Apparatus, method, apparatus and computer readable medium for carrier aggregation

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for carrier aggregation are disclosed. An example apparatus for a terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to at least: receive a carrier aggregation configuration comprising at least one component carrier combination; and in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, determining an operating state of a component carrier combination for receiving a configuration from the at least one component carrier combination, where the operating state is used to determine at least one of: a number of active receiving RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for carrier aggregation (CA). BACKGROUND

[0002] CA can include inter-band CA, non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation (NC IB CA), etc. NC IB CA can also be referred to as a segmented carrier. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reception across multiple antennas can be used to receive a segmented carrier. According to requirements on user equipment (UE) receive (RX) antennas or antenna ports, at least 2 RX antennas must be implemented, which can be implemented by a main module and a diversity module. In addition, a UE needs to be equipped with at least two Rx antenna ports in the operating frequency band, but except for frequency bands n7, n38, n41, n48, n77, n78, n79, n104, in which a UE needs to be equipped with at least four Rx antenna ports. For example, in a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G), although the use of 4 RX antennas is only mandatory in certain frequency bands (e.g., n7), the implementation of a UE tends to use 4 RX antennas in all frequency bands except low band (LB). SUMMARY

[0003] The following presents a simplified summary of various example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. Note that this summary is not an extensive overview of the basic elements of each embodiment, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of each embodiment, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of each embodiment, and its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.

[0004] In a first aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus can include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory can store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, can cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus including at least one of: a band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and a plurality of operation states supported by the apparatus, wherein the operation states are associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and receive, from the network node, a transition configuration between the plurality of operation states; wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0005] In a second aspect, an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The apparatus can include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory can store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, can cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a terminal device, a capability of the apparatus including at least one of: a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states supported by the terminal device associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration including a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method performed by an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The method can include transmitting, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus including at least one of: a band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and a plurality of operation states supported by the apparatus associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and receiving, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operation states; wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method performed by an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The method can include receiving, from a terminal device, a capability of the apparatus including at least one of: a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states supported by the terminal device associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration including a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus can include means for transmitting, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus including at least one of: a band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and a plurality of operation states supported by the apparatus associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and means for receiving, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operation states; wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The apparatus can include means for receiving, from a terminal device, a capability of the apparatus, the capability comprising at least one of: a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states supported by the terminal device in association with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas enable a plurality of MIMO layers; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium can include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, can cause the apparatus to at least: transmit, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus comprising at least one of: a band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and a plurality of operation states supported by the apparatus in association with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas enable a plurality of MIMO layers; and receive, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operation states; wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium can include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a network device, can cause the apparatus to at least: receive, from a terminal device, a capability of the apparatus, the capability comprising at least one of: a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states supported by the terminal device in association with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas enable a plurality of MIMO layers; and transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus can include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory can store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, can cause the apparatus at least to receive a carrier aggregation configuration comprising at least one component carrier combination; and in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, determine an operational state for receiving a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operational state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0013] In some embodiments, the operational state is a combination of at least one of: a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0014] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers is more than one; the number of RX chains comprises at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains per MIMO layer; and the analog filter bandwidth comprises: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0015] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier is determined based on reception conditions at the apparatus, worse reception conditions require a greater number of RX chains, and better reception conditions relax the number of RX chains.

[0016] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to deactivate at least one RX chain for the same carrier when the reception conditions are above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0017] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain is used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combinations or increasing segments in a segmented carrier aggregation frequency band of the frequency band combination.

[0018] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to determine to use the component carrier combination configured from a network.

[0019] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to support multiple operational states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combination requirement, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank.

[0020] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to determine the operational state by selecting antennas based on reception quality of the antennas with respect to the configured component carrier combination.

[0021] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to use a second number of active antennas reduced from a first number for each non-contiguous intra-band component carrier, where active antennas of the second number of active antennas are used for one component carrier, and deactivate a third number of antennas of the first number of antennas in excess of the second number of antennas.

[0022] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to use a second number of active receive chains reduced from a first number at each antenna for non-contiguous intra-band component carriers, where the active receive chains at each antenna are used for the component carriers with wider analog filters across the frequency band, and deactivate a third number of receive chains at each antenna in excess of the second number of the first number of receive chains at each antenna.

[0023] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to use a first number of active antennas for component carriers across a frequency band including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where active antennas of the first number of active antennas are used for the component carriers across the first frequency band and the second frequency band with wider analog filters across the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0024] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to use a first number of active antennas for component carriers across a frequency band including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where a second number of active antennas reduced from the first number of active antennas are used for the component carriers across the first frequency band with a wider analog filter across the first frequency band, and a third number of active antennas reduced from the first number of active antennas are used for the component carriers across the second frequency band with a wider analog filter across the second frequency band.

[0025] In some embodiments, the component carriers include component carriers across a third frequency band, and the apparatus is configured to use a fourth number of antennas of the first number of antennas for the component carriers across the third frequency band, where the fourth number of active antennas are used for the component carriers across the third frequency band with a wider analog filter across the third frequency band.

[0026] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to map the antennas to the component carriers based on reception performance.

[0027] In a tenth aspect, a method performed by an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The method can include receiving a carrier aggregation configuration including at least one component carrier combination; and determining, in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, an operational state for receiving a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operational state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0028] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus can include means for receiving a carrier aggregation configuration including at least one component carrier combination; and means for determining, in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, an operational state for receiving a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operational state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0029] In a twelfth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium can include program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, can cause the apparatus to at least: receive a carrier aggregation configuration including at least one component carrier combination; and determine, in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, an operational state for receiving a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operational state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0030] Other features and advantages of various example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, as provided below, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of various example embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] FIG. 1A An example sequence diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 1B An example sequence diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 1C An example sequence diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 2A An example operational state is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 2B An example sequence diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2AExample operating states of corresponding example diagrams.

[0037] FIG. 3A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 3B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A

[0039] FIG. 4A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 4B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A

[0041] FIG. 5A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 5B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A

[0043] FIG. 6A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 6B Example operating state transitions are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 7A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] FIG. 7B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7A

[0047] FIG. 8A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] FIG. 8B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8A

[0049] FIG. 9A Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] FIG. 9B Example operating states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9A

[0051] ​​​​​​FIG. 10A An example operating state is shown according to example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG. 10B An example operating state is shown according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10A An example operating state is shown according to example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG. 11 A flowchart showing an example method 1100 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0054] FIG. 12 A flowchart showing an example method 1200 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] FIG. 13 A flowchart showing an example method 1300 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0056] FIG. 14 A block diagram showing an example apparatus 1400 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0057] FIG. 15 A block diagram showing an example apparatus 1500 for authentication according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0058] FIG. 16 A block diagram showing an example apparatus 1600 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0059] FIG. 17 A block diagram showing an example apparatus 1700 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0060] FIG. 18 A block diagram showing an example apparatus 1800 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0061] Throughout the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals indicate identical or similar elements. Redundant descriptions on the identical elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Some example embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known circuits, techniques and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

[0063] The example embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for supporting segmented carriers and inter-band CA. According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE can switch between multiple operation states, e.g., by changing RX antenna ports, to support segmented carriers and inter-band CA in, e.g., 5G CA, to improve reception conditions and / or increase the number of inter-band and intra-band simultaneous connections. The operation states can include, e.g., hardware states, which can also be referred to as hardware configurations.

[0064] FIG. 1A An example sequence diagram is shown according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a UE 110 can represent any terminal device in a network, and a network device 150 can represent a network serving the UE 110. The network device 150 can function as a network node / base station (BS), such as a next generation NodeB (gNB), etc.

[0065] The UE 110 can transmit information 112 about the capabilities of the UE 110 to the network device 150. In some embodiments, the capabilities of the UE 110 can include at least one of a frequency band combination supported by the UE 110, a segmented carrier supported by the UE 110, and a plurality of operation states associated with MIMO reception across multiple antennas enabling multiple MIMO layers supported by the UE 110.

[0066] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operation states can be a combination of at least one of the following: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth. In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can be more than one, e.g., 2 layers or 4 layers; the number of RX chains can include at least one of the following: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0067] In some embodiments, the UE 110 can be configured to support multiple operation states with the same hardware activation to support different levels of CA based on at least one of the following: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirement; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank. In some embodiments, the network device 150 can configure the UE 110 to support multiple operation states with the same hardware activation to support different levels of CA based on at least one of the following: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirement; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank. The same hardware activation can refer to the same hardware structure. The level of CA can relate to the number of CCs that the UE 110 can support simultaneously, which can include cases of alignment of time periods for CCs and cases of partial overlap of time period for CCs.

[0068] In some embodiments, the capabilities can include a capability of the UE 110 to support one or more operational states associated with MIMO reception across multiple antennas, the antennas enabling multiple MIMO layers. The capabilities can also include a capability of the UE 110 to support a set of configured component carriers (CCs) on one or more frequency bands. In some embodiments, the UE 110 can report the capabilities upon registration with the network device 150. In some embodiments, the UE 110 also reports an interference level, such as an in-gap interference level.

[0069] In some embodiments, the capability of the UE 110 to support one or more operational states can relate to at least one of: a number of active RX antennas of the UE 110 for the configured CCs, whether the UE 110 can deactivate multiple RX antennas for the configured CCs, whether the UE 110 can use the deactivated antennas for other purposes, or whether the UE 110 can use a wider analog filter.

[0070] In some embodiments, the set of configured CCs can be all of the CCs that the UE 110 can support. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the set of configured CCs can be a portion of the CCs that the UE 110 can support. In some embodiments, the set of configured CCs can include multiple combinations of the CCs that the UE 110 can support.

[0071] In some embodiments, the capability of the UE 110 to support CCs can refer to a capability to support CCs configured by the network simultaneously, which can include a case of configuration period alignment for the CCs, and can also include a case of partial overlap of CC configuration periods.

[0072] In some embodiments, the set of configured CCs can include segmented CCs, or discontinuous CCs, and in some embodiments, the set of configured CCs can also include inter-band CCs. The combinations of CCs can include combinations of intra-band CCs and combinations of inter-band CCs.

[0073] In some embodiments, the one or more frequency bands can include at least n7, n25, and n66.

[0074] Upon receiving the information 112 regarding the capabilities of the UE 110, the network device 150 can determine a CA configuration for the UE 110 based on the information 112.

[0075] In some embodiments, the operating state of the UE 110 can be determined by the network. For example, the network device 150 can determine the operating state of the UE 110 under the configured CC combination using at least one of the following conditions: presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combination requirement, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank. The MIMO rank can refer to the number of independent data streams that can be transmitted simultaneously over a MIMO chain. The operating state can also include the purpose of the deactivated RX antennas of the CCs, and the deactivated RX antennas of the CCs can refer to the deactivated RX chains at the antenna module.

[0076] In some embodiments, the network device 150 can transmit to the UE 110 a configuration 140 of transitions between a plurality of operating states, wherein one of the plurality of operating states can be used to determine at least one of the following: number of activated RX antennas or number of RX chains.

[0077] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for the same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the UE 110, wherein a worse reception condition requires a larger number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains. The number of RX chains for the same carrier can be determined by the UE 110 or the network device 150. In some embodiments, the UE 110 can deactivate at least one RX chain for the same carrier when the reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain can be used as a backup RX chain. The deactivation of the at least one RX chain for the same carrier can be determined by the UE 110 or the network device 150. That is, for a CC, if the reception condition is good, then a smaller number (e.g., 2) of RX chains can be sufficient. Conversely, if the reception condition is poor, then more RX chains, e.g., 4 RX chains, can be needed.

[0078] In some embodiments, the at least one backup RX chain can be used for at least one of the following: increasing inter-band combination or increasing segments in a segment carrier aggregation band of a band combination.

