Apparatus and method for avoiding interference for in-device coexistence.

Abstract

In some examples, a master node MN in a telecommunications network further comprises a secondary node SN and a user equipment UE, the user equipment UE being capable of operating in a dual connectivity DC with the master node MN and the secondary node SN so that the user equipment UE can send and receive data on multiple carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, the user equipment UE being configured to receive data from the user equipment UE representing an indication of a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or secondary node SN that are affected by intra-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, the master node MN is further configured to use a configuration determined based on the data received by the master node MN and / or secondary node SN of the telecommunications network from the user equipment UE for time-division multiplexing TDM or frequency-division multiplexing FDM, thereby mitigating the effects of intra-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to data transmission in communication networks, and more particularly to avoiding interference between signals from one or more diverse wireless technologies used in user equipment such as smartphones.

Background Art

[0002] The increasing demand for multiple applications or services in user equipment (UE) has led to the coexistence of multiple collocated wireless technologies within the UE device. That is, a UE can be equipped with multiple wireless transceivers to enable communication using multiple diverse wireless protocols such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), New Radio (NR), Global Positioning System (GPS), WiFi, and Bluetooth (registered trademark). As a result, and due to the introduction of more frequency bands by both NR and LTE, in-band device coexistence (IDC) has become a serious problem because multiple wireless transceivers are in close proximity within the same device. IDC resulting from multiple collocated wireless technologies can cause interference called in-device interference between transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or imperfect radio frequency (RF) filtering.

[0003] In a situation where a UE is operating in a dual connectivity mode where it can communicate simultaneously using multiple radio access technologies (RATs) known as multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC), the UE can be connected simultaneously to two network nodes, one of which can be provided as part of a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) 5G network (e.g., NR), and one of which can be provided as part of a 4G 3GPP (registered trademark) network (e.g., EUTRA), or between two NR nodes. Thus, 3GPP (registered trademark) signals can be affected by non-3GPP (registered trademark) signals and vice versa.

[0004] Previously defined solutions to mitigate in-device interference, such as using frequency division multiplexing (FDM), generally aim to switch entire LTE or NR frequencies away from, for example, industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio frequency (RF) bands (such as WiFi). FDM solutions are applicable to all scenarios as long as alternative carrier frequencies are available. However, in some network deployments, using FDM-based solutions to resolve IDC interference issues is impossible or undesirable. Furthermore, time division multiplexing (TDM) solutions are not currently available in the context of MR-DC with, for example, 5G NR, where one of the RATs is, for example. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0005] The object of this disclosure is to provide apparatus and methods for mitigating in-device interference in MR-DC scenarios, for example, in which a UE is simultaneously connected to two network nodes, both belonging to NR, or one belonging to NR and the other belonging to E-UTRA.

[0006] The above and other objectives are achieved by the features of the independent claim.

[0007] Further implementations are evident from the dependent claims, specification, and drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a master node MN in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network further comprising a secondary node SN and a user equipment UE, the user equipment UE being capable of operating in a dual connectivity DC with the master node MN and the secondary node SN so that the user equipment UE can send and receive data on multiple carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, the master node MN being configured to receive data from the user equipment UE representing an indication of a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or secondary node SN that are affected by in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, the master node MN being further configured to use a configuration determined based on the data received by the master node MN and / or secondary node SN of the telecommunications network from the user equipment UE for time-division multiplexing TDM or frequency-division multiplexing FDM, thereby mitigating the effects of in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0009] Therefore, in an MR-DC scenario, there is coordination between nodes that enables mitigation or elimination of in-device interference. For example, coordination between a master node and a secondary node can enable the generation of a configuration that can be used by one or more of the master node, secondary node, and user equipment to implement FDM or TDM aimed at reducing (at least) in-device interference in the UE. Thus, the IDC problem in an MR-DC scenario can be addressed in terms of which node provides the configuration and how FDM and TDM solutions are applied to the inter-node coordination, thereby efficiently resolving the IDC problem of UEs operating in an MR-DC configuration.

[0010] In the implementation of the first embodiment, the set of component carrier frequencies and / or component carrier frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, can be configured by the master node MN. The master node can transmit data to the secondary node SN that indicates a set of component carrier frequencies and / or component carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in the master node MN and / or secondary node SN for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and the set of component carrier frequencies and / or component carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, can be configured by the secondary node SN.

[0011] In one example, the master node can deactivate a secondary cell SCell in the telecommunications network and / or switch from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or restrict the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving intra-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. The master node can receive data from the secondary node SN representing an instruction to enable time-division multiplexing TDM for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and can send time-division multiplexing TDM support information to the secondary node SN, which includes at least one time-division multiplexing TDM pattern for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0012] The master node can receive data from the secondary node SN representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is configured by the secondary node SN based on at least one time-division multiplexed TDM pattern received as part of the time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and can transmit data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN to the user equipment UE. The master node can transmit a time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the master cell group MCG to the secondary node SN. The master node can receive data from the secondary node SN representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is configured by the secondary node SN based on at least one time-division multiplexed TDM support information received as part of the time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the master cell group MCG, and can transmit data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN to the user equipment UE.

[0013] In one example, the master node receives data from the secondary node SN representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, based on at least one time-division multiplexed TDM pattern received as part of the time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and configures a time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the master cell group MCG based on the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN.

[0014] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a user equipment UE configured to operate in a dual connectivity DC with a master node MN and a secondary node SN of a telecommunications network, wherein the user equipment UE is configured to send and receive data using multiple component carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, the user equipment UE receiving from the master node MN a first dataset representing a first set of candidate carrier frequencies and / or a first list of candidate serving frequency ranges for uplink and / or downlink communications between the user equipment UE and the master node MN, receiving from the secondary node SN a second dataset representing a second set of candidate carrier frequencies and / or a second list of candidate serving frequency ranges for uplink and / or downlink communications between the user equipment UE and the secondary node SN, detecting an in-device coexistence IDC based on the first dataset and / or the second dataset, and transmitting data representing an indication of the in-device coexistence IDC to the master node MN or the secondary node SN.

[0015] In the implementation of the second embodiment, the UE can receive data from the master node MN representing an instruction to the user equipment UE to report to the master node MN a candidate serving frequency or frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between the user equipment UE and the master node MN and secondary node SN, which results in an in-device coexistence IDC.

[0016] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a secondary node SN in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network further comprising a master node MN and a user equipment UE, the user equipment UE being capable of operating in a dual connectivity DC of the master node MN and the secondary node SN so that the user equipment UE can send and receive data on multiple carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, the secondary node SN being configured to receive data from the master node MN representing a set of carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by intradevice coexistence IDC, or a list of candidate serving frequency or frequency range IDC combinations for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, wherein the carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by intradevice coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE are comprised by the secondary node SN, and the secondary node SN is configured to send an acknowledgment message to the master node MN confirming receipt of data representing a list of carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by intradevice coexistence IDC.

[0017] In the third embodiment of the implementation, the secondary node can deactivate the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network and / or switch from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and / or limit the allocation of physical resource blocks PRB in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. The secondary node can transmit a time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the secondary cell group SCG to the master node MN.

