Shared utilization of user equipment capabilities

Abstract

Wireless communications may include transmissions of user equipment (UE) capabilities. Utilization of UE capabilities may be shared within the network after the UE communicates. For example, UE capabilities may be shared within multiple carriers / cells / bands. By carrier aggregation (CA), multiple carriers or cells in one or more frequency bands may be configured to improve capacity. For example, there may be UE capabilities defined per band or per carrier, which may be shared between carriers or bands.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This document generally relates to wireless communication. More specifically, in a mobile device communication system, user equipment (UE) capabilities may be shared. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication technologies are driving the world towards an increasingly interconnected and networked society. Wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user mobile stations and wireless access network nodes (including but not limited to wireless base stations). The new generation of networks is expected to provide high-speed, low-latency, and ultra-reliable communication capabilities and meet the requirements from different industries and users. User mobile stations or user equipment (UE) are becoming more complex, and the amount of communication data is increasing continuously. To improve communication, meet the reliability requirements of vertical industries, and support new generation network services, communication improvements should be made. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This document relates to methods, systems, and devices for sharing and utilization of user equipment (UE) capabilities. UE capabilities can be reported by the UE to the network, and UE capabilities can be shared within multiple carriers / cells / frequency bands. Through Carrier Aggregation (CA), multiple carriers or cells in one or more frequency bands can be configured to increase capacity. For example, UE capabilities defined per frequency band or per carrier can be shared between carriers or frequency bands.

[0004] In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes: reporting, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities; and supporting, by the UE, function sharing based on the reported UE capabilities, wherein the function sharing is supported within multiple carriers, cells, or frequency bands. The function sharing supports at least one antenna for at least two frequency bands. The at least one antenna on one frequency band in a set of frequency bands can be used for another frequency band in the set of frequency bands. The at least one antenna for the set of frequency bands can be used for at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands. The function sharing supports at least one power amplifier (PA) for at least two frequency bands. When the at least one PA is shared among multiple frequency bands, the PA of the frequency band with the highest capabilities among the multiple frequency bands is used. The method includes: reporting a duration for PA switching in combination with transmitter (Tx) switching, wherein the duration is applied to both PA switching and Tx switching, or the duration is an additional duration to which PA switching is applied. For frequency bands within a frequency band pair or a combination of frequency bands, PA sharing or PA switching can support higher power or a higher power level. The function sharing supports duplexer enhancement within a single frequency band or multiple frequency bands. The duplexer enhancement within the single frequency band further includes: sharing a duplexer between an SBFD (sub-band full duplex) symbol and a non-SBFD symbol for a carrier supporting SBFD on the single frequency band. The duplexer enhancement within the multiple frequency bands further includes: sharing a duplexer during the duration of SBFD symbols of the two frequency bands, wherein the SBFD symbols on the two frequency bands are non-overlapping, and the sharing is for at least two carriers supporting SBFD on the two frequency bands. The function sharing supports enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring capabilities within multiple cells, wherein the enhanced PDCCH monitoring capabilities include sharing PDCCH candidate blind decoding (BD) or non-overlapping control channel elements (CCEs). More than one threshold is applied to candidate discarding on a primary cell (PCell). When other cells do not share BD / CCE, one of the more than one thresholds is used in a time slot, and when other cells apply shared BD / CCE, a second threshold of the more than one thresholds is used in a time slot. The second threshold is applied when it is not necessary to monitor the PDCCH for at least one SCell (secondary cell).The described function sharing supports enhanced uplink (UL) channel processing capabilities, where it supports at least two Physical Uplink Shared Channels (PUSCH) overlapping in the time domain on a single carrier, or supports PUSCH and Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) overlapping in the time domain on a single carrier. The method includes: providing a frequency hopping indication for each PUSCH in Downlink Control Information (DCI); and providing an independent resource block (RB) offset list for the overlapping PUSCH. The transmission scheme is used according to the DCI indication, and the transmission scheme includes multiplexing uplink control information (UCI), PUSCH, or simultaneous transmission of PUCCH on the PUSCH.

[0005] In one embodiment, a wireless communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the above embodiments.

[0006] In one embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer-readable program medium, and code is stored on the computer-readable program medium, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any of the above embodiments.

[0007] In some embodiments, there is a wireless communication device including a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments.

[0008] In some embodiments, a computer program product includes a computer-readable program medium, and code is stored on the computer-readable program medium, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments.

[0009] The above and other aspects and their embodiments are described in more detail in the drawings, the description, and the claims. Description of the Drawings

[0010] Figure 1 An example base station is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An example random access (RA) messaging environment is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 A block diagram showing an example configuration of a transceiver and an antenna.

[0013] Figure 4 A block diagram illustrating the relationship between a carrier, a frequency band, and a cell.

[0014] Figure 5a An embodiment of transmitter (Tx) switching without power amplifier (PA) switching is shown.

[0015] Figure 5b An embodiment of transmitter (Tx) switching with power amplifier (PA) switching is shown.

[0016] Figure 6 An embodiment of sub-band full duplex (SBFD) on two frequency bands is shown.

[0017] Figure 7a An embodiment of a Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDMed) Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) without frequency hopping is shown.

[0018] Figure 7b An embodiment of an FDMed PUSCH with frequency hopping is shown.

[0019] Figure 7c An embodiment of a time slot having more than one overlapping Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) is shown. Detailed Description

[0020] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure and illustrate specific examples of embodiments by way of illustration. However, note that the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms, and thus, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not limited to any of the embodiments set forth below.

[0021] Throughout the specification and the claims, the terms may have nuanced meanings that are suggested or implied in the context beyond the explicitly stated meanings. Similarly, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrases "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" used herein do not necessarily refer to different embodiments. The phrases "in one implementation" or "in some implementations" used herein do not necessarily refer to the same implementation, and the phrases "in another implementation" or "in other implementations" used herein do not necessarily refer to different implementations. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, combinations of exemplary embodiments or implementations.

[0022] Generally, terms can be understood, at least in part, from their usage in context. For example, terms such as "and", "or", or "and / or" used herein can have various meanings, which can depend, at least in part, on the context in which these terms are used. Typically, "or" if used in connection with a list (such as A, B, or C) is intended to mean A, B, and C (used here in an inclusive sense), as well as A, B, or C (used here in an exclusive sense). Additionally, depending, at least in part, on the context, the terms "one or more" or "at least one" used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or can be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, depending, at least in part, on the context, terms such as "a", "an", or "the" can be understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage. Further, the terms "based on" or "determined by" can be understood to not necessarily be intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, but rather, can also, at least in part, depending on the context, allow for the existence of additional factors that may not be explicitly described.