[0079] In some embodiments, the network device 150 can transmit to the UE 110 at least a first operating state for at least a first subset of the configured CCs belonging to the set on at least a first band of the one or more bands.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first configuration 152 can be transmitted via a radio resource control (RRC) message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), and upon receiving the first configuration 152, the UE 110 can transmit, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration complete message, to the network device 150.

[0081] The first configuration 152 can correspond to a first operational state and can indicate the UE 110 to transition to or remain in the first operational state. In response to the configured subset of CCs, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the first operational state in operation 114, where a first number of antennas are used for the configured subset of CCs. In a case that the UE 110 is in the first operational state when the first configuration 152 is received, the UE 110 can remain in the first operational state. In a case that the UE 110 is not in the first operational state when the first configuration 152 is received, the UE 110 can transition to the first operational state. When the configured CCs are to be used, the network device 150 can activate the configured CCs via, for example, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC CE), and the UE 110 can transition to the first operational state before, after, or in parallel with the activation of the configured CCs.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first configuration 152 can be included in the configurations 140 for transitions between a plurality of operational states. According to the first configuration 152, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the first operational state. In some embodiments, the first configuration 152 can include a plurality of configured CCs on at least a first frequency band of a frequency band combination, and in the first operational state, for a CC of the plurality of configured CCs, a first number of RX chains can be activated.

[0083] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers includes three component carriers each on three separate frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on each frequency band is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0084] FIG. 2A Example operational states according to example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. FIG. 2B Example operational states with corresponding example diagrams are shown. FIG. 2A Referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B Block A shows an example of downlink (DL) signals input to the antennas of the UE 110, Block B shows an example of the first hardware state of the UE 110, and Block C shows an example of the DL signals processed by the UE 110. And FIG. 2B Further shown is that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, a gNB serving the UE 110, and adjacent channel interference caused by other gNBs. In the present disclosure, the use or deactivation of an LO and / or an RX chain refers to the use or deactivation of the LO and the associated RX chain. In the present disclosure, an RF chain can be used as an RX chain.

[0085] Referring to box A, the configured subset of CCs can include three CCs on three bands, CC_A on band a, CC_b on band b, and CC_c on band c with adjacent channel interference. In some embodiments, band a, band b, and band c can be, for example, n25, n66, and n7, and band a, band b, and band c can have any mapping relationship with n25, n66, and n7.

[0086] The UE 110 can use 4 MIMO layers, and the antenna modules of the UE 110 can include a main module and three diversity modules. The main module can be, for example, a front-end module, and the three diversity modules can be denoted as diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3. The diversity modules can also be referred to as diversity / MIMO modules. Each module can use one or more local oscillators (LOs), and in this case, the three LOs are denoted as LOl, LO2, and LO3.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B The UE 110 uses four antennas for the subset of configured CCs, i.e., a first number = 4. In some embodiments, the first number can be the total number of antennas of the UE 110, and in this case, the UE 110 uses all antennas for the subset of configured CCs. In some embodiments, the first number can be less than the total number, and in this case, the UE 110 uses a portion of the antennas for the subset of configured CCs.

[0088] In the example first operational state, the UE 110 uses four antennas for each configured CC. For example, in each of the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3, the UE 110 can use LOl for CC_a, LO2 for CC_b, LO3 for CC_c, and the UE 110 also uses the analog filter shown in the example to suppress adjacent channel and in-band interference. FIG. 3B and FIG. 4A Examples are shown, and example embodiments are not limited to FIG. 2A and 2B For example, the UE 110 can employ other corresponding patterns of LOs and CCs. For example, the UE 110 can use LO2 for CC_a, LOl for CC_b. Or, for example, the UE 100 can use LOl for CC_c, and LO3 for CC_a.

[0089] In the example first operational state, in some embodiments, the MIMO rank can be four for CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c. In some embodiments, in the case that the frequency bands a, b, and c are n25, n66, and n7, the frequency bands a, b, and c can be in any mapping relationship with n25, n66, and n7, and the supported MIMO layers for the frequency bands can be represented as, for example, CA_n7A-n25A-n66A = 4+4+4.

[0090] The UE 110 can measure the quality, etc. of CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c, and report the measured quality and a rank indicator (RI) to the network device 150, which can suggest the number of MIMO layers (or MIMO rank) that the UE 110 can support based on the current channel conditions.

[0091] In certain cases, for example, the measured quality of the CCs is good, and / or the network device 150 wants to save radio resources on the CCs, the network device 150 can decide to reduce or degrade the MIMO layers for the CCs.

[0092] Referring back to FIG. 2B In some embodiments, the network device 150 can transmit a second configuration 154 to the UE 110, which includes a reduced number of active antennas for the first CC of the subset. In some embodiments, the second configuration 154 can be transmitted via an RRC message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), and upon receiving the second configuration 156, the UE 110 can transmit, for example, an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device 150.

[0093] The second configuration 154 can correspond to a second operational state, and can instruct the UE 110 to transition to or remain in the second operational mode. According to the second configuration 154, in operation 116, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the second operational state, in which the reduced number of active antennas are used for the first CC, and antennas beyond the reduced number of antennas are deactivated. In the case that the UE 110 is in the second operational state when the second configuration 154 is received, the UE 110 can remain in the second operational state. In the case that the UE 110 is not in the second operational state when the second configuration is received, the UE 110 can transition to the second operational mode.

[0094] In some embodiments, the second configuration 154 can be included in the configurations 140 for transitioning between multiple operational states. According to the second configuration 154, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the second operational state. In some embodiments, the second configuration can include multiple configured CCs, and in the second operational state, for a first CC of the multiple configured CCs, a number of RX chains for the first CC can be activated that is reduced from a first number, and a number of RX chains beyond the reduced number can be deactivated.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first component carrier is on a first frequency band, the plurality of configured component carriers are on the first frequency band and two additional frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers is 4 on respective two component carriers configured on the two additional frequency bands; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers is 2 on the first component carrier of the first frequency band; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0096] FIG. 4A Example operational states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A Example operational states are shown with corresponding example diagrams. FIG. 4B Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 1A , block A shows an example of DL signals input into the antennas of the UE 110, block of the UE 110 shows an example of a second hardware state, and block B shows an example of DL signals processed by the UE 110. And FIG. 5A Further shown is that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, and the gNB serving the UE 110 and adjacent channel interference caused by other gNBs.

[0097] Referring to block A, the DL signals can be the same as the DL signals in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5A . The operational structure of the UE 110 itself can be the same as the structure in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B .

[0098] In the example second operational state, assuming the first CC is CC_c, as shown in FIG. 5B , the UE 110 can use four antennas for CC_a and CC_b, and use a reduced number of active antennas, e.g., 2 antennas in the main module and diversity module #2 for CC, and the UE 110 can also use an analog filter with LO3 at the main module and diversity module #2 to suppress adjacent channel and in-band interference. As shown in FIG. 4A , the UE 110 can deactivate antennas beyond the number of the reduced number of antennas, e.g., the antennas in diversity module #1 and diversity module #3, and, for example, can deactivate one RX chain at the diversity module #1, diversity module #3, or refer to it as “release”. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , LOx is shown as deactivated, which can represent any LO other than the LO used at the module supporting the connection with the receive chain. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3BExamples are shown, and example embodiments are not limited to FIG. 4A and 3B For example, a reduced number of LOs can be used for other CCs.

[0099] In an example second operational state, in some embodiments, the MIMO rank can be 2, 4, and 4 for CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c, respectively. In some embodiments, where the frequency bands a, b, and c are n25, n66, and n7, the frequency bands a, b, and c can be in any mapping relationship with n25, n66, and n7, and the supported MIMO layers for each frequency band can be represented as, for example, CA_n7A-n25A-n66A = 4+4+2. The UE 110 has spare RX chains.

[0100] The UE 110 can measure the quality, etc. of CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c, and report the measured quality and RI to the network device 150.

[0101] In some cases, for example, where the measured quality allows for activation of a carrier on an additional frequency band other than the subset, the network device 150 can decide to activate a carrier on the additional frequency band (e.g., n5A).

[0102] Referring back to FIG. 4B In some embodiments, the network device 150 can transmit a third configuration 156 to the UE 110, the third configuration including a second CC on a frequency band other than the previously used subset of frequency bands. In some embodiments, the third configuration 156 can be transmitted via an RRC message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message), and upon receiving the third configuration 156, the UE 110 can transmit, for example, an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device 150.

[0103] The third configuration 156 can correspond to a third operational state, and can indicate the UE 110 to transition to or remain in a third operational mode. In response to the second CC being configured, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the third operational state in operation 118, where the deactivated antennas are used for the second CC. In cases where the UE 110 is in the third operational mode when the third configuration 156 is received, the UE 110 can remain in the third operational mode. In cases where the UE 110 is not in the third operational state when the third configuration 156 is received, the UE 110 can transition to the third operational mode. When the second CC is to be used, the network device 150 can activate the second CC via, for example, a MAC CE, and the UE 110 can transition to the third operational state before, after, or in parallel with the activation of the second CC.

[0104] In some embodiments, the third configuration 156 can be included in the configurations 140 of transitions between the plurality of operational states. According to the third configuration 156, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in a third operational state. In some embodiments, the third configuration 156 can include a second CC on a frequency band other than the previously used frequency band combination, and in the third operational state, the deactivated RX chain can be activated for the second CC.

[0105] In some embodiments, in addition to the three previously used frequency bands of the frequency band combination, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers is on a fourth frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and a first analog filter bandwidth with a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0106] FIG. 5A An example operational state according to example embodiments of the disclosure is shown. FIG. 5B An example operational state with an example diagram corresponding to FIG. 5A is shown. Referring to FIG. 5B and 4B , block A shows an example of DL signals input into the antennas of the UE 110, block of the UE 110 shows an example of the third hardware state, and block B shows the DL signals processed by the UE 110. FIG. 5A Further shown are the LOs associated with the RX chains in the RF transceiver, and the gNB serving the UE 110 and the adjacent channel interference caused by other gNBs.

[0107] Referring to block A, the DL signals in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5A or FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B also include a CC_e on a frequency band d. The frequency band d is a frequency band other than the previously used subset of frequency bands, and the CC_e is a second CC. The operational structure of the UE 110 itself can also be the same as the structure in FIG. 6A , FIG. 6B or 3A, FIG. 6B .

[0108] In the example third operational state, as FIG. 1A and 4BAs shown, for CC_e, UE 110 can use the deactivated antenna, e.g. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B the deactivated antenna in diversity module #1 and diversity module #3, i.e., the RX chain of LO4 at diversity module #1 and diversity module #3. FIG. 6A and 4B Examples are shown, and example embodiments are not limited to FIG. 6B and FIG. 6B For example, if FIG. 6B the RX chain of LO3 at diversity module #1 and diversity module #3 is deactivated in

[0109] In an example third operational state, in some embodiments, the MIMO rank can be two, four, four, and two for CC_e, CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c, respectively. In some embodiments, where frequency band a, frequency band b, frequency band c, and frequency band d are n7, n25, n66, and n5, frequency band a, frequency band b, frequency band c, and frequency band d can be in any mapping relationship with n25, n66, n7, and n5, and the supported MIMO layers for these frequency bands can be represented as, for example, CA_n5A-n7A-n25A-n66A=2+4+4+2. UE 110 spends the spare RX chain on an inter-band CC, i.e., on CC_e. Thus, the deactivated antenna / RX chain can support increased inter-band combinations or more segmented CCs in segmented CA frequency bands.

[0110] UE 110 can measure the quality, etc. of CC_e, CC_a, CC_b, and CC_c, and report the measured quality and RI to network device 150.

