SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CARRIER AGGREGATION TRANSPORT BLOCK PREPARATION - Patent application

Abstract

The method includes processing, by a processing circuit, transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads on each carrier for a user equipment (UE) that communicates on the two or more carriers; storing, by the processing circuitry, the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and sending, by the processing circuitry, the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a system for transport block preparation during carrier aggregation and methods of use thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] A cellular network is a telecommunications system in which mobile devices (e.g., mobile phone devices) communicate by radio waves through one or more local antennas located at cellular base stations (e.g., cell towers). Cellular service is provided over a coverage area divided into small geographic areas called cells. Each cell is served by a separate low-power multi-channel transceiver and antenna located at the cell tower. Mobile devices within a cell communicate through that cell's antenna at multiple frequencies on separate frequency channels assigned by the base station from the pool of frequencies used by the cellular network.

[0003] The Radio Access Network (RAN) is the part of a telecommunications system that implements radio access technology. The RAN resides between devices such as mobile phones, computers, or remote control machines and provides connectivity to the Core Network (CN). Depending on the standard, mobile phones and other wirelessly connected devices are variously known as User Equipment (UE), Terminal Equipment (TE), Mobile Station (MS), etc. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In some embodiments, a method includes processing, by a processing circuit, transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads on each carrier for a user equipment (UE) that communicates on the two or more carriers; storing, by the processing circuitry, the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and sending, by the processing circuitry, the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0005] In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the apparatus to: process transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads of a user equipment (UE) on each carrier that communicates on the two or more carriers; store the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and send the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0006] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an apparatus to: process transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads of user equipment (UE) communicating on the two or more carriers; store the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and send the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0007] Aspects of the embodiments will be understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In accordance with common practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In some embodiments, the dimensions of various features have been arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a system for Carrier Aggregation Transport Block Preparation (CATBP), according to some embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method for CATBP, according to some embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram of a processor-based system according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing the particular features of the discussed subject matter. Below, examples of components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, and the like are described to simplify the embodiments. These are, of course, examples and are not intended to be limiting. Other components, values, operations, materials, arrangements, and the like are contemplated. For example, forming a first feature over a second feature in the following description includes embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and further includes embodiments in which an additional feature is formed between the first and second features such that the first and second features cannot be in direct contact. In addition, some embodiments repeat reference numbers and / or letters in multiple instances. This repetition is for the sake of brevity and clarity and is not intended to dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0012] Additionally, spatially relative terms such as "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," and "upper" are used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s), as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0013] In some embodiments, carrier aggregation transport block (TB) provisioning is described. CA is a technique used to increase the data rate (throughput) per user in wireless communications, whereby multiple frequency blocks (called carriers) from multiple base stations are assigned to the same user (e.g., the same UE). The maximum possible data rate per user increases with more frequency blocks (e.g., base stations) assigned to the UE. Due to better resource utilization, the aggregate data rate of the cell (area of ​​base station coverage) also increases. CA is described in detail in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard specifications.

[0014] The TB is the payload passed between the MAC layer (where the Medium Access Control provides flow control and multiplexing for the transmission medium) and the Phy layer (where the physical layer connects the MAC to the physical medium, such as optical fiber or copper cable) for shared data channels, particularly those such as the PDSCH (Physical Downlink Channel carrying user data) and the PUSCH (Physical Uplink Channel carrying user data). The TB undergoes Phy layer processing at the transmitter before being mapped onto the PDSCH for transmission over the air interface. The TB is segmented into code blocks, which are then placed into slots, after being appended with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a common error-detecting code used in digital networks and storage devices to detect accidental changes to digital data. In Long Term Evolution (LTE) TB implementations, a slot is 1 millisecond long, during which a UE's Internet Protocol (IP) packet (payload) is placed. In 5G New Radio (NR), where the transmission frequency is approximately 6 GHz, the slot duration is 1 / 2 millisecond, during which X bytes are allocated to the UE. This is enough time for about 10 IP packets to fit into the slots that form the TB, i.e. the TB used to be transmitted at the physical layer (e.g. L1).

