Methods and apparatus for improving reliability and reducing power consumption for fr2 rrm

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for improving reliability and reducing power consumption for FR2 RRM are disclosed. In one aspect, a UE can maintain a connection of a first RAT and a connection of a second RAT. The UE is configured to send a RAT request to a cellular network, the RAT request indicating at least one preferred RAT selected from the first RAT and the second RAT, and to use the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmissions between the UE and the cellular network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates in its entirety to wireless communication systems, including methods and apparatus for improving the reliability of FR2 radio resource management (RRM) and reducing power consumption. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) (often referred to within industry organizations as...). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) to enable RAN (which may sometimes be collectively referred to as network (NW), RAN node, network node, or simply node) base stations to communicate with wireless communication equipment called user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate 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).

[0004] Each RAN can use one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) for communication between the base station and the UE. For example, GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements the NR RAT (sometimes also referred to herein as the 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement the NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement the LTE RAT.

[0005] The base stations used by a RAN can correspond to that RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also called gNodeB or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services to external entities through its connection with the core network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN can utilize the evolved packet core network (EPC), while NG-RAN can utilize the 5G core network (5GC).

[0007] 5G NR frequency bands can be divided into two or more distinct frequency ranges. For example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include bands operating below 6 GHz, some of which are available for previous standards and can potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) may include bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The bands in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have a smaller range but potentially larger available bandwidth than the bands in FR1. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these frequency ranges, presented by way of example, may vary over time or in different regions. Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The UE includes: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio component; the UE is capable of maintaining dual connectivity with a cellular network, the dual connectivity including a connection to a first RAT and a connection to a second RAT; wherein the UE is configured to: send a RAT request to the cellular network, the RAT request indicating at least one preferred RAT selected from the first RAT and the second RAT; and use the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

[0009] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method is disclosed that includes operations performed by the aforementioned UE.

[0010] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a UE is disclosed. The UE includes: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the UE is capable of operating in NR FR1 and NR FR2 frequency bands, and wherein the UE is configured to: transmit a scheduling request (SR) to the cellular network to indicate a specific configuration preferred by the UE; wherein the specific configuration preferred by the UE includes at least one of the following: the UE preferably has a license in the NR FR1 or NR FR2 frequency band; the number of component carriers (CCs) that the UE preferably schedules; or one or more specific CCs that the UE preferably schedules from all available CCs.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method is disclosed that includes operations performed by the aforementioned UE.

[0012] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a UE is disclosed. The UE includes: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the at least one antenna includes a plurality of antenna panels, and wherein the UE is configured to perform a first beam measurement for a set of beams using a first set of activated antenna panels, and to send panel management instructions to a cellular network.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method is disclosed that includes operations performed by the aforementioned UE.

[0014] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is disclosed that includes means for performing one or more elements of the method described herein.

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, one or more computer-readable media are disclosed that store instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the methods described herein.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is disclosed that includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the methods described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To facilitate identification of any particular element or action being discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the drawing number in which the element was first introduced.

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A method for performing optimized switching between different RATs, according to the implementation disclosed herein, is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 An exemplary switching procedure according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown, wherein the DRB can be changed in response to a RAT request.

[0022] Figure 5 An exemplary switching procedure according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown, wherein one connection in the connection may be released in response to a RAT request.

[0023] Figure 6 A method for performing optimized handover between different RATs of a UE, according to an embodiment disclosed herein, is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 7 A method for a preferred configuration for requesting a UE according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 A method for performing panel management using a UE according to the embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Advanced UEs may be able to maintain dual connectivity with a cellular network (also known as "NW"). Dual connectivity may include connections to at least two different RATs. For example, the first RAT could be 4G LTE, and the second RAT could be 5G NR. As a next-generation RAT, NR may be able to offer potentially greater available data bandwidth and higher peak data rates than LTE.

[0027] The NR band can be further divided into two or more different frequency ranges, such as the FR1 band and the FR2 band. NR operation in the FR2 band (also known as "FR2 operation") can provide potentially greater available data bandwidth and higher peak data rates than NR operation in the FR1 band (also known as "FR1 operation").

[0028] However, NR typically has a smaller coverage area and higher power consumption than LTE. Furthermore, FR2 operation generally has a smaller coverage area, lower reliability, and higher power consumption than FR1 operation.

[0029] Dual-connectivity UEs face numerous challenges. For example, FR2 mobility can be particularly challenging. For intra-RAT mobility, the UE may require a very long time to accurately measure neighboring cells and complete all Rx / Tx beam measurements. Additionally, FR2 cells are typically small, and UE movement, such as rotation, can significantly alter beam quality. Ensuring reliable FR2 mobility is therefore very challenging. For inter-RAT mobility, the cellular network may not be able to switch the UE between different RATs in a timely and appropriate manner to adapt to the UE's current state, as the cellular network lacks a complete and real-time understanding of the UE's state (such as data state, power state, and / or thermal state). On the other hand, the UE may prefer to disable or minimize NR FR2 operation.

[0030] Several issues have been observed during field testing and measurements. For example, when operating in NR (more specifically, in the FR2 band), the UE may experience power consumption and thermal issues. These issues are exacerbated when the UE is experiencing high peak data rates (e.g., above 1Gbps). It has also been observed that the current cellular network randomly switches the UE between LTE RAT and NR RAT, which can result in significant overhead and additional UE power consumption without providing any performance benefits.

[0031] Therefore, enhancements are needed to improve the reliability of UE mobility procedures and minimize power consumption and thermal issues. This document discloses aspects for UE RAT handover optimization, streamlined FR2 operation, and improved management. It should be understood that one or more aspects may be used individually or in combination.

[0032] Exemplary Architecture

[0033] Various embodiments are described with respect to the UE. However, references to the UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0034] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. The description provided below is for an exemplary wireless communication system 100 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (however, any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0036] UE 102 and UE 104 can be configured to communicate with RAN 106. In this implementation, RAN 106 can be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 102 and UE 104 utilize connections (or channels) with RAN 106 (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively), where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, that implement connection 108 and connection 110.

[0037] In this example, Connection 108 and Connection 110 are air interfaces that enable this type of communication coupling and can conform to the RAT used by RAN106, such as LTE and / or NR.

[0038] In some implementations, UE 102 and UE 104 may also exchange communication data directly via sidelink interface 116. UE 104 is shown configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via connection 120. For example, connection 120 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 118 may include... Router. In this example, AP 118 may connect to another network (e.g., the Internet) without using CN 124.

[0039] In the implementation, UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 112 and / or base station 114 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals, based on various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0040] In some implementations, all or part of base station 112 or base station 114 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Furthermore, or in other implementations, base station 112 or base station 114 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 122. In implementations where the wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 124 is an EPC), interface 122 may be an X2 interface. This X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In implementations where the wireless communication system 100 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 124 is a 5GC), interface 122 may be an Xn interface. This Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations connected to the 5GC (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.), between base station 112 (e.g., a gNB) connected to the 5GC and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 124).

[0041] RAN 106 is shown communicatively coupled to CN 124. CN 124 may include one or more network elements 126 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 102 and UE 104) connected to CN 124 via RAN 106. Components of CN 124 may be implemented in a single physical device or a separate physical device, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media).

[0042] In this implementation, CN 124 can be an EPC, and RAN 106 can be connected to CN 124 via S1 interface 128. In this implementation, S1 interface 128 can be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface carrying traffic data between base station 112 or 114 and the serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 112 or 114 and the mobility management entity (MME).

[0043] In this implementation, CN 124 can be a 5GC, and RAN 106 can be connected to CN 124 via NG interface 128. In this implementation, NG interface 128 can be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface carrying traffic data between base station 112 or 114 and the User Plane Function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 112 or 114 and the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0044] Generally, application server 130 can be an element that provides Internet Protocol (IP) carried resources (e.g., packet-switched data services) for use with CN 124. Application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 102 and UE 104 via CN 124. Application server 130 can communicate with CN 124 via IP communication interface 132.