[0018] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments (one or more) described below.

[0019] To make the present disclosure more easily understandable, embodiments are described by reference to the following accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of in-device coexistence in user equipment equipped with transceivers for multiple diverse radio frequency technologies, including WiFi, Bluetooth, new radio, and the Global Positioning System. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the communication flow between the UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates an FDM configuration when individual candidate frequencies are affected by IDC. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates an FDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates a TDM configuration when individual frequencies are affected by IDC. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates a TDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the communication flow between the UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the SN generates a TDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN uses resource adjustment procedures when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. [Figure 8]A diagram showing an example of the communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when individual frequency sets are affected by IDC. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of the communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when a combination of frequencies is affected by IDC. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of the communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when a combination of frequencies is affected by IDC. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of the communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when a combination of frequencies is affected by IDC. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the combined communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when individual frequency sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of the combined communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM when individual frequency sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC and the UE reports individual frequency components from the combination to either the MN or the SN. [Figure 14] A schematic diagram of a machine by way of example. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of the combined communication flow among a UE, a MN, and a SN in an MR-DC mode where the MN and the SN can configure the UE for FDM and TDM when individual frequency sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC and the MN and the SN apply a TDM solution to solve the IDC problem. [Figure 16] This figure shows a generalized communication flow in an MR-DC scheme, with an example between a UE, MN, and SN, where an individual set or combination of frequencies is affected by IDC, and the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM and TDM when applying an enhanced FDM or TDM solution to resolve the IDC issue. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Exemplary embodiments are described below in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to embody and implement the systems and processes described herein. It is important to understand that embodiments can be provided in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein.

[0022] Accordingly, the embodiments can be modified in various ways and take on various alternative forms, but the particular embodiments are shown in the drawings and described in detail below as examples. There is no intention to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed. Rather, all modifications, equivalents, and alternative forms included in the attached claims should be included. Elements of the exemplary embodiments are shown by the same reference numerals consistently, where appropriate, throughout the drawings and detailed description.

[0023] The terms used herein to describe embodiments are not intended to limit scope. The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are singular in that they refer to a single object, but the use of the singular form in this document does not exclude the existence of multiple objects. In other words, an element referred to in the singular form may be one or more in number unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including,” as used herein, identify the presence of a described feature, item, step, action, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, items, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The terms “and / or” are merely related relationships to describe the objects in question, indicating that there may be three relationships, such as A and / or B indicating that A exists alone, A and B exist together, or B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) should be construed as customary in the art in which they pertain. It will also be understood that terms in general use should also be construed as customary in the relevant art and not as idealized or overly formal unless expressly defined herein.

[0025] The following contains specific information relating to the implementations of this disclosure. The drawings and accompanying detailed disclosures are solely for the purpose of illustrating the implementations. However, this disclosure is not limited to these implementations. Other variations and implementations of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0026] The phrases "in one implementation" or "in several implementations" may each refer to one or more of the same or different implementations. The term "combined" is defined as being connected directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The expressions "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of the following A, B, and C" mean "A alone, or B alone, or C alone, or any combination of A, B, and C."

[0027] The terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably.

[0028] For explanatory and non-limiting purposes, certain details, such as functional entities, technologies, protocols, and standards, are included to give an understanding of this disclosure. In other instances, detailed disclosures of well-known methods, technologies, systems, and architectures are omitted so as not to obscure this disclosure with unnecessary details.

[0029] A person skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any network function(s) or algorithm(s) disclosed may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. The disclosed functions may correspond to modules that may be software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0030] Software implementations may include machine- and / or computer-readable and / or executable instructions stored in a machine- and / or computer-readable medium such as memory or other types of storage devices. One or more microprocessors or general-purpose computers having communication processing capabilities may be programmed with corresponding executable instructions and perform the disclosed network functions(s) or algorithms(s).

[0031] A microprocessor or general-purpose computer may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic arrays, and / or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) used. While some of the disclosed implementations are intended for software installed and run on computer hardware, alternative implementations implemented as firmware, as hardware, or as a combination of hardware and software are also well within the scope of this disclosure. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage devices, or any other equivalent media capable of storing computer-readable instructions.

[0032] A wireless communication network architecture, such as a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) system, LTE-Advanced Pro system, or 5G NR Radio Access Network (RAN), typically includes at least one base station (BS), at least one user equipment (UE), and one or more optional network elements that provide connectivity within the network. The UE communicates with networks such as a core network (CN), an evolved packet core (EPC) network, an evolved universal terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), a 5G core (5GC), or the internet via a RAN established by one or more BSs.

[0033] A UE may include, but is not limited to, a mobile station, mobile terminal or device, or user communication radio terminal. A UE may also be a portable radio device, including, but not limited to, a mobile phone, tablet, wearable device, sensor, vehicle, or personal digital assistant (PDA) having radio communication capabilities. A UE is configured to receive and transmit signals to one or more cells in a RAN via an air interface using one or more component carriers and one or more signaling radio bearers.

[0034] BS can provide communication services in accordance with at least the following radio access technologies (RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Pan-European Digital Mobile Telephone System (GSM), often called 2G, GSM Evolutionary Data Rate (EDGE)RAN (GERAN), General-Purpose Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Communications System (UMTS), often called 3G based on Basic Broadband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, Evolutionary LTE (eLTE), NR (often called 5G), and / or LTE-A Pro. However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to these protocols.

[0035] A BS may include, but is not limited to, a Node B (NB) in UMTS, an evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE or LTE-A, a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in UMTS, a BS Controller (BSC) in GSM / GERAN, a next-generation (ng)-eNB in ​​evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) BS related to 5GC, a next-generation Node B (gNB) in 5G-RAN, or any other device capable of controlling radio communications and managing radio resources within a cell. A BS may serve one or more UEs via a radio interface.

[0036] A BS (Broadcasting System) can provide wireless coverage to a specific geographic area using multiple cells that form a RAN (Range Area). The BS supports the operation of cells. Each cell is capable of operating to serve at least one UE (User Environment) within its wireless coverage.

[0037] Each cell (often called a serving cell) can serve one or more UEs within its radio coverage, so that each cell schedules downlink (DL) resources and optionally uplink (UL) resources for DL ​​packet transmission and optionally UL packet transmission to at least one UE within its radio coverage. A BS can communicate with one or more UEs in a radio communication system through multiple cells. Cells may allocate sidelink (SL) resources to support proximity service (ProSe) or V2X (Vehicle to Everything) services. Each cell may have a coverage area that overlaps with other cells.

[0038] Examples of some of the terms used in this disclosure are: Primary Cell (PCell): A PCell is a Master Cell Group (MCG) cell that operates at the primary frequency, and the UE performs the initial connection establishment procedure or initiates the connection re-establishment procedure. A PCell is a special cell (SpCell) of the MCG.

