Managing uplink transmission chain switching

Abstract

A method in a user equipment (UE) equipped with a first transmitter and a second transmitter, the method comprising: transmitting a first uplink transmission using the first transmitter switched to a first frequency band and using the second transmitter switched to a second frequency band; and receiving, using the first transmitter, an uplink switching configuration for a second uplink transmission from a radio access network (RAN), the uplink switching configuration comprising: (i) a first parameter to indicate whether to switch the second transmitter away from the second frequency band; and (ii) a second parameter indicating to which frequency band the UE is to switch the second transmitter; and transmitting the second uplink transmission according to the uplink switching configuration.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of provisional U.S. patent application No. 63 / 377,694, entitled “MANAGING UPLINK TRANSMISSION CHAIN ​​SWITCHING,” filed on September 29, 2022. The entire contents of this provisional application are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to supporting uplink (UL) transmitter switching between multiple carrier frequencies or frequency bands. Background Art

[0004] This background description is provided for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the inventors mentioned by name (to the extent that it is described in this background section) and aspects of the specification that might not have been considered prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure.

[0005] For some user equipment (UE), if the UE has two transmitters and is configured with a physical uplink (UL) shared channel (PUSCH) in component carriers in 2 frequency bands, the UE configures one transmitter (also referred to as Tx or antenna) for the component carrier in one frequency band and configures another transmitter for the component carrier in another frequency band. However, in some scenarios, the base station only schedules transmissions in one frequency band. Thus, one transmitter remains in an idle state. In order to better utilize the idle transmitter, UL switching technology supports scenarios such as inter-band Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) New Radio (NR) Dual Connectivity (DC) (EN-DC) without Synchronous Uplink (SUL), inter-band UL carrier aggregation (CA), and independent SUL. Regarding Tx state, some UL switching supports two scenarios: Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. Scenario 1 depicts a Tx state in which the UE configures 2 transmitters for 2 component carriers (1T-1T), respectively. In Scenario 2, the UE configures 2 transmitters for the second carrier (0T-2T).

[0006] In some scenarios, each Tx state supports transmission with different antenna port assignments without antenna switching. In some such examples, the scenario 1 (1T-1T) Tx state supports 2 concurrent single-port transmissions (1P-1P) in 2 component carriers, a single-port transmission in component carrier 1 (1P-0P), and a single-port transmission in component carrier 2 (0P-1P). On the other hand, the scenario 2 (0T-2T) Tx state supports a single-port transmission in component carrier 2 (0P-1P), and a 2-port transmission (UL-MIMO) (0P-2P) in component carrier 2. In some scenarios, the base station triggers the UE to switch Tx states through dynamic scheduling (i.e., using downlink control information (DCI)) and semi-static UL scheduling (i.e., configuring grants through radio resource control (RRC)). If the UE has a Tx state in scenario 2 and is scheduled with a single-port transmission in component carrier 1 (1P-0P), since the UE is not currently configured to Tx of component carrier 1, the UE switches one Tx to component carrier 1 to perform such transmission.

[0007] In a further scenario, UL switching is enhanced to support 2-port transmission in component carrier 1 (scenario 3). The newly added scenario 3 causes an ambiguity problem when the UE performs UL switching. In one scenario, the last transmission performed by the UE on carrier 2 is a 2-port transmission (i.e., 0P-2P in scenario 2), and the UE receives a DCI from the gNB that schedules a 1-port transmission on carrier 1 (i.e., 1P-0P in scenario 1 or scenario 3). In such a scenario, the UE performs UL switching (e.g., antenna port switching, UL transmission chain switching, or UL transmission (Tx) switching) to send a 1-port transmission. During UL switching, the UE switches one of the two antenna ports from carrier 2 to carrier 1 and sends a 1-port transmission using the switched antenna port. However, the UE must determine whether to change the Tx state (i.e., whether to switch the other antenna port from carrier 2 to carrier 1 (e.g., scenario 3 or scenario 1)). The gNB must also know the Tx state of the UE to schedule the next uplink transmission. A new Radio Resource Control (RRC) parameter is introduced to resolve the ambiguity (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState-r17), which can be set with a value of oneT or twoT. In some such scenarios, the gNB issues an uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState-r17 set to oneT to the UE to configure the UE to not switch the other antenna port in the above scenario. Thus, after sending a 1-port transmission according to the oneT value, the UE does not switch the other antenna port. Alternatively, the gNB issues an uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState-r17 set to twoT to the UE to configure the UE to switch the other antenna port from carrier 2 to carrier 1 in the above scenario. Thus, after sending a 1-port transmission according to the twoT value, the UE switches the other antenna port from carrier 2 to carrier 1. Summary of the invention

[0008] An example embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure is a method in a user equipment (UE) equipped with a first transmitter and a second transmitter, the method comprising: sending a first uplink transmission using the first transmitter switched to a first frequency band and using the second transmitter switched to a second frequency band; and receiving an uplink switching configuration for a second uplink transmission from a radio access network (RAN) using the first transmitter, the uplink switching configuration comprising: (i) a first parameter, the first parameter being used to indicate whether to switch the second transmitter out of the second frequency band; and (ii) a second parameter indicating to which frequency band the UE is to switch the second transmitter; and sending the second uplink transmission according to the uplink switching configuration.

[0009] Another example embodiment of these techniques is a method in a radio access network (RAN) node, the method comprising: receiving a first uplink transmission on a first frequency band and a second frequency band from a user equipment (UE) equipped with a first transmitter and a second transmitter; and sending an uplink switching configuration for a second uplink transmission on a third frequency band to the UE, the uplink switching configuration comprising: (i) a first parameter, the first parameter being used to indicate whether to switch the second transmitter out of the second frequency band; and (ii) a second parameter indicating to which frequency band the UE is to switch the second transmitter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1A is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system in which a RAN and / or a UE implement the disclosed techniques for managing Tx states for UL switching;

[0011] Figure 1B Yes, you can Figure 1A A block diagram of an example base station including a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) operating in a system of FIG.

