Method and apparatus for capability reporting in mobile communications

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses related to capability reporting in mobile communications are described. The apparatus can determine a capability related to a multi-carrier cell. The capability can include at least one of one or more supportable band combinations, a number of supportable carriers, a number of supportable multiple-input multiple-output layers, and a number of supportable receive diversity within the multi-carrier cell. The apparatus can report the capability to a network node.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This invention is a part of a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 667,270, filed July 3, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically, to capability reporting in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the following claims and are not considered prior art because they are included in this section.

[0005] In mobile communication systems, carrier and cell design aims to optimize spectrum management and network operation, ensuring efficient connectivity. A carrier, a physical layer concept, represents the spectrum range used in the mobile network and serves as the frequency resource for signal transmission. On the other hand, a cell belongs to the control layer and is configured to manage user equipment (UE) connectivity and guide how the carrier is used for data transmission.

[0006] This design offers several advantages, including Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), enabling the coexistence of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and 5th Generation (5G) networks while minimizing spectrum waste. It also ensures network stability in diverse environments, including smart city and Internet of Things (IoT) communications. The hierarchical structure of carriers and cells improves communication quality. Furthermore, this hierarchical structure makes the communication system more flexible and efficient, allowing the network to evolve with technological advancements.

[0007] Therefore, how to further improve the flexibility and efficiency of communication systems based on the hierarchical structure of carriers and cells is an important issue facing newly developed wireless communication networks. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following abstract is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following abstract aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described in this invention. Some embodiments will be further illustrated in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following abstract is not intended to define the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to define the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] One objective of this invention is to propose solutions or strategies for addressing the aforementioned problems related to capability reporting in mobile communications, thereby improving the flexibility and efficiency of communication systems.

[0010] In one aspect, a method may include having an apparatus determine capabilities associated with a multicarrier cell. These capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, and the number of supported receive diversity layers within the multicarrier cell. The method may further include having the apparatus report these capabilities to a network node.

[0011] In one aspect, a method may include receiving information from a device by a network node regarding capabilities associated with a multicarrier cell. The capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported MIMO layers, and the number of supported receive diversity within the multicarrier cell. The method may also include sending a configuration from the network node to the device. The configuration may include information regarding at least one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of MIMO layers, and the number of receive diversity within the multicarrier cell.

[0012] In one aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with at least one network node during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor may perform operations including determining capabilities associated with a multi-carrier cell. These capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, a supported number of carriers, a supported number of MIMO layers, and a supported number of Rx diversity values ​​within the multi-carrier cell. The processor may also perform operations including reporting these capabilities to the network node via the transceiver.

[0013] It is worth noting that although the content described in this invention may be based on certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and 6th Generation (6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this invention is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings are included in this specification to further understand the invention and form part of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the invention.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of multi-carrier cell deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of a receiver architecture is provided to illustrate an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of another receiver architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of capability reporting is provided to illustrate an implementation of the content of this invention.

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an example communication system having an example communication device and an example network device is described for the purpose of implementing the content of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an example process is described to illustrate an implementation of the content of this invention.

[0021] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another example process is described to illustrate an implementation of the content of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claims of this application are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are only for illustrating the claims of this application, and the claims may be implemented in various forms. The content of this invention can take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are intended to make the description of the content of this invention exhaustive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the content of this invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0023] Overview

[0024] According to the present invention, various technologies, methods, schemes, and / or solutions for capability reporting in mobile communications are involved to improve the flexibility and efficiency of communication systems based on a carrier and cell hierarchical structure. According to the present invention, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more possible solutions can be implemented in some combination.

[0025] As mentioned above, mobile communication employs a layered structure of carriers and cells to improve communication quality. The carrier is a physical layer concept, serving as a frequency resource for signal transmission, while the cell belongs to the control layer, responsible for controlling the carrier and managing user equipment (UE) connections. In the 5G network architecture, there is a one-to-one mapping between carriers and cells; each physical carrier is controlled by a single cell to ensure efficient utilization of spectrum resources. This design enhances the precision of network management and improves network performance, resulting in more stable communication.

