User equipment capability information for carrier grouping in dual connectivity

Abstract

To provide an apparatus, a device including a system and a method, and a component for configuring user equipment (UE) for dual connectivity.SOLUTION: In a dual connectivity environment 200, a network node requests UE to indicate its supporting capabilities for dual connectivity. This request can implicitly or explicitly indicate that the UE is to report carrier grouping information. In response, this information is transmitted by the UE, and the network node configures carriers for the UE into a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) on the basis of the reported carrier grouping information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] Fifth generation mobile networks (5G) are wireless standards that aim to improve data transmission speeds, reliability, availability, etc. The standard, which is still under development, includes many details regarding cell reselection. For example, user equipment (UE) may communicate with the network using carriers in different frequency bands, which may belong to different frequency ranges. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0002] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example network environment according to some embodiments.

[0003] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an example of a dual connectivity environment according to some embodiments.

[0004] [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an example of a sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a user equipment (UE) and a network node regarding band combinations, according to some embodiments.

[0005] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an example sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0006] [Figure 5] 10 illustrates another example of a sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0007] [Figure 6]10 illustrates yet another example sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0008] [Figure 7] 10 illustrates a further example of a sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for reporting UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 9] 10 illustrates another example of a sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for reporting UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 10] 10 illustrates yet another example sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for reporting UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 11] 1 illustrates an example of an operational flow / algorithm structure of a network node configuring carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 12] 1 illustrates an example of an operational flow / algorithm structure for a UE reporting UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 13] 1 illustrates an example of a receiving component, according to some embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 14] 1 illustrates an example of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 15] 1 illustrates an example of a base station, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For purposes of this disclosure, "A or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0018] Typically, a user equipment (UE) can communicate with a network, such as one or more base stations or other network nodes, using carriers (also called component carriers - CCs) in different bands (also called frequency bands). The different bands can belong to different frequency ranges (FR), including, for example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) from 450 megahertz (MHz) to 6000 megahertz (MHz), Frequency Range 2 (FR2) from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz, and / or another frequency range starting at 52.6 GHz. A UE can support specific band combinations of such bands. A UE can also support dual connectivity, which allows the UE to simultaneously communicate with multiple network nodes by using bands from a band combination, one of which may be a master node (also called a primary node) and another of which may be a secondary node. A Master Cell Group (MCG) (also called a primary cell group) provided by a master node may be configured for a UE, and may include multiple carriers, each corresponding to a serving cell of the MCG. Similarly, a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) provided by a secondary node may be configured for a UE, and may include multiple other carriers, each corresponding to a serving cell of the SCG.

[0019] To configure the MCG and SCG for the UE, information is exchanged between the UE and the network (e.g., master node). This information may indicate whether the UE supports dual connectivity for each band combination. For band combinations supported by the UE for dual connectivity, the information may further indicate whether the UE can support specific grouping of carrier(s) from the bands of the band combination into (e.g., MCG, SCG, or both MCG and SCG).

[0020] In certain circumstances, the number of band combinations supported by a UE for dual connectivity may be large. Furthermore, the number of carriers that can be grouped in a cell group for each supported band combination may be large. Therefore, the amount of information exchanged between the UE and the network may also be large, which may increase signaling overhead. To improve signaling overhead (e.g., reduce the amount of information), the network (e.g., master node) may be configured to indicate to the UE a request regarding the UE's carrier grouping capabilities for dual connectivity. Upon receiving such a request, the UE may transmit its carrier grouping information.

[0021] Different variations on this approach can be implemented, either alone or jointly. In one example, the request may simply indicate that the network node does not support default carrier grouping (e.g., carriers in the FR1 band are grouped into MCGs and carriers in the FR2 band are grouped into SCGs). In another example, the request may indicate specific bands that the network will deploy for dual connectivity. In yet another example, the request may further indicate whether each such specific band is associated with a synchronous or asynchronous dual connectivity deployment.

[0022] Similarly, different granularities of UE capability information can be reported. In one example, the UE reports its full set of carrier grouping information (e.g., only in response to one of the network node requests described above). In another example, the UE includes only information about carrier groups that the network can configure. In yet another example, the UE can indicate negative capabilities, such as carrier groups that it does not support, or carrier groups that the network can configure otherwise. In a further example, the UE can indicate UE requirements and / or UE constraints, such as whether or not carriers from a particular band should be grouped together in the same cell group. These and other variations are described further herein below.

[0023] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0024] As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a (shared, dedicated, or group) processor or memory (shared, dedicated, or group), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Device (FPD) (e.g., a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a Complex PLD (CPLD), a High-Capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable System-on-a-Chip (SoC)), or a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) configured to provide a described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least a portion of the described functionality. The term "circuitry" may also refer to the combination of program code with one or more hardware elements (or with circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) to perform the functionality of the program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuitry.

[0025] As used herein, the term "processor circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuitry" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or running computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, or functional processes.

[0026] As used herein, the term "interface circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as, for example, a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0027] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device having wireless communication capabilities and may represent a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with and may refer to client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0028] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device having wireless communication capabilities that is a network node of a communication network (or, more simply, a network) and may be configured as an access node in the communication network. UE access to the communication network may be managed at least in part by a base station, whereby a UE connects with a base station to access the communication network. Depending on the Radio Access Technology (RAT), a base station may be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), eNodeB (eNB), access point, etc.

[0029] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic device, computing device, or component thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computing devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing or networking resources.

[0030] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component in a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component in a particular device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operations, ports or network sockets, channel / link assignments, throughput, memory usage, storage, networks, databases and applications, workload units, etc. A "hardware resource" may refer to a computational resource, a storage resource, or a network resource provided by a physical hardware element(s). A "virtualized resource" may refer to a computational resource, a storage resource, or a network resource provided by a virtualization infrastructure to an application, device, system, etc. The term "network resource" or "communication resource" may refer to a resource accessible by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resource" may refer to any kind of shared entity for providing services and may include a computing resource or a network resource. A system resource may be thought of as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services, where such system resource resides on a single host or multiple hosts and is accessible through a clearly identifiable server.

[0031] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to communicate data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous with or equivalent to "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," or any other similar term indicating a path or medium over which data is communicated. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0032] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiation," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. An "instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0033] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other via a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to a physical or virtualized device or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communications network services. The term "network element" may be considered or referred to as synonymous with networked computer, network hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, etc.

[0035] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to an information element or an individual piece of content in a data element that contains content. An information element may contain one or more further information elements.

[0036] 1 illustrates a network environment 100 according to some embodiments. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 and a gNB 108. The gNB 108 may be a base station providing a wireless access cell, such as a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) New Radio (NR) cell, through which the UE 104 communicates with the gNB 108. The UE 104 and the gNB 108 may communicate over an air interface compliant with 3GPP technical specifications, such as those defining fifth-generation (5G) NR system standards.

[0037] The gNB 108 may transmit information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels onto transport channels and mapping the transport channels onto physical channels. Logical channels may transfer data between the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the MAC layer, transport channels may transfer data between the MAC layer and the PHY layer, and physical channels may transfer information over the air interface. Physical channels may include a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0038] The PBCH may be used to broadcast system information that the UE 104 can use for initial access to the serving cell. The PBCH may be transmitted along with a Physical Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSSS) within a Synchronization Signal (SS / PBCH Block). The SS / PBCH Block (SSB) may be used by the UE 104 during cell search procedures (including cell selection and re-search) and for beam selection.

[0039] The PDSCH may be used to transport end-user application data, Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) messages, system information messages (eg, other than MIBs), and paging messages.

[0040] The PDCCH may carry DCI used by the scheduler of the gNB 108 to allocate both uplink and downlink resources. The DCI may also be used to provide uplink power control commands, configure slot formats, or indicate that preemption has occurred.

[0041] The gNB 108 may also transmit various reference signals to the UE 104. The reference signals may include Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS) for the PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH. The UE 104 may compare the received version of the DMRS with the transmitted known DMRS sequence to estimate the effect of the propagation channel. The UE 104 may then apply the inverse of the propagation channel during the demodulation process of the corresponding physical channel transmission.

[0042] Reference signals may also include Channel Status Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS), which may be multipurpose downlink transmissions that may be used for CSI reporting, beam management, connected mode mobility, radio link failure detection, beam failure detection and recovery, and fine-tuning of time and frequency synchronization.

[0043] Reference signals and information from physical channels may be mapped to resources in a resource grid. One resource grid exists for a given antenna port, subcarrier spacing configuration, and transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink). The basic unit of the NR downlink resource grid may be a resource element (RE), which may be defined by one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain. Twelve consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain may constitute a physical resource block (PRB). A resource element group (REG) may include, for example, 12 resource elements, one PRB in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. A control channel element (CCE) may represent a group of resources used to transmit the PDCCH. One CCE may be mapped to several REGs, for example, six REGs.