[0039] Primary SCG Cell (PSCell): In dual connectivity (DC) operation, a PSCell is a secondary cell group (SCG) cell through which the UE performs random access when reconfiguration is performed using a synchronous procedure. A PSCell is a SpCell of an SCG. In some implementations, the term PSCell may refer to a primary or secondary cell. The terms “primary SCG cell” and “primary / secondary cell” may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0040] Special Cell (SpCell): In DC operation, the term Special Cell (SpCell) refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG; otherwise, the term Special Cell refers to the PCell.

[0041] Secondary Cell (SCell): In the case of a UE configured with carrier aggregation (CA), a SCell is a cell that provides additional radio resources in addition to the special cell.

[0042] Serving Cell: For RRC_CONNECTED UEs that are not configured with CA / DC, there is only one serving cell containing a primary cell. For RRC_CONNECTED UEs configured with CA / DC, the term "serving cell" is used to refer to a set of cells containing special cells (one or more) and all secondary cells.

[0043] Master Cell Group (MCG): In MR-DC, an MCG is a group of serving cells associated with a master node, comprising SpCell (PCell) and optionally one or more SCells.

[0044] Master Node (MN): In MR-DC, the MN, or Primary Node, is a radio access node that provides control plane connectivity to the core network. It can be a Master eNB (within EN-DC), a Master ng-eNB (within NGEN-DC), or a Master gNB (within NR-DC and NE-DC). In some implementations, the MN, or Primary Node, may have source or target nodes for UEs.

[0045] Secondary Cell Group (SCG): In MR-DC, an SCG is a group of serving cells associated with a secondary node, comprising SpCell (PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells.

[0046] Secondary Node (SN): In MR-DC, an SN is a radio access node that does not have control plane connectivity to the core network and provides additional resources to the UE. It can be an en-gNB (within EN-DC), a secondary ng-eNB (within NE-DC), or a secondary gNB (within NR-DC and NGEN-DC). In some implementations, an SN or secondary node can have source or target nodes for the UE.

[0047] Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) is a multiplexing technique that involves combining two or more signals through a shared medium. In FDM, signals of different frequencies are combined for simultaneous transmission. The total bandwidth can be divided into a set of non-overlapping frequency bands. Each of these bands has a carrier of a different signal that is generated and modulated by one of several transmitting devices. The modulated signals can be combined together using a multiplexer (MUX), and the combined signal can be transmitted through a communication channel, allowing multiple independent data streams to be transmitted simultaneously. At the receiving device, the individual signals are extracted from the combined signal by multiplexing and decompression (DEMUX).

[0048] Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a multiplexing technique that utilizes the bandwidth available to the user in a time-division manner. The time domain is divided into several fixed-length recurrent slots, and each signal is assigned a time slot, for example, in a round-robin manner.

[0049] A UE can communicate with a gNB over a range of frequencies using one or more radio access technologies that implement diverse radio technologies. The frequency range may comprise the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, corresponding to frequencies from approximately 3 Hz to 3,000 GHz. The frequency range may comprise the 5G spectrum, corresponding to frequencies from approximately 700 MHz to 80 GHz. Each of the one or more diverse radio technologies may use at least a portion of this frequency range to transmit signals between the UE and the gNB. The portion(s) of the frequency range used by each technology may not be adjacent and / or consecutive frequency ranges, and may not be the same for each time slot (e.g., if the technology uses frequency hopping). Interference may occur between signals from one or more of the diverse radio technologies that may be implemented by the UE across one or more frequency ranges within the frequency range in which the UE is normally configured to operate, potentially leading to in-device interference. Interference may result from each signal transmitted or received using two or more of the diverse radio technologies implemented by the user device, or from interference between different frequencies of a single technology, such as different frequencies used by 5G NR.

[0050] As mentioned above, interference resulting from IDC becomes even more complex when different frequencies of NR / LTE / WiFi / Bluetooth are intermodulated. For example, a signal from an NR transmitter operating at FR1 (e.g., band n41) can interfere with a signal from a WiFi receiver operating at 2.5G, and vice versa.

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of several radio chains used in a user equipment (UE) as an example. In the example in Figure 1, UE 100 houses transceivers 101-106 for multiple RATs implementing diverse radio technologies. For example, transceivers 101 and 102 transmit and receive NR signals using antenna 107, transceivers 103 and 104 transmit and receive GPS signals using antenna 108, and transceivers 105 and 106 transmit and receive WiFi and Bluetooth signals using antenna 109. In some frequency bands, the simultaneous operation of these multiple diverse radio technologies operating at adjacent or harmonic frequencies can result in significant IDC interference that cannot be removed by filtering. Therefore, signaling mechanisms and procedures have been introduced to address this IDC problem.

[0052] For example, a mechanism is provided to determine whether coordination is required between two network nodes (MN and SN) when network devices such as network nodes, particularly a master node (MN) or secondary node (SN), are involved in a dual connectivity procedure, thereby enabling the resolution of IDC issues. Coordination may include determining a configuration to resolve the IDC issue, such as by using an FDM or TDM solution. In this context, resolving the IDC issue involves using a TDM or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) configuration, thereby mitigating the effects of Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC) in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0053] Figure 2 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates an FDM configuration when individual candidate frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 2, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequencies (including candidate bandwidths) that the MN203 is interested in receiving IDC reports on as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). MN203 (2a) generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using the candidate MN serving frequency list (which may include a frequency range list) along with the candidate SN serving frequency list. MN203 (2b) sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to UE201 as part of a configuration message.

[0054] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies cause an IDC problem, that is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC). For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing instructions for a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or candidate serving frequency / frequency range combinations for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, which are affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0055] For example, if each candidate serving frequency is configured by MN203, MN203 can take action to resolve (3b) IDC issues. For instance, MN203 can apply scheduling constraints to current or future serving frequencies. In this case, MN203 does not provide information to SN205.

[0056] If individual candidate serving frequencies are configured by SN205 (e.g., including any common MN and SN frequencies), MN203 may send data to SN205 as part of a configuration message that includes a list of affected serving frequencies (e.g., frequencies configured by SN205 and included in the set of affected carrier frequencies reported by UE201 in an IDC or UAI message). SN205 may then take action to resolve the IDC issue. In one example, it may also explicitly indicate that any IDC issue is attributable to an individual SN frequency. An acknowledgment message may be sent from SN205 to MN203 once action has been taken by SN205 to resolve the IDC issue (3d). For example, actions to resolve the IDC issue with SN205 may generally include the steps of deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.For example, actions to resolve the IDC issue with MN203 may generally include the steps of deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0057] Figure 3 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates an FDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 3, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequencies or frequency ranges (including candidate bandwidths) that it is interested in receiving an IDC report for MN203 as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). MN203 (2a) generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using a candidate MN serving frequency list (including a list of frequency ranges) along with the candidate SN serving frequency list (including a list of frequency ranges). MN203 (2b) sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to UE201 as part of a configuration message.

[0058] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies cause an IDC problem, that is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC). For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing instructions for a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or candidate serving frequency / frequency range combinations for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, which are affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0059] For example, if each candidate serving frequency range is configured by MN203, MN203 can take action to resolve (3b) IDC issues. For instance, MN203 can apply scheduling constraints to current or future serving frequency ranges. In this case, MN203 does not provide information to SN205.

