Adaptive public land mobile network management device and method for changing network conditions

Abstract

The present application relates to an apparatus and method for adaptive public land mobile network management in response to changing network conditions. In some aspects, as part of a registration process, a PLMN manager (144) of a user equipment (UE, 102) searches a data repository including PLMN information for PLMNs (104, 106) that were blocked from registration for a certain duration and determines that the PLMN was blocked due to a signal-related condition (e.g., a weak signal) associated with a cell (110, 112) of the PLMN. The PLMN manager (144) then determines that the signal-related condition between the UE (102) and the cell (110, 112) has improved during the duration. In response to the improvement, the PLMN manager (144) unblocks the PLMN (104, 106) before the expiration of the duration. By doing so, the UE (102) can retry registration with the unblocked PLMN (104, 106) at least once before the expiration of the duration, which can allow the UE to register and reestablish network service more quickly.

Description

[0001] Description of the case

[0002] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application No. 202080064122.0, with the application date of July 6, 2020. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to an apparatus and method for adaptive public land mobile network management under changing network conditions. Background Art

[0004] The prevalence of wireless communication technology has greatly increased the number of devices that can access remote data or other services through wireless networks. For wide area networks such as cellular networks, core network operators typically provide telecommunication services to mobile stations throughout the network. An example of a network is a public land mobile network (PLMN), which includes a core network and base stations. The base stations collectively form a radio access network (RAN) connected to the network. In order to communicate with the network wirelessly, a mobile station can establish a connection to the core network via a cell (e.g., base station, serving cell) of the PLMN.

[0005] During the ATTACH process to establish this connection, the network will inquire about the wireless communication capabilities supported by the mobile station. To successfully attach to the PLMN, the mobile station needs to respond to the network with its capabilities, including supported wireless communication bands and other parameters. To increase data rates, some mobile stations and networks implement carrier aggregation (CA), which allows the mobile station to use multiple channels to communicate data with the network. To enable carrier aggregation, the mobile station also communicates various combinations of CA parameters, such as carrier, frequency band, and bandwidth, to the network as part of its wireless communication capabilities.

[0006] However, as networks deploy more CA-capable cells across multiple frequency bands, the number and size of CA parameter combinations supported by many mobile stations has grown significantly. With this increase in the number and size of CA parameter combinations, the size of the mobile station's capabilities message transmitted to the network during the attach process has also increased significantly. In situations of poor network coverage or weak signal strength, the transmission of the capabilities message, including the CA parameter combinations, often takes longer to complete due to reduced network throughput. Due to the guard times implemented by many network operators, if a complete capabilities message is not received from the mobile station within the guard time, the connection to the mobile station may be dropped during the attach process. Furthermore, after multiple failed attach processes, the mobile station may be blocked from the PLMN for subsequent attach processes for a certain period of time. Consequently, mobile stations with poor network coverage often fail to complete the attach process with the PLMN or may be blocked from reattempting the attach process for a certain period of time, during which the mobile station's network service may be compromised or denied. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure describes apparatus and techniques for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. In some aspects, a user equipment performs a method that includes, as part of a registration process, searching a data repository comprising PLMN information for a PLMN that was blocked from registration for a predefined duration. The method then determines that the PLMN that was blocked from registration was blocked due to a signal-related condition for a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN. The method also includes determining that the signal-related condition for the connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN has improved during the predefined duration. In response to the improvement in the signal-related condition, the method unblocks the PLMN registration. The method then transmits a request to the cell of the PLMN to register with the unblocked PLMN to enable registration with the PLMN before expiration of the predefined duration.

[0008] In other aspects, a user equipment performs a method that includes transmitting a first request to register with a cell of a PLMN. The method then detects a failure of the first request to register with the PLMN during a phase of sending a UE capabilities message. The method includes: determining that a signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN fails to meet a threshold; and identifying a PLMN registration failure based on the signal correlation characteristic. The method then determines whether the signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN has remained the same, improved, or deteriorated during a duration. In response to the determination of the signal correlation characteristic, the method uses fewer or more CA combinations in the UE capabilities message during a next request to register with the PLMN. If the signal conditions improve significantly, the UE may make another registration attempt before expiration of the duration.

[0009] In other aspects, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver operably coupled to one or more antennas; a hardware-based processor associated with the transceiver; and a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by the hardware-based processor of the UE. The instructions are executable to implement a PLMN manager configured to direct the UE, as part of a registration process, to search a data repository including PLMN information for PLMNs that were blocked from registration for a predefined duration. The PLMN manager determines that the blocked PLMNs were blocked due to signal-related conditions for a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN. The PLMN manager then determines, via the transceiver and during the duration, that signal-related conditions for the connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN have improved. In response to the improvement in signal-related conditions, the PLMN manager unblocks the PLMN registration. The PLMN manager then transmits, via the transceiver and to a base station of the PLMN, a request to register with the unblocked PLMN, enabling registration with the PLMN before the expiration of the predefined duration.

[0010] Details of one or more implementations of adaptive PLMN management are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Additional features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. This Summary is provided to introduce subject matter that is further described in the Detailed Description and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, this Summary should not be construed as describing essential features, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] This specification describes apparatus and techniques for adaptive public land mobile network (PLMN) management for changing network conditions with reference to the following drawings. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to reference similar features and components:

[0012] Figure 1 An example wireless network environment is illustrated in which various aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 A device diagram illustrating an example user equipment (UE) including a PLMN manager and a UE capability manager in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0014] Figure 3 A device diagram illustrating example base station equipment capable of facilitating PLMN access in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0015] Figure 4 Diagram illustrating an example network protocol stack through which a UE may communicate with entities of a PLMN in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0016] Figure 5 Diagram illustrating example registration states between which a UE may transition during a network attach or tracking area update (TAU) procedure.

[0017] Figure 6 An example method for PLMN registration is illustrated in which aspects of adaptive UE capability management or adaptive PLMN management may be implemented.

[0018] Figure 7 An example message sequence diagram illustrating PLMN registration in which aspects of adaptive UE capability management or adaptive PLMN management may be implemented.

[0019] Figure 8 Illustrated is an example approach for adaptive UE capability management for marginal network conditions.

[0020] Figure 9

[0014] An example method is illustrated for modifying carrier aggregation (CA) information useful for PLMN registration in accordance with one or more aspects.

[0021] Figure 10 Illustrated is an example method for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions.

[0022] Figure 11A and Figure 11B Illustrated is an example method for adaptive PLMN debarking under changing network conditions.

[0023] Figure 12 Illustrated are example electronic devices that may implement techniques for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions.

[0024] Figure 13 Illustrated is an example system-on-chip (SoC) environment in which techniques for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions may be implemented.

[0025] Figure 14 An example configuration of a wireless communication processor is illustrated that can implement various aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Overview

[0027] A user equipment accesses a cellular network, such as a public land mobile network (PLMN), through a communication link or "connection" with a base station or serving cell of the network. As part of establishing or maintaining a connection, a user equipment (UE) may register with the PLMN, such as through an attach procedure or a tracking area update (TAU). When a UE attempts to register with a PLMN (network), the network will query the UE for its wireless communication capabilities. To successfully register, the UE may respond to the network with its wireless communication capabilities (e.g., a UE capabilities message) to enable communication between the UE and the network. Some UEs and PLMNs provide increased bandwidth through carrier aggregation (CA), which enables the UE to use multiple channels to communicate data with the network. To enable carrier aggregation with the network, these UEs also communicate various combinations of CA parameters such as carriers, frequency bands, and bandwidth to the network as part of their UE capabilities message.

[0028] However, as networks deploy more CA-capable cells with multiple frequency bands, the number and size of CA parameter combinations supported by many UEs have grown significantly. With this increase in the number and size of CA parameter combinations, the size of the UE capability message transmitted during registration with a PLMN has also increased significantly. In conditions of poor network coverage or weak signal strength, the transmission of the UE capability message, including the CA parameter combination, often takes longer to complete due to reduced network throughput. Due to the guard times implemented by many network operators, if the complete UE capability message is not received within the guard time, the network may release the connection with the UE (e.g., the radio resource control (RRC) connection) during registration. After a registration failure or the connection is released, the UE is forced to retry registration through another attach procedure. According to conventional PLMN selection techniques, a UE can only make five registration attempts before blocking a PLMN by adding it to a temporarily banned PLMN list for a certain duration (e.g., 12 minutes per T3402 timer). Consequently, a UE may block a preferred PLMN due to previously poor network conditions, which can cause denial of service or impair service for a significant period of time. In some cases, regardless of whether the UE moves back to good network coverage or network conditions improve, the PLMN remains blocked throughout the duration (eg, 12 minutes), which may further frustrate the user of the UE.

[0029] The present disclosure describes apparatus and techniques for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. As described, aspects of adaptive PLMN management can adaptively unblock a PLMN when the UE's signaling conditions improve, such as when the UE moves to an area with better network coverage. Typically, as a result of adaptive PLMN unblocking, the UE can register with the PLMN more quickly than would be permitted by conventional techniques lacking any precautions against unblocking. In some cases, the UE can register with the PLMN after moving out of an area of ​​poor signaling (e.g., poor network conditions) without waiting the full duration (e.g., 12 minutes) as specified by various communication specifications for PLMNs on a banned list.

[0030] As an example, in some scenarios, a UE receives coverage from only one cell of a PLMN and that cell may only support Long Term Evolution (LTE) services and not legacy access technologies. When poor network conditions (e.g., poor signaling) cause a UE to block a PLMN, the UE will typically block the PLMN and prevent the UE from receiving any voice or circuit-switched services (e.g., legacy services) over the LTE service for a considerable length of time (e.g., 12 minutes). By implementing aspects of adaptive PLMN management, once the UE's network conditions improve, such as when the UE moves to an area with moderate or good network coverage, the UE may attempt registration more quickly (e.g., in less than the full 12 minutes). Typically, for global UEs with legacy support, the UE may be able to attempt registration based on the expiration of a periodic Better System Reselection (BSR) timer (e.g., 90-120 seconds). Thus, aspects of adaptive PLMN management enable faster registration with a PLMN, such as when signaling conditions improve.

[0031] The present disclosure also describes apparatus and techniques for adaptive UE capability management for marginal network conditions. In some aspects, a UE capability manager can modify UE capability information to increase the probability of successful registration under marginal network conditions (e.g., weak signal areas) without impacting UE capabilities under good signal conditions. As noted, in some scenarios, a UE may receive coverage from only one cell of a PLMN and that cell may only support Long Term Evolution (LTE) services and not legacy access technologies. In these scenarios, the UE may be prevented from receiving any voice or circuit-switched services over the LTE service for a significant period of time in response to multiple failed registration attempts. By implementing aspects of adaptive UE capability management, the UE may alternatively be able to register with a reduced or minimum set of UE capabilities, which enables the UE to receive voice and data services over the LTE service. Additionally, by acquiring LTE service (or other third generation (3G) service), the UE is precluded from scanning for legacy services (e.g., second generation (2G) service) for fallback services, thereby enabling the UE to save time and power.

[0032] In various aspects, as part of the registration process, a PLMN manager of a user equipment searches a data repository including PLMN information for PLMNs that were blocked from registration for a certain duration and determines that the PLMN was blocked from registration due to signal-related conditions (e.g., poor signal coverage or a poor signal area) of the connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN. The PLMN manager then determines, during the duration, that the signal-related conditions between the UE and the cell of the PLMN have improved. In response to the improvement, the PLMN manager unblocks the PLMN. By doing so, the UE can retry registration with the unblocked PLMN at least once before the duration expires, which can allow the UE to register and reestablish network service more quickly.

