WO2024168662A1

WO2024168662A1 - In-device coexistence procedure enhancements

Info

Publication number: WO2024168662A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/076391
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yuqin Chen; Haijing Hu; Fangli Xu; Peng Cheng
Original assignee: Apple Inc.
Priority date: 2023-02-16
Filing date: 2023-02-16
Publication date: 2024-08-22

Abstract

Described herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods for enhancing in-device coexistence (IDC) interference reporting. A UE may receive configuration information indicating a target frequency for wireless communication by the UE. The UE may determine one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where IDC interference is detected or expected to occur, and report the one or more affected frequency range.

Description

IN-DEVICE COEXISTENCE PROCEDURE ENHANCEMENTS

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including providing a greater granularity of affected frequencies for in-device coexistence (IDC) procedures.

BACKGROUND

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless communication device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) , 3GPP new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G) , and IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN) (commonly known to industry groups as ) .

As contemplated by the 3GPP, different wireless communication systems standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) for communicating between a base station of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to generally as a RAN node, a network node, or simply a node) and a wireless communication device known as a user equipment (UE) . 3GPP RANs can include, for example, global system for mobile communications (GSM) , enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN) , Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) , Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) , and/or Next-Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) .

Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communication between the base station and the UE. For example, the GERAN implements GSM and/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, the E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE) , and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR) . In certain deployments, the E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In certain deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

A base station used by a RAN may correspond to that RAN. One example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E- UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) . One example of an NG-RAN base station is a next generation Node B (also sometimes referred to as a g Node B or gNB) .

A RAN provides its communication services with external entities through its connection to a core network (CN) . For example, E-UTRAN may utilize an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) , while NG-RAN may utilize a 5G Core Network (5GC) .

Frequency bands for 5G NR may be separated into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating in sub-6 GHz frequencies, some of which are bands that may be used by previous standards, and may potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Note that in some systems, FR2 may also include frequency bands from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz (or beyond) . Bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage but potentially higher available bandwidth than bands in FR1. Skilled persons will recognize these frequency ranges, which are provided by way of example, may change from time to time or from region to region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of coexistence interference within a wireless device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a graph of an example of coexistence interference in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an interested frequency range around a target frequency as configured by a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a base station in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a SN in a wireless network configured for MR-DC in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of a method for a MN in a wireless network configured for MR-DC in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates a system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic component.

One issue that wireless communication systems face is interference with wireless signals. In some cases, the interference may be from external devices. Additionally, multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs) within a wireless system may also create interference. This type of interference may be referred to as inter-RAT interference. Two types of inter-RAT interference include inter-RAT harmonic interference and inter-RAT intermodulation distortion (IMD) interference. The interference may degrade signal quality. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the interferences effect on a signal. Some embodiments herein provide systems, apparatuses, and methods for reducing inter-RAT interference.

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of coexistence interference within a wireless device 100. As shown, the wireless device 100 may include multiple RATs. The RATs may include cellular 102, GPS 104, and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi (BT/WIFI 106) . Inter-RAT harmonic/IMD interference may occur between a transmission from one RAT and a reception of another RAT.

For example, an LTE or NR transmission may interfere with industrial, Science and Medical (ISM) technologies (such as Bluetooth and/or WLAN) and/or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) . Similarly, ISM and/or GNSS transmissions may interfere with cellular reception. Interference may include LTE uplink (UL) carrier aggregation (CA) IMD interference to wireless local area network (WLAN) , Bluetooth, and GNSS. Further, interference may include NR harmonic or LTE+NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) UL IMD interference to WLAN, Bluetooth and GNSS in EN-DC.

FIG. 2 illustrates a graph 200 of an example of coexistence interference from in-device ISM transmitter to Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) receiver. As shown, the coexistence interference (i.e., inter-RAT interference) may result in an unacceptable interference level 202 to the LTE receiver. Embodiments herein provide mechanisms by which a wireless communication system may avoid inter-RAT interference. Specifically, some embodiments herein introduce in-device coexistence (IDC) procedures where the UE may identify frequencies which may have interference due to coexisting RATs in the UE.