[0060] If individual candidate serving frequency ranges are configured by SN205 (e.g., including any common MN and SN frequency ranges), MN203 may send data to SN205 as part of a configuration message that includes a list of affected serving frequency ranges (e.g., frequency ranges configured by SN205 and included in the set of affected carrier frequency ranges reported by UE201 in an IDC or UAI message). SN205 may then take action to resolve the IDC issue. In one example, it may also explicitly indicate that any IDC issue is attributable to individual SN frequencies. An acknowledgment message may be sent from SN205 to MN203 once action has been taken by SN205 to resolve the IDC issue (3d). For example, actions to resolve the IDC issue with SN205 may generally include the steps of implementing an FDM solution by deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communication between the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.In one example, actions to resolve the IDC problem with MN203 may generally include the steps of implementing an FDM solution by deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. In one example, there may be an explicit instruction that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies, and only frequencies from such a combination are transmitted to SN205.

[0061] Figure 4 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates a TDM configuration when individual frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 4, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequencies or frequency ranges (which may include candidate bandwidths) that MN203 is interested in receiving IDC reports for as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). As part of this message, SN205 may include instructions to MN203 to enable the use of TDM for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0062] The MN203 generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using a candidate MN serving frequency list, which represents a set of candidate frequencies or frequency ranges that the MN is interested in using, along with (2a) a candidate SN serving frequency list (which may include a frequency range list). The MN203 sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to the UE201 as part of a configuration message, which also includes an instruction that TDM is enabled for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0063] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies cause an IDC problem, that is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) which may include TDM Aid Information for UE201, and UE201 may inform MN203 of its internal state so that resources are allocated appropriately. For example, one or more UE configuration parameters may be provided, each having at least one preferred parameter for the TDM configuration of UE201.

[0064] For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing instructions for a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or candidate serving frequency / frequency range combinations for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, which are affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0065] For example, if each candidate serving frequency (one or more) is configured by the MN205, the MN can take action to resolve the IDC issue (3b) (for example, by generating a configuration for the TDM pattern). Nothing is transferred to the SN.

[0066] If individual candidate serving frequencies are configured by SN205, MN203 may (3c) send a list of affected serving frequencies (one or more) (i.e., frequencies configured by SN205 and included in the affected carrier frequencies (one or more) reported by UE101 in an IDC or UAI message) to SN205 along with TDM support information. SN205 then takes action to resolve the IDC issue using the TDM configuration, thereby mitigating the impact of in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE.

[0067] SN205 can send (3d) the SCG TDM configuration to MN203, which is generated based on the TDM pattern reported by the UE. MN can send (4) information indicating the TDM configuration of the MCG or SCG to UE201.

[0068] Figure 5 shows an example of the communication flow between the UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN generates a TDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 5, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequency ranges (which may include candidate bandwidths) of interest in receiving an IDC report for MN203 as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). As part of this message, SN205 may include instructions to MN203 to enable the use of TDM for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101.

[0069] The MN203 generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using the candidate MN serving frequency range list, along with the candidate SN serving frequency range list, which represents a set of candidate frequencies or frequency ranges that the MN is interested in using. The MN203 sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to the UE201 as part of a configuration message, which also includes an instruction that TDM is enabled for uplink and / or downlink communication between the MN203 and / or SN205 and the UE101.

[0070] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies or frequency ranges cause an IDC problem. That is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) which may include TDM Aid Information for UE203, and UE201 may inform MN203 of its internal state so that resources are allocated appropriately. For example, one or more UE configuration parameters may be provided, each having at least one preferred parameter for the TDM configuration of UE201.

[0071] For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing an indication of a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a candidate serving frequency / frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101, which is affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0072] For example, if individual candidate serving frequency ranges are configured by MN205, MN can (3b) take action to resolve the IDC issue (e.g., by generating a configuration for the TDM pattern). MN203 (3b) transports data representing a list of affected frequency ranges, a configuration representing the MCG TDM pattern, and UE support information to SN205. SN205 can use this data to generate a configuration representing the SCG TDM pattern based on the MCG TDM pattern and the UE's reported TDM pattern from the UE support information. The generated SCG TDM pattern is (3c) sent to MN203. The information representing the MCG and / or SCG TDM pattern can (4) be sent from MN203 to UE101 to resolve the IDC issue. That is, the configuration implemented by UE, MN, and / or SN using the generated TDM pattern(s) can mitigate the effects of in-device interference in UE101.

[0073] Figure 6 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the SN generates a TDM configuration when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 6, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequency ranges (which may include candidate bandwidths) of interest in receiving an IDC report for MN203 as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). As part of this message, SN205 may include instructions to MN203 to enable the use of TDM for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101.

[0074] The MN203 generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using the candidate MN serving frequency range list, along with the candidate SN serving frequency range list, which represents a set of candidate frequencies or frequency ranges that the MN is interested in using. The MN203 sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to the UE201 as part of a configuration message, which also includes an instruction that TDM is enabled for uplink and / or downlink communication between the MN203 and / or SN205 and the UE101.

[0075] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies or frequency ranges cause an IDC problem. That is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) which may include TDM Aid Information for UE201, and UE201 may inform MN203 of its internal state so that resources are allocated appropriately. For example, one or more UE configuration parameters may be provided, each having at least one preferred parameter for the TDM configuration of UE201.

[0076] For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing an indication of a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a candidate serving frequency / frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101, which is affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0077] For example, MN203 can be configured to transfer TDM support information from UE101 to SN205. That is, MN203 does not (3b) take any proactive measures to resolve the IDC problem reported by UE101. This allows MN203 to (3c) send data to SN205 indicating a list of affected frequencies and UE support information. SN205 can use this information to resolve the IDC problem by generating a configuration of the TDM pattern to be used. For example, SN205 generates a configuration representing the SCG TDM pattern based on the UE's reported TDM pattern (provided, for example, as part of the UE support information) and (3d) transfers this to MN203. MN203 (3e) generates a configuration representing the MCG TDM pattern based on the received SCG pattern information and the UE's reported TDM pattern. MN203 can (4) send information indicating the MCG TDM configuration and the SCG TDM configuration to UE101, thereby enabling the IDC problem to be resolved.

[0078] Figure 7 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN uses resource adjustment procedures when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 7, SN205 (1) sends a list of candidate SN serving frequency ranges (which may include candidate bandwidths) of interest in receiving an IDC report for MN203 as part of a configuration message (CG-Config). As part of this message, SN205 may include instructions to MN203 to enable the use of TDM for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101.

[0079] The MN203 generates a combined (or integrated) candidate serving frequency range list using the candidate MN serving frequency range list, along with the candidate SN serving frequency range list, which represents a set of candidate frequencies or frequency ranges that the MN is interested in using. The MN203 sends the combined candidate serving frequency range list to the UE201 as part of a configuration message, which also includes an instruction that TDM is enabled for uplink and / or downlink communication between the MN203 and / or SN205 and the UE101.