[0012] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A A block diagram of an example protocol stack according to which a UE communicates with a base station;

[0013] Figure 3 is a message passing diagram of an example of UL switching;

[0014] Figure 4A is a message passing diagram for delivering UL handover configuration using a specific cell group configuration path under DC;

[0015] Figure 4B is with Figure 4A Similar message passing diagrams, where different cell group configuration paths are used to execute scenarios;

[0016] Figure 5 is a flow chart describing an example method 500 of general UE procedures in UL handover;

[0017] Figure 6 is a flow chart of an example method 600 in which a UE determines a Tx state when a non-unique UL switching scenario occurs based on a cell index configured by a base station;

[0018] Fig. 7A is a flow chart of an example method 700A, in which a UE determines a Tx state when a non-unique UL switching scenario occurs according to a cell / band priority configured by a base station;

[0019] Figure 7Bis a flow chart of an example method 700B, in which a UE determines a Tx state when a non-unique UL switching scenario occurs according to a cell index configured by a base station;

[0020] Figure 8 is a flow chart of an example method 800, in which a UE determines a Tx state when a non-unique UL switching scenario occurs based on a Tx station indication for each non-unique UL switching scenario configured by a base station;

[0021] Fig.9A is a flow chart of an example method 900A, in which a UE determines a Tx state based on a cell / band indicator carried by a scheduling DCI format;

[0022] Fig. 9B is a flow chart of an example method 900B similar to method 900A but in which the UE determines whether to update the Tx state based on the last scheduled DCI according to whether the transmission is scheduled by DCI;

[0023] Fig. 10A is a flow chart of an example method 1000A in which a UE determines a Tx state according to a single UL switching Tx state configuration;

[0024] Fig. 10B is a flow chart of an example method 1000B similar to method 1000B but in which the UE determines the Tx state according to a plurality of UL switching Tx state configurations;

[0025] Fig. 10C is a flow chart of an example method 1000C for determining whether to update a current transmission configuration based on whether a determined Tx state is the same as a current Tx state;

[0026] Fig.11A is a flow chart of an example method 1100A in which a base station sends an indication of a UL switch TX state for non-scheduled Tx;

[0027] Fig. 11B is a flow chart of an example method 1100B similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends a UL Tx switching priority for a cell;

[0028] Fig. 11C is a flow chart of an example method 1100C similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends a serving cell index to the UE;

[0029] Fig.11D is a flow chart of an example method 1100D similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends a UL switching Tx state configuration for each non-unique UL switching scenario;

[0030] Fig.11Eis a flow chart of an example method 1100E similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends an UL handover configuration enabling field of a DCI format;

[0031] Fig.11F is a flow chart of an example method 1100F similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends a single UL switch Tx state configuration to the UE;

[0032] Fig.11G is a flow chart of an example method 1100G that is similar to method 1100A but in which the base station sends a first UL switching Tx state configuration and a second UL switching Tx state configuration to the UE. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In general, the technology of the present disclosure introduces an UL switching configuration with a Tx selection indication so that the UE configures the Tx state across cells in at least 3 frequency bands. The UE triggers the UL switching based on the UL transmission scheduled by the base station (scheduled by DCI or RRC). In some scenarios, the scheduled UL transmission may be associated with multiple Tx states, thereby introducing ambiguity between the base station and the UE. Through the antenna selection indication in the UL switching configuration, the UE follows the UL switching rules to update the Tx state, and thereby solves the non-unique Tx state problem.

[0034] Further increasing the number of supported frequency bands to 3 and 4 also increases the number of scenarios to 6 and 10, respectively, as shown in Tables 2 and 3.

[0035] In some scenarios, the last transmission performed by the UE on carrier 2 is a 2-port transmission (i.e., OP-2P-OP in scenario 5), and the UE receives DCI from the gNB, which schedules a 1-port transmission on carrier 1 (e.g., 1P-OP-OP in scenario 1, scenario 3, or scenario 4). In such a scenario, the UE performs UL switching (e.g., antenna port switching, UL transmission chain switching, or UL Tx switching) to send 1-port transmission. At the time of UL switching, the UE switches one of the two antenna ports from carrier 2 to carrier 1, and sends 1-port transmission on carrier 1 using the switched antenna port. However, the UE further determines whether to switch the other antenna port from carrier 2 to carrier 1 (i.e., scenario 4) or carrier 3 (e.g., scenario 3), or to reserve the other antenna port for carrier 2 (i.e., scenario 1). That is, the UE determines to configure the Tx state as scenario 1, scenario 3, or scenario 4 after receiving the DCI. The gNB also determines whether the UE applies the Tx state as scenario 1, scenario 3, or scenario 4 in order to schedule the next uplink transmission. However, in the current technology, the UE and gNB cannot determine which Tx state to apply in this scenario. Similar problems also occur in scenarios based on 4 frequency bands. Therefore, this technology shows how to determine the specific Tx state of the UE when the UL switches between 3 frequency bands to 4 frequency bands. Further, due to the complexity of the implementation, the UE may not support all UL Tx states, and therefore this technology further shows how to indicate the supported UL Tx states.

[0036] Table 1, detailed below, indicates the UL switching scenarios and antenna port assignments for the two carriers.

[0037]

[0038] Similarly, Table 2, detailed below, depicts UL switching scenarios and antenna port assignments for 3 carriers.

[0039]

[0040] Table 3, detailed below, depicts the UL switching scenarios and antenna port assignments for 4 carriers.

[0041]

[0042]

[0043] Table 4 depicts antenna port assignments for non-unique UL switching scenarios and Tx state associations regardless of the current Tx state.

[0044] Column Index Antenna ports for carriers 1, 2, and 3 UL switching Tx state 1 1P-0P-0P Scenario 3 (1T-0T-1T) 2 0P-1P-0P Scenario 1 (1T-1T-0T) 3 0P-0P-1P Scenario 6 (0T-0T-2T)

[0045] Similarly, Table 5 depicts non-unique UL switching scenarios and Tx state associated antenna port assignments with respect to the current Tx state.

[0046]

[0047] Figure 1A An example wireless communication system 100 in which the UL switching techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented is depicted. The wireless communication system 100 includes UEs 102A and 102B and base stations 104, 106A, 106B connected to a core network (CN) 110 of a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., RAN 105). For ease of reading, UE 102 is used herein to represent UE 102A, UE 102B, or both UE 102A and UE 102B, unless otherwise noted. The base stations 104, 106A, 106B may be any one or more suitable types of base stations, such as, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), or a 5G Node B (gNB). As a more specific example, the base station 104 may be an eNB or a gNB, and the base stations 106A and 106B may be gNBs.

[0048] Base station 104 supports cell 124, base station 106A supports cell 126A, and base station 106B supports cell 126B. Cell 124 partially overlaps with both cells 126A and 126B, so that UE 102 can be within the range of communication with base station 104 while being within the range of communication with base station 106A or 106B (or within the range of detecting or measuring signals from both base stations 106A and 106B). For example, the overlap can enable UE 102 to switch between cells (e.g., from cell 124 to cell 126A or 126B) or base stations (e.g., from base station 104 to base station 106A or base station 106B) before UE 102 experiences a radio link failure. In addition, the overlap allows UE 102 to operate with dual connectivity (DC) with RAN 105. For example, UE 102 may communicate with base station 104 (acting as a master node (MN)) and base station 106A (acting as a secondary node (SN)) in DC, and after completing the handover to base station 106B, may communicate with base station 106B (acting as a MN). As another example, UE 102 may communicate with base station 104 (acting as a MN) and base station 106A (acting as a SN) in DC, and after completing the SN change, may communicate with base station 104 (acting as a MN) and base station 106B (acting as a SN).