[0045] Figure 2 A system 200 for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218, according to an embodiment disclosed herein, is illustrated. System 200 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. Wireless device 202 may be, for example, a UE (User Equipment) of a wireless communication system. Network device 218 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of a wireless communication system.

[0046] Wireless device 202 may include one or more processors 204. Processor 204 may execute instructions to perform various operations of wireless device 202 as described herein. Processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0047] Wireless device 202 may include memory 206. Memory 206 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 204). Instructions 208 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 206 may also store data used by processor 204 and results calculated by the processor.

[0048] Wireless device 202 may include one or more transceivers 210, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses antenna 212 of wireless device 202 to facilitate the transmission or receipt of signaling (e.g., signaling 234) between wireless device 202 and other devices (e.g., network device 218) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0049] Wireless device 202 may include one or more antennas 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For implementations with multiple antennas 212, wireless device 202 can fully utilize the spatial diversity of these multiple antennas 212 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resource. This practice may be referred to, for example, as a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) approach (referring to multiple antennas used separately on the transmitting and receiving sides to implement this aspect). MIMO transmissions performed by wireless device 202 can be achieved according to precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to wireless device 202, whereby the wireless device multiplexes data streams among antennas 212 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received with appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with that data stream). Some implementations may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) method (where the entire data stream is directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) method (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers at different locations in the airspace).

[0050] In some implementations with multiple antennas, wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques, whereby the phase of the signal transmitted by antenna 212 is relatively adjusted, making the (joint) transmission of antenna 212 directional (this is sometimes referred to as beam control).

[0051] Wireless device 202 may include one or more interfaces 214. Interfaces 214 can be used to provide input to or output to wireless device 202. For example, wireless device 202 as a UE may include interfaces 214, such as a microphone, speaker, touchscreen, buttons, etc., to allow the user of the UE to input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such UEs may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 210 / antenna 212 already described), allowing the UE to communicate with other devices and according to known protocols (e.g., ...). (etc.) to perform the operation.

[0052] Network device 218 may include one or more processors 220. Processor 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of network device 218 as described herein. Processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0053] Network device 218 may include memory 222. Memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 220). Instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 222 may also store data used by processor 220 and results calculated by the processor.

[0054] Network device 218 may include one or more transceivers 226, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses the antenna 228 of network device 218 to facilitate the transmission or receipt of signaling (e.g., signaling 234) between network device 218 and other devices (e.g., wireless device 202) in accordance with the corresponding RAT.

[0055] Network device 218 may include one or more antennas 228 (e.g., one, two, four or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 228, network device 218 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam control, etc., as described above.

[0056] Network device 218 may include one or more interfaces 230. Interfaces 230 may be used to provide input to or output to network device 218. For example, network device 218 as a base station may include interface 230 consisting of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 226 / antenna 228 described), enabling the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network, and / or enabling the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operablely connected to it.

[0057] RAT switching optimization

[0058] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the UE may be able to maintain dual connectivity with the cellular network. Dual connectivity may include a connection to a first RAT and a connection to a second RAT. The UE may be able to maintain two connections to the cellular network, one for the first RAT and the other for the second RAT. The first RAT and the second RAT can provide the UE with different available data bandwidth and coverage. Furthermore, the first RAT and the second RAT can have different levels of reliability. Additionally, the first RAT and the second RAT can result in different levels of UE power consumption.

[0059] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the first RAT can be 4G LTE, and the second RAT can be 5G NR. Although this disclosure primarily discusses LTE and NR, it should be understood that the dual connectivity of the UE is not limited to these. In other embodiments, the dual connectivity of the UE may include any other suitable RAT, such as any RAT of future generation 3GPP standards.

[0060] For the UE, handover can occur between a first RAT and a second RAT. In one specific implementation, the handover can be initiated by the cellular network. Specifically, the cellular network can configure the UE to handover from one of the first and second RATs to the other. However, the cellular network may not be able to handover the UE between different RATs in a timely and appropriate manner to adapt to the UE's current state because the cellular network does not have a complete and immediate understanding of the UE's current state (such as the UE's data state, power state, and / or thermal state). In fact, some states are not immediately reported by the UE to the cellular network. Certain states (such as the UE's power state and / or thermal state) are not reported by the UE to the cellular network. Therefore, handover initiated by the cellular network may not always be optimal for the UE. RAT handover optimization is expected to improve UE performance.

[0061] Figure 3A method 300 for performing optimized handover between different RATs of a UE is shown. Method 300 can be performed by any UE (e.g., wireless device 202) or any device that may be able to control the UE disclosed herein.

[0062] Method 300 may begin at step 310, wherein the UE may be configured to send a RAT request to the cellular network. The RAT request may be configured to indicate at least one RAT selected from a first RAT and a second RAT and preferred by the UE.

[0063] Then, method 300 may proceed to step 320, wherein the UE may be configured to use at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

[0064] Method 300 allows the UE to perform an optimized handover to at least one preferred RAT. This handover is requested by the UE, which has a complete and immediate understanding of the UE's state. Therefore, the handover may be able to provide a RAT adapted to the UE's state.

[0065] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the at least one preferred RAT may include one or both of a first RAT and a second RAT. In some cases, the at least one preferred RAT may refer to a single RAT (i.e., the first RAT or the second RAT). In some cases, the at least one preferred RAT may refer to both the first RAT and the second RAT.

[0066] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the second RAT can be 5G NR, which includes FR1 operation and FR2 operation. In this embodiment, when the at least one preferred RAT includes the second RAT, the RAT request can further indicate at least one preferred operation selected by the UE from FR1 operation and FR2 operation. Therefore, using the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network in step 320 can include using the at least one preferred operation selected from FR1 operation and FR2 operation to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

[0067] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the RAT request can be a recommendation from the UE to the cellular network. That is, upon receiving a RAT request from the UE, the cellular network can decide whether to accept or reject the UE's RAT request. If the cellular network decides to accept the RAT request, it can send an acknowledgment to the UE. In response to receiving the acknowledgment from the cellular network, the UE can proceed to step 320 to use at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. If the UE fails to receive the acknowledgment from the cellular network (e.g., within a time threshold), the UE may not proceed to step 320.

[0068] In one implementation, the acknowledgment from the cellular network can be an explicit message sent by the cellular network. In another implementation, the acknowledgment from the cellular network can be implicit. For example, the cellular network can send a new configuration to the UE to configure the connection and / or data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. The new configuration can be based on at least one preferred RAT indicated in the RAT request. Therefore, the new configuration can serve as an implicit acknowledgment of the RAT request.

[0069] According to another implementation, the UE can proceed to step 320 without having to receive confirmation from the cellular network.

[0070] According to the various embodiments disclosed herein, a RAT request may take any suitable form to indicate the at least one preferred RAT. In one embodiment, a RAT request may indicate the at least one preferred RAT by including information associated with the at least one RAT preferred by the UE. In an example, the RAT request may include an index or identifier of the at least one preferred RAT, which is selected from a predefined set of indexes or identifiers of all available RATs. In another embodiment, a RAT request may indicate the at least one preferred RAT by including information associated with at least one RAT not preferred by the UE.

[0071] According to the various embodiments disclosed herein, a RAT request can be sent via any appropriate message from the UE to the cellular network. In one embodiment, the RAT request can be included along with other information in any existing message from the UE to the cellular network. In one example, the RAT request can be sent as part of auxiliary information from the UE to the cellular network. Specifically, the RAT request can be implemented as one or more information elements (IEs) in the auxiliary information. In another example, the RAT request can be sent as part of RRC signaling (such as a configured measurement report) from the UE to the cellular network. In yet another example, the RAT request can be sent as part of a MAC CE message from the UE to the cellular network. In yet another embodiment, a new separate message can be defined to include the RAT request. This new separate message can be sent from the UE to the cellular network.