[0026] The cell is responsible for managing the radio resources of the carrier, including spectrum allocation, power adjustment, interference management, and scheduling strategies. Through the Radio Resource Management (RRM) mechanism, the network can dynamically adjust spectrum usage, such as modifying the carrier's transmit power according to environmental requirements, to ensure optimal coverage in different areas.

[0027] Furthermore, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology allows 5G and LTE to flexibly allocate shared spectrum, preventing inter-network interference. In the DSS architecture, the cell dynamically decides whether to use spectrum for 5G or LTE based on real-time traffic demand. When 5G user traffic is high, the cell allocates more resources to 5G carriers, while when there are still a large number of active LTE devices, the cell adjusts spectrum allocation to maintain balance.

[0028] The community also employs dynamic load balancing technology to manage network traffic distribution, ensuring that carriers are not affected by congestion and thus maintain communication quality. When a carrier is under high traffic load, the community can reallocate user equipment to less congested carriers, keeping the network experience smooth.

[0029] Beamforming and massive MIMO technologies further enhance a cell's ability to manage carrier resources and refine the precision of carrier management. Cells can dynamically adjust the direction of radio signals through beamforming to ensure carrier coverage matches user needs. Simultaneously, massive MIMO utilizes multiple antennas to improve spectral efficiency, enabling multiple users to access the same carrier without interference.

[0030] In 6G communication, supercarriers (or multi-carrier cells) are introduced to further improve communication efficiency. A multi-carrier cell (i.e., a supercarrier) is defined as a cell that can be associated with one or more downlink / uplink (DL / UL) carriers (i.e., physical carriers). Therefore, in the 6G network architecture, the mapping relationship between carriers and multi-carrier cells (supercarriers) can be many-to-one. It is important to note that in 5G communication, a cell is associated with only one downlink / uplink (physical) carrier.

[0031] Figure 1 An example scenario 100 of multi-carrier cell deployment according to an implementation of the present invention is illustrated. In scenario 100, there may be four multi-carrier cells (i.e., four supercarriers). Multi-carrier cell Cell_1 can be deployed in the Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) sub-3 band. Multi-carrier cell Cell_2 can be deployed in the Time Division Duplex (TDD) sub-6 band. Multi-carrier cell Cell_3 can be deployed in the 5G / 6G unlicensed band. Multi-carrier cell Cell_4 can be deployed in the Millimeter Wave (mmW) band. It should be noted that the frequency ranges in the illustration may not be drawn to scale accurately.

[0032] As mentioned above, the supercarrier design allows multiple carriers to be mapped to a single cell (i.e., a multi-carrier cell), which differs from the way a single carrier is mapped to a single cell in the 5G network architecture. For example, multi-carrier cell Cell_4 can be associated with eight carriers (such as C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8), and multi-carrier cell Cell_2 can be associated with three carriers (such as C9, C10, and C11). Therefore, eight carriers are mapped to multi-carrier cell Cell_4, and three carriers are mapped to multi-carrier cell Cell_2.

[0033] Multi-carrier cells are designed to simplify carrier control procedures and aggregate a wide spectrum range. Since a multi-carrier cell can be associated with multiple carriers, control signaling and management overhead can be reduced. This reduction is more significant when carriers have the same or similar properties, such as the eight carriers associated with the multi-carrier cell Cell_4. Furthermore, the hierarchical structure of multi-carrier cells also reduces user equipment (UE) complexity and system overhead.

[0034] Figure 2 An example scenario 200 of a receiver architecture according to an implementation of the present invention is shown. In scenario 200, a receive signal processing path Rx_0 is shown. The signal processing path Rx_0 may be part of the UE's Rx link.

[0035] The signal received by the antenna ANT_0 of the device (such as the UE) will be provided to the external low noise amplifier (eLNA) 201 and the internal low noise amplifier (iLNA) 202 for amplification, and then down-converted by the mixer 203, and then provided to the biquad (BQ) filter 204 for channel selection filtering.