[0033] While any number of different environments, systems, devices, and / or various configurations can implement the features and concepts of the described techniques and apparatus for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions, aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions are described in the context of the following example environments, devices, configurations, systems, and methods.

[0034] Sample Environment

[0035] Figure 1An example environment 100 is illustrated in which various aspects of adaptive public land mobile network (PLMN) management for changing network conditions can be implemented. In example environment 100, user equipment 102 (UE 102) can communicate with or access network services provided by PLMN 104 and / or PLMN 106. Although illustrated as a smartphone, UE 102 can be implemented as any suitable computing or electronic device, such as a mobile communication device, user equipment, computing device, client device, mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, communication device, entertainment device, gaming device, mobile gaming console, personal media device, media playback device, charging station, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), point of sale (POS) transaction system, health monitoring device, drone, camera, wearable smart device, navigation device, mobile internet device (MID), internet home appliance capable of wireless internet access and browsing, Internet of Things (IoT) device, fifth generation new radio (5G NR) user equipment, and / or other types of user equipment.

[0036] Typically, UE 102 communicates with one or more of base station 108, base station 110, base station 112, base station 114, or another base station (not shown) via a wireless connection or communication link. Figure 1 UE 102 can communicate via PLMN 104 via connection 116 with base station 110 (e.g., a cell of PLMN 104) or via PLMN 106 via connection 118 with base station 112 (e.g., a cell of PLMN 106), which can be implemented as any suitable type of wireless link or combination of wireless links.

[0037] The connection 116 or the connection 118 (e.g., a wireless link or wireless connection) can include a downlink of data and control information communicated from one of the base stations 108 to 114 to the UE 102, an uplink of other data and control information communicated from the UE 102 to one of the base stations 108 to 114, or both. The connection 116 or the connection 118 can include one or more wireless links or bearers using any suitable communication protocol or standard or a combination of communication protocols or standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) protocol, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE), LTE-Advanced, Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR), 5G System (5GS) Mobility Management (5GMM) protocol, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi 11G), LTE-Advanced, 5th ... TM), IEEE 802.16 (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax TM )), IEEE 802.15 (e.g., Bluetooth TM ), IEEE 802.15.4 (e.g., Zigbee TM ), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc. Multiple carrier components or radio links of connection 116 or connection 118 may be aggregated in carrier aggregation (CA) to provide a higher data rate for UE 102.

[0038] Continue to refer Figure 1 , base stations 108 to 112 are each illustrated as a tower of a cellular network or wireless wide area network (WWAN). However, one of base stations 108 to 112 may represent or be implemented as another device, a radio access node, a wireless communication node, or other suitable piece of equipment that facilitates wireless communication (via a wireless link) between a user device and a communication network, such as a NodeB base station, a next-generation base NodeB (gNB) base station, an enhanced NodeB (eNB) base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) base station, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) base station, a base transceiver system, a local area network (LAN) router, a wireless local area network (WLAN) router, a wireless access point (WAP) in a managed (infrastructure) wireless network, a satellite, a terrestrial television broadcast tower, an access point, a peer device, another smartphone that acts as a base station, etc. Alternatively or additionally, base stations 108 to 112 may be implemented in a macrocell, a microcell, a small cell, a picocell, etc., or any combination thereof.

[0039] The base stations 108 to 112 (eg, serving cells) collectively form the respective radio access networks (RANs) of the PLMN 104 and the PLMN 106. Figure 1 120 and New Radio RAN 122 (NR RAN 122). Base stations 108 and 110 in E-UTRAN 120 are connected to Evolved Packet Core 124 (EPC 124) and form PLMN 104 (or first PLMN) with which UE 102 can communicate. Base stations 112 and 114 in NR RAN 122 are connected to a Fifth Generation Core 126 (5GC 126) network and form PLMN 106 (or second PLMN) with which UE 102 can communicate. Figure 1120 or 122 may be implemented as any form of radio access network (e.g., RAN, E-UTRAN, next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), 5G NR RAN, NR RAN). Alternatively or additionally, although the PLMN 104 and the PLMN 106 are illustrated as an evolved packet core network and a 5G core network, respectively, the PLMN 104 or 106 may include an EPC 124 and / or a 5G core 126.

[0040] In this example, base stations 108 and 110 are connected to EPC 124 at 128 and 130, respectively, via a Next Generation 2 (NG2) interface for control plane signaling and a Next Generation 3 (NG3) interface for user plane data communication (e.g., a 5G interface). Alternatively or additionally, base stations 112 and 114 are connected to 5GC 126 at 132 and 134, respectively, via a Single Interface 1 (S1) interface (e.g., an LTE interface) for control plane signaling and user plane data communication. In addition to the connection to the core network, the base stations 108 to 114 of the respective RANs 120 and 122 can communicate with each other. For example, base stations 108 and 110 can communicate via an inter-base station Xn interface (e.g., a 5G interface) at 136 and base stations 112 and 114 can communicate via an inter-base station X2 interface (e.g., an LTE interface) at 138.

[0041] The EPC 124 may also include a mobility and management entity 140 (MME 140) that provides control plane functions, such as registration and authentication of multiple UEs 102, authorization in the E-UTRAN 120, mobility management, etc. The 5GC 126 includes an access and mobility management function 142 (AMF 142) that provides control plane functions, such as registration and authentication of multiple UEs 102, authorization in the 5G NR RAN 122, mobility management, etc. The MME 140 and AMF 142 communicate with the base stations 108 to 114 (e.g., cells) of the RANs 120 and 122, and may also communicate with the multiple UEs 102 via the base stations or serving cells. From the core network 124 and / or 126, the UE may receive services that enable access to various data or resources (e.g., Internet access) via a corresponding gateway or edge router (not shown) of the network.

[0042] refer to Figure 1, UE 102 also includes an adaptive PLMN manager 144 (PLMN manager 144) and an adaptive UE capability manager 146 (UE capability manager 146). In some aspects, PLMN manager 144 and / or UE capability manager 146 manage or guide UE 102 when registering with or attempting to register with one of PLMNs 104 or 106. Although Figure 1 Although not shown, the PLMN manager 144 and / or the UE capability manager 146 may include, be coupled to, or have access to components for measuring signal-related characteristics of the network, scanning for available cells or PLMNs, receiving connection parameters from the wireless network, performing an attach procedure to the PLMN, performing a TAU to the PLMN, and the like. In various aspects of adaptive PLMN management, the PLMN manager 144 may unblock a PLMN from a temporary barred list, such as to enable registration with the PLMN in response to improved signaling conditions. Alternatively or additionally, the UE capability manager 146 may reduce or remove carrier aggregation information from UE capability messages to increase the chances of successful registration with the PLMN. The use and implementation of the PLMN manager 144 and / or the UE capability manager 146 may vary according to one or more aspects and are described throughout the disclosure.

[0043] Example device

[0044] Figure 2 Device diagram 200 illustrating an example UE 102. The UE 102 can be implemented as any suitable device, some of which are illustrated as a smartphone 202, a tablet computer 204, a laptop computer 206, a wearable computing device 208 (e.g., a smartwatch), a broadband router 210 (e.g., a mobile hotspot), and an automotive computing system 212 (e.g., a navigation and entertainment system). Although not shown, the UE 102 can also be implemented as any of the following: a mobile station (e.g., a fixed or mobile STA), a mobile communication device, a user device, a client device, a mobile phone, an entertainment device, a gaming device, a mobile gaming console, a personal media device, a media playback device, an ADAS, a POS transaction system, a health monitoring device, a drone, a camera, a wearable smart device, a navigation device, a MID, an internet home appliance capable of wireless internet access and browsing, an IoT device, a 5G NR user device, and / or other types of user devices. The UE 102 may include, for clarity or visual simplicity, Figure 2 Additional functionality, components, or interfaces omitted from the

[0045] In this example, the UE 102 includes one or more antennas 214, a radio frequency front end 216 (RF front end 216), and at least one transceiver 218 for communicating with the base stations 108 to 114 of the PLMNs 104 and 106, other wireless networks (e.g., WLANs), or other devices supporting wireless communication. Alternatively or additionally, any of the components of the UE 102 may be implemented in whole or in part as hardware logic or circuitry that is integrated or separate from the other components of the UE 102.

[0046] The transceiver(s) 218 ​​may include one or more of an LTE transceiver, a 5G NR transceiver, other types of transceivers configured to operate over a wide area network or a cellular network, and / or another transceiver(s). The RF front end 216 of the UE 102 can couple or connect the transceiver(s) 218 ​​to the antenna 214 to facilitate various types of wireless communications, such as acquiring and maintaining a connection with one of the base stations 108 to 114 of the PLMN 104 or PLMN 106. For example, the PLMN manager 144 of the UE 102 can utilize connection scanning to search for network cells (e.g., base stations) of the PLMN 104 and / or PLMN 106 that can be used for acquisition. The antenna 214 of the UE 102 may include an array of multiple antennas configured similarly or differently to one another. The antenna 214 and the RF front end 216 can be tuned to, and / or tunable to, one or more frequency bands defined by wireless communication standards and implemented by the transceiver(s) 218 ​​of the UE 102.

[0047] The UE 102 may also include one or more sensors 220 that enable the UE 102 to sense various properties, changes, stimuli, or characteristics of the environment in which the UE 102 operates. For example, the sensors 220 may include various motion sensors, radar sensors, ambient light sensors, acoustic sensors, capacitive sensors, infrared sensors, temperature sensors, or magnetic sensors. Alternatively or additionally, the sensors 220 may enable interaction with or receive input from a user of the UE 102, such as through touch sensing or proximity sensing. In some aspects, the UE 102 or the PLMN manager 144 may monitor the sensors 220, such as to receive input or feedback via one of the sensors 220. The data provided by the sensors 220 may be accessed by other entities of the UE 102, such as the PLMN manager 144. Although not shown, the sensor 220 may also include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), an internal / external device temperature sensor, a resistive touch sensor, or input sensing logic associated with a hardware switch (e.g., a keyboard, dome, or dial), etc.

[0048] In some aspects, the PLMN manager 144 or UE capability manager 146 can determine the motion state of the UE 102, such as a stationary state in which the UE is not moving or a mobility state in which the UE is moving. For example, an accelerometer or gyroscope can sense the motion or orientation of the UE 102 in any suitable manner, such as in one dimension, two dimensions, three dimensions, multiple axes, a combination of multiple axes, etc. Alternatively or additionally, a location sensor such as a GNSS can indicate the distance traveled, the rate of travel, or the absolute or relative position of the UE 102. A capacitive or proximity sensor can indicate whether the position of the UE 102 is static or changing relative to the user (e.g., holding or reorienting the UE). Additionally, other environmental sensors can indicate the internal or external temperature and humidity of the UE 102. Accordingly, the PLMN manager 144 or UE capability manager 146 can access data from the sensors 220 and, based on the sensor data (e.g., motion, orientation, temperature, proximity), modify the UE capability information or PLMN state of the UE 102 (e.g., blocked or unblocked) in accordance with one or more aspects of adaptive connection management.