[0072] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the transmission of a RAT request can be triggered by the UE based on the UE's state. Specifically, the UE can be configured to monitor the UE's state and determine whether the UE's state meets one or more predetermined triggering criteria. Based on the determination that the UE's state meets the one or more predetermined triggering criteria, the UE can send a RAT request. Therefore, the RAT request can be triggered by the UE without needing to receive prior instructions from the cellular network.

[0073] According to the various embodiments disclosed herein, the state of the UE can be determined based on various states associated with the UE. Therefore, the one or more predetermined trigger criteria can be associated with one or more of these states. Exemplary states may include the UE's data state, the UE's radio state, the UE's power consumption state, the UE's battery state, the UE's thermal state, or any combination thereof.

[0074] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more predetermined triggering criteria may be based on the data state of the UE. The data state may include the amount of data to be transmitted or received by the UE and / or its expected data rate. For example, if the amount of data to be transmitted or received by the UE and / or the expected data rate decreases below one or more thresholds, the UE may trigger a RAT request to indicate at least one preferred RAT (e.g., LTE) that provides potentially lower data bandwidth. The lower data bandwidth of the LTE RAT may be sufficient to support a relatively small amount of data and / or a relatively low expected data rate, while avoiding the relatively higher power consumption and heat generation associated with the NR RAT. If the amount of data to be transmitted or received by the UE and / or the expected data rate exceeds the one or more thresholds, the UE may trigger a RAT request to indicate at least another preferred RAT (e.g., NR) that can provide potentially greater data bandwidth. In another embodiment, if a first threshold of the one or more thresholds is exceeded, the UE may trigger a RAT request to indicate NR FR1 operation. If a second threshold higher than the first threshold is exceeded, the UE may trigger a RAT request to indicate NR FR2 operation, which provides greater data bandwidth than NR FR1 operation.

[0075] In this implementation, the UE can configure one or more thresholds based on the peak data rate and / or potential data bandwidth of the first RAT and the second RAT (in some implementations, more specifically, FR1 operation and FR2 operation).

[0076] Furthermore, in this implementation, the UE can be configured to measure the amount of data to be transmitted based on the amount of data in the buffer used for uplink (UL) transmission. The UE can also be configured to measure the amount of data to be received based on one or more applications running on the UE. For example, if a streaming application is activated, the UE can expect a high data rate. Any other appropriate measurements can also be used to determine the amount of data to be transmitted or received by the UE and / or its expected data rate.

[0077] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more predetermined triggering criteria may be based on the radio state of the UE. The radio state of the UE may be described by one or more parameters, such as signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received power (RSRP), channel quality indication (CQI), or any combination thereof. The UE may be able to measure its own radio state or receive radio state measurements. Each of the first RAT and the second RAT (in some embodiments, more specifically, FR1 operation and FR2 operation) may have corresponding measurements. Since NR may have a smaller coverage area than LTE, the UE may be configured to select NR as the preferred RAT only when the radio state of NR is sufficiently good (e.g., when the value of the one or more parameters associated with NR exceeds one or more thresholds).

[0078] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more predetermined triggering criteria may be based on the UE's power consumption state. For example, if the UE determines that its power consumption exceeds one or more thresholds, the UE may trigger the transmission of a RAT request to indicate at least one preferred RAT (e.g., LTE) that requires less UE power consumption. In another embodiment, if a first threshold of the one or more thresholds is exceeded, the RAT request may indicate that only LTE is preferred. If the UE's power consumption drops to between the first threshold and a second threshold below the first threshold, the RAT request may indicate that LTE or NR FR1 operation may be preferred. If the UE's power consumption drops below the second threshold, the RAT request may indicate that any of LTE, NR FR1 operation, or NR FR2 operation may be preferred.

[0079] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more predetermined triggering criteria may be based on the UE's battery state. For example, if the UE determines that its battery has dropped below one or more thresholds, the UE may trigger the sending of a RAT request to indicate at least one preferred RAT (e.g., LTE) that requires less UE power consumption. More specifically, if the UE's battery drops below a first threshold of the one or more thresholds, the RAT request may indicate that only LTE is preferred. If the UE's battery drops between the first threshold and a second threshold above the first threshold, the RAT request may indicate that LTE or NR FR1 operation may be preferred. If the UE's power consumption exceeds the second threshold, the RAT request may indicate that any of LTE, NR FR1 operation, or NR FR2 operation may be preferred.

[0080] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, predetermined triggering criteria can be triggered based on the thermal state of the UE. For example, if the UE determines that its thermal state is deteriorating (e.g., the temperature of at least one part of the UE exceeds one or more thresholds), the UE can trigger the transmission of a RAT request to indicate at least one preferred RAT (e.g., LTE) that causes the UE to generate less heat. More specifically, if the temperature of at least one part of the UE exceeds a first threshold of the one or more thresholds, the RAT request can indicate that only LTE is preferred. If the temperature of at least one part of the UE drops to between the first threshold and a second threshold below the first threshold, the RAT request can indicate that LTE or NR FR1 operation may be preferred. If the temperature of at least one part of the UE drops below the second threshold, the RAT request can indicate that any of LTE, NR FR1 operation, or NR FR2 operation may be preferred.

[0081] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, determining that the UE's state meets one or more predetermined triggering criteria may include filtering measurements associated with one or more states before determining whether the one or more predetermined triggering criteria are met. Filtering of measurements improves reliability and robustness, thereby avoiding the Ping-Pong problem that could lead to frequent switching between RATs.

[0082] In one example, filtering may include filtering out one or more outliers from a series of measurements or reducing the effect of outliers. The filter can be applied to the series of measurements. For example, the UE can be configured to calculate the average of the filtered series of measurements. The calculated average can be used to determine whether the measurement meets a predetermined trigger criterion. For example, the calculated average can be compared to one or more thresholds. Other filters may also be used.

[0083] In another example, filtering may include determining whether a measurement associated with a preferred RAT is better than a measurement associated with the RAT currently used between the UE and the cellular network. If the measurement associated with the preferred RAT is determined to be better, differing by at least a predetermined threshold and / or lasting for at least a predetermined time, the UE may send a RAT request. If the measurement associated with the preferred RAT is not good enough, or if the good measurement associated with the preferred RAT does not last for a sufficient period of time, the UE may not send a RAT request but instead maintain the currently used RAT. The predetermined threshold and / or predetermined time period may be configurable.

[0084] While various states have been discussed above, it should be understood that other states concerning the UE can be considered alternatively or in combination. These states can be considered individually or in any combination. For example, power consumption, battery status, or thermal status can be considered in combination with data status to ensure that data transmission of the UE is supported while minimizing the UE's power consumption.

[0085] Based on the various implementation schemes disclosed herein, a variety of NR deployment alternatives can be used to implement the second RAT. In one specific implementation, an NSA (non-standalone) deployment can be used to implement the second RAT. In another specific implementation, an SA (standalone) deployment can be used to implement the second RAT. As discussed below, different NR deployment alternatives can lead to different implementation schemes of this disclosure.

[0086] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, using at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network in step 320 may include using at least one preferred RAT to carry a data radio bearer (DRB) for data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. In this case, the data radio bearer (DRB) for data transmission is changed in step 320, but the connection for both the first RAT and the second RAT can be maintained.

[0087] Figure 4 An exemplary handover procedure 400 is shown, in which the DRB can be changed in response to a RAT request. Handover procedure 400 is discussed in relation to dual connectivity for LTE and NR. The UE can initially establish LTE-NR dual connectivity with the cellular network (also shown as "NW").