[0049] More specifically, when UE 102 is in DC with base station 104 and base station 106A, base station 104 acts as a master eNB (MeNB), a master ng-eNB (Mng-eNB) or a master gNB (MgNB), and base station 106A acts as a secondary gNB (SgNB) or a secondary ng-eNB (Sng-eNB).

[0050] UE 102 includes processing hardware 150, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (eg, CPUs) and computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions executable on the general-purpose processors, and / or special-purpose processing units. Figure 1A The processing hardware 150 in an example implementation of includes a UE UL handover controller 152 configured to manage the UE Tx state of UL transmissions. For example, the UE UL handover controller 152 may be configured to support RRC configuration, procedures, and messaging associated with the UL handover process, and / or support necessary operations, as discussed below.

[0051] CN 110 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) 111 or a fifth generation core (5GC) 160, both of which are Figure 1A . The base station 104 may be an eNB supporting an S1 interface for communicating with the EPC 111, an ng-eNB supporting an NG interface for communicating with the 5GC 160, or a gNB supporting an NR radio interface and an NG interface for communicating with the 5GC 160. The base station 106A may be an EUTRA-NR DC (EN-DC) gNB (en-gNB) with an S1 interface to the EPC 111, an en-gNB not connected to the EPC 111, a gNB supporting an NR radio interface and an NG interface to the 5GC 160, or an ng-eNB supporting an EUTRA radio interface and an NG interface to the 5GC 160. In order to exchange messages directly with each other during the scenarios discussed below, the base stations 104, 106A, and 106B may support an X2 or Xn interface.

[0052] Among other components, the EPC 111 may include a serving gateway (SGW) 112, a mobility management entity (MME) 114, and a packet data network gateway (PGW) 116. The SGW 112 is typically configured to deliver user plane packets associated with audio calls, video calls, Internet traffic, etc., and the MME 114 is configured to manage authentication, registration, paging, and other related functions. The PGW 116 provides connectivity from the UE to one or more external packet data networks (e.g., an Internet network and / or an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network). The 5GC 160 includes a user plane function (UPF) 162 and an access and mobility management (AMF) 164, and / or a session management function (SMF) 166. The UPF 162 is typically configured to deliver user plane packets associated with audio calls, video calls, Internet traffic, etc., the AMF 164 is configured to manage authentication, registration, paging, and other related functions, and the SMF 166 is configured to manage PDU sessions.

[0053] In general, the wireless communication network 100 may include any suitable number of base stations supporting NR cells and / or EUTRA cells. More specifically, the EPC 111 or the 5GC 160 may be connected to any suitable number of base stations supporting NR cells and / or EUTRA cells. Although the examples below specifically relate to specific CN types (EPC, 5GC) and RAT types (5G NR and EUTRA), in general, the techniques of the present disclosure may also be applicable to other suitable radio access technologies and / or core network technologies, such as, for example, sixth generation (6G) radio access and / or 6G core network or 5G NR-6G DC.

[0054] In different configurations or scenarios of the wireless communication system 100, the base station 104 may function as a MeNB, a Mng-eNB, or a MgNB, the base station 106B may function as a MeNB, a Mng-eNB, a MgNB, a SgNB, or a Sng-eNB, and the base station 106A may function as a SgNB or a Sng-eNB. The UE 102 may communicate with the base station 104 and the base stations 106A or 106B via the same radio access technology (RAT), such as EUTRA or NR, or via different RATs.

[0055] When the base station 104 is a MeNB and the base station 106A is an SgNB, the UE 102 may be in EN-DC with the MeNB 104 and the SgNB 106A. When the base station 104 is a Mng-eNB and the base station 106A is an SgNB, the UE 102 may be in Next Generation (NG) EUTRA-NR DC (NGEN-DC) with the Mng-eNB 104 and the SgNB 106A. When the base station 104 is a MgNB and the base station 106A is an SgNB, the UE 102 may be in NR-NR DC (NR-DC) with the MgNB 104 and the SgNB 106A. When the base station 104 is a MgNB and the base station 106A is an Sng-eNB, the UE 102 may be in NR-EUTRA DC (NE-DC) with the MgNB 104 and the Sng-eNB 106A.

[0056] Figure 1B An example distributed implementation of any one or more of the base stations 104, 106A, 106B is depicted. In this implementation, the base station 104, 106A, or 106B includes a central unit (CU) 172 and one or more distributed units (DUs) 174. The CU 172 includes processing hardware, such as one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions that can be executed on the general-purpose processors, and / or special-purpose processing units. For example, the CU 172 may include Figure 1A processing hardware 130 or 140.

[0057] Each of the DUs 174 also includes processing hardware, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions executable on the one or more general-purpose processors, and / or a dedicated processing unit. For example, the processing hardware may include: a media access control (MAC) controller configured to manage or control one or more MAC operations or processes (e.g., random access procedures); and a radio link control (RLC) controller configured to manage or control one or more RLC operations or processes when a base station (e.g., base station 106A) acts as a MN or SN. The processing hardware may also include a physical layer controller configured to manage or control one or more physical layer operations or processes.

[0058] In some implementations, the CU 172 may include a logical node CU-CP 172A that hosts a control plane portion of a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol of the CU 172 and / or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol of the CU 172. The CU 172 may also include a logical node CU-UP 172B that hosts a user plane portion of a PDCP protocol and / or a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) protocol of the CU 172. The CU-CP 172A may send UL switching control information.

[0059] CU-CP 172A may be connected to multiple CU-UPs 172B via an E1 interface. CU-CP 172A selects an appropriate CU-UP 172B for the requested service of UE 102. In some implementations, a single CU-UP 172B may be connected to multiple CU-CPs 172A via an E1 interface. CU-CP 172A may be connected to one or more DUs 174 via an F1-C interface. CU-UP 172B may be connected to one or more DUs 174 via an F1-U interface under the control of the same CU-CP 172A. In some implementations, one DU 174 may be connected to multiple CU-UPs 172B under the control of the same CU-CP 172A. In such implementations, the connection between CU-UP 172B and DU 174 is established by CU-CP 172A using a bearer context management function.

[0060] Figure 2 An example protocol stack 200 is shown in a simplified manner according to which a UE 102 may communicate with an eNB / ng-eNB or gNB (e.g., one or more of base stations 104, 106A, 106B).

