load on LTE/NR air interface is reduced by avoiding UL switching from NR to LTE in unwarranted scenarios when switching is not beneficial (i.e., when the estimated benefit of UL switching yields lower UL throughput).
  • a wireless network such as the example wireless network illustrated in Figure 12.
  • the wireless network of Figure 12 only depicts network 1106, network nodes 1160 and 1160b, and WDs 1110, 1110b, and 1110c.
  • a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable to support communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device.
  • network node 1160 and wireless device (WD) 1110 are depicted with additional detail.
  • the wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate the wireless devices’ access to and/or use of the services provided by, or via, the wireless network.
  • the wireless network may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system.
  • the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures.
  • particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-loT), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.
  • GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
  • UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
  • LTE Long Term Evolution
  • NB-loT Narrowband Internet of Things
  • WLAN wireless local area network
  • WiMax Worldwide Interoper
  • Network 1106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.
  • PSTNs public switched telephone networks
  • WANs wide-area networks
  • LANs local area networks
  • WLANs wireless local area networks
  • wired networks wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.
  • Network node 1160 and WD 1110 comprise various components described in more detail below. These components work together in order to provide network node and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network.
  • the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
  • network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the wireless network to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the wireless network.
  • network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).
  • APs access points
  • BSs base stations
  • eNBs evolved Node Bs
  • gNBs NR NodeBs
  • Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and may then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations.
  • a base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay.
  • a network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • RRUs remote radio units
  • RRHs Remote Radio Heads
  • Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio.
  • Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).
  • DAS distributed antenna system
  • network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi -cel l/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E- SMLCs), and/or MDTs.
  • MSR multi-standard radio
  • RNCs radio network controllers
  • BSCs base station controllers
  • BTSs base transceiver stations
  • transmission points transmission nodes
  • MCEs multi -cel l/multicast coordination entities
  • core network nodes e.g., MSCs, MMEs
  • O&M nodes e.g., OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E- SMLCs),
  • network nodes may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to enable and/or provide a wireless device with access to the wireless network or to provide some service to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.
  • network node 1160 includes processing circuitry 1170, device readable medium 1180, interface 1190, auxiliary equipment 1184, power source 1186, power circuitry 1187, and antenna 1162.
  • network node 1160 illustrated in the example wireless network of Figure 12 may represent a device that includes the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise network nodes with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that a network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein.
  • network node 1160 may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., device readable medium 1180 may comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAM modules).
  • network node 1160 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components.
  • network node 1160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components)
  • one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes.
  • a single RNC may control multiple NodeB’s.
  • each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node.
  • network node 1160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs).
  • RATs radio access technologies
  • Network node 1160 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1160, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1160.
  • Processing circuitry 1170 is configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 1170 may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1170 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1170 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • Processing circuitry 1170 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1160 components, such as device readable medium 1180, network node 1160 functionality.
  • processing circuitry 1170 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 1180 or in memory within processing circuitry 1170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein.
  • processing circuitry 1170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).
  • SOC system on a chip
  • processing circuitry 1170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174.
  • radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units.
  • part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units
  • processing circuitry 1170 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 1180 or memory within processing circuitry 1170.
  • some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 1170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable medium, such as in a hard-wired manner.
  • processing circuitry 1170 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 1170 alone or to other components of network node 1160, but are enjoyed by network node 1160 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
  • Device readable medium 1180 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 1170.
  • volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or
  • Device readable medium 1180 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 1170 and, utilized by network node 1160.
  • Device readable medium 1180 may be used to store any calculations made by processing circuitry 1170 and/or any data received via interface 1190.
  • processing circuitry 1170 and device readable medium 1180 may be considered to be integrated.
  • Interface 1190 is used in the wired or wireless communication of signalling and/or data between network node 1160, network 1106, and/or WDs 1110. As illustrated, interface 1190 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1194 to send and receive data, for example to and from network 1106 over a wired connection. Interface 1190 also includes radio front end circuitry 1192 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna 1162. Radio front end circuitry 1192 comprises filters 1198 and amplifiers 1196. Radio front end circuitry 1192 may be connected to antenna 1162 and processing circuitry 1170. Radio front end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1162 and processing circuitry 1170.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1192 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 1192 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1198 and/or amplifiers 1196. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1162 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 1192. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 1170. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
  • network node 1160 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 1192, instead, processing circuitry 1170 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 1162 without separate radio front end circuitry 1192.