[0044] The UE 104 may transmit data and control information to the gNB 108 using a physical uplink channel. Different types of physical uplink channels are available, including, for example, a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The PUCCH carries control information, such as Uplink Control Information (UCI), from the UE 104 to the gNB 108, while the PUSCH carries data traffic (e.g., end-user application data) and may carry UCI.

[0045] The UE 104 and the gNB 108 may perform beam management operations to identify and maintain desired beams for transmission in the uplink and downlink directions. Beam management may apply to both the PDSCH and PDCCH in the downlink direction and the PUSCH and PUCCH in the uplink direction.

[0046] In one example, communication with the gNB 108 and / or base stations can use channels within Frequency Range 1 (FR1), Frequency Range 2 (FR2), and / or a Higher Frequency Range (FRH). The FR1 band includes licensed and unlicensed bands. The NR Unlicensed band (NR-U) includes frequency spectrum shared with other types of Radio Access Technologies (RATs) (e.g., LTE-LAA, WiFi, etc.). To avoid or minimize collisions between different RATs in NR-U, a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure can be used, whereby devices must apply a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) check before using a channel.

[0047] 1, the network environment 100 may further include a base station 112 to which the UE 104 may also connect. The base station 112 supports the same RAT as the gNB 108 (e.g., the base station 112 is also a gNB). Additionally or alternatively, the base station 112 supports another RAT (e.g., a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) eNB).

[0048] In one example, the UE 104 supports carrier aggregation (CA), which allows the UE 104 to simultaneously connect and exchange data with the gNB 108 or base station 112 via multiple component carriers (CCs). CCs can belong to the same frequency band, in which case they are referred to as intra-band CCs. Intra-band CCs can be contiguous or non-contiguous. CCs can also belong to different frequency bands, in which case they are referred to as inter-band CCs. A serving cell can be configured for the UE 104 to use a CC. The serving cell can be a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell). Multiple SCells can be activated via an SCell activation procedure, and the component carriers of these serving cells can be intra-band contiguous, intra-band non-contiguous, or inter-band. The serving cell can be co-located or non-co-located.

[0049] The UE 104 can also support Dual Connectivity (DC), which allows the UE 104 to simultaneously transmit and receive data on multiple CCs from two serving nodes or cell groups (a Master Node (MN) and a Secondary Node (SN)). DC capability can be used with two serving nodes operating in the same RAT or different RATs (e.g., an MN operating in NR and an SN operating in LTE). These different DC modes include, for example, Evolved-universal terrestrial radio access-New radio (EN)-DC, NR-DC, and NE-DC (where the MN is an NR gNB and the SN is an LTE eNB).

[0050] 2 illustrates an example of a dual connectivity environment 200 according to some embodiments. Generally, dual connectivity (also referred to as DC) is an operating mode in which a UE 210 is configured to use radio resources of two network nodes connected via backhaul, called a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). Dual connectivity allows the UE 210 to simultaneously transmit and receive data on multiple carriers from two cell groups via the MN and the SN. In one example, each of the MN and the SN can be a gNB or an eNB. The cell groups can be a master cell group (MCG) served by the MN and a secondary cell group (SCG) served by the SN.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 2, a UE 210, similar to the UE 104 of FIG. 1, maintains two connections: one with an MCG 220 and one with an SCG 230. The MCG 220 includes multiple carriers, each corresponding to a serving cell for the UE 210. While the PCell is activated, the remaining serving cells of the MCG 220 may or may not be activated. Similarly, the SCG 230 includes multiple carriers, each corresponding to a serving cell for the UE 210. A primary cell (also referred to as a primary secondary cell (PSCell)) in the SCG 230 is activated, while the remaining serving cells of the SCG 230 may or may not be activated. The UE 210 supports simultaneous reception and transmission over its two connections with the MCG 220 and the SCG 230 (also referred to as a primary leg and a secondary leg). A split bearer situation can also be supported, whereby for small amounts of data, transmission over the primary leg may be sufficient. For large amounts of data, transmission over both legs can be performed.

[0052] As described above, each of the MN and SN can be a gNB or an eNB. This can result in different deployment configurations of the MCG 220 and the SCG 230. These configurations include LTE-LTE DC, LTE-NR DC, NR-LTE DC, and NR-NR DC. Furthermore, synchronous and asynchronous communication in dual connectivity can be provided. In synchronous NR-DC, the MCG 220 and the SCG 230 are frame- and slot-aligned (e.g., the serving cells in these two cell groups are synchronized). Conversely, in asynchronous NR-DC, the MCG 220 and the SCG 230 do not need to be frame- and slot-aligned (e.g., the serving cells in these two cell groups are not necessarily synchronized).

[0053] In one example, MCG 220 and SCG 230 each include different sets of carriers from the same or different sets of bands. This can result in intra-band DC, inter-band DC, and inter-band DC with an intra-band component. In intra-band DC, carriers from the same band are present in MCG 220 and SCG 230. In contrast, in inter-band DC, carriers from different bands are present in MCG 220 and SCG 230. Inter-band DC with an intra-band component can be a hybrid of intra-band DC and inter-band DC, whereby carriers from different bands are present in MCG 220 and SCG 230, while a cell group (e.g., MCG 220, SCG 230, or both) includes carriers from the same band.

[0054] To illustrate, consider the following example. LTE bands are typically numbered by band number (e.g., LTE-1_2 indicates carrier aggregation with "LTE band 1" and "LTE band 2"). NR bands are similarly numbered, but with "n" added as a prefix to the band number (e.g., DC-n1_n2 indicates dual connectivity with "NR band n1" and "NR band n2"). In this example, the MN is an eNB and the SN is a gNB, corresponding to an EN-DC deployment (E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity). DC-1_4_n1_n260 indicates that the EN-DC uses two LTE bands: "LTE band 1" and "LTE band 2," and two NR bands: "NR band n1" and "NR band n260." This example corresponds to an inter-band EN-NR DC deployment. In another example, the deployment uses DC(n)1_n256 and corresponds to an inter-band EN-NR DC deployment with an intra-band component. Here, "LTE band 1" and "NR band n1" are intra-band, and "NR band n1" and "NR band 256" are inter-band.

[0055] In support of dual connectivity, UE 210 reports its ability to support band combinations. A band combination corresponds to a set of two or more bands (e.g., LTE and / or NR bands from FR1 and / or FR2 (if applicable)) from the same frequency range or different frequency ranges. For example, a band combination may be denoted as "n1, n2, n3" and corresponds to a combination of three NR bands from FR1, namely, "NR band nb1," "NR band n2," and "NR band n3."

[0056] For each band combination, the UE 210 reports whether the UE 210 supports the band combination for dual connectivity. In other words, the UE 210 can indicate whether carriers within the bands of the band combination are supported by the UE 210 for dual connectivity. For example, the UE 210 reports UE capability information indicating that it supports the band combination "n1, n2, n3" for dual connectivity to a network (e.g., MN). In this case, the network can configure carriers (e.g., serving cell) from the corresponding NR bands (e.g., "NR band n1," "NR band n2," and "NR band n3") for dual connectivity of the UE 210.

[0057] In one example, in addition to or instead of indicating support for band combinations for dual connectivity, the UE 210 can indicate its support for carrier grouping between the MCG 220 and the SCG 230 by sending carrier grouping information. Carriers from a carrier grouping (also referred to as a carrier grouping) are from bands that the UE 210 supports for band combinations in dual connectivity. The UE 210 indicates how these carriers can be grouped into the MCG 220 and the SCG 230. The carrier grouping information need not identify the carriers. Instead, the carrier grouping information can indicate the bands of the band combination and how a first subset of these bands can be associated with the MCG 220 and how a second subset of these bands can be associated with the SCG 230. The network can then configure carriers (e.g., serving cells) within bands from the first subset to belong to the MCG 220 and carriers (e.g., serving cells) within bands from the second subset to belong to the SCG 230. Continuing with the example of band combination "n1, n2, n3," the carrier grouping information may indicate that the UE supports one or more carriers in "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" being grouped in MCG 220 and one or more carriers in "NR band n3" being grouped in SCG 230. Thus, the network may configure MCG 220 to include one or more carriers in "NR band n1" and / or "NR band n2," and may configure SCG 230 to include one or more carriers in "NR band n3."

[0058] If such carrier grouping information is not reported, the network can assume a default carrier grouping. For example, the default may be that for a supported band combination, carriers from the FR1 band can be grouped into MCG 220, while carriers from the FR2 band can be grouped into SCG 230. This type of reporting and / or default assumption can be used for each band combination that the UE supports for dual connectivity.