[0061] In the example stack 200, the physical layer (PHY) 202A of EUTRA provides transport channels to the EUTRA MAC sublayer 204A, which in turn provides logical channels to the EUTRA RLC sublayer 206A. The EUTRA RLC sublayer 206A in turn provides RLC channels to the EUTRA PDCP sublayer 208 and, in some cases, to the NR PDCP sublayer 210. Similarly, the NRRPHY 202B provides transport channels to the NR MAC sublayer 204B, which in turn provides logical channels to the NR RLC sublayer 206B. The NR RLC sublayer 206B in turn provides RLC channels to the NR PDCP sublayer 210. In some implementations, the UE 102 supports the following: Figure 2Both the EUTRA and NR stacks shown are provided to support switching between EUTRA and NR base stations and / or to support DC via EUTRA and NR interfaces. Figure 2 As illustrated, the UE 102 may support layering of the NR PDCP 210 on the EUTRA RLC 206A and layering of the SDAP sublayer 212 on the NR PDCP sublayer 210.

[0062] The EUTRA PDCP sublayer 208 and the NR PDCP sublayer 210 receive packets, which may be referred to as service data units (SDUs) (e.g., from an Internet Protocol (IP) layer layered directly or indirectly on the PDCP layer 208 or 210), and output packets, which may be referred to as protocol data units (PDUs) (e.g., to the RLC layer 206A or 206B). Except for cases where the distinction between SDUs and PDUs is relevant, for simplicity, the present disclosure refers to both SDUs and PDUs as "packets." The packets may include application content for different services, such as IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, wireless software delivery, group communications, IoT applications, V2X applications, and / or emergency messages related to public safety.

[0063] On the control plane, the EUTRA PDCP sublayer 208 and the NR PDCP sublayer 210 may provide SRBs to exchange, for example, RRC messages or non-access stratum (NAS) messages. On the user plane, the EUTRA PDCP sublayer 208 and the NR PDCP sublayer 210 may provide DRBs to support data exchange. The data exchanged on the NR PDCP sublayer 210 may be SDAP PDUs, Internet Protocol (IP) packets, or Ethernet packets.

[0064] In a scenario where the UE 102 operates in EN-DC with the base station 104 acting as a MeNB and the base station 106A acting as an SgNB, the wireless communication system 100 can provide the UE 102 with a MN terminated bearer using the EUTRA PDCP sublayer 208, or a MN terminated bearer using the NR PDCP sublayer 210. In various scenarios, the wireless communication system 100 can also provide the UE 102 with an SN terminated bearer that uses only the NR PDCP sublayer 210. The MN terminated bearer can be an MCG bearer, a split bearer, or an MN terminated SCG bearer. The SN terminated bearer can be an SCG bearer, a split bearer, or an SN terminated MCG bearer. The MN terminated bearer can be an SRB (e.g., SRB1 or SRB2) or a DRB. The SN terminated bearer can be an SRB or a DRB.

[0065] To simplify the following description, UE 102 refers to UE 102A and UE 102B unless explicitly described otherwise.

[0066] Figure 3 An example scenario 300 is shown depicting a messaging process for UL switching, where the UE 102 is equipped with a first Tx and a second Tx. The process begins at event 302, where the base station 104 communicates with the UE 102 to request UE capabilities regarding UL switching. In response to event 302, the UE 102 sends 304 capabilities for UL Tx switching of multiple (e.g., 2, 3, and / or 4) frequency bands to the base station 104. In some implementations, the capabilities for UL Tx switching include UL switching related information, such as frequency band combinations, frequency band pair lists, MIMO capabilities per component carrier, supported UL switching options, switching cycles, etc. At event 305, the base station 104 receives 304 capabilities for UL Tx switching of multiple (e.g., 2, 3, and / or 4) frequency bands. Then, the base station 104 sends 312 a cell group configuration to the UE 102, wherein the cell group configuration includes a SpCell configuration (e.g., SpCellConfig), a SCell configuration (e.g., SCellConfig), and other parameters for enabling the UE 102 to transmit and / or receive signals from multiple cells. The base station 104 sends 314 a UL switching configuration to the UE 102, wherein the UL switching configuration includes a carrier index (e.g., uplinkTxSwitchingCarrier), a UL switching option, an ambiguous Tx state resolution indication (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState), and the like.

[0067] In a further implementation, the base station 104 then sends 322 the configured grant to the UE 102, scheduling one or more PUSCH transmissions, including scheduling 342 a third PUSCH transmission. The base station 104 sends 324 a first DCI to the UE 102, wherein the first DCI schedules 344 the first PUSCH transmission. In response to receiving 324 the first DCI, the UE 102 determines 334 a first Tx state for the first Tx and the second Tx and sends 344 the first PUSCH to the base station 104. The base station 104 then sends 326 a second DCI to the UE 102, wherein the second DCI schedules 326 a second PUSCH transmission 346. In response to the second DCI 326, the UE 102 determines 336 a second Tx state for the first Tx and the second Tx and sends 346 the second PUSCH transmission to the base station 104. If the UE 102 determines 336 that the second Tx state is different from the first Tx state, the UE performs a Tx switch. Then, based on the configured grant, the UE 102 determines 332 a third Tx state of the first Tx and the second Tx and sends 342 a third PUSCH transmission to the base station 104 .

[0068] Figure 4A An example scenario 400A similar to scenario 300 is shown. The differences between 400A and 300 are discussed below. At box 402, UE 102 communicates with MN 104 and SN 106 to request UE capabilities regarding UL switching. In response to event 402, UE 102 sends 404 to MN 104 a capability for UL Tx switching of multiple (e.g., 2, 3 and / or 4) frequency bands. At event 405, MN 104 receives 404 a capability for UL Tx switching of multiple (e.g., 2, 3 and / or 4) frequency bands. Then, MN 104 sends 406 an SN message to SN 106, which includes the capability for UL Tx switching of multiple (e.g., 2, 3 and / or 4) frequency bands. Based on the SN message, SN 106 sends 410A to UE 102 a cell group configuration including the UL switching configuration.

[0069] Figure 4B An example scenario 400A is shown that is similar to scenarios 300 and 400A. The differences between scenario 400B and scenarios 300 or 400A are discussed below. According to the SN message, SN 106 sends 410B a cell group configuration including a UL handover configuration to MN 104. Then, MN 104 sends 411B a cell group configuration including a UL handover configuration to UE 102.

[0070] Figure 5 A general method 500 is shown for a UE (such as UE 102) in an UL handover process, which method may be applied at least in part to Figure 3 Scene 300, Figure 4A Scenario 400A and / or Figure 4B Scenario 400B in FIG. 4. At box 512, UE 102 receives configuration 1, ..., N, including configuration parameters for cells 1, ..., N, respectively, where N is an integer greater than 1 (e.g., cell group configuration, event 312). At box 514, UE 102 receives (e.g., event 314) an UL switching configuration. At box 520, UE 102 receives an UL grant in a DCI and / or a configured grant (e.g., events 322, 324, and 326) from a base station (e.g., BS 104) to send a PUSCH. At box 530, UE 102 determines to send an UL transmission on one of cells 1, ..., N, and determines a Tx state for the UL transmission (e.g., events 332, 334, and 336). Finally, at box 550, UE 102 sends an UL transmission according to the Tx state (e.g., events 342, 344, and 346).