[0036] Figure 3 An example scenario 300 of another receiver architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In scenario 300, two Rx signal processing paths, Rx_1 and Rx_2, are shown. The signal received by the user equipment (UE) antenna ANT_1 is provided to eLNA 301 for amplification, and eLNA 301 is shared by the two Rx signal processing paths Rx_1 and Rx_2. The signal processed by eLNA 301 is provided to iLNA 302-1 and iLNA 302-2 for amplification, respectively. iLNA 302-1 and iLNA 302-2 are respectively located on signal processing paths Rx_1 and Rx_2. The signal processed by iLNA 302-1, after frequency down-conversion by mixer 303-1, is provided to BQ filter 304-1 for channel selection filtering. The signal processed by iLNA 302-2 will be down-converted by mixer 303-2 and then provided to BQ filter 304-2 for channel selection filtering.

[0037] In scenario 300, signal processing path Rx_1 can be part of the UE's first Rx link, and signal processing path Rx_2 can be part of the UE's second Rx link. Assuming the receiver architecture in scenario 300 can support X multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers and / or X-Rx diversity, then the receiver architecture in scenario 200 can support (X / 2) MIMO layers and / or (X / 2)-Rx diversity, because scenario 200 has half the number of Rx signal processing paths (half the number of Rx links) compared to scenario 300, where X and (X / 2) are positive integers.

[0038] Since the UE's radio frequency (RF) capabilities and receiver architecture design may determine the supported frequency band combinations, supported carrier combinations, number of MIMO layers, and number of Rx diversity, it is recommended to provide the UE's capability information to network nodes (e.g., base stations (BS)) to facilitate multi-carrier cell (supercarrier) configuration.

[0039] This invention proposes methods and apparatus for capability reporting to facilitate the utilization of multi-carrier cells (i.e., supercarriers, hereinafter referred to as "multi-carrier cells"), thereby improving the flexibility and efficiency of communication systems.

[0040] In some implementations, for a given number of Rx links (e.g., 1 or 2) for a device (e.g., UE), the UE may report the supported frequency band combinations, number of carriers, number of MIMO layers, or number of Rx diversity in a multi-carrier cell.

[0041] Following the report, the UE can receive configuration from the BS regarding the specified operating frequency band or carrier, the number of MIMO layers in the multi-carrier cell, and / or the number of Rx diversity layers. The UE can then allocate baseband and / or RF signal processing resources during the connection period based on the configured quantities in the multi-carrier cell.

[0042] In some implementations, an Rx link may include one or more signal processing resources along the Rx signal processing path. For example, an Rx link may include one or more RF front-end signal processing devices and one or more intermediate frequency (IF) signal processing devices, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The device shown. For example, an Rx link may also include one or more back-end signal processing devices, such as one or more baseband signal processing devices.

[0043] Figure 4An example scenario 400 of capability reporting according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The UE can determine the capabilities (UE capabilities) associated with a multi-carrier cell and report the UE capabilities to the BS. The UE capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported MIMO layers, and the number of supported Rx diversity within the multi-carrier cell.

[0044] For example, suppose the frequency bands indexed #1 and #2 are frequency division duplex (FDD) bands, and the frequency bands indexed #3 and #4 are time division duplex (TDD) bands. The UE can report (#1, #2) as one frequency band combination and (#3, #4) as another frequency band combination to inform the BS which frequency bands can be bundled to form a multi-carrier cell.

[0045] Upon receiving the UE capability report, the BS can determine the configuration of the multi-carrier cell based on the UE's capabilities and send this configuration to the UE. This configuration may include information about at least one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of MIMO layers, and the number of Rx diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell. The specified operating carriers are controlled and managed through the multi-carrier cell.

[0046] The UE can determine one or more signal processing resources based on this configuration. For example, the UE can determine or schedule one or more RF signal processing resources, one or more IF signal processing resources, and / or one or more baseband signal processing resources during connection, based on the number configured within a multi-carrier cell.