  • processing circuitry 1170 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 1162 without separate radio front end circuitry 1192.
  • all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 1172 may be considered a part of interface 1190.
  • interface 1190 may include one or more ports or terminals 1194, radio front end circuitry 1192, and RF transceiver circuitry 1172, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 1190 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 1174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
  • Antenna 1162 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1162 may be coupled to radio front end circuitry 1190 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, antenna 1162 may comprise one or more omni-directional, sector or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omni-directional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sector antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a particular area, and a panel antenna may be a line of sight antenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, antenna 1162 may be separate from network node 1160 and may be connectable to network node 1160 through an interface or port.
  • Antenna 1162, interface 1190, and/or processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 1162, interface 1190, and/or processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
  • Power circuitry 1187 may comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry and is configured to supply the components of network node 1160 with power for performing the functionality described herein. Power circuitry 1187 may receive power from power source 1186. Power source 1186 and/or power circuitry 1187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 1160 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). Power source 1186 may either be included in, or external to, power circuitry 1187 and/or network node 1160.
  • network node 1160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry 1187.
  • power source 1186 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry 1187. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.
  • Other types of power sources such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.
  • network node 1160 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 12 that may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein.
  • network node 1160 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into network node 1160 and to allow output of information from network node 1160. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 1160.
  • wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices.
  • the term WD may be used interchangeably herein with user equipment (UE).
  • Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air.
  • a WD may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction.
  • a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network.
  • Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless cameras, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, a laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, etc.
  • VoIP voice over IP
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • LOE laptop-embedded equipment
  • LME laptop-mounted equipment
  • CPE wireless customer-premise equipment
  • a WD may support device-to- device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to- everything (V2X) and may in this case be referred to as a D2D communication device.
  • D2D device-to- device
  • V2V vehicle-to-vehicle
  • V2I vehicle-to-infrastructure
  • V2X vehicle-to- everything
  • a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or a network node.
  • the WD may in this case be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device.
  • M2M machine-to-machine
  • the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) standard.
  • NB-loT narrow band internet of things
  • machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or home or personal appliances (e.g. refrigerators, televisions, etc.) personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.).
  • a WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.
  • a WD as described above may represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.
  • wireless device 1110 includes antenna 1111 , interface 1114, processing circuitry 1120, device readable medium 1130, user interface equipment 1132, auxiliary equipment 1134, power source 1136 and power circuitry 1137.
  • WD 1110 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 1110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, NB-loT, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within WD 1110.
  • Antenna 1111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 1114. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 1111 may be separate from WD 1110 and be connectable to WD 1110 through an interface or port. Antenna 1111 , interface 1114, and/or processing circuitry 1120 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or antenna 1111 may be considered an interface. As illustrated, interface 1114 comprises radio front end circuitry 1112 and antenna 1111.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1112 comprise one or more filters 1118 and amplifiers 1116.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1114 is connected to antenna 1111 and processing circuitry 1120, and is configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1111 and processing circuitry 1120.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1112 may be coupled to or a part of antenna 1111.
  • WD 1110 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 1112; rather, processing circuitry 1120 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 1111.
  • some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be considered a part of interface 1114.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1112 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection.
  • Radio front end circuitry 1112 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1118 and/or amplifiers 1116. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1111 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 1112. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 1120.
  • the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
  • Processing circuitry 1120 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other WD 1110 components, such as device readable medium 1130, WD 1110 functionality. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein.
  • processing circuitry 1120 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 1130 or in memory within processing circuitry 1120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.
  • processing circuitry 1120 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126.
  • the processing circuitry may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
  • processing circuitry 1120 of WD 1110 may comprise a SOC.
  • RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126 may be on separate chips or sets of chips.
  • part or all of baseband processing circuitry 1124 and application processing circuitry 1126 may be combined into one chip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be on a separate chip or set of chips.