[0080] UE201 has a combined candidate serving frequency range list, which is a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and SN. UE201 uses this to determine whether any of the frequencies or frequency ranges cause an IDC problem. That is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges for MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, UE201 may (3a) report this to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) which may include TDM Aid Information for UE201, and UE201 may inform MN203 of its internal state so that resources are allocated appropriately. For example, one or more UE configuration parameters may be provided, each having at least one preferred parameter for the TDM configuration of UE201.

[0081] For example, information reported by UE201 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC) may include data representing an indication of a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a candidate serving frequency / frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between MN203 and / or SN205 and UE101, which is affected by Intra-Device Coexistence (IDC).

[0082] In the example in Figure 7, MN203 can address the IDC issue warned about by UE101 by applying / using a configuration that represents TDM transmission between MCG and SCG. That is, for example, MN203 can negotiate a UL TDM pattern with SN205 using existing MR-DC resource coordination information or MeNB resource coordination information (3b).

[0083] Figure 8 shows a communication flow in an example between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM when individual sets of frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 8, MN203 and SN205 exchange information representing candidate frequencies. However, MN203 and SN205 separately configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE (without coordination). That is, MN203 (1a) configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN205. SN205 configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for IDC reporting to SN205 (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0084] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether any of the frequencies cause an IDC problem. That is, whether using a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges, or a combination of candidate serving frequencies / frequency ranges of MN and / or SN, it causes in-device interference between UE transceivers as a result of physical proximity, spectral proximity, and / or incomplete radio frequency (RF) filtering. If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, the UE checks (2a) whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by MN203. UE101 may (2b) report such individual affected carrier frequencies to MN205 in an IDC or UAI message, enabling MN205 to resolve the IDC problem.

[0085] The UE can check whether (2c) the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by SN205. The UE101 can report such individual affected carrier frequencies to SN205 in an IDC or UAI message using the container of SRB1 or SRB3, so that SN205 can resolve the IDC problem. Thus, MN203 or SN205 can resolve the IDC problem as needed, for example, as described above.

[0086] Figure 9 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 9, MN203 and SN205 exchange information representing candidate frequencies. However, MN203 and SN205 separately configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE (without adjustment). In one example, MN203 and SN205 can exchange candidate frequency information during node addition or during the Xn / X2 configuration procedure.

[0087] MN203 constitutes a candidate serving frequency range list for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN205 (1a). SN205 constitutes a candidate serving frequency range list for IDC reporting to SN205 (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0088] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether a combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to a combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205. If there is a problem due to a combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205, UE101 can (2b) report the affected frequency combination to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC).

[0089] If MN203 decides to address the IDC problem on its own, for example by deactivating a secondary cell SCell in the telecommunications network, and / or by switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and user equipment UE, and / or by limiting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in an unaffected frequency range, MN203 will not forward information to SN205.

[0090] However, if MN203 decides to have SN resolve an IDC problem caused by a combination of MR-DC frequencies, MN203 can (2d) forward information about the MR-DC frequency combination to SN205. This means there is an implicit instruction for SN205 to operate. SN205 can then apply an FDM solution to resolve the IDC problem, such as deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communication between SN and UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. There may also be an explicit instruction that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies and that only SN frequencies from that combination should be forwarded. SN205 can resolve the IDC problem and (2e) send an acknowledgment to MN203.

[0091] Figure 10 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 10, MN203 and SN205 exchange information representing candidate frequencies. However, MN203 and SN205 separately configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE (without coordination). In one example, MN203 and SN205 can exchange candidate frequency information during node addition or during the Xn / X2 configuration procedure.

[0092] MN203 constitutes a candidate serving frequency range list for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN205 (1a). MN203 also provides instructions for UE101 to report the affected frequency combinations to MN203. SN205 constitutes a candidate serving frequency range list for IDC reporting to SN205 (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0093] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether a combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, namely whether an IDC problem occurs due to a combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205. If there is a problem due to a combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205, UE101 may (2b) report the affected frequency combination to MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC). The entity that reports the affected frequency combination (i.e., MN205 in this example) is determined based on instructions from MN203.

[0094] If MN203 decides to address the IDC problem on its own, for example by deactivating a secondary cell SCell in the telecommunications network, and / or by switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and user equipment UE, and / or by limiting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in an unaffected frequency range, MN203 will not forward any information to SN205.

[0095] However, if MN203 decides to have SN resolve an IDC problem caused by a combination of MR-DC frequencies, MN203 can (2d) forward information about the MR-DC frequency combination to SN205. This means there is an implicit instruction for SN205 to operate. SN205 can then apply an FDM solution to resolve the IDC problem, such as deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communication between SN and UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. There may also be an explicit instruction that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies and that only SN frequencies from that combination should be forwarded. SN205 can resolve the IDC problem and (2e) send an acknowledgment to MN203.

[0096] Figure 11 shows an example of the communication flow between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM when the frequency combination is affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 11, MN203 and SN205 exchange information representing candidate frequencies. However, MN203 and SN205 separately configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE (without adjustment). In one example, MN203 and SN205 can exchange candidate frequency information during node addition or during the Xn / X2 configuration procedure.

[0097] MN203 (1a) configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN205 and forwards this to UE101. MN203 also provides instructions for UE101 to report the affected frequency combinations to SN205. SN205 configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for IDC reporting to SN205 and (1b) transmits this to UE101 (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0098] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether a combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, namely whether an IDC problem occurs due to the combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205. If there is a problem due to the combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205, UE101 may (2b) report the affected frequency combination to SN205 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Assistance Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC). The entity that reports the affected frequency combination (i.e., SN205 in this example) is determined based on instructions from MN203.

[0099] Subsequently, the SN205 can apply FDM solutions to resolve the IDC problem by deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the SN and the UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. There may also be an explicit instruction that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies, and only the SN frequencies from that combination are transmitted. The SN205 can resolve the IDC problem.

[0100] In another example, the MN203 and SN205 exchange information representing candidate frequencies. However, the MN203 and SN205 configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE separately (without adjustment). In one example, the MN203 and SN205 can exchange candidate frequency information during node addition or Xn / X2 configuration procedures.

[0101] MN203 can configure a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN205 and transfer this to UE101. SN205 configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for IDC reporting to SN205 and transmits this to UE101 (via the Signaling Radio Bearer 1 (SRB1) container or Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0102] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine whether a frequency combination causes an IDC problem; that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to the frequency combination composed of MN203 and SN205. If there is a problem due to the frequency combination composed of MN203 and SN205, UE101 can report the affected frequency combination to either MN203 or SN205 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Assistance Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC). The entity that reports the affected frequency combination (i.e., MN203 or SN205 in this example) is determined by UE101. Based on which node UE101 reports to, that node can take appropriate action as described above with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0103] Figure 12 shows a combined communication flow in an example between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM when individual sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 12, MN203 and SN205 separately configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE.