[0015] Network throughput (or simply throughput) refers to the rate at which messages are successfully delivered over a communications channel, such as Ethernet or packet radio, in a communications network. These messages contain data that is delivered over physical or logical links or through network nodes. Throughput is usually measured in bits per second (bits / s or bps), and sometimes in data packets per second (pps or p / s) or data packets per time slot. System throughput, or total throughput, is the sum of the data rates delivered to terminals in a network. Throughput is synonymous with digital bandwidth consumption.

[0016] In some embodiments, network implementations become more efficient if carriers can use common data queues. In computer science, a queue is a collection of entities maintained in an array that is modified by the addition of entities at one end of the array and the removal of entities from the other end of the array. By convention, the end of the array from which elements are added is called the back, tail, or rear of the queue, and the end from which elements are removed is called the head or front of the queue. The operation of adding an element to the rear of a queue is known as enqueue, and the operation of removing an element from the front is known as dequeue. These queue operations make a queue a first-in, first-out (FIFO) data structure. In a FIFO data structure, the first element added to a queue is the first to be removed. This is equivalent to the requirement that when a new element is added, all previously added elements must be removed before the new element can be removed. A queue acts as a buffer.

[0017] During operation, the UE requests consecutive Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence numbers (SN) for each carrier implemented by the gNodeB (GNB is a 3GPP-compliant implementation of a 5G-NR base station). The SN field indicates the sequence number of the corresponding RLC (Service Data Unit) SDU. In the case of RLC AM, the sequence number increases by one for each RLC SDU.

[0018] RLC is a Layer 2 radio link protocol used over the air interface in UMTS, LTE, and 5G. The protocol is specified by 3GPP in TS 25.322 for UMTS, TS 36.322 for LTE, and TS 38.322 for 5G NR. RLC resides above the 3GPP MAC layer and below the (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) PDCP layer. The main tasks of the RLC protocol are (1) transmission of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs) in one of three modes: acknowledged mode (AM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and transparent mode (TM); (2) error correction via ARQ (AM data transmission only); (3) concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs (UM and AM); (4) resegmentation of RLC data PDUs (AM); (5) reordering of RLC data PDUs (UM and AM); (6) duplicate detection (UM and AM); (7) RLC SDU discard (UM and AM); (8) RLC re-establishment; and (9) protocol error detection and recovery.

[0019] In other approaches, each carrier has a queue, resulting in multiple queues holding consecutive RLC packets. Implementing a queue per carrier means that packets (from payload to TB) are split, assigned sequence numbers for the carriers, stored by the individual carriers (e.g., base stations), and then sent to the UE.

[0020] In some embodiments, a common queue is used across one or more carriers, with carrier TB (Transport Block) preparation running in parallel with the common queue.

[0021] Dequeuing from the common queue is done in batches based on the estimated average packet size and the allocated TBS (Transport Block Size). A UE receiving data on the PDSCH determines the TBS before attempting to decode the data. The UE uses a combination of semi-static information provided by RRC (Radio Resource Control is a Layer 3 (network layer) protocol used between the UE and the base station) signaling and dynamic information provided by downlink control information on the PDCCH (DCI provides the UE with information such as physical layer resource allocation, power control commands, and HARQ information for both uplink and downlink).

[0022] While other approaches require each carrier to have a separate queue and require special handling based on different channel conditions per carrier and carrier deactivation, a common queue eliminates the need for that special handling.

[0023] In some embodiments, CA implementation is simpler than other approaches. In some embodiments, carriers initiate TB preparation in parallel. To access the queue, carriers use batch dequeue (e.g., N packets are dequeued at a time) based on the allocated TBS and average packet size. The batch dequeue function is mutex protected, and this is a short-lived process in which carriers are serialized (e.g., sequentially numbered).

[0024] In computer science, a lock or mutex (from mutual exclusion) is a synchronization primitive (e.g., a mechanism for imposing limits on access to a resource when there are multiple threads of execution). Locks are designed to enforce mutual exclusion concurrency control policies, and the various possible ways in which they can be implemented result in multiple implementations that are unique to different applications.