[0047] The UE can also report to the BS whether it supports carrier handover (e.g., fast downlink (DL) carrier handover). For example, the UE can report whether it supports fast DL carrier handover via physical layer (Layer 1) signaling or medium access control (MAC) layer (Layer 2) signaling (e.g., via MAC control element (MAC-CE)). Depending on the UE's capabilities, fast DL carrier handover can occur within a multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells.

[0048] For example, the capabilities that the UE reports to the BS may include carrier handover capabilities, and these carrier handover capabilities may indicate whether carrier handover within a multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells is supported.

[0049] The BS can send indications for performing carrier handover (e.g., carrier handover indications) via physical layer signaling or MAC layer signaling, provided that the UE supports carrier handover within or across multiple multi-carrier cells. For example, the BS can use downlink control information (DCI) or MAC-CE to instruct the UE to perform fast DL carrier handover within or across multiple multi-carrier cells, based on the UE capability report. The UE can then perform carrier handover based on the carrier handover indication received from the BS.

[0050] In some implementations, the UE may also report to the BS the number of non-contiguous carriers supported by a single Rx link and their frequency range. For example, the UE may report the number of non-contiguous carriers supported by a single Rx link and their frequency range for each frequency band or combination of frequency bands.

[0051] Following the report, the UE can receive configuration from the BS regarding the number of non-contiguous carriers and their frequency range supported by an Rx link, and can use the Rx link to receive signals on these non-contiguous carriers.

[0052] In some implementations, the UE's ability to report to the BS may include at least one of the number of discontinuous carriers supported by the Rx link and the frequency range of the discontinuous carriers. The UE may receive the Rx link configuration from the BS. This configuration may include information about one or more specified discontinuous carriers and / or one or more specified discontinuous carrier frequency ranges associated with the Rx link.

[0053] Based on this configuration, a user equipment (UE) can receive one or more signals from a base station (BS) on one or more designated non-continuous carriers via a receive link (Rx link).

[0054] The UE can also report permissible degradation values ​​to the BS. These degradation values ​​can be related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the Rx link and can indicate a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation or noise increase, where SNR degradation may occur due to noise increase. For example, a permissible degradation value could be the delta reference-aware ΔR of in-band discontinuous configuration caused by a shared Rx path under FDD. IBNC Or delta reference awareness ΔR caused by in-band discontinuous configuration due to shared Rx paths under TDD. IBNC,TDD The degradation value can vary depending on the UE's capabilities and the number of non-contiguous carriers supported by an Rx link.

[0055] After the report, the BS can adjust its scheduling strategy based on the degradation value, and the UE can also receive one or more signals on multiple discontinuous carriers through the Rx link based on the degradation value.

[0056] For example, during multiple non-contiguous carrier connections, if one or more signal reception paths are shared by an Rx link, the UE may assume that the reported degradation values ​​are used for signal reception on these carriers.

[0057] Regarding operations related to network nodes (e.g., BS), the BS can receive capability information (e.g., UE capability report) from the UE and send configuration to the UE. This capability may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, and the number of supported receive (Rx) diversity within the multi-carrier cell; the configuration may include information about at least one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of MIMO layers, and the number of Rx diversity within the multi-carrier cell.

[0058] The BS can also send an instruction (e.g., a carrier handover instruction) to the UE via physical layer or medium access control (MAC) layer signaling if the UE supports carrier handover within the multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells.

[0059] The BS can also send the configuration of the Rx link to the UE. This configuration may include information about the number of one or more specified non-contiguous carriers associated with the UE's Rx link and / or the frequency range of those one or more specified non-contiguous carriers. The BS may send one or more signals to the UE on one or more specified non-contiguous carriers so that the UE can receive these signals through its Rx link.

[0060] The BS can also receive degradation value reports related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the UE's Rx link. The BS can then transmit one or more signals on the multiple discontinuous carriers based on these degradation values.

[0061] Exemplary Implementation

[0062] Figure 5 An example communication system 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, comprising an example communication device 510 and an example network device 520. The communication device 510 and the network device 520 are capable of performing various functions to realize the capability reporting related schemes, techniques, processes and methods described in the present invention to facilitate the utilization of multi-carrier cells, including the above-described scenarios / schemes and processes 600 and 700 described below.