  • part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122 and baseband processing circuitry 1124 may be on the same chip or set of chips, and application processing circuitry 1126 may be on a separate chip or set of chips.
  • part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry 1124, and application processing circuitry 1126 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips.
  • RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be a part of interface 1114.
  • RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 1120.
  • processing circuitry 1120 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 1130, which in certain embodiments may be a computer- readable storage medium.
  • some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 1120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner.
  • processing circuitry 1120 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 1120 alone or to other components of WD 1110, but are enjoyed by WD 1110 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
  • Processing circuitry 1120 may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations, as performed by processing circuitry 1120, may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1120 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by WD 1110, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • processing information obtained by processing circuitry 1120 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by WD 1110, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
  • Device readable medium 1130 may be operable to store a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 1120.
  • Device readable medium 1130 may include computer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or nonvolatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 1120.
  • processing circuitry 1120 and device readable medium 1130 may be considered to be integrated.
  • User interface equipment 1132 may provide components that allow for a human user to interact with WD 1110. Such interaction may be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment 1132 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to WD 1110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 1132 installed in WD 1110. For example, if WD 1110 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touch screen; if WD 1110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected).
  • usage e.g., the number of gallons used
  • a speaker that provides an audible alert
  • User interface equipment 1132 may include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. User interface equipment 1132 is configured to allow input of information into WD 1110, and is connected to processing circuitry 1120 to allow processing circuitry 1120 to process the input information. User interface equipment 1132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface equipment 1132 is also configured to allow output of information from WD 1110, and to allow processing circuitry 1120 to output information from WD 1110. User interface equipment 1132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibrating circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits, of user interface equipment 1132, WD 1110 may communicate with end users and/or the wireless network, and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.
  • Auxiliary equipment 1134 is operable to provide more specific functionality which may not be generally performed by WDs. This may comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary equipment 1134 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.
  • Power source 1136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, may also be used.
  • WD 1110 may further comprise power circuitry 1137 for delivering power from power source 1136 to the various parts of WD 1110 which need power from power source 1136 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein.
  • Power circuitry 1137 may in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry.
  • Power circuitry 1137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in which case WD 1110 may be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable.
  • Power circuitry 1137 may also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 1136. This may be, for example, for the charging of power source 1136. Power circuitry 1137 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from power source 1136 to make the power suitable for the respective components of WD 1110 to which power is supplied.
  • Figure 13 illustrates one embodiment of a UE in accordance with various aspects described herein.
  • a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device.
  • a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller).
  • a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).
  • UE 12200 may be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a NB-loT UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.
  • UE 1200 is one example of a WD configured for communication in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP’s GSM, UMTS, LTE, and/or 5G standards.
  • 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project
  • the term WD and UE may be used interchangeable. Accordingly, although Figure 13 is a UE, the components discussed herein are equally applicable to a WD, and vice-versa.
  • UE 1200 includes processing circuitry 1201 that is operatively coupled to input/output interface 1205, radio frequency (RF) interface 1209, network connection interface 1211 , memory 1215 including random access memory (RAM) 1217, read-only memory (ROM) 1219, and storage medium 1221 or the like, communication subsystem 1231 , power source 1233, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof.
  • Storage medium 1221 includes operating system 1223, application program 1225, and data 1227. In other embodiments, storage medium 1221 may include other similar types of information.
  • Certain UEs may utilize all of the components shown in Figure 13, or only a subset of the components. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.
  • processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to process computer instructions and data.
  • Processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute machine instructions stored as machine- readable computer programs in the memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored program, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above.
  • the processing circuitry 1201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.
  • input/output interface 1205 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, output device, or input and output device.
  • UE 1200 may be configured to use an output device via input/output interface 1205.
  • An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device.
  • a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from UE 1200.
  • the output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof.
  • UE 1200 may be configured to use an input device via input/output interface 1205 to allow a user to capture information into UE 1200.
  • the input device may include a touch-sensitive or presencesensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like.
  • the presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user.
  • a sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another like sensor, or any combination thereof.
  • the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.