[0025] In some embodiments, because the packets are in a common queue, CA deactivation is handled more efficiently compared to conventional approaches. Per-packet updates of the RLC / MAC header and TB preparation occur in parallel in response to RLC / MAC header dequeue. In some embodiments, M packets are dequeued per carrier. The number represented by M depends on the grant given by the scheduler. Additional or segmented packets are stored in the UE's carrier context and transmitted at the next DL (downlink) scheduling opportunity.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a system 100 for carrier aggregation transport block preparation (CATBP), according to some embodiments.

[0027] The CATBP system 100 includes a CN 102 communicatively connected to a RAN 104 through a transport network 106 communicatively connected to base stations 108A and 108B (hereinafter, base stations 108), with antennas 110 wirelessly connected to UEs 112 located within geographic coverage cells 114A and 114B (hereinafter, geographic coverage cells 114). The CN 102 includes one or more service providers 116.

[0028] The CN 102 (also known as a backbone) is the portion of a computer network that interconnects networks, providing a pathway for exchanging information between different local area networks (LANs) or sub-networks. In some embodiments, the CN 102 ties diverse networks together across a wide geographic area, within different buildings in a campus environment, or within the same building.

[0029] In some embodiments, the RAN 104 is a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) RAN, a GSM / EDGE RAN, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAN (UTRAN), an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), an Open RAN (O-RAN), or a Cloud RAN (C-RAN). The RAN 104 resides between the UE 112 (e.g., a mobile phone, a computer, or any remote control machine) and the CN 102. In some embodiments, the RAN 104 is a C-RAN for simplified representation and explanation. In some embodiments, a baseband unit (BBU) replaces the C-RAN.

[0030] In a hierarchical telecommunications network, the transport network 106 of the CATBP 100 includes intermediate links between the CN 102 and the RAN 104. The two primary methods of mobile backhaul implementation are fiber-based backhaul and wireless point-to-point backhaul. Other methods, such as copper-based wireline, satellite communications, and point-to-multipoint wireless technologies, are being phased out in 4G and 5G networks as capacity and latency requirements become higher. Backhaul refers to the network side that communicates with the Internet. The connection between the base station 108 and the UE 112 begins with the transport network 106 connected to the CN 102. In some embodiments, the transport network 106 includes wireline, fiber optic, and wireless components. The wireless section includes using microwave bands, mesh, and edge network topologies, using high-capacity wireless channels to send packets to microwave or fiber links.

[0031] In some embodiments, the base station 108 is a gNB base station that connects 5G New Radio (NR) devices (e.g., 5G phones) to a 5G core network using an NR air interface. In some embodiments, the base station 108 is a lattice or self-supporting tower, a guy tower, a monopole tower, and a hidden tower (e.g., a tower designed to resemble a tree, a cactus, a water tower, a sign, a light pole, and other types of structures). In some embodiments, the base station 108 is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communication equipment are typically placed on a radio mast, tower, or other elevated structure to create a cell (or adjacent cells) in the network. The elevated structure typically supports antenna(s) 110 and one or more sets of transmitters / receivers (transceivers), digital signal processors, control electronics, remote radio heads (RRHs), primary and backup power sources, and a shelter. A base station is known by other names, such as a base transceiver station, cellular phone mast, or cell tower. In some embodiments, other edge devices are configured to wirelessly communicate with the UEs. An edge device provides an entry point into a service provider CN, such as CN 102. Examples include routers, routing switches, integrated access devices (IADs), multiplexers, and various metropolitan area network (MAN) and wide area network (WAN) access devices.

[0032] In at least one embodiment, antenna(s) 110 are sector antennas. In some embodiments, antenna(s) 110 are a type of directional microwave antenna with a sector-shaped radiation pattern. In some embodiments, the sector angle of the arc is a 60°, 90°, or 120° design, with a few extra degrees provided to ensure overlap. Additionally, sector antennas are mounted in multiples when wider or full-circle coverage is desired. In some embodiments, antenna(s) 110 are rectangular antennas, sometimes referred to as panel antennas or radio antennas, used to transmit and receive waves or data between mobile devices or other devices and base stations. In some embodiments, antenna(s) 110 are circular antennas. In some embodiments, antenna 110 operates at microwave or ultra-high frequency (UHF) frequencies (300 MHz to 3 GHz). In other examples, antenna(s) 110 are selected for their size and directionality. In some embodiments, antenna(s) 110 are MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) antennas that simultaneously transmit and receive two or more data signals over the same wireless channel by taking advantage of multipath propagation.