[0049] UE 102 also includes processor(s) 222 and computer-readable storage media 224 (CRM 224). Processor(s) 222 can be single-core or multi-core processors composed of various materials, such as silicon, polysilicon, high-K dielectrics, copper, etc. Computer-readable storage media 224 is configured as a storage device and, therefore, does not include transient signals or carrier waves. CRM 224 can include any suitable memory or storage device that can be used to store device data 226 for UE 102, such as random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), non-volatile RAM (NV-RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or flash memory.

[0050] UE data 226 may include user data of UE 102, multimedia data, beamforming codebooks, applications 228, user interface(s) 230, and / or an operating system, which may be executed by processor(s) 222 to enable user plane communications, control plane signaling, and user interaction with UE 102. User interface 230 may be configured to receive input from a user of UE 102, such as to receive input from the user that may define and / or facilitate one or more aspects of adaptive PLMN management. User interface 230 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) that receives input information via touch input. In other cases, user interface 230 includes an intelligent assistant that receives input information via audible input or speech. Alternatively or additionally, the operating system of UE 102 may be maintained as firmware or an application on CRM 224 and executed by processor(s) 222.

[0051] CRM 224 also includes PLMN manager 144, PLMN information 232, UE capability manager 146, and UE capability information 234. In some cases, UE 102 or PLMN manager 144 accesses PLMN information 232 to search for PLMNs (e.g., known or preferred PLMNs) or to obtain information about PLMNs. PLMN information 232 can be implemented as one or more data repositories, lists, or databases of information about various PLMNs, such as PLMN 104 and PLMN 106. PLMN information 232 can include an acquisition database of previously acquired cell or PLMN identifiers. PLMN information 232 can also include a temporarily banned PLMN list of one or more PLMNs that are blocked from registration. Typically, a PLMN with which registration has failed a predefined number of times (e.g., five failed registration attempts) is placed on the temporarily banned PLMN list. The PLMN may remain on the temporarily banned PLMN list until a timer (e.g., T3402 timer) expires. In some cases, the timer is set for a predefined duration (eg, 12 minutes) or is configured based on time parameters provided by the wireless network operator.

[0052] The UE capability information 234 may include parameters or other information regarding the wireless communication capabilities of the UE 102, such as supported profiles, carriers, frequency bands, layer configurations, radio access technologies (RATs), and the like. In some aspects, the UE capability information 234 also includes carrier aggregation (CA) information describing the CA band combinations supported by the UE 102. Typically, a CA band combination includes a configuration name (e.g., CA_1C (B1+B1)), a CA type (e.g., intra-band or inter-band), a number of carrier components, a frequency band (e.g., an LTE band), a maximum aggregate bandwidth, and the like. In various aspects, the UE capability manager 146 may modify or reduce the number of CA band combinations in the UE capability message to effectively reduce the size or length of the UE capability message. By doing so, the UE capability manager 146 may increase the probability of successful registration with the PLMN over a low-throughput connection with a base station or cell of the PLMN (e.g., in poor signaling conditions or poor cell coverage).

[0053] In some aspects, the PLMN manager 144 or the UE capability manager 146 can be implemented using machine learning or a machine learning model that is trained to receive one or more types of input data (e.g., network or signal-related characteristics) and, in response, provide one or more types of output data (e.g., a modified UE capability information message, a signal-related threshold, or a timer). For example, any of the thresholds used or determined by the PLMN manager 144 and / or the CA band combination reduction by the UE capability manager 146 can be derived from a machine learning algorithm using data collected by the UE 102 while in the field or in a usage environment.

[0054] In some implementations, the input data can include one or more features associated with an instance of UE 102, such as current external temperature, internal temperature (e.g., of the UE), humidity, UE orientation, UE mobility state, active antenna(s), blocked antenna(s), signal-related parameters, number of failed registration attempts, size of previously successful UE capability messages with reduced CA combinations, etc. In some implementations, the one or more features associated with an instance or example can be organized into a feature vector. In some implementations, the output data can include one or more predictions or inferences. Thus, given features associated with a particular instance of UE 102 or PLMN manager 144, the machine learning model can output predictions or adjustments for such instance based on these features, which can include adaptive signal-related thresholds (e.g., for signaling conditions), adaptive CA band combination reduction for UE capability messages, adaptive parameters for PLMN unblocking, etc.

[0055] As an example, the machine learning model can be or include one or more of a variety of different types of machine learning models. In particular, in some implementations, the machine learning model can perform classification, regression, clustering, anomaly detection, recommendation generation, and / or other tasks. In some implementations, the machine learning model can provide output data in the form of one or more recommendations, adjustments, or changes. In some cases, the machine learning model is included in or embodied in the PLMN manager 144 or the UE capability manager 146 of the UE 102.

[0056] As an example, given input data describing previous results for certain entities (e.g., scores, rankings, signal strengths, or ratings indicating network connection quality), the machine learning model can output suggestions or recommendations for one or more additional entities or parameters that are expected to have desired results based on the previous results, such as faster network registration when moving to a good signal area or successful registration with a PLMN in a poor signal area using a modified UE capabilities message. As an example, given a previous successful registration using a modified UE capabilities message (e.g., how many CA combinations were previously removed for successful registration), the UE capabilities manager can output suggestions or recommendations for how many or which CA combinations to remove from the UE capabilities message to reduce the size of the message so that registration with the PLMN is more likely to succeed in a poor signal area.

[0057] Various aspects and functionality of the UE 102 can be operated via operating system controls presented through at least one application programming interface 236 (API 236). In some aspects, the PLMN manager 144, UE capability manager 146, or an application of the UE 102 accesses the API 236 (or API service) of the UE 102 to control various aspects and functionality of the user equipment or transceiver 218. For example, the PLMN manager 144 can access low-level network activation / connection settings of the UE 102 to implement various aspects of adaptive PLMN management, such as identifying (e.g., flagging) a blocked PLMN as blocked due to a signal-related condition (e.g., low received signal strength), verifying or rechecking the signal-related condition, or unblocking the PLMN. The CRM 224 of the UE 102 can also include a user equipment manager (not shown), which can be implemented in whole or in part as hardware logic or circuitry that is integrated or separate from other components of the UE 102. In at least some aspects, the user equipment manager configures the RF front end 216 and / or the transceiver(s) 218 ​​to implement techniques for adaptive PLMN management as described herein.

[0058] The UE 102 also includes a display 238 for displaying and / or providing information to the user. For example, via the display 238, the UE 102 can provide the user with information regarding available network cells, the connection status of the UE 102 (e.g., performing an attach or TAU procedure), whether user-initiated cell reselection is enabled, an indication of a blocked PLMN timer, an indication of reduced but functional network capabilities, etc. Based on such information, the user can choose, via the user interface 230, to initiate a registration procedure, attempt to resend the UE capability message with an increased CA band combination, or adjust the threshold and / or offset at which connectivity is determined to be poor (e.g., received signal power less than -117 to -120 dBm) or good (e.g., received signal power equal to or greater than -110 dBm).

[0059] Figure 3 The diagram may represent or correspond to the reference Figure 1 An equipment diagram 300 of an example base station 302 of one of the described base stations 108 through 114. The base station 302 of the example equipment diagram 300 may include Figure 3 3. In device diagram 300, base station 302 is generally illustrated as a single network node (e.g., a gNodeB or serving cell). The functionality of base station 302 and / or base stations 108 to 114 may be distributed across multiple network nodes or devices and may be distributed in any manner suitable for performing the functions described herein.

[0060] The base station 302 includes an antenna 304, a radio frequency front end 306 (RF front end 306), and one or more transceivers 308 for communicating with or providing connectivity for the UE 102. The RF front end 306 of the base station 302 can couple or connect the transceiver(s) 308 to the antenna 304 to facilitate various types of wireless communications. The antenna 304 of the base station 302 can include an array of multiple antennas configured similarly or differently from one another. The antenna 304 and the RF front end 306 can be tuned and / or tunable to one or more frequency bands defined by a communication standard and implemented by the transceiver(s) 308.

[0061] The base station 302 also includes processor(s) 310 and computer-readable storage medium 312 (CRM 312). The processor(s) 310 may be single-core processors or multi-core processors composed of various materials, such as silicon, polysilicon, high-K dielectrics, copper, etc. The CRM 312 may include any suitable memory or storage device, such as RAM, SRAM, DRAM, NV-RAM, ROM, or flash memory, that can be used to store base station data 314 for the base station 302. The base station data 314 may include network scheduling data, radio resource management data, beamforming codebooks, applications, and / or an operating system for the base station 302, which may be executed by the processor(s) 310 to enable communication with the UE 102.

[0062] The CRM 312 also includes network connection parameters 316 and a base station manager 318. In some aspects, the network connection parameters 316 are predefined or configured by the wireless network provider to specify or indicate one or more parameters or thresholds that can be used by a user device to register (e.g., attach or TAU) with a network cell or base station of the wireless network. For example, the network connection parameters can specify available frequency bands, timer settings, frequency band priorities, minimum signal strength for network cell connection, minimum bit error rate or packet error rate for maintaining a connection, etc. for one or more network cells (e.g., base stations). As described herein, the UE 102 can receive the network connection parameters 316 from the base station 302 or modify the network connection parameters 316 according to one or more aspects. Alternatively or additionally, the UE 102 can be preconfigured with the network connection parameters 316 or receive the network connection parameters 316 via a different data interface, such as a WLAN or a wireless personal area network (WPAN).

[0063] In some aspects, the base station manager 318 configures the transceiver 308 for communication with the UE 102 or for communication with the core network. The base station 302 includes an inter-base station interface 320, such as an Xn interface and / or an X2 interface, which the base station manager 318 configures to exchange user plane and control plane data between another base station (e.g., base station 108, 110, 112, or 114) and manage the connection of the base station 302 with the UE 102. The base station 302 also includes a core network interface 322 that the base station manager 318 can configure to exchange user plane and control plane data with the core network 124 or 126, a core network function, or other core connection entity. The core network interface 322 may include, for example, a core network interface 322 described herein. Figure 1 Alternatively or additionally, components of base station 302, such as base station manager 318, may be implemented in whole or in part as hardware logic or circuitry that is integrated or separate from other components of base station 302.

[0064] Figure 4 A diagram illustrates an example network protocol stack 400 through which a UE can communicate with entities of a PLMN in accordance with one or more aspects. Generally, network protocol stack 400 (stack 400) represents a communication system of example environment 100 in which UE 102 communicates with entities of PLMNs 104 and 106 (such as cells or core networks). With reference to the network protocol stack, the terms "upper layer" and "lower layer" are relative to each other, where each layer in the network protocol stack is an "upper layer" relative to a layer below it in the protocol stack (the "lower layer"). For example, the upper layer can correspond to a non-access stratum layer and / or the lower layer can correspond to a media access control layer or a radio link control layer.

[0065] In this example, the network protocol stack 400 includes a user plane 402 and a control plane 404. The upper layers of the user plane 402 and the control plane 404 share common lower layers in the network protocol stack 400. A wireless device, such as the UE 102 or base stations 108 to 114, implements each layer as an entity for communicating with another device using the corresponding protocol defined for that layer. For example, the UE 102 uses an RRC entity to communicate with a peer RRC entity in the base station 108 using an appropriate RRC protocol or RRC connection.

