Component carrier collision management at wireless communication device with multiple subscriptions

Abstract

A multi-SIM wireless communication device uses various techniques to manage component carrier collisions between different wireless networks. In some aspects, when the multi-SIM wireless communication device enters a dual SIM bi-pass (DSDA) mode or performs DSDA operation, the device may indicate to a network entity when component carriers are muted due to conflicts between carriers of different subscriptions.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to pending U.S. non-provisional application No. 17 / 868,518, filed on July 19, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to managing component carrier conflicts at a wireless communication device with multiple subscriptions. Background Art

[0004] A wireless device similar to a cellular phone may include more than one Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). In the present disclosure, the USIM may be referred to as a SIM for short. Throughout the present disclosure, USIM and SIM may be used interchangeably. Multi-SIM wireless devices are becoming increasingly popular due to the flexibility of their service options and other features. For example, a dual-SIM wireless device may support two different cellular service subscriptions supplied by the same or different service providers. By using multiple SIMs in the same wireless device, a user can take advantage of different services provided by different subscription or cellular service providers. One type of multi-SIM wireless device, referred to as a dual-SIM dual standby (DSDS) device, may have an active connection using either SIM. Another type of multi-SIM wireless device, referred to as a dual-SIM dual communication (DSDA) device, allows simultaneous active connections to networks / subscriptions corresponding to two different SIMs. In DSDA operation, resource conflicts may occur when both SIMs are in an active mode using one or more active carriers for wireless communication. Summary of the invention

[0005] An overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an extensive review of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0006] A multi-SIM wireless communication device uses various techniques to manage component carrier conflicts between different wireless networks. In some aspects, when the multi-SIM wireless communication device enters a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) mode or performs DSDA operation, the device can indicate to a network entity when a component carrier is muted due to conflicts between different subscribed carriers.

[0007] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes: communicating with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs. The method also includes: communicating with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC. The method also includes: in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs, muting communications on the one or more secondary CCs. The method also includes: sending a first message to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

[0008] In one aspect, a UE for wireless communication is provided. The UE includes: a memory storing an executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured by the executable code to: communicate with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. The processor is further configured to: communicate with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC. The processor is further configured to: in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs, mute the communication on the one or more secondary CCs. The processor is further configured to: send a first message to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

[0009] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication at a network entity is provided. The method includes: communicating with a first UE using a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. The method also includes: receiving a first message from the first UE, and the first message indicates that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE. The method also includes: suspending communication with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs in response to the first message.

[0010] In one aspect, a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The network entity includes: a memory storing an executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured by the executable code to: communicate with a first UE using a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. The processor is further configured to: receive a first message from the first UE, and the first message indicates that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE. The processor is further configured to: suspend communication with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs in response to the first message.

[0011] After reading the following specific embodiments, these and other aspects of the present invention will become more fully understood. After reading the following description of specific exemplary implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and specific implementations will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although each feature may be discussed with respect to certain examples and drawings below, all specific implementations may include one or more advantageous features in the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more specific implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more features in such features may also be used according to the various examples discussed herein. In a similar manner, although each example may be discussed as a device, system or method specific implementation below, it should be understood that such examples can be implemented in various devices, systems and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication system according to some aspects.

[0013] Figure 2 is an illustration of an example of a radio access network (RAN) in accordance with some aspects.

[0014] Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of organization of radio resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in accordance with some aspects.

[0015] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network using carrier aggregation in accordance with some aspects.

[0016] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-SIM wireless device in accordance with some aspects.

[0017] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a process for managing component carrier conflicts during dual SIM dual active (DSDA) operation in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example bitmap for indicating the status of a component carrier during DSDA operation in accordance with some aspects.

[0019] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process for managing component carrier (CC) conflicts at a multi-SIM wireless device entering DSDA mode in accordance with some aspects.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process for managing CCs when exiting DSDA mode in accordance with some aspects.

[0021] Fig.10is a diagram illustrating an example process for managing CC conflicts at a multi-SIM wireless device exiting DSDA mode in accordance with some aspects.

[0022] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity according to some aspects.

[0023] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communications at a network entity in accordance with some aspects.

[0024] Fig.13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a user equipment (UE) in accordance with some aspects.

[0025] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communications at a UE in accordance with some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, in order to avoid obscuring such concepts, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form.

[0027] Although various aspects and specific implementations are described in this application by the illustration of some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional specific implementations and use cases may be generated in many other arrangements and scenarios. The innovation described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, specific implementations and / or uses may occur via integrated chips and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / purchase equipment, medical equipment, AI-enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically point to use cases or applications, the applicability of a wide range of described innovations may occur. Specific implementations may have a range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level specific implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some actual settings, the device in combination with the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for the specific implementation and practice of the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of devices of different sizes, shapes, and configurations, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, disaggregated arrangements (e.g., base stations and UEs), end-user devices, etc.

[0028] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide various techniques for managing component carrier conflicts between different wireless networks at a multi-SIM wireless communication device. In some aspects, when a multi-SIM wireless communication device enters a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) mode or performs a DSDA operation, the device may indicate to a network entity when a component carrier is muted due to a conflict between different subscribed carriers. As described herein, the network entity may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or in a decomposed base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC.

[0029] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a wide variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Figure 1, various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to a wireless communication system 100 as an illustrative example and not as a limitation. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. By means of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 may be enabled to perform data communications with an external data network 110, such as (but not limited to) the Internet.

[0030] The RAN 104 may implement any suitable one or more wireless communication technologies to provide radio access to the UE 106. As an example, the RAN 104 may operate in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, commonly referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 104 may operate under a mix of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, commonly referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). 3GPP refers to such a hybrid RAN as the Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0031] As illustrated, RAN 104 includes multiple network entities (e.g., base station 108). In a broad sense, a base station is a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may be referred to as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), an eNode B (eNB), a gNode B (gNB), a transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies in the same or different frequency bands.

[0032] RAN 104 is also illustrated as supporting wireless communications for multiple mobile devices. In the 3GPP standard, a mobile device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE), but those skilled in the art may also refer to it as a mobile station (MS), a user station, a mobile unit, a user unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile user station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a mobile phone, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable term. UE may be a device (e.g., a mobile device) that provides access to network services to a user. In an example where RAN 104 operates according to both LTE and 5G NR standards, UE 106 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network-new radio dual connectivity (EN-DC) UE that is capable of simultaneously connecting to an LTE base station and an NR base station to receive data packets from both the LTE base station and the NR base station.

[0033] In this document, a "mobile" device does not necessarily need to have the ability to move, and it can be stationary. The term "mobile device" or "mobile device" refers to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include a plurality of hardware structural components whose size, shape, and arrangement facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, radio frequency (RF) chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. that are electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smart books, tablet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide range of embedded systems, for example, corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT). Additionally, a mobile device may be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a remote control device, a consumer and / or wearable device (such as glasses, wearable cameras, virtual reality devices, smart watches, health or fitness trackers, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc.). The mobile device may additionally be a digital home or smart home device, such as home audio, video and / or multimedia equipment, appliances, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. The mobile device may additionally be a smart energy device, security device, solar panel or solar array, municipal infrastructure equipment that controls power (e.g., smart grid), lighting, water, etc.; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; logistics controller; agricultural equipment, etc. Further, the mobile device may provide connected medicine or telemedicine support, such as health care at a distance. Telemedicine devices may include telemedicine monitoring devices and telemedicine management devices, whose communications may be given priority or access over other types of information, for example, in terms of priority access for transmission of critical service data and / or associated QoS for transmission of critical service data.