[0033] In some embodiments, the UE 112 is a computer or computing system. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 112 has a liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), or organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen interface, such as a user interface (UI) 322 ( FIG. 3 ), that provides a touchscreen interface with digital buttons and a keyboard, or with physical buttons along with a physical keyboard. In some embodiments, the UE 112 connects to the Internet and interconnects with other devices. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 112 incorporates an integrated camera, the ability to make and receive voice and video phone calls, video games, and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. Additionally or alternatively, the UE runs an operating system (OS) that allows capability-specific third-party apps to be installed and executed. In some embodiments, the UE 112 is a computer (such as a tablet computer, netbook, digital media player, digital assistant, graphing calculator, handheld game console, handheld personal computer (PC), laptop, mobile internet device (MID), personal digital assistant (PDA), pocket calculator, portable media player, or ultra-mobile PC), a mobile phone (such as a camera phone, feature phone, smartphone, or phablet), a digital camera (such as a digital camcorder, or digital still camera (DSC), digital video camera (DVC), or front-facing camera), a pager, a personal navigation device (PND), a wearable computer (such as a calculator watch, smart watch, head-mounted display, earphones, or biometric device), or a smart card.

[0034] In some embodiments, the geographic coverage cell 114 includes a shape and a size. In some embodiments, the geographic coverage cell 114 is a macrocell (covering 1 Km to 30 Km), a microcell (covering 200 m to 2 Km), or a picocell (covering 4 m to 200 m). In some embodiments, the geographic coverage cell is circular, elliptical ( FIG. 1 ), sector-shaped, or lobe-shaped, although the geographic coverage cell 114 may be configured in nearly any shape or size. The geographic coverage cell 114 represents the geographic area in which the antennas 110 and the UEs 112 are configured to communicate.

[0035] Service provider(s) 116 or CSPs are companies, vendors, customers, or organizations that sell bandwidth or network access to subscribers (using UEs) by providing direct Internet backbone access to Internet service providers, typically accessing a Network Access Point (NAP). Service providers are sometimes referred to as backbone providers, Internet providers, or vendors. Service providers include telecommunications companies, data carriers, wireless communication providers, Internet service providers, and cable television operators that offer high-speed Internet access.

[0036] In a 5G RAN architecture, the BBU functionality is split into two functional units: a distributed unit (DU) 120 responsible for real-time L1 and L2 scheduling functions, and a centralized unit (CU) 118 responsible for non-real-time, upper L2 and L3. In a 5G Cloud RAN, such as the RAN 104, the DU's servers and associated software are hosted at a site, such as a base station 108, or at an edge cloud (e.g., a data center or central office), depending on transport availability and fronthaul interfaces. The split between the DU 120 and RU 122 varies depending on the specific use case and implementation.

[0037] The CU 118 includes RRC, SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol that maps Quality of Service (QoS)), and PDCP protocol layers, and is responsible for non-real-time RRC and PDCP protocol stack functions. The CU 118 is deployed in the cloud to support centralized deployment of core network UPF (User Plane Function, which connects data to the Internet via the RAN) sinking and edge computing. The CU 118 and DU 120 are connected through the F1 interface. One CU manages one or more DUs.

[0038] The DU software is deployed on a COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf) server in the field, such as in a base station 108. The DU software is typically deployed in the field near the RU 122 and runs the RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control), and parts of the PHY layer (the layer most closely related to the physical connection between devices).

[0039] The RU 122 is a radio hardware unit that converts radio signals sent to and from the antenna 110 into digital signals for transmission over a packet network. The RU 122 handles the digital front end (DFE) and lower PHY layer, as well as digital beamforming functions. The RU is deployed on-site.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method 200 of carrier aggregation transport block preparation (CATBP) according to some embodiments.

[0041] To provide an understanding of the operation of the CATBP system 100 and the DU 120 in accordance with the CATBP method 200, FIG. 2 is discussed in conjunction. In some embodiments, the CATBP method 200 is a functional overview of the CATBP system 100 and the DU 120. In some embodiments, the CATBP method 200 is performed by a processing circuit 302, described below with respect to FIG. 3. In some embodiments, some or all of the operations of the CATBP method 200 are performed according to instructions corresponding to instructions 306, discussed below with respect to FIG. 3.