[0066] The shared lower layers include the physical layer 406 (PHY layer 406), the media access control layer 408 (MAC layer 408), the radio link control layer 410 (RLC layer 410), and the packet data convergence protocol layer 412 (PDCP layer 412). Generally, the physical layer 406 provides hardware specifications for devices communicating with each other, and the MAC layer 408 specifies how data is transferred between devices. The RLC layer 410 can provide data transfer services to higher layers in the network protocol stack 400, and the PDCP layer 412 provides data transfer services to higher layers in the network protocol stack 400.

[0067] Above the PDCP layer 412, the network protocol stack 400 of the wireless network is divided into a user plane 402 and a control plane 404. The layers of the user plane 402 include an Internet Protocol layer 414 (IP layer 414), a transport layer 416, and an application layer 418, which uses the wireless connection 116 or 118 to transfer data. Although not shown, the user plane may also include an optional Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer for Quality of Service (QoS) flow implementation and management in 5G NR networks. Typically, the IP layer 414 specifies how data from the application layer 418 is transferred to the destination node. The transport layer 416 may use the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) to verify that data packets intended for transfer to the destination node have arrived at the destination node for data transfer by the application layer 418. In some implementations, the user plane 402 may also include a data service layer (not shown) that provides data transfer services for transferring application data, such as IP packets containing web browsing content, video content, image content, audio content, or social media content.

[0068] The control plane 404 includes a radio resource control layer 420 (RRC layer 420) and a non-access stratum 422 (NAS layer 422). The RRC layer 420 establishes and releases radio connections and radio bearers, broadcasts system information, or performs power control. For example, during registration with one of the PLMNs 104 or 106, the UE 102 may request an RRC connection by sending an RRC connection request message to one of the base stations 108 to 114 (e.g., an eNB or a cell) along with an establishment cause field (e.g., a "mobile originated signaling" value) for requesting an attach, detach, or perform a TAU. The UE 102 may then use the RRC connection initiation to register with the PLMN 104 or 106, such as by transmitting an attach request message or a TAU message to the network core via the NAS layer 422. As noted, poor cell coverage or a weak signal for connection may cause a registration attempt to fail, which may be detected as a release of the RRC connection by the network or a registration failure due to lower layer reasons (e.g., radio link failure).

[0069] The NAS layer 422 provides support for mobility management and packet data bearer contexts between the UE 102 and entities or functions in the core network, such as the MME 140 of the EPC 124 or the AMF 142 of the 5GC 126. In the UE 102, each layer in both the user plane 402 and the control plane 404 of the network protocol stack 400 interacts with corresponding peer layers or entities in the cell, core network entities or functions, and / or remote services to support user applications and control operations of the UE 102 in the RAN 120 or RAN 122.

[0070] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating example registration states 500 between which a UE may transition during a network attach procedure or a TAU procedure. Figure 4 As described, to communicate with a wireless network, user equipment 102 utilizes RRC procedures to establish a radio connection to the network via a cell (e.g., a base station, a serving cell). Upon establishing a radio connection to the network via one of base stations 108 to 114, UE 102 enters a connected mode (RRC connected) in which the radio connection with the base station is active. While connected to the network via an active RRC connection, the UE can initiate a registration procedure to register with one of the networks, such as PLMN 104 or PLMN 106. For the sake of clarity or visual brevity, the example registration state 500 does not include all possible UE states or transitions, so the UE 102 may transition to a state in which the UE is in a connected mode. Figure 5 Other states (or sub-states) not shown or transitioning from other states (or sub-states).

[0071] Typically, the UE 102 may enter or maintain the registered state 502 through a registration procedure such as an initial attach procedure or a TAU procedure. Figure 5 As shown, UE 102 in DE-REGISTERED state 504 may request an attach at 506 and enter REGISTERED INITIALIZED state 508. From REGISTERED INITIALIZED state 508, if the attach request is accepted by the network at 510 (e.g., registration is successful), UE 102 may complete registration with the network, responsively entering REGISTERED state 502. Alternatively, an attach failure at 512 may return UE 102 to DE-REGISTERED state 504. The attach failure may occur during or after transmitting a UE capabilities message to the network during the attach process (e.g., as part of the attach request). In some aspects, PLMN manager 144 or UE capabilities manager 146 determines that attach failure 512 is associated with or caused by low throughput or signal-related conditions (e.g., weak signaling or poor network / cell coverage). For example, UE capabilities manager 146 may determine that the amount of time between the transmission of the UE capabilities message and the release of the RRC connection is greater than a predefined value (e.g., three seconds). Alternatively or additionally, the PLMN manager 144 or the UE capability manager 146 can compare a signal-related characteristic (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP) or reference signal received quality (RSRQ)) to a threshold (e.g., -120 dBm) to determine whether the attachment failure is due to a signal-related condition (poor signal strength).

[0072] For a TAU, the UE 102 in the Registered state 502 may request a TAU at 514 and enter the TAU Initiated state 516. From the TAU Initiated state 516, if the TAU request is accepted by the network at 518, the UE 102 may complete registration with the network, responsively entering or returning from the Registered state 502. Alternatively, a TAU failure at 520 causes the UE 102 to enter the Deregistered state 504. In some aspects, the PLMN manager 144 or the UE capability manager 146 determines that the TAU failure 520 is associated with or caused by low throughput or poor signaling conditions. For example, the UE capability manager may determine that the amount of time between the transmission of the UE capability message and the release of the RRC connection is greater than a predefined value (e.g., two to four seconds). Alternatively or additionally, the PLMN manager 144 or UE capability manager 146 can compare a signal-related characteristic (eg, RSRP or RSRQ) to a threshold (eg, -117 dBm) to determine whether the TAU failure is due to a signal-related condition (eg, poor signaling).

[0073] Example Method

[0074] Reference is made to one or more aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions Figures 6 to 11B 100. In general, method 600 and methods 800 to 1100 illustrate a set of operations (or behaviors) performed in the order or combination of operations shown herein, but are not necessarily limited to the order in which the operations are performed. In addition, any one or more of these operations may be repeated, combined, reorganized, omitted, or linked to provide a variety of additional and / or alternative methods. In various portions of the following discussion, reference may be made to Figure 1 Example wireless network environment 100, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Example device, Figures 12 to 14 Example systems and / or Figure 1 The techniques and apparatus described in this disclosure are not limited to embodiments or executions by one entity or multiple entities operating on one device.

[0075] Figure 6 An example method 600 for PLMN registration is illustrated in accordance with one or more aspects. Generally, the method 600 can implement adaptive UE capability management or adaptive PLMN management to enable registration with a PLMN under changing (e.g., improving) or marginal (e.g., poor signaling) network conditions. In some aspects, the operations of the method 600 are implemented by or using the PLMN manager 144, the UE capability manager 146, the PLMN information 232, and / or the UE capability information 234 of the user equipment 102.

[0076] At 602, the UE initiates registration with a public land mobile network (PLMN). Registration with the PLMN may include an attach request or a tracking area update (TAU) request. In some cases, the attach request or TAU request includes a UE capability message indicating the frequency bands, radio access technologies (RATs), and / or carrier aggregation (CA) band combinations supported by the UE. Alternatively or additionally, registration may include establishing an RRC connection with a cell or base station of the PLMN.

[0077] As an example, consider Figure 7 , which illustrates an example message sequence diagram for PLMN registration in accordance with one or more aspects. Here, it is assumed that UE 102 is attempting to register with base station 110 of PLMN 104 to access network services. To register, UE 102 sends an RRC Connection Request message 702 to base station 110 (eNB or cell) of PLMN 104. UE 102 then receives an RRC Connection Setup message 704 from base station 110 that includes radio resource configuration information (not shown). Utilizing the radio resource configuration information provided by base station 110, UE establishes an RRC connection 706 and may send an RRC Connection Complete message 708 (e.g., if sent separately from an Attach Request or TAU Request).

[0078] refer to Figure 7 , UE 102 then uses the active RRC connection 706 to send a request for registration, such as an Attach Request message or a TAU Request message, at 710. The Attach Request message or TAU Request message sent to the base station also includes a UE_CapabilityInformation message 712 describing the frequency bands, radio access technologies (RATs), and / or carrier aggregation band combinations supported by the UE. As noted, due to the number of carrier aggregation band combinations supported by the UE 102, the UE_CapabilityInformation message 712 can be quite large.

[0079] Return to Figure 6 , the UE detects a failure to register with the PLMN at 604, which may include a failure of an attach request or a failure of a TAU request. The registration failure may include a release of the RRC connection, a radio link failure, or a failure due to lower layer reasons. In some cases, the UE may determine that the amount of time between the transmission of the UE capability message and the release of the RRC connection is greater than a predefined value (e.g., three seconds). This may indicate that the UE was unable to successfully transmit the entire UE capability message to the network within the guard time. In the context of this example, an attach request or TAU request failure is detected at 714 when an RRC release message 716 is received from the base station 110 and the RRC connection is released by the UE 102 at 718.

[0080] At 606, the UE determines that the registration failure is due to a signal-related condition of the connection to the cell of the PLMN. The UE may measure or monitor a signal-related characteristic of the connection to the cell of the PLMN. In some cases, the UE compares the signal-related characteristic to a threshold value (e.g., -110 dBm, -115 dBm, or -120 dBm) to determine a signaling state (e.g., poor signaling) or a network condition (e.g., poor or marginal condition) associated with the cell of the PLMN. The signal-related characteristic may include one or more of: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, or packet error rate.

[0081] At 608, the UE implements adaptive UE capability management in response to the determination regarding the signal-related condition. Generally, the UE may implement adaptive UE capability management in response to determining that a registration failure is due to or associated with poor signaling, marginal network conditions, or poor coverage provided by a cell. In some aspects, the UE predicts (e.g., through machine learning) or estimates a number of CA band combinations that can be successfully transmitted to the network, such as based on CA band combinations sent in previous successful registration attempts.

[0082] The UE then reduces or removes the CA information (e.g., one or more combinations of CA bands) from the UE capabilities message to provide a modified capabilities message that is smaller in size. In some cases, the CA information is reduced based on a prediction or estimation by the UE. In other cases, the reduction in CA information can be predetermined, such as being reduced by half for each iteration of a re-registration attempt. By doing so, the UE can increase the chances of successfully registering with the PLMN when re-attempting registration with the modified capabilities message. Continuing with the ongoing example, the UE 102 implements adaptive UE capability management at 720 to reduce the amount of CA information in the UE_CapabilityInformation message 712, which reduces the size of the message.

[0083] At 610, the UE reattempts registration with the PLMN using the modified UE capabilities message. This may include transmitting another attach request or TAU request along with the modified UE capabilities message including a reduced amount of CA information or a subset of CA information. The UE may reattempt registration multiple times up to a threshold of a maximum number of attempts or failures (e.g., five attempts or failures). With each iteration of adaptive UE capabilities management, the UE may remove the additional CA information with each reattempted registration. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may remove all CA information from the registration request, such as on the last registration attempt (e.g., the fifth attempt).

[0084] refer to Figure 7 , UE 102 re-attempts registration with PLMN 104 for an Attach or TAU at 722. To do so, UE 102 may re-establish RRC connection 706 (if necessary) and send another Attach Request or TAU Request. The Attach Request or TAU Request for the re-attempted registration includes a modified UE_CapabilityInformation message with a subset or fewer carrier aggregation band combinations than previously requested. As noted, UE 102 may repeat multiple iterations of adaptive UE capability management such that subsequent registration requests include fewer and fewer CA band combinations to iteratively improve the probability of successful registration.