[0104] SN205 configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for the IDC report to SN205 and transmits this to UE101 (1a) via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3).

[0105] In one example, SN205 may additionally transmit candidate serving frequencies to MN203(1b).

[0106] MN203 configures a candidate serving frequency range list containing the candidate serving frequencies determined by MN203. The candidate serving frequency range list configured by MN203 may include the candidate serving frequencies transferred by SN205. MN203 transfers the configured candidate serving frequency range list to UE101.

[0107] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether an individual frequency or combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to an individual frequency or combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205.

[0108] If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, the UE (2a) checks whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by MN203. UE101 may (2b) report such individual affected carrier frequencies to MN205 in an IDC or UAI message, enabling MN205 to resolve the IDC problem.

[0109] The UE can check whether (2c) the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by SN205. The UE101 can report such individual affected carrier frequencies to SN205 in an IDC or UAI message using the container of SRB1 or SRB3, so that SN205 can resolve the IDC problem. Thus, MN203 or SN205 can resolve the IDC problem as needed, for example, as described above.

[0110] If there is a problem caused by a combination of frequencies configured by MN203 and SN205, UE101 may report the affected frequency combination to a node configured by MN or NW, or the node may decide for itself which node to send the report to (2e).

[0111] If the UE decides to report the affected frequency combinations to the MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC), the UE may include the affected frequency combinations in its report to the MN. If the MN203 decides to address the IDC issue on its own, for example by deactivating secondary cell SCells in the telecommunications network, and / or by switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or by restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in unaffected frequency ranges, the MN203 will not forward information to the SN205.

[0112] However, if MN203 decides to have SN resolve an IDC problem caused by a combination of MR-DC frequencies, MN203 can (2d) forward information about the MR-DC frequency combination to SN205. This means there is an implicit instruction for SN205 to operate. SN205 can then apply an FDM solution to resolve the IDC problem, such as deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth parts BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth part BWP for uplink and / or downlink communication between SN and UE, and / or restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks PRBs in unaffected frequency ranges, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. There may also be an explicit instruction that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies and that only SN frequencies from that combination should be forwarded. SN205 can resolve the IDC problem and (2e) send an acknowledgment to MN203.

[0113] Figure 13 shows a combined communication flow in an example between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the UE can configure the UE for FDM when an individual set of frequencies or a combination of frequencies is affected by IDC, and the UE reports the individual frequency components from the combination to either the MN or SN. In the example in Figure 13, MN203 and SN205 configure the IDC configuration (i.e., candidate serving frequencies) for the UE separately.

[0114] SN205 configures a list of candidate serving frequency ranges for the IDC report to SN205 and transmits this to UE101 (1a) via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3).

[0115] For example, SN205 may also transmit candidate serving frequencies to MN203 that it is interested in receiving IDC reports (1b).

[0116] MN203 constructs a candidate serving frequency range list, which includes (1c) candidate serving frequencies determined by MN, and may include those forwarded by SN205 for UE101 for IDC reporting to MN203, and forwards this to UE101.

[0117] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether an individual frequency or combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to an individual frequency or combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205.

[0118] If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, the UE (2a) checks whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by MN203. UE101 may (2b) report such individual affected carrier frequencies to MN205 in an IDC or UAI message, enabling MN205 to resolve the IDC problem.

[0119] The UE can check whether (2c) the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by SN205. The UE101 can report such individual affected carrier frequencies to SN205 in an IDC or UAI message using the container of SRB1 or SRB3, so that SN205 can resolve the IDC problem. Thus, MN203 or SN205 can resolve the IDC problem as needed, for example, as described above.

[0120] If there is a problem caused by a combination of frequencies configured by MN203 and SN205, UE101 can report to MN the individual affected frequency ranges configured by MN from the combination, or it can report to SN IDC support information, including the individual affected frequency ranges configured by SN in the combination, along with an explicit indication that the IDC problem is caused by the combination of frequencies.

[0121] Furthermore, the node, MN203, or SN205 to which UE101 can report such IDC problems arising from frequency combinations may be configured by the NW or determined by the UE itself (2e).

[0122] If the UE decides to report the affected frequency combination to the MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC), the UE may include in its report to the MN the individual affected frequencies from the combination configured by the MN, along with an explicit indication that the IDC problem is due to the frequency combination. The MN203 may decide to address the IDC problem, for example, by deactivating secondary cell SCells in the telecommunications network, and / or by switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or by restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in unaffected frequency ranges.

[0123] If the UE decides to report the affected frequency combination to the SN205 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC), the UE may include in its report to the SN the individual affected frequencies from the combination configured by the SN, along with an explicit indication that the ID problem is due to the frequency combination. The SN205 may decide to address the IDC problem, for example, by deactivating the secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network, and / or by switching to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs for uplink and / or downlink communications between the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and / or by restricting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in unaffected frequency ranges.

[0124] Figure 15 shows a combined communication flow in an example between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM and TDM when individual sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 15, MN203 and SN205 configure the IDC configuration for the UE separately (i.e., enable candidate serving frequencies and TDM reporting).

[0125] SN205 enables TDM reporting by configuring a candidate serving frequency range list for IDC reporting to SN205 and transmits this to UE101 (1a) (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0126] In one example, SN205 additionally sends instructions to MN203 to enable candidate serving frequencies and TDM reporting (1b).

[0127] MN203 configures a candidate serving frequency range list containing the candidate serving frequencies determined by MN203, and also enables TDM reporting. The candidate serving frequency range list configured by MN203 may include candidate serving frequencies forwarded by SN205. MN203 forwards the configured candidate serving frequency range list to UE101 and also enables TDM reporting.

[0128] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether an individual frequency or combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to an individual frequency or combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205.

[0129] If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, the UE (2a) checks whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by MN203. UE101 may (2b) report such individual affected carrier frequencies, along with TDM support information, to MN205 in an IDC or UAI message, enabling MN205 to resolve the IDC problem. MN can then resolve the IDC using a TDM solution and configure the appropriate DRX for the UE based on the TDM support information received from the UE.

[0130] The UE can (2c) check whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by the SN205. The UE 101 can (2d) report such individual affected carrier frequencies, along with TDM support information, to the SN205 in an IDC or UAI message using the container of SRB1 or using SRB3, in order to enable the SN205 to resolve the IDC problem. The SN can then resolve the IDC using the TDM solution and configure the appropriate DRX for the UE based on the TDM support information received from the UE. Thus, the MN203 or SN205 can resolve the IDC problem as needed, for example, as described above.

[0131] If there is a problem caused by a combination of frequencies configured by MN203 and SN205, UE101 may report the affected frequency combination to a node configured by MN or NW, or the node may decide for itself which node to send the report to (2e).

[0132] If the UE decides to report the affected frequency combinations to the MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE Aid Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC), the UE may include the affected frequency combinations in the report to the MN along with TDM aid information. If the MN203 decides to address the IDC issue independently using a TDM solution and configures the UE with an appropriate DRX, the MN203 will not forward any information to the SN205.

