Method for solving in-device coexistence problem of IMD generation

Abstract

An apparatus may be configured to: detect an in-band interferer; determining detected in-band interference caused by intermodulation distortion; determining at least one disturbed frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and transmitting an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network. An apparatus may be configured to: configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interference source frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving, from the user equipment, an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; determining a decision as to whether the network triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending a message to the user equipment based at least in part on the decision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Examples and non - limiting embodiments generally relate to radio frequency interference, and more particularly, to co - existence issues within a device(s). Background Art

[0002] In radio frequency performance enhancement, it is known to measure and detect unwanted in - band signals as well as desired received signals. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The following summary of the invention is for illustrative purposes only. The summary of the invention is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] According to one aspect, a device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform the following: detect in - band interference; determine that inter - modulation distortion causes the detected in - band interference; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion; and send an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion to a network.

[0005] According to one aspect, a method includes: detecting in - band interference using a user equipment; determining that inter - modulation distortion causes the detected in - band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion to a network.

[0006] According to one aspect, a device includes components for performing the following: detecting in - band interference; determining that inter - modulation distortion causes the detected in - band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion to a network.

[0007] According to one aspect, a non - transitory computer - readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: detecting in - band interference; determining that inter - modulation distortion causes the detected in - band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the inter - modulation distortion to a network.

[0008] According to one aspect, a device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform the following: configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by inter - modulation distortion; receive an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by inter - modulation distortion from the user equipment; determine a decision as to whether a network - triggered solution will solve the inter - modulation distortion for the user equipment; and send a message to the user equipment that is at least partially based on the decision.

[0009] According to one aspect, a method includes: configuring a user equipment via a network to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving from the user equipment the indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision as to whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending to the user equipment a message based at least in part on the decision.

[0010] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for performing: configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving from the user equipment the indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision as to whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending to the user equipment a message based at least in part on the decision.

[0011] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing: causing to configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; causing to receive from the user equipment the indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision as to whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and causing to send to the user equipment a message based at least in part on the decision.

[0012] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In conjunction with the drawings, the above aspects and other features are explained in the following description, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example system in which example embodiments may be practiced;

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram showing features as described herein;

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram showing features as described herein;

[0017] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing steps as described herein;

[0018] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing steps as described herein;

[0019] Figure 6 is a diagram showing features as described herein;

[0020] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the features described herein;

[0021] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the features described herein;

[0022] Figure 9 is a diagram showing the features described herein;

[0023] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the steps described herein; and

[0024] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the steps described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following abbreviations that may appear in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0026] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0027] 5G Fifth Generation

[0028] 5GC 5G Core Network

[0029] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0030] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0031] cRAN Cloud Radio Access Network

[0032] CU Central Unit

[0033] dB Decibel

[0034] dBm Decibel-milliwatt

[0035] DU Distributed Unit

[0036] eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station)

[0037] EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity

[0038] en-gNB or En-gNB A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and acts as a secondary node in EN-DC

[0039] E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, i.e., LTE radio access technology

[0040] gNB (or gNodeB) A base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface

[0041] HW Hardware

[0042] IDC In-device Coexistence

[0043] I / F Interface

[0044] IF Intermediate Frequency

[0045] IIP3 Third-order Input Intercept Point

[0046] IMD Intermodulation Distortion

[0047] ISM Band Industrial, Scientific and Medical Band

[0048] L1 Layer 1

[0049] LNA Low Noise Amplifier

[0050] LTE Long-Term Evolution

[0051] MAC Media Access Control

[0052] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0053] NF Noise Figure

[0054] ng or NG Next Generation

[0055] ng-eNB or NG-eNB Next Generation eNB

[0056] NR New Radio

[0057] N / W or NW Network

[0058] OIP3 Third-order Output Intercept Point

[0059] OoB Out-of-Band

[0060] O-RAN Open Radio Access Network

[0061] PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0062] PHY Physical Layer

[0063] RAN Radio Access Network

[0064] RF Radio Frequency

[0065] RLC Radio Link Control

[0066] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0067] RRH Remote Radio Head

[0068] RS Reference Signal

[0069] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0070] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0071] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0072] RU Radio Unit

[0073] Rx Receiver

[0074] SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol

[0075] SGW Serving Gateway

[0076] SIC Self-Interference Cancellation

[0077] SINR Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio

[0078] SMF Session Management Function

[0079] Tx Transmitter

[0080] UE User Equipment (e.g., wireless, typically mobile device)

[0081] UPF User Plane Function

[0082] VNR Virtualized Network Function

[0083] Go to Figure 1 , which shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which an example can be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and one or more network elements 190 are shown. In Figure 1In the example, user equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicates with a wireless network 100. The UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected by one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 can be address, data, or control buses and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers, or other optical communication devices. "Circuitry" can include dedicated hardware or hardware associated with software executable thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140, which includes one or both of parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, and the module 140 can be implemented in a variety of ways. The module 140 can be implemented as the module 140-1 in hardware, such as being part of one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware (such as a programmable gate array). In another example, the module 140 can be implemented as the module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 can be configured to cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more operations described herein together with one or more processors 120. The UE 110 communicates with a RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0084] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access to the wireless network 100 by wireless devices such as UE 110. The RAN node 170 can be, for example, a base station for 5G (also known as New Radio (NR)). In 5G, the RAN node 170 can be an NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or an ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC (such as, for example, (one or more) network elements 190) via the NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface. The NG-RAN node can include multiple gNBs, which can also include a Central Unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and (one or more) Distributed Units (DU) (gNB-DU), where the DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU can include or be coupled to and control a Radio Unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB and controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also shows the link between the remote element and the centralized element of the RAN node 170, such as the link between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB and is operated partially under the control of the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface 198 connected to the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, for example, as part of the RU, but some examples of this case can have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, for example, under the control of the DU 195 and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 can also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node.