Some IDC solutions simply have the network configure the UE with an IDC information element (IE) . The IDC IE configures the UE to report a carrier frequency that is affected by IDC interference. However, such a report is lacking details that would allow the network to better mitigate interference as the UE only reports an exact frequency rather than an affected frequency range. Such IDC solutions may be limited by the poor interference reporting. For example, the affected frequencies may not be adequately indicated.

Embodiments herein define reporting mechanisms that allow the UE to report an affected frequency range. When the UE sends an IDC report, the network node may perform a mitigation procedure. For example, the network node may perform a handover from an affected frequency range to another frequency range or release the affected frequency range.

In some embodiments, the UE detects an internal issue or the possibility of an internal issue caused by coexistence related to usage of certain radio resources, that the UE cannot resolve by itself. The UE provides information to the network node to assist the network node, which may restrict radio resource usage to avoid the UE internal issue (or potential issue) caused by coexistence. Such IDC procedures may be used to address interference between 3GPP (including various Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) architectures, i.e. NR-DC and EN-DC) and non-3GPP RAT (e.g. WiFi) . Enhancements to frequency division multiplexing (FDM) solutions, may allow more granular indication of affected frequencies (e.g. granularity of Bandwidth Part (BWP) or Physical Resource Block (PRB) level) .

For FDM solutions for IDC, three candidate options may be considered. In a first option, the central frequency plus the bandwidth of the actual affected frequency range may be reported. In a second option, the starting frequency plus the ending frequency of the actual affected frequency range may be reported. In a third option, the starting frequency plus a bandwidth of the actual affected frequency range may be reported.

Some embodiments herein introduce a framework for IDC configuration and reporting. In some embodiments, the network node may provide, to the UE, an IDC configuration that includes configuration information regarding the interested frequency range (e.g., a frequency range in which the network wants to know if there is any inter-RAT interference) . The network may provide an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number-New radio (AFCN-NR) in the configuration information. The AFCN-NR is the center frequency for the interested frequency range. In some embodiments, the configuration information may include a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) . The reference SCS may be used by the UE to report the frequency range in the unit of PRB or common reference block (CRB) . In some embodiments, the SCS may be specified as a default value (e.g., 15 kHz subcarrier spacing for FR1 and 60 kHz subcarrier spacing for FR2) . In some embodiments, the configuration information may include an interested frequency range around the central frequency of ARFCN-NR. In some embodiments, the interested frequency range may be specified as a default value (e.g., 100MHz for FR1, 200MHz for FR2) .

Based on the configuration information, the UE may provide a report of one or more affected frequency ranges in the network node's frequency range of interest. The UE may report the affected frequency range located in the interested frequency range as indicated by the network (NW) . If an affected frequency range is outside of the interested frequency range, the UE may not report it. The UE may indicate multiple problematic frequency ranges relative to one configured candidate frequency. The UE may report on absolute frequency.

For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an interested frequency range 306 around a target frequency 308 as configured by a network node, in accordance with some embodiments. The UE may report the candidate frequency index (e.g., target frequency 308) from the configured list, an offset, and one direction bit to indicate lower (left) or higher (right) to the candidate frequency index. The offset may indicate the distance from the target frequency 308 to the start, center, or end of an affected frequency range (e.g., possible affected frequency range 302, possible affected frequency range 304) . The direction bit indicates whether the affected frequency range is higher or lower than the target frequency 308. In some embodiments, the UE may report an absolute ARFCN of the one or more affected frequency ranges.

In some embodiments, the UE may report the bandwidth of the affected frequency ranges as a PRB or CRB number (e.g., 12*15KHz) relative to the reference SCS as configured by the network node. In some embodiments, the UE may report the bandwidth of the affected frequency ranges as an integer value of MHz or KHz.

For example, in some embodiments, the UE may provide a report to the network node comprising the target frequency 308 index, a left/right indication (to indicate whether the affected frequency range is left/right from target frequency 308) , and an offset (from target frequency 308) for a central frequency of the affected frequency range, and a PRB number relative to the reference SCS.