[0023] Radio resource control (RRC) is a protocol layer between the UE and the base station at the IP level (Network Layer). There can be various radio resource control (RRC) states, such as the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_INACTIVE state, and the RRC_IDLE state. RRC messages are transmitted via the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). As described, the UE can transmit data via a Random Access Channel (RACH) protocol scheme or a Configured Grant (CG) scheme. CG can be used to reduce the waste of periodically allocated resources by enabling multiple devices to share periodic resources. The base station or node can allocate CG resources to eliminate packet transmission delays and improve the utilization of the allocated periodic radio resources. The CG scheme is just one example of a protocol scheme for communication, and other examples including, but not limited to, RACH are possible. The wireless communication described herein can be achieved via wireless access.

[0024] There may be a master node (MN) and one or more secondary nodes (SN). The MN may include a master cell group (MCG), and each SN may include a secondary cell group (SCG). The MCG is a set of cells provided by the master node (MN), and the SCG is a set of cells provided by the secondary node (SN). The MCG may include a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCell). The SCG may include a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCell). Each primary cell may be connected to multiple secondary cells. The primary cells (PCell, PSCell) are the primary cells of their respective groups (MCG and SCG respectively) and may initiate initial access. The primary cell may be used for signaling and may be referred to as a special cell (spCell), where spCell = PCell + PSCell.

[0025] There is an increasing demand for the 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication technology Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and the 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication technology. Based on the current development trend, 4G and 5G systems are being developed to support the features of the following items: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). Carrier aggregation (CA) can be used for both 4G and 5G as well as future communication systems. To increase capacity through user equipment (UE) capability sharing, multiple carriers or cells in one or more frequency bands can be configured. UE capabilities are shared within a carrier / frequency band / cell. Uplink (UL) transmission (Tx) switching is an example of UE capabilities shared between two frequency bands of a transmitter. If a carrier or a frequency band is not working at a certain time or during a certain period / duration, the UE capabilities to be shared are allowed to improve communication. In another example, if some hardware or software can be shared between frequency bands or carriers, some UEs can achieve higher UE capabilities with fewer cost constraints. UE capability sharing is further described in the following embodiments.

[0026] Figure 1 An example base station 102 is shown. The base station can also be referred to as a network device or a radio network node. The base station 102 can also be identified as a nodeB (NB, e.g., eNB or gNB) in the context of mobile telecommunications. The example base station can include radio Tx / Rx circuitry 113 to receive and transmit with a user equipment (UE) 104. The base station can also include network interface circuitry 116 to couple the base station to the core network 110, for example, via an optical interconnect or a wired interconnect, Ethernet, and / or other data transmission media / protocols.

[0027] The base station may also include system circuitry 122. The system circuitry 122 may include one or more processors 124 and / or a memory 126. The memory 126 may include operations 128 and control parameters 130. The operations 128 may include instructions for execution on one or more of the processors 124 to support the operation of the base station. For example, the operations may process random access transmission requests from multiple UEs. The control parameters 130 may include parameters or support the execution of the operations 128. For example, the control parameters may include network protocol settings, random access messaging format rules, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and / or other parameters.

[0028] In addition, signals transmitted between communication nodes in system 100 may be characterized or defined as data signals or control signals. Generally, a data signal is a signal that includes or carries data (such as multimedia data (e.g., voice data and / or image data)), while a control signal is a signal that carries control information that configures the communication nodes in a particular manner to facilitate communication between the communication nodes with each other, or otherwise controls how the communication nodes transmit data signals to each other. In addition, a particular signal may be defined or characterized as a combination of data / control and uplink / downlink / sidelink, including uplink control signals, uplink data signals, downlink control signals, downlink data signals, sidelink control signals, and sidelink data signals. In addition, a particular signal may be characterized or defined as an uplink (UL) signal, a downlink (DL) signal, or a sidelink (SL) signal. An uplink signal is a signal transmitted from the UE 104 to the base station 102. A downlink signal is a signal transmitted from the base station 102 to the UE 104. A sidelink signal is a signal transmitted from one UE 104 to another UE 104.

[0029] For at least some specifications, such as 5G New Radio (NR), data signals and control signals are transmitted and / or carried on physical channels. Generally, a physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources for signal transmission. Different types of physical channels can be used to transmit different types of signals. For example, a physical data channel (or simply called a data channel) (also known as a traffic channel) is used to transmit data signals, and a physical control channel (or simply called a control channel) is used to transmit control signals. Example types of traffic channels (or physical data channels) include, but are not limited to, the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting downlink data signals, the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting uplink data signals, and the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) for transmitting sidelink data signals. In addition, example types of physical control channels include, but are not limited to, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting downlink control signals, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting uplink control signals, and the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) for transmitting sidelink control signals. As used herein, for simplicity, unless otherwise specified, a particular type of physical channel is also used to refer to the signal transmitted on that particular type of physical channel and / or the transmission on that particular type of transmission. By way of example, PDSCH refers to the physical downlink shared channel itself, the downlink data signal transmitted on the PDSCH, or the downlink data transmission. Thus, a communication node is transmitting or receiving a PDSCH, which means that the communication node is transmitting or receiving the signal on the PDSCH.

[0030] Additionally, for at least some specifications such as 5G NR and / or for at least some types of control signals, the control signals transmitted by a communication node can include control information that includes information required to enable the transmission of one or more data signals between the communication nodes and / or information required to schedule one or more data channels (or one or more transmissions on a data channel). For example, such control information can include: information required to correctly receive, decode, and demodulate data signals received on a physical data channel during data transmission; and / or information required for an uplink scheduling grant that notifies a user equipment of resources and a transmission format for uplink data transmission. In some embodiments, the control information includes downlink control information (DCI) that is transmitted in the downlink direction from base station 102 to UE 104. In other embodiments, the control information includes uplink control information (UCI) or sidelink control information (SCI), where the uplink control information is transmitted in the uplink direction from UE 104 to base station 102 and the sidelink control information is transmitted in the sidelink direction from one UE 104 to another UE 104.