[0111] In some cases, network device 150 can decide to add additional carriers for a subset of frequency bands, e.g., add non-contiguous intra-band CCs on a frequency band that already has configured CCs.

[0112] Referring back to FIG. 1B In some embodiments, network device 150 can transmit a fourth configuration 158 to UE 110 including a third CC on the first frequency band. In some embodiments, the fourth configuration 158 can be transmitted via an RRC message, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message, and UE 110, upon receiving the fourth configuration 156, can transmit, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration complete message to network device 150.

[0113] The fourth configuration 158 can correspond to a fourth operational state and can indicate that the UE 110 transitions to or remains in a fourth operational mode. In response to the third CC being configured, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the fourth operational state in operation 122, where the first frequency band used to receive the fourth CC is reconfigured to receive the third CC while also receiving the fourth CC with a wider analog filter that can support non-contiguous intra-band CCs and allow for undiminished passage of in-gap interferers. In a case where the UE 110 is in the fourth operational state when the fourth configuration 158 is received, the UE 110 can remain in the fourth operational state. In a case where the UE 110 is not in the fourth operational state when the fourth configuration 158 is received, the UE 110 can transition to the fourth operational state.

[0114] When the third CC is to be used, the network device 150 can activate the third CC via, for example, a MAC CE, and the UE 110 can transition to the fourth operational state before, after, or in parallel with the activation of the third CC. In some embodiments, the UE 110 can measure in-gap interference and report the measured in-gap interference to the network device 150. In a case where there is no in-gap interference or the in-gap interference is below a threshold on the first frequency band, the network device 150 can activate the third CC because a wider analog filter can be used on the first frequency band.

[0115] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration 158 can be included in the configurations 140 for transitions between multiple operational states. According to the fourth configuration 158, the UE 110 can transition to or remain in the fourth operational state. In some embodiments, the fourth configuration can include the third CC on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth CC can be reconfigured to receive the third CC while also receiving the fourth CC, and a second analog filter with a wider bandwidth can be used on the first frequency band.

[0116] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier are on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth with a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a second analog filter bandwidth with a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first frequency band is n66, the second frequency band is n7, the third frequency band is n25, and / or the fourth frequency band is n5.

[0118] FIG. 1B Example operation states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 2A Example operation states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 2B Example operation states are shown in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B , block A shows an example of DL signals input into the antennas of the UE 110, block of the UE 110 shows an example of the fourth operation state, and block B shows the DL signals processed by the UE 110. And FIG. 4A Further shown is that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with a RX chain, and the gNB serving the UE 110 and the intra-gap interference caused by other gNBs.

[0119] Referring to block A, the DL signals include CC_c on a frequency band c in comparison to the DL signals in FIG. 4B and 4B . On the frequency band c, CC_c has been configured and activated. The frequency band c is the first frequency band, CC_c is the fourth CC, and CC_d is the third CC. The hardware structure of the UE 110 itself can also be the same as the structure in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B , FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B or FIG. 1C and FIG. 1B .

[0120] In the example fourth operation state, as shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 7A , the frequency band c used to receive CC_c is reconfigured to be used to receive CC_d with a wider analog filter, while also receiving CC_c. As shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7A , the RX chain of the antenna in the main module and diversity module #2, e.g., LO3 at the main module and diversity module #2, is used for CC_c and CC_d using a wider analog filter. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B Examples are shown, and example embodiments are not limited to FIG. 7B and 5B . For example, inter-band CCs can be configured and activated on other frequency bands, e.g., frequency band a and / or frequency band b.

[0121] In the example fourth operational state, in some embodiments, the MIMO rank can be two, four, four, two, and two for CC_e, CC_a, CC_b, CC_c, and CC_d, respectively. In some embodiments, in the case that the frequency band a, frequency band b, frequency band c, and frequency band d are n7, n25, n66, and n5, the frequency band a, frequency band b, frequency band c, and frequency band d can be in any mapping relationship with n25, n66, n7, and n5, and the supported MIMO layers for the frequency bands can be represented as, for example, CA_n5A-n7A-n25A-n66(2A1)=2+4+4+2+2, where the syntax n66(2A1) indicates that the non-contiguous in-band CA is received using 1 RX chain (with a wider analog filter). The UE 110 supports the in-band CA on n66 by using a wider analog filter, or what is referred to as a wider channel filter. The UE 110 supports 2+4+4+2+2 layers MIMO by using 12 radio frequency (RF) receive paths.

[0122] The UE 110 can measure the quality, etc., of CC_e, CC_a, CC_b, CC_c, and CC_d, and report the measured quality and RI to the network device 150.

[0123] The network device 150 can send at least one of the first configuration 152, the second configuration 154, the third configuration 156, or the fourth configuration 158 in a single message or in separate messages. For example, the UE 110 can receive the first configuration 152, the second configuration 154, the third configuration 156, or the fourth configuration 158 in one message. Alternatively, for example, the UE 110 can receive the second configuration 154 and the third configuration 156 in one message, and receive the first configuration 152 and / or the fourth configuration 158 in other messages.

[0124] The first, second, third, and fourth configurations, and the first, third, fourth operational states are examples, and other configurations and other operational states can be supported by example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, if the in-gap interference on frequency band a and frequency band b is low enough, then 4-layer MIMO fractional CC can be enabled on frequency band a and frequency band b, for example, on n7 and 25. For example, the CC_e on frequency band d, for example, n5, can be removed, and the CC pair CC_c and CC_d on frequency band c, for example, n66, can be upgraded to 4-layer MIMO, for example, by further using the RX chain of LO3 for CC_c and CC_d in diversity module #1 and diversity module #3.

[0125] In the case that UE 110 has configured a third CC on the first band in operation 120 prior to receiving the fourth configuration 158, the transmission of the fourth configuration 58 can be omitted. In this case, UE 110 can receive the third CC without RRC signaling. For example, in the case that the interference in the gap on the first band is below a threshold, the UE can automatically activate and receive the third CC and transition to or remain in a fourth operational state in which the third CC is received using the first band for receiving the fourth CC with a wider analog filter while also receiving the fourth CC. In this case, UE 110 can report to network device 150 that UE 110 is currently in the fourth operational state. In some embodiments, the first configuration 152 can include a set of configured CCs and a plurality of operational states corresponding to a plurality of combinations of the set of configured CCs. For example, based on the operational capabilities on the hardware of UE 110, network device 150 can include a plurality of possibilities of CC combinations and a plurality of operational states for the plurality of combinations of CCs in the first configuration 152. Thus, other configurations, such as the second configuration 154, the third configuration 156, and the fourth configuration 158 can not be necessary, and UE 110 can automatically activate or deactivate CCs if network device 150 changes the MIMO rank and / or decides whether UE 110 can use a wider analog filter. Thus, in some embodiments, the network can configure a plurality of options that can be active depending on the MIMO and segmented carrier state, meaning that if the network changes the MIMO mode, the attached carriers can automatically become active or be deactivated.

[0126] For example, in some embodiments, in operation 160, network device 150 can determine an operational state from the plurality of operational states for UE 110 to activate or deactivate CCs according to the determined operational state. From the perspective of UE 110, in some embodiments, upon receiving the first configuration 152, in operation 124, UE 110 can activate or deactivate CCs according to an operational state from the plurality of operational states configured from network device 150. In some embodiments, UE 110 can report to network device 150 the activation or deactivation of CCs.

[0127] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, where the first configuration 152 includes a set of configured CCs and a plurality of operational states corresponding to a plurality of combinations of the set of configured CCs, in operation 126, the UE 110 can itself determine from the plurality of combinations an operational state of the plurality of operational states for the combination of configured CCs. In this case, the UE 110 can engage in a trade-off between selection of MIMO layers and selection of CCs to use. For example, in some embodiments, the UE 110 can use at least one of the following conditions to determine the operational state: presence of in-gap interference, inter-band combination requirements, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank. The UE 110 can then transition to or remain in the determined operational state. Exactly which transitions are available can depend on the signaling solution chosen for MIMO and segmented carrier selection.

[0128] In some embodiments, the plurality of operational states in the first configuration 152 can include or involve at least one of the following: different numbers of active antennas for configured CCs, number of deactivated antennas, use of deactivated antennas, or use of wider analog filters.

[0129] Example embodiments can establish the potential to apply wider analog filtering to receive segmented CA and consider supporting only the minimum necessary receiver RX antennas. A UE with the same hardware can transition to more advanced CA configurations that allow much higher throughput to be achieved in segmented spectrum bands such as n7, n25, and n66. The operational states in example embodiments make it clear that the UE can be reconfigured at any time to apply the LO, analog filter, and antenna routing, and that the UE can transition between different receiver performance UE hardware states for supported RX antennas and carrier interference mitigation (width of analog filter).

[0130] In some example embodiments, several CA configurations can have different applicability. Table 1 shows an example of CA configurations in some example embodiments.

[0131] Table 1

[0132]

[0133]

[0134] CA_n7A-n25A-n66A(2A1)4+4+4+4Can achieve the same goal of releasing RX chains as CA_n7A-n25A-n66(2A)4+4+2+2, and using wider analog filters can allow 4 antennas if the interference in the gap is low, which is one way to improve receiver quality. Reducing to two antennas can be resilient to interference in the gap. For example, FIG. 7A andFIG. 7B The configuration supporting the first row of Table 1 is shown.

[0135] FIG. 7A An example of a radio resource management (RRM) state for supporting 4L DL MIMO intra-band non-contiguous CA pair is shown.

[0136] Referring to block D, in this operating state, the UE 110 can operate the 4L DL MIMO intra-band non-contiguous CA pair using an RF configuration that utilizes 8 RX chains. Referring to arrow F, in operating state D, if the in-gap interference is low, the UE 110 can reduce the number of RF chains used to transition to the operating state shown in block E. Referring to block E, in this operating state, each RF chain can be used with a wider analog filter to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous CCs for each MIMO layer, such that the number of RF chains can be reduced to 4. The released RF chains can be used for other purposes. Referring to arrow G, in operating state E, if the in-gap interference increases above a threshold, the UE 110 can transition back to operating state D.

[0137] FIG. 7B Example operating state transitions are shown according to example embodiments of the disclosure. Blocks A to E show example operating states for a pair of CCs, and arrows F to Q show example conditions for performing operating state transitions. In different operating states, or what is referred to as operating configurations, the hardware structure of the UE 110 itself can be the same. For example, the UE 110 can have one main module and three diversity modules, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3, and each module has 2 RX chains. Each segmented CC pair can be controlled individually and can correspond to the possibilities for operating state transitions, so FIG. 7A may be per band map.

[0138] In operating state A, up to 2-layer (2L) MIMO is used. One RX chain is configured with a wider analog filter for the main module and diversity module #1, and each used RX chain is used to receive the pair of CCs. The other RX chains at the main module and diversity module #1 are deactivated. If the measured quality is good enough, but the in-gap interference becomes high in operating state A, referring to arrow O, the UE 110 can transition to operating state B, where no wider analog filter is used, no diversity reception is used, and 2 RX chains are used. If the measured quality is good enough and the in-gap interference becomes low in operating state B, referring to arrow N, the UE 110 can transition to operating state A.

[0139] If in operation state A, the measured quality becomes low and the intra-gap interference becomes high, the UE 110 can transition to operation state C, supporting 2L MIMO, using 2 RX chains for the main module and diversity module #1, and not using a wider analog filter, with reference to arrow M. Each used RX chain is used to receive one CC. If in operation state C, the intra-gap interference becomes low, the UE 110 can transition to operation state A, with reference to arrow L.

[0140] If in operation state B, the measured quality becomes low and the intra-gap interference becomes high, the UE 110 can transition to operation state C, with reference to arrow P. If in operation state C, the measured quality becomes good enough but the intra-gap interference is high, the UE 110 can transition to operation state B, with reference to arrow Q.