[0085] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected by one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the (multiple) processors 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also contain its own one or more memories and (multiple) processors and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0086] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, and the module 150 includes one or both of parts 150-1 and / or 150-2. The module 150 can be implemented in a variety of ways. The module 150 can be implemented in hardware as the module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware (such as a programmable gate array). In another example, the module 150 can be implemented as the module 150-2, and the module 150-2 is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more operations as described herein together with one or more processors 152. Note that the functions of the module 150 can be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or being implemented only in the DU 195.

[0087] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate via a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 can communicate using, for example, the link 176. The link 176 can be wired or wireless or both, and can implement, for example, the Xn interface for 5G, the X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0088] One or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers or other optical communication devices, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, where other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located at a different location from the RRH / DU, and one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented as, for example, an optical fiber cable or other suitable network connection to connect other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those suitable (multiple) network links.

[0089] It should be noted that the description herein indicates that a "cell" performs functions, but it should be clear that the devices forming the cell will perform these functions. A cell forms part of a base station. That is, each base station may have multiple cells. For example, for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, there may be three cells, each cell covering one-third of a 360-degree area, resulting in the coverage area of a single base station covering an approximately elliptical or circular shape. In addition, each cell may correspond to a single carrier, and a base station may use multiple carriers. Thus, if there are three 120-degree cells per carrier and there are two carriers, the base station has a total of six cells.

[0090] The wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functions and provide connectivity to other networks (such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet)) via one or more links 181. Such core network functions for 5G may include one or more Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) and / or User Plane Functions (UPFs) and / or one or more Session Management Functions (SMFs). Such core network functions for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely illustrative functions that may be supported by the one or more network elements 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via the link 131. The link 131 may be implemented as, for example, the NG interface for 5G, or the S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / Fs) 180, which are interconnected by one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations in conjunction with the one or more processors 175.

[0091] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources with network functions into a single software-based management entity (virtual network). Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, typically combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is classified into external virtualization and internal virtualization. External virtualization combines many networks or parts of networks into virtual units, and internal virtualization provides network-like functions for software containers on a single system. For example, the network may be deployed in a telecom cloud, and virtualized network functions (VNFs) run on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or one or more radio access networks (such as CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) may be virtualized. Note that the virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization still use hardware (such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171) to some extent for implementation, and such virtualized entities also produce technical effects.

[0092] It may also be noted that the operations of the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by multiple cooperating devices (such as cRAN).

[0093] The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 can be components for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The processors 120, 152, and 175 can be components for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, the RAN node 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0094] Generally, various embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, cellular phones such as smart phones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with wireless communication capabilities, portable computers with wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices (such as digital cameras) with wireless communication capabilities, game devices with wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback devices with wireless communication capabilities, Internet devices that allow wireless Internet access and browsing, tablet computers with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals that combine combinations of these functions.

[0095] A suitable but non-limiting technical context for the practice of the example embodiments of the present disclosure is hereby introduced, and the example embodiments will now be described more specifically.

[0096] The features described herein are generally related to the detection and correction of receiver interference. According to 3GPP regulations, the radio frequency (RF) performance of a UE is related to its robustness against interference (such as interference generated due to intermodulation), and is tested under the condition of an unwanted signal level of -46 dBm, while the wanted signal level for some frequency bands is set to approximately -91 dBm. Therefore, if the adjacent signal power is within a few dB above -46 dBm, traditional devices may not work properly. Other 3GPP requirements seem to imply that linearity can be expected in the presence of a signal level of -25 dBm at the receiver; however, if the nature of such a signal may cause third-order intermodulation products, the expected sensitivity degradation may be high, for example, exceeding 60 dB.

[0097] In the present disclosure, the terms "desired signal", "desired received signal", "used channel", "desired spectrum", "expected spectrum", "expected frequency", and "desired frequency band" are used to refer to the frequency band and / or time and / or frequency resources that the UE is configured to receive. In the present disclosure, these terms may be used interchangeably.

[0098] In the present disclosure, the terms "undesired signal", "adjacent signal", "interfering source signal", "adjacent spectrum", "adjacent frequency", "interference frequency", "out-of-band spectrum", and "interfering source" are used to refer to signals, frequency bands, and / or time and / or frequency resources that are outside the desired signal spectrum and have an impact on the reception of the UE. These terms may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.

[0099] In the present disclosure, the terms "interference", "noise", and "distortion" are used to refer to the impact of undesired signals on desired signals. These terms may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.

[0100] In the present disclosure, the term "in-band signal" may refer to any signal located within the desired received signal frequency band, including the desired signal(s) and interference and / or noise (which may be received by the antenna or generated as intermodulation products).

[0101] Radio frequency components such as mixers and amplifiers typically have a third-order input intercept point (IIP3) that is much higher than the compression point. This is reflected in the 3GPP test cases: the maximum desired input level for testing the receiver linearity of the UE is approximately -25 dBm, and the undesired signal level during the intermodulation test is -46 dBm, while in one case, the input level is very low: -91 dBm. Now refer to Figure 2 , which shows an example of IIP3 and the 1 dB compression point.

[0102] The linear response (210) may increase with a slope of 1 until approximately IP 1dB (230) and OP 1dB (220). The cubic response (250) may increase with a slope of 3 until approximately IIP 3 (270) and OIP 3 . The slopes of the linear response (210) and the cubic response (250) may intersect at the intercept point IP 3 (240). Compression (280) between the linear response (210) and the cubic response (250) may occur between IP 1dB (230) and IIP 3 (270) and may be 1 dB of compression.

[0103] In RF front-end hardware design, trade-offs between parameters such as linearity, gain, noise figure, and power consumption result in the fact that these requirements can only be achieved with relatively small margins.

