Systems and methods for high-power operation in user equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for high power operation in a user equipment. The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for high power operation in a user equipment. The user equipment may indicate the high power capability of the user equipment to the network. Based on the uplink signal strength of the user equipment, the network may send a command to the user equipment to transmit using high power user equipment (HPUE) operation in a half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) mode. The network may also send a signal for the user equipment to return to a default power mode based on the uplink signal strength. Then, the user equipment may be reconfigured to the default power in a full-duplex frequency division duplex (FD-FDD) mode. The user equipment may also send an indication of an uplink duty cycle, which indicates a ratio of an uplink allocation corresponding to an uplink transmission to all uplink allocations and downlink allocations.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 185,099, filed on May 6, 2021, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HIGH-POWER OPERATION IN USER EQUIPMENT", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to user equipment using high-power transmission.

[0004] The transmitter and receiver of an electronic device can each be coupled to one or more antennas to enable the electronic device to transmit and receive wireless signals, respectively. The electronic device can include a duplexer that isolates the transmitter from received signals in a first frequency range and isolates the receiver from transmitted signals in a second frequency range. In this way, interference between the transmitted signal and the received signal can be reduced when communicating using the electronic device. However, when the electronic device implements high-power transmission, this isolation can be negatively affected. That is, using a high-power transmitted signal can cause unnecessary emissions outside the allocated transmission channel (e.g., into the allocated receive channel), and these unnecessary emissions can interfere with reception. In addition, due to high-power transmission, the duplexer may experience thermal degradation effects. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a concise summary of these particular embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the present disclosure may cover a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

[0006] In one embodiment, a base station includes a transmitter for transmitting data and a receiver for receiving data. The base station can receive an indication from a user equipment indicating that the user equipment is capable of transmitting using high power. Then, the base station can determine that the user equipment signal strength is below a threshold. Based on determining that the signal strength is below the threshold, the transmitter of the base station can send an indication to the user equipment to transmit data using high power in a half-duplex frequency-division duplex (HD-FDD) mode.

[0007] In another embodiment, the user equipment includes a transmitter for transmitting data and a receiver for receiving data. The user equipment may send a notification to the network that the user equipment is capable of transmitting data using a high power above a threshold. Then, the user equipment may receive an indication from the network to transmit using the high power in a half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) mode. The receiver of the user equipment may receive an indication from the network to transmit using a default power below the threshold in a full-duplex frequency division duplex (FD-FDD) mode, and the user equipment may cause the transmitter to transmit a second set of data using the default power in the FD-FDD mode.

[0008] In another embodiment, a method includes sending, from a user equipment to a network, a notification that the user equipment is capable of transmitting data using a high power above a threshold. Then, the user equipment may receive an indication from the network to transmit using the high power in a half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) mode. The user equipment may transmit first data using the high power in the HD-FDD mode, receive an indication from the network to transmit using a default mode below the threshold in a full-duplex frequency division duplex (FD-FDD) mode, and transmit second data using the FD-FDD mode.

[0009] Various improvements to the above features may exist with respect to various aspects of the present invention. Other features may also be added to these various aspects. These improvements and additional features may exist alone or in any combination. For example, the various features discussed below in connection with one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any one of the above aspects of the present invention alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is only intended to familiarize the reader with specific aspects and contexts of the embodiments of the present disclosure and does not limit the subject matter claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood when reading the following detailed description and referring to the drawings described below, in which like numbers refer to like parts.

[0011] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 functional diagram of the electronic device;

[0013] Figure 3 is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 block diagram of a transceiver of the electronic device;

[0014] Figure 4 is supported by a base station and communicatively coupled to according to an embodiment of the present disclosureFigure 1 Schematic diagram of a wireless communication network of an electronic device (e.g., user equipment (UE));

[0015] Figure 5 Is a timing diagram of operating a high-power user equipment (HPUE) using static configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 6 Is a timing diagram of operating a HPUE using dynamic configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 7 Is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 An electronic device (e.g., user equipment (UE)) performs Figure 5 And Figure 6 Flowchart of HPUE operations;

[0018] Figure 8 Is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 4 A base station performs Figure 5 And Figure 6 Flowchart of HPUE operations;

[0019] Figure 9 Is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 An electronic device (e.g., user equipment (UE)) performs HPUE operations based on uplink duty cycle;

[0020] Figure 10 Is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure based on Figure 9 Flowchart of network scheduling of HPUE operations based on uplink duty cycle;

[0021] Figure 11 Is a timing diagram of performing HPUE operations using a first exemplary uplink duty cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 12 Is a timing diagram of performing HPUE operations using a second exemplary uplink duty cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 13 Is a timing diagram of performing HPUE operations using a third exemplary uplink duty cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 14 Is according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that can perform the HPUE operations discussed herein Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a first example of a transceiver;

[0025] Figure 15is a transceiver that can perform the HPUE operations discussed herein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 3 schematic diagram of a second example of a transceiver; and

[0026] Figure 16 is a transceiver that can perform the HPUE operations discussed herein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 3 schematic diagram of a third example of a transceiver. Detailed Description

[0027] One or more specific embodiments will be described below. To provide a brief description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It should be understood that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, specific decisions specific to many implementations must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting system-related and business-related constraints that can vary from one implementation to another. In addition, it should be understood that such development work may be complex and time-consuming, but for those of ordinary skill in the art who benefit from the present disclosure, it will still be routine work in design, fabrication, and manufacture.

[0028] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a" and "the" are intended to mean that there is one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that additional elements may exist in addition to the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to "an embodiment" or "embodiments" of the present disclosure are not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The use of the terms "substantially," "close to," "about," and / or "essentially" should be understood to mean including being close to the target (e.g., design, value, quantity), such as within any suitable or conceivable margin of error (e.g., within 0.1% of the target, within 1% of the target, within 5% of the target, within 10% of the target, within 25% of the target, etc.).

[0029] The present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) that performs uplink (UL) transmissions using high-power user equipment (HPUE) operation. In some embodiments, the HPUE operation may correspond to power class 2 as defined by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), an organization that develops cellular communication standards. Specifically, power class 2 may refer to a transmit power level greater than 23 decibel-milliwatts (dBm). This is in contrast to the 3GPP standard for default power operation (e.g., power class 3), which may refer to a maximum transmit power level less than or equal to 23 dBm. Although the greater transmission power of HPUE operation can result in a greater transmission range, the user equipment may also experience a temperature rise during transmission. This temperature rise may cause component and / or performance degradation in the user equipment. For example, a duplexer that isolates the transmitter of the user equipment from received signals in a first frequency range and isolates the receiver of the user equipment from transmitted signals in a second frequency range may degrade due to the higher temperature, resulting in a frequency offset when performing the isolation. This may lead to a deterioration in isolation performance and cause interference of the transmitted signal at the receiver. In addition, HPUE operation may result in unnecessary emissions outside the assigned uplink channel, and these unnecessary emissions may cause interference to the receiver or degrade the receiver's sensitivity (e.g., reference sensitivity (REFSENS)).

[0030] Additionally, regulatory entities (e.g., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), etc.) may limit the default or "normal" power operation of the user equipment to less than the specific absorption rate (SAR) limit. That is, SAR refers to the amount of radio frequency (RF) energy absorbed by a user (e.g., the user's head) when operating the user equipment. However, current SAR limits may not be relevant to the operation of user equipment using HPUE operation.

[0031] Embodiments herein provide various apparatuses and techniques for mitigating the effects of duplexer thermal degradation and impaired reference sensitivity (REFSENS). In particular, the embodiments disclosed herein perform HPUE half-duplex operation in paired spectrums (e.g., frequency division duplex (FDD) bands). That is, while the transmitter of the user equipment uses HPUE operation to transmit data in a first frequency range, the receiver of the user equipment may not receive data. When the transmitter is not using HPUE operation to transmit data, the transmitter may transmit data in the first frequency range (e.g., using a default or "normal" power less than HPUE) and the receiver may receive data in a second frequency range.