[0141] If in operation state C, the UE has more than 2 antennas, the MIMO rank can be increased, the UE 110 can transition to operation state D, with reference to arrow H, where 4 antennas allow up to 4-layer (4L) MIMO. 2 RX chains are used for the main module and three diversity modules, and each RX chain uses a narrow analog filter. A total of 2 RX chains are used across the 4 antennas, and each used RX chain is used to receive one CC. If in operation state D, the MIMO rank is decreased, the UE 110 can transition to operation state C, releasing 2 antennas, with reference to arrow I.

[0142] If in operation state D, the intra-gap interference becomes low, the UE 110 can transition to operation state E, with reference to arrow F, where 4 antennas serve up to 4L MIMO. In operation state E, one RX chain is used for the main module and three diversity modules, with a wider analog filter, and the RX chain is used to receive the pair of CCs. Thus, a total of 1 RX chain is used, and other RX chains can be deactivated and can be used for other purposes. If in operation state E, the intra-gap interference becomes high, the UE 110 can transition to operation state D, with reference to arrow G.

[0143] If in operation state A, where the MIMO rank is up to 2, the MIMO rank is increased, the UE 110 can transition to operation state E, supporting MIMO rank 4, with reference to arrow J. If in operation state E, the MIMO rank is decreased, releasing antennas, the UE 110 can transition to operation state A, with reference to arrow K. In operation state A, more RX chains can be deactivated and can be used for other purposes compared to operation state E, as they are no longer used at the idle antennas.

[0144] Referring back to FIG. 7BIn some embodiments, the configuration 140 of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration for an operational state transition from the fifth operational state to a sixth operational state, and wherein, in response to the in-gap interference being below a threshold, the sixth operational state can have a reduced number of RF chains in the same carrier than the fifth operational state; and the sixth operational state can utilize a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the fifth operational state.

[0145] In this case, in operation 142, the UE 110 can transition from the fifth operational state to the sixth operational state. In the sixth operational state, the UE 110 can utilize the second analog filter to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0146] In some embodiments, the configuration 140 of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration for an operational state transition from the sixth operational state to the fifth operational state in response to the in-gap interference being above a threshold. In this case, in operation 144, the UE 110 can transition from the sixth operational state to the fifth operational state.

[0147] In some embodiments, the fifth operational state includes 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the sixth operational state includes 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0148] In some embodiments, FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B The operational state D in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B The operational state E in

[0149] In some embodiments, the configuration 140 of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration for an operational state transition from the sixth operational state to a seventh operational state, wherein the second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for both the sixth operational state and the seventh operational state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the seventh operational state can be reduced compared to the number of MIMO ranks of the sixth operational state.

[0150] In this case, in operation 146, the UE 110 can transition from the sixth operational state to the seventh operational state. In the seventh operational state, the reduced number of MIMO ranks can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain can be used to at least add inter-band combinations or increase segments in a segmented carrier aggregation frequency band.

[0151] In some embodiments, the configuration 140 of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from the seventh operational state to the sixth operational state. In this case, in operation 148, the UE 110 can transition from the seventh operational state to the sixth operational state.

[0152] In some embodiments, the sixth operational state includes 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth; and the seventh operational state includes 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0153] In some embodiments, FIG. 8A The operational state A in Table 1 can be an example of the seventh operational state, and FIG. 8A The operational state E in Table 1 can be an example of the sixth operational state.

[0154] Table 2 shows different configuration examples for frequency bands (e.g., n7, n25, and n66) of segmented carriers.

[0155] Table 2

[0156]

[0157] FIG. 8B An example sequence diagram is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example sequence shown in FIG. 1 can be performed by the UE 110 and the network equipment 150. The network equipment 150 can function as a radio access network (RAN).

[0158] Referring to FIG. 8B At 1, the UE 110 can transmit UE capability information to the network equipment 150. The UE capability information can include frequency band combinations that the UE 110 can support and segmented carriers that the UE 110 can support on the frequency band combinations.

[0159] At 2, the UE 110 and the network equipment 150 can establish an initial CA configuration. At 3, the network equipment 150 can transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE 110, which can include a configuration of, for example, 3 CCs on n7, n25, and n66, respectively. Then, at 4, the UE 110 can transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network equipment 150.

[0160] At 5, the network equipment 150 can transmit, for example, a MAC CE to the UE 110 to activate the configured CCs. At 6, the CA configuration of the UE 110 can be represented as CA_n7A-n25A-n66A, 4+4+4 layer MIMO, which is the first row of Table 2. The operational state can be FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B the state shown.

[0161] At point 7, as with normal CC configuration, UE 110 can perform measurements such as CC quality. CC measurements can be continuous, as shown at point 8. At point 9, UE 110 can transmit an RI to network device 150 and can indicate to network device 150, for example, that the CC quality is good.

[0162] For example, at point 10, network device 150 may decide to conserve radio resources on a CC (e.g., the CC on n66), thereby degrading the connection to 2L MIMO or diversity. Therefore, at point 11, network device 150 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to UE 110, which includes, for example, the configuration of three CCs on n7, n25, and n66 respectively, wherein n66 is degraded to 2L MIMO. Furthermore, network device 150 may configure a 2L MIMO carrier on frequency band n5A. Then, at point 12, UE 110 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to network device 150.

[0163] At position 13, the CA configuration of UE 110 can be represented as CA_n7A-n25A-n66A, 4+4+2 layer MIMO, which is the second row of Table 2. The operational state can be... FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B The state shown.

[0164] At point 14, UE 110 can perform measurements such as the quality of the CC. For example, if at point 15 the measurement results allow for carrier activation on band n5A, then at point 16, network device 150 can transmit, for example, a MAC CE to UE 110 to activate the configured CC on band n5A. Currently, at point 17, the CA configuration of UE 110 can be represented as CA_n5A-n7A-n25A-n66A, 2+4+4+2 layer MIMO, which is the third row of Table 2. The operational state can be... FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B The status shown. At position 18, UE 110 can perform measurements such as quality on the CC.

[0165] For example, at 19, if the UE capability allows segmented carriers on band n66A, the network device 150 can decide to enable segmented carriers for n66A by adding non-contiguous in-band carriers on top of the CC already configured for band n66A.

[0166] Therefore, at point 20, network device 150 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to UE 110, which includes adding a non-contiguous in-band carrier on frequency band n66A. At point 21, UE 110 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to network device 150.

[0167] At 22, UE 110 can perform measurements on CCs, e.g., perform measurements on the interference on band n66A, and at 23 can transmit a measurement report to network device 150 including the in-gap interferers on band n66A.

[0168] If the in-gap interference on band n66A is low, at 24, network device 150 can transmit a MAC CE to UE 110 to activate the added segmented CC on band n66A. Currently, at 25, the CA configuration of UE 110 can be represented as CA_n5A-n7A-n25A-n66(2A1), 2+4+4+2+2 layer MIMO, which is the fourth row of Table 2. The operational state can be FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B the state shown in FIG. 2, where one RF chain is configured for receiving a wider bandwidth including two segmented CCs on n66A.

[0169] Further, the operation can also continue to enable 4L MIMO segmented carriers on both n7 and 25 if the in-gap interference on those bands allows it. And the operation can also proceed to remove the carrier on n5 band and upgrade the n66 band carrier pair to 4L MIMO again, i.e., the operational state E via operational state D shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B FIG. 2.

[0170] In some embodiments, if additional segmented carriers have been configured, the change to the options supported by the segmented carriers can be done without RRC signaling. In this case, UE 110 can automatically activate and / or receive additional segmented carriers without RRC signaling, and MAC signaling is enough. This means that the RRC reconfiguration at 20 can be avoided, and UE 110 can be the initiator to activate additional segmented carriers at 24.

[0171] In some example embodiments, UE 110 can apply different number of RX antennas to the carrier aggregation combination. UE 110 can send the supported antenna states in the UE capability report at registration, which means the transition between states depends on the radio resource configuration from the network. The network can select between the operational states based on the reported interference level, and the network can reconfigure UE 110 to transition between the operational states for the purpose of determining the number of RX antennas used and the RX chains released.

[0172] FIG. 9A An example sequence diagram is shown that illustrates example embodiments according to the present disclosure. FIG. 9B The example sequence shown in FIG. 2 can be performed by UE 110 and network device 150.

[0173] Reference is made to FIG. 9AIn operation 130, UE 110 can receive a CA configuration including at least one combination of CCs. In some embodiments, the CA configuration can include a plurality of combinations of CCs supported by UE 110.

[0174] In some embodiments, if the network device 150 sends the configured combination of CCs to UE 110 in operation 180, UE 110 can determine to use the configured combination of CCs from the network. The combination of CCs can be configured by network device 150 and / or other network devices.

[0175] In some embodiments, UE 110 can be configured to support multiple operating states of the same hardware activation to support different levels of CA based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirement; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank. The same hardware activation can refer to the same hardware structure. The level of CA can relate to the number of CCs that UE 110 can support at the same time, which can include cases of alignment of time periods for CCs and cases of partial overlap of time periods for CCs.

[0176] In operation 132, in response to receiving the CA configuration, UE 110 can determine an operating state for receiving the configured combination of CCs from at least one combination of CCs in the received CA configuration. In some embodiments, UE 110 can use at least one of the following conditions to determine the operating state of the combination of CCs: presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combination requirement, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank. In some embodiments, the operating state can be used to determine at least one of: number of activated RX antennas or number of RX chains.

[0177] In some embodiments, the operating state can be a combination of at least one of: number of MIMO layers, number of RX chains, and analog filter bandwidth. In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one, such as 2 layers or 4 layers; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0178] In some embodiments, in operation 134, UE 110 can select an antenna based on reception quality of the antenna with respect to the configured combination of CCs and determine the operating state by selecting the antenna. Further, in some embodiments, in operation 136, UE 110 can map the antenna to the CCs based on reception performance.

[0179] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for the same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the UE 110, where poorer reception conditions require a greater number of RX chains, and better reception conditions relax the number of RX chains. That is, for a CC, if reception conditions are good, then a smaller number (e.g., 2 RX chains) can be sufficient. Conversely, if reception conditions are poor, then more RX chains, e.g., 4 RX chains, can be needed.

[0180] In some embodiments, the UE 110 can deactivate at least one RX chain of the same carrier when reception conditions are above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain can be used as a backup RX chain.

[0181] In some embodiments, the at least one backup RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combining or increasing segments in a segmented carrier aggregation band of the inter-band combining.

[0182] In some cases, the UE 110 can determine an operational state to use a second number of active antennas reduced from a first number for respective non-contiguous intra-band CCs, where active antennas of the second number of active antennas are used for one CC, and the UE 110 can deactivate a third number of antennas of the first number of antennas beyond the second number of antennas.

[0183] FIG. 9A Example operational states according to example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. FIG. 9B Example operational states with example diagrams corresponding to FIG. 9B are shown. Referring to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B , block A shows an example of DL signals input to antennas of the UE 110, block of the UE 110 shows an example of an operational state, and block B shows an example of DL signals processed by the UE 110. FIG. 8A Further shown are, in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, and gNBs serving the UE 110 and adjacent channel interference caused by other gNBs.

[0184] Referring to block A, the used CC combination can include non-contiguous intra-band CC_f and CC_g with adjacent channel interference. The frequency band can be, for example, n25.

[0185] The antenna module of the UE 110 can include a main module and three diversity modules. The main module can be, for example, a front-end module, and the three diversity modules can be denoted as diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3. Each module can use two LOs, denoted as LO1 and LO2, respectively.