[0063] The communication device 510 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a UE (User Equipment), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 510 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, digital camera, or computing device (such as a tablet, laptop, or mobile phone). The communication device 510 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) device, such as a non-movable or fixed device, a home device, a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 510 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 510 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 510 may include... Figure 5 The components shown include at least some components, such as processor 512. Communication device 510 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the present invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), and therefore these components... Figure 5 This is not shown in the text and is not described below, in order to simplify and refine the content.

[0064] Network device 520 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a satellite, base station (BS), cell, router, or gateway for a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT network. Alternatively, network device 520 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Network device 520 may include Figure 5 The network device 520 may also include at least some of the components shown, such as processor 522. It may also include one or more other components unrelated to the present invention (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device), and therefore these components are... Figure 5 This is not shown in the text and is not described below, in order to simplify and refine the content.

[0065] In one aspect, processors 512 and 522 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. Even though the present invention uses the singular term "one processor" to refer to processors 512 and 522, in some embodiments of the invention, processors 512 and 522 may comprise multiple processors, while in other embodiments they are a single processor. In another aspect, processors 512 and 522 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) and include, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, these electronic components configured and arranged according to the specific purpose of the invention. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processors 512 and 522 are both dedicated machines specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks according to various embodiments of the invention.

[0066] In some embodiments, the communication device 510 may further include a transceiver 516 connected to the processor 512, capable of wireless data transmission and reception. In some embodiments, the transceiver 516 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of user equipment (UEs) and / or wireless networks using different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to achieve multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, the network device 520 may further include a transceiver 526 connected to the processor 522, capable of wireless data transmission and reception. In some embodiments, the transceiver 526 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of user equipment (UEs) using different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the transceiver 526 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 526 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to enable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication.

[0067] In some embodiments, the communication device 510 may further include a memory 514 coupled to the processor 512, which can access and store data therein. In some embodiments, the network device 520 may further include a memory 524 coupled to the processor 522, which can access and store data therein. Each of the memories 514 and 524 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0068] Each of the communication device 510 and the network device 520 can be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other according to various proposed embodiments of the present invention. For the purpose of illustration and not limitation, the capabilities of the communication device 510 as a user equipment (UE) and the network device 520 as a network node are described below in conjunction with processes 600 and 700.

[0069] Explanatory process

[0070] Figure 6The example illustrates an example flow 600 under an embodiment of the present invention. Flow 600 can be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / solution, whether in part or in whole, including the above description regarding capability reporting in mobile communications to facilitate multi-carrier cell utilization. Flow 600 can represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 510. Flow 600 can include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more blocks 610 and 620. Although represented as discrete blocks, the individual blocks of flow 600 can be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted according to the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of flow 600 can be arranged according to... Figure 6 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 600 can be implemented by communication device 510 or any suitable user equipment (UE) or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and not as a limitation, process 600 is described below in the context of communication device 510 as a user equipment (UE) and network device 520 as a network node (e.g., base station, BS). Process 600 may begin with block 610.

[0071] In block 610, process 600 may involve the processor 512 of communication device 510 determining capabilities associated with a multi-carrier cell. These capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, and the number of supported receive (Rx) diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell. Process 600 may continue from block 610 to block 620.

[0072] In block 620, process 600 may involve processor 512 reporting this capability to network device 520.

[0073] In some implementations, process 600 may also involve processor 512 receiving configuration from network device 520. This configuration may include information about at least one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of MIMO layers, and the number of Rx diversity elements within the multi-carrier cell.

[0074] In some implementations, process 600 may also involve processor 512 determining one or more signal processing resources based on the configuration.

[0075] In some implementations, the capability may also include carrier switching capability, and the carrier switching capability may indicate whether carrier switching within the multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells is supported.

[0076] In some implementations, process 600 may also involve the processor 512 receiving an instruction from the network device 520 to perform the carrier handover via physical layer or medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, when the carrier handover is supported within or across multiple multicarrier cells.