[0032] A user equipment may implement HPUE operation using a static scheme or a dynamic scheme (e.g., in response to determining that the strength of an uplink transmission signal is less than a threshold strength). For example, the user equipment may notify the network of its ability to perform HPUE operation. In a static configuration, the network may instruct the user equipment to configure its transmitter to perform HPUE operation during the duration of a radio resource control (RRC) session (e.g., in a half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) mode). In particular, the network may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the user equipment to configure its transmitter for HPUE operation during the duration of the RRC session. In a dynamic configuration, the network may instruct the user equipment to configure its transmitter to perform HPUE operation and / or default power operation during one or more desired time periods within the duration of the RRC session. In particular, the network may send a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) to perform HPUE operation or return to default power operation during the duration of the RRC session. Thus, the network may prevent or mitigate duplexer thermal degradation and / or impaired sensitivity of the user equipment, thereby ensuring better communication performance.

[0033] Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment may determine a duration or uplink duty cycle for performing HPUE operation that complies with SAR regulations and send the uplink duty cycle to the network. The network may then generate a schedule with times for performing HPUE operation based on the uplink duty cycle and send an instruction to the user equipment to perform HPUE operation based on the schedule, thereby complying with SAR regulations.

[0034] To mitigate the long-term thermal stress on the duplexer of the user equipment due to HPUE operation, the user equipment may implement a transceiver architecture capable of performing HPUE transmission using a signal path that does not pass through the duplexer. In some embodiments, the signal path separated and isolated from the duplexer may include a bandpass filter that allows only frequencies in the desired transmission frequency range to pass through. This HPUE signal path may avoid signals transmitted at high power from passing through the duplexer, thereby mitigating the thermal stress on the duplexer during HPUE operation.

[0035] In view of the above, Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Among other things, the electronic device 10 may include one or more processors 12 (collectively referred to herein as a single processor for convenience, which may be implemented in any suitable form of processing circuitry), a memory 14, a non-volatile storage device 16, a display 18, an input structure 22, an input / output (I / O) interface 24, a network interface 26, and a power supply 29. Figure 1The various functional blocks shown may include hardware elements (including circuits), software elements (including machine-executable instructions), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. Processor 12, memory 14, non-volatile storage device 16, display 18, input structure 22, input / output (I / O) interface 24, network interface 26, and / or power supply 29 may each be directly or indirectly communicatively coupled to each other (e.g., through or via another component, communication bus, network) to transmit and / or receive data between each other. It should be noted that Figure 1 is only an example of a particular specific implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device 10.

[0036] For example, electronic device 10 may represent a block diagram of any suitable computing device, including a desktop computer or a laptop computer (e.g., in the form of a Pro, MacBook mini or Mac ), a portable electronic device or a handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or a smartphone (e.g., in the form of a model available from Apple Inc., Cupertino, California), a tablet computer (e.g., in the form of a model available from Apple Inc., Cupertino, California), a wearable electronic device (e.g., in the form of an Apple available from Apple Inc., Cupertino, California) and other similar devices. It should be noted that Figure 1 the processor 12 and other related items in Figure 1 may be generally referred to herein as "data processing circuitry". Such data processing circuitry may be implemented in whole or in part in software, hardware, or both. In addition, the processor 12 and Figure 1 the other related items in may be a single standalone processing module, or may be fully or partially incorporated within any one of the other elements within electronic device 10. Processor 12 may be implemented using a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, a dedicated hardware finite state machine, or any other suitable entity capable of performing calculations or other manipulations of information. Processor 12 may perform the various functions described herein and below.

[0037] In Figure 1In the electronic device 10, the processor 12 may be operatively coupled to the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 to execute various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor 12 may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture including one or more tangible computer-readable media. The tangible computer-readable media may include the memory 14 and / or the non-volatile storage device 16, either alone or in combination, to store instructions or routines. The memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 may include any suitable article of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard disk drive, and optical disk. Additionally, a program (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions executable by the processor 12 to enable the electronic device 10 to provide various functions.

[0038] In some embodiments, the display 18 may facilitate a user's viewing of images generated on the electronic device 10. In some embodiments, the display 18 may include a touch screen that may facilitate a user's interaction with the user interface of the electronic device 10. Additionally, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the display 18 may include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and / or other display technologies.

[0039] The input structure 22 of the electronic device 10 may enable a user to interact with the electronic device 10 (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease the volume level). Just like the network interface 26, the I / O interface 24 may enable the electronic device 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. In some embodiments, the I / O interface 24 may include I / O ports for hardwired connections for charging and / or content manipulation using standard connectors and protocols such as the Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, Universal Serial Bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols. The network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more interfaces for: personal area network (PAN) such as a network, local area network (LAN), or wireless local area network (WLAN) such as a network employing one of the IEEE 802.11x series of protocols (e.g., ) and / or a wide area network (WAN) such as any standard associated with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including, for example, third generation (3G) cellular networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), fourth generation (4G) cellular networks, Long Term Evolution ( )Cellular networks, Long-Term Evolution Licensed-Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) cellular networks, Fifth-Generation (5G) cellular networks, and / or New Radio (NR) cellular networks, satellite networks, etc. Specifically, network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more interfaces for using the Release-15 cellular communication standard of the 5G specification including the millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25 - 300 gigahertz (GHz)). The network interface 26 of the electronic device 10 may allow communication via the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, etc.).

[0040] Network interface 26 may also include, for example, one or more interfaces for the following: broadband fixed wireless access networks (e.g., ), mobile broadband wireless networks (mobile ), asynchronous digital subscriber line (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video terrestrial broadcast ( ) networks and its extension DVB Handheld ( ) networks, ultra-wideband (UWB) networks, alternating current (AC) power lines, etc.

[0041] As shown, network interface 26 may include transceiver 30. In some embodiments, all or part of transceiver 30 may be disposed within processor 12. Transceiver 30 may support transmitting and receiving various wireless signals via one or more antennas. The power supply 29 of the electronic device 10 may include any suitable power supply, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and / or an alternating current (AC) power converter. In certain embodiments, the electronic device 10 may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other types of electronic devices.

[0042] Figure 2 is a functional diagram of the Figure 1 electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, processor 12, memory 14, transceiver 30, transmitter 52, receiver 54, and / or antennas 55 (shown as 55A - 55N) may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly to each other (e.g., through or via another component, communication bus, network) to transmit and / or receive data between each other.

[0043] The electronic device 10 may include a transmitter 52 and / or a receiver 54, which respectively enable data to be transmitted and received between the electronic device 10 and a remote location via, for example, a network associated with the electronic device 10 or a direct connection and an external transceiver (e.g., in the form of a cell, eNB (E-UTRAN Node B or evolved Node B), base station, etc.). As shown, the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54 may be combined into a transceiver 30. The electronic device 10 may also have one or more antennas 55A to 55N, which are electrically coupled to the transceiver 30. The antennas 55A-55N may be configured in an omnidirectional or directional configuration, a single-beam, dual-beam, or multi-beam arrangement, etc. Each antenna 55 may be associated with one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple antennas among the antennas 55A-55N of an antenna group or module may be communicatively coupled to the corresponding transceiver 30 and each transmit radio frequency signals that may advantageously and / or destructively combine to form a beam. Depending on the applicable communication standards, the electronic device 10 may include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and / or multiple antennas.

[0044] The transmitter 52 may wirelessly transmit packets having different packet types or functions. For example, the transmitter 52 may transmit different types of packets generated by the processor 12. The receiver 54 may wirelessly receive packets having different packet types. In some examples, the receiver 54 may detect the type of packet used and process the packet accordingly. In some embodiments, the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54 may transmit and receive information via other wired or wired systems or devices.