[0042] Although CATBP method 200 includes operations 202-210, these operations are not necessarily performed in the order shown. Operations may be added, substituted, reordered, and / or removed as appropriate, depending on the spirit and scope of the embodiments. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations of CATBP method 200 are repeated. In some embodiments, the operations of the CATBP 200 method are performed sequentially unless otherwise specified. In some embodiments, the CATBP 200 method is performed by a DU, such as DU 120.

[0043] As detailed above, in CA, a UE is connected to multiple base stations at once to increase throughput. While the 3GPP standards do not address how packets are received from different base stations (e.g., according to these standards, base stations can transmit packets in any manner), a UE often has an implicit requirement for a minimum of at least four consecutive packets.

[0044] As mentioned above, a conventional approach would be to implement a queue per carrier, which means packets are split, assigned sequence numbers to ensure order for the carriers, stored on the carriers, and then sent to the UE in order. However, this implementation has many drawbacks.

[0045] Thus, in some embodiments, a common queue is implemented, where packets are stored in a queue in order and each carrier dequeues a batch of packets (e.g., 4-8 packets) and then sends the packets out on the carrier.

[0046] Packets are stored in a common queue in a sequential order. A batch of packets (e.g., 4-8 packets) is scheduled for each carrier based on the number of bytes and the scheduled resources for the UE. These consecutive packets are dequeued for each carrier, and TB preparation is performed as described above. Therefore, packets do not need to be split, which makes the handover (or handoff) procedure more efficient. If packets are stored in a common queue for each carrier and then retransmitted to other active carriers, throughput will decrease during the handover procedure.

[0047] In some embodiments, a common data queue 212 is implemented for each carrier used by the CATBP method 200, creating a more efficient network. During operation, the UE requests consecutive RLC sequence numbers (SNs) for each carrier implemented at the gNodeB (e.g., a gNB DU, such as DU 120). In some embodiments, a common data queue 212 is used across carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N), where N is a positive integer. Carrier TB preparation is performed in parallel. Dequeuing from the common data queue 212 is done in batches based on the estimated average packet size and the allocated TBS.

[0048] In operation 202 of CATBP method 200, the TBSs are processed in parallel for carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N). A UE receiving data on the PDSCH determines the TBS before attempting to decode the data. The UE uses a combination of semi-static information provided by RRC (Radio Resource Control is a Layer 3 (network layer) protocol used between the UE and the base station) signaling and dynamic information provided by downlink control information on the PDCCH (DCI provides the UE with information such as physical layer resource allocation, power control commands, and HARQ information for both uplink and downlink).

[0049] In some embodiments, the TBSs are processed for carriers such as carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N). In some embodiments, the scheduler provides resources per carrier. Thus, on each carrier, resources are allocated for a given UE.

[0050] A network scheduler, also known as a packet scheduler, queuing discipline (qdisc), or queuing algorithm, is an arbiter on a node in a packet-switched communication network. The scheduler manages the ordering of network packets in the transmit and receive queues of the protocol stack and the network interface controller. The network scheduler logic determines which network packet to forward next. The network scheduler has an associated queuing system, such as a common queue 212, that temporarily stores network packets until they are transmitted. The CATBP system 100 has a single common queue 212 that holds packets of one flow, classification, or priority. The process flows from operation 202 to operation 204.

[0051] At operation 204 of CATBP method 200, packets from each carrier, such as carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N), are stored in common queue 212 in response to being allocated resources, such as a time slot buffer. To access common data queue 212, carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N) use batch dequeue (e.g., N packets are dequeued at a time) based on their allocated time slot buffer and average packet size. The batch dequeue function is mutex protected, so the process is fast, and carriers 214(1), 214(2), 214(3) through 214(N) are serialized (e.g., assigned consecutive serial numbers). The process flows from operation 202 to operation 204. The process flows from operation 204 to operation 206.

[0052] In operation 206 of the CATBP method 200, RLC and MAC headers are constructed. A transport block is described as data delivered by the MAC layer to the physical layer and vice versa. In some embodiments, this is a protocol-level process that occurs per carrier. At the protocol level, RLC and MAC protocol headers are constructed in parallel. Payload packets remain in queue 212 and are accessed during the CATBP method 200. The process flows from operation 206 to operation 208.