[0071] Figure 6 , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 8 , Fig.9A and Fig. 9B Describes the detailed process and variations of method 500 for enabling a UE to determine a Tx state. In general, Figures 5 to 9B Similar events in the same file are marked with similar reference numbers (for example, event 512 is similar to Figure 6 Event 612, Fig. 7A and Figure 7B 712, etc.), the differences will be discussed below where appropriate. In addition to the differences shown in the figures and discussed below, any of the alternative implementations discussed with respect to a particular event (e.g., for message delivery and processing) can be applied to events labeled with similar reference numbers in other figures. Further, it should be understood that Figures 6 to 9B Can depict Figure 5 An expanded view of the events in . For example, Figure 6 Block 630 (including blocks 632, 634, 636, and 637) may be described in detail. Figure 5 530, which is represented by a dotted line around the component event. Thus, it should be understood that the implementation of such an extended event may be applicable to Figure 5 and vice versa.

[0072] Figure 6 An example method 600 of a UE process is shown, which is similar to method 500, with differences as described below. At block 614, a UE (e.g., UE 102) receives an UL switching configuration (e.g., event 314, 514), including a serving cell index (e.g., uplinkTxSwitchingCarrier) for a non-unique UL switching scenario. At block 632, if the PUSCH transmission does not utilize a Tx state update, the process proceeds to block 640, where the UE 102 sends a PUSCH based on the Tx state. At block 632, if the PUSCH transmission can utilize a Tx state update, the process proceeds to block 634. At block 634, if the updated Tx state is unique, the process proceeds to block 636. At block 636, the UE updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell of the PUSCH transmission. At block 634, if the updated Tx state is not unique, the process proceeds to block 637. At block 637 , the UE updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell for PUSCH transmission and the serving cell index for non-scheduled Tx (from event 614 ). Flow then proceeds from blocks 636 and / or 637 to block 640 .

[0073] As an example of method 600 applicable to scenario 300, base station 104 sends 312 a cell group configuration to UE 102, including a first serving cell index, a second serving cell index, and a third serving cell index for a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell on a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band, respectively (e.g., event 512). Base station 104 sends 314 an UL switching configuration to UE 102 (e.g., event 614). UE 102 uses a first Tx and a second Tx for UL transmission (so the Tx state and antenna port assignment can be determined according to Table 2). Base station 104 sends 324 a first DCI to UE 102, wherein the first DCI schedules a 2-port PUSCH transmission (OP-2P-OP) on the second cell. At event 334, since scenario 5 (OT-2T-0T) is associated with antenna port assignment OP-2P-0P, UE 102 configures (e.g., event 636) the first Tx and the second Tx for the second cell. UE 102 sends 344 a first PUSCH transmission to base station 104 in Tx state (0T-2T-0T) in scenario 5. Then, base station 104 sends 326 a second DCI to UE 102, wherein the second DCI schedules a 1-port PUSCH transmission (1P-0P-0P) on the first cell. At event 336, UE 102 configures (e.g., event 636) a first Tx for the first cell and configures (e.g., event 637) a second Tx for the cell having the serving cell index indicated in the UL switching configuration. For example, if the serving cell index indicates the second cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the second cell, and the Tx state becomes scenario 1 (1T-1T-0T). Similarly, if the cell index indicates the first cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the first cell, and the Tx state becomes scenario 4 (2T-0T-0T). Finally, UE 102 sends 346 a second PUSCH in Tx state (2T-0T-0T) in scenario 4.

[0074] Fig. 7A An example method 700A of a UE process is shown, which is similar to methods 500 and 600, with differences as described below. At block 714A, a UE (e.g., UE 102) receives an UL switching configuration (e.g., event 314, 514), including 1, ..., N priority values ​​(e.g., uplinkSwitchingPrioirty for each serving cell) for 1, ..., N cells / bands, respectively. At block 737A, UE 102 updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell for PUSCH transmission and the UL Tx switching priority configured in the UL switching configuration.

[0075] As an example of method 700A applicable to scenario 300, base station 104 configures 312 a cell group configuration (e.g., event 512) for UE 102, the cell group configuration including a first cell, a second cell, and a third cell on a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band, respectively. Base station 104 sends 314 an UL switching configuration (e.g., event 714A) to UE 102, including a first priority, a second priority, and a third priority for the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell. UE 102 uses a first Tx and a second Tx for UL transmission (so the Tx state and antenna port assignment can be determined according to Table 2). Base station 104 sends 324 a first DCI to UE 102, wherein the first DCI schedules a 2-port PUSCH transmission (OP-2P-OP) on the second cell. At event 334, UE 102 configures a first antenna and a second antenna for the second cell (scenario 5, OT-2T-OT), because scenario 5 is associated with antenna port assignment OP-2P-OP. UE 102 sends 344 a first PUSCH transmission to base station 104 in Tx state (0T-2T-0T) in scenario 5. Then, base station 104 sends 326 a second DCI to UE 102, wherein the second DCI schedules a 1-port PUSCH transmission (1P-0P-0P) on the first cell. At event 336, UE 102 configures a first Tx for the first cell (e.g., event 636), and configures a second Tx for the cell with the highest priority value (e.g., event 737A). For example, if the cell with the highest priority value is the second cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the second cell, so the Tx state becomes scenario 1 (1T-1T-0T). Similarly, if the cell with the highest priority value is the first cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the first cell, so the Tx state becomes scenario 4 (2T-0T-0T). Then, UE 102 sends 346 a second PUSCH in Tx state (2T-0T-0T) in scenario 4.

[0076] Figure 7B An example method 700B of UE procedures is shown, which is similar to methods 500 and 600, with the differences described below.

[0077] At block 712B, the UE (e.g., UE 102) receives configurations 1, ..., N, including configuration parameters for cells 1, ..., N, respectively, and serving cell indexes 1, ..., N, where N is an integer greater than 1. At block 737B, the UE 102 updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell and serving cell index for the PUSCH transmission.

[0078] The example of applying method 700B to scenario 300 is similar to the example of applying method 700A to scenario 300, with the difference as described below. Base station 104 sends 312 a cell group configuration to UE 102, including serving cell indexes 1, ..., N for cells 1, ..., N, respectively. At event 336, the UE configures a first Tx for the first cell (e.g., event 636), and configures a second Tx for the cell with the smallest serving cell index (e.g., event 737B). For example, if the cell with the smallest serving cell index is the second cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the second cell, so the Tx state becomes scenario 1 (1T-1T-0T). Similarly, if the cell with the smallest serving cell index is the first cell, UE 102 configures the second Tx for the first cell, so the Tx state becomes scenario 4 (2T-0T-0T). Then, UE 102 sends 346 a second PUSCH in the Tx state (2T-0T-0T) in scenario 4.