[0085] Return to Figure 6 , method 600 may proceed to 612 where the registration is accepted by the PLMN or to 614 where the registration is unsuccessful. At 612, successful registration may be the result of retrying registration with a modified UE capabilities message that includes reduced or removed CA information. Generally, adaptive EU capability management may enable a user equipment to complete registration using a modified UE capabilities message under marginal or poor signaling conditions (which typically prevent registration due to low connection throughput).

[0086] At 614, the UE determines that registration has failed due to a maximum number of attempts. In some aspects, PLMN registration is blocked by adding the PLMN to a temporary PLMN forbidden list in response to the maximum number of attempts. In the context of this example, the UE 102 determines at 724 that a registration (attach / TAU) attempt count has been exceeded.

[0087] At 616, the UE implements adaptive PLMN management in response to the determination regarding network conditions and registration failure. As noted, after multiple failed registration attempts, PLMN registration may be blocked for a certain duration. Here, the UE may search for available cells or preferred PLMNs or monitor network conditions of the PLMN while blocked. Continuing with the ongoing example, after the attempt count is exceeded and the PLMN is placed on the temporarily banned PLMN list, the UE 102 implements adaptive PLMN management at 726.

[0088] At 618, the UE unblocks the PLMN in response to the improvement in network conditions in order to retry registration. As described, when the UE's signaling conditions improve, such as when the UE moves to an area with improved network coverage, the UE can adaptively unblock the PLMN. As a result, the UE can register with the PLMN more quickly than permitted by conventional techniques. In some cases, the UE can register with the PLMN after moving out of a poor signaling area (e.g., poor network conditions) without waiting for the entire duration (e.g., 12 minutes) specified by various communication specifications for PLMNs on the prohibited list. Concluding this example, the UE retries registration by returning to 722, which the UE can attempt to do until the attempt / failure count is exceeded again and the PLMN is re-blocked.

[0089] Figure 8 An example method 800 is illustrated for adaptive UE capability management for marginal network conditions. Generally, the method 800 reduces the amount of carrier aggregation (CA) information in a UE capability message used to register under poor network conditions. In some aspects, the operations of the method 800 are implemented by or using the PLMN manager 144, the UE capability manager 146, the PLMN information 232, and / or the UE capability information 234 of the user equipment 102.

[0090] At 802, the UE transmits a UE capability message to the base station as part of a request to register with the PLMN. The request to register may include an attach request or a TAU request to the PLMN. In some cases, the attach request or TAU request includes the UE capability message for the frequency bands, radio access technologies (RATs), and / or carrier aggregation (CA) band combinations supported by the UE.

[0091] At 804, the UE detects a failure to register with the PLMN. The failure to register may include a failure of an attach request or a failure of a TAU request. The failure to register with the PLMN may include a release of the RRC connection, a radio link failure, or a failure due to lower layer reasons. In some cases, the UE may determine that the amount of time between the transmission of the UE capability message and the release of the RRC connection is greater than a predefined value (e.g., three seconds).

[0092] At 806, the UE determines that a signal-related condition for communicating with a base station of the PLMN fails to meet a predefined threshold. The UE may compare the signal-related characteristic to a predefined threshold (e.g., -110 dBm, -115 dBm, or -120 dBm) to determine a signaling state (e.g., poor signaling) or a network condition (e.g., poor or marginal condition) associated with a cell of the PLMN. From the determination at 806, the method 800 can proceed to operations 808 and / or 810, such as when the maximum number of registration attempts has not yet been made. Alternatively, the method 800 may proceed from operation 806 to operation 812, such as when the UE determines that the next registration attempt is the last registration attempt before the maximum number of registration attempts will be met.

[0093] At 808, the UE reduces the amount of CA information in the UE capabilities message. The UE may reduce the amount of CA information in response to a determination that the signal-related conditions of the connection to the base station are poor (e.g., weak signal coverage). Typically, reducing the amount of CA information in the UE capabilities message includes removing a number of CA band combinations from the UE capabilities message. In some cases, the UE predicts (e.g., through machine learning) or estimates the number of CA band combinations that can be successfully transmitted to the network, such as based on CA band combinations sent in previous successful registration attempts. These CA band combinations may then be removed to reduce the size of the UE capabilities message.

[0094] At 810, the UE reattempts registration with the PLMN using the UE capabilities message with the reduced CA information. This may include transmitting another attach request or TAU request at operation 802 along with the modified UE capabilities message including the reduced amount of CA information or a subset of CA information. If the reattempted registration is successful, the UE may then access services available through the PLMN. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may reattempt registration multiple times up to a threshold of a maximum number of attempts or failures (e.g., five attempts or failures). With each iteration of adaptive UE capability management, the UE may remove the additional CA information with each reattempted registration. Thus, method 800 may repeat operations 802 to 810 until the maximum number of registrations has been attempted. During the last iteration, method 800 may proceed from operation 806 to operation 812 in response to the UE determining that the next registration attempt is the last registration attempt before the maximum number of registration attempts will be met.

[0095] At 812, in response to multiple registration failures, the UE removes the CA information from the UE Capabilities message. For example, as a final attempt to register with the PLMN, the UE may remove any remaining CA band combinations from the UE Capabilities message to minimize the size of the message and further increase the likelihood of successful registration with the network. In such a case, the UE Capabilities message may include minimum UE capabilities including the bands and RATs supported by the UE.

[0096] At 814, the UE reattempts registration with the PLMN using the UE Capabilities message with the CA information removed. This may include transmitting another Attach Request or TAU Request along with the modified UE Capabilities message at operation 802, including minimal or no CA information. If registration is successful, the UE can then access services available through the PLMN. Alternatively, if registration is unsuccessful, the UE can block the PLMN and implement adaptive PLMN management to enable rapid reattachment when network conditions improve.

[0097] Figure 9 An example method for modifying carrier aggregation (CA) information available for PLMN registration in accordance with one or more aspects is illustrated. Generally, method 900 detects registration (e.g., attach request or TAU request) failures due to poor signal coverage during a UE capability inquiry phase and gradually reduces UE capability information in subsequent registration reattempts. In some aspects, the operations of method 900 are implemented by or using PLMN manager 144, UE capability manager 146, PLMN information 232, and / or UE capability information 234 of user equipment 102.

[0098] At 902, the UE transmits UE capability information to a cell of a PLMN as part of registering with the PLMN. The UE capability information may be included with an attach request or a TAU request sent to the PLMN. Typically, the attach request or TAU request may include UE capability information for the frequency bands, radio access technologies (RATs), and / or carrier aggregation (CA) band combinations supported by the UE.

[0099] Optionally, at 904, the UE detects a signal-related condition of the cell. In some cases, the UE compares a signal-related characteristic (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) to a predefined threshold (e.g., -110 dBm, -115 dBm, or -120 dBm) to determine a signaling state (e.g., poor signaling) or a network condition (e.g., poor or marginal condition) associated with the cell of the PLMN.

[0100] At 906, the UE detects a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the base station. The release of the RRC connection may be detected after transmitting the UE capability information to the cell of the PLMN. Alternatively or additionally, a lower layer failure may cause a failure to register or a loss of the RRC connection with the cell of the PLMN.

[0101] At 908, the UE determines that the duration between the transmission of the UE capability information and the release of the RRC connection meets a threshold. For example, the UE may determine that the amount of time between the transmission of the UE capability message and the release of the RRC connection is greater than three seconds (or another guard time). This may indicate that the UE was unable to successfully transmit the entire UE capability message to the network within the guard time.

[0102] From the RRC release operation at 908, method 900 can proceed to operation 910 and / or operation 912, such as when the maximum number of registration attempts has not yet been made. Alternatively, method 900 can proceed from operation 908 to operation 914, such as when the UE determines that the next registration attempt will meet the threshold for the maximum number of registration attempts.

[0103] At 910, the UE determines the number of CA band combinations to remove from the UE capability message. In some cases, the UE determines or predicts (e.g., through machine learning) the number of CA band combinations that can be successfully transmitted to the network, such as based on the number or size (e.g., number of bytes) of CA band combinations sent in previous successful registration attempts. Alternatively, the UE may remove a predetermined portion, ratio, or fraction of the CA combinations from the UE capability message with each iteration of operation 910.

[0104] At 912, the UE removes the determined number of CA combinations from the UE capability information. Method 900 may then return to operation 902, where the UE reattempts registration with the PLMN using UE capability information with fewer CA combinations. If the reattempted registration is successful, the UE may access services available through the PLMN. Alternatively, method 900 may perform additional iterations of operations 902 to 912 until a maximum number of registrations have been attempted.

[0105] At 914, the UE determines that the next registration attempt will meet the threshold for the maximum number of registration attempts. In other words, the UE determines that the next re-attempt registration will be the last attempt before the PLMN is blocked for a certain duration.

[0106] At 916, the UE removes the remaining CA band combinations from the UE Capabilities message. For example, as a final attempt to register with the PLMN, the UE may remove any remaining CA band combinations from the UE Capabilities message to minimize the message size and further increase the likelihood of successful registration with the network. The UE then reattempts registration with the PLMN using the UE Capabilities message with the CA information removed. If the final registration attempt is successful, the UE can then access services available through the PLMN. Alternatively, if registration is unsuccessful, the UE may implement adaptive PLMN management once the PLMN is blocked.

[0107] Figure 10 An example method 1000 is illustrated for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. Generally, when signal-related conditions improve, the method 1000 unblocks a PLMN identified as blocked due to signal-related conditions. In some aspects, the operations of the method 1000 are implemented by or using the PLMN manager 144, the UE capability manager 146, the PLMN information 232, and / or the UE capability information 234 of the user equipment 102.

[0108] At 1002, the UE transmits a request to a cell for registration with a PLMN. The request for registration may include an attach request or a TAU request to the PLMN.

[0109] At 1004, the UE detects a failure to register with the PLMN. The failure may include a failure of an attach request or a failure of a TAU request. In some cases, the registration failure includes a release of an RRC connection, a radio link failure, or a failure due to lower layer reasons.

[0110] At 1006, the UE determines that the request for registration meets the threshold for the maximum number of registration attempts. In other words, the UE determines that the maximum number of registration attempts has been made before the PLMN is blocked for a certain duration.

[0111] At 1008, the UE blocks PLMN registration for a predefined duration. To block a PLMN, the UE may add the PLMN to a temporarily banned PLMN list configured to block the PLMN for a predefined duration (e.g., 12 minutes per T3402 timer).

[0112] At 1010, the UE determines that a signal correlation characteristic for communicating with a cell of the PLMN fails to meet a predefined threshold. The UE may compare the signal correlation characteristic with a predefined threshold (e.g., -110 dBm, -115 dBm, or -120 dBm) to determine a signaling state (e.g., poor signaling) or a network condition (e.g., poor or marginal condition) associated with the cell of the PLMN.

[0113] At 1012, the UE identifies the blocked PLMN as blocked based on signal-related characteristics. In some cases, the blocked PLMN is flagged, marked, or identified in the PLMN database as blocked based on signal-related conditions (such as poor signal). Alternatively or additionally, this may enable the UE to track or monitor the PLMNs on the temporarily banned PLMN list as candidate PLMNs for attachment as network conditions change or improve.