[0186] The UE 110 can degrade / downsize the MIMO rank supported and antenna usage for CC_f and CC_g from 4 to 2. The operating UE 110 can use two (reduced from four to two) active antennas for CC_f and CC_g, where the active antennas in the second number of active antennas can be used for one CC of CC_f and CC_g. In this case, the first number = 4, and the second number = 2. For example, the UE 110 can use LOl at the main module and diversity module #2 for CC_f, and LO2 at diversity module #1 and diversity module #3 for CC_g, and the UE 110 can also use an analog filter in each active RX chain to suppress adjacent channel interference caused by an in-gap interferer.

[0187] Thus, the UE 110 can select an antenna receive path for a CC based on receive performance (e.g., receiver quality). FIG. 8B and FIG. 9A An example of (1, 2, 1, 2) is shown, which indicates which of LOl and LO2 is selected at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3. If other mapping of antennas to CCs can provide better receiver quality, the UE 110 can map antennas to CCs according to (1, 1, 2, 2), (2, 1, 2, 1), etc., based on receive performance. Antenna selection in example embodiments of the present disclosure can focus on mapping of antennas to CCs.

[0188] In the example operating state shown in FIG. 9B and FIG. 10A In the example operating state shown in FIG. 10B and FIG. 10A The UE 110 can deactivate LOx at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3, as shown in

[0189] In the example operating state shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10BIn the example operating state shown, CC_f and CC_g each use two antenna paths, reducing the number of DL streams from 4 to 2 (MIMO rank from 4 to 2), and the UE 110 can still be compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards that require support for at least two antennas. For frequency bands such as n25 and n66, two receive antennas are required. According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE with more receive antennas than required can reduce the MIMO rank (active antennas) to support segmented CA, and maintain the receive performance of at least two receive antennas, and the deactivated antennas (deactivated RX chains) can be used for other purposes.

[0190] In some embodiments, the UE 110 can determine an operating state to use a second number of active RX chains reduced from a first number for non-contiguous intra-band CCs at respective antennas, where one active RX chain at respective antennas is used for the CCs with wider analog filters over the bandwidth, and the UE 110 can deactivate a third number of RX chains at respective antennas beyond the second number within the first number of RX chains at respective antennas.

[0191] FIG. 10B An example operating state is shown according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7A An example operating state is shown with an example diagram corresponding to FIG. 7B Referring to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B , block A shows an example of DL signals input to the antennas of the UE 110, block B of the UE 110 shows an example of the hardware state, and block C shows the DL signals processed by the UE 110. And FIG. 9A Further shown is that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, and the gNB serving the UE 110 and the intra-gap interference caused by other gNBs.

[0192] Referring to block A, the DL signals can be the same as the DL signals in FIG. 9B and FIG. 10A The hardware structure of the UE 110 itself can be the same as in FIG. 10B and FIG. 9A

[0193] In the example operating state shown in FIG. 9B and FIG. 10A , the UE 110 can use 1 RX chain at respective antennas for CC_f and CC_g, where one active RX chain uses a wider analog filter over the frequency band, LO1 is used at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3 for CC_f, CC_g. In this case, the first number = 2, and the second number = 1.

[0194] ​Similar to the example embodiments described with respect to FIG. 10B and FIG. 10A The UE 110 can map antennas to CCs based on reception performance. For example, the UE 110 can select LO2 instead of LOl for CC_f and CC_g at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and / or diversity module #3, and LOl can be used for other purposes.

[0195] In the example operating state shown in FIG. 10B and FIG. 7A The UE 110 can deactivate the RX chain of LOx at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3. LOx can represent any LO other than LOl used at the module. Thus, when the UE 110 utilizes a wider analog filter to use one RX chain for receiving the segmented carriers, 1 RX chain can be deactivated for other purposes. In this case, the third number = 1.

[0196] In some embodiments, the UE 110 can determine an operating state for CCs using a first number of active antennas on frequency bands including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where an active antenna of the first number of active antennas is utilized for CCs on the first frequency band and the second frequency band with a wider analog filter on the first frequency band and the first frequency band.

[0197] FIG. 7B An example operating state is shown in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 10A An example operating state is shown with a corresponding example diagram. Referring to FIG. 10B and FIG. 11 and FIG. 11 Block A shows an example of DL signals input into the antennas of the UE 110, block of the UE 110 shows an example of an operating state, and block B shows an example of DL signals processed by the UE 110. FIG. 12 It is further shown that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, and gNBs serving the UE 110 and in-gap interference caused by other gNBs.

[0198] Referring to block A, the DL signals include CC_f and CC_g on frequency band f and CC_h and CC_i on frequency band g. Frequency band f can be a first frequency band, such as n25, and frequency band g can be a second frequency band, such as n66. The network device 150 has segmented CA in both frequency band f and frequency band g, and other BSs can cause in-gap interference in frequency band f and frequency band g. The hardware structure of the UE 110 itself can be the same as in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 or FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 .

[0199] exist FIG. 14 and FIG. 14 In the example operating state shown, the first quantity is equal to four, and wider analog filters on bands f and g are used to assign each of the four active antennas to CC_f and CC_g on band f, and CC_h and CC_i on band g. FIG. 15 and FIG. 15 The deactivated RX chain in the hardware state shown can be used for CCh_h and CC_i in band g. The RX chain of LO1 uses LO1 for frequency alignment in band f to apply a wider similar filter to CC_f and CC_g in band f, while the RX chain of LO2 uses LO2 for frequency alignment in band g to apply a wider analog filter to CC_h and CC_i in band g.

[0200] Similar to about FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 In the described example embodiment, UE 110 can map the antenna to CC based on reception performance. Those skilled in the art will understand that the RX chain of LO1 can also be used for CC_h and CC_i in band g, and the RX chain of LO2 can also be used for CC_f and CC_g in band f.

[0201] Therefore, the example embodiments of this disclosure can support rank 4DL MIMO on inter-band CA of carriers in discontinuous frequency bands using a wider analog filter, wherein UE 110 can use FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 The operating states shown are designed to support in-band CA with segmented carriers, rather than single-band operation.

[0202] In some embodiments, UE 110 may determine an operating state to use a first number of active antennas for CC in a frequency band including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein a second number (reduced from the first number) of active antennas is used for CC in the first frequency band using a wider analog filter in the first frequency band, and a third number (reduced from the first number) of active antennas is used for CC in the second frequency band using a wider analog filter in the second frequency band.

[0203] FIG. 17 An example operational state according to an example embodiment of this disclosure is shown. FIG. 18 It shows having with FIG. 18 The corresponding example operation state in the example diagram. (Refer to...) ​ and ​ Box A shows an example of a DL signal input to the antenna of UE 110, the box for UE 110 shows an example of an operational state, and box B shows an example of a DL signal processed by UE 110. ​Further shown is that in the RF transceiver, each LO is associated with an RX chain, and the gNB serving the UE 110 and the intra-gap interference caused by other gNBs.

[0204] Referring to box A, the DL signals include at least CC_f and CC_g on frequency band f, and CC_h and CC_i on frequency band g. Frequency band f can be a first frequency band, such as n25, and frequency band g can be a second frequency band, such as n66. There is intra-gap interference in both frequency band f and frequency band g. The hardware structure of the UE 110 can be the same as that in ​ and ​ , ​ and ​ or ​ and ​ .

[0205] In the example operating state shown in ​ and ​ , the two active antennas at the main module and diversity module #2, such as the RX chains of LOl, are utilized for CC_f and CC_g on frequency band f with a wider analog filter on frequency band f, and the two active antennas at diversity module #1 and diversity module #3, such as the RX chains of LO3, are utilized for CC_h and CC_i on frequency band g with a wider analog filter on frequency band g. In this case, the first number = 4, the second number = 2, and the third number = 2.

[0206] Thus, by degrading the MIMO rank for frequency band f and frequency band g from 4 to 2, there are more RX chains available at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3, which in turn allows for higher inter-band CA support.

[0207] In comparison to the example operating state shown in ​ and ​ , the UE 110 reduces the number of antennas available on two frequency bands (frequency band f and frequency band g) in order to make room for even a third frequency band as an inter-band additional carrier. In the example operating state shown in ​ and ​ , the CCs can also include CC_j and CC_k on frequency band h. Frequency band h can be a third frequency band, such as n7. In some embodiments, the UE 110 can use a fourth number of antennas within a first number of antennas for CCs on the third frequency band, where an active antenna of the fourth number of active antennas is utilized for a CC on the third frequency band with a wider analog filter on the third frequency band.

[0208] In the example operating state shown in ​ and ​In the example operating state shown, the four antennas at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and diversity module #3 are used for CC_j and CC_k on band h with a wider analog filter on band h. In this case, the fourth number = 4.

[0209] Similar to the example embodiments described with respect to ​ and ​ , UE 110 can map antennas to CCs based on reception performance. For example, UE 110 can select LO2 instead of LO1 or LO3 at the main module, diversity module #1, diversity module #2, and / or diversity module #3 for band f and band g, LO1 or LO3 can be used for band h. UE 110 can arbitrarily allocate RX chains for inter-band CCs.

[0210] In the case that network device 150 can serve three segmented bands such as band f, band g, and band h shown in, for example, ​ and ​ , UE 110 can still support two CCs in each band using the same 4 antennas as shown in ​ and ​ , ​ and ​ or ​ and ​ . CC_f and CC_g can be received by 2 antennas using wider analog filters, CC_h and CC_i can be received by 2 antennas using wider analog filters, and CC_j and CC_k can be received by 4 antennas using wider analog filters. In the example operating state shown in ​ and ​ , 4 antennas can receive 3 inter-bands, and thus CA combinations can be increased to support NC IB CA for three inter-bands such as n7, n25, and n66.

[0211] In the case that UE 110 maps antennas to CCs based on reception performance, UE 110 can prioritize antenna allocation based on the location of primary carrier components (PCCs) and secondary carrier components (SCCs) and / or throughput at the CCs. UE 110 can convert the supported MIMO layers for bands from CA_n7A-n25A-n66A to CA_n7(2A)-n25(2A)-n 66(2A), which means that DL MIMO rank on two bands (e.g., n25 and n66) can be reduced. UE 110 can declare DL MIMO layers as 4+4+2+2+2+2 = 16.

[0212] The example embodiments can also increase the number of supported segmented component carrier pairs, and thus the number of such state machines supported. Ideally, the RF chain should be able to be mapped to any antenna / frequency band, and thus ​ and ​ The example shown in FIG. 4 can support up to 4 segmented component carrier pairs, each with an RX path.

[0213] The example embodiments of the present disclosure can apply to both co-located and non-co-located cases of inter-band segmented CC pairs.

[0214] The example embodiments of the present disclosure can apply to the case of a smartphone. In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 110 can be a smartphone device.

[0215] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can transition between operating states / configurations including different analog filters to support segmented CA, and can transition between operating states or configurations of different antenna paths / routes.

[0216] Further, according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can compromise MIMO capability for segmented CCs to support more carriers, and can be configured to transition between multiple operating states / configurations of the same hardware structure to support different numbers of configured CCs.

[0217] Further, according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can map RX antennas to CCs based on reception performance, such that the UE can optimize reception conditions according to the priority of the CCs.

[0218] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the network can be aware of the UE’s capability to support multiple operating states, and thus the network can apply and configure inter-band CA based on UE information about operating configurability. Further, according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the network can apply state transitions that can serve UE optimization in terms of carrier configuration across multiple operating bands available to operators holding segmented spectrum.

[0219] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can transition to different operating states / configurations without changing the hardware structure to support more different and much more advanced CA configurations that allow much higher throughput to be achieved in segmented spectrum bands, and the UE can flexibly transition between operating states based on different receiver performance, and balance both the RX antennas used and carrier interference suppression (e.g., by selecting the width of the analog filter).