[0088] At step 410, the UE may determine that a first predetermined trigger criterion is met. The first predetermined trigger criterion may include, for example, the UE's expected data rate dropping below one or more thresholds. It should be understood that the first predetermined trigger criterion may include any other suitable state, such as those described above.

[0089] In response to determining that the first predetermined trigger criterion is met, the UE may send a RAT request to the cellular network at step 420 to indicate that LTE is the preferred RAT. In this case, LTE is preferred by the UE because the relatively smaller data bandwidth of LTE may be sufficient to support the expected data rate, and LTE is more reliable and results in less UE power consumption and thermal issues.

[0090] Upon receiving a RAT request from the UE, the cellular network may decide to accept the RAT request. Therefore, the cellular network may configure a Data Radio Bearer (DRB) on the LTE connection at step 430. A DRB cannot be configured on an NR connection. After receiving the configuration from the cellular network, the UE may be ready to use the DRB on the LTE connection.

[0091] At step 440, the UE and the cellular network can use the DRB carried on the LTE connection to perform data transmission between the UE and the cellular network (e.g., downlink data and / or uplink data transmission). Although the NR connection can still be maintained, the NR connection does not carry any DRB. Therefore, the power consumption and potential thermal issues associated with data transmission on the NR connection can be reduced.

[0092] At step 450, the UE may determine that a second predetermined trigger criterion is met. The second predetermined trigger criterion may include, for example, the expected data rate exceeding one or more thresholds. The second predetermined trigger criterion may include any other suitable state, such as those described above.

[0093] In response to determining that a second predetermined trigger criterion is met, the UE may send a second RAT request to the cellular network at step 460 to indicate that NR is the preferred RAT. NR becomes the preferred RAT because the relatively smaller data bandwidth of LTE may not be sufficient to support expected data rates exceeding one or more of the thresholds.

[0094] Upon receiving a second RAT request from the UE, the cellular network may decide to accept the second RAT request. Therefore, the cellular network may configure the NR connection to carry the DRB at step 470. After receiving the configuration from the cellular network, the UE may be ready to use the DRB on the NR connection.

[0095] At step 480, the NR connection may carry a configured DRB. The DRB on the NR connection can be used to carry at least a portion of the data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. The DRB on the NR connection may be able to provide relatively greater data bandwidth to support the expected data rate.

[0096] The LTE connection can still be maintained at step 480. In one specific implementation, the LTE connection can still carry at least a portion of the DRB supporting data transmission between the UE and the cellular network, such as... Figure 4 As shown. In another specific implementation (not shown), at step 480, DRBs can only be configured on NR connections, and LTE connections may no longer carry any DRBs.

[0097] It should be noted that the NR-based NSA deployment demonstrates Figure 4 In this case, the signaling data bearer (SRB) cannot be carried over the NR connection. Therefore, at steps 440 and 480, the SRB is carried over the LTE connection. In an alternative implementation utilizing NR SA deployment, the SRB can be carried over the NR connection. In this implementation, at step 480, the SRB can be carried over the NR connection instead of the LTE connection.

[0098] According to another embodiment, using at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network in step 320 may include maintaining the connection of the at least one preferred RAT between the UE and the cellular network, and releasing the connection of any RAT other than the at least one preferred RAT in the first RAT and the second RAT.

[0099] Figure 5 An exemplary handover procedure 500 is illustrated, in which one connection can be released in response to a RAT request. Handover procedure 500 is discussed in relation to dual connectivity for LTE and NR. The UE can initially establish LTE-NR dual connectivity with the cellular network.

[0100] At step 510, the UE may determine that a first predetermined trigger criterion is met. The first predetermined trigger criterion may include, for example, the expected data rate drop below one or more thresholds. It should be understood that the first predetermined trigger criterion may include any other suitable state, such as those described above.

[0101] In response to determining that the first predetermined triggering criterion is met, the UE may send a RAT request to the cellular network at step 520 to indicate that LTE is the preferred RAT.

[0102] Upon receiving a RAT request from the UE, the cellular network may decide to accept the RAT request. Therefore, the cellular network may be configured at step 530 to maintain the LTE connection between the UE and the cellular network and release the NR connection. Upon receiving the configuration from the cellular network, the UE may accordingly maintain the LTE connection between the UE and the cellular network and release the NR connection.

[0103] At step 540, only the LTE connection between the UE and the cellular network is maintained, and the NR connection is released. Data transmission between the UE and the cellular network is carried on the LTE connection (more specifically, on the DRB of the LTE connection). Therefore, the power consumption and potential thermal issues associated with the NR connection can be avoided.

[0104] At step 550, the UE may determine that a second predetermined trigger criterion is met. The second predetermined trigger criterion may include, for example, the expected data rate exceeding one or more thresholds. The second predetermined trigger criterion may include any other suitable state, such as those described above.

[0105] In response to determining that the second predetermined triggering criterion is met, the UE may send a second RAT request to the cellular network at step 560 to indicate that the NR is the preferred RAT.

[0106] Upon receiving a second RAT request from the UE, the cellular network may decide to accept the second RAT request. Therefore, the cellular network may be configured at step 570 to establish an NR connection between the UE and the cellular network. The cellular network may also configure the NR connection to carry at least a portion of the DRB for data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. Upon receiving the configuration from the cellular network, the UE may accordingly establish an NR connection and configure the DRB on the NR connection.

[0107] In step 580, an NR connection has been established between the UE and the cellular network, and can carry at least a portion of the data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. This portion of the data transmission can be carried on the DRB of the NR connection. The NR connection may be able to provide relatively greater data bandwidth to support the expected data rate.

[0108] In one implementation, the LTE connection can still be maintained at step 580. For example, NR NSA deployment requires an LTE connection to carry the SRB, so the LTE connection should be maintained. In this implementation, each of the RAT request and the second RAT request can be considered as a choice regarding whether to release or establish the NR connection. As a result, at step 580, both the LTE and NR connections are maintained, and the NR connection is configured with the DRB. In one example, the LTE connection may also carry the DRB that supports at least a portion of the data transmission between the UE and the cellular network, such as... Figure 5 The example is shown at step 580. In another example (not shown), at step 580, the LTE connection may not carry the DRB. That is, the DRB can only be configured on the NR connection.

[0109] In another implementation, the RAT request and the second RAT request can be viewed as a selection of a single RAT. In this implementation, in response to selecting NR at step 560, the LTE connection can be released at step 570. Therefore, only the NR connection is maintained at step 580. This implementation can be carried out using an NR SA deployment, where the NR connection is capable of carrying SRBs. At step 580, the power consumption associated with the LTE connection can be avoided.

[0110] Using handover procedure 500, a UE can request to operate only in LTE, in LTE-NR dual connectivity, or even only in NR (using SA deployment). Compared to handover procedure 400, handover procedure 500 allows the release of one connection, and thus provides a greater reduction in UE power consumption.

[0111] According to another embodiment, at step 460 or 560, the UE may be configured to send a second RAT request to specifically indicate a preferred NR operation from NR FR1 and NR FR2 operations. For example, if a second predetermined trigger criterion detected at step 450 or 550 indicates a very high expected data rate, then NR FR2 operation may be preferred. If the second predetermined trigger criterion indicates a less high expected data rate, then NR FR1 operation may be preferred. Therefore, the cellular network and the UE can use the indicated NR operation to carry data transmission at step 480 or 580.

[0112] although Figure 4 and Figure 5 The initial dual connectivity of the UE with the cellular network is described; however, it should be understood that regardless of whether the UE initially has dual connectivity with the cellular network, it may be able to send a RAT request to the cellular network. For example, as discussed in step 560, when the UE maintains an LTE-only connection with the cellular network, the UE sends a second RAT request. In some cases, the UE may maintain only an NR connection. In this case, the UE may also send a RAT request if one or more predetermined triggering criteria are met.