[0031] Furthermore, in some embodiments, UE 104 can be configured to support at least one simultaneous UL transmission mode across a frequency band pair used for UL transmission. In a first simultaneous UL transmission mode (also referred to as a switched UL mode), UE 104 does not support simultaneous UL transmission across a frequency band pair. Thus, when UE 104 transmits a UL transmission in the first simultaneous UL transmission mode, UE 104 transmits the UL transmission without performing simultaneous transmission across the frequency band pair. Additionally, in a second simultaneous UL transmission mode (also referred to as a dual UL mode), UE 104 supports simultaneous UL transmission across a frequency band pair. Thus, when UE 104 transmits a UL transmission in the second simultaneous UL transmission mode, UE 104 can transmit the UL transmission by performing simultaneous transmission across the frequency band pair.

[0032] In addition, in some embodiments, UE 104 may report to base station 102 one or more simultaneous UL transmission modes. That is, UE 104 may report to base station 102 that it supports simultaneous UL transmission across frequency band pairs, that it does not support simultaneous UL transmission across frequency band pairs, or that it both supports and does not support simultaneous UL transmission across frequency band pairs. In these particular embodiments, UE 104 may report whether it supports simultaneous UL transmission across frequency band pairs on a per band combination (BC) basis. Additionally, base station 102 may configure the simultaneous UL transmission mode on a per cell group basis (e.g., switched UL or dual UL), and in embodiments where a 2Tx user equipment supports only two frequency bands, each cell group may be considered to be per BC or per frequency band pair. That is, one available frequency band pair in a band combination may support one simultaneous UL transmission mode.

[0033] Additionally, generally, as used herein, a band combination may include multiple frequency bands (e.g., five frequency bands). Further, as used herein, a band group may include up to three or four frequency bands. A given band group may be included in or be part of a band combination. Additionally, a band combination and / or a band group may include at least one frequency band pair, where a frequency band pair includes two frequency bands.

[0034] Figure 2 An example random access message transceiver environment 200 is shown. In the random access message transceiver environment, UE 104 may communicate with base station 102 via random access channel 252. In this example, UE 104 supports one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as SIM1 202. Electrical and physical interface 206 connects SIM1 202 to the rest of the user equipment hardware, for example, via system bus 210.

[0035] The mobile device 200 includes a communication interface 212, system logic 214, and a user interface 218. The system logic 214 can include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic. The system logic 214 can be implemented, for example, using one or more systems on a chip (SoCs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuits. The system logic 214 is part of the implementation of any desired functions in the UE 104. In this regard, the system logic 214 can include logic that facilitates, for example, the following operations: decoding and playing music and videos (e.g., MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback); running applications; accepting user input; saving and retrieving application data; establishing, maintaining, and terminating cellular phone calls or data connections (e.g., for Internet connectivity); establishing, maintaining, and terminating wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and displaying relevant information on the user interface 218. The user interface 218 and input 228 can include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensitive display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or facial recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Additional examples of the input 228 include a microphone, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headphone and microphone input / output jacks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR (infrared) sensors), and other types of input.

[0036] The system logic 214 can include one or more processors 216 and a memory 220. The memory 220 stores control instructions 222 that are executed by the processor 216, for example, to implement the desired functions of the UE 104. Control parameters 224 provide and specify configuration and operating items for the control instructions 222. The memory 220 can also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other data 226 that the UE 104 will send or has received via the communication interface 212. In various embodiments, system power can be provided by a power storage device such as a battery 282.

[0037] In communication interface 212, radio frequency (RF) transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) circuitry (Tx / Rx circuitry) 230 processes the transmission and reception of signals via one or more antennas 232. Communication interface 212 may include one or more transceivers. A transceiver may be a wireless transceiver, which includes modulation / demodulation circuitry, digital to analog converter (DAC), shaping tables, analog to digital converter (ADC), filters, waveform shapers, filters, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic for transmission and reception via one or more antennas or (for some devices) via a physical (e.g., wired) medium.

[0038] The signals transmitted and received may conform to any of a variety of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and codings. As a specific example, communication interface 212 may include transceivers that support transmission and reception under the following standards: 2G, 3G, BT (Bluetooth), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)+, and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. However, the techniques described below are applicable to other wireless communication technologies regardless of whether they are from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) Association, 3GPP2, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers), or other partners or standards bodies.

[0039] Multiple RAN nodes (e.g., eNB, gNB) of the same or different radio access technologies (RATs) can be deployed on the same or different frequency carriers in certain geographical areas, and the multiple RAN nodes can cooperate with each other through dual-connectivity operations to provide joint communication services to the same target UE(s). The Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) architecture can have a non-collocated master node ("MN") and secondary node ("SN"). The Access Mobility Function ("AMF") and Session Management Function ("SMF") can be control plane entities, and the User Plane Function ("UPF") is a user plane entity in New Radio ("NR") or 5GC.

[0040] Figure 3 A block diagram showing an example configuration of transceiver 212 and antenna 232 is shown. Specifically, transceiver 212 includes a first transmitter (Tx) (or transmitter circuit) 302(1) and a second transmitter (Tx) (or transmitter circuit) 302(2). In addition, antenna 232 can include a first antenna component 304(1) and a second antenna component 304(1). Generally, the first transmitter 302(1) and the first antenna component 304(1) can form a first transmitter channel or chain, while the second transmitter 302(2) and the second antenna component 304(2) can form a second transmitter channel or chain. The UE 104 with Figure 2 the configuration in can be configured to use the first transmitter channel to transmit a first UL transmission (or the first part of the UL transmission), and can be configured to use the first transmitter channel to transmit a second UL transmission (or the second part of the UL transmission).

[0041] In some embodiments, UE 104 may transmit on one or two frequency bands or carriers using two transmitter channels. UE 104 may implement this in any of a variety of ways. For example, UE 104 may transmit on a single carrier using both a first transmission channel and a second transmission channel. As another example, UE 104 may transmit on a first carrier using the first transmission channel and transmit on a second carrier using the second transmission channel. As used herein, the terms "1Tx" and "1T" refer to transmitting on one carrier using one channel, while the terms "2Tx" and "2T" refer to transmitting on one carrier using two transmission channels. Additionally, as used herein, the phrase "UL transmission case" refers to a particular configuration of transmission channels for UL transmission on one or more carriers. Additionally, as described in further detail below, UE 104 may switch between UL transmission cases during a UL Tx switching operation.