[0045] As shown, the various components of the electronic device 10 may be coupled together by a bus system 56. The bus system 56 may include, for example, a data bus as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. The components of the electronic device 10 may be coupled together or use some other mechanism to accept or provide input to each other.

[0046] As described above, the transceiver 30 of the electronic device 10 may include a transmitter and a receiver, which are coupled to at least one antenna so that the electronic device 10 can transmit and receive wireless signals. The electronic device 10 may include an isolation circuit that isolates the transmitter from received signals and the receiver from transmitted signals, thereby reducing interference during communication.

[0047] Figure 3FIG. is a block diagram of transceiver 30 (e.g., transceiver circuitry) of electronic device 10 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, transceiver circuitry 30 includes isolation circuitry 58 (e.g., including a duplexer) disposed between and coupled to transmitter 52 (e.g., transmit circuitry) and receiver 54 (e.g., receive circuitry). In some embodiments, isolation circuitry 58 is coupled to one or more antennas 55. In alternative embodiments, one or more antennas 55 may be disposed within isolation circuitry 58. Isolation circuitry 58 enables signals of a first frequency range (e.g., transmit signals) from transmitter 52 to pass through to one or more antennas 55 and blocks signals of the first frequency range from passing through to receiver 54. Isolation circuitry 58 also enables signals of a second frequency range (e.g., receive signals) received via one or more antennas 55 to pass through to receiver 54 and blocks signals of the second frequency range from passing through to transmitter 52. Each frequency range may be any suitable bandwidth such as between 0 megahertz and 100 gigahertz (GHz) (e.g., 10 megahertz (MHz)) and includes any suitable frequencies. For example, the first frequency range (e.g., transmit frequency range) may be between 880 MHz and 890 MHz, and the second frequency range (e.g., receive frequency range) may be between 925 MHz and 935 MHz.

[0048] As described above, when performing high-power user equipment (HPUE) operations within the transmission range (such that transmitter 52 uses a transmit power level greater than 23 decibel-milliwatts (dBm)), the temperature of electronic device 10 (e.g., user equipment) may increase. This temperature increase may cause component and / or performance degradation in electronic device 10. For example, isolation circuitry 58 (e.g., including a duplexer) may degrade due to the higher temperature, resulting in a frequency shift during isolation. This may cause the isolation performance to deteriorate and cause interference of transmit signals at receiver 54. In addition, HPUE operations may cause unnecessary transmissions outside of the assigned uplink channel, which may cause interference to receiver 54 or degrade the sensitivity of the receiver (e.g., reference sensitivity (REFSENS)). The reference sensitivity may refer to the minimum average power received at the antenna connector of the user equipment at which the throughput specification or requirement can be met for a reference measurement channel (e.g., the assigned uplink channel).

[0049] In view of the foregoing, Figure 4FIG. illustrates a wireless communication network 60, including a base station 62 and a user equipment (UE) 64 (e.g., such as electronic device 10), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., shows a portion of the network). The base station 62 may provide coverage of the network 60 (e.g., a cellular network) to a geographical area or devices in the network 60, including the user equipment 64. The base station 62 and / or the user equipment 64 may have one or more components similar to those of the electronic device 10, and thus may include control circuitry (such as a processor 12, a memory 14, and / or a non-volatile storage device 16), which may operate together to cause the base station 62 and / or the user equipment 64 to perform corresponding operations. In particular, the processor 12 of the base station 62 may execute operations of the network 60. Note that the user equipment 64 may include any one of various types of computer systems or computing devices capable of communicating with the base station 62. Examples of the user equipment 64 are any suitable portable electronic device, mobile phone, smartphone, portable gaming device, laptop computer, wearable device, etc.

[0050] To establish a connection to the network 60, the user equipment 64 may establish a radio resource control (RRC) session with the network 60 via a transmitter 52 and / or a receiver 54. The network 60 and the base station 62 may implement any suitable network technology or standard, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or 4th Generation (4G) network implemented by an evolved Node B (eNB) base station, New Radio (NR) or 5th Generation (5G) network implemented by a next-generation Node B (gNB) base station, and so on.

[0051] Network 60 may generate a schedule based on information received from user equipment 64 related to user equipment capabilities (e.g., HPUE operation), which includes time periods for performing uplink (UL) operations and downlink (DL) operations. Then, base station 62 may instruct user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54 according to the schedule. It should be understood that uplink data or signals refer to the transmission from transmitter 52 of user equipment 64 to base station 62 of network 60, and downlink data or signals refer to the transmission from base station 62 of network 60 to receiver 54 of user equipment 64. In some embodiments, base station 62 may transmit a command to reconfigure communication hardware components (e.g., transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54) of user equipment 64 based on multiple factors (e.g., signal strength, user equipment capabilities, and / or the ability of user equipment 64 to perform HPUE operation). The command may be in the form of, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message, which may cause user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter 52 to perform HPUE operation or default power operation for the duration of the RRC session. As another example, the command may be in the form of a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), which may cause user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter 52 to perform HPUE operation or return to default power operation for the duration of the RRC session. As used herein, default power or "normal" power may refer to a power level less than the high power level. In particular, the default power level and the high power level may be defined by a standards body or a regulatory body (such as 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)). For example, the default power may refer to power class 3 as defined by 3GPP, which includes a maximum transmit power level less than or equal to 23 decibel-milliwatts (dBm). The HPUE power level may correspond to power class 2 as defined by 3GPP, which includes a maximum transmit power level equal to 26 dBm.

[0052] In view of the foregoing, Figure 5 is a timing diagram for implementing high power operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 with static configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. User equipment 64 may be statically configured to transmit using high power operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 throughout the RRC session (e.g., 77).

[0053] A timing diagram depicts time on the horizontal axis and frequency on the vertical axis. In particular, a downlink (DL) allocation 70 indicates the time during which data or a signal can be transmitted from a base station 62 and received by a user equipment 64 on a downlink frequency channel, and an uplink (UL) allocation 72 indicates the time during which data or a signal can be transmitted by the user equipment 64 to the base station 62 on an uplink frequency channel. The downlink frequency channel, the uplink frequency channel, and the times at which the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72 are allocated can each be specified or defined by the base station 62. For example, the times at which the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72 are allocated can be according to a schedule generated by the network 60 as detailed above. As shown, the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72 are frequency division duplex (FDD), with each of the allocations 70, 72 being allocated to a respective frequency band.

[0054] In particular, each uplink allocation in the uplink allocation 72 corresponds to an HPUE operation. That is, the user equipment 64 can configure its transmitter 52 to perform an HPUE operation during the uplink allocation 72 based on, for example, receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the base station 62. In particular, the RRC stack is initialized at the start of an RRC session 77 for the HPUE operation, and the receiver 54 of the user equipment 64 can receive a request from the base station 62 / network 60 to configure the transmitter 52 for the HPUE operation. Upon receiving the request, the processor 12 of the user equipment 64 can configure the transmitter 52 for the HPUE operation. Thus, during the RRC session 77, the transmitter 52 can be statically configured to perform the HPUE operation and may not perform the default power operation. As shown, the transmitter 52 can perform the HPUE operation during the uplink allocation 72 in a half-duplex (HD) FDD mode 76 such that during the time the transmitter 52 performs the HPUE operation, the receiver 54 does not receive data (e.g., the downlink allocation 70 is not scheduled simultaneously with the uplink allocation 72, and the uplink allocation 72 is not scheduled simultaneously with the downlink allocation 70). The receiver 54 can perform downlink operations at default power during the downlink allocation 70. As described above, the network 60 can schedule the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72. Because there is a delay when switching between uplink transmission (by the transmitter 52) and downlink transmission (by the receiver 54) when operating in the HD-FDD mode 76, the network 60 can also schedule these handover times 74. In some embodiments, the network 60 can allocate approximately 100 milliseconds (ms) for the handover times 74, although any suitable time is contemplated (e.g., between 1 picosecond and 60 seconds, between 1 nanosecond and 10 seconds, between 1 millisecond and 1 second, etc.).