[0113] Apart from Figure 4 and Figure 5 In addition to the RAT request described above, the UE may send one or more additional RAT requests (not shown) to the cellular network to indicate at least one updated RAT selected from the first RAT and the second RAT. Therefore, the UE can use this at least one updated RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. In some cases, this at least one updated RAT may differ from the previously preferred RAT. For example, after step 480 or 580, the UE may send one or more additional RAT requests that may indicate the UE's preferred actions regarding the NR connection, such as stopping the NR connection, maintaining the NR connection but stopping the DRB on the NR, starting the NR connection and configuring the DRB on the NR, or maintaining the NR connection and configuring the DRB on the NR. This one or more additional RAT requests may further specifically indicate the UE's preference regarding NR FR1 operation or FR2 operation, including a preference for FR1 operation only, a preference for FR2 operation only, or a preference for both FR1 and FR2 operations. Similar to the above embodiments, the UE can use the new preferred RAT to transmit data between the UE and the cellular network.

[0114] Figure 6 A method 600 for performing optimized handover between different RATs of a UE is illustrated. Method 600 can be performed by a network device of a cellular network (e.g., network device 218) or any means that may be able to control or represent the cellular network disclosed herein.

[0115] Method 600 may begin at step 610, wherein the cell may be configured to receive a RAT request from the UE. The RAT request may be configured to indicate at least one RAT selected from a first RAT and a second RAT and preferred by the UE.

[0116] Then, method 600 may proceed to step 620, wherein the cellular network may be configured to use at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

[0117] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the RAT request can be a soft recommendation from the UE to the cellular network. In this embodiment, upon receiving a RAT request from the UE, the cellular network can be configured to decide whether to accept or reject the UE's RAT request. If the cellular network decides to accept the RAT request, it can send an acknowledgment to the UE. Thereafter, the cellular network can proceed to step 620 to use at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network. If the cellular network decides not to accept the RAT request, it may not send an acknowledgment to the UE and may not proceed to step 620.

[0118] According to the implementation disclosed herein, method 600 may further include one or more actions described above for cellular networks.

[0119] Using the mechanisms disclosed herein, and according to some implementation schemes, a UE may be able to request which RAT in LTE and NR preferably carries the DRB. When the requested RAT includes both FR1 and FR2 operations, the UE may be able to specifically request whether NR FR1 or NR FR2 should carry data scheduling (Proposal 1.1).

[0120] Using the mechanisms disclosed herein, a UE can request to operate only in LTE, only in NR, or in dual RATs, depending on some implementation schemes (Proposal 1.2). This can provide greater UE power consumption reduction.

[0121] Using the mechanisms disclosed herein, according to some implementation schemes, a UE can request to switch the DRB between different RATs (or even between NR FR1 and NR FR2), or can request to operate only in LTE, only in NR, or in both RATs based on the UE's state, which can be associated with at least one of the following factors: the amount of data in the UE's buffer, the UE's expected amount of data, radio state (such as SINR, RSRP, or CQI), expected data rate, UE power consumption / battery state, or UE thermal state. Additionally, to avoid the Ping-Pong problem, the UE can use filtering to filter the measurements of one or more of these factors to improve reliability and robustness. Hysteresis can be further considered before triggering a handover, i.e., the measurement of the new decision should be superior to the measurement of the old decision by a configurable threshold. Furthermore, a trigger time is considered, which means that the measurement of the new decision should be superior to the measurement of the old decision for a configurable amount of time before a handover can be triggered (Proposal 1.3).

[0122] Using the mechanisms disclosed herein, a UE may request the cellular network to indicate (e.g., as supplementary information) one or more of the following: the UE prefers to stop the NR connection, the UE prefers to maintain the NR connection but stops the DRB on the NR, the UE prefers to start or maintain the NR connection and also configure the DRB on the NR (which further indicates that the UE prefers to operate only NR FR1, the UE prefers to operate only NR FR2, or the UE prefers both NR FR1 and FR2 operations) (Proposal 1.4).

[0123] Although this disclosure primarily discusses LTE and NR as described above, it should be understood that dual connectivity for the UE is not limited to these. In other embodiments, dual connectivity for the UE may include any other suitable RAT, such as any RAT of future 3GPP standards.

[0124] Simplified FR2 operation

[0125] Advanced UEs may be able to operate in both the NR FR1 and NR FR2 bands. While NR FR2 operation offers greater available data bandwidth than NR FR1 operation, it presents challenges due to lower reliability, smaller coverage, higher UE power consumption, and thermal issues. From the UE's perspective, it may be preferable to disable or minimize the use of NR FR2 operation.

[0126] According to the various implementations disclosed herein, a simplified FR2 operation can be defined, which can provide one or more improvements or modifications to the standard FR2 operation. Compared to the standard FR2 operation, the simplified FR2 operation may result in less UE overhead. For example, the simplified FR2 operation may require less resource allocation and result in less UE power consumption. When operating in NR, the UE may request to switch to simplified FR2 operation.

[0127] Figure 7 A method 700 for requesting a preferred configuration for a UE is illustrated. Method 700 can be performed by any UE (e.g., wireless device 202) or any device that may be able to control or represent the UE disclosed herein.

[0128] Method 700 may begin at step 710, wherein the UE may be configured to transmit a scheduling request (SR) to the cellular network to indicate a specific configuration preferred by the UE. In NR, the UE typically uses the SR to request the cellular network to allocate resources (e.g., uplink grants) for uplink transmissions (e.g., PUSCH transmissions).

[0129] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a specific configuration preferred by the UE may include at least one of the following: the UE preferably has a license in the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band; the UE preferably has a certain number of component carriers (CCs) to schedule; or the UE preferably has one or more specific CCs to schedule from all available CCs. (Proposal 2.1)

[0130] According to the various embodiments disclosed herein, the UE can be configured to determine a preferred specific configuration based on various states. For example, states may include the UE's data state, the UE's radio state, the UE's power consumption, the UE's battery state, the UE's thermal state, or any combination thereof.

[0131] In one implementation, a specific configuration preferred by the UE can indicate whether the UE preferentially has a license in the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band. Based on one or more of the various states listed above, the UE can determine whether it preferentially has a license in the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band. It should be noted that NR FR2 operation provides higher available data bandwidth, at the cost of higher power consumption, smaller coverage area, and less reliable connectivity. In some implementations, the UE may preferentially have a license in the NR FR1 band when it detects that the radio conditions are insufficient for reliable FR2 operation. In some implementations, the UE may always preferentially have a license in the NR FR1 band. The UE may preferentially have a license in the NR FR2 band only when the data volume and / or expected data rate exceeds one or more thresholds.

[0132] In this implementation, upon receiving an SR from the UE, the cellular network can be configured to configure licensing in the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band, and provide licensing to the UE upon the UE's request.

[0133] As an alternative implementation, the specific configuration preferred by the UE can further indicate the number of component carriers (CCs) the UE preferably wants to schedule. In NR, the cellular network is able to allocate a set of CCs to the UE. However, the entire set of CCs allocated by the cellular network may be too many for the UE's transmission. To avoid wasting resources and reduce power consumption, the UE can recommend a specific number of CCs that it prefers to schedule to the cellular network. This specific number of CCs can be less than the total number of CCs configured by the cellular network. In this way, the UE may be able to avoid activating too many CCs for NR operation (especially NR FR2 operation) while ensuring performance.

[0134] In this implementation, upon receiving an SR from the UE, the cellular network can be configured to activate the requested number of CCs and provide this configuration to the UE.

[0135] As an alternative or alternative implementation, the specific configuration preferred by the UE may further indicate one or more specific CCs that the UE prefers to schedule from all available CCs. These one or more specific CCs may be a subgroup selected from the entire set of CCs allocated by the cellular network. For example, these one or more specific CCs may be one or more CCs with good performance selected from all available CCs in the allocated set of CCs. By recommending a reduced subgroup of CCs with good performance, the UE may be able to activate fewer CCs while ensuring performance.

