Smart Mechanism for Managing Thermal Effects in 5G NR

Abstract

To provide methods and devices for mitigating overheating in a user equipment device (UE).SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, UE has one or more temperature sensors configured to periodically or continuously measure the temperature of one or more components of the UE. The UE determines that the temperature of the UE has increased above a first threshold temperature, and periodically alternates between standard mode and back-off mode based at least in part on determining that the temperature of the UE has increased above the first threshold temperature. The UE transmits at normal transmission power while in the standard mode and at reduced transmission power while in the back-off mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless communication, including a method, a system, and an apparatus for alleviating overheating of a wireless device in dual wireless access technology.

Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems has been increasing rapidly. Furthermore, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communication to include the transmission of data such as the Internet and multimedia content.

[0003] Mobile electronic devices generally take the form of smartphones or tablets that users carry around. Wearable devices (also called accessory devices) are a newer form of mobile electronic devices, and one example is a smartwatch. In addition, low-cost and low-complexity wireless devices intended for stationary or mobile deployments are also increasing rapidly as part of the deployment of the "Internet of Things." In other words, there are increasingly a wide range of desired device complexities, capabilities, traffic patterns, and other characteristics. Generally, it would be desirable to recognize and provide improved support for a wide range of desired wireless communication characteristics. For example, the design of wireless networks can increasingly include carrier aggregation (CA). During a CA communication session, a wireless device can communicate with each of a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells). The introduction of multiple active cells, especially cells operating at higher frequencies such as millimeter wave (mmW) cells, can increase the risk of overheating of wireless devices. Therefore, improvements in this field are desired.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In particular, embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for mitigating overheating of a wireless device configured to communicate via both Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5th Generation New Radio (5G NR) in a carrier aggregation scenario are presented herein. th The wireless device may be a user equipment device (UE) that establishes connections with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells). The primary cell may be an LTE eNB, and the one or more secondary cells may be 5G NR gNB(s). The SCell may operate according to either the sub-6 GHz (sub-6) or millimeter wave (mmW) frequency range. Long-term transmission by the UE over the mmW frequency range may cause overheating of the UE, and various embodiments herein describe methods and devices for mitigating overheating of 5G-capable devices.

[0005] In some embodiments, a user equipment device (UE) establishes connections with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells). The primary cell may be an LTE eNB, and the one or more secondary cells may be 5G NR gNB(s). The SCell may operate according to either the sub-6 GHz (sub-6) or millimeter wave (mmW) frequency range. Long-term transmission by the UE over the mmW frequency range may cause overheating of the UE, and various embodiments herein describe methods and devices for mitigating overheating of 5G-capable devices.

[0006] The techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, tablet computers, accessory computing devices and / or wearable computing devices, portable media players, cellular base stations and other cellular network infrastructure equipment, servers, and various other computing devices.

[0007] The summary of the invention is intended to provide some brief overviews of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, figures, and claims.

[0008] Considering the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, the subject matter of the present invention can be better understood.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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[0010] The features described herein have room for various modifications and alternative forms. At the same time, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings by way of example and will be described in detail herein. However, the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended "claims". It should be understood.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Abbreviations

[0012] The following acronyms are used in this disclosure.

[0013] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0014] 3GPP2: Third Generation Partnership Project 2

[0015] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0016] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0017] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0018] UTRAN: UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network or Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0019] UE: User Equipment

[0020] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0021] NR: New Radio

[0022] E-UTRAN: Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0023] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0024] RLC: Radio Link Control

[0025] MAC: Medium Access Control

[0026] PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0027] RF: Radio Frequency

[0028] DL: Downlink

[0029] UL: Uplink

[0030] NW: Network

[0031] BS: Base Station

[0032] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0033] AMF: Access Management Function

[0034] AS: Access Stratum

[0035] NAS: Non-Access Stratum

[0036] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0037] PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network

[0038] LAA: Licensed-Assisted Access

[0039] CA: Carrier Aggregation

[0040] Rx: Receiver

[0041] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0042] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0043] PRB: Physical Resource Block

[0044] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0045] SNR: Signal-to-Noise Ratio

[0046] RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power

[0047] SF: Subframe Terms

[0048] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure.

