Method and system for combining carrier aggregation on user equipment

Abstract

The present application relates to methods and systems for carrier aggregation on a combined user equipment. A method (700) includes receiving a connection request (204) from a network base station (102) on a primary component carrier (CC) (220P) associated with a primary user equipment (UE) (104P) and connecting to the network base station on the primary CC. The method also includes receiving a configuration message (206) from the network base station. The configuration message instructs operation of at least one secondary CC (220S). The at least one secondary CC is associated with at least one secondary UE (104S). The method also includes, in response to receiving the configuration message, instructing the at least one secondary UE to operate on the at least one secondary CC and receiving data (208) from the network base station on the at least one secondary CC.

Description

[0001] Case Analysis

[0002] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application 201780076794.1, filed on September 28, 2017. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to carrier aggregation on a combination of user equipment. Background Technology

[0004] LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a standard for high-speed data wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals. LTE is based on GSM / EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communications / GSM Evolution Enhanced Data Rate) and UMTS / HSPA (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System / High-Speed ​​Packet Access) network technologies. LTE is configured to increase telecommunications capacity and speed by using different radio interfaces, in addition to core network improvements. LTE supports scalable carrier bandwidth from 1.4MHz to 20MHz and supports both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

[0005] In LTE networks, Radio User Equipment (UE) can be assigned traffic and signaling channels by the Evolved Node B (eNB) to exchange signaling and communication with the eNB. Carrier aggregation allows the eNB to jointly allocate multiple carriers (e.g., mobile operators) for the UE to use for exchanging higher-rate communication with the eNB. Each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). Carrier aggregation typically defines multiple serving cells, one serving cell for one component carrier. The coverage of the serving cells may differ. For example, a primary serving cell (PSC) may serve a primary CC (PCC) to handle Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections between the UE and the eNB, while at least one secondary serving cell (SSC) associated with at least one secondary CC (SCC) can be added to provide additional bandwidth. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method for instructing at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary CC and to receive data from a network base station on the at least one secondary CC. The method includes receiving a connection request from a network base station on a primary CC associated with the primary UE at the data processing hardware of the primary UE. The method also includes connecting to the network base station on the primary CC by the data processing hardware and receiving a configuration message from the network base station at the data processing hardware. The configuration message instructs the operation of at least one secondary CC associated with at least one secondary UE. In response to receiving the configuration message, the method includes instructing at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary CC and to receive data from the network base station on the at least one secondary CC by the data processing hardware.

[0007] Implementations of this disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, in response to receiving a configuration message, the method includes at least one secondary UE, operated by data processing hardware instructions on at least one secondary CC, transmitting data received from a network base station to a target device. The target device may include at least one of another base station or another UE.

[0008] In some examples, the method includes announcing carrier aggregation capability of a combined UE comprising a primary UE and at least one secondary UE by data processing hardware. The combined UE can be identified by a network base station as a single UE associated with a primary CC and at least one secondary CC. In response to announcing the carrier aggregation capability, the method may include receiving a connection request for communication on one of the primary CC or at least one secondary CC. Instructing at least one secondary CC to operate may include enabling a combined UE operating state for at least one secondary UE. The combined UE operating state may allow cross-carrier aggregation of the combined UE comprising a primary UE and at least one secondary UE. The combined UE can be identified by a network base station as a single UE associated with a primary CC and at least one secondary CC. At least one secondary UE may include multiple secondary UEs, and configuration messages may enable a target secondary UE associated with a target secondary CC to receive data from the network base station.

[0009] After enabling the combined UE operation state of the target secondary UE, the method may include scheduling the transmission of data from the network base station to the target secondary UE. The method may also include the transmission of data from the target secondary UE to the target device. In some examples, at least one secondary CC may include multiple secondary CCs, and the configuration message may instruct the target secondary UE to operate on a first target secondary CC to receive data from the network base station and on a second target secondary CC to receive data from another base station. At least one secondary UE may include multiple secondary UEs, and at least one secondary CC may include multiple secondary CCs. The configuration message may further instruct the first target secondary UE associated with the first target secondary CC to receive data from the base station and may instruct the second target secondary UE associated with the second target secondary CC to receive data from the network base station.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a system for instructing at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary CC and receive data from a network base station on at least one secondary CC. The system includes a network base station and a plurality of UEs, including a primary UE and secondary UEs. Each UE is associated with at least one CC. The primary UE is configured to perform operations. These operations include receiving a connection request from the network base station on the primary CC associated with the primary UE and connecting to the network base station on the primary CC. The operations also include receiving a configuration message from the network base station, the configuration message instructing the operation of at least one secondary CC, which is associated with at least one secondary UE. In response to receiving the configuration message, the operations include instructing at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary CC and receive data from the network base station on at least one secondary CC.

[0011] This aspect may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, the operation includes, in response to receiving a configuration message, instructing at least one secondary UE operating on at least one secondary CC to transmit received data from a network base station to a target device. The target device may include at least one of another base station or another UE. The operation may also include announcing carrier aggregation capability of a combined UE comprising a primary UE and at least one secondary UE. The combined UE may be identified by the network base station as a single UE associated with the primary CC and at least one secondary CC. In response to announcing the carrier aggregation capability, the operation may include receiving a connection request for communication on the primary CC or at least one of the secondary CCs.

[0012] In some examples, the operation includes instructing at least one secondary CC to operate, including enabling a combined UE operating state for at least one secondary UE. The combined UE operating state may allow cross-carrier aggregation of a combined UE comprising a primary UE and at least one secondary UE, the combined UE being identified by the network base station as a single UE associated with the primary CC and at least one secondary CC. The at least one secondary UE may include multiple secondary UEs, and configuration messages may instruct the activation of a target secondary UE associated with a target secondary CC to receive data from the network base station. After enabling the combined UE operating state of the target secondary UE, the operation may include scheduling the transmission of data from the network base station to the target secondary UE. The target secondary UE may transmit data from the network base station to the target device.

[0013] At least one secondary CC can include multiple secondary CCs. A configuration message can instruct a target secondary UE to operate on a first target secondary CC to receive data from a base station and on a second target secondary CC to receive data from another base station. At least one secondary UE can include multiple secondary UEs, and at least one secondary CC can include multiple secondary CCs. A configuration message can instruct a first target secondary UE associated with a first target secondary CC to receive data from a base station and instruct a second target secondary UE associated with a second target secondary CC to receive data from a base station.

[0014] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for routing communication of data from a network base station to a destination via a combined UE. The method includes receiving a communication request from the network base station at data processing hardware for transmitting data to a destination, and routing the communication of data from the network base station to the destination via the combined UE. The combined UE may include slave UEs, each slave UE communicating with the data processing hardware and having an associated CC, the combined UE being identified by the network base station as a single UE associated with the CC of a slave UE. The routing includes identifying at least one target slave UE for routing data communication based on the CC associated with at least one target slave UE, and scheduling the data communication via the identified at least one target slave UE.