[0136] In this implementation, upon receiving an SR from the UE, the cellular network can be configured to activate one or more specific CCs requested and provide that configuration to the UE.

[0137] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, transmitting the SR in step 710 to indicate a specific configuration preferred by the UE may include distinguishing one or more parameters associated with the SR based on the specific configuration preferred by the UE. These one or more parameters may include at least one of a sequence, time slot, or frequency associated with the SR. For example, a first SR may be associated with a first set of one or more parameters, thereby indicating that the UE preferably has a license in the NR FR1 band. A second SR may be associated with a different second set of one or more parameters, thereby indicating that the UE preferably has a license in the NR FR2 band. Furthermore, each possible number of CCs that the UE preferably schedules may correspond to a corresponding SR associated with a corresponding set of one or more parameters. Additionally, each uplink CC or each subgroup of uplink CCs may correspond to a corresponding SR associated with a corresponding set of one or more parameters. In this way, each possible configuration can be mapped to a corresponding SR, which will be sent to the cellular network to indicate the preferred configuration.

[0138] In the uplink direction, the PUCCH is used to transmit SR and HARQ-ACK information from the UE to the cellular network. In NR systems that can utilize both FR1 and FR2 operations, the cellular network can configure two corresponding PUCCH groups, each for FR1 and FR2 operations respectively. Specifically, the cellular network can configure a first PUCCH group for all uplink control information (UCI) required for CC in the NR FR1 band, and a second PUCCH group for all UCIs required for CC in the NR FR2 band. For standard operation, SR and HARQ-ACK information for the NR FR1 band can be carried in the first PUCCH group, and SR and HARQ-ACK information for the NR FR2 band can be carried in the second PUCCH group.

[0139] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the UE can be configured to send a first indication to the cellular network to stop the second PUCCH group. The first indication can be triggered in various states. For example, the UE can send the first indication when it detects that its power consumption exceeds a first power consumption threshold, or that its battery power drops below a first battery threshold, or that the temperature of at least a portion of the UE exceeds a first temperature threshold. Stopping the second PUCCH group may result in simplified FR2 operation, requiring less power and causing fewer UE thermal issues.

[0140] In this implementation, when the second PUCCH group is stopped, the UE can be configured to automatically map HARQ-ACKs for all downlink CCs in the NR FR2 band to the first PUCCH group for the NR FR1 band (Proposal 2.2). Specifically, HARQ-ACKs for downlink CCs in the NR FR2 band can be multiplexed with HARQ-ACKs for downlink CCs in the NR FR1 band. The multiplexed HARQ-ACKs can be carried to the cellular network in the first PUCCH group for the NR FR1 band. Furthermore, when the second PUCCH group is stopped, the cellular network cannot configure P / SP-CSI on the PUCCHs in the NR FR2 band.

[0141] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the UE can be configured to send a second indication to the cellular network to stop all UL operations during FR2 operation. The second indication can be triggered under various conditions. For example, the UE can send the second indication when it detects that its power consumption exceeds a second power consumption threshold (which may be higher than a first power consumption threshold), or that the UE's battery power drops below a second battery threshold (which may be lower than the first battery threshold), or that the temperature of at least a portion of the UE exceeds a second temperature threshold (which may be higher than a temperature threshold). Stopping all UL operations during FR2 operation may result in streamlined FR2 operation, requiring even less power consumption and causing even fewer UE thermal issues.

[0142] In this implementation, the UE can be configured to take one or more actions to stop all UL operations in FR2 operation. For example, the UE can be configured to map HARQ-ACK for all downlink CCs in the NR FR2 band to the first PUCCH group for the NR FR1 band; release or deactivate all configured SR, SRS, and RACH in the NR FR2 band; release all configured P-CSI in the NR FR2 band; deactivate all activated SP-CSI in the NR FR2 band; and release or deactivate all configured or activated CG PUSCH in the NR FR2 band (Proposal 2.3). Furthermore, when all UL operations in FR2 operation are stopped, the cellular network cannot dynamically trigger AP-CSI, PUSCH, or AP-SRS in the NR FR2 band via DCI.

[0143] According to the implementation disclosed herein, each of the SR (configured based on the UE's preferred configuration), the first indication, or the second indication can be a recommendation from the UE to the cellular network. That is, upon receiving a recommendation from the UE, the cellular network can decide whether to accept or reject the soft recommendation. If the cellular network decides to accept the soft recommendation, it can send an acknowledgment to the UE. In response to receiving the acknowledgment from the cellular network, the UE can continue to follow the recommendation. If the UE fails to receive the acknowledgment from the cellular network (e.g., within a time threshold), the UE can discard the recommendation and follow the configuration provided by the cellular network. The acknowledgment from the cellular network can be explicit or implicit.

[0144] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, cellular networks can be configured with simplified FR2 operation without a UL. For example, the cellular network can be configured with a UL bandwidth portion (BWP) for sleep operation. Alternatively, the cellular network can be configured with a DL BWP without an associated UL BWP. In a specific implementation, the cellular network can trigger the UE to switch to the UL BWP for sleep operation via a DCI after receiving the DCI. The UE can optionally send a HARQ-ACK to acknowledge the reception. Additionally, the UE can suspend or stop all UL operations in the corresponding UL CC (Proposal 2.4).

[0145] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, multiple configured licensed PUSCHs (CG PUSCHs) can be configured in the NR FR1 and NR FR2 bands. Two or more of these CG PUSCHs may conflict with each other. For example, a time slot allocated to a first CG PUSCH may overlap with a time slot allocated to a second CG PUSCH. Conflicts can be resolved based on the priority of the conflicting first and second CG PUSCHs. In one example, the priority of a CG PUSCH can be determined based on whether it is associated with a URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication) transmission. If a CG PUSCH is associated with a URLLC transmission, a high priority can be assigned to it. Otherwise, a low priority can be assigned. In other examples, factors other than URLLC transmissions may also be considered when determining the priority of a CG PUSCH.

[0146] In this implementation, the NR band in which the CG PUSCH is configured (i.e., the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band) can be further considered. For example, a first CG PUSCH configured in the NR FR1 band and a second CG PUSCH configured in the NR FR2 band may conflict with each other, but the first CG PUSCH and the second CG PUSCH can have the same priority relative to URLLC transmission. In this case, in response to determining that the first CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR1 band and the second CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR2 band have the same priority, the UE can be configured to prioritize the first CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR1 band over the second CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR2 band (Proposal 2.5). As a result of this prioritization, the first CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR1 band can be allowed to occupy resources (e.g., time slots), and the second CG PUSCH configured for the NR FR2 band may not be able to use those resources.

[0147] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, multiple scheduling requests (SRs) can be configured in the NR FR1 and NR FR2 bands. Two or more of these SRs may conflict with each other. For example, a time slot allocated to a first SR may overlap with a time slot allocated to a second SR. Conflicts can be resolved based on the priority of the conflicting first and second SRs. The priority of an SR may also depend on whether the SR is associated with URLLC transmission or any other appropriate factor.

[0148] In this implementation, the NR band in which the SR is configured (i.e., the NR FR1 band or the NR FR2 band) can be further considered. For example, a first SR configured in the NR FR1 band and a second SR configured in the NR FR2 band may conflict with each other, but the first SR and the second SR can have the same priority relative to URLLC transmission. In this case, in response to determining that the first SR configured for the NR FR1 band and the second SR configured for the NR FR2 band have the same priority, the UE can be configured to prioritize the first SR configured for the NR FR1 band over the second SR configured for the NR FR2 band (Proposal 2.6). As a result of this prioritization, the first SR configured for the NR FR1 band can be allowed to occupy allocated resources (e.g., time slots), and the second SR configured for the NR FR2 band may not be able to use those resources.