  • RF interface 1209 may be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna.
  • Network connection interface 1211 may be configured to provide a communication interface to network 1243a.
  • Network 1243a may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof.
  • network 1243a may comprise a Wi-Fi network.
  • Network connection interface 1211 may be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface used to communicate with one or more other devices over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, SONET, ATM, or the like.
  • Network connection interface 1211 may implement receiver and transmitter functionality appropriate to the communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.
  • RAM 1217 may be configured to interface via bus 1202 to processing circuitry 1201 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as the operating system, application programs, and device drivers.
  • ROM 1219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 1201.
  • ROM 1219 may be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic input and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory.
  • Storage medium 1221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, or flash drives.
  • storage medium 1221 may be configured to include operating system 1223, application program 1225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine or another application, and data file 1227.
  • Storage medium 1221 may store, for use by UE 1200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
  • Storage medium 1221 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external microDIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM/RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof.
  • RAID redundant array of independent disks
  • HD-DVD high-density digital versatile disc
  • HDDS holographic digital data storage
  • DIMM external mini-dual in-line memory module
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic random access memory
  • SIM/RUIM removable user identity
  • Storage medium 1221 may allow UE 1200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data.
  • An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied in storage medium 1221 , which may comprise a device readable medium.
  • processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to communicate with network 1243b using communication subsystem 1231 .
  • Network 1243a and network 1243b may be the same network or networks or different network or networks.
  • Communication subsystem 1231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with network 1243b.
  • communication subsystem 1231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication such as another WD, UE, or base station of a radio access network (RAN) according to one or more communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.13, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WIMax, or the like.
  • RAN radio access network
  • Each transceiver may include transmitter 1233 and/or receiver 1235 to implement transmitter or receiver functionality, respectively, appropriate to the RAN links (e.g., frequency allocations and the like). Further, transmitter 1233 and receiver 1235 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.
  • the communication functions of communication subsystem 1231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof.
  • communication subsystem 1231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication.
  • Network 1243b may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof.
  • network 1243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a near-field network.
  • Power source 1213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to components of UE 1200.
  • communication subsystem 1231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein.
  • processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components over bus 1202.
  • any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that when executed by processing circuitry 1201 perform the corresponding functions described herein.
  • the functionality of any of such components may be partitioned between processing circuitry 1201 and communication subsystem 1231.
  • the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.
  • FIG 14 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.
  • virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources.
  • virtualization can be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or to a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device or any other type of communication device) or components thereof and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines or containers executing on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).
  • a node e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node
  • a device e.g., a UE, a wireless device or any other type of communication device
  • some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes 1330. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be entirely virtualized.
  • the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node)
  • the network node may be entirely virtualized.
  • the functions may be implemented by one or more applications 1320 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.
  • Applications 1320 are run in virtualization environment 1300 which provides hardware 1330 comprising processing circuitry 1360 and memory 1390.
  • Memory 1390 contains instructions 1395 executable by processing circuitry 1360 whereby application 1320 is operative to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.
  • Virtualization environment 1300 comprises general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 1330 comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuitry 1360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors.
  • processors or processing circuitry 1360 which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors.
  • Each hardware device may comprise memory 1390-1 which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1395 or software executed by processing circuitry 1360.
  • Each hardware device may comprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 1370, also known as network interface cards, which include physical network interface 1380.
  • NICs network interface controllers
  • Each hardware device may also include non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage media 1390-2 having stored therein software 1395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 1360.
  • Software 1395 may include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 1350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 1340 as well as software allowing it to execute functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
  • Virtual machines 1340 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 1320 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 1340, and the implementations may be made in different ways.
  • processing circuitry 1360 executes software 1395 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 1350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM).
  • Virtualization layer 1350 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to virtual machine 1340.
  • hardware 1330 may be a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1330 may comprise antenna 13225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1330 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or customer premise equipment (CPE)) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 13100, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1320.
  • CPE customer premise equipment
  • NFV network function virtualization
  • NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
  • virtual machine 1340 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine.
  • Each of virtual machines 1340, and that part of hardware 1330 that executes that virtual machine be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine with others of the virtual machines 1340, forms a separate virtual network elements (VNE).