In some embodiments, the UE may provide a report to the network node comprising the target frequency 308 index, a positive/negative offset (to indicate left/right from target frequency 308) for a central frequency of the affected frequency range, and a PRB number relative to the reference SCS.

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, ARFCN-NR of a central frequency of the affected frequency range, and PRB number relative to the reference SCS.

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, target frequency 308 index, a left /right indication, and an offset (from target frequency 308) for a near edge (e.g., edge 310) of the affected frequency range, and an offset for a far edge (e.g., edge 312) of the affected frequency range.

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, target frequency 308 index, positive/negative offset (to indicate left/right from target frequency) for a near edge (e.g., edge 310) of the affected frequency range, and positive/negative offset (to indicate left/right from target frequency) for a far edge (e.g., edge 312) of the affected frequency range.

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, ARFCN-NR (s) for two edges of an affected frequency range (e.g., edge 310 and edge 312 for possible affected frequency range 302) .

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, a starting frequency of the frequency range and a number of PRB relative to the reference SCS. In some embodiments, the starting frequency may be the target frequency 308 index, a left /right indication, and an offset to target frequency from the near (or far) edge of an affected frequency range. In some embodiments, the starting frequency may be the target frequency 308 index, and a positive or negative offset to target frequency from the near (or far) edge of an affected frequency range.

In some embodiments, the UE may report, for each affected frequency range, a starting frequency in absolute ARFCN-NR (e.g., absolute ARFCN-NR of the lowest edge) , and a number of PRB relative to the reference SCS.

In some embodiments, the UE may use a resource indicate value (RIV) formula designed for BWP. The UE may report the starting frequency using the absolute ARFCN-NR of the lowest edge of the affected frequency range or the target frequency index, and an offset for each affected frequency block and number of PRB/CRB using RIV formula to calculate.

For MR-DC support, the secondary node (SN) may indicate the interested frequency range for each target frequency to master node (MN) . The SN may indicate the reference SCS for each target frequency to MN. The MN may transmit the affected frequency combo to SN, including the frequency range for each affected frequency.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method 400 for a UE according to embodiments herein. The method 400 includes receiving 402, at the UE from a base station, configuration information indicating a target frequency for wireless communication by the UE. The method 400 includes determining 404, at the UE, one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where IDC interference is detected or expected to occur. The method 400 includes transmitting 406, from the UE to the base station, a message to report the one or more affected frequency range.

In some embodiments of the method 400, the configuration information indicating the target frequency comprises an ARFCN-NR value.

In some embodiments of the method 400, the configuration information further indicates an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE, and the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range indicated in the configuration information.

In some embodiments, the method 400 further comprises determining, based on a first default value in an FR1 and a second default value in FR2, an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE, wherein the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range.

In some embodiments of the method 400, the configuration information further indicates a reference SCS, and the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in RB units based on the reference SCS.

In some embodiments, the method 400 further comprises determining, based on a first default value in an FR1 and a second default value in FR2, a reference SCS, wherein the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in RB units based on the reference SCS.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; an offset value from the target frequency to an affected central frequency; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the affected central frequency. In some such embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency. In certain embodiments, the offset value is selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of an affected central frequency; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the central frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; a first offset value from the target frequency to a near edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and a second offset value from the target frequency to a far edge of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range. In some such embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge. In certain embodiments, the first offset value and the second offset value are selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; an offset value from the target frequency to an edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the edge. In some such embodiments, the edge comprises a starting frequency or an ending frequency of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range. In certain embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge. In certain embodiments, the offset value is selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the starting frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 400, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and an RIV, wherein an offset for one or more affected frequency blocks and an RB number are derivable from a formula based on the RIV.

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means to perform one or more elements of the method 400. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the method 400. This non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as a memory 906 of a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method 400. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method 400. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the method 400.

Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor is to cause the processor to carry out one or more elements of the method 400. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as a processor (s) 904 of a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) . These instructions may be, for example, located in the processor and/or on a memory of the UE (such as a memory 906 of a wireless device 902 that is a UE, as described herein) .

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method 500 for a base station according to embodiments herein. The method 500 includes transmitting 502, from the base station to a UE, configuration information indicating a target frequency for wireless communication by the UE. The method 500 includes receiving 504, at the base station from the UE, a message reporting one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where (IDC interference is detected or expected to occur at the UE. The method 500 includes generating 506 a response to coordinate radio resource usage by the UE to avoid or reduce the IDC interference. The method 500 includes transmitting 508, from the base station, the response to the UE.

In some embodiments of the method 500, the configuration information indicating the target frequency comprises an ARFCN-NR value.

In some embodiments of the method 500, the configuration information further indicates an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE, and the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range indicated in the configuration information.

In some embodiments of the method 500, the configuration information further indicates a reference SCS, and the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in RB units based on the reference SCS.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; an offset value from the target frequency to an affected central frequency; and an a number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the affected central frequency. In some such embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency. In certain embodiments, the offset value comprises a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of an affected central frequency; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the central frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; a first offset value from the target frequency to a near edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and a second offset value from the target frequency to a far edge of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range. In some such embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge. In certain embodiments, the first offset value and the second offset value comprise a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency; an offset value from the target frequency to an edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the edge. In some such embodiments, the edge comprises a starting frequency or an ending frequency of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range. In certain embodiments, the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge. In certain embodiments, the offset value comprises a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range, and an RB number relative to a reference SCS to indicate a bandwidth relative to the starting frequency.

In some embodiments of the method 500, for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises: an ARFCN of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and an RIV. In some such embodiments, the embodiments further comprise determining an offset for one or more affected frequency blocks and an RB number using a formula based on the RIV.

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means to perform one or more elements of the method 500. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the method 500. This non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as a memory 922 of a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method 500. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method 500. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) .

Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the method 500.

Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause the processing element to carry out one or more elements of the method 500. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as a processor (s) 920 of a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) . These instructions may be, for example, located in the processor and/or on a memory of the base station (such as a memory 922 of a network device 918 that is a base station, as described herein) .

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a method 600 for a SN in a wireless network configured for MR-DC. The method 600 includes transmitting 602from the SN to a MN, a first indication of an interested frequency range for one or more target frequency. The method 600 includes transmitting 604, from the SN to the MN, a second indication of a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the one or more target frequency. The method 600 includes receiving 606, at the SN from the MN, a message indicating an affected frequency range for the one or more target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur.

Additionally, the elements and embodiments described with reference to method 500 of FIG. 5 may be included in method 600 in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of a method 700 for a MN in a wireless network configured for MR-DC. The method 700 includes receiving 702, at the MN from a SN, a first indication of an interested frequency range for one or more target frequency. The method 700 includes receiving 704, at the MN from the SN, a second indication of a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the one or more target frequency. The method 700 includes transmitting 706, from the MN to the SN, a message indicating an affected frequency range for the one or more target frequency where IDC interference is detected or expected to occur.

Additionally, the elements and embodiments described with reference to method 500 of FIG. 5 may be included in method 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system 800, according to embodiments disclosed herein. The following description is provided for an example wireless communication system 800 that operates in conjunction with the LTE system standards and/or 5G or NR system standards as provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

As shown by FIG. 8, the wireless communication system 800 includes UE 802 and UE 804 (although any number of UEs may be used) . In this example, the UE 802 and the UE 804 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks) , but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

The UE 802 and UE 804 may be configured to communicatively couple with a RAN 806. In embodiments, the RAN 806 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. The UE 802 and UE 804 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 808 and connection 810, respectively) with the RAN 806, each of which comprises a physical communications interface. The RAN 806 can include one or more base stations (such as base station 812 and base station 814) that enable the connection 808 and connection 810.