[0034] Wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a network entity (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term "downlink" may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating at a scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., base station 108). Another way to describe this scheme may be to use the term "broadcast channel multiplexing". Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term "uplink" may refer to point-to-point transmissions originating at a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 106).

[0035] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, where a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity or base station 108) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communications, UE 106 (which may be a scheduled entity) may utilize resources allocated by scheduling entity 108.

[0036] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs).

[0037] like Figure 1 As illustrated, a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity 108) may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. Broadly speaking, a scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including downlink traffic 112 and (in some examples) uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to the scheduling entity 108. In another aspect, a scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114 (including, but not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information, or other control information) from another entity in the wireless communication network, such as the scheduling entity 108. The scheduled entity 106 may also send uplink control information 118 (including, but not limited to, scheduling requests or feedback information or other control information) to the scheduling entity 108.

[0038] In addition, uplink and / or downlink control information 114 and / or 118 and / or business information 112 and / or 116 may be sent on a waveform that may be divided into frames, subframes, time slots and / or symbols in time. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a time unit that carries one resource element (RE) per subcarrier in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Within the present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, wherein each frame is composed of, for example, 10 subframes of 1 ms each. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may be utilized, and the various time divisions of waveforms may have any suitable duration.

[0039] Generally speaking, a network entity (e.g., base station 108) may include a backhaul interface for communicating with a backhaul portion 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 may provide a link between base station 108 and core network 102. Further, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnections between respective base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection using any suitable transport network, a virtual network, or the like.

[0040] The core network 102 may be part of the wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0041] Figure 2 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a RAN 200 according to some aspects. In some examples, the RAN 200 may be similar to the one described above and in Figure 1 The geographic area covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into cellular regions (cells) that may be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identity broadcast from an access point or base station. Figure 2 Cells 202, 204, 206, and 208 are illustrated, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector may be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to the sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within a cell may be formed by multiple groups of antennas, each of which is responsible for communicating with a UE in a portion of the cell.

[0042] Various network entity arrangements can be used. For example, Figure 2, two base stations (base station 210 and base station 212) are shown in cells 202 and 204. A third base station (base station 214) is shown as controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, the base station may have an integrated antenna, or may be connected to an antenna or RRH 216 by a feeder cable. In the illustrated example, cells 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macro cells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. In addition, base station 218 is shown in cell 208, which may overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, a home base station, a home Node B, a home eNode B, etc.), because base station 218 supports a cell with a relatively small range. The cell size setting may be performed according to system design and component constraints.

[0043] It should be understood that RAN 200 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. In addition, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, and 218 provide wireless access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be similar to those described above and in Figure 1 The network entities (e.g., base station / scheduling entity 108) illustrated in FIG.

[0044] Within the RAN 200, cells may include UEs that may communicate with one or more sectors of each cell. In addition, each base station 210, 212, 214, 218, and 220 may be configured to provide access to the core network 102 (see FIG. 1 ) for all UEs in the corresponding cell. Figure 1 ) access point. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 may communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 may communicate with base station 214 via RRH 216; UE 234 may communicate with base station 218; and UE 236 may communicate with mobile base station 220. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, and / or 242 may communicate with the base stations described above and Figure 1 The same as the UE / scheduled entity 106 illustrated in .

[0045] In RAN 200, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving (independent of its location) is called mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are typically managed by an access and mobility management function (AMF, not shown). Figure 1The function may include a security context management function (SCMF) and a security anchor function (SEAF) for performing authentication. The SCMF may manage the security context for both the control plane functionality and the user plane functionality in whole or in part.

[0046] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the RAN 200 may utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to implement mobility and handover (i.e., the UE's connection is switched from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity or at any other time, the UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Based on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may perform a handover or handover from the serving cell to a neighboring (target) cell. For example, a UE 224 (illustrated as a vehicle, although any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from a neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength and quality of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, the UE 224 may send a report message indicating this to its serving base station 210. In response, UE 224 may receive the handover command, and the UE may proceed with the handover to cell 206 .

[0047] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, the network may select a serving cell for each UE using a UL reference signal from each UE. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 may broadcast a unified synchronization signal (e.g., a unified primary synchronization signal (PSS), a unified secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a unified physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 may receive the unified synchronization signal, derive the carrier frequency and time slot timing based on the synchronization signal, and send an uplink pilot or reference signal in response to the derived timing. The uplink pilot signal sent by a UE (e.g., UE 224) may be received concurrently by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216) within RAN 200. Each of the cells may measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the base stations 210 and 214 / 216 and / or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE 224. As the UE 224 moves through the RAN 200, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal sent by the UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by the neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the RAN 200 may hand over the UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell with or without notifying the UE 224.

[0048] Although the synchronization signals transmitted by base stations 210, 212 and 214 / 216 may be uniform, the synchronization signal may not identify a specific cell, but may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and / or using the same timing. Using zones in a 5G network or other next generation communication network implements an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, because the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network can be reduced.

[0049] In another aspect of RAN 200, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without having to rely on scheduling or control information from a base station. Sidelink communications may be utilized in a device-to-device (D2D) network, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, and / or other suitable sidelink networks. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 238, 240, and 242) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communication through a base station. In some examples, UEs 238, 240, and 242 may each act as a scheduling entity or a sender sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or a receiver sidelink device to schedule resources and communicate sidelink signals 237 between them without relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., base station 212) may also communicate sidelink signals 227 via a direct link (sidelink) without routing the communication through base station 212. In this example, base station 212 may allocate resources to UEs 226 and 228 for sidelink communication.

[0050] In some examples, a D2D relay framework may be included within a cellular network to facilitate relaying of communications to / from base station 212 via a D2D link (e.g., side link 227 or 237). For example, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 228) within the coverage area of ​​base station 212 may operate as relay UEs to expand the coverage of base station 212, improve transmission reliability to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 226), and / or allow the base station to recover from a failed UE link due to, for example, blocking or fading.

[0051] The air interface in the RAN 200 may utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link in which two endpoints can communicate with each other in two directions. Full-duplex means that two endpoints can communicate with each other at the same time. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can transmit information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex emulation is often implemented for wireless links using time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using time division multiplexing. That is, at certain times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in the other direction, where the direction can change very quickly, for example, several times per time slot. In wireless links, full-duplex channels generally rely on physical isolation of transmitters and receivers and suitable interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex emulation is often implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or space division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within a paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In other examples, full-duplex communication may be implemented within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0052] The air interface in the RAN 200 may utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification provides multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to the base station 210, and multiplexing of DL transmissions from the base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource extension multiple access (RSMA) or other suitable multiple access schemes. In addition, multiplexing of DL transmissions from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224 may be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0053] Will refer to Figure 3Various aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to the OFDM waveforms schematically illustrated in . It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described herein below. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0054] Reference now Figure 3 , illustrates an expanded view of an exemplary subframe 302 showing an OFDM resource grid. However, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the physical layer (PHY) transmission structure for any particular application may differ from the examples described herein depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in units of OFDM symbols in the horizontal direction; and frequency is in units of subcarriers of a carrier in the vertical direction.