[0059] 3 illustrates an example sequence diagram 300 illustrating signaling regarding band combinations between a UE 310 and a network node 320, according to some embodiments. Generally, the sequence diagram 300 can be used to configure the UE 310 for dual connectivity, where applicable, based on the capabilities of the UE 310 associated with dual connectivity.

[0060] As shown, the sequence diagram 300 includes initiating a capability transfer procedure during registration of the UE 310 with the network via a network node 320 of the network. This procedure may be initiated for the UE 310 when one or more access criteria are determined to be met. These criteria may relate to cell measurements, handover procedures, cell reselection, network roaming, and / or other procedures for registering the UE 310 with the network. The capability transfer procedure includes a Random Access (RACH) procedure for the UE 310 to establish an initial connection with the network. For example, a System Information Block (SIB) is transmitted from the network node 320. In response, the UE 310 initiates a new session using a randomly selected preamble. The network node 320 responds with a Random Access Response message. The UE 310 then transmits an RRC Connection Request message, and the network node 320 responds with an RRC Connection Setup message. The UE 310 then transmits an RRC Connection Setup message, which may indicate that the UE 310 supports dual connectivity.

[0061] Because dual connectivity is supported, the network node 320 checks with the network whether UE capability information for the UE 310 regarding dual connectivity is available (e.g., previously stored by the core network 330), such as by querying the network's core network 330. This capability check is shown in FIG. 3 as a capability lookup. If not available, RRC signaling can be exchanged between the network 320 and the UE 310 to determine UE capability information, including the UE's support for band combinations for dual connectivity. The network node 320's RRC signaling can include a UE capability query, which can have multiple information elements (IEs), and can be sent to the UE 310 in an RRC request message. In response, the UE 310 sends its UE capability information, which can also have multiple IEs and can be sent in an RRC response message. The network node 320 passes this information to the core network 330 for storage therein. Alternatively, the network node 320 may not need to receive the UE capability information 310 from the UE 310 and may instead use information retrieved from the core network 330 .

[0062] Once the UE capability information is determined (e.g., from the UE 310 or from the core network 330), the network node 320 can configure various resources for the UE 310 based on the UE capability information. This can include activating a default radio bearer, configuring measurement objects, transmitting reference signals, etc. Additionally, in the case of dual connectivity, this can also include configuring an MCG and an SCG for the UE. This configuration can rely on RRC signaling, including, for example, one or more RRC connection reconfiguration message(s). For example, the network node 320 can allocate a carrier (e.g., a serving cell) of the MCG and can send a node addition request to a second node in the network (in this case, the network node 320 is an MN) to add the second node as an SN. The SN can allocate a carrier (e.g., a serving cell) of the SCG and can respond to the network node 320 with a node addition request acknowledgment indicating the serving cell (e.g., various resources) of the SCG. The network node 320 may then send one or more RRC connection reconfiguration messages to the UE 310 indicating the resources of the MCG and SCG.

[0063] As described herein above, the UE 310 may support one or more band combinations for dual connectivity. Furthermore, the UE 310 may be pre-configured to support a specific carrier grouping for each band combination. This presence may depend, for example, on the UE 310's radio frequency (RF) hardware. Furthermore, the UE 310 may receive service provider (e.g., mobile network operator) over-the-air (OTA) updates to disable some bands. Thus, the UE 310 may maintain an internal data structure (e.g., a table) that indicates different variants for each band combination. Each variant indicates how carriers in the bands of the band combination may be grouped into MCGs and SCGs configured by the network node 320 for the UE 310 when these carriers are assigned by the network node 320.

[0064] To illustrate this data structure, consider the example of band combination n2A_n5A_n256A_n260_n260. This band combination is an NR band combination of four NR bands, one of which is repeated twice to indicate that contiguous and non-contiguous carriers can be allocated from such an NR band. In particular, the NR bands are "NR band n2A," "NR band n5A," "NR band n256," and "NR band n260," which is repeated twice. UE 310 can maintain the following data structure (shown as a table, but other types of data structures such as strings and arrays are also possible): [Table 1]

[0065] In the table above, "Variant 1" indicates that the UE 310 supports one or more carriers from "NR Band 2A" assigned to the MCG, and one or more carriers from each of "NR Band 5A," "NR Band 256A," and "NR Band 260A" assigned to the SCG. Each of the remaining variants indicates that the UE 310 supports assigning different sets to the MCG and SCG (e.g., each set represents a carrier grouping). If the default MCG-SCG allocation is that carriers from the FR1 band are grouped in the MCG and carriers from the FR2 band are grouped in the SCG (e.g., the configuration used by the network node 320 if the UE 310 does not provide its carrier grouping information), then "Variant 5" indicates that the UE 310 supports this default (because "NR Band 2A" and "NR Band 5A" are in the FR1 band and should be carrier grouped in the MCG, and "NR Band 256A" and "NR Band 260A" are in the FR2 band and should be carrier grouped in the SCG).

[0066] The above carrier grouping information may be maintained in a data structure for each band combination supported by the UE 310 for dual connectivity. The size of the data structure (e.g., the amount of carrier grouping information) may be large because the number of permutations in which different carriers can be grouped (e.g., the number of possible variants) may be large. Roughly speaking, for a band combination of "n" different carriers (where each carrier is from a different band), the number of ways in which the carriers can be grouped in the MCG and SCG is approximately n! ((1! x 2!)). In the above example of a band combination consisting of five bands, this number amounts to 60 possible carrier groupings (e.g., 60 variants) in the MCG and SCG. This number may increase if contiguous and non-contiguous variants are considered.

[0067] If the UE 310 reports carrier grouping information (e.g., information about variants) for each band combination it supports for dual connectivity, the amount of reported information may be large, i.e., the overhead signaling may be large.

[0068] Various techniques for reducing this overhead may be used, as will be further described in relation to the following figures. At the lowest level of granularity, the UE 310 may report a full set of carrier grouping information only if requested by the network node 310. At the highest level of granularity, the UE 310 may report a subset of carrier grouping information, where this subset is specific to the deployment(s) of dual connectivity band combinations by the network. The level of granularity at which the carrier grouping information is reported by the UE 310 may depend on the request of the network node 320. The more parameters the request has, the higher the level of granularity. In particular, the UE 310 may use the parameter(s) from the request as a filter to search a data structure, determine a match, and report the matched information to the network node 320. For example, the UE 310 may store query engine logic that uses the parameters in the query.The parameters include whether the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports only default MCG-SCG allocations, whether the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports non-default MCG-SCG allocations, bands that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports for band combinations in dual connectivity, bands that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) does not support for band combinations in dual connectivity, band combinations that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports for dual connectivity, This may include any or all of the band combinations that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) does not support, the set of bands that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports for synchronous deployment of dual connectivity, the set of bands that the network node 320 (or more generally the network) supports for asynchronous deployment of dual connectivity, and / or other parameters related to how the network node 320 (or more generally the network) can deploy dual connectivity, the band combinations in the dual connectivity, the bands in the band combinations, and / or the carriers in the bands.

[0069] FIG. 4 illustrates an example sequence diagram 400 illustrating signaling between a UE 410 and a network node 420 for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 410 and network node 420 are examples of the UE 310 and network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. In this sequence diagram 400, the network node 420 may simply indicate that it supports non-default MCG-SCG assignments. Only in response to this indication does the UE 410 transmit its carrier grouping information. In other words, when the network node 420 does not provide any additional information beyond its support for non-default MCG-SCG assignments, the UE 410 indicates its full set of variants to the network node 420.

[0070] Thus, sequence diagram 400 is an example of a technique for ensuring that UE 410 does not need to report carrier grouping for each band combination if the network does not intend to configure dual connectivity for UE 410. It is possible that the network does not actually support dual connectivity configuration, in which case it is useless for the UE to report all of its carrier grouping information. In this case, UE 410 reports carrier grouping information only when the network explicitly requests it to do so (assuming that the UE actually supports different carrier groupings other than the default MCG-SCG assignment, which does not require signaling carrier grouping information).