[0055] For example, user equipment 64 may transmit to base station 62 of network 60 a notification that user equipment 64 includes high-power operation capabilities. Upon receiving this notification, via base station 62, network 60 may transmit to user equipment 64 a command to transmit using a high-power mode (e.g., 3GPP power class 2) or using a default power mode (e.g., 3GPP power class 3) based on the strength of the uplink transmission signal sent from user equipment 64 to base station 62. That is, if the uplink transmission signal sent from user equipment 64 is weak (e.g., less than a threshold signal strength level), then network 60 may determine that user equipment 64 should increase the power level of its transmitter 52. This signal strength may include any suitable parameter indicating the signal strength or quality of user equipment 64, such as reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indication identification (RSSI), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), channel quality indicator (CQI), physical cell identity (PCI), block error rate (BLER), downlink throughput, uplink throughput, etc. Additionally, the threshold signal strength level may include any suitable signal strength level that may indicate that the uplink transmission signal sent from user equipment 64 is weak or should be increased.

[0056] In some embodiments, the threshold signal strength level may be related to user equipment 64 (e.g., whether user equipment 64 can further increase its transmission power). For example, 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.331 defines the cell-specific (e.g., common for all user equipment (including user equipment 64) pre-empted on a cell such as cell 66) target value of the power spectral density of the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and physical uplink shared channel (PUSH) received by a base station (such as base station 62) as a power control parameter (P0-nominal). During the power control process, the power headroom (PHR) of user equipment 64 is determined as the difference between the maximum configured power of the user equipment (P cmax ) and the power control parameter (P0-nominal). Thus, if user equipment 64 can no longer increase its transmission power or uplink power, the power headroom is less than or equal to 0. If user equipment 64 can increase its transmission power or uplink power, the power headroom is greater than 0. Then the power headroom may be compared with a positive threshold signal strength level (P1) and a negative threshold signal strength level (-P1). In particular, when the power headroom is less than the negative threshold signal strength level (-P1), base station 62 may instruct user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter 52 to operate in the HPUE mode, as reflected in the following formula 1:

[0057] PHR < -P1 (Formula 1)

[0058] Additionally, when the power headroom is greater than a positive threshold signal strength level (P1), the base station 62 may instruct the user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter 52 to operate in a default power mode, as reflected in the following formula 2:

[0059] PHR > P1 (Formula 2)

[0060] The positive threshold signal strength level (P1) and the negative threshold signal strength level (-P1) can be any suitable values that indicate the user equipment 64 should configure its transmitter 52 to operate in the HPUE mode or the default power mode, including values between 0 and 100, such as 3, 6, etc. In some embodiments, P1 can be equal to zero, such that the above Formula 1 and Formula 2 can apply. In such embodiments, when the PHR is equal to zero, then the user equipment 64 can maintain its current power mode operation.

[0061] Both the positive threshold signal strength level (P1) and the negative threshold signal strength level (-P1) can correspond to non-zero values, such that there is a range of values between the positive threshold signal strength value and the negative signal strength value that do not correspond to instructing the user equipment 64 to configure its transmitter to operate in the high power mode or the default power mode. That is, for these ranges of values, the base station 62 may not send an instruction to the user equipment 64 to enter the high power mode or the default power mode, such that the user equipment 64 can maintain its current power mode (e.g., either the high power mode or the default power mode).

[0062] For example, the value corresponding to the positive threshold signal strength level (P1) can be 3, and the value corresponding to the negative signal strength level (-P1) can be -3. Thus, the range of values greater than -3 and less than 3 does not correspond to the base station 62 sending an instruction to the transmitter 52 to operate in the HPUE mode or the default power mode. For example, the power headroom value of 2 is not less than the negative signal strength level (-P1) or greater than the positive signal strength level (P1). Thus, in this example, the transmitter 52 can maintain its current power operation mode. Therefore, if the transmitter 52 is currently operating in the HPUE mode, the transmitter 52 will maintain the HPUE mode for the duration that the PHR value is greater than -3 and less than 3, as reflected in the following formula 3:

[0063] -P1 < PHR < P1 (Formula 3)

[0064] Based on whether the user equipment 64 should operate in a high-power mode or a default power mode (as determined by the network 60), the network 60 may schedule a downlink allocation 70 and an uplink allocation 72 for the user equipment 64. In particular, the base station 62 may, in response to determining a weak uplink transmit signal strength or a low uplink transmit signal strength of the user equipment 64, send a command to the user equipment 64 to statically configure its transmitter 52 to perform high-power operation under HD-FDD 76 throughout the RRC session 77. In particular, the network 60 may schedule the uplink allocation 72 for the user equipment 64 to transmit signals in the high-power mode at a different time than the downlink allocation 70 for the user equipment 64 to receive signals. Thus, high-power uplink transmissions may be limited to time slots in which downlink resources are not scheduled. The network 60 may also schedule a handover time 74 between the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72 to account for the reconfiguration time for the user equipment communication hardware (e.g., the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54) to switch between downlink operation and uplink operation. For example, the user equipment 64 may be reconfigured (enable / activate the receiver 54 and disable / deactivate the transmitter 52) to receive downlink transmissions instead of sending uplink transmissions (e.g., performing HPUE operation). In some embodiments, the base station 62 may also schedule or account for the time for the user equipment 64 to reconfigure the transmitter 52 for HPUE operation at the start of the RRC session 77. Depending on the hardware configuration corresponding to the user equipment 64, one or more handover times 74 scheduled for various communication hardware reconfigurations may be for a similar amount of time or a different amount of time. The base station 62 may then allocate the downlink allocation 70 and the uplink allocation 72 according to this schedule and allow the hardware reconfiguration to enable HPUE operation and / or the one or more scheduled handover times 74 for switching between uplink operation and downlink operation. The mode switch boundary may be set to the maximum output power of power level 3 and / or determined by the network for user equipment 64 throughput and performance optimization. Below the mode switch boundary, the user equipment 64 will operate in full-duplex operation in the FDD band, and above the mode switch boundary, half-duplex operation is scheduled.

[0065] Thus, as Figure 5 shown in the timing diagram of, scheduling high-power uplink transmissions and downlink transmissions at different times and frequencies may mitigate or reduce interference of high-power transmit signals into the allocated receive channels (e.g., due to either the high power itself or a frequency offset in the duplexer of the isolation circuit 58), thereby improving communication quality.

[0066] In an additional or alternative embodiment, network 60 may dynamically reconfigure user equipment 64 to transition between an HD-FDD mode 76 (which enables HPUE operation) and a full-duplex FDD (FD-FDD) 78 mode within an RRC session 77, as Figure 6 shown, which is a timing diagram of HPUE operation in an HD-FDD mode 76 using dynamic configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, user equipment 64 may be dynamically reconfigured between high-power operation and default-power operation within an RRC session 77 by utilizing a MAC control element (MAC-CE).

[0067] The timing diagram depicts time on the horizontal axis, frequency on the vertical axis, and depicts uplink allocations 72 and downlink allocations 70 for user equipment 64 according to a schedule generated by network 60, as detailed above. In particular, the timing diagram depicts the dynamic configuration HPUE operation of transmitter 52 in HD-FDD mode 76, and the default-power operation of transmitter 52 and receiver 54 in FD-FDD mode 78. Network 60 may cause base station 62 to send one or more RRC messages to the user equipment, and the one or more RRC messages may cause user equipment 64 to enter HD-FDD mode 76 and / or enter FD-FDD mode 78. In addition, network 60 may cause base station 62 to send one or more MAC-Ces to the user equipment, and the one or more MAC-Ces may cause user equipment 64 to perform one or more high-power operations and / or one or more default-power operations in HD-FDD mode 76 during RRC session 77. That is, base station 62 may send multiple MAC-Ces to cause user equipment 64 to perform multiple high-power operations and multiple default-power operations without establishing a new RRC session 77.