[0053] In operation 208 of CATBP method 200, a TB is copied and prepared for each carrier. Per-packet updates occur in response to dequeuing of RLC / MAC headers, and TB preparation is performed in parallel. In some embodiments, M packets are dequeued per carrier (e.g., 4-8). The number represented by M depends on the grant given by the scheduler. In some embodiments, from queue 212, a TB is constructed and queued per carrier. In some embodiments, RLC and MAC protocol headers are added and aggregated into a TB for the entire allocated resources in that slot. The process flows from operation 208 to operation 210.

[0054] In operation 210 of CATBP method 200, the prepared TB is sent to Layer 1 (L1) for L1 processing for that slot. In some embodiments, the additional packet or segmented packet is stored in the UE's carrier context and transmitted at the next DL (downlink) scheduling opportunity.

[0055] In some embodiments, the CATBP method 200 receives packets (payloads) held in a common queue 212. RLC SNs are then assigned to the packets while they remain in the common queue 212. The common queue 212 may be accessed in any order by different carriers (e.g., different base stations). In a non-limiting example, packet sequences 1, 2, 3, and 4 are assigned to carrier 1; packet sequences 5, 6, 7, and 8 are assigned to carrier 2; packet sequences 9, 10, 11, and 12 are assigned to carrier 3; and packet sequences 13, 14, 15, and 16 are assigned to carrier 4.

[0056] In traditional approaches, when a carrier goes down or is no longer seen by the UE, packets stored in the carrier's queue are pushed back to other carrier queues, which increases the delay for packets sent to the UE, and reduces throughput because stored packets are moved up the queues of other carriers.

[0057] However, when a common queue is used, such as in CATBP method 200, in response to a carrier going down, no packets are sent to the carrier at all. There is no need to reorder these packets or forward them to another scheduler.

[0058] 3 is a block diagram of a processing circuit 300 for carrier aggregation transport block preparation according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 300 for carrier aggregation transport block preparation is a general-purpose computing device including a hardware processor 302 and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 304. The storage medium 304 stores, among other things, computer program code 306, i.e., computer program code 306, encoded with a set of executable instructions, such as algorithm or method 200. Execution of the instructions 306 by the hardware processor 302 represents (at least in part) a method of carrier aggregation transport block preparation that implements some or all of the methods described herein in accordance with one or more embodiments (hereinafter, the processes and / or methods described).

[0059] The processor 302 is electrically coupled to the computer-readable storage medium 304 via a bus 308. The processor 302 is further electrically coupled to an I / O interface 310 by the bus 308. A network interface 312 is further electrically connected to the processor 302 via the bus 308. The network interface 312 is connected to a network 314 such that the processor 302 and the computer-readable storage medium 304 connect to external elements via the network 314. The processor 302 is configured to execute computer program code 306 encoded in the computer-readable storage medium 304 to enable the processing circuit 300 to perform some or all of the described processes and / or methods. In one or more embodiments, the processor 302 is a central processing unit (CPU), a multiprocessor, a distributed processing system, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or other suitable processing unit.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 304 is an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, and / or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device). For example, the computer-readable storage medium 304 includes semiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, removable computer diskette, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), rigid magnetic disk, and / or optical disk. In one or more embodiments using an optical disk, the computer-readable storage medium 304 includes a compact disk-read-only memory (CD-ROM), a compact disk-read / write (CD-R / W), and / or a digital video disk (DVD).

[0061] In one or more embodiments, the storage medium 304 stores computer program code 306 configured to cause the processing circuit 300 to prepare a transport block for carrier aggregation and to enable the processing circuit 300 to perform some or all of the described processes and / or methods. In one or more embodiments, the storage medium 304 further stores information such as algorithms that facilitate performing some or all of the described processes and / or methods.

[0062] The processing circuit 300 for transport block preparation for carrier aggregation includes an I / O interface 310. The I / O interface 310 is coupled to external circuitry. In one or more embodiments, the I / O interface 310 includes a keyboard, keypad, mouse, trackball, trackpad, touchscreen, and / or cursor direction keys for communicating information and commands to the processor 302.