[0104] The baseband receive circuitry of the UE only measures and detects in-band signals. Therefore, it is not possible to determine whether the received in-band noise and distortion are caused by: higher-order intermodulation products caused by strong RF signals in adjacent spectra; in-band noise from co-channel and / or adjacent systems; and / or adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) contributions from transmitters using adjacent spectra. In such cases, linear reception may not be possible, and the baseband circuitry and RF drivers may not be able to determine whether the RF front-end circuitry is being driven into compression causing gain and noise figure compression, or whether the problem is caused by strong RF signals in adjacent spectra causing intermodulation distortion (IMD) products that directly fold into the desired frequency band.

[0105] In-device coexistence (IDC) requirements mean that we need to handle interference between -10 dBm and +10 dBm, assuming 15 to 25 dB of antenna isolation, which in turn means that IMD products caused by such strong interference may cause more than 80 dB of sensitivity degradation (i.e., reduced antenna / receiver sensitivity due to noise, intermodulation products, gain compression, or noise figure compression). Currently, there is no obvious way to determine whether such noise or distortion is caused only by in-band noise or by intermodulation products caused by strong RF power in adjacent spectra.

[0106] Analog tuning and RF isolation methods can be used to handle RF isolation; however, there is currently no intelligent metric for tuning. Tuning an adaptive antenna system or an analog tunable self-interference cancellation (SIC) HW requires accurate knowledge of the root cause of the interference causing the problem.

[0107] In one exemplary embodiment, changes in the HW can be implemented / configured. The technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be to allow discrimination between noise generated by the receiver itself and out-of-band (OoB) intrusion sources that may generate unwanted signals in the receive band as a result of intermodulation products.

[0108] By adding an attenuator or an RF coupler in front of the normal receive chain, a wideband receiver with high linearity can be implemented and used in parallel with the normal receiver. Since the intermodulation requirement [3GPP TS 38.101-1 V17.6.0 (2022-06)] is measured using an interfering signal with a power level of -46 dBm, only signals higher than approximately -50 dBm (e.g., the IMD threshold) need to be detected, and sufficient suppression should naturally occur for potential interfering source signals that cause intermodulation below approximately -46 dBm. Therefore, since only signals higher than -46 dBm need to be detected, 30 to 40 dB of attenuation can be easily added in hardware and switched in some way. Therefore, a relatively high noise figure can be tolerated for such an auxiliary receive path. This can be implemented as an auxiliary RF path connected to a coupler placed directly at the antenna port. The RF coupler can be connected directly to the antenna port or to the input of the LNA. The same antenna can be connected to the two receivers because spatial tuning components can be used to suppress the interference generated by IMD.

[0109] This can enable the system to accurately distinguish the co-channel noise generated by the LNA itself, the noise from other systems, or the adjacent-channel noise from nearby interfering sources. In this way, the out-of-band spectrum that causes noise can be measured simultaneously with the in-channel signal being detected or measured. In this way, the root cause of the co-channel interference can be determined, and then the system can be enabled to select the best and / or optimal method to suppress the interference. Intermodulation can be tested using a desired signal level that is 6 to 9 dB higher than the REF SENSE requirement; therefore, in the case where good intermodulation performance is desired near the typical sensitivity threshold, potential strong IMD interfering sources can be measured below -46 dBm (the IMD threshold).

[0110] Now referring to Figure 3 , a non-limiting example is shown of a wideband linear auxiliary receive circuit system (310) connected to a normal receive chain (305) that can be used in parallel. If the desired signal W (315) is superimposed with noise and interference, it may not be detected by the baseband. Depending on the specific HW implementation and system requirements, the two receivers (305, 310) can be turned on simultaneously or sequentially. The reference signal received signal power level (RSRP) and signal quality (RSRQ) can be determined at the desired / determined channel by measuring the reference signal. Additionally, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) can be measured as the total received signal level corresponding to all signals in the desired spectrum, including the influence of adjacent frequencies detected in the spectrum, which may cause intermodulation by using linear receivers (e.g., 345, 350).

[0111] A table can be formed and continuously updated with the following: RSRP, RSRQ, and / or RSSI for a desired channel, and interference level and frequency, all as a function of spatial settings or any other cancellation settings, adaptive filters, filter banks, and / or other linearization methods.

[0112] In Figure 3 the schematic diagram of, a wideband linear assist receiver circuit (310) is shown together with a conventional receiver (305). The coupler (320) can be located as shown or between the filter (325) and the antenna (330). As mentioned above, a coupling loss of 20 to 30 dB can be tolerated since the noise figure (NF) may not be critical. Additional couplers may not be needed since typically one coupler is used for transmit envelope tracking, predistortion, and / or other transmit closed-loop tuning or control components.

[0113] The tunable filter (335) is typically used before the ADC (340) or other baseband input circuitry and can be implemented as a bandpass filter or a low-pass filter depending on the specific RF architecture (low IF, zero IF, or direct RF sampling of the RF carrier frequency), with a portion of the receive selectivity typically being implemented in this filter, which in turn can mean that it can be adapted to the various bandwidths that the system needs to support. Additionally, the filter may need to be tuned to a large enough bandwidth to achieve the above characteristics.

[0114] In one example, in the case where the ADC and baseband (340) used to assist the linear receiver (310) are intended for the FR2 band, a bandwidth of perhaps 400 MHz or 800 MHz may be supported. In such a case, the entire spectrum covering 3GPP bands B7, B38, B40, and B41 as well as the 2.4 GHz ISM band can be monitored.