[0055] Resource grid 304 may be used to schematically represent the time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, a corresponding plurality of resource grids 304 may be available for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs) 306. RE (which is 1 subcarrier x 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete portion of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB), or more simply a resource block (RB) 308, which may contain any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers (a number independent of the parameter set used). In some examples, depending on the parameter set, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (such as RB 308) corresponds entirely to communication in a single direction (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0056] A collection of contiguous or discontinuous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), a subband, or a bandwidth part (BWP). A collection of subbands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more subbands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Thus, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of a resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest resource unit that may be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs may be scheduled by a network entity or scheduling entity such as a base station (e.g., a gNB, eNB, etc.), or may be self-scheduled by a UE implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0057] In this illustration, RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, with some subcarriers illustrated above and below RB 308. In a given implementation, subframe 302 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 308. Furthermore, in this illustration, RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 302, although this is only one possible example.

[0058] Each 1 ms subframe 302 may consist of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 3 In the example shown, as an illustrative example, a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310. In some examples, a time slot may be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include micro-slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). These micro-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted in some cases by occupying resources that are scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same UE or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks may be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0059] An expanded view of one of the time slots 310 illustrates that the time slot 310 includes a control region 312 and a data region 314. In general, the control region 312 may carry control channels, and the data region 314 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain full DL, full UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The structures illustrated in are merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures may be utilized and may include one or more regions in each of the control region and the data region.

[0060] Although in Figure 3 Although not illustrated in the figure, each RE 306 within the RB 308 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including a control channel, a shared channel, a data channel, etc. Other REs 306 within the RB 308 may also carry pilot signals or reference signals. These pilot signals or reference signals may be provided to a receiving device to perform channel estimation of the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control channel and / or data channel within the RB 308.

[0061] In some examples, time slot 310 may be utilized for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communications may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communications are delivered to multiple intended receiving devices. Unicast communications may refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to a single other device.

[0062] In an example of cellular communication on a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within a control region 312) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels (such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including but not limited to power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or assignments of REs for DL ​​transmission and UL transmission. The PDCCH may further carry a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback transmission, such as an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK). HARQ is a technique known to those of ordinary skill in the art, in which the integrity of a packet transmission may be checked for accuracy at the receiving side, for example, using any suitable integrity check mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK may be sent, and if it is not confirmed, a NACK may be sent. In response to the NACK, the sending device may transmit a HARQ retransmission, which may implement trace combining, incremental redundancy, and the like.

[0063] The base station may also allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., in the control region 312 or the data region 314) to carry other DL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB may be broadcast at regular intervals based on a periodicity (e.g., 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE may use the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell.

[0064] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a master information block (MIB) containing various system information and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1), which may include various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information sent in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink parameter set), system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell barring indicator, cell reselection indicator, grid offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of remaining minimum system information (RMSI) sent in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The base station may also send other system information (OSI).

[0065] In an UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) may utilize one or more REs 306 to a scheduling entity to carry UL control information (UCI) including one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). The UCI may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include a sounding reference signal (SRS) and an uplink DMRS. In some examples, the UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for the scheduling entity to schedule an uplink transmission. In this document, in response to the SR sent on the UCI, the scheduling entity may send downlink control information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. The UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (such as a CSI report), or any other suitable UCI.

[0066] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the data region 314) may also be allocated for data services. Such data services may be carried on one or more service channels, such as for DL ​​transmissions, on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for UL transmissions, on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In some examples, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 may be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS. In some examples, the PDSCH may carry multiple SIBs, not limited to the SIB1 discussed above. For example, OSI may be provided in these SIBs (e.g., SIB2 and above SIBs).

[0067] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via a proximity service (ProSe) PC5 interface, a control region 312 of a time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) sent by an initiator (sender) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) toward a set of one or more other receiver sidelink devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). A data region 314 of the time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic sent by an initiator (sender) sidelink device in resources reserved by the sender sidelink device on the sidelink carrier via the SCI. Other information may also be sent via various REs 306 within the time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be sent from a receiver sidelink device to a sender sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the time slot 310. Additionally, one or more reference signals may be sent within time slot 310, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS, and / or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0068] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. The transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). Based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission, the transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter.

[0069] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. The transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). Based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission, the transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter.

[0070] Figure 3 The channels or carriers illustrated in the figure are not necessarily all channels or carriers that can be utilized between devices, and a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers may be utilized in addition to those illustrated, such as other traffic channels, control channels, and feedback channels.

[0071] Figure 4 406a-406d. In some examples, one of the cells may be considered a primary serving cell (PCell) 402, and the remaining cells 406a, 406b, 406c, and 406d may be considered secondary serving cells (SCells). The PCell 402 may be referred to as an anchor cell that provides a radio resource control (RRC) connection to a UE. In some examples, the PCell and the SCell may be co-located (e.g., different TRPs at the same geographic location and coupled to the same antenna tower / pole).

[0072] When carrier aggregation is configured, one or more of the SCells 406a-406d may be activated or added to the PCell 402 to form a serving cell serving the user equipment (UE) 410. Each serving cell corresponds to a component carrier (CC). The CC of the PCell 402 may be referred to as a primary CC, and the CC of the SCells 406a-406d may be referred to as a secondary CC. One or more of the PCell 402 and the SCell 406 may be served by a corresponding TRP 404 and 408a-408c, which may be a network entity. Figure 4 In the example shown in , SCells 406a-406c are each served by a corresponding non-co-located TRP 408a-408c. However, SCell 406d is co-located with PCell 402. Therefore, TRP 404 may include two co-located TRPs, each supporting a different carrier. For example, TRP 404 may correspond to a network entity (e.g., a base station) that includes multiple co-located TRPs. The coverage of PCell 402 and SCell 406d may be different because different component carriers (which may be in different frequency bands) may experience different path losses.

[0073] In some examples, PCell 402 may add or remove one or more of SCells 406a-406d to improve reliability of connection to UE 410 and / or to increase data rates. PCell 402 may be changed when handing over to another PCell.

[0074] Figure 5 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-SIM UE 500 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The multi-SIM UE 500 may be the Figure 1 and Figure 2 Any of the UEs or scheduled entities described. The multi-SIM UE 500 may have two or more physical and / or electronic SIMs that are provisioned to use multiple service subscriptions, for example, a first subscription with a first network (e.g., via the first network entity 502) and a second subscription with a second network (e.g., via the second network entity 504). The first subscription and the second subscription may be provisioned by the same or different cellular service providers. The first subscription and the second subscription may be provisioned using the same radio access technology (RAT) or different RATs (e.g., LTE and / or 5G NR). As an example, the first network entity 502 may be an LTE or 5G NR base station, and the second network entity 504 may be an LTE or 5G NR base station, similar to the above description of Figure 1 and Figure 2 Each of the network entities 502 and 504 may be connected to a corresponding core network (eg, Figure 1 core network 102).

[0075] In one aspect, a multi-SIM UE 500 may have two SIMs (e.g., a first SIM 506 and a second SIM 508) that may be configured for dual SIM dual active (DSDA) operation. In some aspects, one or both of the SIMs 506 and 508 may be implemented as a virtual SIM or an embedded SIM (eSIM). In DSDA mode, the multi-SIM UE 500 may actively and simultaneously communicate with different networks associated with different subscriptions using the two SIMs 506 and 508, respectively. Although two SIMs are used herein to illustrate a multi-SIM operation example, in other examples, the UE 500 may use more than two SIMs to perform multi-SIM operations.