[0114] At 1014, the UE detects an improvement in the signal correlation characteristics of the blocked PLMN. The UE may monitor or measure the signal correlation characteristics while the PLMN is blocked for the duration. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may periodically check network conditions to determine whether the signal correlation characteristics have improved. For example, a Better System Reselection (BSR) timer or other UE-specific event may trigger a cell scan in which the UE may detect an improvement or difference in the corresponding signal correlation characteristics of one or more cells.

[0115] At 1016, the UE unblocks the PLMN before the expiration of the predefined duration. Typically, the UE unblocks the PLMN to enable another attempt at registering with the PLMN. In some cases, the UE unblocks the PLMN when the UE moves to an area with medium or good network coverage. In some aspects, the detection of improved network conditions or unblocking can occur in response to a UE-specific event that occurs during the duration that the PLMN would normally be blocked. Thus, adaptive PLMN unblocking can enable faster and / or more frequent registration retries. For example, with a 120-second BSR timer, the UE can check signal conditions and / or retry registration every two minutes (with five attempts), or six times within 12 minutes of the length of a typical temporary PLMN prohibited list timer.

[0116] Figure 11A and Figure 11BAn example method 1100 is illustrated for adaptive PLMN unblocking under changing network conditions. Generally, when the PLMN meets the network conditions (e.g., signal strength improves), the method 1100 unblocks a blocked PLMN indicated by a flag due to poor network conditions. In some aspects, the operations of the method 1100 are implemented by or using the PLMN manager 144, the UE capability manager 146, the PLMN information 232, and / or the UE capability information 234 of the user equipment 102.

[0117] At 1102, the UE detects an attach / TAU failure with the PLMN. The attach may be an initial attach or the TAU may be a periodic TAU. At 1104, the UE determines whether the attach failure is the maximum or last registration failure that resulted in blocking of the PLMN. At 1106, if the attach failure is not the maximum registration failure (false), the UE takes no further action with respect to blocking the PLMN for which the attach failure was detected. The UE may retry registration with the PLMN by transmitting another attach request or another tracking area update request.

[0118] At 1108, if the attach failure is a maximum registration failure (true), the UE blocks the PLMN by adding the PLMN to a temporary PLMN forbidden list. The PLMN may remain on the temporary PLMN forbidden list until the T3402 timer expires, at which time the PLMN may be automatically removed from the PLMN forbidden list.

[0119] At 1110, the UE determines whether network conditions between the UE and a base station of the PLMN are poor (e.g., poor signal coverage). The UE may compare a signal-related characteristic with a predefined threshold (e.g., 110 dBm, -115 dBm, or -120 dBm) to determine a signaling state (e.g., poor signaling) or network condition (e.g., poor or marginal condition) associated with a cell of the PLMN. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may determine that signaling conditions are poor in response to a release of an RRC connection, a radio link failure, or a registration failure due to lower layer reasons. At 1112, if the network conditions are not poor (false), the UE takes no further action with respect to indicating or marking the blocked PLMN on the temporary PLMN forbidden list with a flag. In some cases, the UE waits until a timer for the PLMN forbidden list expires before retrying registration with the PLMN.

[0120] At 1114, the UE marks the PLMNs on the temporary forbidden list as blocked due to poor network conditions. By doing so, the UE can track or monitor the PLMNs while on the temporary PLMN forbidden list. Figure 11A , method 1100 proceeds to Figure 11B , where the operations of method 1100 continue as shown at 1116.

[0121] At 1118, the UE initiates a new registration procedure. The registration procedure may be initiated in response to a user selection, a Better System Reselection (BSR) procedure, a UE-specific procedure, etc. At 1120, the UE performs a PLMN search, such as to obtain a preferred or previously associated PLMN, by acquiring a database of locally stored PLMN information. In some cases, the PLMN search is performed in response to the initiation of a new registration procedure or a better cell reselection procedure.

[0122] At 1122, the UE reviews the search results of the PLMN search for searched cells that may be associated with a PLMN that was blocked due to poor network conditions. At 1124, if the searched cells do not serve the blocked PLMN (false), the UE takes no further action with respect to those cells. At 1126, if the network conditions (e.g., signal strength) of the searched cells of the blocked PLMN meet the threshold for retrying attachment on the blocked PLMN, the UE unblocks the PLMN registration before the time expires and before removing it from the temporary PLMN forbidden list. In other words, the UE temporarily unblocks the PLMN from the forbidden PLMN list and will re-initiate the attachment or TAU registration procedure. At 1126, if the searched cells do not meet the threshold for retrying registration, method 1100 takes no further action with respect to the blocked PLMN. Alternatively, if no PLMN is found during the search, the UE may perform a full-band PLMN search.

[0123] At 1132, the UE successfully registers with the PLMN. The UE can then access network services or resources, and the T3402 timer of the temporary PLMN prohibited list will be stopped. Alternatively, at 1134, if the registration is unsuccessful, the UE returns the PLMN to the temporary PLMN prohibited list. In some cases, the timer of the temporary PLMN prohibited list is not reset and the UE may unblock the PLMN multiple times before the list timer expires (e.g., returning to operation 1118).

[0124] Example devices and systems

[0125] Figure 12 The diagram can be used as shown in the previous Figure 1-11 . The electronic device 1200 may be implemented as any one or a combination of fixed or mobile devices, in any form factor of: a consumer device, a computing device, a portable device, a user device, a user equipment, a server, a communication device, a phone, a navigation device, a gaming device, a media device, a messaging device, a media player, and / or other types of electronic devices or wireless-enabled devices. For example, the electronic device 1200 may be implemented as a smartphone, a phone-tablet (tablet computer), a laptop computer, a set-top box, a wireless drone, computing glasses, a vehicle-based computing system, or a wireless broadband router.

[0126] The electronic device 1200 includes a communication transceiver 1202 that enables wired and / or wireless communication of device data 1204 (such as received data, transmitted data, or other information as described above). Example communication transceivers 1202 include NFC transceivers, WPAN radios compliant with various IEEE 802.15 standards, WLAN radios compliant with any of the various IEEE 802.11 standards, WWAN (e.g., 3GPP-compatible) radios for cellular telephones, Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) radios compliant with various IEEE 802.16 standards, and wired local area network (LAN) Ethernet transceivers. In some aspects, multiple communication transceivers 1202 or components thereof are operably coupled to respective instances of antennas 214-1 through 214-n and the RF front end 216 embodied on the electronic device 1200. The RF front end 216 may be coupled to the NFC transceiver 1202 as described in reference to FIG. Figure 1-1 The antennas 214 and / or RF front end 216 described above may similarly or differently implement the antennas 214-1 to 214-n and the RF front end 216 of the electronic device 1200.

[0127] The electronic device 1200 may also include one or more data input / output ports 1206 (data I / O ports 1206) via which any type of data, media content, and / or other input can be received, such as user-selectable input, messages, applications, music, television content, recorded video content, and any other type of audio, video, and / or image data received from any content and / or data source. The data I / O ports 1206 may include USB ports, coaxial cable ports, and other serial or parallel connectors (including internal connectors) for flash memory, DVDs, CDs, and the like. These data I / O ports 1206 may be used to couple the electronic device to components, peripherals, or accessories such as a keyboard, microphone, or camera.

[0128] The electronic device 1200 of this example includes at least one processor 1208 (e.g., one or more application processors, processor core microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), controllers, etc.), which can include a combined processor and memory system that executes computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium to control operations or implement the functionality of the device. Typically, the processor or processing system can be at least partially implemented in hardware, which can include components of an integrated circuit or system on a chip, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and other implementations in silicon and / or other hardware.

[0129] Alternatively or additionally, the electronic device 1200 can be implemented using any one or combination of electronic circuit systems 1210, which can include hardware implemented together with processing and control circuits, fixed logic circuit systems, or physical interconnects (e.g., traces or connectors). The electronic circuit system 1210 can implement executable or hardware-based modules (not shown) through logic circuit systems and / or hardware such as FPGAs or CPLDs. Although not shown, the electronic device 1200 can also include a system bus, interconnect structure, crossbar switch, or data transfer system that couples various components within the device. The system bus or interconnect structure can include any one or combination of different bus structures or IP blocks, such as a memory bus, a memory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, an interconnect node, and / or a processor or local bus utilizing any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0130] The electronic device 1200 also includes one or more memory devices 1212 that enable data storage, examples of which include RAM, SRAM, DRAM, NV-RAM, ROM, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), flash memory, and disk storage devices. Any or all of the memory devices 1212 can enable persistent and / or non-transitory storage of information, data, or code, and therefore do not include transient signals or carrier waves in the general context of this disclosure. For example, the (multiple) memory device(s) 1212 provide a data storage mechanism to store device data 1204 and other types of data (e.g., user data). The memory device 1212 can also store the operating system 1214, firmware, and / or device applications 1216 of the electronic device as instructions, code, or information. These instructions or codes can be executed by the processor 1208 to implement various functionalities of the electronic device, such as to provide a user interface, enable data access, or manage a connection to a wireless network. In this example, the memory device 1212 also stores instructions for providing information that can be used with reference Figure 1-11. The memory device also includes processor-executable code or instructions for respective instances of the PLMN manager 144 and the UE capability manager 146 that may be implemented similarly or differently to the PLMN manager or UE capability manager described in 1. The memory device also includes PLMN information 232 (e.g., an acquisition database) and UE capability information that may be accessed by the PLMN manager or UE capability manager to implement various aspects described throughout the disclosure.

[0131] like Figure 12 As shown, the electronic device 1200 may include an audio and / or video processing system 1218 for processing audio data and / or passing the audio and video data to an audio system 1220 and / or a display system 1222 (e.g., a video buffer or a device screen). The audio system 1220 and / or the display system 1222 may include any device that processes, displays, and / or otherwise renders audio, video, graphics, and / or image data. Display data and audio signals can be passed to the audio component and / or display component via an RF link, an S-video link, an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), a display port, a composite video link, a component video link, a DVI (Digital Visual Interface), an analog audio connection, or other similar communication link (such as a media data port 1224). In some implementations, the audio system 1220 and / or the display system 1222 are external or separate components of the electronic device 1200. Alternatively, the display system 1222 can be an integrated component of the example electronic device 1200, such as part of an integrated display with a touch interface.

[0132] Alternatively or additionally, electronic device 1200 may represent an example implementation of UE 102 as described throughout this disclosure. Thus, in some cases, processor 1208 is an example of processor 222 (not shown) and / or memory device 1212 is an example of computer-readable storage medium 224 (not shown) for storing various data, instructions, or codes for implementing a diversity controller or other applications. Thus, aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions as described herein can be implemented by Figure 12 The electronic device 1200 implements or is connected with Figure 12 The electronic device 1200 is implemented in combination.

[0133] Figure 13 An example system on a chip (SoC) is shown that can implement aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. SoC 1300 can be embodied as shown in FIG. Figure 1-12 Any type of UE 102, user equipment, user device, apparatus, other device or system described herein or therein to implement adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. Although described with reference to a chip-based package, Figure 13 The components shown may also be embodied as other system or component configurations, such as, but not limited to, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), system-in-package (SiPs), package-on-package (PoPs), processing and communication chipsets, communication coprocessors, sensor coprocessors, and the like.