[0015] This aspect may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, routing includes identifying multiple target UEs for routing data communication and concurrent routing of data communication through the identified multiple target UEs. The CC associated with each UE may be different from every other CC associated with every other UE. Each UE may include an associated network identifier different from every other network identifier associated with every other UE. The method may further include providing the network identifier associated with each UE to the network base station by data processing hardware.

[0016] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a system for routing communication of data from a network base station to a destination via a combined UE. The system includes a network base station, a combined UE including slave UEs, and a network device communicating with the network base station and the slave UEs. Each slave UE has an associated CC. The combined UE can be identified by the network base station as a single UE associated with the CC of a slave UE. The network base station can be configured to perform operations. These operations include receiving a request from the network base station for communication to transmit data to a destination and routing communication of data from the network base station to the destination via the combined UE. The routing includes identifying at least one target slave UE for routing data communication based on the CC associated with at least one target slave UE and scheduling the data communication through the identified at least one target slave UE.

[0017] This aspect may include one or more of the following optional features. In some implementations, routing includes identifying multiple target UEs for routing data communication and scheduling concurrent data communication through the identified multiple target UEs. A CC associated with each UE may not be used for every other CC associated with every other UE. Each UE may include an associated network identifier that is not used for every other network identifier associated with every other UE. The system may also include providing the network identifier associated with each UE to the network base station by data processing hardware.

[0018] Details of one or more implementations of this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the specification, the drawings, and the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the example network.

[0020] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of an example combined user equipment (UE) that includes a primary UE and multiple secondary UEs, and is identified as a single UE by a network base station.

[0021] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of an example combined UE that includes a primary UE that instructs at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary component carrier and to receive data from a network base station on at least one secondary component carrier.

[0022] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network environment in which the primary UE in a combined UE receives configuration messages from a network base station on the primary component carrier.

[0023] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network environment in which the primary UE instructs the secondary UE to operate on the secondary component carrier and the secondary UE receives data from the network base station on the secondary component carrier.

[0024] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example network environment in which the primary UE in a combined UE receives configuration messages from a network base station on the primary component carrier.

[0025] Figure 4B and 4C This is a schematic diagram of an example network showing the primary UE instructing the secondary UE to operate on two secondary component carriers.

[0026] Figure 4D This is a schematic diagram of a secondary UE receiving data from a first network base station on a first secondary component carrier and receiving data from a second network base station on a second secondary component carrier.

[0027] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram of an example operation performed by the primary UE in a combined UE for carrier aggregation using cross-carrier scheduling.

[0028] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of an example operation performed by the primary UE in a combined UE for carrier aggregation without cross-carrier scheduling.

[0029] Figure 6A This is a schematic diagram of a network device receiving a communication request from a network base station to deliver data to a destination, through a combination of UE and other components.

[0030] Figure 6B This is a schematic diagram of communication between network devices, including a combination of UEs routing data from the UE to the destination.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary arrangement for the operation of a method for instructing at least one secondary UE to operate on at least one secondary component carrier and to receive data from a network base station on at least one secondary component carrier.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary arrangement of operations for a method of communication that routes data from a network base station to a destination by combining UEs.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an example computing device.

[0034] The same reference markers in each figure indicate the same element. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Fixed wireless network subscribers typically use mobile terminals (e.g., mobile phones) with high-capacity and inexpensive mobile chipsets. These inexpensive mobile chipsets limit mobile phones to lower data rate plans, with a maximum value of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). While the wireless spectrum in the band ranging from about 80 MHz to about 100 MHz can allow service providers to offer higher data rate plans (e.g., greater than 500 Mbps), the inexpensive mobile chipsets hinder mobile terminals from achieving high data rates. For example, available network base stations can support up to five component carriers, which can be aggregated to deliver and receive data from mobile terminals within the service area of ​​the network base station. However, due to legacy constraints and power consumption limitations, mobile terminals currently only support one or two downlink component carriers and are expected to support only up to three downlink component carriers in the coming years. Therefore, mobile terminals lag behind the performance capabilities of network base stations.

[0036] This paper describes an implementation that combines multiple mobile terminals into a single device that is recognized by a network base station. Here, the combined terminal utilizes at least one component carrier from each of the multiple mobile terminals to provide carrier aggregation capability that conforms to the carrier aggregation capability of the network base station. Since each mobile terminal typically only supports aggregation of two component carriers, the combined terminal allows aggregation of five or more component carriers, thus improving the threshold efficiency of the radio spectrum.

[0037] Figure 1 A Long Term Evolution (LTE) network 100 is illustrated. LTE is a standard for high-speed data wireless communication between multiple base stations 102, 102a-n and user equipment (UEs) 104, 104a-n, such as mobile phones and data terminals. LTE is based on Global System for Mobile Communications / GSM Evolution Enhanced Data Rate (GSM / EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System / High-Speed ​​Packet Access (UMTS / HSPA) network technologies. LTE is configured to increase telecommunications capacity and speed by using different radio interfaces, in addition to core network improvements. LTE supports scalable carrier bandwidth from 1.4MHz to 20MHz and supports both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). The LTE-TDD network 100 uses a single frequency for uploading and downloading information. The LTE-TDD network 100 operates using several different frequency bands in a frequency range from 1450MHz to 4300MHz. On the other hand, the LTE-FDD network 100 refers to transmission equipment (e.g., base station 102 and UE 104) that transmit and / or receive on different carrier frequencies.

[0038] In some implementations, the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 106 provides a framework configured to converge voice and data over the LTE network 100. The EPC 106 unifies voice and data over the Internet Protocol (IP) service architecture, and voice is treated as just another IP application. The EPC 106 includes several key components 108, including but not limited to a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (SGW), and a Packet Data Node Gateway (PGW).

[0039] The MME is the key control code used in LTE network 100. The MME manages sessions and state and authenticates and tracks UE 104 across network 100. The SGW is responsible for routing packets through network 100. The PGW is the interface between LTE network 100 and other packet data networks, managing Quality of Service (QoS) and providing Deep Packet Inspection (DPI).

[0040] Each base station 102 may include an evolved Node B (also called an eNode B or eNB). The eNB 102 includes hardware connected to an air interface 110 (e.g., a mobile phone network) for direct communication with the UE 104. For example, the eNB 102 may transmit downlink LTE signals (e.g., communications) to the UE 104 and receive uplink LTE signals from the UE 104 via the air interface 110. The eNB 102 does not have a separate controller element, thus simplifying the architecture of the network 100. Furthermore, since the eNB 102 does not include a separate controller element, it embeds its own control functions. When the eNB 102 connects to different components, it uses multiple protocols. For example, the X2 interface 112 is used when the eNB 102 communicates with other eNBs 102 in the network 100, and the S1 interface 114 is used to communicate with the EPC 106. S1 interface 114 may include an S1-MME interface for communicating with the MME and an S1-U interface for connecting to the SGW. Therefore, S1 interface 114 is associated with a backhaul link for communicating with EPC 106.