[0071] In one example, sequence diagram 400 includes a network node 420 sending a UE capability query to a UE 410 and the UE 410 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability query is associated with the UE 410's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, the UE capability query indicates that the network node 420 supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges into the same cell group. For example, the query may simply indicate that the network node 420 supports a non-default MCG-SCG assignment (or, conversely, does not support a default MCG-SCG assignment). In another example, the UE capability query may include a request to the UE 410 indicating that its full set of carrier grouping information should be reported. Thus, in the UE capability information, the UE may indicate its supported band combinations (e.g., for CA). For each supported band combination, the UE capability information may also indicate whether the UE 410 supports using this band combination for dual connectivity. If available, the UE capability information may indicate a corresponding portion of the carrier grouping information (e.g., the full set of variants of band combinations supported by the UE 410 for dual connectivity). For example, the UE capability information may indicate that the UE 410 supports grouping bands that form supported band combinations and that are in different frequency ranges, and carriers from different frequency ranges, into the same cell group. Additional granularity may be provided, whereby the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping a first carrier in a first one of the bands into an MCG and grouping a second carrier in a second one of the bands into an SCG.

[0072] To illustrate, consider the following example. In response to a UE capability inquiry, the UE 410 reports that it supports band combination "n5, n6" for CA but not for DC, and band combination "n1, n3, n4" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n5, n6" is not supported for DC, the UE 410 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. In contrast, because band combination "n1, n3, n4" is supported for DC, the UE 410 reports that grouping information for this band combination. In this case, assume that the UE 410 supports two variants. The first variant is "NR band n1" assigned to the MCG (e.g., one or more carriers from which are configured as corresponding serving cell(s) in the MCG) and "NR band n3" and "NR band n4" assigned to the SCG (e.g., one or more carriers from which are configured as corresponding serving cell(s) in the SCG). The second variant is "NR band n1" and "NR band n4" assigned to the MCG and "NR band 3" assigned to the SCG. In this figure, the UE 410 reports the first variant and the second variant to the network node 420. Similar carrier configuration information for other band combinations supported by the UE for dual connectivity can be reported to the network node 420.

[0073] In response, the network node 420 can store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 420 can also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 410 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, using the first variant, the network node 420 can configure a set of carriers in "NR band n1" as a set of serving cells in the MCG and a set of carriers in "NR band n3" and / or "NR band n4" as a set of serving cells in the SCG.

[0074] 5 illustrates another example sequence diagram 500 illustrating signaling between a UE 510 and a network node 520 for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 510 and the network node 520 are examples of the UE 310 and the network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. The sequence diagram 500 is complementary to the sequence diagram 400 (where the network node 520 differs from the network node 420 of FIG. 4, and each such node may belong to a different network). In particular, if the network node 520 does not request the UE 510 to transmit its carrier grouping information, the UE 510 may indicate its support for band combinations for dual connectivity without reporting its carrier grouping information.

[0075] Thus, sequence diagram 500 is another example of an approach that ensures that UE 410 does not need to report carrier grouping for each band combination if the network does not intend to configure dual connectivity for UE 510. For example, if UE 510 roams into a network that does not support dual connectivity or non-default MCG-SCG assignments (and therefore network node 520 does not require carrier grouping information), UE 510 reports only its UE capability information without its carrier grouping information, thus conserving the size of the UE capability by appropriately retaining the information in the UE capability IE(s).

[0076] In one example, the sequence diagram 500 includes the network node 520 sending a UE capability query to the UE 510 and the UE 510 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability query is associated with the UE 510's support for dual connectivity, not carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, the UE capability query indicates that the network node 520 does not support a non-default MCG-SCG assignment (or, conversely, supports only a default MCG-SCG assignment). In another example, the UE capability query excludes any request indicating that the UE 510 should report its full set of carrier grouping information. Thus, in the UE capability information, the UE can indicate its supported band combinations (e.g., for CA). For each supported band combination, the UE capability information can also indicate whether the UE 510 supports using this band combination for dual connectivity. However, for such band combinations, the UE does not include the corresponding portion of the carrier grouping information (eg, the full set of variants of band combinations supported by the UE 510 for dual connectivity).

[0077] To illustrate, consider the following example: In response to a UE capability inquiry, UE 510 reports that it supports band combination "n1,n2" for CA but not for DC, and band combination "n1,n3,n4" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n1,n2" is not supported for DC, UE 510 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. Furthermore, although band combination "n1,n3,n4" is supported for DC, UE 510 still does not report its grouping information for this band combination because the UE capability inquiry did not request this information.

[0078] In response, the network node 520 may store the UE capability information in the network (e.g., in the core network) (instead of carrier aggregation information, since it was not reported). The network node 520 does not configure an MCG or SCG for the UE 510.

[0079] FIG. 6 illustrates yet another example sequence diagram 600 illustrating signaling between a UE 610 and a network node 620 for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 610 and network node 620 are examples of the UE 310 and network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. Compared to sequence diagram 400, the information exchange here is more granular. In this sequence diagram 600, the network node 620 may indicate the set of bands that the network node 620 (or more generally the network) supports for dual connectivity. In response to this indication, the UE 610 transmits its carrier grouping information. Here, similar to sequence diagram 400 of FIG. 4, the carrier grouping information can be the full set of variants supported by the UE 610. Instead, UE 610 may use the band indicator as a filter in its data structure lookup and report only the portion of the configuration information that corresponds to the indicated band.

[0080] Thus, sequence diagram 600 is an example of an approach in which CA is possible in a network due to several factors (e.g., the existence of MCGs and SCGs and inter-node coordination), but only some bands used within a cell group (e.g., SCG) are useful for the actual deployment of dual connectivity by the network. In contrast, more bands / carriers may be available for CA. In this case, the network provides the bands that the network intends to use for dual connectivity configuration, and UE 610 provides carrier grouping based on this information. UE 610 can skip carrier grouping information that the network does not support or does not intend to use for configuring dual connectivity in some bands.

[0081] In one example, the sequence diagram 600 includes the network node 620 sending a UE capability query to the UE 610 and the UE 610 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability query is associated with the UE 610's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, the UE capability query indicates the network node 620's support for a set of band combinations for dual connectivity. For example, the query may not only identify bands that the network supports for CA, but may also identify a subset of these bands that the network supports for DC. Thus, in the UE capability information, the UE may indicate the band combinations it supports (e.g., for CA). From these band combinations supported for CA, the UE 610 may determine a subset of band combinations that the UE 610 supports for DC. The UE 610 may then cross-check this subset with the set of band combinations indicated by the network 620 as supported for dual connectivity. In particular, for each band combination in the subset, the UE 610 determines the bands of the band combination and whether these bands are supported by the network node 620 (or more generally, the network) for dual connectivity. If so, the band combination belongs to the final set. If not, the band combination is not included in the final set. For each band combination in the final set, the UE capability information may indicate that the UE 610 supports using this band combination for dual connectivity. Furthermore, the UE capability information may indicate a corresponding portion of the carrier grouping information (e.g., the full set of variants for that band combination).

[0082] To illustrate, consider the following example: In a UE capability inquiry, the network node 620 indicates that it supports bands "n1, n2, n3, n4, n5" (e.g., for CA use) and only bands "n1, n3, n4" for DC use. In response, the UE 610 reports that it supports band combination "n1, n2" for CA but not for DC, and band combination "n1, n3, n4" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n1, n2" is not supported for DC, the UE 610 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. In contrast, because band combination "n1, n3, n4" is supported for DC, the UE 610 reports its grouping information for this band combination. In this case, it is assumed that the UE 610 supports two variants: The first variant is "NR band n1" assigned to the MCG (e.g., one or more carriers from which are configured as corresponding serving cell(s) in the MCG), and "NR band n3" and "NR band n4" assigned to the SCG (e.g., one or more carriers from which are configured as corresponding serving cell(s) in the SCG). The second variant is "NR band n1" and "NR band n4" assigned to the MCG, and "NR band 3" assigned to the SCG. In this figure, the UE 610 reports the first and second variants to the network node 620. Similar carrier configuration information for other band combinations supported by the UE for dual connectivity can be reported to the network node 620.

[0083] In response, the network node 620 can store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 620 can also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 610 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, using the second variant, the network node 620 can configure a set of carriers in "NR band n1" and / or "NR band n4" as a set of serving cells in the MCG, and configure a set of carriers in "NR band n3" as a set of serving cells in the SCG.

[0084] FIG. 7 illustrates a further example sequence diagram illustrating signaling between a UE and a network node for inquiring about UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. UE 710 and network node 720 are examples of UE 310 and network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. Compared to sequence diagram 600, the information exchange here is more granular. In this sequence diagram 700, network node 720 may indicate a set of bands supported by network node 720 (or more generally, the network) for synchronous dual connectivity and a set of bands supported by network node 720 (or more generally, the network) for asynchronous dual connectivity. In response to this indication, UE 710 transmits its carrier grouping information. Here, similar to sequence diagram 400 of FIG. 4, the carrier grouping information can be the full set of variants supported by UE 710. Instead, the UE 710 can use the indicators of the bands for synchronous DC and asynchronous DC as filters in looking up its data structure and report only the portion of the configuration information corresponding to the bands indicated for synchronous DC and the portion of the configuration information corresponding to the bands indicated for asynchronous DC.