[0115] The desired signal W (315) may not be detectable by the baseband. "UW" (345) refers to an unwanted strong signal that causes strong IMD3 products. For the assist receiver (310), the IMD3 products (350) may not be detectable and due to the high noise figure introduced by the high coupling loss (30 dB in this example), only two unwanted signals (345) may be detected. Figure 2 Dual-tone intermodulation and IIP3 are shown, but this is not limiting; any number of tones may potentially cause similar problems, including but not limited to: single tone (IMD1), IMD3... IMDn. In an actual system, it is expected that the 4th or 5th order may be the highest order of intermodulation products that cause problems.

[0116] Figure 4Shows a high-level flowchart illustrating example embodiments of the present disclosure. At 405, it can be detected whether the reception may be affected by non-linear problems. If the RSRP and / or RSSI are relatively high, but the signal quality RSRQ and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) are poor / low, this can be considered an obvious indication of a possible linear problem and a potential IMD problem. This assessment can be based on thresholds defined internally by the UE, as it may depend on the UE's receiver implementation and its sensitivity to noise (e.g., the characteristics of the receiver). The (multiple) thresholds for the received wanted signal are denoted as "Th-wanted". The (multiple) thresholds for the IMD level are denoted as "Th-imd". It should be noted that the labels used for these thresholds are not restricted.

[0117] At 410, a broadband linear receiver can be enabled and used in parallel with the normal reception process, and is used to detect and measure the spectrum outside the channel being used.

[0118] At 415, the out-of-band signal level can be detected, and it can be determined whether it is strong enough to cause an intermodulation problem. This can be performed based on the "IMD threshold" parameter / value. If not, the source of the low SINR / RSRQ may be co-channel noise from the network or adjacent power from nearby transmitters or "in-device" transmitters using the ISM band. In other words, an interference signal below the IMD threshold may indicate no linear problem or a significant linear problem, as the interference signal level is relatively low. Therefore, the only solution may be at 420, to prompt a handover to different resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain. This can be performed by sending the "affectedCarrierFreqList" parameter [36.331, section 5.6.9.3] to the NW, and the NW may or may not perform a handover of the UE to different resources in the time domain or frequency domain, or perform some other possible solution in response.

[0119] At 425, spectral components / signal combinations that may cause in-band interference can be calculated. Based on these calculated combinations, an update can be applied to the newly defined parameter IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList, which may contain a list of combinations of interfering signals and interfered frequencies (victims) that may cause intermodulation products, thereby causing poor co-channel performance. IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList may be at least partially different from affectedCarrierFreqList, for example because IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList can be specifically configured to indicate resources that cause (multiple) IMD problems. This means that the carriers affected by IMD may be different from the normal affected carriers and may require different mitigation measures. The IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList parameter can be sent to the NW. Messages such as the InDeviceCoexIndication message (which was introduced for E-UTRAN and may be introduced for NR (r18)) can be modified to include the IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList parameter.

[0120] An example of the proposed format of the new parameter IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList is given below. It should be noted that the number of frequencies can be more than two to cover higher-order intermodulation products.

[0121] IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList =

[0122] Used_bandwidth(interfered carrier frequency1(victim),

[0123] IMD11frequency,IMD21frequency)…(Interfered carrier

[0124] frequencyN(victim),IMD1Nfrequency,IMD2Nfrequency)

[0125] Frequency resolution for reported frequencies = Used_bandwidth

[0126] These frequencies can be any part of the spectrum, including the ISM band; the interfering frequencies may also be in the ISM band. The key is that moving any of the following: any of the interfering frequencies in the desired frequency or the interfering frequencies may have a technical effect of solving the IMD problem.

[0127] At 430, for example, at NW, it can be determined whether the interfering source spectral components causing in-band interference are at least partially located within the 3GPP licensed spectrum. If they are within the 3GPP licensed spectrum, then at 435, the network can evaluate whether possible solutions considering both the interfering source and the desired signal can be provided. In one exemplary embodiment, several different possible solutions can be determined by the network in response to the IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList (e.g., moving one of the carriers in the carrier aggregation and / or other possible responses / solutions). If a solution from the network is determined to be possible, then at 440, the network (NW) can be able to solve the problem by, for example, triggering a switch of the active BWP of the UE to another in-band BWP within the same cell, reconfiguring the BWP of the UE (e.g., the UE can be instructed to turn on (multiple) BWPs), or an inter-frequency cell handover (e.g., by switching the desired signal), or one of the interfering sources can be moved by the network. The network (NW) can initiate the movement of the interfering source or the interfering source signal on its own, for example, moving the interfering source or the interfering source signal to another at least partially different carrier or frequency band. Alternatively, the NW can move the interfering source or the interfering source signal according to the request of the UE. Moving the interfering source can include removing the interfering source or the interfering source signal from its operating carrier or frequency band. An example of the removal is turning off the interfering source or the interfering source signal. In an example embodiment where carrier aggregation is used, to solve the problem, the NW can determine to trigger one or more of the following: the SCell of the UE can be deactivated, the BWP of the SCell can be changed, the SCell can be changed, and / or the SCell can be removed. In this way, the network can solve the problem. If a solution from the network is determined to be impossible, then the network can notify the UE at 455 that there is no available NW solution.

[0128] If the interfering source spectral components causing in-band interference are not within the 3GPP licensed spectrum (i.e., not under network control), then at 445, the network can evaluate whether to move the desired signal through handover to solve the problem. The NW can inform the UE at 455 that the solution is not possible through the network, for example, in a new RRCReconfiguration message. In this case, the UE can tune its RF front-end at 460 to solve the problem. For example, this "problem" may be the result of IMD, such as noise, interference, and / or reduced sensitivity. If the UE is able to do so, RF front-end tuning can be initiated to solve the problem, or the UE application processor can request that the interfering source be moved (e.g., move the Wi-Fi channel).

[0129] At 450, if handover of the desired signal is possible, the handover can be triggered by the network.

[0130] Figure 4 Some or all of the steps of

[0131] The power levels defined above may be UE-specific and should not be construed as the same absolute levels for all UEs, as UE designs may perform better or worse than implied above. This is related to Th-wanted, Th-imd, and IMD-threshold. In one example embodiment, these parameters may be related to the frequency band and / or frequency.