[0134] In this example, the SoC 1300 includes a communication transceiver 1302 and a wireless modem 1304 that enable wired or wireless communication of data 1306 (e.g., received data, data being received, data scheduled for broadcast, packetized data, etc.). In some aspects, the wireless modem 1304 is a multi-mode, multi-band modem or baseband processor that can be configured to communicate in accordance with various communication protocols and / or in different frequency bands, such as those described throughout this disclosure. The wireless modem 1304 may include a transceiver interface (not shown) for communicating coded or modulated signals with the transceiver circuitry.

[0135] Data 1306 or other system content can include configuration settings of the system-on-chip 1300 or various components (e.g., PLMN information or UE capability information), media content stored by the system, and / or information associated with users of the system. The media content stored on the system-on-chip 1300 can include any type of audio, video, and / or image data. The system-on-chip 1300 also includes one or more data inputs 1308, via which any type of data, media content, and / or input can be received, such as user input, user-selectable input (explicit or implicit), or any other type of audio, video, and / or image data received from a content and / or data source. Alternatively or additionally, the data input 1308 can include various data interfaces that can be implemented as any one or more of a serial interface and / or a parallel interface, a wireless interface, a network interface, and any other type of communication interface that enables communication with other devices or systems.

[0136] System-on-chip 1300 includes one or more processor cores 1310 that process various computer-executable instructions to control the operation of system-on-chip 1300 and to enable implementation of techniques for adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. Alternatively or additionally, system-on-chip 1300 can be implemented using any one or a combination of hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry, along with processing and control circuitry generally shown at 1312. Although not shown, system-on-chip 1300 may also include a bus, interconnect, crossbar, or fabric that couples various components within system-on-chip 1300.

[0137] The system-on-chip 1300 also includes a memory 1314 (e.g., a computer-readable medium), such as one or more memory circuits that enable persistent and / or non-transitory data storage and, therefore, does not include transient signals or carrier waves. Examples of memory 1314 include RAM, SRAM, DRAM, NV-RAM, ROM, EPROM, or flash memory. The memory 1314 provides data storage for system data 1306, as well as for firmware 1316, applications 1318, and any other type of information and / or data related to the operation of the system-on-chip 1300. For example, the firmware 1316 can be maintained in the memory 1314 as processor-executable instructions of an operating system (e.g., a real-time OS) and executed on one or more of the processor cores 1310.

[0138] Applications 1318 may include system managers, such as any form of control applications, software applications, signal processing and control modules, code native to a particular system, abstract modules or gesture modules, etc. Memory 1314 may also store system components or utilities for implementing various aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions, such as PLMN manager 144, UE capability manager 146, PLMN information 232 (not shown), and UE capability information 234 (not shown). These entities may be embodied as combined or separate components, as shown in FIG. Figure 1-1 1 or Figure 13 or Figure 14 The corresponding entities or functionalities illustrated describe examples thereof.Although shown in memory 1314, one or more elements of the PLMN manager 144 or UE capability manager 146 may be implemented in whole or in part by hardware or firmware.

[0139] In some aspects, the system-on-chip 1300 also includes additional processors or co-processors to enable other functionality, such as a graphics processor 1320, an audio processor 1322, and an image sensor processor 1324. The graphics processor 1320 can render graphical content associated with a user interface, operating system, or application of the system-on-chip 1300. In some cases, the audio processor 1322 encodes or decodes audio data and signals, such as audio signals and information associated with a voice call or encoded audio data for playback. The image sensor processor 1324 can be coupled to an image sensor and provide image data processing, video capture, and other visual media conditioning and processing functions.

[0140] The system on chip 1300 may also include a security processor 1326 to support various security, encryption, and cryptographic operations, such as to provide secure communication protocols and encrypted data storage. Although not shown, the security processor 1326 may include one or more cryptographic engines, cryptographic libraries, hash modules, or random number generators to support encryption and cryptographic processing of information or communications of the system on chip 1300. Alternatively or additionally, the system on chip 1300 can include a position and positioning engine 1328 and a sensor interface 1330. Typically, the position and positioning engine 1328 can provide position or positioning data by processing signals from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and / or other motion or inertial sensor data (e.g., dead reckoning navigation). The sensor interface 1330 enables the system on chip 1300 to receive data from various sensors (such as capacitive and motion sensors).

[0141] Figure 14 The figure shows an example configuration of a wireless communication processor 1400 (communication processor 1400) that can implement various aspects of PLMN management for changing network conditions. Although generally referred to as a communication processor, the communication processor 1400 can be implemented as a modem baseband processor, a software-defined radio module, a configurable modem (e.g., a multi-mode multi-band modem), a wireless data interface, or a wireless modem, such as the wireless modem 1304 of the system-on-chip 1300. The wireless communication processor 1400 can be implemented in a device or system to support data access, messaging or data-based services, and various audio-based communications (e.g., voice calls) for wireless networks.

[0142] In this example, wireless communication processor 1400 includes at least one processor core 1402 and memory 1404, which is implemented as hardware-based memory that enables persistent and / or non-transitory data storage and therefore does not include transient signals or carrier waves. Processor core 1402 can be configured as any suitable type of processor core, microcontroller, digital signal processor core, etc. Memory 1404 can include any suitable type of memory device or circuit, such as RAM, DRAM, SRAM, non-volatile memory, flash memory, etc. Typically, the memory stores data 1406 for communication processor 1400, as well as firmware 1408 and other applications. Processor core 1402 can execute processor-executable instructions of firmware 1408 or applications to implement functions of communication processor 1400, such as signal processing and data encoding operations. Memory 1404 can also store data and information useful for implementing various aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. In some aspects, the memory 1404 of the communication processor 1400 includes PLMN information 232, UE capability information 234, or other information (e.g., signaling data) that can be used to implement adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions. Figure 14 Any of these entities may be implemented in combination or individually as shown.

[0143] The communication processor 1400 may also include electronic circuitry 1410 for managing or coordinating the operation of the various components and an audio codec 1412 for processing audio signals and data. The electronic circuitry 1410 may include hardware, fixed logic circuitry, or physical interconnects (e.g., traces or connectors) implemented along with the processing and control circuits of the communication processor and the various components. The audio codec 1412 may include a combination of logic, circuitry, or firmware (e.g., algorithms) to support encoding and / or decoding of audio information and audio signals (e.g., analog signals and digital data associated with the voice or sound functions of the communication processor 1400).

[0144] The system interface 1414 of the communication processor 1400 enables communication with a host system or application processor. For example, the communication processor 1400 can provide or expose data access functionality to the system or application processor through the system interface 1414. In this example, the communication processor also includes a transceiver circuit interface 1416 and an RF circuit interface 1418, through which the communication processor 1400 can manage or control the corresponding functionality of the transceiver circuit or RF front end to implement various communication protocols and technologies. In various aspects, the communication processor includes digital signal processing or signal processing blocks for encoding and modulating data for transmission or demodulating and decoding received data.

[0145] In this example, the communication processor 1400 includes an encoder 1420, a modulator 1422, and a digital-to-analog converter 1424 (D / A converter 1424) for encoding, modulating, and converting data sent to the transceiver circuit interface. The communication processor also includes an analog-to-digital converter 1426 (A / D converter 1426), a demodulator 1428, and a decoder 1430 for converting, demodulating, and decoding data received from the transceiver circuit interface 1416. In some aspects, these signal processing blocks and components are implemented as respective transmit and receive chains of the communication processor 1400, which can be configurable for different radio access technologies or frequency bands.

[0146] The wireless communication processor 1400 may also include a PLMN manager 144 and a UE capability manager 146. These entities may be embodied as combined or separate components, as shown in FIG. Figure 1-13 The corresponding entities or functionalities shown are provided for illustration purposes only. In some aspects, the PLMN manager 144 can unblock a PLMN from a temporary banned list, such as to enable registration with the PLMN in response to improved signaling conditions. Alternatively or additionally, the UE capability manager 146 can reduce or remove carrier aggregation information from the UE capability message to increase the probability of successful registration with the PLMN. The PLMN manager 144 and / or the UE capability manager 146 of the wireless communication processor can be implemented in whole or in part in hardware or firmware.

[0147] In addition to the above, the user may be provided with controls that allow the user to choose whether and when the devices, systems, applications and / or features described herein may enable the collection of user information, such as wireless link metrics, connection duration information, average connection length, signal quality / strength information, network identity information, network basic service set identifier (BSSID) information, recently utilized wireless communication bands / channels, the user's preferences, the user's current location, whether the user has communicated content or information with a server, etc.

[0148] In addition, certain data may be processed in one or more ways before it is stored or used so that personally identifiable information is removed. For example, the identity of a user may be processed so that personally identifiable information cannot be determined for that user. For example, the user's geographic location may be generalized or randomized (such as to a city, zip code, or state / province level) regarding where location information is obtained so that the user's specific location cannot be determined. Thus, the user may have control over what information is collected about the user, the user's device(s), how the information is used, and / or what information is provided to the user.

[0149] Although various aspects of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions have been described using language specific to features and / or methods, the subject matter of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as example implementations of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions, and other equivalent features and methods are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, various different aspects have been described, and it should be appreciated that each described aspect can be implemented independently or in conjunction with other described aspects.

[0150] change

[0151] Although the above apparatus and methods are described in the context of adaptive PLMN management for changing network conditions with reference to various examples, the described user equipment, base stations, devices, systems and methods are non-limiting and may be applicable to other contexts, user equipment deployments or wireless communication environments.

[0152] In general, the components, modules, methods, and operations described herein can be implemented using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or any combination thereof. Some operations of the example methods can be described in the general context of executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage memory local and / or remote to a computer processing system, and implementations can include software applications, programs, functions, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, any functionality described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components such as, but not limited to, an FPGA, an ASIC, an ASSP, a SoC, a CPLD, a coprocessor, a context hub, a sensor coprocessor, and the like.

[0153] A first method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: as part of a registration procedure, searching a data repository including public land mobile network (PLMN) information for PLMNs that were blocked from registration for a predefined duration; determining that the PLMNs for which registration was blocked were blocked due to signal-related conditions for a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; determining that signal-related conditions for the connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN have improved during the predefined duration; unblocking the PLMN registration in response to the improvement in the signal-related conditions; and transmitting a request to the cell of the PLMN to register with the unblocked PLMN to enable registration with the PLMN before expiration of the predefined duration.

[0154] In addition to the first method described above, a second method performed by a user equipment includes: transmitting a first request for registration with a public land mobile network (PLMN) to a cell of the PLMN; detecting a failure of the first request for registration with the PLMN; blocking PLMN registration for a duration in response to the failure of the first request for registration; determining that a signal-related characteristic for communication with the cell of the PLMN fails to meet a threshold; identifying the PLMN as blocked based on the signal-related characteristic; determining, during the duration, that a signal-related characteristic for communication with the cell of the PLMN meets a threshold; in response to the signal-related characteristic meeting the threshold, unblocking the PLMN identified as blocked based on the signal-related characteristic; and transmitting a second request for registration with the PLMN to the cell of the PLMN before expiration of the duration.

[0155] In addition to the above method, a third method performed by a user equipment includes: transmitting a first request for registration with a cell of the PLMN; detecting a failure of the first request for registration with the PLMN during a phase of sending a UE capability message; determining that a signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN fails to meet a threshold and identifying the PLMN registration failure as based on the signal correlation characteristic; determining whether the signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN remains unchanged, improves, or deteriorates during a duration; and in response to the determination of the signal correlation characteristic, using fewer or more carrier aggregation combinations in the UE capability message during a next request for registration with the PLMN.