[0068] For example, user equipment 64 may initially transmit a notification to base station 62 to inform network 60 that user equipment 64 includes high-power operation capabilities, as described above Figure 5 discussed. Network 60 may schedule uplink allocations 72 and downlink allocations 70 for RRC session 77, including for default-power operation and high-power operation. Network 60 may also schedule one or more handover times 74 for reconfiguring user equipment 64 to perform HPUE operation and / or switch between uplink operation and downlink operation. Network 60 may schedule HPUE operation based on determining that the signal strength of user equipment 64 is weaker (e.g., below a threshold) over time (e.g., within RRC session 77). For example, base station 62 may monitor the signal strength of user equipment 64 throughout RRC session 77 and dynamically update the power mode based on the monitored signal strength.

[0069] That is, at an initial time, base station 62 may determine that the signal strength of the user equipment signal is higher than a threshold indicating sufficient signal strength (e.g., determine that the power margin of transmitter 52 is greater than a positive threshold as shown in Equation 2 above). Accordingly, base station 62 may transmit an instruction (e.g., an RRC message) to user equipment 64 to perform default power operation in FD-FDD mode 78. In other words, network 60 may configure user equipment 64 to transmit and / or receive signals using default power mode 78 by allocating downlink allocation 70 and uplink allocation 72 during the same time period. At a subsequent time, base station 62 may determine that the signal quality of user equipment 64 has decreased to below the threshold signal strength value (e.g., determine that the power margin of transmitter 52 is less than a negative threshold as shown in Equation 1 above). In response, base station 62 may transmit an instruction (e.g., an RRC message) to user equipment 64 to perform in HD-FDD mode 76. The RRC message (or MAC-CE) may include a defined handover time 79 to reconfigure user equipment hardware (e.g., transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54) from default power operation to HPUE operation. In some embodiments, network 60 may allocate approximately 100 ms for handover time 79, although any suitable time is contemplated (e.g., between 1 picosecond and 60 seconds, between 1 nanosecond and 10 seconds, between 1 millisecond and 1 second, etc.). User equipment 64 may then receive the RRC message (or MAC-CE), reconfigure transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54 for HPUE operation, and perform an uplink transmission using the high power mode during uplink allocation 72. During the same RRC session 77, network 60 may also schedule downlink allocation 70 at times when there is no (e.g., when performed at high power) uplink allocation 72, schedule uplink allocation 72 at times when there is no downlink allocation 70, and schedule one or more handover times 74 between downlink allocation 70 and uplink allocation 72 to allow user equipment 64 to reconfigure communication hardware (e.g., transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54) from uplink operation to downlink operation. Specifically, in response to receiving a subsequent MAC-CE, user equipment 64 may (e.g., within one or more scheduled handover times 74 that cause user equipment 64 to reconfigure from uplink operation to downlink operation) reconfigure user equipment hardware (e.g., transmitter 52 and / or receiver 54) to default power operation and, corresponding to the time when user equipment 64 does not transmit using high power, use receiver 54 to receive signals during downlink allocation 70.

[0070] During the same RRC session 77, the network 60 may subsequently determine that the signal quality of the user equipment 64 signal has improved to be higher than a threshold. In response, the base station 62 may instruct the user equipment 64 to reconfigure to the FD-FDD mode 78 along with a handover time 79 of the scheduling that reconfigures the user equipment 64 from the HPUE mode to the default power mode. The user equipment 64 may receive the base station 62 command and reconfigure the hardware of the user equipment 64 to be implemented as the default power mode. Then, in the FD-FDD mode 78 during the same time period, the user equipment 64 may transmit an uplink signal during the uplink allocation 72 and receive a downlink signal during the downlink allocation 70. In an additional or alternative embodiment, instead of or in addition to the RRC message and / or MAC-CE, the base station 62 may also use physical layer signaling (e.g., via a downlink control indication (DCI)) to cause the user equipment to perform HPUE operations.

[0071] In view of the foregoing, Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method 80 for a user equipment 64 to perform Figure 5 and / or Figure 6 HPUE operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control components of the user equipment 64 (such as the processor 12) may execute the method 80. In some embodiments, the method 80 may be implemented by using the processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16. For example, the method 80 may be executed at least in part by one or more software components (such as the operating system of the user equipment 64, one or more software applications of the user equipment 64, etc.). Although the method 80 is described using steps in a particular order, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be executed in an order different from the shown order, and certain described steps may be skipped or not executed at all.

[0072] In process block 82, a processor 12 of the user equipment 64 may transmit an indication to a base station 62 of the network 60 that the user equipment 64 is capable of performing HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode (e.g., transmitting using 3GPP power class 2). In some embodiments, the indication may be sent whenever the user equipment 64 is connected to the network 60.

[0073] In process block 84, the processor 12 receives an indication from the network 60 to perform an uplink transmission using HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76. In some embodiments, the indication may also include one or more scheduled times (e.g., Figure 5 and Figure 6The uplink allocation shown in 72). The indication may also include a scheduled handover time 74, where there is no scheduled uplink allocation 72 or downlink allocation 70. The handover time 74 can be utilized by the user equipment 64 to reconfigure the hardware circuitry to HPUE operating capabilities and / or to transition the hardware circuitry between uplink operation and downlink operation. As discussed above Figure 5 as discussed, the configuration can be specified for the entire RRC session 77, or as discussed above Figure 6 as discussed, the configuration can be updated by the user equipment 64 throughout the RRC session 77 by utilizing MAC-CE.

[0074] In process block 86, the processor 12 can configure the user equipment 64 (e.g., the transmitter 52) to transmit data using HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76. In particular, the user equipment 64 can perform an uplink transmission in the HD-FDD mode during the uplink allocation 72. Later, in process block 88, the processor 12 can receive an indication from the network to transmit an uplink signal and receive a downlink signal using the default power mode (e.g., 3GPP power class 3) in the FD-FDD mode 78. In particular, the indication can include the uplink allocation 72 scheduled during the downlink allocation 70. In some embodiments, the indication can include a handover time 74 that causes the user equipment 64 to reconfigure the hardware to the FD-FDD mode 78.

[0075] In process block 89, the processor 12 can enable the user equipment 64 to simultaneously transmit or uplink data (e.g., during the uplink allocation 72) and receive or downlink data (e.g., during the downlink allocation 70) using default power operation in the FD-FDD mode 78. Thus, the method 80 enables the user equipment 64 to reconfigure between performing HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 and performing default power operation in the FD-FDD mode 78. Since reception does not occur when the transmitter 52 can perform HPUE operation, unnecessary emissions outside the uplink channel caused by uplink transmission in the high power mode can be avoided or mitigated, thereby improving communication quality.

[0076] In view of the foregoing, Figure 8 is for causing the base station 62 of the network 60 to perform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 5 and / or Figure 6Flowchart of method 90 for HPUE operation. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control components of base station 62 and / or network 60 (such as processor 12) can execute method 90. In some embodiments, method 90 can be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium such as memory 14 or storage device 16 using processor 12. For example, method 90 can be executed at least in part by one or more software components such as the operating system of base station 62, one or more software applications of base station 62, etc. Although method 90 is described using steps in a particular order, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps can be executed in an order different from the shown order, and certain described steps can be skipped or not executed at all.

[0077] In process block 92, processor 12 of base station 62 can receive an indication from user equipment 64 that user equipment 64 is capable of transmitting using HPUE operation in HD-FDD mode 76. Network 60 can schedule uplink allocation 72 and downlink allocation 70 and the power mode (e.g., HD-FDD mode 76, FD-FDD mode 78) for the uplink transmission of user equipment 64 based on the capabilities of user equipment 64.