[0041] UE 104 can be any telecommunications device capable of transmitting and / or receiving voice / data over network 100. UE 104 can include, but is not limited to, mobile computing devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and wearable computing devices (e.g., headsets and / or watches). UE 104 can also include other computing devices with other form factors, such as computing devices included in desktop computers, vehicles, gaming devices, televisions, or other devices (e.g., networked home automation devices and home appliances).

[0042] In some examples, network 100 supports carrier aggregation, where multiple component carriers (CC) 220 ( Figure 2A and 2BThe CCs are aggregated and used jointly for transmissions to / from a single device (e.g., UE 104). Network 100 may include an LTE-Advanced network under version 10 (LTE Rel-10), which provides higher bit rates while still meeting the requirements set by existing 4G networks. Under LTE Rel-10, CCs 220 may have bandwidths of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs 220 can be aggregated to provide a maximum aggregated bandwidth equal to 100 MHz. Future versions such as LTE version 13 (LTE Rel-13) may support up to thirty-two (32) CCs 220. In FDD network 100, the number of aggregated carriers may differ for downlink (DL) communication and uplink (UL) communication. However, the number of UL CCs 220 is always equal to or less than the number of DL CCs 220, and individual CCs 220 may also have different bandwidths. In TDD network 100, the number of CC 220s and the bandwidth of each CC 220 are typically the same for DL ​​and UL communication.

[0043] The simplest way to arrange aggregation is through consecutive CCs with the same frequency band, a method known as intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation. However, intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation may not always be possible due to multiple different operator frequency allocation schemes. Therefore, discontinuous allocation can be arranged for either intra-band or inter-band aggregation. In the case of intra-band discontinuous aggregation, the aggregated CCs 220 belong to the same frequency band, but include gaps between them. In the case of inter-band discontinuous aggregation, the aggregated CCs 220 belong to different operating frequency bands.

[0044] Figure 1 Multiple serving cells 118 and 120 are shown, each associated with a corresponding CC 220. Because CCs 220 in different frequency bands experience different path losses, the coverage of each serving cell 118 and 120 may differ. A primary CC (PCC) 220P (i.e., DL PCC and UL PCC) serves primary serving cell (PSC) 118, which is configured to handle radio resource control (RRC) connectivity between eNB 102 and UE 104, as well as data 208 between eNB 102 and UE 104. Figure 2B The UE 104 can also receive Non-Access Stratum (NAS) information such as security parameters on the DL PCC 220P. The UE 104 can operate in idle mode and listen for system information on the DL PCC 220P and send the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) to the eNB 102 on the UL PCC 220P. Figure 1Multiple secondary serving cells (SCCs) 220S, 220Sa-Sn are also shown, each serving a corresponding secondary serving cell (SSC) 120, 120a-n for the transmission of data 208 between eNB 102 and UE 104. SCCs 220S can be added and removed according to the current bandwidth requirements of network 100, while PCC 220P can be changed during handover.

[0045] Network 100 can plan different CCs 220 to provide different coverage areas, i.e., serving cells 118, 120 with different sizes. CCs 220 can experience different path losses, which increase with the frequency used for inter-band carrier aggregation. In the example shown, a first network base station (e.g., eNB) 102a provides PSC 118 on PCC 220P, a first SSC 1 120a on a first SCC 1 220Sa, and at least one additional SSCn 120n on at least one additional SCCn 220Sn. The first network base station 102a can communicate with a second network base station (e.g., eNB) 102b via X2-interface 112. The second eNB 102b provides a second SSC 2 120b on a second SCC 3 220Sb.

[0046] Multiple UEs 104, 104a-n each reside within one of serving cells 118 and 120. Here, the first and second UEs 104a and 104b can use carrier aggregation on two CCs, PCC 220P and the first SCC1 220Sa, to connect with the first eNB 102a, while at least one additional UE 104n can use carrier aggregation on all three CCs, PCC 220P, SCC1 220Sa, and SCCn 220Sn, to connect with the first eNB 102a. In addition to residing within PSC118 and the first SCC1 220Sa provided by the first eNB 102a, the third UE 104c also resides within the second SSC2120b provided by the second eNB 102b. Therefore, the third UE 104c can use carrier aggregation on PCC 220P, SCC1 220Sa and SCC2 220Sb to maintain two connections with the first and second eNBs 102a and 102b.

[0047] While LTE-Advanced supports carrier aggregation of up to five CC 220s in LTE Rel-10 and will support up to 32 CC 220s in LTE Rel-13 in the future, available network base stations 102 (e.g., eNBs) within network 100 may only support three or four CC 220s. Furthermore, existing UE 104 is configured to support only one or two downlink CC 220s and will support only up to three downlink CC 220s in the coming years. UE 104 is further limited to supporting only one or two uplink CC 220s. Therefore, a single UE 104 cannot utilize the full spectrum of carrier aggregation provided by LTE-Advanced.

[0048] refer to Figure 2A and 2B In some implementations, at least two UEs 104 (e.g., UE1-UEn) cooperate to provide a combined UE 200 to utilize carrier aggregation capabilities supported by network base stations 102, 102a (e.g., eNB) within the LTE-Advanced network 100. Instead of multiple UEs 104 each performing their own cell search and establishing connections with the eNB 102a independently on their respective CCs 220, the eNB 102a identifies the combined UE 200 as a single UE associated with multiple CCs 220. UE1 can be designated as the primary UE 104P for connecting to the eNB 102 on the PCC 220P, while at least one remaining UE 104 (e.g., UE2–UEn) 104 in the combined UE 200 can be designated as a corresponding secondary UE 104S. The UE 104 associated with the combined UE 200 can share a single network identifier and can operate in a combined UE operating state to enable cross-carrier aggregation between the combined UE 200 and eNB 102a. In the example shown, the primary UE 104P includes data processing hardware 105 (e.g., circuitry, silicon chip, etc.) and memory hardware 109 communicating with the data processing hardware 105. The memory hardware 109 can store instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware 105, cause the data processing hardware 105 to perform operations for connecting to eNB 102a and instruct the secondary UE 104S to operate on one or more SCC 220S. Each UE 104 similarly includes the associated data processing hardware 105 and memory hardware 109.

[0049] refer to Figure 2AThe primary UE 104P advertises the carrier aggregation (CA) capability 202 of the combined UE 200. The CA capability 202 includes a list of available CCs 220 (e.g., PCC, SCC1–SCCn) commonly supported by the combined UE 200. For example, the primary UE 104P supports primary component carriers and secondary component carriers PCC and SCC1; secondary UE 2 120S supports secondary component carriers SCC2, SCC3, and SCC4; secondary UE 3 120S supports secondary component carrier SCC3; and secondary UE n supports secondary component carriers SCC5 and SCCn. In general, the combined UE 200, including the primary UE 104P and multiple secondary UEs 104S, advertises the CA capability 202 including each of PCC 220P and SCC 220S (SCC1–SCCn).