[0042] Furthermore, in various embodiments, UE 104 may perform UL transmitter (Tx) switching to perform UL transmission. Generally, UE 104 may perform UL Tx switching by switching from one UL transmission case to another UL transmission case. In operation, UE 104 may transmit a UL transmission according to a first UL transmission case, then may switch from the first UL transmission case to a second UL transmission case and transmit a UL transmission according to the second UL transmission case. Additionally, in various embodiments, the UL transmission case may also identify the number of antenna ports corresponding to a carrier. This identification may be in the form of a mapping between the carrier and the corresponding number of antenna ports. For at least some of these embodiments, the number of antennas may depend on whether UE 104 supports simultaneous transmission of cross-band pairs.

[0043] Tx Switching

[0044] Figure 4 A block diagram illustrating the relationship between carriers, frequency bands, and cells is shown. Two frequency bands may be configured for the UE for TX switching. Various embodiments involving sharing UE capabilities among cells / carriers / frequency bands in three or four frequency bands are described below.

[0045] For a UE, an RF transceiver including an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), a mixer, and a local oscillator may be approximately half of the cost of the RF part. For a UE, the cost ratio of RF to baseband is 40:60 or 50:50. The RF transceiver may include a receive RF chain, a transmitter (UL Tx), or other common parts. If the number of RF chains can be reduced from two receive RF chains to a single receive RF chain, the cost can be reduced by up to 50%. Since the transmitter and common parts (e.g., frequency synthesis) cannot be removed, the cost reduction of the entire RF transceiver may be significantly reduced.

[0046] In this Tx switching embodiment, the receive radio frequency (RF) chain can be shared to improve UE performance. There may be 1, 2, or 4 receivers (Rx) or antennas. An antenna can refer to any receiver that includes coverage of the "receive RF chain". The antenna can support frequency bands, but if there are two different frequency bands (e.g., one from the spectrum below 1 GHz and the other from the 2 GHz spectrum), the Rx for each of these frequency bands needs to be shared to reduce UE cost and maintain similar performance.

[0047] When the UE has the UE capability to support at least one antenna for at least two frequency bands, the UE reports Rx sharing or Rx switching between two frequency bands or among multiple frequency bands for the frequency band combination. To support such Rx sharing or Rx switching, the following embodiments can be utilized. To implement antenna sharing or switching, there can be several embodiments: 1) Use the antenna on one frequency band together with the original antenna of another frequency band for the other frequency band; or 2) The same antenna for a set of frequency bands switches between two frequency bands.

[0048] In the first embodiment, the UE can support at least one antenna on an active frequency band (e.g., 2 Rx per band). For example, assuming the frequency band combination includes two frequency bands, there can be 2 Rx per band, and for only one band, 4 Rx can be achieved by using all the antennas on the two bands. Thus, there can be the following UE capability: this UE capability supports at least one antenna on one frequency band in a set of frequency bands, and the at least one antenna can be shared for another frequency band in the set of frequency bands. When the at least one antenna is used for at least two frequency bands, downlink (DL) Rx switching can be applied. The benefit is to reduce UE cost or enhance transceiver capabilities. For example, there are 2 Rx per band, and for only one band, 4 Rx can be achieved by using all the antennas on the two bands. When the UE wants to transmit a 4-port transmission on a downlink carrier on one frequency band, and if the Rx chain state of the previous downlink transmission is a 1-port transmission or a 2-port transmission on another downlink carrier on another frequency band, it may not be desirable for the UE to transmit on any of these carriers for a duration. Thus, there can be the following UE capability: this UE capability is used to report the duration for which at least one antenna is applied on one frequency band in a set of frequency bands, and the at least one antenna is shared for another frequency band in the set of frequency bands.

[0049] In the second embodiment, the UE can support at least one antenna for a set of frequency bands for shared use, rather than per band. The antenna is shared for at least one frequency band (e.g., 2 Rx for 2 frequency bands). For example, there are only 2 Rx for two frequency bands, and 2 Rx per band can be achieved by switching. Thus, there can be the following UE capability: this UE capability supports that at least one antenna for a set of frequency bands can be shared for at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands. If there are only 2 Rx for two frequency bands, 2 Rx per band can be achieved by switching. When the UE wants to transmit a 2-port transmission on a downlink carrier on one frequency band, and if the Rx chain state of the previous downlink transmission is a 1-port transmission or a 2-port transmission on another downlink carrier on another frequency band, it is not desirable for the UE to transmit on any of these carriers for a duration. Thus, there can be the following UE capability: this UE capability is used to report the duration for which at least one antenna for a set of frequency bands is applied, and the at least one antenna is shared for at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands.

[0050] In some embodiments, when the UE is triggered to perform Rx sharing or Rx switching between frequency band pairs, and the start of the DL transmission after the Rx switching is T0, the UE uses the DCI received before T0 - Toffset to determine how to perform the switching, where Toffset is the UE processing time defined for the downlink transmission that triggers the switching, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) processing time.

[0051] In this Tx switching embodiment, when the UE supports multi - carriers on multiple frequency bands, Rx can be shared by using the antenna on one frequency band together with the original antenna of another frequency band for the other frequency band. Alternatively, with the corresponding UE capabilities, the same antenna for a set of frequency bands is switched between two frequency bands. If a carrier or a frequency band does not work at a certain time or during a specific period / duration, the UE capabilities are not wasted.

[0052] Power Amplifier (PA) Sharing / Switching

[0053] For the UE, the power amplifier (PA) may account for approximately 30% of the cost of the RF. For the UE, the cost ratio of RF to baseband may be 40:60 or 50:50. Removing the power amplifier (PA) can result in an overall relative cost savings of approximately 10%. As described in this embodiment, the PA can be shared to improve performance. For a frequency band combination with one frequency division duplex (FDD) band and one time division duplex (TDD) band, the UE can have 3 independent PAs implemented in the radio frequency front end (RFFE). Figure 5a An embodiment of transmitter (Tx) switching without power amplifier (PA) switching is shown. Figure 5a A Tx switching is shown, where the UE has at most 2 Tx and 3 PAs.

[0054] The Tx RF architecture may assume that the handheld UE has 2 concurrent Tx chains. This may lead to the following situation: The UE operates with 2 PAs on a single high-frequency band. However, when configured with a CA / EN-DC (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity) band combination, only one PA is active in each band (one mid / high-frequency band PA is not active), such that one of the three PAs does not operate simultaneously with the other two PAs. In one example, there may be two PAs on a TDD band, where the 2 Tx chains are used for 2-port UL transmission on the TDD carrier. In a second example, there may be one PA on an FDD band and one PA on a TDD band, where 1-port UL transmission is performed on the FDD carrier in the FDD band + 1-port UL transmission is performed on the TDD carrier in the TDD band. In the case where UL Tx (transmitter) switching is not supported, only one of these two examples can be supported. In the case where UL Tx switching is supported, both Example 1 and Example 2 can support switching of 1Tx between two bands. As Figure 5a shown, when 1Tx is switched to band A, Example 2 is supported; while when 1Tx is switched to band B, Example 1 is supported. Therefore, there may be one PA that does not operate together with the other two PAs.