[0078] In process block 94, processor 12 determines whether the uplink transmission signal is higher than a threshold corresponding to the signal strength based on the uplink transmission signal of user equipment 64. For example, processor 12 can determine whether the power margin of transmitter 52 is greater than a positive threshold, as shown in Equation 2 above. If base station 62 determines that the uplink transmission strength is lower than the threshold (e.g., the power margin of transmitter 52 is less than the negative threshold, as shown in Equation 1 above), then at process block 96, base station 62 sends an indication to user equipment 64 to configure its communication hardware (e.g., transmitter 52) to transmit using HPUE operation in HD-FDD 76 mode. If at process block 98, processor 12 determines that the uplink transmission received from user equipment 64 is higher than the threshold signal strength value (e.g., the power margin of transmitter 52 is greater than the positive threshold, as shown in Equation 2 above), then base station 62 can send an indication to user equipment 64 to configure its communication hardware (e.g., transmitter 52) to transmit using the default power mode in FD-FDD mode 78. In some embodiments, the configuration can be specified for the entire RRC session 77, as discussed above Figure 5 In additional or alternative embodiments, processor 12 can monitor the signal strength of the signal transmitted by user equipment 64 such that base station 62 can dynamically schedule the power mode based on the signal strength (e.g., using MAC-CE) throughout RRC session 77.

[0079] In this way, method 90 enables the base station 62 and the network 60 to reconfigure the user equipment 64 between performing HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76 and performing default power operations in the FD-FDD mode 78. Since reception does not occur when the transmitter 52 can perform HPUE operations, unnecessary transmissions outside the uplink channel caused by uplink transmissions in the high power mode can be avoided or mitigated, thereby improving communication quality.

[0080] As described above, a regulatory entity (e.g., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), etc.) may limit the default power operation of the user equipment 64 to a quantity of radio frequency (RF) energy absorbed by a user (e.g., the user's head) when operating the user equipment 64 that is less than the specific absorption rate (SAR) limit. However, current SAR limits may be irrelevant to the operation of the user equipment 64 when using HPUE operations.

[0081] In view of this content, Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method 100 for a user equipment 64 to perform HPUE operations based on an uplink duty cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control components of the user equipment 64 (such as the processor 12) can execute method 100. In some embodiments, method 100 can be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16 using the processor 12. For example, method 90 can be executed at least in part by one or more software components (such as the operating system of the user equipment 64, one or more software applications of the user equipment 64, etc.). Although method 100 is described using steps in a specific order, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps can be executed in an order different from the shown order, and certain described steps can be skipped or not executed at all.

[0082] In process block 102, the processor 12 indicates a duty cycle for high power transmission to the network 60. In particular, the processor 12 can determine an uplink duty cycle (e.g., the frequency of the uplink allocation relative to the downlink allocation) for HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76 based on the SAR rule requirements discussed above. The user equipment 64 can then transmit to the base station 62 of the network 60 an indication that the user equipment 64 is capable of performing HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76 (e.g., transmitting using 3GPP power class 2), and a corresponding uplink duty cycle for performing HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76 based on SAR regulatory requirements.

[0083] In process block 104, the processor 12 receives an indication from the base station 62 to reconfigure the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 64 to transmit data (e.g., perform an uplink transmission) using HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 based on an uplink duty cycle. In some embodiments, the indication may include a switching time 74 during which no uplink allocation 72 or downlink allocation 70 is scheduled. The switching time 74 can be utilized by the user equipment 64 to reconfigure the hardware circuitry to the HPUE operation capability and / or to transition the hardware circuitry between uplink operation and downlink operation. As discussed above Figure 5 it is possible to use an RRCC message to specify the configuration for the entire RRC session 77, or as discussed above Figure 6 it is possible to update the configuration by the user equipment 64 throughout the RRC session 77 by using a MAC-CE. The processor 12 may receive one or more subsequent indications from the network 60 to perform an uplink transmission using HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 based on the uplink duty cycle transmitted by the user equipment 64 to the network 60 for performing HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 (e.g., an instruction to reconfigure the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 64 to operate in HPUE operation). In particular, the processor 12 may receive multiple indications from the base station 62 of the network 60 to perform an uplink transmission using HPUE operation at multiple times corresponding to multiple uplink allocations 72 scheduled by the network 60 based on the duty cycle. The processor 12 may also receive one or more subsequent indications from the network 60 to perform an uplink transmission at a default power in the FD-FDD mode 78 (e.g., an instruction to reconfigure the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 64 to operate in the default power mode).

[0084] In response to receiving the indication to transmit data using HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76, at process block 106, the processor 12 transmits the data using high power according to the uplink allocation 72 indicated by the network 60. Thus, by adjusting the frequency of the uplink allocation relative to the downlink allocation, the method 100 enables the user equipment 64 to meet the SAR regulation requirements when performing HPUE operation.

[0085] Based on the foregoing, Figure 10A flowchart of a method 110 for enabling a base station 62 of a network 60 to manage user equipment HPUE operations based on an uplink duty cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that can control components of the base station 62, such as the processor 12, may execute the method 110. In some embodiments, the method 110 may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16, using the processor 12. For example, the method 110 may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as the operating system of the base station 62, one or more software applications of the base station 62, and the like. Although the method 110 is described using steps in a particular order, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in an order different from the shown order and that certain described steps may be skipped or not performed at all.

[0086] In process block 112, a processor 12 of the base station 62 may receive an indication that the user equipment 64 is capable of transmitting using HPUE operations in the HD-FDD mode 76 and a corresponding uplink duty cycle for the HPUE operations from the user equipment 64.

[0087] In process block 114, network 60 generates a schedule for user equipment 64 to transmit using high power based on the uplink duty cycle. In particular, network 60 may schedule uplink allocation 72 and downlink allocation 70, power modes (e.g., HPUE mode or default power mode) for uplink allocation 72 and downlink allocation 70, and / or duplex modes (e.g., HD-FDD mode 76, FD-FDD mode 78) based on user equipment 64 capabilities and the uplink duty cycle. That is, network 60 may schedule uplink allocation 72 and downlink allocation 70 corresponding to HD-FDD mode 76 according to the frequency of the uplink allocation specified in the uplink duty cycle relative to the downlink allocation. In process block 116, processor 12 sends one or more indications to user equipment 64 to transmit data according to uplink allocation 72 for high power transmission. The indication to perform uplink transmission using HPUE operation may include instructions for user equipment 64 to reconfigure transmitter 52 to operate in HPUE operation. Processor 12 may also receive one or more subsequent indications from network 60, i.e., one or more subsequent indications to perform uplink transmission from network 60 at default power in FD-FDD mode 78 (e.g., instructions for user equipment 64 to reconfigure transmitter 52 to operate in the default power mode). Processor 12 may determine whether the uplink transmit signal is higher than a threshold corresponding to the signal strength based on the user equipment 64 uplink transmit signal. For example, processor 12 may determine whether the power margin of transmitter 52 is greater than a positive threshold, as shown in Equation 2 above. If network 60 determines that the uplink transmission intensity is below the threshold (e.g., the power margin of transmitter 52 is less than a negative threshold, as shown in Equation 1 above), then at process block 96, base station 62 of network 60 sends an indication to user equipment 64 to configure its communication hardware (e.g., transmitter 52) to transmit using HPUE operation in HD-FDD 76 mode. Base station 62 may transmit an indication to user equipment 64 at a first time to reconfigure transmitter 52 to transmit using HPUE operation in HD-FDD 76 mode. Network 60 may determine at a subsequent time according to the scheduled uplink allocation and downlink allocation, and this time corresponds to downlink allocation 70 for HD-FDD 76 mode. Then, base station 62 may transmit an indication to user equipment 64 at a second time not to transmit HPUE operation in HD-FDD 76 mode. Then, network 60 may determine at a subsequent time to schedule uplink allocation 72 corresponding to HD-FDD mode 76. Base station 62 may transmit an indication to transmit in HPUE in HD-FDD 76 to the network at a subsequent time according to the uplink allocation schedule.Base station 62 may send one or more indications to user equipment 64 during HPUE operation, namely, one or more indications specifying the uplink transmission of user equipment 64 based on the scheduled uplink allocation and downlink allocation (based on uplink duty cycle).