[0049] Memory medium - Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include, for example, installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices, computer system memories or random access memories such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, non-volatile memories such as flash, for example, magnetic media such as hard drives, or optical storage, registers, or other similar types of memory elements. The memory medium may include other types of non-transitory memory, or combinations thereof. Additionally, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system in which the program is executed, or in a second different computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system can provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that can exist in different locations, for example, within different computer systems connected through a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0050] Carrier medium - A memory medium as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0051] Programmable hardware elements - include various hardware devices comprising a plurality of programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnections. Examples include Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Object Arrays (FPOAs), and Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs). The programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained ones (combinational logic or look-up tables) to coarse-grained ones (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements are also sometimes referred to as "reconfigurable logic".

[0052] Computer systems - any of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network devices, Internet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be defined broadly to include any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a storage medium.

[0053] User Equipment (UE) (or, "UE Device") - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark)-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS (registered trademark), PlayStation Portable (registered trademark), Gameboy Advance (registered trademark), iPhone (registered trademark)), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Generally, the terms "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to include any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that can be easily carried by a user and is capable of wireless communication.

[0054] Wireless Device - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in one place. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0055] Communication Device - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication. The communication can be either wired or wireless. A communication device can be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in one place. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0056] Base Station - The term "base station" has its full ordinary meaning and includes, at least, a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used to communicate as part of a radiotelephone system or wireless system.

[0057] Processing element - refers to various elements or combinations of elements. A processing element can be, for example, a circuit such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a part or circuit of an individual processor core, an entire processor core, an individual processor, a programmable hardware device such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and / or a larger part of a system including multiple processors.

[0058] Channel - the medium used to transmit information from a transmitting side (transmitter) to a receiver. Note that since the characteristics of a "channel" can vary according to different wireless protocols, when used in this specification, the term "channel" is considered to be used in accordance with the specifications of the type of device to which it refers. In some specifications, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support a scalable channel bandwidth from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may have a width of 22 MHz, and a Bluetooth channel may have a width of 1 MHz. Other protocols and specifications may include different definitions of channels. Further, some specifications can define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink, and / or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc.

[0059] Band - the term "band" has the full range of its normal meaning and includes at least the portion of the spectrum (e.g., the radio frequency spectrum) where channels are used for the same purpose or excluded.

[0060] Automatically - where user input causes a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) to perform those actions or operations without directly specifying or executing the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to actions that are manually performed or specified by a user where the user provides input to directly execute the action. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are "automatically" performed are not specified by the user, i.e., each action to be performed is not "manually" specified by the user. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input that indicates information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, selecting a radio button, etc.) is a manual entry into the form even if the computer system has to update the form in response to the user action. The form may be filled out automatically by the computer system, in which case the computer system (e.g., software running on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the responses to those fields. As described above, the user can initiate the automatic filling of the form but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the responses to the fields; rather, they are completed automatically). This specification provides examples of various actions that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0061] configured to - Various components can be described as "configured to" perform a task. In such a context, "configured to" is a broad description that generally means "having a structure" to perform the task in operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" may be a broad description that generally means "having a circuit" to perform the task in operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform its task even if it is not currently on. Generally, a circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include a hardware circuit.

[0062] In the description of this specification, for convenience, various components can be described as performing a task. Such a description should be construed as including the phrase "configured to". It is expressly intended that the description of a component configured to perform one or more tasks does not give rise to an interpretation of that component under paragraph 6 of 35 U.S.C. 112. FIGS. 1 - 2 - Communication System

[0063] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system in which aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented, according to some embodiments. For example, any or all of the wireless devices shown in FIG. 1 can be configured to perform signal detection as described herein, according to one or more of the methods described herein. Note that the system of FIG. 1 is merely an example of a possible system, and embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety of systems, as desired.

[0064] As shown in the illustration, an exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N, via a transmission medium. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a "User Equipment" (UE). Thus, the user device 106 is referred to as a UE or a UE device.