[0050] eNB 102a receives CA capability 202 advertised by combined UE 200 and provides connection request 204 to combined UE 200. In some examples, connection request 204 requests communication with combined UE 200 on either PCC 220P or SCC 220S. Primary UE 104P acts as a contact point for combined UE 200 and facilitates communication to and from combined UE 200. In the example shown, primary UE 104P receives connection request 204 from eNB 102a on PCC 220P and connects to eNB 102a on PCC 220P in response to receiving connection request 204.

[0051] When the primary UE 104P establishes a connection with the eNB 102a on the PCC 220P, the primary UE 104P can receive a configuration message 206 from the eNB 102a. This configuration message 206 instructs the operation of at least one of the secondary CCs 220S, i.e., the operation of at least one of SCC1-SCCn. In some implementations, the handover logic 210 (e.g., a software application) performs at least one of the following on the primary UE 104P's data processing hardware 105: configuring, enabling, or disabling at least one SCC 220S supported by the combined UE 200 and associated with at least one of the secondary UEs 104S. For example, the handover logic 210 allows the primary UE 104P to receive the configuration message 206 from the eNB 102a and instructs at least one secondary UE 104S to operate on at least one SCC 220S and receive data 208 from the eNB 102a on at least one SCC 220S. Figure 2BTherefore, eNB 102a can treat the combined UE 200 as a single UE with advertised CA capability 202, and the handover logic 210 performed on the primary UE 104P is responsible for routing configuration messages 206 to the appropriate secondary UE 104S to configure the SCC 220S identified in the configuration message 206.

[0052] In the example, the primary UE 104P receives the first configuration message 206 requesting operation of the fifth SCC5 220S from eNB 102a on PCC 220P (in... Figure 2A (represented as "A" in the original text). In response to receiving the first configuration message 206, the primary UE 104P identifies the secondary UE n 104S associated with the fifth SCC5 220S and provides the secondary UE n 104S with CC instruction 212 (in... Figure 2A (represented as "A" in the original text). CC instruction 212 instructs the secondary UEn 104S to operate on the fifth SCC5 220S and receive data 208 from eNB 102 on the fifth SCC5 220S. In some examples, CC instruction 212 received by the secondary UEn 104S enables the combined UE operating state of the secondary UEn 104S to allow cross-carrier aggregation of the combined UE 200, which includes the primary UE 104P and multiple secondary UEs 104S. Therefore, CC instruction 212 provided to the secondary UEn 104S enables the secondary UEn 104S to receive data 208 from eNB 102a on the fifth SCC5 220S.

[0053] In some implementations, after enabling the secondary UEn 104S to operate on the fifth SCC5 220S, the handover logic 210 executed on the primary UE1104P schedules the transmission of data 208 from eNB 102 to the secondary UEn 104S on the fifth SCC5 220S. For example, Figure 2B This demonstrates enabling the secondary UEn 104S to operate on the fifth SCC5 220S to receive data 208 transmitted from the eNB 102a (in Figure 2B The switching logic 210 (represented as "A") is provided to the auxiliary UEn 104S. In some examples, the CC instruction 212 (…) is provided to the auxiliary UEn 104S. Figure 2AThe auxiliary UE n 104S further instructs the target device 250 to send the data 208 received from eNB 102a. The target device 250 may include another eNB 102, another UE 104, or a radio node (e.g., an access point) 107. In the example shown, the auxiliary UE n 104S receives data 208 from eNB 102 on the fifth SCC 5 220S and subsequently sends the received data to the target device 250. Therefore, the combined UE 200 routes the data 208 transmitted from eNB 102 at point "1" to the target device 250 at point "2" by instructing one of the auxiliary UE 104S (e.g., UE n) to operate on the fifth SCC 5 220S. In other examples, the auxiliary UE n 104S corresponds to the destination of the received data 208 and simply decodes the data 208 without further routing to the target device 250.

[0054] Figure 3A and 3B An example network environment 300 is provided, which includes a first configuration message 206 in response to receiving a request to operate on a fifth SCC5 220S. Figure 2A (represented as "A") Figure 2A and Figure 2B The combined operation of UE200. Figure 3A The diagram illustrates a primary UE 1104P of a combined UE 200 receiving configuration message 206 from eNB 102a on PCC 220P. PCC 220P serves the corresponding PSC 118, and the primary UE 1104P resides within PSC 118. In response to receiving configuration message 206, the primary UE 1104P instructs the secondary UE n 104S to operate on the fifth SCC 5 220S. For example, the primary UE 1104P provides CC instruction 212 (in...) to the secondary UE n 104S. Figure 2A (represented as "A" in Chinese). Here, when the secondary UEn 104S is operating in idle mode, the secondary UEn 104S can receive CC instruction 212. CC instruction 212 enables the secondary UEn 104S to receive data 208 from eNB102a on the fifth SCC5 220S.

[0055] After instruction auxiliary UEn 104S operates on the fifth SCC5 220S, Figure 3BA secondary UEn 104S is shown receiving data 208 from eNB 102a on a fifth SCC5 220S. Here, the enabled service of the fifth SCC5 220S corresponds to an SSC5 120, and the secondary UEn 104S is located within the SSC5 120. The coverage provided by PSC 118 and SSC5 120 may be different. The secondary UEn 104S establishes a connection with the SSC5 120 via eNB 102a to receive data 208 on the fifth SSC5 220S. Subsequently, the secondary UEn 104S operating on the fifth SCC5 220S transmits the data 208 received from eNB 102a to a target device 250 including another eNB 102b. In some examples, the primary UE1 104P command (e.g., via CC command 212) instructs the secondary UEn 104S to transmit the received data 208 to other eNBs 102b.

[0056] In some implementations, the primary UE1 104P uses cross-carrier scheduling to schedule the transmission of data 208 from eNB102a to the secondary UEn 104S on the fifth SCC5 220S. Therefore, eNB102a can send low-latency commands such as DL and UL authorizations and / or timing and power control corrections on PCC 220P for execution by the secondary UEn 104S on the fifth SCC5 220S. Cross-carrier scheduling advantageously configures the fifth SCC5 220S in real time based on the configuration message 206 received on PCC 220P. In some examples, the handover logic 210 executed on the primary UE1 104P provides the secondary UEn 104S with the low-latency commands received on PCC 220P within less than one millisecond to enable the fifth SCC5 220S and receive data 208 from eNB102a on it. In other implementations, the primary UE1 104P instructs the secondary UEn 104S to operate on the fifth SCC5 220S without cross-carrier scheduling, so that the secondary UEn 104S performs a cell search on the fifth SCC5 220S to connect with the eNB 102a in order to receive data 208 from it.