In this example, the connection 808 and connection 810 are air interfaces to enable such communicative coupling, and may be consistent with RAT (s) used by the RAN 806, such as, for example, an LTE and/or NR.

In some embodiments, the UE 802 and UE 804 may also directly exchange communication data via a sidelink interface 816. The UE 804 is shown to be configured to access an access point (shown as AP 818) via connection 820. By way of example, the connection 820 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 818 may comprise a router. In this example, the AP 818 may be connected to another network (for example, the Internet) without going through a CN 824.

In embodiments, the UE 802 and UE 804 can be configured to communicate using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with the base station 812 and/or the base station 814 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications) , although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, all or parts of the base station 812 or base station 814 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, the base station 812 or base station 814 may be configured to communicate with one another via interface 822. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 800 is an LTE system (e.g., when the CN 824 is an EPC) , the interface 822 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs and the like) that connect to an EPC, and/or between two eNBs connecting to the EPC. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 800 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 824 is a 5GC) , the interface 822 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs and the like) that connect to 5GC, between a base station 812 (e.g., a gNB) connecting to 5GC and an eNB, and/or between two eNBs connecting to 5GC (e.g., CN 824) .

The RAN 806 is shown to be communicatively coupled to the CN 824. The CN 824 may comprise one or more network elements 826, which are configured to offer various data and telecommunications services to customers/subscribers (e.g., users of UE 802 and UE 804) who are connected to the CN 824 via the RAN 806. The components of the CN 824 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices including components to read and execute instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) .

In embodiments, the CN 824 may be an EPC, and the RAN 806 may be connected with the CN 824 via an S1 interface 828. In embodiments, the S1 interface 828 may be split into two parts, an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base station 812 or base station 814 and a serving gateway (S-GW) , and the S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between the base station 812 or base station 814 and mobility management entities (MMEs) .

In embodiments, the CN 824 may be a 5GC, and the RAN 806 may be connected with the CN 824 via an NG interface 828. In embodiments, the NG interface 828 may be split into two parts, an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base station 812 or base station 814 and a user plane function (UPF) , and the S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between the base station 812 or base station 814 and access and mobility management functions (AMFs) .

Generally, an application server 830 may be an element offering applications that use internet protocol (IP) bearer resources with the CN 824 (e.g., packet switched data services) . The application server 830 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc. ) for the UE 802 and UE 804 via the CN 824. The application server 830 may communicate with the CN 824 through an IP communications interface 832.

FIG. 9 illustrates a system 900 for performing signaling 934 between a wireless device 902 and a network device 918, according to embodiments disclosed herein. The system 900 may be a portion of a wireless communications system as herein described. The wireless device 902 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. The network device 918 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) of a wireless communication system.

The wireless device 902 may include one or more processor (s) 904. The processor (s) 904 may execute instructions such that various operations of the wireless device 902 are performed, as described herein. The processor (s) 904 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) , a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

The wireless device 902 may include a memory 906. The memory 906 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 908 (which may include, for example, the instructions being executed by the processor (s) 904) . The instructions 908 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 906 may also store data used by, and results computed by, the processor (s) 904.

The wireless device 902 may include one or more transceiver (s) 910 that may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and/or receiver circuitry that use the antenna (s) 912 of the wireless device 902 to facilitate signaling (e.g., the signaling 934) to and/or from the wireless device 902 with other devices (e.g., the network device 918) according to corresponding RATs.

The wireless device 902 may include one or more antenna (s) 912 (e.g., one, two, four, or more) . For embodiments with multiple antenna (s) 912, the wireless device 902 may leverage the spatial diversity of such multiple antenna (s) 912 to send and/or receive multiple different data streams on the same time and frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of a transmitting device and a receiving device that enable this aspect) . MIMO transmissions by the wireless device 902 may be accomplished according to precoding (or digital beamforming) that is applied at the wireless device 902 that multiplexes the data streams across the antenna (s) 912 according to known or assumed channel characteristics such that each data stream is received with an appropriate signal strength relative to other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of a receiver associated with that data stream) . Certain embodiments may use single user MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (where the data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and/or multi user MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain) .