[0085] Thus, sequence diagram 700 is an example of an approach where a network deployment of different carriers is unable to support both asynchronous and synchronous versions of a cell group if some carriers have (or do not have) timing linkage. For example, if the network uses "NR band n1," "NR band n2," and "NR band n3," and "NR band n1" and "NR band n3" are not synchronized in time, the network cannot configure synchronous NR-DC using "NR band n1" and "NR band n3." In this sequence diagram 700, the network provides a set of bands that the network intends to use only for synchronous DC deployment and a set of bands that the network intends to use for synchronous DC deployment. In response, UE 710 indicates its supported carrier groupings based on this information. UE 710 can skip carrier groupings that the network does not support and / or does not intend to configure.

[0086] In one example, sequence diagram 700 includes a network node 720 sending a UE capability query to a UE 710 and the UE 710 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability query is associated with the UE's 710 support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, the UE capability query indicates that the network node 720 supports a set of band combinations for synchronous deployment of dual connectivity. Additionally or alternatively, the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for asynchronous deployment of dual connectivity. For example, the query not only identifies bands that the network supports for CA and a subset of these bands that the network supports for DC, but also indicates which specific bands from the subset can be used by the network node 620 (or more generally, the network) for synchronous DC and which other specific bands from the subset can be used by the network node 620 (or more generally, the network) for asynchronous DC. Thus, in the UE capability information, the UE can indicate the band combinations it supports (e.g., for CA). From these band combinations supported for CA, the UE 710 can determine a subset of band combinations that the UE 710 supports for DC. The UE 710 can then cross-check this subset with the set of band combinations indicated by the network 720 as supported for synchronous dual connectivity and the set of band combinations indicated by the network 720 as supported for asynchronous dual connectivity. In particular, for each band combination in the subset, the UE 710 determines the bands of the band combination and whether these bands are supported by the network node 720 (or more generally, the network) for synchronous dual connectivity or asynchronous dual connectivity. If supported for synchronous DC deployment, the band combination belongs to a first and final set associated with synchronous DC deployment.If a band combination is supported for asynchronous DC deployment, it belongs to the second final set associated with asynchronous DC deployment. Otherwise, the band combination is not included in the first or second final set. For each band combination in the first final set, the UE capability information may indicate that the UE 710 supports using this band combination for synchronous dual connectivity. For each band combination in the second final set, the UE capability information may indicate that the UE 710 supports using this band combination for asynchronous dual connectivity. Furthermore, the UE capability information may indicate a corresponding portion of the carrier grouping information (e.g., a full set of variants of each band combination in the first and second final sets).

[0087] To illustrate, consider the following example: In a UE capability inquiry, the network node 720 indicates that it supports bands "n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7" (e.g., for CA use), bands "n1, n2" and "n4, n7" only for synchronous DC deployment, and band "n3, n5" for asynchronous DC deployment. In response, the UE 710 reports that it supports band combination "n1, n2" for CA but not for DC, and band combinations "n4, n7" and "n3, n5" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n1, n2" is not supported for DC, the UE 710 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. In contrast, because band combination "n4, n7" is supported for DC, the UE 710 reports its grouping information for this band combination. Similarly, since band combination "n3,n5" is supported for DC, the UE 710 reports its grouping information for this band combination.

[0088] In response, the network node 720 may store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 720 may also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 710 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, the network node 720 may determine supported variants associated with the "n4,n7" band combination and configure therefrom a set of carriers into the MCG and SCG for synchronous dual connectivity.

[0089] FIG. 8 illustrates an example sequence diagram 800 illustrating signaling between a UE 810 and a network node 820 for reporting UE capabilities related to carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 810 and the network node 820 are examples of the UE 310 and the network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. Compared to the sequence diagrams 400-700, the reported UE capacity information indicates negative capabilities. This negative capability can be reported in addition to or instead of the carrier configuration information (e.g., positive capability information) described in connection with the sequence diagrams 400-700. Typically, negative capability information is a type of carrier grouping information. However, the UE 810 indicates what it cannot support, rather than what it can support. For example, the UE capability information indicates the bands of the band combinations that the UE 810 supports for dual connectivity. The UE capability carrier grouping information may include negative capability information indicating that the UE 810 cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first subset of bands into a cell group (e.g., an MCG or an SCG). In certain circumstances, the data size for reporting negative capabilities is smaller than the data size for reporting positive capabilities (e.g., what the UE 810 can support). Thus, reporting negative capabilities can further reduce signaling overhead.

[0090] Thus, sequence diagram 800 is an example of an approach where the UE 810 may not be able to support only a few carrier groupings for DC (e.g., it supports a large number of variants and / or a large number of band combinations). In such cases, it may be beneficial for the UE 810 to inform the network of the carrier groupings it does not support, allowing the network to assume that all other carrier groupings are supported. Thus, as part of the UE capability response, the UE 810 may include a set of negative support capabilities for carrier groupings, such as the set of carrier groupings it does not support, while allowing the network to assume that the UE 810 supports all other carrier groupings.

[0091] In one example, sequence diagram 800 includes a network node 820 sending a UE capability inquiry to a UE 810 and the UE 810 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability inquiry is associated with the UE 810's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. This inquiry may be similar to any of the UE capability inquiries described in connection with sequence diagrams 400-700. In the example of FIG. 8, the UE capability inquiry is similar to that of sequence diagram 700, in which the network node 810 explicitly indicates bands for synchronous dual connectivity and asynchronous dual connectivity. From this inquiry, the UE 820 can determine the band combinations it supports for CA, the subset of these band combinations it supports for DC, and, if applicable, the division of this subset between the band combinations it supports for synchronous DC and the band combinations it supports for asynchronous DC. The UE 820 can report this positive capability. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 820 can determine negative capabilities. For example, a subset of band combinations supported by the UE 820 for DC is associated with the total number of synchronization-independent variants. Band combinations supported for synchronous DC are associated with variants supported for a first number of synchronous DC. Similarly, band combinations supported for asynchronous DC are associated with variants supported for a first number of asynchronous DC. Negative capabilities correspond to negative variants that are differences between synchronization-independent variants and variants supported for synchronous DC and variants supported for asynchronous DC. In the UE capability information, the UE 820 can indicate these negative variants.

[0092] To illustrate, consider the following example: In a UE capability inquiry, the network node 820 indicates that it supports bands "n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n256, n260" (e.g., for CA use), bands "n1, n2, n8" and "n4, n7, n256" only for synchronous DC deployment, and band "n3, n5, n260" for asynchronous DC deployment. In response, the UE 810 reports that it supports band combination "n1, n2" for CA but not for DC, and band combinations "n1, n2, n8" and "n2, n7, n256" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n1, n2" is not supported for DC, the UE 810 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. In contrast, because the band combinations "n1,n2,n8" and "n2,n7,n256" are supported for DC, the UE 810 reports their grouping information. This corresponds to positive carrier grouping information. Alternatively, the UE 810 reports that it does not support the band combination "n3,n5,n260" for DC (in this case, the network can assume that the band combinations "n1,n2,n8" and "n2,n7,n256" are supported for DC). Here, the UE 810 can simply identify the band combination "n3,n5,n260" as having the attribute of not being supported for DC. Alternatively, the UE 810 can include the corresponding part of the carrier grouping information (e.g., the band combination variant "n3,n5,n260").

[0093] In response, the network node 820 may store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 820 may also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 810 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, the network node 820 may determine supported variants associated with the "n4, n256" band combination and configure therefrom a set of carriers into the MCG and SCG for synchronous dual connectivity.

[0094] FIG. 9 illustrates another example sequence diagram 900 illustrating signaling between a UE 910 and a network node 920 for reporting UE capabilities regarding carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 910 and network node 920 are examples of the UE 310 and network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. Compared to sequence diagrams 400-700, the reported UE capacity information indicates UE constraints and / or UE requirements. The UE constraints and / or UE requirements may be reported in addition to or instead of the carrier configuration information (e.g., positive capability information) described in connection with sequence diagrams 400-700. Typically, UE constraint information and UE requirement information are each types of carrier grouping information. In a sense, constraints can be negative versions of requirements. Here, the UE 910 indicates some constraint(s) regarding grouping a set of carriers from a set of bands into a cell group, rather than indicating what it can or cannot support. If the constraint is violated, the UE 920 will be unable to support dual connectivity. For example, the carrier grouping information indicates a UE constraint on grouping a first carrier from a band into a cell group (MCG or SCG). This UE constraint may indicate that the UE 910 cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first band of bands with a second carrier from a second band of bands into a cell group. Alternatively, the UE constraint may indicate that the UE can support grouping a first carrier into a cell group without grouping a second carrier into a cell group. Similarly, the UE 910 indicates some requirement(s) regarding grouping sets of carriers from a set of bands into the same or different cell groups. If the requirement is not met, the UE 910 will be unable to support dual connectivity. For example, the UE requirement may be grouping some carriers from a band into a cell group.Alternatively, the UE requirements may indicate that the UE 910 can support grouping a first carrier from a first one of the bands into a cell group only when a second carrier from a second one of the bands is also grouped into the cell group.