[0055] Figure 5b An embodiment of transmitter (Tx) switching with power amplifier (PA) switching is shown. To achieve UE cost reduction with comparable performance, PA sharing or PA switching is supported. In some embodiments, this can be combined with UL Tx switching. When the UE is capable of supporting at least one PA for at least two bands, the UE reports support for PA sharing or PA switching between two bands or among multiple bands for the band combination.

[0056] Since the functions or capabilities of the PA may vary for different bands, the PA shared or switched between two bands or among multiple bands can be the PA of the band with the strongest capabilities among these two bands or multiple bands. When at least one PA is used for at least two bands, PA switching can be utilized. The benefit can be to reduce UE cost with the same performance.

[0057] In some embodiments, when the duration during which PA switching is applied in combination with Tx switching can be reported independently, PA switching can be supported together with UL Tx switching. For example, it can report a value that includes or takes into account the durations of both PA switching and UL Tx switching. In another example, based on the duration of traditional UL Tx switching, there can be a report of an additional value that includes the duration for PA switching, and then the UL Tx switching gap will be determined by the sum of the two durations. When the UE is to transmit 2-port transmission on one uplink carrier in one frequency band, and if the previous uplink transmission was 1-port transmission on another uplink carrier in another frequency band, it is not expected that the UE transmits on any of these carriers for a duration. This duration can be used for UL Tx switching, or this duration is used for UL Tx switching and PA switching. Determining which duration can be based on UE reporting or base station configuration / indication. If the duration is determined according to UE reporting, the UE will only report one value for the frequency band pair among several candidate values, which several candidate values include different cases, such as UL Tx switching without PA switching, UL Tx switching with PA switching, etc. If the duration is determined according to base station configuration, the UE can report multiple values for the frequency band pair among several candidate values, which several candidate values include different cases, such as UL Tx switching without PA switching, UL Tx switching with PA switching, etc. Then the base station can configure one value for this duration.

[0058] In some embodiments, when triggering the UE to perform TX sharing or TX switching between frequency band pairs, and the start of UL transmission after TX switching is T0, the UE uses the DCI received before T0 - Toffset to determine how to perform the switching. In this example, Toffset is the UE processing time defined for the downlink transmission triggering the switching, such as the PUSCH preparation process time.

[0059] In some embodiments, when both frequency bands are FDD frequency bands and each of them has a PA, or when the two frequency bands are an FDD frequency band + a TDD frequency band and there are a total of 3 PAs, for one frequency band, higher power or a higher power class (PC) can be supported through PA sharing or PA switching. For example, if frequency band 1 is an FDD frequency band with PC3 = 23 dBm, frequency band 2 is an FDD frequency band with PC3 = 23 dBm, and PA sharing or PA switching is supported, then 2 PAs are used for one FDD frequency band, and this FDD frequency band can support PC2 = 26 dBm. The maximum duty cycle can be reported and applied to the PC2 case. In another example, if frequency band 1 is an FDD frequency band with PC3 = 23 dBm, frequency band 2 is a TDD frequency band with PC2 = 26 dBm, and PA sharing or PA switching is supported, then 3 PAs can be used for the TDD frequency band, and the TDD frequency band can support a power class of 27.8 dBm. The maximum duty cycle can be reported and applied to the higher power case.

[0060] In the PA sharing embodiment, when the UE supports multi-carriers on multiple frequency bands, the PA can be shared by combining UL Tx switching between two frequency bands when the corresponding UE capabilities are available. If one layer, or one carrier, or one frequency band does not operate at a certain time or during a certain period / duration, the UE capabilities will not be wasted.

[0061] Duplexer Sharing / Switching

[0062] For the UE, the duplexer or switcher may account for approximately 15% of the cost of the RF, and the cost ratio of RF to baseband for the UE may be 40:60 or 50:50. The duplexer for frequency division duplexing (FDD) may be present on the antenna driven by the UE transmitter. Time division duplexing (TDD) and half duplex (HD) FDD (HD-FDD (Half Duplex-Frequency Division Duplex)) may not require a duplexer and can use a switcher instead of a duplexer. For a multi-band device that may have multiple duplexers, the potential relative cost may be greater than that of a single-band reference modem.

[0063] There can be multiple embodiments, including a first embodiment in the case of a single frequency band and a second embodiment in the case of multiple frequency bands. To use the duplexer more effectively, the shared corresponding UE capabilities support duplexer sharing within a single frequency band or multiple frequency bands for sub-band full duplex (SBFD). For SBFD in a TDD carrier supported by the base station, the UE can still behave as TDD or HD-FDD, and the UE may not require a duplexer.

[0064] In the first embodiment, where the UE supports SBFD in a TDD carrier, a duplexer can be shared between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. For example, during the duration of the sub-band part or SBFD symbols, the duplexer can be used as an FDD for the DL sub-band and UL sub-band. During other duration parts or non-SBFD symbols, the duplexer can be used as a switch for traditional TDD for D / U (downlink / uplink) switching.

[0065] In the second embodiment, where multiple frequency bands are used for inter-band CA, with one or more frequency bands configured / supporting SBFD, and with corresponding UE capabilities, duplexer sharing between the frequency bands is supported. Figure 6 An embodiment of sub-band full duplex (SBFD) on two frequency bands is shown. This can include complementary SBFD on two frequency bands, where a duplexer can be shared. For example, for SBFD symbols in a carrier on one frequency band or the duration of the complementary SBFD configured with a UL sub-band, which does not overlap in the time domain with SBFD symbols in another carrier on another frequency band or the duration of the complementary SBFD configured with a UL sub-band, there can be a switch for each TDD carrier / frequency band, and a duplexer shares the SBFD symbol duration between two frequency bands, where these two frequency bands have complementary SBFD symbols on these two frequency bands.

[0066] In the duplexer sharing embodiment, when the UE supports one carrier on one frequency band of SBFD or multiple carriers on multiple frequency bands, the duplexer can be shared between sub-bands or multiple frequency bands with corresponding UE capabilities. If a layer, or a carrier or a frequency band does not operate at a certain time or during a certain period / duration, UE capabilities are not wasted.