[0079] Figure 8 An example method 800 of a UE process is shown, which is similar to methods 500 and 600, with differences as described below. At block 814, a UE (e.g., UE 102) receives an UL switching configuration (e.g., event 314, 514), including a Tx state indication for each of the non-unique UL switching scenarios. At block 837, UE 102 updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell for PUSCH transmission and the Tx state indication for the non-unique UL switching scenario.

[0080] In some implementations of method 800, a base station (e.g., BS104) indicates a Tx state to each antenna port assignment associated with a non-unique UL switching scenario. For example, base station 104 configures UE 102 to perform UL switching on cells of 3 frequency bands. In some implementations, the base station indicates the Tx state and antenna port assignment, as shown in Table 4. As shown in Table 4, antenna port assignment 1P-0P-0P is associated with Tx state scenario 3 (1T-0T-1T). If UE 102 is to send a 1-port PUSCH transmission (1P-0P-0P) on the first cell, and UE 102 is to update the Tx state of the transmission, UE 102 configures the first Tx for the first cell and the second Tx (scenario 3 1T-0T-0T) for the third cell, regardless of the current Tx state. Similarly, as also shown in Table 4, antenna port assignment 0P-1P-0P is associated with Tx state scenario 1 (1T-1T-0T). If UE 102 is to send a 1-port PUSCH transmission (0P-1P-0P) on the second cell and UE 102 is to update the Tx state of the transmission, UE 102 configures a first Tx for the first cell and a second Tx for the second cell (scenario 1 1T-1T-0T) regardless of the current Tx state.

[0081] In some implementations, at block 814, the base station 103 indicates a Tx state to the antenna port assignment associated with the non-unique UL switching scenario, and the current Tx state of the UE 102. Table 5 shows this association, where the antenna port assignment can be associated with the same or different Tx state of the current Tx state in the UE 102. For example, in one scenario, the UE 102 is to transmit a 1-port PUSCH (1P-0P-0P) on the first cell, and the Tx state of the transmission is to be updated. If the current Tx state of the UE 102 is in scenario 2 (0T-1T-1T), the UE 102 configures (as shown in the first column of Table 5) the first Tx and the second Tx for the first cell and the third cell, respectively (scenario 3, 1T-0T-1T). Similarly, if the current Tx state of UE 102 is in scenario 6 (0T-0T-2T), UE 102 configures the first Tx and the second Tx for the first cell and the second cell respectively (as shown in the third column of Table 5) (scenario 1, 1T-1T-0T).

[0082] In some implementations, the base station 104 configures the UE 102 with a first Tx state indication and a second Tx state indication associated with Table 4 and Table 5, respectively. If the UE 102 is to update the Tx state of the non-unique UL switching scenario, the UE checks whether the second Tx state indication (Table 5) is applicable. If the second Tx state indication (Table 5) is not applicable, the UE updates the Tx state according to the first Tx state indication (Table 4). Otherwise, the UE updates the Tx state according to the second Tx state indication (Table 5).

[0083] As an example RRC signaling of Table 4, a first antenna port assignment table associated with a non-unique UL switching scenario is provided (e.g., 1P-0P-0P, 0P-1P-0P, and 0P-0P-1P). In some implementations, a second table of all Tx states (e.g., 1T-1T-0T, 0T-1T-1T, 1T-0T-1T, 2T-0T-0T, 0T-2T-0T, and 0T-0T-2T) is also used. Then, the base station 104 configures the integer list for the UE 102. In some implementations, the first integer indicates the Tx state of the first non-unique UL switching scenario in the first table (e.g., 1P-0P-0P), and the value of the first integer indicates the Tx state in the second table (e.g., for Tx state 1T-1T-0T, the value is 1). Likewise, the second integer indicates a Tx state (e.g., 1P-0P-0P) of a second non-unique UL switching scenario in the first table, and the value of the second integer indicates another Tx state in the second table. Likewise, in some implementations, Table 5 is similarly implemented using the first table that includes the current Tx state and antenna port assignments for the non-unique UL switching scenario.

[0084] As another example RRC signaling of Table 4, the base station associates a non-unique switching scenario with a Tx state by using RRC parameter naming. For example, the base station configures the parameter nonUniqueSwitchingCase1P-0P-0P to have a value selected from ENUMERATED{1T-1T-0T, 0T-1T-1T, 1T-0T-1T, 2T-0T-0T, 0T-2T-0T, 0T-0T-2T}. Then, if the UE 102 is to update the Tx state of the 1P-0P-0P UL transmission, and the value of nonUniqueSwitchingCase1P-0P-0P is 1T-1T-0T, the UE 102 switches the Tx state to 1T-1T-0T for transmission. Similarly, in some implementations, the base station 104 configures the parameters nonUniqueSwitchingCase0P-1P-0P and nonUniqueSwitchingCase0P-0P-1P using the same method.

[0085] Fig.9A An example method 900A of a UE process is shown, which is similar to methods 500 and 600, with differences as described below. At block 914, a UE (e.g., UE 102) receives an UL handover configuration (e.g., event 314, 514), which enables a field of a DCI format to indicate a cell / band for an unassigned Tx in an UL handover. At block 924, UE 102 receives a DCI that schedules a PUSCH transmission and includes a cell / band indicator for an unassigned Tx in an UL handover. At block 937A, UE 102 updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell for the PUSCH transmission and the cell / band indicator for an unassigned Tx in the scheduling DCI.

[0086] In some implementations, if the UE 102 is to send a PUSCH without a Tx status update, the UE 102 ignores the cell / band indicator for the unassigned Tx in the scheduling DCI.

[0087] As an example where method 900A is applicable to scenario 300, base station 104 sends 314 UL handover configuration to UE 102 to enable the cell / band indicator field in the DCI. Then, base station 104 sends 326 a second DCI to UE 102, scheduling 346 a second PUSCH transmission. When UE 102 is to send 346 a second PUSCH to base station 104 and uses a Tx state update to send the second PUSCH, UE 102 determines the Tx state according to the cell / band indicator of the unassigned Tx in the second DCI (e.g., events 334 and 937A).

[0088] Fig. 9B An example method 900B of a UE process is shown, which is similar to methods 500, 600, and 900A, with differences as described below. At block 922B, the UE (e.g., UE 102) receives a configured grant (e.g., event 322, 522) to transmit a PUSCH (e.g., transmit 342 a third PUSCH). At block 935B, if the PUSCH is scheduled by the DCI, the process proceeds to block 937A. At block 935B, if the PUSCH is not scheduled by the DCI, the process proceeds to block 937B. At block 937B, the UE 102 updates the Tx state based on the scheduled cell of the PUSCH transmission and the cell / band indicator of the unassigned Tx in the UL in the last scheduled DCI.