[0065] The base station 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site and may include hardware and / or software that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A - 106N. The base station 102A may also be equipped with the function of communicating with a network 100 (for example, among various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, the base station 102A may facilitate communication between user devices and / or communication between a user device and the network 100.

[0066] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TD - SCDMA), LTE, LTE - Advanced (LTE - A), 5G NR, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (for example, 1xRTT, 1xEV - DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi - Fi, WiMAX, etc., which are also called wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards.

[0067] Therefore, the base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B - 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may be provided as a network of cells, which can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to the UEs 106A - 106N and similar devices across a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0068] Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, base station 102A can function as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A to 106N, and each UE 106 can receive signals (and in some cases be within the communication range) from one or more other cells (which can be provided by base stations 102B to 102N and / or any other base station) that may be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells can also facilitate communication between user devices and / or communication between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells providing any of various other granularities of service area size. For example, base stations 102A and 102B illustrated in FIG. 1 may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are possible.

[0069] Note that UE 106 can have the ability to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are possible.

[0070] FIG. 2 shows a user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with a base station 102 (e.g., one of base stations 102A to 102N) according to some embodiments. UE 106 may be a device having cellular communication capabilities such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a wearable device, a computer or tablet, or substantially any type of wireless device.

[0071] UE106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. By executing such stored instructions, UE106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein. Alternatively, or in addition, UE106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any part of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0072] As described above, UE106 can be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of RATs. For example, UE106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, CDMA2000, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies are also possible.

[0073] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In one embodiment, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using either CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio, and / or using either GSM or LTE using a single shared radio. The shared radio can be coupled to a single antenna for performing wireless communication, or can be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication). Generally, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for other digital processing along with digital modulation). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains using the hardware described above. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive and / or transmit chains among multiple wireless communication technologies such as those described above.

[0074] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains for each wireless communication protocol that UE 106 is configured to use for communication therewith (e.g., including separate RF and / or digital wireless components). As a further possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radios that are shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios that are used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio for communicating using either LTE or 1xRTT (alternatively, LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, respectively. Other configurations are possible.

[0075] UE106 and / or BS102 can be configured to perform carrier aggregation (CA). For example, BS102 can communicate with UE106 using carriers that use any combination of RATs. As one possibility, UE106 and BS102 can use licensed assisted access (LAA) technology and thus can aggregate licensed and unlicensed spectrum for communication. Carrier aggregation may use a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells), which can be co-located within a single base station tower or distributed across a first BS and one or more neighboring BSs according to various embodiments. Figure 3 - Block diagram of a UE device

[0076] FIG. 3 shows a possible block diagram of UE device 106. As shown, UE device 106 can include a system on chip (SOC) 300 that can include portions for various purposes. For example, as shown in the figure, SOC 300 can include a processor(s) 302 that can execute program instructions for UE device 106, and a display circuit 304 that can perform graphic processing and provide a display signal to display 360. SOC 300 may also include a motion sensing circuit 370 that can detect the motion of UE 106 using, for example, any of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or various other motion sensing components. Processor(s) 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 that can be configured to receive addresses from processor(s) 302 and translate those addresses to locations within memory (e.g., memory 306, read only memory (ROM) 350, flash memory 310). MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor(s) 302.

[0077] As shown, SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of UE 106. For example, UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, dock, charging station, etc.), a display 360, and a wireless communication circuit 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

[0078] UE device 106 may include at least one antenna for performing wireless communication with a base station and / or other devices, and in some embodiments, may include a plurality of antennas 335a and 335b (and / or additional further antennas). For example, UE device 106 can perform wireless communication using antennas 335a and 335b. As described above, UE device 106 may be configured to wirelessly communicate using multiple wireless communication standards or radio access technologies (RATs) in some embodiments.