[0076] In this example, the multi-SIM UE 500 may have a separate radio frequency (RF) chain for supporting DSDA operation. For example, the first RF chain associated with the first SIM 506 may include a first antenna 510 (e.g., one or more antenna arrays or panels), a first transceiver (Tx / Rx) 512, and a first modem 514. The second RF chain associated with the second SIM 508 may include a second antenna 516 (e.g., one or more antenna arrays or panels), a second transceiver 518, and a second modem 520. The UE 500 may also include a controller 522 (e.g., a processor) that may control and / or configure the above-mentioned antennas, SIMs, transceivers, and modems to support DSDA mode operation. In some aspects, the multi-SIM UE 500 may be equipped with one or more antenna arrays or panels (e.g., antennas 510 and 516), each of which includes a number of antenna elements, and the antenna arrays may be configured to use one or more antennas to support DSDA operation. In the DSDA mode, the UE 500 may communicate with the first network entity 502 based on the first SIM 506. The controller 522 may read the information stored in the first SIM 506, and configure / control the first modem 514 and the first transceiver 512 to wirelessly communicate with the first network entity 502 via the first antenna 510. Similarly, the UE 500 may communicate with the second network entity 504 based on the second SIM 508. That is, the controller 522 may read the information stored in the second SIM 508, and configure / control the second modem 520 and the second transceiver 518 to wirelessly communicate with the second network entity 504 via the second antenna 516. Since the UE 500 has two modems 514 / 520, two transceivers 512 / 518, and two antennas 510 / 516, the UE 500 is able to communicate with the first network entity and the second network entity of different subscriptions at the same time in the DSDA mode.

[0077] In some aspects, the multi-SIM UE 500 may use carrier aggregation (CA) to increase the available data bandwidth or data rate of each SIM 506 / 508. Using CA, the UE may cascade or combine multiple CCs to increase the bandwidth and / or data rate between the UE and the network. For example, the UE 500 may communicate with the network using a primary component carrier (PCC) and optionally one or more secondary CCs. The cell serving the PCC is referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the cell serving the secondary CC (SCC) is referred to as a secondary cell (SCell). The UE 500 may receive or send data simultaneously on one or more CCs depending on its capabilities.

[0078] The first SIM 506 and the second SIM 508 may operate in any of a variety of modes, such as a connected mode (also referred to as an active mode), an idle mode, etc. During the idle mode, the UE does not send data to and receive data from the corresponding SIM / subscribed network. During the connected mode, the UE may use one or more CCs to send data to and / or receive data from the corresponding SIM / subscribed network. In the DSDA mode, both SIMs 506 and 508 may operate in a connected mode.

[0079] In some scenarios, CCs used by different subscriptions / SIMs may experience conflict situations (e.g., RF, hardware, and / or resource conflicts) that may prevent one or more CCs from being used when both SIMs / subscriptions are in active mode. In one example, when both the first SIM 506 and the second SIM 508 are active, a primary CC (associated with the first subscription) used by the first SIM may conflict with one or more secondary CCs (associated with the second subscription) used by the second SIM. Therefore, when the UE changes the first SIM 506 from idle mode to connected mode using the primary CC during DSDA operation, the UE may need to stop transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) activities on the conflicting secondary CCs associated with the second SIM 508, which is also in connected mode, when the first SIM has a higher priority than the second SIM. In this example, the UE 500 may mute or discard (i.e., stop Tx / Rx activities) the conflicting secondary CCs used by the second SIM, which may cause the network of the second subscription to deactivate the discarded or muted secondary CCs. However, if the network is unable to use (eg, reallocate or reassign) the communication resources of the secondary CC during a conflict between SIMs / subscriptions, the communication resources of the conflicting secondary CC are wasted.

[0080] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that enable a UE to indicate to a network entity when a CC is muted due to a conflict between subscriptions / SIMs in a DSDA operation. With information about the conflict, the network entity can reuse the resources of the muted CC for other UEs. When the CC conflict no longer exists, the UE can notify the network entity, and if the unmuted CC is still available, the network entity can resume communication with the UE using the unmuted CC.

[0081] Figure 6 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a process for managing CC conflicts during DSDA operation according to some aspects. In one aspect, a UE (e.g., a multi-SIM UE 500) may be connected to a first network associated with a first subscription and a second network associated with a second subscription. The first network and the second network may be similar to the one described with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The wireless network described. In one example, the UE may be in connected mode with a first network (first subscription) using a first primary CC 602 and N secondary CCs (N is a positive integer with a value of 1 or greater). For example, the secondary CCs include a first secondary CC 604 (e.g., CC A) and a second secondary CC 606 (e.g., CCB). At time T0, the UE may be in idle mode with a second network (second subscription) using a second primary CC 608. During idle mode, the UE does not use the second primary CC 608 to send data to / receive data from the second network.

[0082] At time T1, the UE may enter DSDA mode. For example, the UE may change from idle mode to connected mode with a second subscription using a carrier (e.g., a second primary CC 608) that may conflict with one or more of the secondary CCs 604 and 606 associated with the first subscription (e.g., CC A and CC B). In the connected mode with the second subscription, the UE may use the second primary CC 608 to actively send and / or receive data. When the UE is in connected mode with two subscriptions, the UE operates in DSDA mode. The conflict may be caused by a communication resource conflict between CCs and / or a capability limitation (RF capability) of the UE. For example, the UE may be hardware and / or software limited to a specific number of active carriers. In order to manage the conflict, when the second primary CC 608 is in connected mode, the UE may mute the conflicting secondary CCs (e.g., secondary CC A 604 and CC B 606) of the first subscription. Muting the secondary CC means stopping Tx and Rx activities on the muted CCs (e.g., CC A and CC B).

[0083] When the conflicting secondary CCs 604 and 606 of the subscription are muted, the UE may transmit a message or indication to the first subscribed network entity (e.g., a base station or gNB). In one aspect, the UE may transmit the message to the first subscribed network entity (e.g., a gNB of a PCell) in an uplink channel (e.g., PUSCH) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to indicate the muted CCs (e.g., secondary CCs A and B). In one example, the message may include a bitmap (or bit mask) for indicating whether the CC is muted.

[0084] Figure 7is a diagram illustrating an exemplary bitmap 700 for indicating the state of a CC during DSDA operation according to one aspect of the present disclosure. For example, the bitmap 700 may have a predetermined number of bits (e.g., N bits, N being an integer equal to 1 or greater). Each bit (e.g., bit 1 to bit N) of the bitmap 700 may indicate whether the corresponding CC (e.g., secondary CCs A and B) is muted. For example, a bit value of 0 may indicate that the CC is muted, and a bit value of 1 may indicate that the CC is not muted. In one aspect, the bit position may correspond to an SCC number configured by the network. In one example, a mapping of the bit position to the SCC may be implicitly established by a network entity (e.g., a base station, a gNB) when adding an SCC for use by a UE. The first subscribed network entity (e.g., a gNB) may use the resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources) of the muted CC for other UEs that can use the resources to communicate in the network. For example, when a secondary CC is muted at a multi-SIM UE, the network entity may allocate resources of the muted CC to one or more other UEs for sending and / or receiving data.