  • VNE virtual network elements
  • VNF Virtual Network Function
  • one or more radio units 13200 that each include one or more transmitters 13220 and one or more receivers 13210 may be coupled to one or more antennas 13225.
  • Radio units 13200 may communicate directly with hardware nodes 1330 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
  • control system 13230 which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes 1330 and radio units 13200.
  • a communication system includes telecommunication network 1410, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, which comprises access network 1411 , such as a radio access network, and core network 1414.
  • Access network 1411 comprises a plurality of base stations 1412a, 1412b, 1412c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1413a, 1413b, 1413c.
  • Each base station 1412a, 1412b, 1412c is connectable to core network 1414 over a wired or wireless connection 1415.
  • a first UE 1491 located in coverage area 1413c is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding base station 1412c.
  • a second UE 1492 in coverage area 1413a is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 1412a. While a plurality of UEs 1491 , 1492 are illustrated in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a sole UE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to the corresponding base station 1412.
  • Telecommunication network 1410 is itself connected to host computer 1430, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud- implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm.
  • Host computer 1430 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider.
  • Connections 1421 and 1422 between telecommunication network 1410 and host computer 1430 may extend directly from core network 1414 to host computer 1430 or may go via an optional intermediate network 1420.
  • Intermediate network 1420 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; intermediate network 1420, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 1420 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).
  • the communication system of Figure 16 as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1491 , 1492 and host computer 1430.
  • the connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1450.
  • Host computer 1430 and the connected UEs 1491 , 1492 are configured to communicate data and/or signaling via OTT connection 1450, using access network 1411 , core network 1414, any intermediate network 1420 and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries.
  • OTT connection 1450 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which OTT connection 1450 passes are unaware of routing of uplink and downlink communications.
  • base station 1412 may not or need not be informed about the past routing of an incoming downlink communication with data originating from host computer 1430 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to a connected UE 1491. Similarly, base station 1412 need not be aware of the future routing of an outgoing uplink communication originating from the UE 1491 towards the host computer 1430.
  • FIG. 17 illustrates host computer communicating via a base station with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments
  • host computer 1510 comprises hardware 1515 including communication interface 1516 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 1500.
  • Host computer 1510 further comprises processing circuitry 1518, which may have storage and/or processing capabilities.
  • processing circuitry 1518 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions.
  • Host computer 1510 further comprises software 1511 , which is stored in or accessible by host computer 1510 and executable by processing circuitry 1518.
  • Software 1511 includes host application 1512.
  • Host application 1512 may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as UE 1530 connecting via OTT connection 1550 terminating at UE 1530 and host computer 1510. In providing the service to the remote user, host application 1512 may provide user data which is transmitted using OTT connection 1550.
  • Communication system 1500 further includes base station 1520 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1525 enabling it to communicate with host computer 1510 and with UE 1530.
  • Hardware 1525 may include communication interface 1526 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 1500, as well as radio interface 1527 for setting up and maintaining at least wireless connection 1570 with UE 1530 located in a coverage area (not shown in Figure 17) served by base station 1520.
  • Communication interface 1526 may be configured to facilitate connection 1560 to host computer 1510. Connection 1560 may be direct or it may pass through a core network (not shown in Figure 17) of the telecommunication system and/or through one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunication system.
  • hardware 1525 of base station 1520 further includes processing circuitry 1528, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions.
  • Base station 1520 further has software 1521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.
  • Communication system 1500 further includes UE 1530 already referred to. Its hardware 1535 may include radio interface 1537 configured to set up and maintain wireless connection 1570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which UE 1530 is currently located. Hardware 1535 of UE 1530 further includes processing circuitry 1538, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions.
  • UE 1530 further comprises software 1531 , which is stored in or accessible by UE 1530 and executable by processing circuitry 1538.
  • Software 1531 includes client application 1532. Client application 1532 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1530, with the support of host computer 1510.
  • an executing host application 1512 may communicate with the executing client application 1532 via OTT connection 1550 terminating at UE 1530 and host computer 1510.