[0079] Wireless communication circuit 330 may include Wi-Fi logic 332, a cellular modem 334, and Bluetooth logic 336. Wi-Fi logic 332 is for enabling UE device 106 to perform Wi-Fi communication on an 802.11 network. Bluetooth logic 336 is for enabling UE device 106 to perform Bluetooth communication. Cellular modem 334 may be a low-power cellular modem capable of performing cellular communication according to one or more cellular communication technologies (such as LTE, 5G NR, GSM, etc.).

[0080] As described herein, UE 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, one or more components of wireless communication circuit 330 (such as cellular modem 334) of UE device 106 may be configured to perform some or all of the methods described herein by, for example, a processor that executes program instructions stored in a storage medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), a processor configured as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or using dedicated hardware components that may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Figure 4 - Block diagram of a base station (BS)

[0081] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that the base station of FIG. 4 is merely an example of a possible base station. As shown, base station 102 may include a processor(s) 404 capable of executing program instructions for base station 102. The processor(s) 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 404 and translate those addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or other circuitry or devices.

[0082] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network to a plurality of devices such as UE device 106 as described above in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0083] Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may further or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may be able to provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be able to couple to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may be able to provide the telephone network (e.g., between other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0084] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and in some cases, may include a plurality of antennas. The antenna(s) 434 may be configured to operate as a radio transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio(s) 430 (or plurality of radios 430). The antenna(s) 434 communicate with the radio(s) 430 via the communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio(s) 430 can be configured to communicate according to various wireless communication standards including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, NR, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0085] The base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station 102 can include a plurality of radios, which may enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE, and a Wi-Fi radio for performing communication according to Wi-Fi. In such a case, the base station 102 can operate as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multi-mode radio, which can communicate according to any of a plurality of wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, LTE and 5G NR, UMTS and GSM, etc.). The BS102 can provide one or more communication technologies and / or one or more cells of one or more public land mobile networks (PLMNs). The BS102 can provide a plurality of cells that can be organized, grouped, or configured as one or more cell sets according to some embodiments. The one or more cell sets provided by the BS102 can also include cells provided by one or more additional base stations according to some embodiments.

[0086] As will be further described hereinafter in this specification, BS102 can include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described in this specification. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or as a combination thereof. As an alternative (or in addition), the processor 404 of BS102 may be configured to implement or support part or all of the features described herein in conjunction with one or more of the other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470. BS102 can be configured to perform carrier aggregation (CA).

[0087] BS102 may be an eNodeB (eNB) or a gNodeB (gNB) according to various embodiments. Figures 5A - 5B - ENDC and Standalone Deployment

[0088] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5A, the UE device can operate in an area having an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) New Radio (NR) Dual Connectivity (ENDC) deployment, where the UE is connected to both an NR gNB and an LTE eNB in a non-standalone (NSA) deployment, and both the gNB and the eNB are connected to an evolved packet core (EPC). Alternatively, the UE device can operate in an area having an NR Standalone (SA) deployment as shown in FIG. 5B, where the UE is connected to a next generation converged network (NGCN) via the gNB. Embodiments herein describe various methods and devices that mitigate thermal effects, extend battery life, and achieve other advantages in these and other environments. Carrier Aggregation

[0089] 5G New Radio (NR) and LTE, as well as other wireless networks, can include Carrier Aggregation (CA), which enables a user equipment device (UE), such as UE106, to communicate with multiple cells on separate bandwidths to increase overall throughput. CA technology can enable an increase in throughput or performance by efficiently using the spectrum / frequency resources available to the network.

[0090] Generally, a UE can establish a connection with a network via a Primary Cell (PCell), and subsequently establish a secondary connection with one or more Secondary Cells (SCells) to increase throughput. According to various embodiments, the PCell and one or more SCells may be co-located or instantiated as separate base stations. According to various embodiments, the PCell and one or more SCells can operate according to the same Radio Access Technology (RAT) (e.g., 5G NR) or different RATs (e.g., LTE and 5G NR). In an exemplary embodiment, the PCell functions as an anchor cell and is an LTE cell (such as an eNB) called a Master Cell Group (MCG) where initial signaling is established, while the SCell is a 5G NR cell (such as a gNB) called a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). The 5G SCell can be subsequently added to a UE attached to the PCell either blindly or based on the UE's 5G cell measurements. Then, data can be transferred according to the configuration via the 5G cell. This configuration is sometimes called a Non-Standalone (NSA) configuration with an LTE anchor and is schematically shown in FIG. 5A.