[0085] Figure 8 802 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary process for managing CC conflicts at a multi-SIM UE according to some aspects. The multi-SIM UE 802 may be configured to use two subscriptions in DSDA mode. In one example, the UE 802 may be the one described above with respect to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 Any of the described UEs. In some aspects, the UE 802 may use various functional entities for multi-SIM operations, such as a first subscription entity 804, a second subscription entity 806, and a resource management entity 808. These functional entities may be implemented by any combination of software and / or hardware components of the UE.

[0086] The multi-SIM UE 802 may be able to establish a connection (e.g., a communication link) with a first network entity 810 (NE1) of a first subscription and a connection (communication link) with a second network entity 812 (NE2) of a second subscription. For example, at a certain time (e.g., T0), the UE 802 may be in a connected mode with the first network entity 810 and in an idle mode with the second network entity 812. In the connected mode, the UE 802 may communicate with the first network entity 810 using a first primary CC (e.g., primary CC 602) and one or more secondary CCs (e.g., secondary CCs 604 and 606).

[0087] At 814, the second subscription entity 806 may initiate a connection establishment with the second network entity 812 to enter the DSDA mode. At 816, the second subscription entity 806 may transmit a request for resources (e.g., communication resources, RBs, REs, etc.) to the resource management entity 808. At 818, the resource management entity 808 may decide to release resources of one or more secondary CCs used by the first subscription in response to the request for resources for the second subscription. In one example, when the UE is in the DSDA mode, the resource management entity 808 may release resources of two secondary CCs 604 and 606 of the first subscription that may conflict with the primary CC 608 of the second subscription.

[0088] At 820, the resource management entity 808 may transmit a resource reconfiguration message to the first subscription entity 804 to indicate the release of the secondary CC resources. At 822, in response to the resource reconfiguration message, the first subscription entity 804 may mute the secondary CC whose communication resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or space resources) are released. Once the secondary CC is muted, the UE stops or suspends communication (e.g., transmission and reception) activities on the muted secondary CC. At 824, the UE 802 may reconfigure its communication circuit (e.g., RF chain) to complete the release of the resources of the muted secondary CC.

[0089] At 826, the first subscription entity 804 may transmit a message to the resource management entity 808 to indicate that the resource reconfiguration is completed by the first subscription entity 804. At 828, the resource management entity 808 may transmit a resource grant message to the second subscription entity 806 to indicate that the resources requested at 816 are granted for the second subscription. At this point, the UE may enter DSDA mode with active connections to both subscriptions (i.e., in connected mode). At 830, the UE 802 (e.g., the second subscription entity 806) may complete connection establishment with the network entity 812 for the second subscription. In DSDA mode, the UE 802 may have an active primary CC in connected mode with each subscription.

[0090] At 832, the first subscription entity 804 may transmit a message (e.g., an SCC muting message) to the first subscription first network entity 810 to indicate that the secondary CC is muted. In one example, the message may be an uplink MAC CE or a radio resource control (RRC) message. In some aspects, the message may be transmitted in an uplink shared channel (e.g., PUSCH). In some aspects, the SCC muting message may include a bitmap (e.g., bitmap 700) indicating the state of whether each CC (e.g., secondary CC 1 to CCN) is muted. At 834, the first network entity 810 may transmit a confirmation message to the UE 802. At 836, the first network entity mutes the secondary CC of the first subscription. Since the secondary CC is muted, the first network entity 810 may use the resources of the muted secondary CC for other UEs in the network. For example, the first network entity 810 may schedule or allocate resources to other UEs for UL and / or DL ​​communication with the first network entity 810.

[0091] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram illustrating a process for managing CCs when exiting DSDA mode according to some aspects. In DSDA mode, a UE (e.g., a multi-SIM UE 500) may be in connected mode with multiple networks, as described above with respect to Figures 6 to 8 At time T0, the UE is in DSDA mode. For example, the UE may be in connected mode with a first network (first subscription) using a first primary CC 902, and in connected mode with a second network (second subscription) using a second primary CC 904. Due to a conflict with the second primary CC 904, one or more secondary CCs 906 and 908 (e.g., secondary CCs A and B) of the first subscription are muted, as described above with respect to Figures 6 to 8 When the secondary CC is muted, the UE does not use the muted secondary CC of the first subscription to send and receive data.

[0092] At time T1, the UE may exit DSDA mode and enter idle mode with the second subscription. For example, when the UE no longer uses the second subscription to actively send and / or receive data or signals, the UE may enter idle mode and exit DSDA mode. In this case, the UE stops sending and receiving data on the primary CC 904 of the second subscription. Since the primary CC 904 of the second subscription no longer conflicts with the secondary CCs 906 and 908 (e.g., secondary CCs A and B) of the first subscription, the UE may unmute the secondary CCs 906 and 908. To this end, the UE may transmit a message or indication to the network entity of the first subscription. In one aspect, the UE may transmit the message in an uplink MAC CE to a network entity (e.g., a base station or gNB) of the PCell associated with the first subscription to indicate the secondary CC that has been unmuted. In one example, the message may include a bitmap (e.g., Figure 7 In some aspects, if the unmuted secondary CCs 906 and 908 are still available for the UE, the first subscribed network entity (e.g., gNB) may reuse the unmuted secondary CCs for active communication with the UE. Otherwise, the network may configure the UE to use a different secondary CC.

[0093] Fig.10 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary process for managing CC conflicts at a multi-SIM UE exiting DSDA mode according to some aspects. A multi-SIM UE 1002 may be configured to wirelessly communicate using two subscriptions in DSDA mode. For example, the UE 1002 may communicate with a network entity of a first subscription (e.g., a first network entity 1004) and a network entity of a second subscription (e.g., a second network entity 1006). In some aspects, the UE 1002 may have different functional entities that may be used for multi-SIM operations, such as a first subscription entity 1008, a second subscription entity 1010, and a resource management entity 1012. These entities may be implemented using any combination of software and / or hardware components of the UE.

[0094] At time T0, UE 1002 may be in DSDA mode. In this case, UE 1002 may communicate with first network entity 1004 (first subscription) using a primary CC (e.g., primary CC 802) and communicate with second network entity 1006 (second subscription) using a primary CC in connected mode (e.g., primary CC 904). At 1014, the UE may exit DSDA mode. For example, when the UE no longer uses the second subscription to actively send and / or receive data, the UE may request the second network entity to release the connection between the UE and the second network entity. In response, the second network entity 1006 may send a connection release message to UE 1002 to release the active connection between UE 1002 and the second network entity 1006. For example, the second subscription entity 1010 of the UE may process the connection release message. At 1016 , the second subscription entity 1010 may transmit a resource reconfiguration message to the resource management entity 1012 to release resources associated with the connection between the UE 1002 and the second network entity 1006 (eg, the primary CC 904 ).

[0095] At 1018, the resource management entity 1012 may send a resource reconfiguration message to the first subscription entity 1008 to indicate the resources released by the second subscription entity 1010. For example, these resources may be resources associated with the primary CC and / or secondary CC of the second subscription, and the released resources may be used by the UE to connect to the first network entity 1004 using one or more secondary CCs. At 1020, the UE 1002 may reconfigure its circuitry (e.g., RF circuitry) to activate one or more secondary CCs of the first subscription using the newly available resources. The one or more secondary CCs may be secondary CCs that were previously muted, as described above with respect to Figures 6 to 8 As described.