In certain embodiments having multiple antennas, the wireless device 902 may implement analog beamforming techniques, whereby phases of the signals sent by the antenna (s) 912 are relatively adjusted such that the (joint) transmission of the antenna (s) 912 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering) .

The wireless device 902 may include one or more interface (s) 914. The interface (s) 914 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 902. For example, a wireless device 902 that is a UE may include interface (s) 914 such as microphones, speakers, a touchscreen, buttons, and the like in order to allow for input and/or output to the UE by a user of the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be made up of made up of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver (s) 910/antenna (s) 912 already described) that allow for communication between the UE and other devices and may operate according to known protocols (e.g., and the like) .

The wireless device 902 may include an IDC interference module 916. The IDC interference module 916 may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the IDC interference module 916 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions 908 stored in the memory 906 and executed by the processor (s) 904. In some examples, the IDC interference module 916 may be integrated within the processor (s) 904 and/or the transceiver (s) 910. For example, the IDC interference module 916 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the processor (s) 904 or the transceiver (s) 910.

The IDC interference module 916 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, aspects of FIGS. 3-4. The IDC interference module 916 is configured to determine and report one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur.

The network device 918 may include one or more processor (s) 920. The processor (s) 920 may execute instructions such that various operations of the network device 918 are performed, as described herein. The processor (s) 920 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

The network device 918 may include a memory 922. The memory 922 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 924 (which may include, for example, the instructions being executed by the processor (s) 920) . The instructions 924 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 922 may also store data used by, and results computed by, the processor (s) 920.

The network device 918 may include one or more transceiver (s) 926 that may include RF transmitter and/or receiver circuitry that use the antenna (s) 928 of the network device 918 to facilitate signaling (e.g., the signaling 934) to and/or from the network device 918 with other devices (e.g., the wireless device 902) according to corresponding RATs.

The network device 918 may include one or more antenna (s) 928 (e.g., one, two, four, or more) . In embodiments having multiple antenna (s) 928, the network device 918 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc., as has been described.

The network device 918 may include one or more interface (s) 930. The interface (s) 930 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 918. For example, a network device 918 that is a base station may include interface (s) 930 made up of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver (s) 926/antenna (s) 928 already described) that enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in a core network, and/or that enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like for purposes of operations, administration, and maintenance of the base station or other equipment operably connected thereto.

The network device 918 may include an IDC configuration module 932. The IDC configuration module 932 may be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the IDC configuration module 932 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and/or instructions 924 stored in the memory 922 and executed by the processor (s) 920. In some examples, the IDC configuration module 932 may be integrated within the processor (s) 920 and/or the transceiver (s) 926. For example, the IDC configuration module 932 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the processor (s) 920 or the transceiver (s) 926.

The IDC configuration module 932 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, aspects of FIGS. 3 and 5. The IDC configuration module 932 is configured to receive a message reporting one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where IDC interference is detected or expected to occur at the UE, and generate a response to coordinate radio resource usage by the UE to avoid or reduce the IDC interference.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein.

Any of the above described embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) , unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations, which may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices) . The computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing the operations or may include a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into single systems, partially combined into other systems, split into multiple systems or divided or combined in other ways. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment can be used in another embodiment. The parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are merely described in one or more embodiments for clarity, and it is recognized that the parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless specifically disclaimed herein.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

A method by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving, at the UE from a base station, configuration information indicating a target frequency for wireless communication by the UE;

determining, at the UE, one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur; and

transmitting, from the UE to the base station, a message to report the one or more affected frequency range.
The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicating the target frequency comprises an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) -New Radio (NR) value.
The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information further indicates an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE, and

wherein the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range indicated in the configuration information.
The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on a first default value in a first frequency range (FR1) and a second default value in second frequency range (FR2) , an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE,

wherein the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range.
The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information further indicates a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) , and

wherein the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in resource block (RB) units based on the reference SCS.
The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on a first default value in a first frequency range (FR1) and a second default value in second frequency range (FR2) , a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) ,