[0149] Using the mechanisms disclosed herein, a UE can indicate a preferred configuration for NR operation to the cellular network. This indication can be made based on the UE's state, thus reflecting the specific configuration applicable to the UE's state.

[0150] Using the mechanism disclosed herein, a UE can request a switch to simplified FR2 operation, which provides reduced UE power consumption. Different levels of simplified FR2 operation are provided, including corresponding actions for the UE and the cellular network. The UE can request a switch to a specific level of simplified FR2 operation based on its different states.

[0151] Panel management for UE

[0152] Advanced UEs may include multiple antenna panels capable of supporting the NR FR2 band. The NR FR2 band is a wideband spanning from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The NR FR2 band may include several subbands, such as a 26 GHz subband (e.g., 24250-27500 MHz), a 28 GHz subband (e.g., 26500-29500 MHz), and a 39 GHz subband (e.g., 37000-40000 MHz).

[0153] One of the multiple antenna panels of the UE may not be able to support all subbands of the NR FR2 band when activated. For example, given the relatively large frequency gaps between these subbands, the activated antenna panel may not be able to transmit simultaneously in both the second 28 GHz subband and the 39 GHz subband. In other words, the antenna panel can be activated to operate in either the second or third subband.

[0154] Furthermore, not all antenna panels of the UE are activated during communication. To save power, some antenna panels may be deactivated.

[0155] Moreover, the multiple antenna panels of the UE may be deployed in different locations on the UE with different orientations.

[0156] The specific configuration of the UE's multiple antenna panels can significantly affect the communication performance between the UE and the cellular network. This specific configuration may include at least one of the following: whether the UE can have multiple antenna panels, which of these antenna panels are currently active, and the optimal frequency (e.g., sub-band) for each active antenna panel. The cellular network typically does not have awareness of this specific configuration of the UE's antenna panels. It may be advantageous for the UE to perform panel management to improve performance.

[0157] Figure 8 A method 800 for a UE to perform panel management is illustrated. Method 800 can be performed by any UE (e.g., wireless device 202) or any device that may be able to control or represent the UE disclosed herein.

[0158] Method 800 may begin at step 810, wherein the UE may be configured to perform a first beam measurement for a set of beams using a first set of activated antenna panels. The first beam measurement for the set of beams may be part of a beam scanning procedure between the UE and the cellular network.

[0159] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the first group of activated antenna panels may include one or more activated antenna panels. These one or more activated antenna panels may be a subgroup of multiple antenna panels of the UE. Typically, the one or more antenna panels used for initial beam measurement may include a single antenna panel of the UE.

[0160] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the set of beams can be scheduled by a cellular network on a first set of resources. The first set of resources may include one or more time-frequency resources, such as frequencies allocated to component carriers (CCs) associated with a corresponding beam in the set of beams.

[0161] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, by measuring the first beam, the UE may be able to determine the value of one or more parameters for each of the set of beams. For example, the one or more parameters may include one or more of the following associated with each beam: SSB Resource Indicator (SSBRI), CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI), Signal-to-Interference-Noise Ratio (SINR), or Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP).

[0162] Then, method 800 may proceed to step 820, wherein the UE may be configured to send a panel management instruction to the cellular network. For example, the panel management instruction may indicate to the cellular network that the UE has more than one antenna panel and / or the UE preferably switches to a different set of activated antenna panels and performs additional beam measurements.

[0163] According to the various implementations disclosed herein, the UE can be configured to manage instructions via different message transmission panels from the UE to the cellular network.

[0164] In one specific implementation, the UE can be configured to send panel management instructions via a beam report used for first beam measurement. In the example, the UE can send panel management instructions via an L1 beam management report. Specifically, the UE can configure the SSBRI or CRI field to have invalid or out-of-bounds values. Alternatively, the UE can configure the L1-SINR or L1-RSRP field to have reserved values.

[0165] Tables 1 and 2 below illustrate the characteristics of these fields as defined in 3GPP Releases 15 and 16.

[0166] Table 1 CRI, SSBRI and RSRP

[0167]

[0168] Table 2 CRI, SSBRI, and SNIR

[0169]

[0170] According to 3GPP standards, a specified range of values ​​can be assigned to the SSBRI or CRI fields. Each value within the specified range can be considered valid for that field. The bit width assigned to these fields still allows one or more invalid or out-of-bounds values, which can be used by the panel management instructions disclosed herein.

[0171] According to 3GPP standards, in addition to one or more valid values, one or more reserved values ​​may be assigned to the SNIR or RSRP field. These one or more reserved values ​​may also be used by the panel management instructions disclosed herein.

[0172] As described above, invalid, out-of-bounds, or reserved values ​​in one or more of these fields can serve as implicit panel management indications. By reporting this to the cellular network via a standard beam measurement report, the UE may be able to implicitly inform the cellular network that the UE has more than one antenna panel without any additionally defined messages. Furthermore, the panel management indication can also instruct the cellular network that the UE preferably uses a different set of activated antenna panels among these multiple antenna panels for additional beam measurements. As a specific example, the UE can send a panel management indication for Rx beam scanning via an L1 beam management report through an NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet that is repeatedly set to "on" (Proposal 3.1).

[0173] In another specific implementation, the UE can be configured to send panel management instructions via any specifically defined message from the UE to the cellular network.

[0174] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, after step 820, the UE can be further configured to perform additional beam measurements using a second set of activated antenna panels. The second set of activated antenna panels may differ from the first set of activated antenna panels used for the first beam management.

[0175] For example, after receiving the panel management instruction sent in step 810, the cellular network can be configured to initiate additional beam measurements using the UE. Since the cellular network now knows that the UE has more than one antenna panel, it can allocate more resources for the additional beam measurements. A second set of resources can be allocated for the additional beam measurements.

[0176] On the UE side, the UE can be configured to activate a second set of antenna panels for additional beam measurements. Preferably, the second set of activated antenna panels may contain more antenna panels than the first set of activated antenna panels. For example, the second set of activated antenna panels may include all of the multiple antenna panels that the UE may have. Therefore, additional beam measurements may involve each antenna panel and the optimal antenna panel can be determined.

[0177] According to the implementation disclosed herein, in step 820, in addition to SSBRI and CRI, the UE may also be configured to report the corresponding cell ID (i.e., SCellIndex) and / or physical cell ID (i.e., PCI) for the component carrier (CC) in the L1 beam management report (Proposal 3.2). For example, if the beam has quality below a threshold, the UE may be configured to report both parameters for each beam. Reporting the corresponding cell ID allows identification of the specific frequency (associated with the CC) causing the low beam quality. Reporting the physical cell ID allows identification of the specific cell causing the low beam quality (a specific cell among more than one in which the UE may camp). The identified frequency and / or the identified cell may not be used for additional beam measurements (if any).

[0178] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, additional beam measurements may be performed only if the UE determines that the first beam measurement in step 810 has not identified any beam with sufficient performance from that set of beams. In this case, it may be advantageous to indicate to the cellular network that the UE has other candidate antenna panels and to perform additional beam measurements.

[0179] According to the implementation scheme disclosed herein, the cellular network can be configured to configure the corresponding cell ID (i.e., SCellIndex) and / or physical cell ID (i.e., PCI) for component carriers (CC) in the TCI configuration (Proposal 3.3).

[0180] In some cases, the UE can perform group-based beam reporting, which includes reporting measurements for each pair of beams in the beam group. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, in addition to SSBRI and CRI, the UE can be configured to report the corresponding cell ID (i.e., SCellIndex) and / or physical cell ID (i.e., PCI) for each beam in each pair of beams in the group-based beam reporting (Proposal 3.4). This allows the UE to indicate whether it supports reception on two CCs using independent beams at different frequencies (e.g., different subbands of the NR FR2 band), and / or whether it supports reception from two cells using independent beams in the same frequency band.