[0096] At 1022, the first subscription entity 1008 may transmit a resource reconfiguration message to the resource management entity 1012 to indicate that the reconfiguration is complete. At 1024, the resource management entity 1012 may transmit a resource reconfiguration message to the second subscription entity 1010 to indicate that the resources of the primary CC are released. At 1026 (at time T1), the second subscription entity 1010 may proceed to complete the release of the connection between the UE 1002 and the second network entity 1006 (e.g., changing the primary CC from a connected mode to an idle mode).

[0097] At 1028, the first subscription entity 1008 may transmit a message to the first network entity 1004 to indicate the secondary CC (eg, Fig. 91002, the secondary CCs 906 and 908 of the UE 1002 have been unmuted by the UE. For example, the message may be an uplink MAC CE (e.g., unmuted SCC). In one aspect, the unmuted SCC message may include a bitmap, where each bit indicates whether the corresponding secondary CC is unmuted. At 1030, the first network entity 1004 may transmit an acknowledgment of the unmuted SCC message. At 1032, if the unmuted secondary CC is still available to the UE 1002, the UE 1002 and the first network entity 1004 may communicate with each other using the unmuted secondary CC.

[0098] Fig.11 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1100 employing a processing system 1114. For example, the network entity 1100 may be such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.10 A scheduling entity or network entity exemplified in any one or more of .

[0099] The network entity 1100 may be implemented using a processing system 1114 including one or more processors 1104. Examples of the processor 1104 include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a state machine, a gated logic, a discrete hardware circuit, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout the present disclosure. In various examples, the network entity 1100 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1104 as utilized in the network entity 1100 may be used to implement Figures 6 to 10 and Fig.12 Any one or more of the processes and procedures described and illustrated in .

[0100] In some examples, the processor 1104 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, and in other implementations, the processor 1104 may include several devices distinct and other than a baseband or modem chip (e.g., in scenarios such as those that may work together to implement the examples discussed herein). And as mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components outside of a baseband modem processor may be used in implementations, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0101] In this example, the processing system 1114 may be implemented using a bus architecture (generally represented by bus 1102). The bus 1102 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, depending on the specific application of the processing system 1114 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1102 communicatively couples various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 1104), memory 1105, and computer-readable media (generally represented by computer-readable media 1106). The bus 1102 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The bus interface 1108 provides an interface between the bus 1102 and the transceiver 1110. The transceiver 1110 provides a communication interface or component for communicating with various other devices through a transmission medium. Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 1112 (e.g., keyboard, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, touch screen) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface 1112 is optional and may be omitted in some examples (such as a base station).

[0102] The processor 1104 is responsible for managing the bus 1102 and general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium 1106. The software, when executed by the processor 1104, causes the processing system 1114 to perform the various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 1106 and memory 1105 may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the processor 1104 when executing the software.

[0103] One or more processors 1104 in the processing system can execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, processes, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 1106. The computer-readable medium 1106 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer readable medium 1106 may reside in the processing system 1114, be external to the processing system 1114, or be distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 1114. The computer readable medium 1106 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0104] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1104 may include circuitry configured for various functions including, for example, carrier aggregation (CA) control operations. For example, the circuitry may be configured to implement Figures 6 to 10 and Fig.12 One or more of the described features.

[0105] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1104 may include communication and processing circuitry 1142 that is configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE), or any other entity, any other entity such as, for example, a local infrastructure or an entity that communicates with the network entity 1100 via the Internet (such as a network provider). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. In addition, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may be configured to receive and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuit 1142 may be configured to communicate with the UE using a CA connection including a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. The communication and processing circuit 1142 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 1152 stored on the computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0106] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may obtain information from a component of the network entity 1100 (e.g., from a transceiver 1110 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may output the information to another component of the processor 1104, to the memory 1105, or to the bus interface 1108. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for components for receiving. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for components for processing, including components for demodulating, components for decoding, and the like.

[0107] In some implementations where communication involves transmitting (e.g., sending) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1104, the memory 1105, or the bus interface 1108), process the information (e.g., modulate, encode, etc. the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may output the information to the transceiver 1110 (e.g., which transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for components for transmitting (e.g., components for sending). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for components for generating, including components for modulating, components for encoding, and the like.

[0108] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1104 may include a CA control circuit 1144 configured for CA configuration and control functions. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1144 may be configured to cascade or combine multiple CCs (e.g., one primary CC and one or more secondary CCs) into one data channel between a network entity and a UE. The CA control circuit 1144 may be configured to combine LTE and / or 5G carriers. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1144 may be configured to suspend communications on the secondary CC in response to an SCC muting message from the UE. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1144 may be configured to resume communications on the muted secondary CC in response to an SCC unmute message from the UE. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1144 may be configured to confirm an SCC muting / unmute message from the UE. The CA control circuit 1144 may be further configured to execute CA control software 1154 stored on the computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0109] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 1200 for wireless communication at a network entity according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1200 may be performed by Fig.11 In some examples, the process 1200 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0110] At block 1202, a network entity (e.g., a scheduling entity, a base station, or a gNB) may communicate with a first UE using a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may provide means for communicating with the first UE. In one example, the first UE may be Figure 8 UE 802 or Fig.10 UE 1002. In one example, the primary CC may be Figure 6 Main CC 602 or Fig. 9 The primary CC 902. One or more secondary CCs may be the primary CC 902. Figure 6 and Fig. 9 The secondary CCs described (eg, secondary CCs A and B).

[0111] At block 1204, the network entity may receive a first message from the first UE, and the first message indicates that one or more secondary CCs are muted by the first UE. For example, the first message may be Figure 8 In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit 1142 may provide a component for receiving a first message. In one example, the first message may be a MAC CE configured to indicate one or more secondary CCs that are muted. In another example, the first message may be an RRC message configured to indicate one or more secondary CCs that are muted.

[0112] At block 1206, the network entity may suspend communication with the first UE on one or more secondary CCs in response to the first message. By suspending communication, the network entity may stop sending data to and receiving data from the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1144 may provide a component for suspending communication on one or more secondary CCs. When the secondary CC is suspended, the network entity may still communicate with the first UE using the primary CC. In some aspects, the network entity may communicate with the second UE using communication resources associated with the muted / suspended one or more secondary CCs. In some aspects, the network entity may receive a second message from the first UE, and the second message indicates that the one or more secondary CCs are unmuted at the first UE. The network entity may then resume communication with the first UE using the unmuted one or more secondary CCs (if available) in response to the second message.

[0113] Fig.13 1304. 1304 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary UE 1300 employing a processing system 1314. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element or any portion of an element or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 1314 including one or more processors 1304. For example, the UE 1300 may be such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.10 A scheduled entity or UE illustrated in any one or more of the.

[0114] The processing system 1314 can be used with Fig.11 The processing system 1114 illustrated in FIG. 1 is substantially the same as that in FIG. 1 , including a bus interface 1308, a bus 1302, a memory 1305, a processor 1304, and a computer-readable medium 1306. In addition, the UE 1300 may include the same as that in FIG. Fig.11 1310 and 1311). In some aspects, UE 1300 may use SIM 1317 and 1318 to support DSDA communications with different subscriptions / networks. Processor 1304, as utilized in UE 1300, may be configured to implement Figures 6 to 10 and Fig.14 Any one or more of the processes described and illustrated in .