[0067] PDCCH Monitoring Sharing

[0068] The previous embodiments include an RF part, while the next two embodiments (PDCCH monitoring sharing and PUSCH processing sharing) include a baseband part. For a UE, the cost of downlink (DL) control processing and decoding may be approximately 5% of the baseband part. For a UE, the cost ratio of RF to baseband may be 40:60 or 50:50. DL control processing and decoding may include physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate monitoring and decoding. Without CA expansion, the PDCCH monitoring capability may be limited per carrier or per cell, or with CA expansion, the PDCCH monitoring capability can be further combined with the limitation per sub-carrier spacing. As more carriers are configured / supported, the cost of DL control processing and decoding for a multi-carrier or multi-band device may be greater than that of a single-carrier or single-band reference modem.

[0069] To use DL control processing and decoding more efficiently, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring capability sharing within multiple carriers / cells / bands is supported when there is a corresponding UE capability.

[0070] Without CA expansion, the PDCCH monitoring capability may be limited by the blind decode / control channel element (BD / CCE) budget per carrier / cell. Table 1 shows the maximum number of PDCCH candidates monitored per time slot for a DL BWP with SCS configured as μ ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3} for a single serving cell And Table 2 shows the maximum number of non-overlapping CCEs per time slot for a DL BWP with SCS configured as μ ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3} for a single serving cell where μ ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3} corresponds to 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, and 120 kHz respectively.

[0071]

[0072] Table 1: Maximum blind decoding (BD) per cell per time slot

[0073]

[0074] Table 2 Maximum non-overlapping control channel elements (CCE) per cell per time slot

[0075] With CA expansion, the PDCCH monitoring capability may be limited by the BD / CCE budget per carrier / cell and per sub-carrier spacing (SCS). If the UE is configured with a DL BWP having an SCS configuration of μ a downlink cell, wherein the DL bandwidth part (BWP) of the active cell is the active DL BWP of the active cell, and the DL BWP of the deactivated cell is the DL BWP with the index provided by the firstActiveDownlinkBWP-Id (first active downlink BWP-Id) of the deactivated cell, then the UE does not need to monitor more than on the (one or more) active DL BWPs of the (one or more) scheduled cells in the downlink cells per time slot PDCCH candidates or more than non-overlapping CCEs, wherein is the value reported by the UE.

[0076] Per serving cell, there can be a DCI size budget for the UE. It is not expected that the UE processes a total number of different DCI sizes configured for monitoring for this cell exceeding 4; or the total number of different DCI sizes with C-RNTI configured for monitoring for this cell exceeding 3.

[0077] There can be three embodiments (described below) for how to use the PDCCH monitoring capabilities shared among multiple carriers. At least one of the following embodiments can support the sharing of PDCCH monitoring capabilities within multiple carriers: 1) When the scheduled cell is configured with more than one scheduling cell, the BD / CCE is shared within more than one scheduling cell of one scheduled cell; 2) When more than one scheduled cell is configured with the same scheduling cell, regardless of the per-cell limit, the BD / CCE is shared within the one scheduling cell of more than one scheduled cell; and 3) The BD / CCE is shared within more than one carrier / cell, regardless of whether the cell is configured as a scheduling cell or a scheduled cell.

[0078] In the first embodiment, when the scheduled cell is configured with more than one scheduling cell, the BD / CCE is shared within more than one scheduling cell of a scheduled cell. Soft splitting within multiple scheduling cells of the same scheduled cell is supported if the UE capabilities are available. Optionally, if the total BD / CCE is determined by one of the multiple scheduling cells, the budget of the soft-split BD / CCE will be used per time slot of the scheduling cell and shared for each scheduling cell. For example, if the scheduled cell is configured with three scheduling cells with SCS = 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 30 kHz, and the total BD / CCE is determined by a scheduling cell with SCS = 30 kHz, there are 36 BD per 30Khz time slot, and the 36 BD can be shared and used within the three scheduling cells of the scheduled cell without exceeding the total BD / CCE after adding up the candidates of all scheduling cells. Whether one or two scheduling cells are deactivated or in a dormant state, the total BD / CCE of the scheduled cell can be used by at least one scheduling cell.

[0079] Optionally, if the total BD / CCE is determined by more than one of the multiple scheduling cells through a function of more than one scheduling cell (e.g., weighted average of each scheduling cell with different SCS), the budget of the soft-split BD / CCE can be used per time slot of a scheduling cell with the minimum SCS and shared for each scheduling cell. For example, if the scheduled cell is configured with three scheduling cells with SCS = 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 30 kHz, and the total BD / CCE is determined by two scheduling cells with SCS = 15 kHz, 30 kHz with weights of 0.5 and 0.5 respectively, there are (0.5 * 44 + 0.5 * 36 * 2) = 58 BD per 15Khz time slot. These 58 BD can be shared and used within the three scheduling cells of the scheduled cell without exceeding the total BD / CCE after adding up the candidates of all scheduling cells. Whether one or two scheduling cells are deactivated or in a dormant state, the total BD / CCE of the scheduled cell can be used by at least one scheduling cell.

[0080] In the second embodiment, when more than one scheduled cell is configured with the same scheduling cell, the BD / CCE can be shared within one scheduling cell of more than one scheduled cell, regardless of the per-cell limit. Soft segmentation within multiple scheduled cells of the same scheduling cell is supported in the case of UE capabilities. For example, if three scheduled cells are configured with the same scheduling cell with an SCS = 30 kHz, and the total BD / CCE is determined to be three times that of the scheduling cell with an SCS = 30 kHz, that is, there are 3 * 36 = 108 BD per 30 KHz time slot, then these 108 BD are shared for the three scheduled cells of the scheduled cell, without exceeding the total BD / CCE after the candidates of all scheduled cells are added together. Whether one or two scheduled cells are deactivated or in a dormant state, the total BD / CCE of all three scheduled cells can be used for at least one scheduled cell. For example, in this example, if two of the three carriers / cells are deactivated or in a dormant state, the BD / CCE of the third cell can be at most 108 BD.