[0057] The eNB 102a can provide a separate configuration message 206 to the combined UE 200, which instructs operations on other SCCs 220S associated with one or more of the primary UE 1 104P and / or other secondary UEs 104S. In doing so, the eNB 102a can aggregate multiple SCCs 220S for transmitting data 208, and the handover logic 210 performed on the primary UE 1 104P can route data 208 to an associated UE 104 among the UEs 104 in the combined UE 200 on each corresponding SCC 220S. Each UE 104 receiving data 208 on an associated SCC 220S can individually transmit the received data 208 to a target device 250 including another eNB 102b. Therefore, the multiple UEs 104 in the combined UE 200, each receiving data 208 and transmitting the received data 208 to the target device 250, provide multiple receive antennas to perform multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data 208 transmission to the uplink of the target device 250. Thus, the enabling of the combined UE operating state to allow cross-carrier aggregation of the combined UE 200 increases the number of aggregated uplink and downlink carriers compared to the number of aggregated carriers allowed by a single UE 104 due to battery power and mobility constraints.

[0058] Return to reference Figure 2A and 2B In some implementations, the primary UE1 104P also receives a second configuration message 206 on PCC 220P from eNB 102a requesting the operation of the second SCC2 and the fourth SCC4. Figure 2A (represented as "B" in Chinese). The primary UE1 104P can receive the first and second configuration messages 206 concurrently or separately. In response to receiving the first configuration message 206, the primary UE1 104P identifies the secondary UE2 104S associated with the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S and provides the secondary UE2 104S with a CC instruction 212 (in... Figure 2A(represented as "B" in the original text). In some examples, CC instruction 212 instructs secondary UE n 104S to operate on the second SCC2 220S and receive data 208a from eNB 102a on the second SCC2 220S and to operate on the fourth SCC4 220S to receive data 208b from another eNB 102b. In some examples, CC instruction 212 received by secondary UE 2 104S enables the combined UE operation state of secondary UE 2 104S to allow cross-carrier aggregation of combined UE 200 including primary UE 104P and multiple secondary UE 104S. Therefore, CC instruction 212 provided to secondary UE 2 104S enables secondary UE n 104S to receive data 208a from eNB 102a on the second SCC2 220S and to receive data 208b from another eNB 102b on the fourth SCC4 220S.

[0059] In some examples, after enabling the secondary UE2 104S to operate on the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S, the handover logic 210 executed on the primary UE1 104P schedules the transmission of data 208a from eNB 102a to the secondary UE2 104S on the second SCC2 220S and the transmission of data 208b from eNB 102b to the secondary UE2 104S on the fourth SCC4 220S. For example, Figure 2B This demonstrates enabling the secondary UE2 104S to operate on the second SCC2 220S to receive data 208a transmitted from the eNB 102a (in Figure 2B Switching logic 210 (represented as "B" in the text). Figure 2B The switching logic 210 that enables the secondary UE2 104S to operate on the fourth SCC4 220S to receive data 208b transmitted from the eNB 102b is also shown. In some examples, the CC instruction 212 provided to the secondary UE2 104S ( Figure 2AThe secondary UE2 104S further instructs itself to transmit data 208a received from eNB 102a and data 208b received from eNB 102b to the target device 250. The target device 250 may include another eNB 102, another UE 104, or a radio node (e.g., an access point) 107. In the example shown, the secondary UE2 104S receives data 208a from eNB 102a on the second SCC2 220S, receives data 208b from eNB 102b on the fourth SCC4 220S, and then transmits the received data 208a and 208b to the target device 250. The secondary UE2 104S may transmit the received data 208a and 208b to the target device 250 individually or together. Therefore, the combined UE 200 routes data 208a, 208b transmitted from eNBs 102a, 102b at point "1" to the target device 250 at point "2" by instructing one of the auxiliary UEs 104S (e.g., UE2) to operate on both the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S.

[0060] Figures 4A-4D An example network environment 400 is provided, which includes a second configuration message 206 in response to receiving a request to operate on the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S. Figure 2A (represented as "B") Figure 2A and Figure 2B The combined operation of UE 200. Figure 4A and 4B The diagram illustrates a combined UE 200, specifically a primary UE1 104P, receiving configuration message 206 from eNB 102a on PCC 220P. PCC 220P serves the corresponding PSC 118, and the primary UE1 104P resides within PSC 118. In response to receiving configuration message 206, the primary UE1 104P instructs the secondary UE2 104S to operate on the second SCC2 220S. Figure 4A ) and also instructs auxiliary UE2 104S to operate on the fourth SCC4 220S ( Figure 4B For example, the primary UE1 104P provides the secondary UE2 104S with the CC instruction 212 (in... Figure 2A(represented as "B" in Chinese). Here, when the secondary UE2 104S operates in idle mode, the secondary UE2 104S can receive CC instruction 212. CC instruction 212 instructs the secondary UE2 104S to receive data 208a from eNB 102a on the second SCC2 220S and data 208b from another eNB 102b on the fourth SCC4 220S. In some examples, the primary UE1 104P provides a single set of CC instructions 212 to the secondary UE2 104S to instruct the secondary UE2 104S to operate on both the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S to receive data 208a and 208b from the associated eNBs 102a and 102b. In other examples, the primary UE1 104P provides separate CC instructions 212 to the secondary UE2 104S, each instruction instructing the secondary UE2 104S to operate on one of the associated SCCs in the second SCC2220S or the fourth SCC4 220S.

[0061] After instruction auxiliary UE2 104S operates on the second SCC2 220S, Figure 4C A secondary UE2 104S is shown receiving data 208a from eNB 102a on the second SCC2 220S. Here, the SSC2 220S service is enabled, corresponding to the second SCC2 220S, and the second SCC2 220S is located within SSC2 120. SSC2 120 can provide coverage different from that provided by PSC 118. The secondary UE2 104S establishes a connection with SSC2 120 via eNB 102a to receive data 208a on the second SCC2 220S.

[0062] Similarly, Figure 4D The illustration shows a secondary UE 2104S receiving data 208b from another eNB 102b on a fourth SCC4 220S. In the example shown, the fourth SCC4 220S serves a corresponding SSC4 120, which provides data to the secondary UE 2 104S in a manner consistent with that of the eNB 102b. Figure 4CThe second SCC2 220S provides SSC2 120 with a different coverage range to the secondary UE2 104S. The secondary UE2 104S establishes a connection with SSC4 120 via eNB 102b to receive data 208b on the fourth SCC4 220S. Therefore, the secondary UE2 104S is dually connected to each of eNBs 102a and 102b. Subsequently, the secondary UE2 104S operating on the second SSC2 220S transmits the data 208a and 208b received from eNBs 102a and 102b to a target device 250, which includes another UE 104. The other UE 104 associated with the target device 250 may be associated with the combined UE 200 or may be a different UE 104 with an associated network identifier individually identified by eNB 102a. In some examples, the primary UE1 104P instruction (e.g., via CC instruction 212) sends the received data 208a, 208b to another UE 104 associated with the target device 250.