[0156] In addition to the above method, a user equipment includes: a transceiver operably coupled to one or more antennas; a hardware-based processor associated with the transceiver; and a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for implementing a public land mobile network (PLMN) manager, the PLMN manager being configured to direct a user equipment (UE) to: as part of a registration process, search a data repository including PLMN information for PLMNs that were blocked from registration for a predefined duration; determine that the PLMNs that were blocked from registration were blocked due to signal-related conditions of a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; determine, via the transceiver and during the predefined duration, that the signal-related conditions of the connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN have improved; unblock the PLMN registration in response to the improvement in the signal-related conditions; and transmit, via the transceiver and to the cell of the PLMN, a request to register with the unblocked PLMN to enable registration with the PLMN before expiration of the predefined duration.

[0157] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, the request for registration transmitted by the UE also includes an attach request or a tracking area update request.

[0158] In addition to the above method and user equipment, the PLMN blocked from registration is on a temporarily banned PLMN list; unblocking the PLMN unblocks the PLMN from the temporarily banned PLMN list; and the predefined duration is tracked by a timer associated with the temporarily banned PLMN list.

[0159] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, detecting an improvement in the signal correlation condition includes measuring a signal correlation characteristic of a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; and determining that the signal correlation characteristic of the connection satisfies a threshold.

[0160] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, the signal-related characteristics of the connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN include one or more of the following: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate or packet error rate.

[0161] In addition to the above method and user equipment, detecting failure of a request for registration or a subsequent request for registration as part of a registration process; and re-blocking the PLMN for the remainder of the predefined duration.

[0162] In addition to the above method and user equipment, the request for registration is a second request for registration and the method further includes: detecting a failure of a first request to register with the PLMN; determining that the failure of the first registration request is a maximum number of registration failures; in response to the failure of the first registration request being the maximum number of registration failures, blocking PLMN registration for a predefined duration; determining that the failure of the first registration request is due to a signal-related condition of a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; and identifying the PLMN as blocked due to the signal-related condition in a data repository of PLMN information.

[0163] In addition to the above method and user equipment, determining that the failure of the first registration request is due to a signal-related condition includes: measuring a signal-related characteristic of a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; and determining that the signal-related characteristic of the connection fails to meet a threshold.

[0164] In addition to the above method and user equipment, the first request for registration or the second request for registration includes an attach request for the PLMN or a tracking area update request for the PLMN.

[0165] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, blocking of the PLMN includes adding the PLMN to a temporarily banned PLMN list; and the duration is based on a T3402 timer as defined by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification.

[0166] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, signal-related characteristics used for communicating with a cell of a PLMN include one or more of: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, or packet error rate.

[0167] In addition to the above method and user equipment, it is determined that the failure of the first request to register meets the threshold of the maximum number of registration failures; and wherein the blocking of the PLMN is responsive to the determination that the failure of the first request to register meets the threshold of the maximum number of registration failures to block the PLMN.

[0168] In addition to the above method and user equipment, detecting failure of a second request to register or a subsequent request to register with the PLMN; and re-blocking the PLMN for a remainder of the duration.

[0169] In addition to the above-mentioned method and user equipment, the request for registration transmitted by the UE also includes an attach request for the PLMN or a tracking area update request for the PLMN.

[0170] In addition to the above method and user equipment, the PLMN blocked from registration is on a temporarily banned PLMN list; unblocking the PLMN unblocks the PLMN from the temporarily banned PLMN list; and the predefined duration is tracked by a timer associated with the temporarily banned PLMN list.

[0171] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, in order to detect improvement of the signal correlation condition, the PLMN manager further directs the UE to: measure a signal correlation characteristic of a connection between the UE and a cell; and determine whether the signal correlation characteristic of the connection meets a threshold.

[0172] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, the signal-related characteristics of the connection between the UE and the cell include one or more of the following: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate or packet error rate.

[0173] In addition to the above method and user equipment, the request for registration is a second request for registration and the PLMN manager further directs the UE to: detect a failure of a first request to register with the PLMN; determine that the failure of the first registration request is a maximum number of registration failures; block PLMN registration for a predefined duration in response to the failure of the first registration request being the maximum number of registration failures; determine that the failure of the first registration request is due to a signal-related condition of a connection between the UE and a cell of the PLMN; and identify the PLMN as blocked due to the signal-related condition in a data repository of PLMN information.

[0174] In addition to the above method and user equipment, using fewer or more carrier aggregation combinations in the UE capability message during the next request includes: predicting the number of carrier aggregation combinations that can be successfully transmitted in the UE capability message, and using the predicted number of carrier aggregation combinations in the UE capability message during the next request.

[0175] In addition to the above method and user equipment, if the signal correlation characteristics do not improve during the duration, the method includes using fewer carrier aggregation combinations in the UE capability message during a next request.

[0176] In addition to the above method and user equipment, if the signal correlation characteristics improve during the duration, the method includes transmitting a next request for registration with the PLMN before expiry of the duration.

[0177] In addition to the above methods and user equipment, a user equipment includes: a transceiver operably coupled to one or more antennas; a hardware-based processor associated with the transceiver; and a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for implementing a public land mobile network (PLMN) manager, the PLMN manager being configured to direct a user equipment (UE) to perform any of the above example methods.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: transmitting, to a cell of a public land mobile network (PLMN) for a first request to register with the PLMN, the first request comprising a first UE capability message having a first number of carrier aggregation (CA) information; detecting, during a phase of said registration in which a UE capability message is sent, a failure of said first request to register with said PLMN; determining that a signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN fails to satisfy a threshold; reducing the first amount of CA information in the first UE capability message to provide a second amount of CA information that is smaller than the first amount of CA information based on the signal correlation characteristic failing to meet the threshold; as well as A second request to register with the PLMN is transmitted to the cell of the PLMN, the second request including a second UE capability message having the second amount of CA information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Detecting the failure of the first request to register with the PLMN includes detecting a release of a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection by the cell of the PLMN or a radio link failure of a connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Detecting the failure of the first request to register further comprises: monitoring an amount of time that elapses between the transmission of the first UE capabilities message and the release of the RRC connection by the cell of the PLMN; comparing the amount of time that has elapsed to a time-based threshold; and The failure of the first request to register is determined based on the amount of time exceeding the time-based threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: predicting, based on previous successful registration attempts, an amount of CA information that the UE can transmit to the cell of the PLMN during a registration procedure; as well as Based on the predicted amount of CA information that the UE can transmit to the cell of the PLMN, the first amount of CA information is reduced to provide the second amount of CA information.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Machine learning is used to predict the amount of CA information that the UE is capable of transmitting to the cell of the PLMN based on the previous successful registration attempts.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining that the second request to register with the PLMN satisfies a threshold for a maximum number of registration requests before the PLMN is blocked from registration, and wherein: Reducing the first amount of CA information of the first UE capabilities message to provide a second amount of CA information includes removing all of the CA information to provide the second request to register with the PLMN, the second request including the second UE capabilities message without CA information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second UE capabilities message of the second request to register with the PLMN comprises an indication of frequency bands and radio access technologies (RATs) supported by the UE.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first request for registration with the PLMN or the second request for registration with the PLMN includes an attach request for the PLMN or a tracking area update (TAU) request for the PLMN.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The signal-related characteristics used for communicating with the cell of the PLMN include one or more of: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, or packet error rate.

10. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: transmitting first UE capability information to a cell of a public land mobile network PLMN as part of a first registration request for the PLMN; detecting, after transmitting the first UE capability information, a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the cell of the PLMN; determining that a duration between the transmitting of the first UE capability information and the releasing of the RRC connection satisfies a threshold; Determining, based on the duration satisfying the threshold, to remove a number of carrier aggregation (CA) combinations from the first UE capability information; removing the number of CA combinations from the first UE capability information to provide second UE capability information having fewer CA combinations; as well as The second UE capability information with the fewer CA combinations is transmitted to the cell of the PLMN as part of a second registration request for the PLMN.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The threshold is a first threshold, and the method further comprises: determining that a signal correlation characteristic of communications with the cell of the PLMN fails to satisfy a second threshold; and Based on the duration satisfying the first threshold and the signal correlation characteristic failing to satisfy the second threshold, determining to remove the number of CA combinations from the first UE capability information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The signal-related characteristics used for communicating with the cell of the PLMN include one or more of: received signal strength, received signal quality, reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, received signal strength indicator, carrier to interference ratio, signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, or packet error rate.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Determining the number of CA combinations to be removed from the first UE capability information is one of: a CA-combined portion of the first UE capability information; a ratio of a CA combination of the first UE capability information; or A small portion of the CA combination of the first UE capability information.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The number of CA combinations to be removed from the first UE capability information is determined based on a number of CA combinations transmitted to the PLMN during a previous successful registration attempt to the PLMN.

15. A user equipment, comprising: a transceiver operatively coupled to one or more antennas; a hardware-based processor associated with the transceiver; as well as A user equipment (UE) capability manager implemented by the hardware-based processor, wherein the UE capability manager is implemented as: transmitting, to a cell of a public land mobile network (PLMN) for a first request to register with the PLMN, the first request comprising a first UE capability message having a first number of carrier aggregation (CA) information; detecting a failure of the first request to register with the PLMN during a phase of the registration in which the first UE capabilities message is sent; determining that a signal correlation characteristic for communicating with the cell of the PLMN fails to satisfy a threshold; reducing the first amount of CA information in the first UE capability message to provide a second amount of CA information that is smaller than the first amount of CA information based on the signal correlation characteristic failing to meet the threshold; as well as A second request to register with the PLMN is transmitted to the cell of the PLMN, the second request including a second UE capability message having the second amount of CA information.

16. The user equipment according to claim 15, wherein: The UE capability manager detects the failure of the first request to register with the PLMN as a release of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection by the cell of the PLMN or a radio link failure of a connection between the UE and the cell of the PLMN.

17. The user equipment according to claim 16, wherein: The UE capability manager is further implemented as: monitoring an amount of time that elapses between the transmission of the first UE capabilities message and the release of the RRC connection by the cell of the PLMN; comparing the amount of time that has elapsed to a time-based threshold; as well as The failure of the first request is determined based on the amount of time exceeding the time-based threshold.

18. The user equipment according to claim 15, wherein: The UE capability manager is further implemented as: predicting, based on previous successful registration attempts with the PLMN, an amount of CA information that the UE can transmit to the cell of the PLMN during a registration procedure; as well as Based on the predicted amount of CA information that the UE can transmit to the cell of the PLMN, the first amount of CA information is reduced to provide the second amount of CA information.

19. The user equipment according to claim 18, wherein: The UE capability manager is configured to implement machine learning to predict the amount of CA information that the UE is capable of transmitting to the cell of the PLMN based on the previous successful registration attempts with the PLMN.

20. The user equipment according to claim 15, wherein: The UE capability manager is further implemented as: determining that the second request to register with the PLMN satisfies a threshold for a maximum number of registration requests before the PLMN is blocked from registration, and wherein: To reduce the first amount of CA information of the first UE capability message to provide a second amount of CA information, the UE capability manager removes all of the CA information to provide a second request to register with the PLMN, the second request including the second UE capability message without CA information.

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