[0133] If MN203 recognizes that SN205 supports a TDM solution for IDC and decides to have SN address an IDC problem caused by a combination of MR-DC frequencies, then MN203 can (2d) transfer information about the MR-DC frequency combination and TDM support information to SN205. This means there is an implicit instruction for SN205 to operate. SN205 can then apply the TDM solution to resolve the IDC problem, for example by configuring the appropriate DRX for the UE, thereby resolving the in-device coexisting IDC. It can also explicitly indicate that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies, in which case only the SN frequencies from the combination are transferred along with the TDM support information. SN205 can resolve the IDC problem and (2e) send an acknowledgment to MN203.

[0134] Figure 16 shows a generalized communication flow in an example between a UE, MN, and SN in an MR-DC scheme where the MN and SN can configure the UE for FDM and TDM when individual sets or combinations of frequencies are affected by IDC. In the example in Figure 16, MN203 and SN205 configure the IDC configuration for the UE separately (i.e., enable candidate serving frequencies and TDM reporting).

[0135] SN205 enables TDM reporting by configuring a candidate serving frequency range list for IDC reporting to SN205 and transmits this to UE101 (1a) (via the signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) container or signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3)).

[0136] In one example, SN205 additionally sends instructions to MN203 to enable candidate serving frequencies and TDM reporting (1b).

[0137] MN203 configures a candidate serving frequency range list containing the candidate serving frequencies determined by MN203, and also enables TDM reporting. The candidate serving frequency range list configured by MN203 may include candidate serving frequencies forwarded by SN205. MN203 forwards the configured candidate serving frequency range list to UE101 and also enables TDM reporting.

[0138] UE201 uses information from MN203 and SN205 to determine (2a) whether an individual frequency or combination of frequencies causes an IDC problem, that is, whether an IDC problem occurs due to an individual frequency or combination of frequencies composed of MN203 and SN205.

[0139] If UE201 detects such a problem representing an IDC problem, the UE (2a) checks whether the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by MN203. UE101 may (2b) report such individual affected carrier frequencies, along with TDM-assisted information, to MN205 in an IDC or UAI message, enabling MN205 to resolve the IDC problem. MN can then resolve the IDC using an FDM or TDM solution.

[0140] The UE can check whether (2c) the IDC problem is due to individual candidate serving frequencies configured by SN205. The UE 101 can report such individual affected carrier frequencies, along with TDM support information, to SN205 in an IDC or UAI message using the SRB1 container or SRB3, in order to enable SN205 to resolve the IDC problem. SN can then resolve the IDC using an FDM or TDM solution. Thus, MN203 or SN205 can resolve the IDC problem as needed, for example, as described above.

[0141] If there is a problem caused by a combination of frequencies configured by MN203 and SN205, UE101 may report the affected frequency combination to a node configured by MN or NW, or the node may decide for itself which node to send the report to (2e).

[0142] If the UE decides to report the affected frequency combinations to the MN203 as part of an IDC message (for EN-DC) or a UE-Assisted Information (UAI) message (for NR-DC), the UE may include the affected frequency combinations and TDM assistance information in its report to the MN. If the MN203 decides to address the IDC issue alone using the FDM solution, for example by deactivating secondary cell SCells in the telecommunications network, and / or by switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portion BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or by limiting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in unaffected frequency ranges, or by using the TDM solution alone by configuring the UE to use an appropriate DRX, the MN203 will not forward any information to the SN205.

[0143] If MN203 recognizes that SN205 supports a TDM solution for IDC and decides to have SN address IDC issues caused by MR-DC frequency combinations, MN203 can transfer (2d) information about MR-DC frequency combinations and TDM support information to SN205. This means there is an implicit instruction for SN205 to operate. SN205 can then apply an FDM solution to resolve the IDC issue, such as by deactivating secondary cell SCells in the telecommunications network and / or switching from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth partial BWPs to a different carrier bandwidth partial BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between SN and UE, and / or limiting the allocation of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in unaffected frequency ranges, or by applying a TDM solution by configuring an appropriate DRX on the UE to resolve the effects of in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. It is also possible to explicitly instruct that the IDC problem is due to a combination of frequencies, and that only the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N) from that combination will be transmitted along with the TDM support information. SN205 can resolve the IDC problem and send an acknowledgment to (2e)MN203.

[0144] Therefore, various solutions to address IDC issues in MR-DC scenarios are presented along with configuration and solution aspects, including which nodes provide the configuration and how FDM or TDM solutions can be applied through inter-node coordination.

[0145] Examples in this disclosure may be provided as procedures, methods, systems, or machine-readable instructions, such as any combination of software, hardware, firmware, etc. Such machine-readable instructions may be contained within or on a computer-readable storage medium (including, but not limited to, disk storage devices, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, etc.) that has computer-readable program code in or on its storage medium.

[0146] This disclosure is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus, and systems following the examples of this disclosure. While the flowcharts described above show a specific execution order, the execution order may differ from that shown. Blocks described in one flowchart may be combined with blocks in another flowchart. In some examples, some blocks in a flowchart may be unnecessary, and / or additional blocks may be added. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in a flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as combinations of flows and / or diagrams in a flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by machine-readable instructions.

[0147] Machine-readable instructions can be executed by a machine on a platform equipped with user equipment such as a general-purpose computer, a smart device such as a smartphone, a dedicated computer, an embedded processor, or a processor in another programmable data processing device, for example, to perform the functions described in the description and diagrams. In particular, a processor or processing unit can execute machine-readable instructions. Thus, a module of a device can be implemented by a processor that executes machine-readable instructions stored in memory, or by a processor that operates according to instructions embedded in a logic circuit. The term "processor" should be interpreted broadly to include CPUs, processing units, ASICs, logic units, or programmable gate sets, etc. All methods and modules can be executed by a single processor or divided among several processors.

[0148] Such machine-readable instructions can also be stored in computer-readable storage devices that can guide a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific mode. For example, instructions may be provided on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium coded with instructions that can be executed by a processor.

[0149] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of an example machine. The machine 1200 can be, for example, a system or device, user equipment, or a part thereof (e.g., UE, MN203, or SN205 in Figure 1). The machine 1200 comprises a processor 1203 and a memory 1205 for storing instructions 1207 that can be executed by the processor 1203. The machine also comprises a storage device 1209 which can be used to store data representing the configuration of FDM and / or TDM patterns, as described above with reference to, for example, Figures 1 to 11.

[0150] Machine 1200 can implement a method for mitigating in-device coexistence between multiple radio transceivers that implement multiple radio communication protocols for a UE configured to operate in a dual connectivity DC with a master node MN and a secondary node SN of a telecommunications network, so that the UE can send and receive data on multiple component carriers of the MN and SN.

[0151] Such machine-readable instructions can also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device, which then performs a set of operations to generate computer implementation processing, and thus the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide operations to realize the functions defined by the flows (one or more) of a flowchart and / or the blocks (one or more) of a block diagram.