[0088] In this way, method 110 enables base station 62 to manage the uplink transmission of user equipment 64 to meet the SAR rule requirements regarding RF output by averaging the transmissions over a time period corresponding to the duty cycle when performing HPUE operation.

[0089] As an illustrative example, Figure 11 is a timing diagram 120 for performing HPUE operation based on a first exemplary uplink duty cycle in HPUE operation under HD-FDD mode 76 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, user equipment 64 may transmit an uplink duty cycle that specifies the HPUE uplink allocation frequency relative to the downlink allocation frequency for an RRC session (e.g., 77).

[0090] The timing diagram depicts time on the horizontal axis and frequency on the vertical axis. In particular, downlink (DL) allocation 70 indicates the time during which data or signals can be sent from base station 62 on the downlink frequency channel and received by receiver 54 of user equipment 64, and uplink (UL) allocation 72 indicates the time during which data or signals can be sent from transmitter 52 of user equipment 64 performing HPUE operation on the uplink frequency channel to base station 62. The downlink frequency channel, the uplink frequency channel, and the times at which downlink allocation 70 and uplink allocation 72 are allocated may each be specified or defined by network 60. For example, downlink allocation 70 and uplink allocation 72 may be scheduled by network 60. As shown, downlink allocation 70 and uplink allocation 72 are frequency division duplex (FDD) because each of allocations 70, 72 is allocated to a different frequency band.

[0091] For example, when user equipment 64 transmits an uplink duty cycle for HPUE operation to base station 62 of network 60, the scheduling shown in the Figure 11 timing diagram may be generated. Then, network 60 may schedule uplink allocation 72 and downlink allocation 70 according to the uplink duty cycle during HPUE operation. As shown, user equipment 64 may transmit an indication regarding a 25% uplink duty cycle for HPUE operation to network 60. Then, network 60 may limit uplink allocation 72 in the scheduling to 25% of all the uplink allocations 72 and downlink allocations 70 in the scheduling. Thus, user equipment 64 may transmit during the uplink duty cycle determined by network 60 and as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6During the uplink allocation 72 corresponding to the signal strength of the uplink transmission discussed in [reference], transmission is performed using HPUE operation in the HD-FDD mode 76.

[0092] Figure 12 It is a timing diagram 122 for performing HPUE operation according to a second exemplary uplink duty cycle based on high-power operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 of the present disclosure. This timing diagram is similar to the above Figure 11 However, it depicts a different uplink duty cycle. As shown, the user equipment 64 can transmit an indication of the HPUE operation capability and the corresponding uplink duty cycle of 20% for the HPUE operation to the base station 62 of the network 60. The network 60 can limit the scheduled uplink allocation 72 to 20% of all the scheduled uplink allocations 72 and downlink allocations 70. Thus, the user equipment 64 can perform transmission using HPUE operation during the uplink allocation 72 corresponding to the schedule determined by the network 60 and the signal strength of the uplink transmission as discussed in Figure 5 and Figure 6 in the FD-FDD mode 78.

[0093] In addition, Figure 13 It is a timing diagram 124 for performing HPUE operation according to a third exemplary uplink duty cycle based on high-power operation in the HD-FDD mode 76 of the present disclosure. This timing diagram is similar to the above Figure 11 and Figure 12 However, it depicts a different uplink duty cycle. For example, the user equipment 64 can transmit an indication of the HPUE operation capability and the corresponding uplink duty cycle of 17% for the HPUE operation. For the uplink duty cycle of 17%, the network 60 can limit the scheduled uplink allocation 72 to 17% of all the scheduled uplink allocations 72 and downlink allocations 70. Thus, the user equipment 64 can perform transmission using HPUE operation during the uplink allocation 72 corresponding to the schedule determined by the network 60 and the signal strength of the uplink transmission as discussed in Figure 5 and Figure 6 in the HD-FDD mode 76. It should be understood that the user equipment 64 can implement an uplink duty cycle percentage of the above-mentioned percentage or any other suitable percentage to maintain a transmit level that meets the SAR rule requirements.

[0094] In addition, as mentioned above, a greater transmission power for the HPUE operation of the user equipment 64 may cause the temperature of the duplexer of the isolation circuit 58 to rise during transmission. Figure 3 This temperature rise may cause a frequency shift in the duplexer during isolation, resulting in poor isolation performance and interference of the transmitted signal at the receiver 54.

[0095] In view of the foregoing, Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a first example of transceiver 30 capable of performing the HPUE operations discussed herein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the transceiver circuitry 30 of the user equipment 64 may include a duplexer (e.g., 128). The duplexer 128 may enable two-way communication on a single path while separating the signals traveling in each direction from each other. For example, the duplexer 128 may enable frequency-division duplexing (FDD) such that the duplexer may isolate the transmitter 52 of the user equipment 64 from the received signal of a first frequency band while isolating the receiver 54 of the user equipment 64 from the transmitted signal of a second frequency band (e.g., isolating the transmitter from the receiver and vice versa). In some embodiments, the duplexer 128 may include a plurality of variable impedance devices that isolate the transmitter 52 from the received signal and / or isolate the receiver 54 from the transmitted signal. The duplexer may include an electrical balance duplexer, a double balance duplexer, or any other suitable form of duplexer. In some embodiments, the duplexer may further include a dual bandpass filter that allows independent filtering operations on the transmitted and received signals.

[0096] The duplexer 128 may switch between the FD-FDD 78 mode and the HD-FDD 76 mode based on network scheduling. The user equipment 64 may transmit an uplink signal by sending a signal from the transmitter 52 through the duplexer 128 to one or more antennas 55. The user equipment 64 may also receive a downlink signal via one or more antennas 55. Then, the downlink signal may pass through the duplexer 128 to the receiver 54 for processing. In some embodiments, the transceiver 30 may implement other hardware arrangements and / or architectures to mitigate the effects of thermal degradation.

[0097] For example, Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a second example of transceiver 30 capable of performing the HPUE operations discussed herein according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The transceiver 30 architecture may utilize a plurality of switching devices to redirect the uplink transmission signal transmitted from the duplexer 128 in the HPUE operation in the HD-FDD 76 mode, thereby mitigating the effects of thermal duplexer degradation that may be caused by high-power transmission.

[0098] The transceiver circuit 30 may include a transmitter switching device 138 (e.g., a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switching device) that is coupled to the transmitter 52 at a single input of the transmitter switching device 138. A first output of the transmitter switching device 138 may be coupled to an additional bandpass filter input 140 (e.g., which may filter signals below a desired frequency), and a second output of the transmitter switching device 138 may be coupled to the duplexer 128. Additionally, an antenna switching device 142 (e.g., another SPDT switching device) may be coupled to one or more antennas 55 at a single input of the antenna switching device 142. A first output of the antenna switching device 142 may be coupled to the additional bandpass filter 140, and a second output of the antenna switching device 142 may be coupled to the duplexer 128.

[0099] To perform HPUE operations in the HD-FDD 76 mode, the processor 12 may transmit a signal to the transmitter switching device 138 that couples the transmitter 52 to the additional bandpass filter 140. Accordingly, the transmitter 52 may transmit an HPUE uplink signal to the additional bandpass filter 140, which may filter frequencies of the HPUE uplink signal outside of the desired transmit frequency range. Thus, the HPUE uplink signal is routed via the transmitter switching device 138 to bypass the duplexer 128. Accordingly, the duplexer 128 may not suffer from the thermal degradation effects caused by the HPUE uplink signal. The processor 12 may transmit an additional signal to the antenna switching device 142 that couples the bandpass filter 140 to one or more antennas 55. This enables the HPUE uplink signal to be transmitted from the bandpass filter 140 to one or more antennas 55 for transmission. In default power operation, the processor 12 of the user equipment 64 may send a signal to the transmitter switching device 138 that couples the transmitter circuit 52 to the duplexer 128, and send an additional signal to the antenna switching device 142 that couples the duplexer 128 to one or more antennas 55. This enables the user equipment 64 to utilize the duplexer 128 during default power operation. The transceiver circuit 30 may also utilize additional or alternative hardware components and / or architectures to enable the HPUE uplink signal to bypass the duplexer 128.