[0132] In one example embodiment, the UE may include a proposed HW change / configuration, which has the technical effect of enabling the UE to detect unwanted frequencies that may generate noise in the UE's receiver in the form of intermodulation products with other unwanted signals and / or the desired received signal.

[0133] In one example embodiment, the UE can generate a list of problem frequencies and provide this information to the network so that the NW can solve the problem by removing the unwanted signal (if the signal is under 3GPP control) and / or shifting the frequency of the desired signal (using in-band or inter-band HO).

[0134] In one example embodiment, new signaling can be introduced for information exchange between the UE and the network node.

[0135] Now refer to Figure 5, the figure shows an example of RRC communication according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. At 515, the UE (505) may have been configured with HW, including but not limited to an additional linear WB receiver in parallel with the above-mentioned "normal" receiver (i.e., a receiver sufficient to receive the target 3GPP band), or may be programmed to perform processing to achieve the same result as the parallel receiver. At 520, the UE (505) may have further defined thresholds for receiving signals, tolerable IMD, and / or other necessary thresholds. These thresholds can be used to evaluate the noise generated by problematic IMD at the receiver. In one example embodiment, the thresholds may be specific to the UE and may depend on the receiver implementation of the UE. In one example embodiment, the thresholds may vary based on the carrier frequency of the desired signal. In one example embodiment, the thresholds may be dynamically changed based on the radio channel conditions observed by the UE.

[0136] At 525, the UE (505) may be in the RRC_CONNECTED state associated with a network node (e.g., gNB) (510), and at 530, it may have received an RRC configuration; this network node may be configured to provide an IDC configuration. This configuration can be added to the 5G-NR RRC configuration in Rel-18.

[0137] At 535, the UE (505) can determine a list of problematic frequencies based on the noise generated by IMD in the received band.

[0138] At 540, the RRC message InDeviceCoexIndication can be added (e.g., in 5G-NR) with a parameter represented as IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList. In one example embodiment, the UE can use this new message and parameter to notify the network node of the problematic frequencies. This parameter may be at least partially different from affectedCarrierFreqList. IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList can enable the gNB to determine a solution different from affectedCarrierFreqList.

[0139] Two alternative cases 545 and 560 may be encountered, as Figure 5As shown by the dashed line. In the first case (545), the network (510) can solve the problem by, for example, selecting another cell with a different carrier frequency, preparing a target cell (550) with a different frequency, and sending a HO command to the UE (555), for example, as part of an RRCReconfiguration message with synchronization. Additionally or alternatively, the problem can be solved by switching the active BWP of the UE to another frequency inner BWP within the same cell, reconfiguring the BWP of the UE, deactivating the SCell of the UE, changing the BWP of the SCell, changing the SCell and / or removing the SCell. Additionally or alternatively, if the out-of-band interference source is from a 3GPP application, the NW may be able to solve the IDC problem by removing the interference source ( Figure 5 not shown in the figure). In one example embodiment, the NW can pick a solution from multiple available solutions according to the received IMDaffectedCarrierFreqList. A combination of one or more solutions can be selected.

[0140] In the second case (560), the network node (510) may not be able to solve the problem by removing the interference source or finding a suitable target cell for HO, and can notify the UE that the problem cannot be solved (565). In one example embodiment, the NW can notify the UE in an RRCReconfiguration message with a newly added flag or a newly introduced message for this purpose. In one example embodiment, some UEs may be able to solve the problem by themselves (at least partially). If the UE has this ability, the UE can execute its own solution (e.g., RF tuning) (570), which can improve the performance but may not completely remove the problem.

[0141] The technical effect of the example embodiments of the present disclosure can be that, as Figure 2 shown, the IMD3 product can be reduced by 20 dB, where the IIP3 point can be increased by 10 dB. For the actual two-tone intermodulation performance across a large dynamic range, the slope may be different and may be higher or lower because higher-order intermodulation products may start to dominate and become stronger than the third-order intermodulation products. Different RF hardware embodiments that can be used to support the above signaling and system aspects are described below. More different hardware embodiments can be used to support this, and the ideas described herein are not limited to the RF HW embodiments listed below.

[0142] Now referring to Figure 6 , an alternative hardware embodiment that can be Figure 3 is shown. In Figure 6In the example, the coupler (610) can be located directly at the antenna port (620). In one example embodiment, the auxiliary receive path (630) can be inherent to the system. In one example embodiment, the auxiliary receive path (630) can also be a 5G mmWave path that inherently supports a large bandwidth and may thus be well-suited since a larger bandwidth can be measured, potentially covering several 3GPP bands at FR1.

[0143] Now referring to Figure 7 , a hardware embodiment similar to Figure 6 is shown, but includes additional information. For simplicity, overlapping features are not discussed again. Using the numerical values shown as Figure 7 (710: IP3: +26 dBm, gain: -14 dB, NF: 15; 720: IP3: +6 dBm, gain: 12 dB, NF: 1.5; 730: IP3: +6 dBm, gain: 12 dB, NF: 1.5; 740: IP3: +26 dBm, gain: -14 dB, NF: 15), the cascaded IIP3 for the AUX path (310) can be calculated as 35 dBm and NF = 36 dB, while the IIP3 for the normal path (305) can be calculated as 5.4 dBm and NF = 6.3.

[0144] Now referring to Figure 8 , an example of programmable linearity obtained by switching an attenuator (810) into the link instead of a low noise amplifier (LNA) (820) is shown. With the low noise amplifier (820) on, the cascaded performance may become, for example: IIP3 = 6.3 dBm and noise figure = 6.3. For the LNA (820), the gain can be 12 dBm and the NF can be 1.5. If the attenuator (810) is switched, the cascaded performance may become, for example: IIP3 = 36 dBm and noise figure = 46 dB. The technical effect of this example embodiment can be that the desired and unwanted signals can only be measured sequentially, rather than simultaneously. Compared to some other solutions, this solution may result in a relatively high noise figure.