[0095] Thus, sequence diagram 900 is an example of a manner in which a UE 910 may not support a particular band in a particular cell group. For example, if "NR band n1" (e.g., at least one carrier therefrom) exists in a cell group, "NR band n2" (e.g., at least one carrier therefrom) must not be in the same cell group. Alternatively, "NR band n3" (e.g., at least one carrier therefrom) must be in the same cell group as "NR band n1" (e.g., at least one carrier therefrom). The UE 910 could reduce signaling overhead by simply reporting such constraints and / or requirements. As part of the UE capability information, the UE 910 includes a set of associations (e.g., constraints and / or requirements) related to a particular band, allowing the network to assume that the UE 910 supports the assignment as long as the associations lead to the assignment of carriers to the cell group.

[0096] In one example, sequence diagram 900 includes a network node 920 sending a UE capability inquiry to a UE 910 and the UE 910 responding with UE capability information. The UE capability inquiry is associated with the UE 910's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. This inquiry may be similar to any of the UE capability inquiries described in connection with sequence diagrams 400-700. In the example of FIG. 9, the UE capability inquiry is similar to that of sequence diagram 700, in which the network node 910 explicitly indicates bands for synchronous dual connectivity and asynchronous dual connectivity. From this inquiry, the UE 920 can determine the band combinations that the UE 920 supports for CA, the subset of these band combinations that the UE 920 supports for DC, and, if applicable, the division of this subset between the band combinations that the UE 910 supports for synchronous DC and the band combinations that the UE 910 supports for asynchronous DC. The UE 910 can report this positive capability. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 910 may determine UE constraints and / or UE requirements. For example, for a subset of band combinations that the UE 910 supports for DC (or, more particularly, for synchronous and asynchronous DC), the UE 910 may determine that some bands from the data structure should not be grouped together in one or more cell groups, forming one or more UE constraints, and determine that some bands must be grouped together, forming one or more UE requirements. The UE 910 may then include relevant information regarding its determination in the UE capability information.

[0097] To illustrate, consider the following example: In a UE capability inquiry, the network node 920 indicates that it supports bands "n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n256, n260" (e.g., for CA use), bands "n1, n2, n8" and "n4, n7, n256" only for synchronous DC deployment, and band "n3, n5, n260" for asynchronous DC deployment. In response, the UE 910 reports that it supports band combination "n1, n2" for CA but not for DC, and band combinations "n1, n2, n3" and "n1, n2, n5" for DC (and CA). Because band combination "n1, n2" is not supported for DC, the UE 910 does not report carrier grouping information for this band combination. The UE910 also checks the variants for the bad combinations "n1, n2, n8" and "n2, n7, n256" supported for DC and determines that the variants indicate that "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" (or carriers therefrom) must be grouped in the same cell group (e.g., MCG or SCG, or one of them, depending on the support information stored in the data structure). Thus, the UE910 generates a UE requirement that "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" (or carriers therefrom) must be grouped in the same cell group. Similarly, the UE910 determines that "NR band n3" and "NR band n5" must not be grouped in the same cell group. Thus, the UE910 generates a UE constraint that "NR band n3" and "NR band n5" (or carriers therefrom) must not be grouped in the same cell group. The UE910 then indicates the UE constraint and the UE requirement in the carrier grouping information included in the UE capability information.

[0098] In response, the network node 920 may store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 920 may also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 910 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, the network node 920 may configure a set of carriers from "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" within the MCG or SCG for synchronous dual connectivity.

[0099] FIG. 10 illustrates yet another example sequence diagram 1000 illustrating signaling between a UE 1010 and a network node 1020 for reporting UE capabilities with respect to carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. In one example, the signaling is RRC signaling exchanged as part of the capability transfer procedure during registration, as described in connection with FIG. 3. The UE 1010 and the network node 1020 are examples of the UE 310 and the network node 320, respectively, of FIG. 3. Compared to sequence diagrams 400-900, the reported UE capacity information includes a combination of positive capability information, negative capability information, UE constraint information, and / or UE requirement information. Flexibility is achieved here, allowing the network to query at any level of granularity, and the UE 1010 to respond with an appropriate level of capability information accordingly. Thus, sequence diagram 1000 is an example of an approach in which the network can choose to request UE 1010 to send a combination of carrier grouping requests, and UE 1010 can choose to provide an appropriate level of capability information (e.g., synchronous carrier grouping with a UE constraint, asynchronous carrier grouping without another UE constraint, or listing only the actual supported carrier groupings).

[0100] To illustrate, consider the following example: In a UE capability inquiry, the network node 1020 indicates that it supports bands "n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n256, n260" (e.g., for CA applications), bands "n1, n2, n8" and "n4, n7, n256" only for synchronous DC deployment, and bands "n3, n5, n260" for asynchronous DC deployment. The UE capability inquiry may, but need not, also indicate the type(s) of carrier grouping information to be included in the response (e.g., positive capability information, negative capability information, and / or UE restriction information). If not explicitly indicated in the UE capability inquiry, the UE 1010 may select a particular type based on a default setting or pre-programmed logic (e.g., prioritization logic, logic determining the selection of the type(s) providing the greatest amount of information with the smallest possible data size, etc.). In the example of Figure 10, UE 1010 reports that it supports band combination "n1, n2" for CA but not for DC, band combinations "n1, n2, n8" and "n4, n7, n256" for synchronous DC, and band combination "n3, n5, 260" for asynchronous DC, and UE constraints that "NR band n3" and "NR band n5" must not be grouped into an MCG, and that "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" can only be assigned to an SCG.

[0101] In response, the network node 1020 can store the UE capability information (including the reported carrier aggregation information) in the network (e.g., in the core network). The network node 1020 can also configure an MCG and an SCG for the UE 1010 based on the reported carrier aggregation information. For example, the network node 1020 can configure a set of carriers from "NR band n1" and "NR band n2" in the SCG and a set of carriers from "NR band n1" and "NR band n8" in the MCG for synchronous DC.

[0102] 11 illustrates an example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 for a network node configuring carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. The network node may belong to a network and may be, for example, a gNB 108, an eNB 112, or any of the network nodes 320-1020, a gNB 1500, or a component thereof, such as a processor 1504, a different type of base station, or a radio network core (e.g., core network 330). The network node may configure an MCG and an SCG for a UE that supports dual connectivity.

[0103] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include determining, for a UE, that UE capability information associated with a band combination is unavailable from the network, at 1102. For example, this determination may be made as part of a capability transfer procedure during registration of the UE with the network and may include querying the core network.

[0104] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include, at 1104, a UE capability query associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, this UE capability query is sent in response to determining that UE capability information is unavailable and may be sent via RRC signaling as part of a capability transfer procedure during UE registration. Furthermore, the UE capability query may include various levels of granularity and / or may implicitly or explicitly request the UE to provide its carrier grouping information, as described above in this specification with reference to FIGS. 4-7.

[0105] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include, at 1106, receiving UE capability information from the UE in response to the UE capability query, the UE capability information indicating the UE's support for band combinations for dual connectivity and including carrier grouping information regarding the UE's support for grouping carriers of the band combinations into cell groups. For example, the UE capability information may indicate band combinations supported for CA, subsets supported for DC, and positive capability information, negative capability information, UE requirement information, and / or UE constraint information related to the subsets, as described above in this specification with reference to FIGS. 4-10.

[0106] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include, at 1108, configuring a cell group for the UE based on the UE capability information. For example, the network node may be an MN, and may allocate radio resources using carriers from band combinations supported by the UE for an MCG. The network node may also notify another network node to be configured as an SN for the UE according to the band combinations supported by the UE for an SCG. The network node may also provide information regarding the MCG and SCG that can be provided to the UE.

[0107] 12 illustrates an example of an operational flow / algorithm structure for a UE reporting UE capabilities with respect to carrier grouping, according to some embodiments. The UE may implement the operational flow / algorithm structure 600 to determine and use the UE, which may be, for example, UE 104, any of UEs 210-1010, UE 1400, or a component thereof, for example, processor 1404. The UE may connect to a network node of a network that supports dual connectivity and may configure an MCG and SCG for the UE.