[0077] In some implementations, this capability may also include at least one of the number of discontinuous carriers supported by the Rx link and the frequency range of discontinuous carriers.

[0078] In some implementations, process 600 may also involve processor 512 receiving configuration from network device 520. This configuration may include information regarding the number of one or more specified non-contiguous carriers associated with the Rx link and the frequency range of the one or more specified non-contiguous carriers. Process 600 may also involve processor 512 receiving one or more signals from network device 520 via the Rx link.

[0079] In some implementations, process 600 may also involve processor 512 reporting a degradation value to network device 520. This degradation value is related to signal reception on multiple non-contiguous carriers via an Rx link. Process 600 may also involve processor 512 receiving one or more signals on the multiple non-contiguous carriers via the Rx link based on the degradation value.

[0080] Figure 7 An example flow 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Flow 700 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, including the aforementioned mobile communication-related content regarding capability reporting to facilitate multi-carrier cell utilization. Flow 700 may represent one aspect of the implementation of features of network device 520. Flow 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in blocks 710 and 720. Although shown in discrete block form, the individual blocks of flow 700 may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted according to the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of flow 700 may be arranged according to... Figure 7 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 700 can be implemented by network device 520 or any variant thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 700 is described below with communication device 510 as user equipment (UE) and network device 520 as a network node (e.g., base station (BS)). Process 700 may begin at block 710.

[0081] In block 710, process 700 may involve the processor 522 of network device 520 receiving information from communication device 510 regarding capabilities related to a multi-carrier cell. These capabilities may include at least one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, and the amount of receive (Rx) diversity supported within the multi-carrier cell. Process 700 may continue from block 710 to block 720.

[0082] In block 720, process 700 may involve processor 522 sending configuration to communication device 510. This configuration may include information about at least one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of MIMO layers, and the number of Rx diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell.

[0083] In some implementations, the capability may also include carrier switching capability, and the carrier switching capability may indicate whether the communication device 510 supports carrier switching within or across multiple multicarrier cells.

[0084] In some implementations, process 700 may also involve processor 522 sending an instruction to communication device 510 via physical layer or medium access control (MAC) layer signaling to perform the carrier handover when communication device 510 supports carrier handover within or across multiple multicarrier cells.

[0085] In some implementations, this capability may also include at least one of the number of discontinuous carriers and the frequency range of discontinuous carriers supported by the Rx link of the communication device 510.

[0086] In some implementations, process 700 may also involve processor 522 sending configuration to communication device 510. This configuration may include information about the number of one or more specified non-contiguous carriers associated with the Rx link and the frequency range of the one or more specified non-contiguous carriers. Process 700 may also involve processor 522 sending one or more signals to the communication device on the one or more specified non-contiguous carriers.

[0087] In some embodiments, process 700 may also involve processor 522 receiving a degradation value reported by communication device 510. This degradation value is related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the Rx link of communication device 510. Process 700 may also involve processor 522 transmitting one or more signals on the multiple discontinuous carriers based on the degradation value.

[0088] Additional notes

[0089] The subject matter of this invention sometimes illustrates different components contained in or connected to other different components. It should be understood that such illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same function is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components combined to achieve a specific function in this invention can be considered “associated” to achieve the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components, wirelessly interactive and / or wirelessly interactive components, and logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0090] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this invention, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements can be explicitly listed in this invention.