[0081] In the third embodiment, whether the cell is configured as a scheduling cell or a scheduled cell, BD / CCE is shared within more than one carrier / cell. With UE capabilities, soft splitting within multiple cells is supported. For example, if K cells are configured for the UE, K = 1, 2, 3, 4, ..., without CA extension and with the same SCS for each cell, the total BD / CCE for multiple cells is defined as K*Mmax, without being limited by Mmax per cell. Optionally, in the case of BD / CCE sharing, there may be more than one threshold for candidate discard on the Pcell. When it is not necessary to monitor the PDCCH of at least one SCell, in the case where BD / CCE sharing is not supported, one threshold can be used as a traditional threshold, while in the case where BD / CCE sharing is supported, one or more other thresholds can be used. When at least one SCell is deactivated or in a dormant state, or there is no monitoring opportunity within a time slot or a span, the threshold for candidate discard of the PCell is greater than the traditional BD / CCE budget per PCell. For example, the PCell and one SCell are configured / reported to support BD / CCE sharing, including at most N1 BD / CCE for the PCell and at most N2 BD / CCE for the SCell. At most N1+N2 BD / CCE can be shared for the two cells. In one time slot, the UE needs to perform PDCCH monitoring for both the PCell and the SCell, and the threshold for candidate discard on the PCell is N1; while in another time slot, the UE only needs to perform PDCCH monitoring for the PCell, and the threshold for candidate discard on the PCell is N1+N2. Candidate discard is performed based on the UE specific search space (USS) level or candidate level, or based on the USS or candidate index for discarding in descending order, or based on the USS or candidate index for monitoring PDCCH candidates in ascending order.

[0082] In the PDCCH monitoring sharing embodiment, when the UE supports multiple carriers / cells / bands, with the corresponding UE capabilities, the control channel monitoring capabilities can be shared within multiple carriers / cells / bands. If one layer or one carrier or one band does not operate at a certain time or within a certain period / duration, the UE capabilities will not be wasted.

[0083] PUSCH Processing Sharing

[0084] For a UE, the uplink (UL) processing block may be approximately 5% to 10% of the cost of the baseband part, and for a UE, the cost ratio of RF to baseband may be 40:60 or 50:50. In some embodiments, the UL processing block may be used for PUSCH processing. PUSCH processing may be restricted per time slot / sub-slot, per carrier / cell. For any HARQ process ID(s) in a given scheduled cell, it may not be desirable for the UE to transmit a PUSCH that overlaps in time with another PUSCH. In the case of configuring / supporting more carriers / cells, for a multi-carrier or multi-band device, the cost of the UL processing block may be greater than that of a hypothetical single-carrier or single-band reference modem. To use the UL processing block more efficiently, the UL channel processing capability may be shared within multiple carriers / cells / bands as part of the corresponding UE capability.

[0085] In some embodiments, when CA is supported / configured for a UE, and given the UE capabilities, at least two PUSCHs frequency-division multiplexed (FDMed) on one carrier / cell / band are supported. For example, for a 2Tx UE supporting / configured with CA, and for each carrier on one band within a band pair or band combination, for two FDMed PUSCHs that overlap in the time domain but not in the frequency domain, each PUSCH of 1Tx can be supported by sharing the CA capability of PUSCH 1Tx on band A + PUSCH 1Tx on band B for simultaneous transmission.

[0086] In some embodiments, for two FDMed PUSCHs, they may be scheduled by two DCIs or one DCI. For two-DCI scheduling, each PUSCH may be independently scheduled by one DCI with a continuous frequency-domain resource allocation and given the additional UE capabilities of the baseband and RF to support FDMed PUSCH transmission. For one-DCI scheduling, each PUSCH may be determined by one of two clusters of frequency-domain resource allocations, or by one of two fields of the frequency-domain resource allocation. Optionally, there may be two time-domain resource allocations for each PUSCH within the joint TDRA table.

[0087] In some embodiments, when supporting shared UL channel processing capabilities, for FDD / TDD scheduled CCs (Component Carriers), X unicast DCI scheduled ULs are supported per scheduled CC time slot per scheduled CC. X is greater than the value for one carrier in the case of not supporting shared UL channel processing capabilities.

[0088] In some embodiments, it is based at least on a DCI scheduling situation. When two FDMed PUSCHs partially overlap in the time domain, there is no collision without frequency hopping, as Figure 7a shown. To avoid frequency hopping collisions as Figure 7b shown, frequency hopping can be supported by independent indication / joint indication of frequency hopping for each cluster / PUSCH in a single DCI (optionally, combined with an independent RB_offset (RB offset) list configured for the second cluster / PUSCH or each cluster / PUSCH). Figure 7a An embodiment of an FDMed physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) without frequency hopping is shown. Figure 7b An embodiment of an FDMed PUSCH with frequency hopping is shown. Frequency hopping collisions are as Figure 7b shown.

[0089] In some embodiments, it is not desired that the UE transmits a third PUSCH / PUCCH that overlaps in time with a second PUSCH, where the second PUSCH already overlaps with a first PUSCH. As Figure 7a shown, it is not desired to schedule / transmit PUSCH 3. In some embodiments, regardless of the number of PUSCHs overlapping in the time domain and / or frequency domain, with the UE's supported shared UL channel processing capability, each 1Tx can be used for one PUSCH processing line. If a PUSCH overlaps with two TDMd PUSCHs, the UE can process these three PUSCHs. As Figure 7c shown, PUSCH 3 can be scheduled / transmitted. Figure 7c An embodiment of a time slot with more than one overlapping physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is shown. Different from Figure 7a that, more than two PUSCHs are overlapping.

[0090] In some embodiments, with the capability to support FDMed PUSCH transmission, the maximum number of PUSCHs in a time slot / sub - slot is X. With the capability to support TDMd PUSCH transmission, the maximum number of PUSCHs in a time slot is Y. With the capability to support both FDMed PUSCH transmission and TDMd PUSCH transmission, the maximum number of PUSCHs in a time slot is Z, where Z is an integer and can be not less than X, Y, or X + Y, or not greater than X, Y, or X * Y.

[0091] In some embodiments, PUSCH can be used for the above examples, or PUSCH can be replaced by PUCCH.

[0092] In some embodiments, when a UE with corresponding UE capabilities supports FDMed PUSCH and PUCCH, the UE may transmit PUSCH and PUCCH simultaneously on a carrier. Optionally, when the UE reports support, PUSCH and PUCCH may be transmitted simultaneously, and the base station may configure Example 1 or Example 2 through RRC parameters. Among them, Example 1 is that PUSCH and PUCCH are transmitted simultaneously, and Example 2 is that UCI is multiplexed with PUSCH, but the limitation is that PUCCH and PUSCH cannot be transmitted simultaneously on the carrier. When the base station configures Example 1, PUCCH may be transmitted simultaneously with PUSCH, whether it is a single transmission or a repeated transmission. When the base station configures Example 2, PUCCH cannot be transmitted simultaneously with PUSCH, but UCI will be multiplexed on PUSCH.