  • client application 1532 may receive request data from host application 1512 and provide user data in response to the request data.
  • OTT connection 1550 may transfer both the request data and the user data.
  • Client application 1532 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.
  • host computer 1510, base station 1520 and UE 1530 illustrated in Figure 17 may be similar or identical to host computer 1430, one of base stations 1412a, 1412b, 1412c and one of UEs 1491 , 1492 of Figure 16, respectively.
  • the inner workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 17 and independently, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 16.
  • OTT connection 1550 has been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between host computer 1510 and UE 1530 via base station 1520, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.
  • Network infrastructure may determine the routing, which it may be configured to hide from UE 1530 or from the service provider operating host computer 1510, or both. While OTT connection 1550 is active, the network infrastructure may further take decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing (e.g., on the basis of load balancing consideration or reconfiguration of the network).
  • Wireless connection 1570 between UE 1530 and base station 1520 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.
  • One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1530 using OTT connection 1550, in which wireless connection 1570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve UL throughput for dual connectivity and thereby provide benefits such as increased system performance and improved user experience
  • a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve.
  • the measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 1550 may be implemented in software 1511 and hardware 1515 of host computer 1510 or in software 1531 and hardware 1535 of UE 1530, or both.
  • sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which OTT connection 1550 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software 1511 , 1531 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities.
  • the reconfiguring of OTT connection 1550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect base station 1520, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 1520. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art.
  • measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating host computer 1510’s measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like.
  • the measurements may be implemented in that software 1511 and 1531 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using OTT connection 1550 while it monitors propagation times, errors etc.
  • FIG 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • the communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 18 will be included in this section.
  • the host computer provides user data.
  • substep 1611 (which may be optional) of step 1610, the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application.
  • the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE.
  • step 1630 the base station transmits to the UE the user data which was carried in the transmission that the host computer initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.
  • step 1640 the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.
  • FIG 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • the communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 19 will be included in this section.
  • the host computer provides user data.
  • the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application.
  • the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmission may pass via the base station, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.
  • step 1730 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.
  • FIG 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • the communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 20 will be included in this section.
  • the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1820, the UE provides user data.
  • substep 1821 (which may be optional) of step 1820 the UE provides the user data by executing a client application.
  • substep 1811 (which may be optional) of step 1810, the UE executes a client application which provides the user data in reaction to the received input data provided by the host computer.
  • the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE initiates, in substep 1830 (which may be optional), transmission of the user data to the host computer. In step 1840 of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmitted from the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.
  • FIG 120 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment.
  • the communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 120 will be included in this section.
  • the base station receives user data from the UE.
  • the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer.
  • step 1930 (which may be optional)
  • the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.
  • any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses.
  • Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units.
  • These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like.
  • the processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), randomaccess memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc.
  • Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein.
  • the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • the term unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne la commutation de liaison montante (UL) pour un équipement utilisateur (UE) à capacité EN-DC. Les techniques de commutation UL améliorent le débit UL de l'utilisateur pour des UE à capacité EN-DC par réduction d'une commutation UL inutile de NR à LTE. Avant le déclenchement d'une commutation de branche UL, le débit UL LTE atteignable est prédit par un modèle basé sur l'apprentissage automatique (ML) et en utilisant des métriques de canal et de capacité LTE comme entrée du modèle. Le débit UL LTE prédit est comparé au débit UL NR pour préserver l'expérience utilisateur, ce qui permet d'améliorer l'expérience globale de l'utilisateur tandis que les indicateurs de performance de réseau ayant trait au débit UL sont également améliorés. Les techniques de commutation UL construisent également un réseau de sécurité pour vérifier, avant une commutation de branche UL vers LTE, si la couverture LTE d'une station de base EUTRA est évaluée pour une condition A2 (faible couverture), et empêchent une éventuelle commutation si une telle condition est détectée.
PCT/IN2020/050811 2020-09-23 2020-09-23 Procédé de commutation de branche de liaison montante pour un équipement utilisateur (ue) fonctionnant en mode double porteuse (dc) entre une première station de base et une seconde station de base WO2022064507A1 (fr)

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