wherein the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in resource block (RB) units based on the reference SCS.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

an offset value from the target frequency to an affected central frequency; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the affected central frequency.
The method of claim 7, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.
The method of claim 7, wherein the offset value is selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of an affected central frequency; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the central frequency.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

a first offset value from the target frequency to a near edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a second offset value from the target frequency to a far edge of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range.
The method of claim 11, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.
The method of claim 11, wherein the first offset value and the second offset value are selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

an offset value from the target frequency to an edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the edge.
The method of claim 14, wherein the edge comprises a starting frequency or an ending frequency of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range.
The method of claim 14, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.
The method of claim 14, wherein the offset value is selected from a positive value and a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the starting frequency.
The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 6, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource indication value (RIV) ,

wherein an offset for one or more affected frequency blocks and a resource block (RB) number are derivable from a formula based on the RIV.
A method for a base station in a wireless network, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the base station to a user equipment (UE) , configuration information indicating a target frequency for wireless communication by the UE;

receiving, at the base station from the UE, a message reporting one or more affected frequency range relative to the target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur at the UE;

generating a response to coordinate radio resource usage by the UE to avoid or reduce the IDC interference; and

transmitting, from the base station, the response to the UE.
The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information indicating the target frequency comprises an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) -New Radio (NR) value.
The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information further indicates an interested frequency range relative to the target frequency for the wireless communication by the UE, and

wherein the one or more affected frequency range is within the interested frequency range indicated in the configuration information.
The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information further indicates a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) , and

wherein the message reports the one or more affected frequency range in resource block (RB) units based on the reference SCS.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

an offset value from the target frequency to an affected central frequency; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the affected central frequency.
The method of claim 24, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.
The method of claim 24, wherein the offset value comprises a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the affected central frequency.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of an affected central frequency; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the central frequency.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

a first offset value from the target frequency to a near edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a second offset value from the target frequency to a far edge of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range.
The method of claim 28, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.
The method of claim 28, wherein the first offset value and the second offset value comprise a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency toward the near edge and the far edge.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

a target frequency index value corresponding to the target frequency;

an offset value from the target frequency to an edge of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the edge.
The method of claim 31, wherein the edge comprises a starting frequency or an ending frequency of the selected one of the one or more affected frequency range.
The method of claim 31, wherein the message further comprises a bit to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.
The method of claim 31, wherein the offset value comprises a positive value or a negative value to indicate a direction from the target frequency to the edge.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource block (RB) number relative to a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) to indicate a bandwidth relative to the starting frequency.
The method of any one of claim 20 to claim 23, wherein for each of the one or more affected frequency range, the message comprises:

an absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) of a starting frequency of a selected one of the one or more affected frequency range; and

a resource indication value (RIV) .
The method of claim 36, further comprising determining an offset for one or more affected frequency blocks and a resource block (RB) number using a formula based on the RIV.
A method for a secondary node (SN) in a wireless network configured for multiple radio access technology (MR) -dual connectivity (DC) , comprising:

transmitting, from the SN to a master node (MN) , a first indication of an interested frequency range for one or more target frequency;

transmitting, from the SN to the MN, a second indication of a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the one or more target frequency; and

receiving, at the SN from the MN, a message indicating an affected frequency range for the one or more target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur.
A method for a master node (MN) in a wireless network configured for multiple radio access technology (MR) -dual connectivity (DC) , comprising:

receiving, at the MN from a secondary node (SN) , a first indication of an interested frequency range for one or more target frequency;

receiving, at the MN from the SN, a second indication of a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the one or more target frequency; and

transmitting, from the MN to the SN, a message indicating an affected frequency range for the one or more target frequency where in-device coexistence (IDC) interference is detected or expected to occur.
An apparatus comprising means to perform the method of any of claim 1 to claim 39.
A computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform the method of any of claim 1 to claim 39.
An apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform the method of any of claim 1 to claim 39.