[0181] As an example scenario where a UE camps on two FR2 cells (cell 1 and cell 2), the cellular network can allocate eight beams for the beam scanning procedure, where beams 1 through 4 are transmitted by cell 1 in the 28 GHz subband, and beams 5 through 8 are transmitted by cell 2 in the 39 GHz subband. The UE can report the first and sixth beams as a pair, along with the SCellIndex and PCI associated with each beam. Therefore, upon receiving the report, the cellular network can determine, based on the reported SCellIndex and PCI, that the UE can use independent beams to receive on both CCs at different frequency bands (i.e., the 28 GHz subband and the 39 GHz subband).

[0182] As another exemplary scenario where the UE camps on two FR2 cells (cell 1 and cell 2), the cellular network can allocate eight beams for the beam scanning procedure, where beams 1 through 4 are transmitted by cell 1 in the 28 GHz subband, and beams 5 through 8 are also transmitted by cell 2 in the 28 GHz subband. The UE can report the second and fifth beams as a pair, along with the SCellIndex and PCI associated with each beam. Therefore, upon receiving the report, the cellular network can determine, based on the reported SCellIndex and PCI, that the UE can use independent beams to receive from both cells in the same frequency band (i.e., the 28 GHz subband).

[0183] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a UE with multiple antenna panels may be able to transmit different sounding reference signals (SRS) simultaneously. In these embodiments, the UE can be configured to indicate its SRS transmission capability to the cellular network (Proposal 3.5). The indication can be sent via UCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling.

[0184] In the implementation scheme, for SRS transmissions within the same cell, the UE can be configured to send an indication regarding whether the UE can simultaneously transmit different SRSs within that same cell. The indication may include a pair of SRS Resource Indicators (SRIs). Each SRI in the pair identifies one of a set of SRSs allocated to the cell by the cellular network. Upon receiving the indication, the cellular network can be configured to simultaneously receive the indicated SRSs for the same cell.

[0185] In the implementation scheme, for SRS transmissions in different cells, the UE can be configured to send an indication regarding whether the UE can simultaneously transmit different SRSs in different cells. The indication may include a pair of SRIs. Each SRI in the pair identifies an SRS from a corresponding set of SRSs allocated by the cellular network to a corresponding cell in the different cells. Upon receiving the indication, the cellular network can be configured to simultaneously receive the indicated SRSs for the different cells.

[0186] Using the panel management disclosed herein, a UE with multiple antenna panels may be able to send panel management instructions to the cellular network. The panel management instructions may indicate that the UE has more than one antenna panel. The panel management instructions may also indicate panel switching for UEs used for additional beam measurements.

[0187] Using the panel management disclosed herein, the UE can further indicate the SCellIndex and PCI to the cellular network in the beam report. The reported SCellIndex and PCI can identify the specific CC and cell associated with the corresponding beam. In some embodiments, the reported SCellIndex and PCI can be used to indicate the specific CC and cell associated with a failed beam. In some embodiments, the reported SCellIndex and PCI can be used to indicate the UE's ability to receive independent beams. The UE may further be able to indicate its ability to simultaneously transmit different SRSs.

[0188] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800, or any method element relating to a UE. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of the UE (such as wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein).

[0189] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800 or any method element relating to the UE. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may, for example, be the memory of the UE (such as memory 206 of a wireless device 202 serving as the UE, as described herein).

[0190] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800, or any method element associated with the UE. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of the UE (such as wireless device 202 as the UE, as described herein).

[0191] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800 or any method elements relating to the UE. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of the UE (such as wireless device 202 as the UE, as described herein).

[0192] The implementation schemes envisioned herein include signals described or associated with one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800 or any method element related to the UE.

[0193] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of methods 300, 700, 800, or any method element relating to the UE. The processor may be a processor of the UE (such as processor 204 as a wireless device 202 of the UE, as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor and / or in the memory of the UE (such as memory 206 as a wireless device 202 of the UE, as described herein).

[0194] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of method 600 or any method element relating to a cellular network. This apparatus may be, for example, a base station apparatus (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0195] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 600 or any method element related to a cellular network. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may, for example, be the memory of a base station (such as memory 222 of network device 218 serving as a base station, as described herein).

[0196] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of method 600 or any method element related to a cellular network. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus for a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0197] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 600 or any method element related to a cellular network. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus for a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0198] The implementation schemes envisioned herein include signals described or associated with one or more elements of method 600 or any method element related to a cellular network.

[0199] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of method 600 or any method element related to a cellular network. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as processor 220 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor and / or in the memory of the UE (such as memory 222 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0200] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, the baseband processor described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more examples of the examples described herein. Similarly, the circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more examples of the examples shown herein.

[0201] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be derived from practice of various embodiments.

[0202] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components, including specific logical components for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0203] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of another implementation.

[0204] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0205] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: At least one antenna; At least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and A processor coupled to the at least one radio component; The UE is capable of maintaining dual connectivity with the cellular network, the dual connectivity including a first radio access technology (RAT) connection and a second RAT connection, wherein the first RAT is Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the second RAT is New Radio (NR), and wherein the second RAT includes a first operation operating in the NR FR1 band and a second operation operating in the NR FR2 band. The UE is configured as follows: Based on the determination that the UE's state meets the first predetermined triggering criterion, the second RAT is selected from the first RAT and the second RAT; Based on the determination that the state of the UE meets the second predetermined triggering criterion, the second operation, which is to be operated in the NR FR2 frequency band, is selected from the first operation and the second operation; Send a RAT request to the cellular network, the RAT request indicating at least one preferred RAT and at least one preferred operation, the at least one preferred RAT including a second RAT, the at least one preferred operation including the second operation operating in the NR FR2 band; The cellular network is instructed to specify a particular configuration preferred by the UE, which includes at least one of the following: the UE prefers to schedule a specific number of component carriers (CCs), the specific number being less than the total number of CCs configured by the cellular network; or the UE prefers to schedule a reduced subgroup of the specific CCs from all available CCs. and The at least one preferred RAT and the at least one preferred operation are used to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein using the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network comprises: The data transmission between the UE and the cellular network is carried using at least one preferred operation selected from the first operation and the second operation of the second RAT.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the UE is configured to: In response to receiving confirmation of the RAT request from the cellular network, the at least one preferred RAT is used to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein using the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network comprises: The at least one preferred RAT is used to carry the data radio bearer (DRB) for data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein using the at least one preferred RAT to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network comprises: Maintain the connection between the at least one preferred RAT and the cellular network; as well as Release the connection of any RAT in the first RAT and the second RAT except for the at least one preferred RAT.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined triggering criterion and the second predetermined triggering criterion are associated with at least one of the following states: The amount of data to be transmitted or received by the UE; The expected data rate of the UE; The radio state of the UE; The power consumption status of the UE; The battery status of the UE; or The thermal state of the UE.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein determining that the state of the UE satisfies the first predetermined triggering criterion and the second predetermined triggering criterion includes at least one of the following operations: Filter measurements associated with at least one state; or The measurement value associated with the at least one preferred RAT is determined to be superior to the measurement value associated with the RAT currently used between the UE and the cellular network.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein determining that a measurement associated with the at least one preferred RAT is superior to a measurement associated with the RAT currently used between the UE and the cellular network comprises at least one of the following operations: The measurement value associated with the at least one preferred RAT is determined to be better than the measurement value associated with the RAT currently used between the UE and the cellular network, by at least a predetermined threshold; or The measurement value associated with the at least one preferred RAT is determined to be superior to the measurement value associated with the RAT currently used between the UE and the cellular network, for at least a predetermined period of time.

9. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the UE sends the RAT request as auxiliary information to the cellular network.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the UE is further configured to: A second RAT request is sent to the cellular network, the second RAT request indicating at least one updated RAT selected from the first RAT and the second RAT; and The at least one updated RAT is used to carry data transmission between the UE and the cellular network.

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