[0091] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms commonly used in this invention, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open-ended” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and the word “includes” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also further understand that if a particular quantity is introduced in a claim intentionally, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claim; if no such statement is made, then that intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, the appended claims described below may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claim. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as meaning that when the content of the claim is introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an,” any specific claim containing that content is limited to containing only one instance of that content, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an,” for example, “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce the content of the claim. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated quantity. For example, stating "two items" alone, without other modifications, means at least two items, or two or more items. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C," such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C," such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any extractive term and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include the possibility of including only one term, any one term, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0092] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed in this invention are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: The processor of the device determines the capabilities associated with the multicarrier cell, wherein the capabilities include at least one of the following: one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of supported receive diversity within the multicarrier cell; as well as The processor reports this capability to the network nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor receives the configuration from the network node. The configuration includes information about at least one of the following: one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of receive diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: The processor determines one or more signal processing resources based on the configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The capability further includes carrier switching capability, wherein the carrier switching capability indicates whether carrier switching within the multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells is supported.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: When the processor supports carrier handover within or across multiple multicarrier cells, it receives an instruction from the network node via physical layer or medium access control layer signaling to perform the carrier handover.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, This capability further includes the number of multiple non-contiguous carriers supported by the receive link and at least one of the frequency ranges of these multiple non-contiguous carriers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: The processor receives configuration from the network node, wherein the configuration includes information about the number of specified non-contiguous carriers associated with the receive link and at least one of the frequency ranges of one or more specified non-contiguous carriers; as well as The processor receives one or more signals from the network node via the receive link on one or more designated non-contiguous carriers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor reports a degradation value to the network node, wherein the degradation value is related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the receiving link; as well as The processor receives one or more signals on the plurality of discontinuous carriers via the receiving link based on the degradation value.

9. A method comprising: The processor of the network node receives information from the device about capabilities related to a multi-carrier cell, wherein the capabilities include at least one of one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of supported receive diversity within the multi-carrier cell. as well as The processor sends the configuration to the device. The configuration includes information about at least one of the following: one or more specified operating frequency bands, one or more specified operating carriers, the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of receive diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The capability further includes carrier switching capability, wherein the carrier switching capability indicates whether the device supports carrier switching within or across multiple multicarrier cells.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: When the device supports carrier handover within or across multiple multicarrier cells, the processor sends an instruction to the device via physical layer or medium access control layer signaling to perform the carrier handover.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein, This capability further includes at least one of the number of discontinuous carriers and the frequency range of discontinuous carriers supported by the receiving link of the device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The processor sends a configuration to the device, wherein the configuration includes information about the number of one or more designated non-contiguous carriers associated with the receive link and at least one of the frequency ranges of the one or more designated non-contiguous carriers; as well as The processor sends one or more signals to the device on one or more designated discontinuous carriers.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The processor receives a degradation value reported by the device, wherein the degradation value is related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the receiving link of the device; as well as The processor transmits one or more signals on the plurality of discontinuous carriers based on the degradation value.

15. An apparatus comprising: A transceiver that communicates wirelessly with at least one network node during operation; as well as A processor, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, enables the processor to perform the following operations during operation: Determine the capabilities associated with a multi-carrier cell, wherein the capabilities include at least one of the following: one or more supported frequency band combinations, the number of supported carriers, the number of supported multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of supported receive diversity within the multi-carrier cell; as well as The transceiver reports this capability to the network node.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The transceiver receives configuration from the network node, wherein the configuration includes information about at least one of one or more designated operating frequency bands, one or more designated operating carriers, the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers, and the number of receive diversity layers within the multi-carrier cell; as well as This configuration determines one or more signal processing resources.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, The capability further includes carrier switching capability, wherein the carrier switching capability indicates whether carrier switching within the multi-carrier cell or across multiple multi-carrier cells is supported.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, During this operation, the processor further performs the following operations: In cases where the carrier handover is supported within or across multiple multicarrier cells, the transceiver receives an instruction to perform the carrier handover from the network node via physical layer or medium access control layer signaling.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, This capability further includes at least one of the number of non-contiguous carriers supported by the receive link and the frequency range of non-contiguous carriers, and during operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The transceiver receives configuration from the network node, wherein the configuration includes information about the number of one or more designated non-contiguous carriers associated with the receive link and at least one of the frequency ranges of the one or more designated non-contiguous carriers; as well as The transceiver receives one or more signals from the network node via the receive link on one or more designated non-contiguous carriers.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, During this operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The transceiver reports a degradation value to the network node, wherein the degradation value is related to signal reception on multiple discontinuous carriers via the receive link; and The transceiver receives one or more signals on the plurality of discontinuous carriers based on the degradation value.

Images