[0063] In some implementations, the primary UE1 104P uses cross-carrier scheduling to schedule the transmission of data 208a from eNB102a to secondary UE2 104S on the second SCC2 220S and / or the transmission of data 208b from eNB102b to secondary UE2 104S on the fourth SCC4 220S. Therefore, eNB102a can send low-latency commands such as DL and UL authorization and / or timing and power control corrections on PCC 220P for execution by secondary UE2 104S on the second SCC5 220S and / or the fourth SCC4 220S. In some examples, the handover logic 210 executed on the primary UE1 104P provides the secondary UE2 104S with a low-latency command received on PCC 220P within less than one millisecond to concurrently or individually enable the second SCC2 220S to receive data 208a from eNB 102a and enable the fourth SCC4 220S to receive data 208b from another eNB 102b. In other implementations, the primary UE1 104P instructs the secondary UE2 104S to operate on the second SCC2 220S and the fourth SCC4 220S without using cross-carrier scheduling, causing the secondary UE2 104S to perform a cell search to connect with eNBs 102a and 102b to receive the associated data 208a and 208b.

[0064] Figure 5A and 5B The diagram illustrates the operation performed by the primary UE 104P in the combined UE 200 to utilize cross-carrier scheduling ( Figure 5A and unutilized cross-carrier scheduling ( Figure 5BFigures 500a and 500b illustrate example operations of carrier aggregation. After the primary UE 104P announces the carrier aggregation (CA) capability 202 of the combined UE 200, refer to... Figure 2A and 2B The diagram illustrates this. The vertical y-axis indicates time increasing from top to bottom. eNB 102 and primary UE 104P perform an initial network attach procedure (“network attach”) to register primary UE 104P with the LTE network, and more specifically, to register the combined UE. Here, eNB 102 broadcasts an LTE signal and primary UE 104P sends a network attach request to eNB 102. In response to the network attach request from primary UE 104P, eNB 102 transmits downlink data, including a connection request 204, to primary UE 104P on primary CC (PCC) 220P. Connection request 204 may request communication on PCC 220P or at least one of secondary CCs (SCCs) 220S. Primary UE 104P then connects to eNB 102 on PCC 220P by transmitting uplink data to eNB 102.

[0065] After the primary UE 104P connects to the eNB 102 on the PCC 220P, the eNB 102 and the primary UE 104P perform a carrier aggregation procedure to configure at least one SCC 220S. The primary UE 104P receives a configuration message 206 from the eNB 102 instructing the operation of at least one SCC 220S. The primary UE 104P identifies at least one secondary UE 104S associated with at least one SCC 220S. Thereafter, the primary UE 104P routes the configuration message 206 to the handover logic 210 executed on the data processing hardware 105 of the primary UE 104P, and the handover logic 210 routes the configuration message 206 to at least one secondary UE 104S. Here, the handover logic 210 provides a CC instruction 212 to at least one secondary UE 104S to operate on at least one SCC 220S and receive data 208 from the eNB 102 on at least one SCC 220S. Subsequently, eNB 102 transmits a downlink carrier activation signal to primary UE 104P to activate at least one SCC 220S. The downlink carrier activation signal is then passed to handover logic 210 and to at least one secondary UE 104S.

[0066] In some examples, Figure 5AThe diagram illustrates eNB 102 configuring a target SCC220S on PCC 220P using cross-carrier scheduling. For example, eNB 102 transmits downlink control signals on PCC 220P to the primary UE 104P, instructing the primary UE 104P to pass or switch control to the secondary UE 104S. The primary UE 104P can then pass control signals to the secondary UE 104S to enable the secondary UE 104S associated with the target SCC220S to receive data 208 from eNB 102. In contrast, Figure 5B The transmission of control signals is omitted, and the auxiliary UE 104S is simply allowed to operate on the SCC 220S and connect to the eNB 102 to receive data from it.

[0067] Figures 500a and 500b both include an eNB 102 that provides downlink data 208 to the primary UE 104P on the PCC 220P and to the secondary UE 104S on the SCC 220S. The primary UE 104P can provide uplink data 208 back to the eNB 102 on the PCC 220P, and the secondary UE 104S can provide uplink data 208 back to the eNB 102 on the SCC 220S.

[0068] refer to Figure 6A and 6B In some implementations, the combined UE environment 600, 600a-b includes a network device 602 that communicates with the combined UE 200 and a network base station (e.g., eNB) 102. The eNB 102 can communicate with the EPC 106 via the S1 interface 114. In some examples, the eNB 102 receives packets of data 208 from the EPC 106 and routes the data 208 to a destination D via the combined UE 200. The destination D may include a target device 250, such as another eNB 102, another UE 104, or a wireless node (e.g., an access point) 107. The network device 602 may include a customer premises equipment (CPE), such as a router or modem configured to wirelessly connect to multiple UEs 104 and one or more eNBs 102. The network device 602 includes data processing hardware 604 and memory hardware 606 that communicates with the data processing hardware 604. The memory hardware 606 can store instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware 604, cause the data processing hardware 604 to perform operations for connecting to the eNB 102 and routing data 208 via the combined UE 200.

[0069] refer to Figure 6A In some implementations, network device 602 receives communication request 610 from eNB 102 to deliver data 208 to destination D (e.g., target device 250). Figure 6BNetwork device 602 is configured to route data 208 associated with communication request 610 to destination D via combined UE 200. Combined UE 200 includes multiple slave UEs 104 (e.g., UE1-UE5), each slave UE 104 having an associated component carrier (CC) 220. Network device 602 includes data processing hardware 604 and memory hardware 606 communicating with data processing hardware 604. Memory hardware 606 may store instructions that, when executed on data processing hardware 604, cause data processing hardware 604 to perform operations for connecting to eNB 102 and to route data 208 from combined UE 200 to destination D.

[0070] In some examples, network device 602 assigns an associated CC 220, 220a-e to each slave UE 104, the associated CC 220, 220a-e being different from each other CC 220 associated with each other slave UE 104. Therefore, the combined UE 200 can place each slave UE 104 on a separate CC 220, allowing each CC 220 to be aggregated to utilize more radio spectrum and thus improve threshold efficiency in fixed radio access services (e.g., Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) bands). In the example shown, the combined UE 200 includes five slave UEs 104 to allow aggregation of up to five (5) CC 220s. However, other examples may include a combined UE 200 that includes more slave UEs 104 to aggregate more than five (5) CC 220s. Although the combined UE 200 can be identified by the eNB 102 as a single UE associated with the CC220 of the slave UE 104, each slave UE 104 may include an associated network identifier that is different from each other network identifier associated with each other slave UE 104.