[0089] The example of applying method 900B to scenario 300 is similar to the example of method 900A applicable to scenario 300, with the following differences. UE 102 receives 322 a configured grant 342 from base station 104, scheduling a third PUSCH transmission. In some implementations, if UE 102 is to send 342 a third PUSCH to base station 104 and utilizes a Tx state update, UE 102 determines the Tx state based on the cell / band indicator of the unassigned Tx in 326 the second DCI (the last scheduled DCI before block 342) (e.g., events 332 and 937B).

[0090] The disclosed method may also be applicable to other UL channels, such as PUCCH transmissions triggered by dynamically or semi-persistently scheduled downlink transmissions (e.g., HARQ feedback, scheduling requests), or RRC configured UL transmissions (e.g., channel state information reports).

[0091] In some implementations, the serving cell index, cell index, carrier index, cell / frequency band indication, and Tx state indication in methods 600, 700B, 800, 900A, and 900B refer to the carrier index (e.g., uplinkTxSwitchingCarrier, whose value is ENUMERATED {carrier 1, carrier 2, carrier 3}) configured in the UL switching configuration (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching) in each serving cell configuration (e.g., ServingCellConfig). If the frequency ranges of multiple cells are in the same frequency band and can be operated by a single Tx in the UE, the base station configures the same carrier index to these cells for the UE.

[0092] In some other implementations, the serving cell index, cell index, carrier index, cell / band indication, and Tx status indication in methods 600, 700B, 800, 900A, and 900B refer to the cell index (e.g., secondary cell index, SCellIndex) configured in the cell group configuration (e.g., CellGroupConfig) for cross-carrier scheduling. In some implementations, for the primary cell (PCell or a special cell in a cell group), the cell index is 0, a default value specified in the 3GPP standard, or a cell index configured by the base station (e.g., PCellIndex).

[0093] Fig. 10A , Fig. 10B and Fig. 10CMethods for applying a single or multiple techniques from methods 600, 700A, 700B, 800, 900A, 900B and conventional Tx state configurations (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState) when determining Tx states are shown. The differences between the following methods and the other methods described above are described in more detail below. Similar to Figures 6 to 9B , Figure 10 to Fig. 10C in Figures 5 to 9B Similar events are marked with similar reference numbers (for example, event 512 is similar to FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C 1012, etc.), the differences will be discussed below where appropriate. In addition to the differences shown in the figures and discussed below, any of the alternative implementations discussed with respect to a particular event (e.g., for message delivery and processing) can be applied to events marked with similar reference numbers in other figures.

[0094] Fig. 10A An example method 1000A is shown that is similar to method 500, with differences as described below, addressing the behavior of the UE in communication with the RAN. In some implementations, the Tx state determination process is based on a single UL switch Tx state configuration. At block 1014A, the UE receives a single UL switch Tx state configuration (e.g., 514, 614, 714A, 814, 914A, 914B) from the RAN. At block 1035A, the UE 102 updates the Tx state according to the single UL switch Tx state configuration.

[0095] Fig. 10B An example method 1000B is shown that is similar to methods 500 and 1000A, with the differences described below. At block 1014B, the UE receives a first UL switching Tx state configuration and a second UL switching Tx state configuration (e.g., 514, 614, 714A, 814, 914A, 914B) from the RAN. At block 1035B, the UE 102 updates the Tx state according to the first UL switching Tx state configuration and the second UL switching Tx state configuration.

[0096] In some examples, the base station 104 configures the method 900A / 900B using techniques from the method 600 / 700A / 700B / 800. For PUSCH scheduled by the DCI format, the UE 102 applies the method 900A / 900B to update the Tx state. Otherwise, the UE 102 applies the techniques according to the method 600 / 700A / 700B / 800 to update the Tx state.

[0097] In some other examples, the base station 104 configures (e.g., in events 312, 314) a first UL switching Tx state configuration (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState) and a second UL switching Tx state configuration (e.g., events 510, 614, 714A, 712B, 814, 914A) for the UE 102. In some implementations, if the value of uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState is twoT, the UE 102 applies the first UL switching Tx state configuration to update the Tx state when encountering a non-unique UL switching scenario. In a further implementation, if the value of uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState is oneT, the UE applies the second UL switching Tx state configuration to update the Tx state when encountering a non-unique UL switching scenario.

[0098] Fig. 10C An example method 1000C similar to methods 1000A and 1000B is shown. When a non-unique UL switching scenario occurs, the UE (e.g., UE 102) applies blocks 1050A and 1050B to determine the Tx state for UL switching. At block 1031C, if the determined Tx state is the same as the current Tx state, the process proceeds to block 1043C. At block 1043C, the UE 102 sends an UL transmission according to the current transmission configuration. At block 1031C, if the determined Tx state is different from the current Tx state, the process proceeds to block 1037C. At block 1037C, the UE 102 updates the current transmission configuration to a new transmission configuration according to the determined Tx state. At block 1041C, the UE 102 sends an UL transmission according to the updated transmission configuration.

[0099] Fig.11A , Fig. 11B , Fig. 11C , Fig.11D , Fig.11E , Fig.11F , Fig.11G The base station process of configuring UL switching Tx station configuration and / or indicating the cell / band of non-scheduled Tx to the UE is shown. Figures 6 to 10C , FIG. 11A to FIG. 11G in Figures 5 to 10C Similar events are marked with similar reference numbers (for example, event 512 is similar to FIG. 11A to FIG. 11G 1112, etc.), the differences will be discussed below where appropriate. In addition to the differences shown in the figures and discussed below, any of the alternative implementations discussed with respect to a particular event (e.g., for message delivery and processing) can be applied to events marked with similar reference numbers in other figures.

[0100] Fig.11A An example method 1100A is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 600. The process begins at box 1112, where the base station 104 sends configurations 1, ..., N to the UE 102, including configuration parameters for cells 1, ..., N, respectively, where N is an integer greater than 1 (e.g., event 512). At box 1114A, the base station 104 sends a cell / band indication for a UL switching Tx state for non-scheduled Tx to the UE 102 (e.g., event 614). At box 1121, the base station 104 sends a DL transmission to the UE 102 on cells 1, ..., N according to the configurations 1, ..., N (e.g., event 520). At box 1123A, the base station determines a Tx state based on the cell / band indication for the UL switching Tx state for non-scheduled Tx. At box 1120, the base station 104 schedules the UE 102 to send an UL transmission on one of the cells 1, ..., N based on the Tx state. At block 1140, the base station receives a UL transmission from the UE (eg, event 540).