[0100] In view of the foregoing, Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a third example of a transceiver 30 that can perform the HPUE operations discussed herein, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The transceiver 30 architecture may utilize multiple switching devices to redirect uplink transmit signals transmitted from the duplexer 128 during HPUE operations in the HD-FDD 76 mode, thereby reducing the effects of thermal duplexer degradation that may be caused by high-power transmissions.

[0101] The transceiver circuit 30 may include a transmitter switching device 138 (e.g., a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switching device) that is coupled to the transmitter 52 at a single input of the transmitter switching device 138. A first output of the transmitter switching device 138 may be coupled to a first output 146 of an antenna switching device 142 (e.g., another SPDT switching device), and a second output of the transmitter switching device 138 may be coupled to the duplexer 128. Additionally, the antenna switching device 142 may be coupled to one or more antennas 55 at a single input of the antenna switching device 142. The first output 146 of the antenna switching device 142 may be coupled to the transmitter 52 as described above, and a second output of the antenna switching device 142 may be coupled to the duplexer 128.

[0102] To perform HPUE operations in the HD-FDD 76 mode, the processor 12 may transmit a signal to the transmitter switching device 138 that couples the transmitter 52 to the first output 146 of the antenna switching device 142. Accordingly, the transmitter 52 may transmit an HPUE uplink signal to the first output 146 of the antenna switching device 142. Thus, the HPUE uplink signal is routed via the transmitter switching device 138 to bypass the duplexer 128. Accordingly, the duplexer 128 may not suffer from the thermal degradation effects caused by the HPUE uplink signal. The processor 12 may transmit an additional signal to the antenna switching device 142 that couples the output of the transmitter 52 to one or more antennas 55. This enables the HPUE uplink signal to be directly transmitted from the transmitter 52 to one or more antennas 55 for transmission. In such cases, it may be possible that the HPUE uplink signal is relatively unaffected by noise or transmissions outside of the desired transmission frequency range (e.g., transmission channels), such that a filter (such as the additional bandpass filter 140) may be unnecessary.

[0103] In default power operation, the processor 12 of the user equipment 64 may send a signal to the transmitter switching device 138 that couples the transmitter circuit 52 to the duplexer 128 and send an additional signal to the antenna switching device 142 that couples the duplexer 128 to one or more antennas 55. This enables the user equipment 64 to utilize the duplexer 128 during default power operation. The transceiver circuit 30 may also utilize additional or alternative hardware components and / or architectures to enable the HPUE uplink signal to bypass the duplexer 128.

[0104] The above specific embodiments have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should also be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0105] The technology described and claimed herein is recited in reference to and applied to specific examples of physical and tangible nature, which significantly improve the relevant technical field and are thus not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Additionally, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] [function]..." or "step for [performing] [function]...", those elements will be construed in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claim that contains elements designated in any other manner, those elements will not be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

[0106] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: A transmitter configured to transmit data; A receiver configured to receive data; And One or more processors configured to receive, via the receiver, a first indication from a user equipment, the first indication indicating that the user equipment is capable of transmitting data using a first power higher than a first threshold, Receive a second indication that a signal strength associated with the user equipment is lower than a second threshold, Schedule a downlink allocation corresponding to a second power and an uplink allocation corresponding to the first power at different times and frequencies, such that the uplink transmission at the first power is limited to time slots in which no downlink resources are scheduled, the second power being less than the first threshold; and Based on the second indication and the scheduled allocations, cause the transmitter to send a third indication to the user equipment to transmit data using the first power in a half-duplex frequency-division duplex (HD-FDD) mode.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to schedule a period during which the user equipment is reconfigured to transmit using the first power in the HD-FDD mode, and the third indication to the user equipment indicates the period.

3. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold is 23 dBm.

4. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, based on receiving a fifth indication that the signal strength associated with the user equipment is higher than the second threshold, cause the transmitter to send a fourth indication to the user equipment to transmit data using the second power in a full-duplex frequency-division duplex (FD-FDD) mode.

5. The base station according to claim 4, wherein the second power is less than or equal to 23 dBm.

6. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the first indication includes an uplink duty cycle of the user equipment.

7. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a schedule for indicating a period during which the user equipment uses the HD-FDD mode to transmit and receive data based on the uplink duty cycle.

8. A user equipment, comprising: A transmitter configured to transmit a transmission signal; A receiver configured to receive a reception signal; And One or more processors configured to cause the transmitter to send a notification to a network that the user equipment is capable of transmitting the transmission signal using a first power higher than a threshold, Receive, via the receiver, from the network, a first indication to reconfigure the transmitter to use the first power in a half-duplex frequency-division duplex (HD-FDD) mode, and receive a schedule to perform a downlink allocation corresponding to a second power and an uplink allocation corresponding to the first power at different times and frequencies, such that the uplink transmission at the first power is limited to time slots in which no downlink resources are scheduled, the second power being less than the threshold, Based on the first indication and the scheduling, reconfigure the transmitter to use the first power in the HD-FDD mode. Receive, via the receiver, a second indication from the network to reconfigure the transmitter to use a second power lower than the threshold in the full-duplex frequency-division duplex FD-FDD mode, and Based on the second indication, reconfigure the transmitter to use the second power in the FD-FDD mode.

9. The user equipment according to claim 8, comprising: One or more antennas communicatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver; A duplexer configured to isolate the receiver from the transmit signal and isolate the transmitter from the receive signal; And A band-pass filter configured to enable at least a portion of the transmit signal within a frequency range to be transmitted from the transmitter to the one or more antennas.

10. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein the duplexer includes a dual-band-pass filter.

11. The user equipment according to claim 9, comprising a switching device that enables the transmitter to be coupled to the duplexer in a first configuration and to the band-pass filter in a second configuration.

12. The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a signal to the switching device based on the first indication to couple the transmitter to the band-pass filter in the second configuration.

13. The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a signal to the switching device based on the second indication to couple the transmitter to the duplexer in the first configuration.

14. The user equipment according to claim 9, comprising a switching device that enables the one or more antennas to be coupled to the duplexer in a first configuration or to the band-pass filter in a second configuration.

15. The user equipment according to claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a signal to the switching device based on the first indication to couple the band-pass filter to the one or more antennas in the second configuration.

16. The user equipment according to claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a signal to the switching device based on the second indication to couple the duplexer to the one or more antennas in the first configuration.

17. A method for power operation, comprising: Send, from a user equipment to a network, a notification that the user equipment is capable of transmitting data using a first power higher than a threshold. The user equipment receives from the network a first indication to transmit using the first power in a half-duplex frequency-division duplex (HD-FDD) mode, and receives a scheduling to perform a downlink allocation corresponding to a second power and an uplink allocation corresponding to the first power at different times and frequencies, such that the uplink transmission of the first power is limited to time slots in which no downlink resources are scheduled, and the second power is less than the threshold; Based on the first indication and the scheduling, transmit first data from the user equipment using the first power in the HD-FDD mode; The user equipment receives from the network a second indication to transmit using a second power lower than the threshold in a full-duplex frequency-division duplex (FD-FDD) mode; And Based on the second indication, transmit second data from the user equipment using the second power in the FD-FDD mode.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the notification includes a duty cycle that indicates a period of time during which the user equipment uses the first power to transmit data in the HD-FDD mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first indication from the network to transmit using the first power in the HD-FDD mode is determined based on the duty cycle.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the threshold is 23 dBm.

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