[0071] Network device 602 may provide combined UE information 612 to eNB 102. Combined UE information 612 may include the network identifier for each slave UE 104 of combined UE 200 and / or the associated CC 220, 220a-e assigned to each slave UE 104 in combined UE 200. eNB 102 may receive combined UE information 612. In some examples, eNB 102 uses the associated network identifier and associated CC 220 to track each slave UE 104 to ensure that each slave UE 104 remains on a separate CC 220. Keeping slave UE 104 on a separate CC 220 ensures that the physical layer resources provided by each slave UE 104 in combined UE 200 do not share bandwidth. Furthermore, eNB 102 may provide combined UE information 612 to EPC 106 via S1-interface 114 to allow EPC 106 (and PGW) to track each slave UE 104 using the associated network identifier. In some examples, EPC 106 uses the associated network identifier to track each UE 104 to allow packets scheduled for transmission of data 208 on one UE 104 to be rerouted to another UE 104.

[0072] Figure 6B This illustration shows network device 602 (e.g., via data processing hardware 604) routing communication of data 208 from multiple slave UEs 104 of combined UE 200 to destination D (e.g., target device 250). In some implementations, network device 602 routes communication of data 208 by identifying at least one target slave UE 104 for routing data 208 based on CC 220 associated with at least one target slave UE 104. Subsequently, network device 602 schedules the routing of communication of data 208 through the identified at least one target slave UE 104. In the example shown, the network device identifies multiple target slave UEs 104 (UE1-UE5) and schedules concurrent routing of communication of data 208 through the identified multiple target slave UEs 104. For example, eNB 102 may send communication of data 208 across multiple CCs 220a-n, each CC 220a-n associated with one of the identified multiple target slave UEs 104 in combined UE 200. Network device 602 can route communication of data 208 from UE 104 on each CC 220a-n through the target associated with CC 220a-n.

[0073] Figure 7An example operational arrangement is provided for a method 700 for instructing at least one secondary UE 104S to operate on at least one secondary component carrier (SCC) 220S and to receive data from a network base station 102 on at least one SCC 220S. At block 702, method 700 includes receiving a connection request 204 from network base station 102a on a primary component carrier (PCC) 220P associated with the primary UE 104P at a data processing hardware 105 of the primary UE 104P. At block 704, method 700 includes being connected to network base station 102 on PCC 220P by the data processing hardware 105. At block 706, method 700 includes receiving a configuration message 206 from network base station 102 at the data processing hardware 105. The configuration message 206 instructs the operation of at least one SCC 220S. The at least one SCC 220S is associated with at least one secondary UE 104S. At block 708, in response to receiving configuration message 206, method 700 includes instructing at least one secondary UE 104S to operate on at least one SCC 220S and to receive data 208 from network base station 102 on at least one SCC 220S by data processing hardware 105.

[0074] Figure 8 An example arrangement of operation is provided for a method 800 for routing communication of data from network base station 102 to destination D via a combined user equipment (UE) 200. The destination may include a target device 250, such as, but not limited to, another network base station 102, another UE 104, or a wireless node (e.g., an access point) 107. At block 802, method 800 includes receiving a communication request 610 from network base station 102 at data processing hardware 604 for delivering data 208 to destination D. At block 804, method 800 includes routing communication of data 208 from network base station 102 to destination D via the combined UE 200 by data processing hardware 604. The combined UE includes slave UEs 104, each slave UE communicating with data processing hardware 604 and having associated component carriers (CCs) 220, 220a-e. The combined UE 200 is identified by network base station 102 as a single UE associated with the CCs 220a-e of slave UE 104. At block 806, method 800 includes identifying at least one target from UE 104 for routing communication of data 208 based on CC 220 associated with at least one target from UE 104. At block 808, the method includes scheduling the routing of communication of data 208 through the identified at least one target from UE 104.

[0075] A software application (i.e., a software resource) can refer to computer software that instructs a computing device to perform a task. In some examples, a software application may be referred to as an "application," "application program," or "program." Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0076] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an example computing device 900 that can be used to implement the systems and methods described in this document. The computing device 900 is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other suitable computers. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the ways in which the inventions described and / or claimed in this document can be implemented.

[0077] Computing device 900 includes a processor 910, a memory 920, a storage device 930, a high-speed interface / controller 940 and a high-speed expansion port 990 connected to the memory 920, and a low-speed interface / controller 960 connected to a low-speed bus 970 and the storage device 930. Each of components 910, 920, 930, 940, 990, and 960 is interconnected using various buses and can be mounted on a common motherboard or otherwise suitably mounted. Processor 910 can process instructions for execution within computing device 900, including instructions stored in memory 920 or on storage device 930 for displaying graphical user interface (GUI) information on an external input / output device such as a display 980 coupled to the high-speed interface 940. In other implementations, multiple processors and / or multiple buses may be suitably used in conjunction with multiple memories and multiple types of memory. Moreover, multiple computing devices 900 may be connected, each providing a portion of the necessary operation (e.g., as a server library, a group of blade servers, or a multiprocessor system).

[0078] Memory 920 non-transitory stores information within computing device 900. Memory 920 may be a computer-readable medium, a volatile memory cell, or a non-volatile memory cell. Non-transitory memory 920 may be a physical device used to temporarily or permanently store programs (e.g., instruction sequences) or data (e.g., program state information) for use by computing device 900. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., commonly used in firmware, such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), and magnetic disks or magnetic tapes.

[0079] Storage device 930 provides large-capacity storage for computing device 900. In some implementations, storage device 930 is a computer-readable medium. In various implementations, storage device 930 may be a floppy disk device, hard disk device, optical disk device, magnetic tape device, flash memory or other similar solid-state storage device, or an array of devices including those in a storage area network or other configurations. In other implementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. This computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer or machine-readable medium, such as memory 920, storage device 930, or memory on processor 910.

[0080] High-speed controller 940 manages bandwidth-intensive operations for computing device 900, while low-speed controller 960 manages less bandwidth-intensive operations. This assignment of responsibilities is merely exemplary. In some implementations, high-speed controller 940 is coupled to memory 920, display 980 (e.g., via a graphics processor or accelerator), and high-speed expansion port 990, which can accept various expansion cards (not shown). In some implementations, low-speed controller 960 is coupled to storage device 930 and low-speed expansion port 990. Low-speed expansion port 990, which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wireless Ethernet), may be coupled to one or more input / output devices, such as keyboards, indicating devices, scanners, or network devices such as switches or routers, for example, via a network adapter.

[0081] As shown in the figure, computing device 900 can be implemented in a variety of different forms. For example, it can be implemented as a standard server 900a or multiple times in a set of such servers 900a, as a laptop computer 900b, or as part of a rack server system 900c. Computing device 900 (e.g., data processing hardware 105, 604) can be implemented on UE 104 and / or network device 602.