[0101] Fig. 11B An example method 1100B is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 700A. Method 1100B is similar to method 1100A, with the differences described below. At block 1114B, base station 104 sends UL Tx switching priorities 1, ..., N for cells 1, ..., N, respectively, to UE 102 (e.g., event 714A). In block 1123B, base station 104 determines the Tx state based on the UL Tx switching priorities 1, ..., N associated with cells 1, ..., N, respectively.

[0102] Fig. 11C An example method 1100C is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 700B. Method 1100C is similar to method 1100A, with differences as described below. At block 1112C, base station 104 sends configurations 1, ..., N to UE 102, including configuration parameters for cells 1, ..., N, respectively, and serving cell indices 1, ..., N, where N is an integer greater than 1 (e.g., 712B). At block 1114, base station 104 sends a UL handover configuration to UE 102 (e.g., event 514). At block 1123C, base station 104 determines Tx states based on serving cell indices 1, ..., N, where serving cell indices 1, ..., N are associated with cells 1, ..., N, respectively.

[0103] Fig.11DAn example method 1100D is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 800. Method 1100D is similar to method 1100A, with the differences described below. At block 1114D, the base station 104 sends the UL switching Tx state configuration for each non-unique UL switching scenario to the UE 102. At block 1123D, the base station 104 determines the Tx state based on the UL switching Tx state configuration for each non-unique UL switching scenario.

[0104] Fig.11E An example method 1100E is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of methods 900A and 900B. Method 1100E is similar to method 1100A, with differences as described below. At block 1114E, the base station 104 sends a UL switching configuration to the UE 102 with a field of the DCI format enabled, which indicates the Tx state of the non-scheduled Tx (e.g., the serving cell index). At block 1123E, the base station 104 determines the Tx state based on the upcoming transmission in the serving cell index 1, ..., N. At block 1120E, the base station 104 schedules the UE 102 to send an UL transmission on one of cells 1, ..., N, and indicates the Tx state of the non-scheduled Tx in the scheduled DCI (e.g., the serving cell index).

[0105] Fig.11F An example method 1100F is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 1000A. Method 1100F is similar to method 1100A, with the differences described below. At block 1114F, the base station 104 sends a single UL switching Tx state configuration to the UE 102. At block 1123F, the base station 104 determines the Tx state according to the single UL switching Tx state configuration.

[0106] Fig.11G An example method 1100G is shown, reflecting a base station perspective similar to the UE perspective of method 1000B. Method 1100G is similar to method 1100A, with differences as described below. At block 1114G, the base station 104 sends a first UL switching Tx state configuration (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState) and a second UL switching Tx state configuration to the UE 102. At block 1123G, the base station 104 determines a Tx state based on the first UL switching Tx state configuration (e.g., uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState) and the second UL switching Tx state configuration.

[0107] In some implementations, the base station 104 proceeds from block 1121 to block 1120 (e.g., skipping events 1123A, 1123B, 1123C, 1123D, 1123E, 1123F, 1123G).

[0108] The following additional considerations apply to the preceding discussion.

[0109] In some implementations, "message" is used and "information element (IE)" may be used instead of "message". In some implementations, "IE" is used and "field" may be used instead of "IE". In some implementations, "configuration" may be replaced by "configurations" or configuration parameters.

[0110] The user device (e.g., UE 102) in which the technology of the present disclosure can be implemented can be any suitable device capable of wireless communication, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a mobile game console, a point of sale (POS) terminal, a health monitoring device, a drone, a camera, a media streaming dongle or another personal media device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, a wireless hotspot, a femtocell or a broadband router. Further, in some cases, the user device can be embedded in an electronic system, such as a head unit (headunit) or an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) of a vehicle. Further, the user device can act as an Internet of Things (IoT) device or a mobile Internet device (MID). Depending on the type, the user device may include one or more general-purpose processors, a computer-readable memory, a user interface, one or more network interfaces, one or more sensors, etc.

[0111] Certain embodiments are described in the present disclosure as including logic or multiple components or modules. A module may be a software module (e.g., a code or machine-readable instruction stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium) or a hardware module. A hardware module is a tangible unit that is capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a particular manner. A hardware module may include dedicated circuits or logic that are permanently configured (e.g., as a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP)) to perform certain operations. A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuits (e.g., contained within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that are temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. The decision to implement a hardware module with a dedicated and permanently configured circuit or with a temporarily configured circuit (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

[0112] When implemented in software, the techniques may be provided as part of an operating system, as a library used by multiple applications, as a specific software application, etc. The software may be executed by one or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purpose processors.

[0113] After reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate additional and alternative structural and functional designs for managing radio bearers through the principles disclosed herein. Therefore, although specific embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and variations that will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art may be made to the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method in a user equipment (UE) equipped with a first transmitter and a second transmitter, the method comprising: sending a first uplink transmission using the first transmitter switched to a first frequency band and using the second transmitter switched to a second frequency band; as well as receiving, using the first transmitter, an uplink switching configuration for a second uplink transmission from a radio access network RAN, the uplink switching configuration comprising: (i) a first parameter indicating whether to switch the second transmitter out of the second frequency band; and (ii) a second parameter indicating to which frequency band the UE is to switch the second transmitter; The second uplink transmission is sent according to the uplink switching configuration. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first parameter is a binary parameter. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first parameter is uplinkTxSwitching-DualUL-TxState.

4. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second parameter indicates a transmission Tx state, wherein each of the first transmitter and the second transmitter is explicitly mapped to a respective frequency band in a set of frequency bands. The method of claim 4 , wherein the set of frequency bands comprises exactly three frequency bands. The method of claim 4 , wherein the set of frequency bands comprises exactly four frequency bands.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second parameter indicates a cell associated with the respective frequency band.

8. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first uplink transmission and the second uplink transmission are Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmissions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the uplink switching configuration is received in downlink control information (DCI) scheduling the PUSCH transmission.

10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: The first transmitter is switched to a third frequency band for the second uplink transmission.

11. A user equipment (UE), comprising one or more processors and configured to execute the method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

12. A method in a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method comprising: receiving a first uplink transmission on a first frequency band and a second frequency band from a user equipment UE equipped with a first transmitter and a second transmitter; as well as sending an uplink switching configuration for a second uplink transmission on a third frequency band to the UE, the uplink switching configuration comprising: (i) a first parameter, the first parameter being used to indicate whether to switch the second transmitter out of the second frequency band; and (ii) a second parameter indicating to which frequency band the UE is to switch the second transmitter.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first uplink transmission and the second uplink transmission are Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmissions.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the uplink switching configuration is sent in downlink control information (DCI) that schedules the PUSCH transmission.

15. A Radio Access Network, RAN, node comprising one or more processors and configured to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 14.

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