[0145] Now referring to Figure 9 , another example of cascaded performance is shown. In this example, the resulting cascaded performance for the RF front end (RF FE) may cause the NF to change from 2.3 dB to 7.3 dB, and the IIP3 to change from -6.4 dBm to +5.4 dBm. All feedback receivers that are inherent to the RF front end and are typically used in various closed-loop control systems (mainly for transmit circuitry) can be used for the purposes described herein.

[0146] The technical effect of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be that up to three or more solutions can be used to help mitigate interference problems, rather than just one solution.

[0147] Figure 10 Potential steps of an exemplary method 1000 are shown. The exemplary method 1000 may include: detecting in-band interference, 1010; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference, 1020; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion, 1030; and sending an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network, 1040. The exemplary method 1000 may be performed, for example, by a user equipment.

[0148] Figure 11 Potential steps of an exemplary method 1100 are shown. The exemplary method 1100 may include: configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion, 1110; receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion, 1120; determining a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, 1130; and sending a message to the user equipment at least partially based on the decision, 1140. The exemplary method 1100 may be performed by, for example, a network node (such as a base station, eNB, and / or gNB).

[0149] According to one exemplary embodiment, a device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: detect in-band interference; determine that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and send an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network.

[0150] Detecting in-band interference may include the exemplary device being configured to: determine that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and determine that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

[0151] The exemplary device may also be configured to: determine at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the device.

[0152] Determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference may include the exemplary device further being configured to: determine that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

[0153] An indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion may be sent as part of an in-device coexistence indication message.

[0154] An indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion may include: a list parameter of carrier frequencies affected by intermodulation distortion.

[0155] The example apparatus may also be configured to: determine at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion, where the at least one signal combination includes at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal; and send an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

[0156] At least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal may include at least a portion of the industrial, scientific, and medical band.

[0157] The example apparatus may also be configured to: receive a message from the network, where the message includes one of the following: an indication that an in-device coexistence problem is not resolved at the network, an indication to switch an active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for a serving cell, or a handover configuration.

[0158] The message may include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0159] The example apparatus may also be configured to perform radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving a message that includes an indication that the coexistence problem is not resolved at the network.

[0160] The detected in-band interference may also include at least one of the following: in-band noise, or noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

[0161] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, including: detecting in-band interference using a user equipment; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network.

[0162] Detecting in-band interference may include: determining that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and determining that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

[0163] The example method may also include: determining at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the user equipment.

[0164] Determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference may include: determining that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

[0165] An indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion may be sent as part of an in-device coexistence indication message.

[0166] An indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion may include a carrier frequency list parameter affected by intermodulation distortion.

[0167] The example method may further include: determining at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion, where the at least one signal combination includes at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal; and sending an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

[0168] At least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal may include at least a portion of the industrial, scientific, and medical frequency bands.

[0169] The example method may further include: receiving a message from the network, where the message includes one of the following: an indication that coexistence problems within the device are not resolved at the network, an indication to switch an active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the serving cell, or a handover configuration.

[0170] The message may include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0171] The example method may further include performing radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving a message including an indication that coexistence problems are not resolved at the network.

[0172] The detected in-band interference may further include at least one of the following: in-band noise, or noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

[0173] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: circuitry configured to perform the following: detecting in-band interference using a user equipment; circuitry configured to perform the following: determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; circuitry configured to perform the following: determining at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; and circuitry configured to perform the following: sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion to the network.

[0174] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: processing circuitry; a memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code being configured, together with the processing circuitry, to cause the apparatus to be capable of: detecting in-band interference; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion to the network.

[0175] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" can refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as, only implemented with analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (where applicable): (i) combinations of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware and (ii) combinations of (multiple) hardware processors (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions and (c) (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a part of (multiple) microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when not required for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also encompasses implementations of only hardware circuits or processors (or multiple processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor and their (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also encompasses, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0176] According to one exemplary embodiment, a device may include components for performing the following: detecting in-band interference; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to a network.

[0177] The component configured to perform detecting in-band interference may include components configured to perform the following: determining that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and determining that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

[0178] The component may also be configured to perform: determining at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the device.

[0179] The component configured to perform determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference may include components configured to perform the following: determining that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

[0180] An indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion may be sent as part of a coexistence indication message within the device.

[0181] An indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion may include a list parameter of carrier frequencies affected by intermodulation distortion.

[0182] The component may also be configured to perform: determining at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion, where the at least one signal combination includes at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal; and sending an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

[0183] At least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal may include at least a portion of the industrial, scientific, and medical frequency bands.

[0184] The component may also be configured to perform: receiving a message from the network, where the message includes one of the following: an indication that coexistence issues within the device are not resolved at the network, an indication to switch the active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the serving cell, or a handover configuration.

[0185] The message may include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0186] The component may also be configured to perform radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving a message including an indication that coexistence issues are not resolved at the network.

[0187] The detected in-band interference may also include at least one of the following: in-band noise, or noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

[0188] A processor, memory, and / or example algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, programs, or code) may be provided as example components for providing or causing the execution of operations.

[0189] According to one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause the detection of in-band interference; determine that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; and cause an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion to be sent to the network.

[0190] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable non-transitory program storage device may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by a machine to perform operations including: detecting in-band interference; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion to the network.

[0191] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: causing detection of in-band interference; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and causing an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to be sent to a network.

[0192] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: detect in-band interference; determine that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and send an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to a network.

[0193] A computer-implemented system includes: at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least perform: detect in-band interference; determine that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and send an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to a network.