[0115] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1304 may include circuitry configured for various functions including, for example, CA control operations in different multi-SIM modes. For example, the circuitry may be configured to implement Figures 6 to 10 and Fig.14 One or more of the described features.

[0116] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 1304 may include communication and processing circuitry 1342 that is configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with one or more network entities. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes associated with wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include one or more transmit / receive chains (e.g., transceivers 1310 and 1311). In addition, communication and processing circuitry 1342 may be configured to send and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to Figure 1The communication and processing circuit 1342 may be configured to receive and process downlink traffic and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink traffic 112 and downlink control 114). The communication and processing circuit 1342 may be configured to communicate with a network entity using CA including a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. The communication and processing circuit 1342 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 1352 stored on the computer-readable medium 1306 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0117] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may obtain information from a component of the UE 1300 (e.g., from a transceiver 1310 / 1311 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may output the information to another component of the processor 1304, to the memory 1305, or to the bus interface 1308. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include functionality for components for receiving. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include functionality for components for processing, including components for demodulating, components for decoding, and the like.

[0118] In some implementations where communication involves transmitting (e.g., sending) information, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of the processor 1304, the memory 1305, or the bus interface 1308), process the information (e.g., modulate, encode, etc. the information), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may output the information to the transceiver 1310 / 1311 (e.g., it transmits the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include functionality for components for transmitting (e.g., components for sending). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1342 may include functionality for components for generating, including components for modulating, components for encoding, and the like.

[0119] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1304 may include a DSDA circuit 1344 configured for various DSDA functions. In one aspect, the DSDA circuit 1344 may be configured to support simultaneous communication with different networks associated with different subscriptions using multiple SIMs (e.g., SIMs 1317 and 1318) and multiple transceivers (e.g., transceivers 1310 and 1311), as described herein. In one aspect, the DSDA circuit 1344 may be configured to determine conflicts between CCs of different subscriptions when the DSDA mode is enabled. For example, the DSDA circuit 1344 may be configured to mute a CC during a conflict between subscriptions and unmute the CC when the conflict ends.

[0120] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 1304 may include a CA control circuit 1346 configured for CA configuration and control functions. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1346 may be configured to cascade or combine multiple CCs (e.g., one primary CC and one or more secondary CCs) into one data channel between the UE and the network entity. The CA control circuit 1346 may be configured to combine LTE and / or 5G carriers. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1346 may be configured to suspend communications on the secondary CC in response to a conflict between different subscribed CCs and send an SCC muting message to the network entity. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1346 may be configured to resume communications on the muted secondary CC and send an SCC unmuting message to the network entity. In one aspect, the CA control circuit 1346 may be configured to receive an acknowledgment of the SCC muting / unmuting message from the network entity. The CA control circuit 1346 may be further configured to execute the CA control software 1356 stored on the computer-readable medium 1306 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0121] Fig.14 1400 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 1400 for wireless communication at a UE according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required for all example implementations. In some examples, process 1400 may be performed by Fig.13 In some examples, process 1400 may be performed by any suitable device or component for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0122] At block 1402, the UE may communicate with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit 1342 together with the first SIM 1317 may provide means for communicating with the first network entity via one of the transceivers 1310 / 1311. In one example, the first primary CC may be Figure 6 Main CC 602 (or Fig. 9 The primary CC 902 of the present invention, and the secondary CC may be Figure 6 Auxiliary CC 604 and 606 (or Fig. 9 The CA control circuit 1346 may provide a means for cascading the first primary CC and the secondary CC for the first connection using carrier aggregation.

[0123] At block 1404, the UE may communicate with a second network entity based on the second subscription using the second primary CC. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit 1342 together with the second SIM 1318 may provide means for communicating with the second network entity via one of the transceivers 1310 / 1311. In one example, the second primary CC may be Figure 6 Main CC 602 (or Fig. 9 In one aspect, the UE may operate in DSDA mode and maintain an action connection (eg, a first connection and a second connection) with the first subscription and the second subscription.

[0124] At block 1406, the UE may mute communications on the one or more secondary CCs in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs. The DSDA circuit 1344 may provide a means for determining a conflict between the second primary CC and the one or more secondary CCs. For example, the UE may determine that resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, and / or spatial resources) used by the second primary CC conflict with resources used by the one or more secondary CCs. The DSDA circuit 1344 may provide a means for muting communications on the one or more secondary CCs. For example, the UE may stop sending and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs.

[0125] At block 1408, the UE may send a first message to the first network entity, and the first message indicates that one or more secondary CCs are muted. In one aspect, the communication and processing circuit 1342 may provide means for sending the first message to the first network entity. For example, the first message may be an uplink MAC CE (e.g., Figure 8In one example, the first message may include a plurality of bits (e.g., a bitmap), each bit being configured to indicate whether the corresponding secondary CC is muted. In response, the first network entity may use resources of the muted secondary CC to communicate with other UEs in the network.

[0126] In one configuration, the UE 1300 for wireless communication includes means for controlling CA operation in DSDA mode. In one aspect, the aforementioned means may be Fig.13 The processor 1304 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. On the other hand, the aforementioned means may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0127] Of course, in the above examples, the circuits included in the processor 1304 are provided only as examples, and other components for performing the described functions may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1306, or Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 and / or Fig.10 Any of the foregoing and using, for example, Figures 6 to 10 and Fig.14 Any other suitable means or components of the described processes and / or algorithms.

[0128] In a first aspect, a method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes: communicating with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; communicating with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC; muting communications on the one or more secondary CCs in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs; and sending a first message to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

[0129] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, muting communications includes ceasing transmission and reception activities on the one or more secondary CCs.

[0130] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, sending the first message includes sending at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted.

[0131] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first to third aspects, the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit being configured to indicate whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

[0132] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first to third aspects, the method further includes: changing the second subscription from a connected mode to an idle mode; in response to the second subscription being changed to the idle mode, unmuting communications on the one or more secondary CCs; and sending a second message to the first network entity, the second message indicating the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0133] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the fifth aspect, wherein unmuting the communication comprises: resuming sending and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs.

[0134] In the seventh aspect, alone or in combination with the fifth aspect, sending the second message includes sending at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0135] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further comprises: receiving, from the first network entity, an acknowledgement of the second message indicating the unmuted one or more secondary CCs.

[0136] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the first to third aspects, the UE communicates with the first network entity and the second network entity respectively in a dual SIM dual activation (DSDA) mode.

[0137] In a tenth aspect, a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication is provided. The UE includes: a memory storing executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured by the executable code to: communicate with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; communicate with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC; in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs, mute communications on the one or more secondary CCs; and send a first message to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

[0138] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with the tenth aspect, wherein, to mute communications, the processor is further configured to: stop sending and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs.

[0139] In the twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with the tenth aspect, wherein, in order to send the first message, the processor is further configured to send at least one of the following items: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted.

[0140] In the thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit being configured to indicate whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

[0141] In the fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, the processor is further configured to: change the second subscription from a connected mode to an idle mode; in response to the second subscription being changed to the idle mode, unmute the communication on the one or more secondary CCs; and send a second message to the first network entity, the second message indicating the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0142] In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the fourteenth aspect, wherein, to unmute the communication, the processor is further configured to: resume sending and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs.