[0082] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementations in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system, said programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be dedicated or general-purpose, coupled to receive and transfer data and instructions from and to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0083] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented in high-level programming and / or object-oriented programming languages ​​and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, means and / or devices (e.g., disks, optical disks, memories, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable media that receive machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0084] The processes and logical flows described in this specification can be executed by one or more programmable processors that execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by manipulating input data and generating output. The processes and logical flows can also be executed by special-purpose logic circuitry (e.g., FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits)). As an example, processors suitable for executing computer programs include both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, as well as any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Typically, the processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory or random access memory, or both. The basic elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to, one or more mass storage devices, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, to receive data or to transfer data to one or more mass storage devices, or both, for storing data. However, computers do not require such devices. Suitable computer-readable media for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROMs, EEPROMs, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Processors and memory can be supplemented by or incorporated into dedicated logic circuits.

[0085] To provide interaction with the user, one or more aspects of this disclosure can be implemented on a computer having a display device for displaying information to the user (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or touchscreen) and optionally on a computer having a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball), through which the user provides input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual, auditory, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including auditory, speech, or tactile input. Additionally, the computer can interact with the user by sending documents to and receiving documents from the device used by the user; for example, by sending a webpage to a web browser in response to a request received from a web browser on the user's client device.

[0086] Various implementations have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure; therefore, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for carrier aggregation on a combined user equipment (UE) (200), the combined UE comprising a primary UE (104P) and at least one secondary UE (104S), the method comprising: announcing, by data processing hardware (105) of the primary UE (104P), a carrier aggregation capability of the combined UE (200), the carrier aggregation capability listing a primary component carrier (PCC) (220P) associated with the primary UE (104P) and at least one secondary component carrier (SCC) (220S) associated with at least one secondary UE (104S); in response to the announcing, receiving, at the data processing hardware (105), a carrier aggregation configuration message (206) from a first network base station (102a) instructing a carrier aggregation procedure for the at least one SCC (220S); and configuring, by the data processing hardware (105), the at least one SCC (220S) to perform the carrier aggregation procedure for the combined UE (200) based on the carrier aggregation configuration message (206).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the combined UE (200) is identified by the first network base station (102a) as a single UE (104) associated with the PCC (220P) and the at least one SCC (220S).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by the data processing hardware (105), a network attach request to the first network base station (102a); receiving, at the data processing hardware (105), a connection request (204) from the first network base station (102a) on the PCC (220P); and connecting, by the data processing hardware (105), to the first network base station (102a) on the PCC (220P).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the at least one SCC (220S) comprises a first SCC (220Sa) corresponding to the first network base station (102a) and a second SCC (220Sb) corresponding to a second network base station (102b), and wherein one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) is associated with the first SCC (220Sa) and the second SCC (220Sb).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, the carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) to receive data (208a) from the first network base station (102a) on the first SCC (220Sa) and data (208b) from the second network base station (102b) on the second SCC (220Sb).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) to send the data (208a) and (208b) to a target device (250).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, the target device (250) comprises at least one of another base station (102) or another UE (104).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, the configuring further comprises: configuring, using cross-carrier scheduling by the data processing hardware (105), a target SCC (220S) of the at least one SCC (220S) on the PCC (220P).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The configuration further includes: receiving, at the data processing hardware (105), a control signal from the first network base station (102a) instructing the primary UE (104P) to switch control to one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) associated with the target SCC (220S); and communicating, by the data processing hardware (105), the control signal to the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) to enable the one of the at least one secondary UE (104) to receive data (208) from the first network base station (102a).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the data processing hardware (105), a carrier activation signal from the first network base station (102a) to activate the at least one SCC (220S).

11. A system for carrier aggregation on a combined user equipment (UE) (200), the combined UE comprising a primary UE (104P) and at least one secondary UE (104S), wherein, The primary UE (104P) is configured to perform operations including: advertising a carrier aggregation capability of the combined UE (200) listing a primary component carrier (PCC) (220P) associated with the primary UE (104P) and at least one secondary component carrier (SCC) (220S) associated with at least one secondary UE (104S); in response to the advertising, receiving a carrier aggregation configuration message (206) from a first network base station (102a) instructing a carrier aggregation procedure for the at least one SCC (220S); and configuring the at least one SCC (220S) based on the carrier aggregation configuration message (206) to perform the carrier aggregation procedure for the combined UE (200).

12. The system of claim 11, wherein, The combined UE (200) is identified by the first network base station (102a) as a single UE (104) associated with the PCC (220P) and the at least one SCC (220S).

13. The system of claim 11, wherein, The operations further include: sending a network attach request to the first network base station (102a); receiving a connection request (204) from the first network base station (102a) on the PCC (220P); and connecting to the first network base station (102a) on the PCC (220P).

14. The system of claim 11, wherein, The at least one SCC (220S) includes a first SCC (220Sa) corresponding to the first network base station (102a) and a second SCC (220Sb) corresponding to a second network base station (102b), and wherein one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) (104c) is associated with the first SCC (220Sa) and the second SCC (220Sb).

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, The carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) (104c) to receive data (208a) from the first network base station (102a) on the first SCC (220Sa) and data (208b) from the second network base station (102b) on the second SCC (220Sb).

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, The carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) (104c) to send the data (208a) and (208b) to a target device (250).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, The target device (250) comprises at least one of another base station (102) or another UE (104).

18. The system of claim 11, wherein, The configuration further comprises: configuring a target one of the at least one SCC (220S) on the PCC (220P) using cross-carrier scheduling.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein, The configuration further comprises: receiving a control signal from the first network base station (102a) instructing the primary UE (104P) to switch control to one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) associated with the target SCC (220S); and passing the control signal to the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) to enable the one of the at least one secondary UE (104) to receive data (208) from the first network base station (102a).

20. The system of claim 11, wherein, The operations further comprise: receiving a carrier activation signal from the first network base station (102a) to activate the at least one SCC (220S). The carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) (104c) to receive data (208a) from the first network base station (102a) on the first SCC (220Sa) and data (208b) from the second network base station (102b) on the second SCC (220Sb). The carrier aggregation configuration message (206) instructs the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) (104c) to send the data (208a) and (208b) to a target device (250). The target device (250) comprises at least one of another base station (102) or another UE (104). The configuration further comprises: configuring a target one of the at least one SCC (220S) on the PCC (220P) using cross-carrier scheduling. The configuration further comprises: receiving a control signal from the first network base station (102a) instructing the primary UE (104P) to switch control to one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) associated with the target SCC (220S); and passing the control signal to the one of the at least one secondary UE (104S) to enable the one of the at least one secondary UE (104) to receive data (208) from the first network base station (102a). The operations further comprise: receiving a carrier activation signal from the first network base station (102a) to activate the at least one SCC (220S).

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