[0220] According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, if the intra-gap interference is low, using a wider analog filter can allow more antennas (e.g., 4 antennas) to receive more CCs, which can improve the receiver quality of the CCs. On the other hand, if the number of antennas used to receive the CCs is reduced, e.g., from 4 to 2 for CC_f and CC_g in ​ and ​ , such a configuration can be resilient to intra-gap interference, and the deactivated antennas can be used for other purposes.

[0221] According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, using a wider analog filter can also increase the number of supported segmented CC pairs. For example, by using the RX chains of LO2 at diversity module #1 and diversity module #3 for another pair of CCs, ​ and ​ , the operational state shown in

[0222] ​ A flowchart of an example method 1100 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The example method 1100 can be performed by, for example, an apparatus for a terminal device, such as the UE 110 described above.

[0223] Referring to ​ , the example method 1100 can include: an operation 1110 of transmitting, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus, including at least one of: a frequency band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and a plurality of operational states associated with MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas supported by the apparatus, the antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and an operation 1120 of receiving, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operational states; wherein one of the plurality of operational states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0224] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operational states can be a combination of at least one of: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0225] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0226] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the apparatus, where a poorer reception condition can require a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition can relax the number of RX chains.

[0227] In some embodiments, the example method 1100 can include relaxing at least one RX chain of the same carrier when the reception condition is above a threshold, and the relaxed at least one RX chain can be used as a backup RX chain.

[0228] In some embodiments, the at least one backup RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combining or adding segments in a segmented carrier aggregation band of the inter-band combining.

[0229] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a configuration of an operation state transition from one operation state to another operation state, and wherein the another operation state has a reduced number of RF chains in the same carrier than the operation state in response to the in-gap interference being below a threshold; the another operation state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the operation state.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second analog filter having the wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both in-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0231] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a configuration of an operation state transition from the another operation state to the one operation state in response to the in-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0232] In some embodiments, the one operation state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; the another operation state can include 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0233] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a configuration of an operation state transition from one operation state to another operation state, wherein a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for both the one operation state and the another operation state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the another operation state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operation state.

[0234] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the another operation state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combining or add carriers in another segmented carrier aggregation band.

[0235] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration for an operational state transition from the other operational state to the one operational state.

[0236] In some embodiments, the one operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth; the other operational state can include 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0237] In some embodiments, the example method 1100 can include supporting a plurality of operation states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank.

[0238] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a first configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a first operational state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first band of a band combination, and in the first operational state, a first number of RX chains are activated for a component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0239] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers, each on a separate band; the number of MIMO layers on each band is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0240] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a second configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a second operational state, the second configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operational state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier that is reduced from the first number, and a number of RX chains that exceeds the reduced number is deactivated.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first band and two additional bands; the number of MIMO layers on respective two component carriers configured on the two additional bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0242] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a third configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a third operational state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a frequency band other than the combination of the three previously used frequency bands, and in the third operational state, activating a dormant RX chain for the second component carrier.

[0243] In some embodiments, the second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers is on a fourth frequency band other than the combination of the three previously used frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth; on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands, the number of MIMO layers is 4; a first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; on the first component carrier of the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0244] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states includes a fourth configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a fourth operational state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to receive the third component carrier while receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0245] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier are on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands, the number of MIMO layers is 4; a first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0246] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0247] ​A flowchart showing an example method 1200 is shown, according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the example method 1200 can be performed by an apparatus for a network device, such as the network device 150 described above.

[0248] Referring to ​ The example method 1200 can include, at operation 1210, receiving, from a terminal device, a capability of the apparatus, the capability including at least one of: a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states associated with MIMO reception across multiple antennas supported by the terminal device, the antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and at operation 1220, transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration including a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0249] In some embodiments, the one of the plurality of operation states can be a combination of at least one of: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0250] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0251] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on a reception condition at the terminal device, wherein a worse reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0252] In some embodiments, the example method 1200 can include determining to deactivate at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a backup RX chain.

[0253] In some embodiments, the at least one backup RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing an inter-band combination or increasing a segment in a segmented carrier aggregation band of a band combination.

[0254] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a configuration for an operation state transition from one operation state to another operation state, and wherein the another operation state has a reduced number of a number of RF chains in a same carrier than the one operation state in response to an intra-gap interference being below a threshold; the another operation state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the one operation state.

[0255] In some embodiments, a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0256] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the other operating state to the one operating state in response to intra-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0257] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operating state includes 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0258] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from one operating state to another operating state, wherein a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for both the one operating state and the other operating state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the other operating state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operating state.

[0259] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the other operating state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combinations or increase carriers in another segmented carrier aggregation frequency band.

[0260] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the other operating state to the one operating state.

[0261] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operating state includes 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0262] In some embodiments, the example method 1200 can include configuring a terminal device to support a plurality of operating states that are activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: a presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; a number of connectable RX antennas; or an actual MIMO rank.

[0263] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a first configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a first operational state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first frequency band of a frequency band combination, and in the first operational state, a first number of RX chains is activated for a component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0264] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers each on three separate frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on each of the individual frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0265] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a second configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a second operational state, the second configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operational state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier that is reduced from the first number, and a number of RX chains that exceeds the reduced number is deactivated.

[0266] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first frequency band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first frequency band and two additional frequency bands; on the respective two component carriers configured on the two additional frequency bands, the number of MIMO layers is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; on the first component carrier of the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0267] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a third configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a third operational state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a frequency band other than a frequency band combination of three previously used frequency bands, and in the third operational state, the deactivated RX chain is activated for the second component carrier.

[0268] In some embodiments, in addition to the three previously used frequency band combinations, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers can be on a fourth frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and a first analog filter bandwidth with a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0269] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a fourth configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a fourth operational state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to receive the third component carrier while receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter with a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0270] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier can be on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a second analog filter bandwidth with a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0271] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0272] ​ A flow chart showing an example method 1300 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The example method 1300 can be performed by, for example, an apparatus for a terminal device, such as the UE 110 described above.

[0273] Reference is made to ​In some embodiments, the operation state can be a combination of at least one of: a number of multiple-input multiple-outputs, MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0274] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0275] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0276] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the apparatus, where a worse reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0277] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include deactivating at least one RX chain for the same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0278] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combinations or increasing segments in a segment carrier aggregation band of an inter-band combination.

[0279] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include determining to use a component carrier combination configured from a network.

[0280] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include supporting multiple operation states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: a presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combination requirements, a number of connectable receive antennas, or an actual MIMO rank.

[0281] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include determining an operation state by selecting an antenna based on a reception quality of the antenna with respect to a configured component carrier combination.

[0282] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include using a second number of active antennas reduced from a first number for each of the non-contiguous intra-band component carriers, where an active antenna of the second number of active antennas is used for one component carrier; and deactivating a third number of antennas of the first number of antennas in excess of the second number of antennas.

[0283] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include using a second number of active receive chains reduced from a first number at each antenna for the non-contiguous intra-band component carriers, where one active receive chain at the respective antenna utilizes a wider analog filter on the frequency band for the component carrier; and deactivating a third number of receive chains at each antenna in excess of the second number of receive chains of the first number of receive chains at the respective antenna.

[0284] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include using a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a frequency band including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where an active antenna of the first number of active antennas is used for component carriers on the first frequency band and the second frequency band with a wider analog filter on the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0285] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include using a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a frequency band including at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, where a second number of active antennas reduced from the first number is used for component carriers on the first frequency band with a wider analog filter on the first frequency band, and a third number of active antennas reduced from the first number is used for component carriers on the second frequency band with a wider analog filter on the second frequency band.

[0286] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include using a fourth number of antennas of the first number of antennas for component carriers on a third frequency band, where an active antenna of the fourth number of active antennas is used for component carriers on the third frequency band with a wider analog filter on the third frequency band.

[0287] In some embodiments, the example method 1300 can include mapping antennas to component carriers based on receive performance.

[0288] ​ A block diagram showing an example device 1400 is shown, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the device can be at least a portion of an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the examples described above.

[0289] As ​As shown, the example device 1400 can include at least one processor 1410 and at least one memory 1420 that can store instructions 1430. The instructions 1430, when executed by the at least one processor 1410, can cause the device 1400 to perform at least the example method 1100 or the example method 1300 described above.

[0290] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1410 in the example device 1400 can include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor comprising at least one microprocessor, a portion of at least one software processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed to perform particular operations. ​ The at least one other circuit or element not shown in FIG. 14A can be included in the example device 1400.

[0291] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1420 in the example device 1400 can include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as a transitory memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The transitory memory can include, but is not limited to, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a cache, and / or the like. The non-transitory memory can include, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and / or the like. The term “non-transitory” as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal) and not a limitation of the durability of the data stored thereon (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, the at least one memory 1420 can include, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof.

[0292] In addition, in various example embodiments, the example device 1400 can further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and / or the like.

[0293] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1400, including the at least one processor 1410 and the at least one memory 1420, can be coupled together via any suitable connection, including but not limited to a bus, a switch, a wiring, and / or a wireless line, in any suitable manner, such as electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and / or the like.

[0294] It should be understood that the structure of the device on the UE 110 side is not limited to the example device 1400 described above.

[0295] ​ A block diagram showing an example device 1500 for authentication according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the device can be at least a portion of an apparatus for a network device, such as the network device 150 in the example above.

[0296] As shown in FIG. 15, the example device 1500 can include at least one processor 1510 and at least one memory 1520 that can store instructions 1530. The instructions 1530, when executed by the at least one processor 1510, can cause the device 1500 to perform at least the example method 1200 described above. ​

[0297] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1510 in the example device 1500 can include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor that includes at least one microprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor, such as a processor based on, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed. In addition, the at least one processor 1510 can also include at least one other circuit or element not shown in FIG. 15. ​

[0298] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1520 in the example device 1500 can include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as a temporary memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The temporary memory can include, but is not limited to, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a cache, and the like. The non-transitory memory can include, but is not limited to, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and the like. The term "non-transitory" used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on the durability of the data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, the at least memory 1520 can include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatus, or any combination of the above.

[0299] In addition, in various example embodiments, the example device 1500 can also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0300] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 1500 including the at least one processor 1510 and the at least one memory 1520 can be coupled together via any suitable connection, including but not limited to a bus, a switch line, a wiring, and / or a wireless line, for example, in any suitable manner, such as electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

[0301] It should be understood that the structure of the device on the network device 150 side is not limited to the above-described example device 1500.

[0302] ​ ​​A block diagram showing an example device 1600 according to example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The device can be at least part of a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the examples described above, for example.

[0303] As shown, the example device 1600 can include means 1610 for transmitting, to a network node, a capability of the device, the capability comprising at least one of a band combination supported by the device, a segmented carrier supported by the device, and a plurality of operating states associated with MIMO reception across multiple antennas supported by the device, the multiple antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and means 1620 for receiving, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operating states; wherein one of the plurality of operating states is used to determine at least one of a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains. ​

[0304] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operating states can be a combination of at least one of: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0305] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can comprise at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can comprise: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0306] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the device, wherein a poorer reception condition can require a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition can relax the number of RX chains.

[0307] In some embodiments, the device 1600 can include means for relaxing at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the relaxed at least one RX chain can be used as a spare RX chain.

[0308] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing an inter-band combination or increasing a segment in a segmented carrier aggregation band of a band combination.

[0309] In some embodiments, the configuration of a transition between the plurality of operating states can comprise a configuration of an operating state transition from one operating state to another operating state, and wherein in response to intra-gap interference being below a threshold, the another operating state has a reduced number of RF chains in a same carrier than the one operating state; the another operating state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the one operating state. ​

[0310] In some embodiments, a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0311] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from the other operational state to the one operational state in response to intra-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0312] In some embodiments, the one operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0313] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from one operational state to another operational state, wherein a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for both the one operational state and the other operational state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the other operational state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operational state.