[0194] A computer-implemented system includes: means for detecting in-band interference; means for determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; means for determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and means for sending an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to a network.

[0195] According to one exemplary embodiment, a device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receive from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determine a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and send a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0196] The message may include at least one of the following: an indication that an in-device coexistence problem has not been resolved using the network-triggered solution, an indication to switch an active bandwidth portion of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth portion of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for a serving cell of the user equipment, or a handover configuration for the user equipment.

[0197] The example device may also be configured to: perform a handover of the user equipment from a source serving cell to a target cell.

[0198] The example apparatus may also be configured to receive an indication of at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion from a user equipment, where the at least one signal combination may include at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal.

[0199] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine that at least one interfering source signal may be within the licensed spectrum.

[0200] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine that a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution may include at least one of the following: the handover of the user equipment to another cell, the handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, the reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, the reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment, or the movement of at least one interfering source.

[0201] The example apparatus may also be configured to: handover the user equipment to another cell, handover the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, reconfigure the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, reconfigure the serving cell of the user equipment, or move at least one interfering source.

[0202] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine that at least one interfering source signal is outside the licensed spectrum.

[0203] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine that a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution may include at least one of the following: the handover of the user equipment to another cell, the handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, the reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or the reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

[0204] The example apparatus may also be configured to trigger at least one of the following: the handover of the user equipment to another cell, the handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, the reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or the reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

[0205] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine that a network-triggered solution will not resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the message may include an indication that the in-device coexistence problem has not been resolved for the user equipment.

[0206] The message may include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0207] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, including: using a network to configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving, from the user equipment, an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending, at least in part based on the decision, a message to the user equipment.

[0208] The message may include at least one of the following: an indication that an in-device coexistence problem is not solved using the network-triggered solution, an indication to switch an active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for a serving cell of the user equipment, or a handover configuration for the user equipment.

[0209] The example method may further include: performing a handover of the user equipment from a source serving cell to a target cell.

[0210] The example method may further include: receiving, from the user equipment, an indication of at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion, where the at least one signal combination may include at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal.

[0211] The example method may further include: determining that at least one interfering source signal may be within a licensed spectrum.

[0212] The example method may further include: determining that a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution may include at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a switch of an active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of a serving cell of the user equipment, or a movement of at least one interfering source.

[0213] The example method may further include: triggering at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a switch of an active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of a serving cell of the user equipment, or a movement of at least one interfering source.

[0214] The example method may further include: determining that at least one interfering source signal may be outside a licensed spectrum.

[0215] The example method may further include: determining that a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution may include at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a switch of an active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or a reconfiguration of a serving cell of the user equipment.

[0216] The example method may further include: triggering at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or a reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

[0217] The example method may further include: determining that a network-triggered solution will not solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, wherein the message may include an indication that the in-device coexistence problem has not been solved for the user equipment.

[0218] The message may include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0219] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: circuitry configured to perform the following: configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; circuitry configured to perform the following: receive from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; circuitry configured to perform the following: determine a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and circuitry configured to perform the following: send a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0220] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: processing circuitry; a memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus to be capable of: configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0221] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include components for performing the following: configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0222] The message may include at least one of the following: an indication that the in-device coexistence problem has not been solved using a network-triggered solution, an indication to switch the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration for the serving cell of the user equipment, or a handover configuration for the user equipment.

[0223] The component can also be configured to perform: a handover of the user equipment from a source serving cell to a target cell.

[0224] The component can also be configured to perform: receiving an indication of at least one signal combination that causes intermodulation distortion from the user equipment, where the at least one signal combination can include at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal.

[0225] The component can also be configured to perform: determining that at least one interfering source signal can be within the licensed spectrum.

[0226] The component can also be configured to perform: determining that a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution can include at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment, or a movement of at least one interfering source.

[0227] The component can also be configured to trigger at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment, or a movement of at least one interfering source.

[0228] The component can also be configured to perform: determining that at least one interfering source signal can be outside the licensed spectrum.

[0229] The component can also be configured to perform: determining that a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the network-triggered solution can include at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or a reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

[0230] The component can also be configured to trigger at least one of the following: a handover of the user equipment to another cell, a handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, a reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or a reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

[0231] The component can also be configured to perform: determining that a network-triggered solution will not resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, where the message can include an indication that the in-device coexistence problem has not been resolved for the user equipment.

[0232] The message can include a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0233] According to an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; cause reception from the user equipment of an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determine a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and cause a message to be sent to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0234] According to another example embodiment, a machine-readable non-transitory program storage device tangibly embodies instructions executable by a machine to perform operations that include: configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receiving from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and sending a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0235] According to another exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receive from the user equipment an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determine a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and send a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0236] According to another exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: causing a user equipment to be configured to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; causing reception from the user equipment of an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determining a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and causing a message to be sent to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

[0237] A computer-implemented system, comprising: at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least perform the following: configure a user device to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; receive from the user device an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; determine a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user device; and send a message to the user device based at least in part on the decision.

[0238] A computer-implemented system, comprising: means for configuring a user device to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; means for receiving from the user device an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; means for determining a decision regarding whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user device; and means for sending a message to the user device based at least in part on the decision.