[0108] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include, at 1202, receiving a UE capability query from a network node associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity. In one example, this UE capability query is sent as part of a capability transfer procedure during UE registration. Furthermore, the UE capability query may include various levels of granularity and / or may implicitly or explicitly request the UE to provide its carrier grouping information, as described above in this specification with reference to FIGS. 4-7.

[0109] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include determining the band combinations supported by the UE for dual connectivity at 1204. For example, parameters from the UE capability inquiry may be used as a filter in a lookup of a data structure pre-stored in the UE that associates, for each band combination supported by the UE, variants of the bands that belong to the band combination and how these variants may be allocated within an MCG or SCG.

[0110] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include, at 1206, determining carrier grouping information regarding the UE's support for grouping carriers of band combinations into cell groups. For example, the carrier grouping may be the result of a lookup, as described herein above in connection with FIGS. 4-10, and may include positive capability information, negative capability information, and / or UE restriction information related to the subset.

[0111] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include, at 1208, transmitting UE capability information to the network node in response to the UE capability query, the UE capability information indicating UE support for band combinations for dual connectivity and including carrier grouping information. For example, the UE capability information may indicate supported band combinations for CA, supported subsets for DC, and positive capability information, negative capability information, UE requirement information, and / or UE constraint information related to the subsets, as described above in this specification with reference to FIGS. 4-10.

[0112] Operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include, at 1210, receiving another UE capability query from another network node (e.g., of another network) that is associated with the UE's support for dual connectivity, rather than carrier grouping for dual connectivity. For example, this UE capability query may be received when the UE roams to another network and participates in another capability transfer procedure during its registration with the other network. Here, the UE capability query may not implicitly or explicitly request the UE to provide its carrier grouping information (e.g., because the network does not support DC or already has this information for the UE).

[0113] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include, at 1212, transmitting, in response to the other UE capability query, other UE capability information indicating UE support for band combinations for dual connectivity and excluding carrier grouping information to another network node. For example, the UE capability information may indicate supported band combinations for CA and a subset supported for DC, but includes any of positive capability information, negative capability information, UE requirement information, or UE restriction information.

[0114] 13 illustrates a receiving component 1300 of a UE 104, according to some embodiments. The receiving component 1300 may include an antenna panel 1304 including several antenna elements. While the panel 1304 is shown with four antenna elements, other embodiments may include other numbers.

[0115] The antenna panel 1304 may be coupled to analog beamforming (BF) components, including several phase shifters 1308(1)-1308(4). The phase shifters 1308(1)-1308(4) may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 1312. The RF chain 1312 may amplify the received analog RF signal, downconvert the RF signal to baseband, and convert the analog baseband signal to a digital baseband signal that can be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0116] In various embodiments, control circuitry, which may be present in the baseband processor, may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 through W4), which may represent phase shift values, to the phase shifters 1308(1) through 1308(4) to provide receive beams at the antenna panel 1304. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0117] 14 illustrates a UE 1400 according to some embodiments. The UE 1400 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 104 of FIG.

[0118] Similar to that described above with respect to the UE 104, the UE 1400 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., a microphone, a carbon dioxide sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a laser scanner, a fluid level sensor, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter or an actuator, etc.), a video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., a camera or a video camera, etc.), a wearable device, a Relax IoT device, etc. In some embodiments, the UE may be a RedCap UE or an NR-Light UE.

[0119] The UE 1400 may include a processor 1404, RF interface circuitry 1408, memory / storage 1412, a user interface 1416, sensors 1420, driver circuitry 1422, a Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) 1424, and a battery 1428. Components of the UE 1400 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 14 is intended to illustrate a high-level view of some components of the UE 1400. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be displayed, and the components shown may be arranged differently in other implementations.

[0120] The components of the UE 1400 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1432, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit elements (on a common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0121] The processor 1404 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BaseBand, BB) 1404A, central processing unit circuitry (CPU) 1404B, and graphics processing unit circuitry (Graphics Processor Unit, GPU) 1404C. The processor 1404 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 1412 to cause the UE 1400 to perform the operations described herein.

[0122] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuitry 1404A may access a communications protocol stack 1436 in memory / storage 1412 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuitry 1404A may access the communications protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and PDU layers, and control plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layers. In some embodiments, PHY layer operations may additionally or alternatively be performed by components of the RF interface circuitry 1408.

[0123] The baseband processor circuitry 1404A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, waveforms for NR may be based on Cyclic Prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink and Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0124] The baseband processor circuitry 1404A may also access group information 1424 from the memory / storage 1412 to determine search space groups in which several PDCCH repetitions may be transmitted.

[0125] The memory / storage 1412 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 1400. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 1412 may be located on the processor 1404 itself (e.g., L1 and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 1412 may be external to the processor 1404 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 1412 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0126] The RF interface circuitry 1408 may include transceiver circuitry and a Radio Frequency front module (RFEM) that enables the UE 1400 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 1408 may include various elements disposed in the transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, combiner circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0127] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1424 and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (using a low noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to a transceiver receiver that downconverts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to a baseband processor in processor 1404.

[0128] On the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides an RF signal to the RFEM, which may amplify the RF signal using a power amplifier before radiating the signal over the air interface via the antenna 1424.

[0129] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuitry 1408 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in a manner that complies with NR access technologies.

[0130] The antenna 1424 may include several antenna elements, each of which converts electrical signals into radio waves for transmission through the air and converts received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged in one or more antenna panels. The antenna 1424 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof, enabling beamforming and multiple-input, multiple-output communications. The antenna 1424 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna 1424 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band, including bands within FR1 or FR2.

[0131] User interface circuitry 1416 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with UE 1400. User interface 1416 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, among other things, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for displaying or otherwise communicating information, such as a sensor reading, an actuator position(s), or other similar information. The output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), with output such as text, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. generated or created from the operation of UE 1400, among others.

[0132] Sensors 1420 may include devices, modules, or subsystems designed to detect events or changes in their environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors may include, among others, inertial measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers, microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers, level sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors), pressure sensors, barometric pressure sensors, gravimeters, altimeters, image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless apertures), light detection and ranging sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., infrared detectors, etc.), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers, microphones or other similar audio capture devices, etc.

[0133] The driver circuitry 1422 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1400. The driver circuitry 1422 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1400. For example, the driver circuitry 1422 may include a display driver that controls and enables access to a display device, a touchscreen driver that controls and enables access to a touchscreen interface, a sensor driver that obtains sensor readings of the sensor circuitry 1420 and controls and enables access to the sensor circuitry 1420, a driver that obtains actuator positions of or controls and enables access to electromechanical components, a camera driver that controls and enables access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver that controls and enables access to one or more audio devices.

[0134] The PMIC 1424 may manage the power supplied to various components of the UE 1400. In particular, with respect to the processor 1404, the PMIC 1424 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0135] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1424 may control or otherwise be a part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 1400. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, where it is still connected to a RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, the platform UE may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX). While in this state, the UE 1400 may power down for short intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 1400 may transition to an RRC_Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. The UE 1400 enters a very low power state, periodically waking up to listen to the network, and then performing paging, where it powers down again. The UE 1400 may not be able to receive data in this state. To receive data, it must transition back to the original RRC_Connected state. In a further power saving mode, the device may be allowed to be unavailable from the network for a period longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device may be completely unable to reach the network and may be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, but this delay is deemed acceptable.

[0136] The battery 1428 may provide power to the UE 1400, although in some examples the UE 1400 may be installed in a fixed location and have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 1428 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, or the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 1428 may be a typical automotive lead-acid battery.

[0137] 15 illustrates a gNB 1500 according to some embodiments. The gNB node 1500 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the gNB 108. A base station, such as the base station 112, may have the same or similar components as the gNB 1500.

[0138] The gNB 1500 may include a processor 1504, RF interface circuitry 1508, Core Network (CN) interface circuitry 1512, and memory / storage circuitry 1516.

[0139] The components of the gNB 1500 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1528.

[0140] The processor 1504, RF interface circuitry 1508, memory / storage circuitry 1516 (including communication protocol stack 1510), antenna 1524, and interconnect 1528 may be similar to the like-named elements shown and described with respect to FIG.

[0141] The CN interface circuitry 1512 is connected to a core network, for example, a fifth generation core network “5 thConnectivity to the "5th Generation Core network (5GC)" may be provided using a 5GC-compliant network interface protocol, such as the Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to or from the gNB 1500 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1512 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1512 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0142] It is understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with generally recognized privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized uses should be clearly indicated to users.