[0314] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the other operational state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combinations or increase carriers in another segmented carrier aggregation frequency band.

[0315] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from the other operational state to the one operational state.

[0316] In some embodiments, the one operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operational state can include 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0317] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1600 can include means for supporting a plurality of operational states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank.

[0318] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a first configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a first operational state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first frequency band of a frequency band combination, and in the first operational state, a first number of RX chains is activated for component carriers of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0319] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers each on three separate frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on each of the frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0320] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a second configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a second operational state, the second configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operational state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier that is reduced from the first number, and a number of RX chains that exceeds the reduced number is deactivated.

[0321] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first frequency band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first frequency band and two additional frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers is 4 on respective two component carriers configured on the two additional frequency bands; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers is 2 on the first component carrier of the first frequency band; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0322] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a third configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a third operational state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a frequency band other than a frequency band combination of three previously used frequency bands, and in the third operational state, the deactivated RX chain is activated for the second component carrier.

[0323] In some embodiments, in addition to the combination of frequency bands of the three previously used frequency bands, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers is on a fourth frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0324] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states includes a fourth configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a fourth operational state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to receive the third component carrier while also receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0325] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier are on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; the number of MIMO layers on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the second analog filter bandwidth having the wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0326] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0327] In some example embodiments, examples of the apparatus in example device 1600 can include circuitry. For example, one example of apparatus 1610 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1110 of example method 1100, and one example of apparatus 1620 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1120 of example method 1100.

[0328] The example device 1600 can also include means for performing the example method 1100 via circuitry configured to perform the example method 1100. In some example embodiments, examples of the means can also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0329] ​ A block diagram showing an example device 1700 is shown, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the device can be at least a portion of a network device, such as the network device 150 in the examples described above.

[0330] As ​ shown, the example device 1700 can include means 1710 for receiving, from a terminal device, a capability of the device, the capability including at least one of a band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states associated with MIMO reception across multiple antennas supported by the terminal device, wherein the multiple antennas enable a plurality of MIMO layers; and means 1720 for transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration including a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0331] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operation states can be a combination of at least one of: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0332] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0333] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the terminal device, wherein a worse reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0334] In some embodiments, the device 1700 can include means for determining to deactivate at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0335] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing an inter-band combination or increasing a segment in a segmented carrier aggregation band of a band combination.

[0336] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from one operating state to another operating state, and wherein the another operating state has a reduced number of RF chains in the same carrier than the one operating state in response to in-gap interference being below a threshold; the another operating state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the one operating state.

[0337] In some embodiments, the second analog filter having the wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both in-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0338] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the another operating state to the one operating state in response to in-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0339] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; the another operating state includes 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0340] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from one operating state to another operating state, wherein the second analog filter having the wider bandwidth can be used for both the one operating state and the another operating state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the another operating state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operating state.

[0341] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the another operating state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combinations or increase carriers in another segmented carrier aggregation frequency band.

[0342] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the another operating state to the one operating state.

[0343] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; the another operating stage includes 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0344] In some embodiments, the device 1700 can include means for configuring a terminal device to support multiple operating states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; number of RX antennas that can be connected; or actual MIMO rank.

[0345] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the multiple operating states can include a first configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a first operating state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first band of a band combination, and in the first operating state, a first number of RX chains is activated for a component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0346] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers each on three separate bands; the number of MIMO layers on each band is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0347] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the multiple operating states can include a second configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a second operating state, the second configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operating state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier that is reduced from the first number, and a number of RX chains beyond the reduced number is deactivated.

[0348] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first band and two additional bands; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers configured on the two additional bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0349] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the multiple operating states can include a third configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a third operating state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a band other than a band combination of three previously used bands, and in the third operating state, the deactivated RX chain is activated for the second component carrier.

[0350] In some embodiments, in addition to the combination of the three previously used frequency bands, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers can be on a fourth frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and a first analog filter bandwidth with a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0351] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a fourth configuration for the device to transition to or remain in a fourth operational state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to receive the third component carrier while receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter with a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0352] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier can be on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2, and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a second analog filter bandwidth with a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0353] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0354] In some example embodiments, examples of the means in the example device 1700 can include circuitry. For example, examples of the means 1710 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1210 of the example method 1200, and examples of the means 1720 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1220 of the example method 1200.

[0355] The example device 1700 can also include means for performing the example method 1200, with circuitry configured to perform the example method 1200. In some example embodiments, examples of the means can also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0356] ​ A block diagram showing an example device 1800 is shown, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the device can be at least a portion of a terminal device, such as the UE 110 in the examples described above.

[0357] As ​ shown, the example device 1800 can include means 1810 for receiving a carrier aggregation configuration comprising at least one component carrier combination, and means 1820 for determining, in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, an operational state for receiving a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operational state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0358] In some embodiments, the operational state can be a combination of at least one of: a number of multiple input multiple output, MIMO, layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0359] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can comprise at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can comprise: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0360] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the device, wherein a poorer reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0361] In some embodiments, the device 1800 can include means for deactivating at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0362] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing an inter-band combination or increasing a segment of a segment carrier aggregation frequency band of an intra-band combination.

[0363] In some embodiments, the device 1800 can include means for determining to use a component carrier combination configured from a network.

[0364] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for supporting multiple operating states of the same hardware activation to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combination requirements, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank.

[0365] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for determining an operating state by selecting an antenna based on a receive quality of the antenna relative to a configuration combination of component carriers.

[0366] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for using a second number of active antennas reduced from a first number for each non-contiguous intra-band component carrier, wherein an active antenna of the second number of active antennas is used for one component carrier; and means for deactivating a third number of antennas of the first number of antennas in excess of the second number of antennas.

[0367] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for using a second number of active receive chains reduced from a first number at each antenna for non-contiguous intra-band component carriers, wherein one active receive chain at each antenna is used for the component carrier with a wider analog filter on the band; and deactivating a third number of receive chains in excess of the second number of receive chains at each antenna of a first number of receive chains at each antenna.

[0368] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for using a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a band comprising at least a first band and a second band, wherein an active antenna of the first number of active antennas is used for component carriers on the first band and the second band with wider analog filters on the first band and the second band.

[0369] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for using a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a band comprising at least a first band and a second band, wherein an active antenna of a second number of active antennas reduced from the first number is used for component carriers on the first band with a wider analog filter on the first band, and an active antenna of a third number of active antennas reduced from the first number is used for component carriers on the second band with a wider analog filter on the second band.

[0370] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for using a fourth number of antennas of a first number of antennas for component carriers on a third band, wherein an active antenna of the fourth number of active antennas is used for component carriers on the third band with a wider analog filter on the third band.

[0371] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include means for mapping the antennas to component carriers based on reception performance.

[0372] In some example embodiments, examples of the means in the example apparatus 1800 can include circuitry. For example, an example of the means 1810 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1310 of the example method 1300, and an example of the means 1820 can include circuitry configured to perform operation 1320 of the example process 1300.

[0373] The example apparatus 1800 can also include means having circuitry configured to perform the example method 1300. In some example embodiments, examples of the means can also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0374] Example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, such as the UE 110 in the above examples, can cause the apparatus to at least: send, to a network node, a capability of the apparatus, including at least one of a plurality of operating states associated with a frequency band combination supported by the apparatus, a segmented carrier supported by the apparatus, and MIMO reception across multiple antennas supported by the apparatus, the operating state enabling a plurality of MIMO layers; and receive, from the network node, a configuration of a transition between the plurality of operating states; wherein one of the plurality of operating states is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0375] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operating states can be a combination of at least one of: a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0376] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can be more than one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0377] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the apparatus, wherein a worse reception condition can require a larger number of RX chains, and a better reception condition can relax the number of RX chains.

[0378] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions, which when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: relax at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the relaxed at least one RX chain is used as a backup RX chain.

[0379] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combining or adding a segment in a segmented carrier aggregation band of the inter-band combining.

[0380] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from one operational state to another operational state, and wherein the another operational state has a reduced number of RF chains in a same carrier than the one operational state in response to in-gap interference being below a threshold; the another operational state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the one operational state.

[0381] In some embodiments, the second analog filter having the wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0382] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from the another operational state to the one operational state in response to in-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0383] In some embodiments, the one operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; the another operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0384] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from one operational state to another operational state, wherein a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for the one operational state and the another operational state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the another operational state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operational state.

[0385] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the another operational state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combining or add a carrier in another segmented carrier aggregation band.

[0386] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a configuration of an operational state transition from the another operational state to the one operational state.

[0387] In some embodiments, the one operational state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth; the other operational state can include 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and the second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0388] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to support a plurality of operation states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; number of connectable RX antennas; or actual MIMO rank.

[0389] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a first configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in the first operational state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first band of the band combination, and in the first operational state, a first number of RX chains is activated for component carriers of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0390] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers each on three separate bands; the number of MIMO layers on each band is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0391] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a second configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in the second operational state, the second configuration including the plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operational state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier that is reduced from the first number and a number of RX chains beyond the reduced number is deactivated.

[0392] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first band and two additional bands; the number of MIMO layers on respective two component carriers configured on the two additional bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0393] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states can include a third configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a third operational state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a frequency band other than the frequency band combination of the three previously used frequency bands, and in the third operational state, activating a dormant RX chain for the second component carrier.

[0394] In some embodiments, in addition to the frequency band combination of the three previously used frequency bands, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers is on a fourth frequency band; a number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; a number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth; a number of MIMO layers on respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; a first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; a number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; a number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0395] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operational states includes a fourth configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a fourth operational state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operational state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to be used to receive the third component carrier while receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0396] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier are on the first frequency band; a number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; a number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth; a number of MIMO layers on respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; a first number of activated RX chains is 2 and uses the first analog filter bandwidth having the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth; on respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, a number of MIMO layers is 2; a number of activated RX chains is 1 and uses a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0397] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0398] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable medium comprising program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus for a network device, such as the network device 150 in the above examples, can cause the apparatus to at least: receive, from a terminal device, capabilities of the apparatus, including at least one of a frequency band combination supported by the terminal device, a segmented carrier supported by the terminal device, and a plurality of operation states associated with cross-MIMO reception across a plurality of antennas enabling a plurality of MIMO layers supported by the terminal device; and transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration comprising a transition between the plurality of operation states, wherein one of the plurality of operation states is used to determine at least one of a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0399] In some embodiments, one of the plurality of operation states can be a combination of at least one of a number of MIMO layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0400] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can be more than one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0401] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for a same carrier can be determined based on a reception condition at the terminal device, wherein a worse reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0402] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium can include instructions, which when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: determine to deactivate at least one RX chain for a same carrier when a reception condition is above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0403] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of increasing an inter-band combination or increasing a segment in a segmented carrier aggregation band of a frequency band combination.

[0404] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operation states can include a configuration for an operation state transition from one operation state to another operation state, and wherein the another operation state has a reduced number of RF chains in a same carrier than the operation state in response to an intra-gap interference being below a threshold; the another operation state utilizes a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth than the one operation state.

[0405] In some embodiments, the second analog filter with a wider bandwidth filter can be used to receive both intra-band, non-contiguous component carriers for at least one MIMO layer.

[0406] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the other operating state to the one operating state in response to intra-gap interference being above a threshold.

[0407] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operating state includes 4 MIMO layers, 2 RX chains, and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth.

[0408] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from one operating state to another operating state, wherein a second analog filter having a wider bandwidth can be used for both the one operating state and the other operating state, and wherein a number of MIMO ranks in the other operating state can be reduced compared to a number of MIMO ranks in the one operating state.