[0093] Optionally, when the UE reports support, PUSCH and PUCCH may be transmitted simultaneously, and the base station may configure both Example 1 and Example 2 through RRC parameters. Among them, Example 1 is that PUSCH and PUCCH may be transmitted simultaneously, and Example 2 is that UCI is multiplexed with PUSCH. Further, for the scenario where PUCCH and PUSCH are repeatedly overlapped, DCI may be used to indicate whether to use Example 1 or Example 2. When one PUCCH overlaps with one repetition of PUSCH, UCI multiplexing may be used, and when the other PUCCH overlaps with another repetition of the PUSCH, PUCCH and PUSCH transmissions may be used simultaneously. The indication of Example 1 or Example 2 may be included in at least the DL DCI for indicating PUCCH resources, or included in at least the UL DCI for indicating PUSCH transmission.

[0094] In the PUSCH processing sharing embodiment, when a UE supports multiple carriers / cells / bands, with the corresponding UE capabilities, the UL channel processing capabilities may be shared among multiple carriers / cells / bands. If one layer or one carrier or one band does not operate at a certain time or during a certain period / duration, the UE capabilities will not be wasted.

[0095] The systems and processes described above can be encoded in a signal-bearing medium, a computer-readable medium such as a memory, programmed within a device such as one or more integrated circuits, one or more processors, or processed by a controller or computer. The data can be analyzed in a computer system and used to generate a spectrum. If the method is executed by software, the software can be in a memory that is in a storage device, a synchronizer, a communication interface, or a non-volatile or volatile memory that communicates with a transmitter, or is connected through an interface to a storage device, a synchronizer, a communication interface, or a non-volatile or volatile memory that communicates with a transmitter. A circuit or electronic device is designed to send data to another location. The memory can include an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The described logical functions or any system element can be implemented by an optical circuit, a digital circuit, by source code, by an analog circuit, by an analog source such as an analog electrical, audio, or video signal, or a combination thereof. The software can be implemented in any computer-readable medium or signal-bearing medium for use by or in connection with an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. Such systems can include a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or another system that can selectively obtain instructions from an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device that can also execute instructions.

[0096] "Computer-readable medium", "machine-readable medium", "signal-propagating medium", and / or "signal-bearing medium" can include any device that includes, stores, transmits, propagates, or transports software for use by or in connection with an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. Machine-readable medium can optionally be, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. A non-exhaustive list of examples of machine-readable media will include: an electrical connection "electronic device" having one or more wires, a portable disk or optical disk, a volatile memory such as a random access memory "RAM", a read-only memory "ROM", an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, or flash memory), or an optical fiber. Since software can be stored electronically as an image or other format (e.g., by optical scanning), then compiled and / or interpreted or otherwise processed, machine-readable media can also include a tangible medium on which the software is printed. The processed medium can then be stored in a computer and / or machine memory.

[0097] The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structures of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to be a complete description of all elements and features of the devices and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the present disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the present disclosure such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, the illustrations are merely representative and may not be drawn to scale. Some of the ratios within the illustrations may be exaggerated while others may be reduced. Accordingly, the present disclosure and the figures should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0098] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and / or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and are not intended to voluntarily limit the scope of the present application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Additionally, although particular embodiments have been shown and described herein, it should be understood that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the particular embodiments shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing this specification.

[0099] The phrase "coupled with" is defined to mean either directly connected to or indirectly connected through one or more intermediate components. Such intermediate components may include components based on both hardware and software. The arrangement and type of components may be changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims described herein. Additional, different, or fewer components may be provided.

[0100] The subject matter disclosed above should be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the scope of the invention will be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the appended claims and their equivalents and should not be limited or restricted by the foregoing description. Although various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: reporting, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities; and supporting, by the UE, function sharing based on the reported UE capabilities, wherein the function sharing is supported within one or more carriers, cells, or frequency bands.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The function sharing supports at least one antenna for at least two frequency bands.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The at least one antenna on one frequency band in a set of frequency bands can be used for another frequency band in the set of frequency bands.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The at least one antenna for a set of frequency bands can be used for at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The function sharing supports at least one power amplifier (PA) for at least two frequency bands.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, When the at least one PA is shared among multiple frequency bands, the PA of the frequency band with the highest capabilities among the multiple frequency bands is used.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: reporting a duration for PA switching in combination with transmitter (Tx) switching, wherein the duration is applied to both PA switching and Tx switching, or the duration is an additional duration to which PA switching is applied.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein, For frequency bands within a frequency band pair or a frequency band combination, PA sharing or PA switching can support higher power or a higher power level.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The function sharing supports duplexer enhancement within a single frequency band or multiple frequency bands.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The duplexer enhancement within the single frequency band further comprises: sharing a duplexer between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols for a carrier supporting sub-band full duplex (SBFD) on the single frequency band.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The duplexer enhancement within the multiple frequency bands further comprises: sharing a duplexer during the duration of SBFD symbols of the two frequency bands, wherein the SBFD symbols on the two frequency bands are non-overlapping, and the sharing is for at least two carriers supporting SBFD on the two frequency bands.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The function sharing supports enhanced physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring capabilities within multiple cells, wherein the enhanced PDCCH monitoring capabilities include sharing PDCCH candidate blind decoding (BD) or non-overlapping control channel elements (CCE).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, More than one threshold is applied to candidate discarding on a primary cell (PCell).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, When other cells do not share BD / CCE, one of the more than one thresholds is used in a time slot, and when other cells apply shared BD / CCE, a second threshold among the more than one thresholds is used in the time slot.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second threshold is applied when it is not necessary to monitor the PDCCH for at least one secondary cell (SCell).

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The function sharing supports enhanced uplink (UL) channel processing capabilities, wherein it is supported that at least two physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH) overlap in the time domain on a single carrier, or it is supported that PUSCH overlaps with a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in the time domain on a single carrier.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising at least one of the following: Provide a hopping indication for each PUSCH in downlink control information (DCI); and Provide an independent resource block (RB) offset list for overlapping PUSCHs.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein One of two transmission schemes is used according to the DCI indication, and the two transmission schemes include multiplexing uplink control information (UCI) on the PUSCH and simultaneous transmission of the PUSCH and the PUCCH.

19. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein, The processor is configured to read the code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable program medium having code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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