[0063] Processing circuit 300 further includes a network interface 312 coupled to processor 302. Network interface 312 enables processing circuit 300 to communicate with a network 314 to which one or more other computer systems are connected. Network interface 312 includes a wireless network interface, such as BLUETOOTH, WIFI, WIMAX, GPRS, or WCDMA, or a wired network interface, such as ETHERNET, USB, or IEEE-864. In one or more embodiments, some or all of the described processes and / or methods are implemented in two or more processing circuits 300.

[0064] The processing circuit 300 for carrier aggregation transport block preparation is configured to receive information through an I / O interface 310. The information received through the I / O interface 310 includes one or more of instructions, data, design rules, and / or other parameters for processing by the processor 302. The information is transferred to the processor 302 via a bus 308. The processing circuit 300 for carrier aggregation transport block preparation is configured to receive information related to a UI 322 through the I / O interface 310. The information is stored in the computer-readable medium 304 as a user interface (UI) 322.

[0065] In some embodiments, a method includes processing, by a processing circuit, transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads on each carrier for a user equipment (UE) that communicates on the two or more carriers; storing, by the processing circuitry, the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and sending, by the processing circuitry, the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0066] In some embodiments, processing the TBS of each TB of two or more carriers includes managing, by a scheduler, the sequence and number of packets to be placed on the TB, where the sequence and number of packets determine the TBS.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method further includes dequeuing packets of each carrier to the common data queue in bulk based on the assigned TBS and average packet size before storing the processed TBS of each carrier in the common data queue.

[0068] In some embodiments, the method further includes protecting, by the processing circuitry, the batch dequeue with a protected mutex, and serializing, by the processing circuitry, each carrier with a sequential number.

[0069] In some embodiments, the method further includes constructing a radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) header for each packet in the TB in response to the batch dequeue.

[0070] In some embodiments, the method further includes delivering one or more TBs by the MAC layer to the L1 layer in response to sending a TB for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TB to be sent to the UE.

[0071] In some embodiments, the method further includes constructing a TB despite dequeuing a predetermined number of bytes allowed by the scheduler in response to constructing an RLC and MAC header for each packet in the TB.

[0072] In some embodiments, building a TB despite dequeuing a predetermined number of bytes allowed by the scheduler includes building a TB for each serialized carrier.

[0073] In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the apparatus to: process transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads for user equipment (UE) on each carrier that communicates on the two or more carriers; store the processed TBSs for each carrier in a common data queue; and send the TBs for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0074] In some embodiments, the apparatus is caused by a scheduler to process the TBS of each TB of two or more carriers by managing the sequence and number of packets to be placed on the TB, the sequence and number of packets determining the TBS.

[0075] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further configured to dequeue packets of each carrier into the common data queue in bulk based on the assigned TBS and average packet size before storing the processed TBS of each carrier into the common data queue.

[0076] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further adapted to protect the batch dequeue with a protected mutex and to serialize each carrier with a sequential number.

[0077] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to construct a radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) header for each packet in the TB in response to the batch dequeue.

[0078] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further configured to deliver the TBS to the L1 layer by the MAC layer in response to sending the TB for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TB to be sent to the UE.

[0079] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further configured to construct a TB despite dequeuing a predetermined number of packets allowed by the scheduler in response to constructing an RLC and MAC header for each packet in the TB.

[0080] In some embodiments, the apparatus is caused to build a TB despite dequeuing a predetermined number of packets allowed by the scheduler by building a TB for each serialized carrier.

[0081] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause an apparatus to: process transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, where the TBs are payloads of user equipment (UE) communicating on the two or more carriers; store the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and send the TBs of each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

[0082] In some embodiments, the apparatus is caused by a scheduler to process the TBS of each TB of two or more carriers by managing the sequence and number of packets to be placed on the TB, the sequence and number of packets determining the TBS.

[0083] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further configured to dequeue packets of each carrier into the common data queue in bulk based on the assigned TBS and average packet size before storing the processed TBS of each carrier into the common data queue.

[0084] In some embodiments, the apparatus is further adapted to protect the batch dequeue with a protected mutex and to serialize each carrier with a sequential number.