[0239] As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0240] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features described in the respective dependent claims can be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). Additionally, features from the different embodiments above can be selectively combined into new embodiments. Accordingly, this description is intended to cover all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: detect in-band interference; determine that the detected in-band interference is caused by intermodulation distortion; determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and send an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein detecting the in-band interference comprises: the at least one memory storing the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and determine that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the device.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining that the detected in-band interference is caused by intermodulation distortion comprises: the at least one memory storing the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion is sent as part of an in-device coexistence indication message.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion comprises: a list parameter of carrier frequencies affected by intermodulation distortion.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: determine at least one signal combination that causes the intermodulation distortion, wherein the at least one signal combination includes at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal; and send an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal includes at least a part of an industrial, scientific, and medical band.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to: receive a message from the network, wherein the message includes one of the following: an indication that an in-device coexistence problem is not resolved at the network, an indication to switch an active bandwidth part, reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part, reconfiguration for a serving cell, or Switch configuration.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the message comprises a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: perform radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving the message indicating that the coexistence problem has not been resolved at the network.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the detected in-band interference further comprises at least one of the following: In-band noise, or Noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

13. A method, comprising: detecting in-band interference using a user equipment; determining that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the detecting the in-band interference comprises: determining that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and determining that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: determining at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the user equipment.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the determining that the intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference comprises: determining that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion is sent as part of an in-device coexistence indication message.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion comprises a carrier frequency list parameter affected by the intermodulation distortion.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further comprising: determining at least one signal combination that causes the intermodulation distortion, wherein the at least one signal combination comprises at least one of the following: at least one desired signal, or at least one interfering source signal; and sending an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal comprises at least a part of an industrial, scientific, and medical band.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, further comprising: receiving a message from the network, wherein the message comprises one of the following: an indication that an in-device coexistence problem has not been resolved at the network, an indication to switch an active bandwidth part, a reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part, For reconfiguration of a serving cell, or handover configuration.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the message comprises a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, further comprising: Performing radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving the message indicating that the coexistence problem is not resolved at the network.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, wherein the detected in-band interference further comprises at least one of the following: In-band noise, or Noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

25. An apparatus comprising components for performing the following: Detecting in-band interference; Determining that the detected in-band interference is caused by intermodulation distortion; Determining at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and Sending an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to the network.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the component configured to perform detecting the in-band interference comprises components configured to perform the following: Determining that at least one of a reference signal received power or a received signal strength indicator is higher than a first threshold; and Determining that at least one of a reference signal received quality or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is lower than a second threshold.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the component is further configured to perform: Determining at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold based on characteristics of the apparatus.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the component configured to perform determining that the detected in-band interference is caused by intermodulation distortion comprises: Components configured to perform the following: Determining that a level of the intermodulation distortion is higher than a third threshold.

29. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion is sent as part of an in-device coexistence indication message.

30. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion comprises: A list of carrier frequencies affected by intermodulation distortion.

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the component is further configured to perform: Determining at least one signal combination causing the intermodulation distortion, wherein the at least one signal combination comprises at least one of the following: At least one desired signal, or At least one interfering source signal; and Sending an indication of the at least one signal combination to the network.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein at least one of the at least one desired signal or the at least one interfering source signal comprises at least a part of an industrial, scientific, and medical band.

33. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 32, wherein the component is further configured to perform: Receiving a message from the network, wherein the message comprises one of the following: Indication that coexistence problems within the device are not resolved at the network Indication to switch the active bandwidth part Reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part Reconfiguration for the serving cell, or Handover configuration 34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the message comprises a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

35. The apparatus according to claim 33 or 34, wherein the component is further configured to perform radio frequency front-end tuning in response to receiving the message comprising the indication that the coexistence problem is not resolved at the network.

36. The apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 35, wherein the detected in-band interference further comprises at least one of the following: In-band noise, or Noise as a result of intermodulation products from at least one out-of-band interference source.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: Cause detection of in-band interference; Determine that intermodulation distortion causes the detected in-band interference; Determine at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; and Cause an indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion to be sent to the network.

38. A computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

39. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; and At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Configure a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; Receive from the user equipment the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; Determine a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and Send a message to the user equipment at least in part based on the decision.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the message comprises at least one of the following: Indication that coexistence problems within the device are not resolved using the network-triggered solution, Indication to switch the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, Reconfiguration for the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, Reconfiguration for the serving cell of the user equipment, or Handover configuration for the user equipment.

41. The apparatus according to claim 39 or 40, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Receive from the user equipment an indication of at least one signal combination causing the intermodulation distortion, wherein the at least one signal combination comprises at least one of the following: At least one desired signal, or At least one interfering source signal.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus: Determine that the at least one interfering source signal is within the licensed spectrum.

43. The apparatus according to any one of claims 39 to 42, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Determine that the network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, wherein the network-triggered solution includes at least one of the following: Handover of the user equipment to another cell, Handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, Reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, Reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment, or Movement of at least one interfering source signal.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to trigger at least one of the following: The handover of the user equipment to the other cell, The handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, The reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, The reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment, or The movement of the at least one interfering source signal.

45. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Determine that the at least one interfering source signal is outside the licensed spectrum.

46. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Determine that the network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment, wherein the network-triggered solution includes at least one of the following: Handover of the user equipment to another cell, Handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, Reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or Reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

47. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein the at least one memory stores the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to trigger at least one of the following: The handover of the user equipment to the other cell, The handover of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, The reconfiguration of the active bandwidth part of the user equipment, or The reconfiguration of the serving cell of the user equipment.

48. A method, comprising: Configuring, by a network, a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; Receiving, from the user equipment, the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; Determining a decision on whether a network-triggered solution will solve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and Sending, at least in part based on the decision, a message to the user equipment.

49. An apparatus, comprising components for performing the following: Configuring a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; Receiving, from the user equipment, the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; Determining a decision as to whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; And Sending, at least in part based on the decision, a message to the user equipment.

50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: Causing a configuration of a user equipment to provide an indication of at least one interfered frequency affected by intermodulation distortion; Causing a reception, from the user equipment, of the indication of the at least one interfered frequency affected by the intermodulation distortion; Determining a decision as to whether a network-triggered solution will resolve the intermodulation distortion for the user equipment; and Causing a message to be sent to the user equipment, at least in part based on the decision.

Images