[0143] In the sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the fourteenth aspect, sending the second message includes sending at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0144] In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with the fourteenth aspect, the processor is further configured to: receive, from the first network entity, an acknowledgement of the second message indicating the unmuted one or more secondary CCs.

[0145] In the eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, the processor is further configured to: communicate with the first network entity and the second network entity respectively in a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) mode.

[0146] In a nineteenth aspect, a method of wireless communication at a network entity is provided. The method includes: communicating with a first user equipment (UE) using a primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; receiving a first message from the first UE, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE; and suspending communication with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs in response to the first message.

[0147] In the twentieth aspect, alone or in combination with the nineteenth aspect, the method further includes: in response to suspending the communication with the first UE, communicating with a second UE using communication resources associated with the muted one or more secondary CCs.

[0148] In the twenty-first aspect, alone or in combination with the nineteenth aspect, receiving the first message includes receiving at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs.

[0149] In aspect 22, alone or in combination with any one of aspects 19 to 21, the method also includes: receiving a second message from the first UE, the second message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are unmuted at the first UE; and in response to the second message, resuming communication with the first UE using the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0150] In the twenty-third aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-second aspect, receiving the second message includes receiving at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0151] In the twenty-fourth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the nineteenth to twenty-first aspects, the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit indicating whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

[0152] In a twenty-fifth aspect, a network entity for wireless communication is provided. The network entity includes: a memory storing executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured by the executable code to: communicate with a first user equipment (UE) using a primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; receive a first message from the first UE, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE; and suspend communication with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs in response to the first message.

[0153] In the twenty-sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fifth aspect, the processor is further configured to: in response to suspending the communication with the first UE, communicate with a second UE using communication resources associated with the one or more secondary CCs that are muted.

[0154] In the twenty-seventh aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fifth aspect, wherein, in order to receive the first message, the processor is further configured to receive at least one of the following items: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs.

[0155] In aspect 28, alone or in combination with any one of aspects 25 to 27, the processor is further configured to: receive a second message from the first UE, the second message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are unmuted at the first UE; and in response to the second message, resume communication with the first UE using the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0156] In the twenty-ninth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-eighth aspect, wherein, in order to receive the second message, the processor is further configured to receive at least one of the following items: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted; or a radio resource control (RRC) message, the radio resource control (RRC) message being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

[0157] In the thirtieth aspect, alone or in combination with any one of the twenty-fifth to twenty-seventh aspects, the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit indicating whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

[0158] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been presented with reference to exemplary implementations. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards.

[0159] For example, various aspects may be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects may also be extended to systems defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and / or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0160] Within the present disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any specific implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior or superior to other aspects of the present disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed features, advantages, or modes of operation. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to a direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C may still be considered to be coupled to each other, even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first object may be coupled to a second object, even if the first object has never been in direct physical contact with the second object. The terms "circuit" are used broadly, and they are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors (where these electronic devices and conductors, when connected and configured, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure, without limitation on the type of electronic circuits) and software implementations of information and instructions (where these information and instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the execution of the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0161] Figures 1 to 14 One or more of the components, steps, features, and / or functions illustrated in the embodiments may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function or may be embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figures 1 to 14 The apparatus, device and / or components illustrated in the can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be effectively implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0162] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods is an illustration of an exemplary process. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods can be rearranged based on design preferences. The attached method claims present elements of various steps in an example order, but are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless explicitly stated herein.

[0163] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the text of the claims, wherein unless explicitly stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. The phrase "at least one" referring to a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will be known later to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims, anything disclosed herein is not intended to be disclosed to the public. No claim element is to be construed under 35 USC §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the phrase “step for.”

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: communicating with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; communicating with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC; muting communications on the one or more secondary CCs in response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one of the one or more secondary CCs; as well as A first message is sent to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein muting the communication comprises: Transmitting and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs are stopped.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the first message comprises sending at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs. 4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit being configured to indicate whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: changing the second subscription from a connected mode to an idle mode; in response to the second subscription being changed to the idle mode, unmuting communications on the one or more secondary CCs; as well as A second message is sent to the first network entity, the second message indicating the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein unmuting the communication comprises: Transmitting and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs are resumed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein sending the second message comprises sending at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs to be unmuted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: An acknowledgement of the second message indicating the unmuted one or more secondary CCs is received from the first network entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE communicates with the first network entity and the second network entity respectively in a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) mode.

10. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the user equipment (UE) comprising: A memory storing executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured by the executable code to: communicating with a first network entity based on a first subscription using a first primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; communicating with a second network entity based on a second subscription using a second primary CC; In response to a conflict between the second primary CC and at least one secondary CC of the one or more secondary CCs, muting communications on the one or more secondary CCs; as well as A first message is sent to the first network entity, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: To mute the communication, the processor is further configured to: Transmitting and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs are stopped.

12. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: To send the first message, the processor is further configured to send at least one of the following: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs being muted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs. 13 . The UE of claim 12 , wherein the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit being configured to indicate whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

14. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: changing the second subscription from a connected mode to an idle mode; in response to the second subscription being changed to the idle mode, unmuting communications on the one or more secondary CCs; and A second message is sent to the first network entity, the second message indicating the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein: To unmute the communication, the processor is further configured to: Transmitting and receiving activities on the one or more secondary CCs are resumed.

16. The UE of claim 14, wherein sending the second message comprises sending at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs to be unmuted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

17. The UE according to claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: An acknowledgement of the second message indicating the unmuted one or more secondary CCs is received from the first network entity.

18. The UE of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to communicate with the first network entity and the second network entity respectively in a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) mode.

19. A method for wireless communication at a network entity, the method comprising: communicating with a first user equipment (UE) using a primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; receiving a first message from the first UE, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE; as well as In response to the first message, communications with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs are suspended.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: In response to suspending the communication with the first UE, communicating with a second UE using communication resources associated with the muted one or more secondary CCs.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the first message comprises receiving at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: receiving a second message from the first UE, the second message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are unmuted at the first UE; as well as In response to the second message, communication with the first UE is resumed using the one or more secondary CCs that were unmuted.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving the second message comprises receiving at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs to be unmuted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit indicating whether a corresponding secondary CC among the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

25. A network entity for wireless communication, the network entity comprising: A memory storing executable code; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured by the executable code to: communicating with a first user equipment (UE) using a primary component carrier (CC) and one or more secondary CCs; receiving a first message from the first UE, the first message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are muted at the first UE; as well as In response to the first message, communications with the first UE on the one or more secondary CCs are suspended.

26. The network entity of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to: In response to suspending the communication with the first UE, communicating with a second UE using communication resources associated with the muted one or more secondary CCs.

27. The network entity according to claim 25, wherein: To receive the first message, the processor is further configured to receive at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the muted one or more secondary CCs.

28. The network entity of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiving a second message from the first UE, the second message indicating that the one or more secondary CCs are unmuted at the first UE; and In response to the second message, communication with the first UE is resumed using the one or more secondary CCs that were unmuted.

29. The network entity according to claim 28, wherein: To receive the second message, the processor is further configured to receive at least one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) being configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs to be unmuted; or A radio resource control (RRC) message configured to indicate the one or more secondary CCs that are unmuted.

30. The network entity of claim 25, wherein the first message comprises a plurality of bits, each bit indicating whether a corresponding secondary CC of the one or more secondary CCs is muted.

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