[0085] The foregoing outlines features of some embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to better understand aspects of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these embodiments serve as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures to carry out the same purposes and / or achieve the same advantages of the embodiments presented herein. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the embodiments, and will recognize that those skilled in the art will make various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments.

Claims

1. processing, by a processing circuit, transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, the TBs being payloads on each carrier for user equipment (UE) communicating on the two or more carriers; storing the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue by the processing circuit; and sending, by the processing circuitry, the TB for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for sending the TB to the UE; method.

2. The processing of the TBS of each TB of the two or more carriers includes: managing, by a scheduler, the sequence and number of packets to be placed in the TB, wherein the sequence and number of packets determine the TBS; The method of claim 1.

3. Before storing the processed TBSs of the carriers in the common data queue, the method further includes dequeuing packets of the carriers in bulk to the common data queue based on the assigned TBSs and an average packet size. The method of claim 2.

4. protecting the batch dequeue with a protected mutex by the processing circuitry; and serializing, by the processing circuitry, each carrier with a consecutive number; The method of claim 3.

5. and constructing a radio link control (RLC) and a medium access control (MAC) header for each packet in the TB in response to the batch dequeue. The method of claim 3.

6. and delivering one or more TBs by a MAC layer to an L1 layer in response to the sending of the TBs for each carrier for the L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE. The method of claim 5.

7. and constructing the TB despite dequeuing a predetermined number of bytes allowed by the scheduler in response to constructing the RLC and MAC headers for each packet in the TB. The method of claim 5.

8. The constructing of the TB despite the dequeuing of the predetermined number of bytes allowed by the scheduler comprises: constructing said TB for each serialized carrier; The method of claim 7.

9. a processor; a memory having instructions stored therein; 1. An apparatus, comprising: Processing transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, the TBs being payloads of user equipment (UE) on each carrier communicating on the two or more carriers; storing the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and sending the TB for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for sending the TB to the UE; Device.

10. The device manages the sequence and number of packets to be placed in the TB by a scheduler, processing the TBS of each TB of the two or more carriers, wherein the sequence and the number of packets determine the TBS; 10. The apparatus of claim 9.

11. The device comprises: Before storing the processed TBS of each carrier in the common data queue, the method may further perform dequeuing packets of each carrier in bulk to the common data queue based on the assigned TBS and an average packet size.

11. The apparatus of claim 10.

12. The device comprises: protecting the batch dequeue with a protected mutex; and Each carrier is serialised with a sequential number.

12. The apparatus of claim 11.

13. The device comprises: and further configured to construct a radio link control (RLC) and a medium access control (MAC) header for each packet in the TB in response to the batch dequeue.

12. The apparatus of claim 11.

14. The device comprises: and delivering the TBS to an L1 layer by a MAC layer in response to sending the TBs of the respective carriers for the L1 processing in preparation for the TBs to be sent to the UE.

14. The apparatus of claim 13.

15. The device comprises: and in response to constructing the RLC and MAC headers for each packet in the TB, further causing the TB to be constructed despite dequeuing a predetermined number of packets allowed by the scheduler.

14. The apparatus of claim 13.

16. The device constructs the TB for each serialized carrier, causing the TB to be built despite the predetermined number of packets being allowed by the scheduler to be dequeued; 16. The apparatus of claim 15.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, in response to being executed by a processor, Processing transport block sizes (TBS) of transport blocks (TBs) of two or more carriers in parallel, the TBs being payloads of user equipment (UE) communicating on the two or more carriers; storing the processed TBSs of each carrier in a common data queue; and sending the TB for each carrier for L1 processing in preparation for sending the TB to the UE; Non-transitory computer-readable medium.

18. The device comprises: and processing the TBS of each TB of the two or more carriers by managing a sequence and number of packets to be placed in the TB by a scheduler, the sequence and number of packets determining the TBS.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17.

19. The device comprises: Before storing the processed TBS of each carrier in the common data queue, the method may further perform dequeuing packets of each carrier in bulk to the common data queue based on the assigned TBS and an average packet size.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17.

20. The device comprises: protecting the batch dequeue with a protected mutex; and Each carrier is serialised with a sequential number.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19.

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