[0152] Furthermore, the teachings herein may be implemented in the form of a computer or software product, such as a non-temporary machine-readable storage medium, which includes a number of instructions, such as machine-readable instructions, stored on the storage medium, for causing a computer device to implement the methods described in the examples of this disclosure.

[0153] In some cases, several methods can be performed in a cloud computing or network-based environment. A cloud computing environment can provide a variety of services and applications over the internet. These cloud-based services (e.g., software as a service, platform as a service, infrastructure as a service, etc.) may be accessible, for example, via a web browser or other remote interface on a user's device. The various functions described herein may be provided via a remote desktop environment or any other cloud-based computing environment.

[0154] While various embodiments have been described and / or illustrated in this specification in the context of a fully functional computing system, one or more of these exemplary embodiments may be distributed as various forms of program products, regardless of the specific type of computer-readable storage medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Embodiments disclosed herein may also be implemented using software modules that perform specific tasks. These software modules may include scripts, batches, or other executable files that can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or computing system. In some embodiments, these software modules may configure the computing system to perform one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. Furthermore, one or more of the modules described herein may convert data, physical devices, and / or representations of physical devices from one form to another.

[0155] The foregoing description has been provided to enable those skilled in the art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. This exemplary description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit to any exact form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. In determining the scope of this disclosure, refer to the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0156] 101 Transceiver 102 Transceiver 103 Transceiver 104 Transceiver 105 Transceiver 106 Transceiver 107 Antenna 108 Antenna 109 Antenna 1200 machines 1203 Processor 1205 memory 1207 Command 1209 Storage device

Claims

1. A master node MN in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network further comprises a secondary node SN and a user device UE, the user device UE is capable of operating in a dual connectivity DC between the master node MN and the secondary node SN so that the user device UE can send and receive data on multiple carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, and the master node MN is The user equipment UE is configured to receive data representing an instruction for a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in the uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and the master node MN is configured to receive data representing an instruction for a set of carrier frequencies and / or a set of carrier frequency ranges or a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN, The configuration determined based on data received from the user equipment UE of the telecommunications network is used for time-division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), thereby further configured to mitigate the effects of the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. Master node.

2. The master node according to claim 1, wherein the set of component carrier frequencies and / or the set of component carrier frequency ranges of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, are comprised of the master node MN.

3. The aforementioned master node is The data representing the instruction for the set of component carrier frequencies and / or the set of component carrier frequency ranges or candidate serving frequencies or frequency range combinations of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in the uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, is transmitted to the secondary node SN, and the set of component carrier frequencies and / or the set of component carrier frequency ranges or candidate serving frequencies or frequency range combinations of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN, which are affected by the in-device coexistence IDC in the uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, is configured by the secondary node SN. The master node according to claim 1, further configured as follows.

4. The aforementioned master node is The secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network is deactivated, and / or the carrier bandwidth portion BWP is switched from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portions BWP to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and the user equipment UE, and / or the allocation of physical resource blocks PRB in an unaffected frequency range, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. A master node configured as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned master node is The secondary node SN receives data representing an instruction to enable time-division multiplexing TDM for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. Time-division multiplexing (TDM) support information, including at least one time-division multiplexing (TDM) pattern for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, is transmitted to the secondary node SN. A master node according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further configured as follows.

6. The aforementioned master node is The secondary node SN receives data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is configured by the secondary node SN based on the at least one time-division multiplexed TDM pattern received as part of the time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, The data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN is transmitted to the user device UE. The master node according to claim 5, further configured as follows.

7. The aforementioned master node is The time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the master cell group MCG is transmitted to the secondary node SN. The master node according to claim 5, further configured as follows.

8. The aforementioned master node is The secondary node SN receives data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is configured by the secondary node SN based on the at least one time-division multiplexed TDM pattern received as part of time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the master cell group MCG. The data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN is transmitted to the user device UE. The master node according to claim 7, further configured as follows.

9. The aforementioned master node is The secondary node SN receives data representing the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN, which is configured by the secondary node SN based on the at least one time-division multiplexed TDM pattern received as part of the time-division multiplexed TDM support information for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, A time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the master cell group MCG is configured based on the time-division multiplexed TDM pattern of the secondary node SN. The master node according to claim 5, further configured as follows.

10. A user equipment UE configured to operate in a dual connectivity DC with a master node MN and a secondary node SN of a telecommunications network, wherein the user equipment UE is capable of sending and receiving data using multiple component carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, and the user equipment UE is configured to operate in a dual connectivity DC with a master node MN and a secondary node SN of a telecommunications network, wherein the user equipment UE is capable of sending and receiving data using multiple component carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, The master node MN receives a first dataset representing a first set of candidate carrier frequencies and / or a first list of candidate serving frequency ranges for uplink and / or downlink communication between the user device UE and the master node MN. The secondary node SN receives a second dataset representing a second set of candidate carrier frequencies and / or a second list of candidate serving frequency ranges for uplink and / or downlink communication between the user equipment UE and the secondary node SN. Based on the first dataset and / or the second dataset, in-device coexisting IDCs are detected. The master node MN or the secondary node SN transmits data representing instructions for the in-device coexisting IDC. The UE is configured in such a way.

11. The aforementioned UE is, The user device UE receives data from the master node MN representing an instruction to report to the master node MN a candidate serving frequency or frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between the user device UE and the master node MN and the secondary node SN, which results in an in-device coexistence IDC. The UE according to claim 10, further configured as follows.

12. The aforementioned UE is, The master node MN receives data representing an instruction to the user equipment UE to report to the secondary node SN a candidate serving frequency or frequency range combination for uplink and / or downlink communication between the user equipment UE, the master node MN, and the secondary node SN, resulting in an in-device coexistence IDC. The UE according to claim 11, further configured as follows.

13. A secondary node SN in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network further comprises a master node MN and a user device UE, the user device UE is capable of operating in a dual connectivity DC between the master node MN and the secondary node SN so that the user device UE can send and receive data on multiple carriers of the master node MN and the secondary node SN, and the secondary node SN is The master node MN receives data representing a set of carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by in-device coexistence, or a list including a combination of candidate serving frequencies or frequency range IDCs for uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, wherein the carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by the in-device coexistence IDCs in uplink and / or downlink communication between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE are configured by the secondary node SN. Send an acknowledgment message to the master node MN confirming receipt of the data, which includes a list containing a set of carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges affected by the in-device coexisting IDC. A secondary node configured in this way.

14. The aforementioned secondary node is The secondary cell SCell of the telecommunications network is deactivated, and / or the carrier bandwidth portion BWP is switched from a set of multiple available carrier bandwidth portions BWP to a different carrier bandwidth portion BWP for uplink and / or downlink communications between the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE, and / or the allocation of physical resource blocks PRB in an unaffected frequency range, thereby resolving the in-device coexistence IDC in uplink and / or downlink communications between the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN and the user equipment UE. A secondary node according to claim 13, configured as follows.

15. The aforementioned secondary node is The time-division multiplexed TDM pattern for the secondary cell group SCG is transmitted to the master node MN. A secondary node according to claim 13 or 14, configured as follows.

Images