[0409] In some embodiments, the reduced number of MIMO ranks in the other operating state can deactivate at least one RF chain, and wherein the deactivated RF chain is used to at least add inter-band combinations or increase carriers in another segmented carrier aggregation frequency band.

[0410] In some embodiments, the configuration of transitions between the plurality of operating states can include a configuration of an operating state transition from the other operating state to the one operating state.

[0411] In some embodiments, the one operating state can include 4 MIMO layers, 1 RX chain, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than a first analog filter bandwidth; and the other operating state includes 2 MIMO layers with diversity, 2 RX chains, and a second analog filter bandwidth having a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth.

[0412] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, can cause the apparatus to configure a terminal device to support a plurality of operating states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: a presence of intra-gap interference; inter-band combination requirements; a number of connectable RX antennas; or an actual MIMO rank.

[0413] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operating states can include a first configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a first operating state, the first configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers on at least a first frequency band of a frequency band combination, and in the first operating state, a first number of RX chains is activated for one of the plurality of configured component carriers.

[0414] In some embodiments, the plurality of configured component carriers can include three component carriers each on three separate frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on each of the individual frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used for each activated RX chain.

[0415] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operating states can include a second configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a second operating state, the second configuration including a plurality of configured component carriers, and in the second operating state, for a first component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers, a reduced number of RX chains is activated for the first component carrier from a first number of RX chains and a number of RX chains beyond the reduced number is deactivated.

[0416] In some embodiments, the first component carrier can be on a first frequency band, the plurality of configured component carriers can be on the first frequency band and two additional frequency bands; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers configured on the two additional frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth having a narrower bandwidth than a second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0417] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operating states can include a third configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a third operating state, the third configuration including a second component carrier on a frequency band other than a frequency band combination of three previously used frequency bands, and in the third operating state, the deactivated RX chain is activated for the second component carrier.

[0418] In some embodiments, in addition to the three previously used frequency band combinations, a second component carrier of the plurality of configured component carriers can be on a fourth frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the second component carrier on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a first analog filter bandwidth with a narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the first component carrier of the first frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0419] In some embodiments, the configuration of the transition between the plurality of operating states can include a fourth configuration for the apparatus to transition to or remain in a fourth operating state, the fourth configuration including a third component carrier on the first frequency band, and in the fourth operating state, the first frequency band that has been configured to receive the fourth component carrier is reconfigured to receive the third component carrier while receiving the fourth component carrier, and a second analog filter with a wider bandwidth is used on the first frequency band.

[0420] In some embodiments, both the third component carrier and the fourth component carrier can be on the first frequency band; the number of MIMO layers on the fourth frequency band is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; the number of MIMO layers on the respective two component carriers of the second and third frequency bands is 4; the first number of activated RX chains is 2 and the first analog filter bandwidth with the narrower bandwidth than the second analog filter bandwidth is used; on the respective one of the third and fourth component carriers on the first frequency band, the number of MIMO layers is 2; the number of activated RX chains is 1 and a second analog filter bandwidth with a wider bandwidth than the first analog filter bandwidth is used.

[0421] In some embodiments, the first frequency band can be n66, the second frequency band can be n7, the third frequency band can be n25, and / or the fourth frequency band can be n5.

[0422] Example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, such as the UE 110 in the above examples, can cause the apparatus to at least: receive a carrier aggregation configuration comprising at least one component carrier combination; and in response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, determine an operating state for a configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination, wherein the operating state is used to determine at least one of: a number of activated RX antennas or a number of RX chains.

[0423] In some embodiments, the operational state can be a combination of at least one of: a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, a number of RX chains, and an analog filter bandwidth.

[0424] In some embodiments, the number of MIMO layers can exceed one; the number of RX chains can include at least one of: 1 RX chain per MIMO layer, 2 RX chains; and the analog filter bandwidth can include: a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, and the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

[0425] In some embodiments, the number of RX chains for the same carrier can be determined based on reception conditions at the apparatus, wherein a poorer reception condition requires a greater number of RX chains, and a better reception condition relaxes the number of RX chains.

[0426] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: deactivate at least one RX chain for the same carrier when reception conditions are above a threshold, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a spare RX chain.

[0427] In some embodiments, the at least one spare RX chain can be used for at least one of: increasing inter-band combining or increasing segments in a segment carrier aggregation band of inter-band combining.

[0428] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: determine to use a component carrier combination configured from a network.

[0429] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: support multiple operational states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of: presence of intra-gap interference, inter-band combining requirement, number of connectable receive antennas, or actual MIMO rank.

[0430] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: determine an operational state by selecting an antenna based on reception quality of the antenna with respect to a configured component carrier combination.

[0431] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: use a second number of active antennas reduced from a first number for each non-contiguous intra-band component carrier, wherein an active antenna of the second number of active antennas is used for one component carrier; and deactivate a third number of antennas of the first number of antennas that exceeds the second number of antennas.

[0432] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: process the intra-discontinuous frequency band component carriers at each antenna using a second number of active receive chains that is reduced from the first number, wherein one active receive chain at each antenna is utilized for a component carrier using a wider analog filter on the frequency band; and deactivate a third number of receive chains that is more than the second number within the first number of receive chains at each antenna.

[0433] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: utilize a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a frequency band that includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein an active antenna of the first number of active antennas is utilized for a component carrier on the first frequency band and the first frequency band using a wider analog filter on the first frequency band.

[0434] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: utilize a first number of active antennas for component carriers on a frequency band that includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein a second number of active antennas that is reduced from the first number is utilized for component carriers on the first frequency band using a wider analog filter on the first frequency band, and a third number of active antennas that is reduced from the first number of active antennas is utilized for component carriers on the second frequency band using a wider analog filter on the second frequency band.

[0435] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: utilize a fourth number of antennas within the first number of antennas for component carriers on a third frequency band, wherein an active antenna of the fourth number of active antennas is utilized for a component carrier on the third frequency band using a wider analog filter on the third frequency band.

[0436] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, can cause the apparatus to: map antennas to component carriers based on receive performance.

[0437] As used herein, "at least one of " and "one or more of " and similar phrases, where a list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or", means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0438] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and application software (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, and devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (also known as a relay node). In the above description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0439] Throughout this application, "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation (such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only); and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable) (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors), software, and any portion of memory, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) hardware circuitry and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof, which requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when the software is not required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies to all or part of the use of the term in this disclosure, including in any claim. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or portions thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware only. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0440] Another example embodiment may involve computer program code or instructions that enable a device to perform at least the methods described above. Another example embodiment may involve a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some example embodiments, such a computer-readable medium may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or devices or any combination thereof.

[0441] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words “comprising,” “including,” and “including” should be interpreted in an inclusive rather than specific or exhaustive sense; that is, in the sense of “including but not limited to.” As is generally used herein, the term “coupled” refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as is generally used herein, the term “connected” refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Furthermore, the words “here,” “above,” “below,” and other words with similar meanings used in this application should refer to the entire application and not any particular part of it. Where the context permits, singular or plural words used in the specification may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The word “or” refers to a list of two or more items, and this word encompasses all of the following interpretations of the word: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0442] Furthermore, the conditional language used herein, such as “may,” “can,” “possibly,” “may,” “for example,” “like,” “e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” etc., unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states, while other embodiments do not. Therefore, such conditional language generally does not imply that features, elements, and / or states are required in any way by one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, or states are included or will be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0443] As used herein, the term “determine / confirm” (and its grammatical variations) can include at least the following: calculation, operation, processing, derivation, measurement, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), confirmation, etc. Furthermore, “determine” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), obtaining, etc. Additionally, “determine / confirm” can include parsing, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0444] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, the apparatuses, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in various other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made to the form of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, although the blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may utilize different components and / or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in various different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of elements and actions of some of the above embodiments may be combined to provide further embodiments. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications falling within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The abbreviations used in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0445] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0446] 5G fifth-generation mobile communication system

[0447] BS base station

[0448] CA carrier aggregation

[0449] CC component carrier

[0450] DL downlink

[0451] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0452] LB bass

[0453] LO local oscillator

[0454] MAC Media Access Control

[0455] MAC CE MAC control element

[0456] MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)

[0457] NC IB CA Carrier Aggregation in Discontinuous Bands

[0458] PCC primary carrier component

[0459] RF (Radio Frequency)

[0460] RI rank indicator

[0461] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0462] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0463] RX Receive

[0464] SCC secondary carrier component

[0465] UE User Equipment

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory that stores instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: Receive a carrier aggregation configuration that includes at least one component carrier combination; and In response to receiving the carrier aggregation configuration, an operating state for receiving the configured component carrier combination from the at least one component carrier combination is determined, wherein the operating state is used to determine at least one of the following: the number of active receive RX antennas or the number of RX chains.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The operating state is a combination of at least one of the following: the number of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO layers, the number of RX chains, and the analog filter bandwidth; And among them, The number of MIMO layers exceeds one; The number of RX chains includes at least one of the following: one RX chain per MIMO layer, two RX chains; and The analog filter bandwidth includes either a first analog filter bandwidth or a second analog filter bandwidth, wherein the first analog bandwidth is narrower than the second analog bandwidth.

3. The apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The number of RX chains for the same carrier is determined based on the reception conditions at the device, wherein poorer reception conditions require a larger number of RX chains, while better reception conditions allow for a more flexible number of RX chains. Furthermore, the device is configured as follows: When the reception condition is higher than a threshold, at least one RX chain of the same carrier is deactivated, and the deactivated at least one RX chain is used as a backup RX chain.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The at least one spare RX chain is used for at least one of the following: increasing inter-band combination or increasing a segment in the segmented carrier aggregation band of the band combination.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The device is configured to: Determine which component carrier combination to use is configured from the network; and Supports multiple operating states activated by the same hardware to support different levels of carrier aggregation based on at least one of the following conditions: the presence of inter-gap interference, inter-band combination requirements, the number of connectable receive antennas, or the actual MIMO rank.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The device is configured to: The operating state is determined by selecting an antenna based on the reception quality of the antenna relative to the configured component carrier combination.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The device is configured to: A second number of active antennas, reduced from a first number, are used for each non-contiguous component carrier within a frequency band, wherein an active antenna in the second number of active antennas is used for one component carrier; and A third number of antennas exceeding the second number of antennas within the first number of antennas are deactivated.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The device is configured to perform at least one of the following: At each antenna, a second number of active receiver chains, reduced from a first number, are used for discontinuous intra-band component carriers, wherein a wider analog filter over the said band is used to allocate the active receiver chains at each antenna for the component carriers; and Within the first number of receiving links at each antenna, more than the second number of receiving links are disabled in the third number of receiving links at each antenna. or A first number of active antennas are used for component carriers in a frequency band that includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein the active antennas of the first number of active antennas are used for the component carriers in the first frequency band and the second frequency band by utilizing a wider analog filter in the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The device is configured to: A first number of active antennas are used for component carriers in a frequency band that includes at least a first frequency band and a second frequency band, wherein a second number of active antennas, reduced from the first number of active antennas, are used for the component carriers in the first frequency band using a wider analog filter on the first frequency band, and a third number of active antennas, reduced from the first number of active antennas, are used for the component carriers in the second frequency band using a wider analog filter on the second frequency band. Furthermore, the component carrier includes a component carrier in a third frequency band, and the device is configured to: A fourth number of antennas from the first number of antennas are used for the component carrier in the third frequency band, wherein a wider analog filter in the third frequency band is used to make the fourth number of active antennas for the component carrier in the third frequency band.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein, The device is configured to: The antenna is mapped to the component carrier based on the receiving performance.

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