[0143] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components depicted in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more of the operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the example section below. For example, baseband circuitry described in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures, may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0144] Example Further exemplary embodiments are provided in the following sections.

[0145] Example 1 includes a method, implemented by a user equipment (UE), that includes: receiving a UE capability query from a network node, the UE capability query being associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity; determining band combinations supported by the UE for dual connectivity; determining carrier grouping information related to the UE's support for grouping carriers of the band combinations into cell groups; and, in response to the UE capability query, transmitting UE capability information indicating the UE's support for the band combinations for dual connectivity and including the carrier grouping information related to dual connectivity to the network node.

[0146] Example 2 includes a method, implemented by a network node, that includes: sending, to a user equipment (UE), a UE capability query associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity; receiving, in response to the UE capability query, UE capability information from the UE indicating the UE's support for band combinations for dual connectivity and including carrier grouping information regarding the UE's support for grouping carriers of the band combinations into cell groups for dual connectivity; and configuring the cell groups for dual connectivity for the UE based on the UE capability information.

[0147] Example 3 includes the method of any one of Examples 1-2 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges within the same cell group for dual connectivity.

[0148] Example 4 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 3 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for dual connectivity, and the set includes the band combinations.

[0149] Example 5 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 4 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for synchronous deployment of dual connectivity, and the set includes the band combination.

[0150] Example 6 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 5 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for asynchronous deployment of dual connectivity, and the set includes the band combination.

[0151] Example 7 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 6, above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands in different frequency ranges forming a band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping carriers from different frequency ranges into cell groups for dual connectivity.

[0152] Example 8 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 7 above, wherein the second capability information is configured to indicate that the UE can support a third measurement gap configuration only if the first capability information is configured to indicate that the UE can support the first measurement gap configuration and the second measurement gap configuration; the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination; and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping a first carrier in a first band of the plurality of bands into a master cell group (MCG) and grouping a second carrier in a second band of the plurality of bands into a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0153] Example 9 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 8 above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first subset of the plurality of bands into a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0154] Example 10 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates a UE restriction on grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0155] Example 11 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 10 above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first band of the plurality of bands with a second carrier from a second band of the plurality of bands in a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0156] Example 12 includes the method of example 11, and further indicates that the carrier grouping information can support the UE grouping the first carrier in a cell group without grouping the second carrier in a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0157] Example 13 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 12, above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates a UE requirement for grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0158] Example 14 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 13 above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE can support grouping a first carrier from a first band of the plurality of bands into the cell group only when a second carrier from a second band of the plurality of bands is also grouped into the cell group for dual connectivity.

[0159] Example 15 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 14, above, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, the carrier grouping information indicates a UE restriction on grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into a cell group for dual connectivity, and the carrier grouping information further indicates a UE requirement for grouping a second carrier from the plurality of bands into a cell group for dual connectivity.

[0160] Example 16 includes the method of any one of Examples 1-15, above, further including receiving, from the other network node, another UE capability query associated with the UE's support for dual connectivity but not carrier grouping for dual connectivity; and in response to the other UE capability query, sending, to the other network node, another UE capability information indicating the UE's support for band combinations for dual connectivity and excluding the carrier grouping information.

[0161] Example 17 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 16, above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges into cell groups, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges into cell groups for dual connectivity.

[0162] Example 18 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 17 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for dual connectivity, the set including the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping a first carrier in a first band from the band combination into a master cell group (MCG) and grouping a second carrier in a second band from the band combination into a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0163] Example 19 includes the method of any one of Examples 1 to 18 above, wherein the UE capability query indicates that the network node supports a synchronous deployment of dual connectivity or a set of band combinations for synchronous deployment, the set including the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from the band combination into a cell group for synchronous deployment or synchronous deployment.

[0164] Example 20 includes a UE including means for performing one or more elements of the method described or related to any of Examples 1-19.

[0165] Example 21 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the UE to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Example 1 and Examples 3-19.

[0166] Example 22 includes a UE including logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of a method described or related to any one of Examples 3-19.

[0167] Example 23 includes a UE including one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Example 1 and Examples 3-19.

[0168] Example 24 includes a system including means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any one of Examples 1 and 3-19.

[0169] Example 25 includes a network node including means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any one of Examples 2-15 and Examples 16-19.

[0170] Example 26 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a network node, cause the network node to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Examples 2-15 and Examples 16-19.

[0171] Example 27 includes a network node including logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any one of Examples 2-15 and Examples 16-19.

[0172] Example 28 includes a network node including one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Examples 2-15 and Examples 16-19.

[0173] Example 29 includes a system including means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any one of Examples 2-15 and Examples 16-19.

[0174] Any of the above examples can be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise embodiments disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0175] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated, and it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by a network node, comprising: sending, to a user equipment (UE), a UE capability query associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity; receiving, in response to the UE capability inquiry, UE capability information from the UE indicating support of the UE for a band combination for the dual connectivity, the UE capability information including carrier grouping information regarding support of the UE for grouping carriers of the band combination into cell groups for the dual connectivity; and configuring the cell group for the dual connectivity for the UE based on the UE capability information.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges into the same cell group for the dual connectivity.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for the dual connectivity, the set including the band combination.

4. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for synchronous deployment of the dual connectivity, the set including the band combination.

5. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for asynchronous deployment of the dual connectivity, the set including the band combination.

6. 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a UE capability query from a network node associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity; determining band combinations supported by the UE for the dual connectivity; determining carrier grouping information regarding the UE's support for grouping carriers of the band combination into cell groups; and in response to the UE capability inquiry, transmitting UE capability information to the network node indicating support of the UE for the band combination for the dual connectivity, the UE capability information including the carrier grouping information for the dual connectivity.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands that form the band combination and are in different frequency ranges, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping carriers from the different frequency ranges into the cell group for the dual connectivity.

8. 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands among the band combinations, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping a first carrier in a first band among the plurality of bands into a Master Cell Group (MCG) and grouping a second carrier in a second band among the plurality of bands into a Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

9. 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first subset of the plurality of bands in the cell group for the dual connectivity.

10. 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates a UE restriction on grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into the cell group for the dual connectivity.

11. 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from a first band of the plurality of bands with a second carrier from a second band of the plurality of bands in the cell group for the dual connectivity.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the carrier grouping information further indicates that the UE can support grouping the first carrier in the cell group for the dual connectivity without grouping the second carrier in the cell group.

13. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates a UE requirement for grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into the cell group for the dual connectivity.

14. 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combinations, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE can support grouping a first carrier from a first band of the plurality of bands in the cell group only when also grouping a second carrier from a second band of the plurality of bands in the cell group for the dual connectivity.

15. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the UE capability information indicates a plurality of bands of the band combination, the carrier grouping information indicates a UE restriction on grouping a first carrier from the plurality of bands into the cell group for the dual connectivity, and the carrier grouping information further indicates a UE requirement for grouping a second carrier from the plurality of bands into the cell group for the dual connectivity.

16. receiving another UE capability inquiry from another network node, the inquiry being associated with the UE's support for the dual connectivity rather than the carrier grouping for the dual connectivity; In response to the other UE capability inquiry, transmitting other UE capability information to the other network node indicating support of the UE for the band combination for the dual connectivity and excluding the carrier grouping information; 16. The method of any one of claims 6 to 15, further comprising:

17. A user equipment (UE), one or more processors; When executed by the one or more processors, the UE is receiving a UE capability query from a network node associated with the UE's support for carrier grouping for dual connectivity; determining band combinations supported by the UE for the dual connectivity; determining carrier grouping information regarding the UE's support for grouping carriers of the band combination into cell groups; one or more memories storing computer-readable instructions configured to, in response to the UE capability query, transmit UE capability information to the network node indicating support of the UE for the band combination for the dual connectivity, the UE capability information including the carrier grouping information for the dual connectivity.

18. 18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports grouping multiple carriers from different frequency ranges into the cell group, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping the multiple carriers from the different frequency ranges into the cell group for the dual connectivity.

19. 19. The UE of claim 17 or 18, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for the dual connectivity, the set including the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE supports grouping a first carrier in a first band from the band combination into a Master Cell Group (MCG) and grouping a second carrier in a second band from the band combination into a Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

20. 19. The UE of claim 17 or 18, wherein the UE capability inquiry indicates that the network node supports a set of band combinations for synchronous or asynchronous deployment of the dual connectivity, the set including the band combination, and the carrier grouping information indicates that the UE cannot support grouping a first carrier from the band combination into the cell group for the synchronous or asynchronous deployment.

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