[0091] Different UEs can have different capabilities with respect to CA. For example, some UEs may be able to perform CA with a particular combination of frequency ranges, while they may not be able to perform it with other combinations of frequency ranges. Similarly, different cells, different regions, or different networks can use various combinations of CA frequency ranges. For example, a given PLMN can have a license to use different frequency ranges in one region than in another region.

[0092] 5G New Radio (5G NR) is designed to support a variety of use cases that require, among other possibilities, Ultra Reliable Low Latency (URLLC - 1ms round trip latency tolerance), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB - approximately 20 Gbps downlink throughput), and Massive Internet-of-Things (MIoT - supporting thousands of devices within a cell).

[0093] In some implementations, the sub-6 GHz frequency range (sub-6) (i.e., the frequency range below 6 GHz) as well as the millimeter wave frequency range (mmW) can be deployed by one or more gNBs. In the case of mmW deployment, the bandwidth can be much larger than that of the sub-6 GHz frequency range (e.g., the mmW bandwidth can be, among other possibilities, 50 MHz, 100 MHz, 200 MHz, or 400 MHz). The sub-6 range may be referred to as "FR1", and the mmW range may be referred to as "FR2". In some embodiments, the UE may need to utilize a special radio frequency (RF) module in order to be able to scan and / or measure these wider bandwidths, which may consume more power than scans and / or measurements performed for LTE or sub-6. Thus, using 5G mmW may increase battery usage. Additionally, due to more elements within these RF modules being active for beam management, the power consumption can be higher.

[0094] It is expected that the field deployment of NR for both sub-6 and mmW frequencies can have overlapping coverage. In these embodiments, it may be desirable for the UE to intelligently make measurement report decisions that can save battery power and trigger NR cell addition by the network when falling below a certain threshold of remaining battery life.

[0095] In the case of non-standalone (NSA) ENDC deployment, since heat increases within the device during an active data session, some embodiments of this specification describe measures that can be taken to control heat to avoid brownout conditions. In previously implemented radio access technologies (RATs), an active session could include only one technology such as LTE or WCDMA. In contrast, an ENDC deployment can include the simultaneous use of both the LTE and 5G modems of a UE that is active for a single data session. Therefore, it may be desirable to make an intelligent decision to evaluate the data for each technology and identify where and when the modem power can be backed off to mitigate heat without adversely affecting the data session or user experience. Backoff mode

[0096] In some embodiments, when the temperature of the UE exceeds a certain threshold, one or more preventive measures can be taken to mitigate the temperature rise and prevent damage to the device. For example, in some embodiments, a transmit power backoff can be implemented that reduces the transmit power of the cellular technology compared to normal mode operation. However, when the UE is in limited link budget conditions, a lower transmit power may result in a loss of connectivity or a transmission failure. For example, FIG. 6 shows an exemplary graph of the temperature of a UE over time superimposed on the transmit power for some existing implementations. As shown, when the temperature crosses the temperature threshold, a transmit power backoff is implemented to reduce the transmit power and mitigate the temperature rise. However, the implementation shown in FIG. 6 may result in a loss of connectivity and / or a transmission failure. Embodiments of this specification propose implementing a periodic backoff mode to achieve the desired temperature reduction with a lower risk of loss of connectivity and transmission failure.

[0097] For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, a transmit power duty cycle is introduced to periodically switch between a normal mode and a back-off mode. As shown, the UE can periodically alternate between transmissions at maximum transmit power and transmissions at reduced transmit power.

[0098] In some embodiments, in the normal mode, the UE can transmit at maximum power to ensure that the link is functional for high-priority data and that signaling is maintained. Conversely, during the back-off mode, the UE can transmit at a lower transmit power and transmit lower-priority data. In other words, the UE can preferentially transmit high-priority data and signaling during normal mode operation, and the UE can preferentially transmit lower-priority data during back-off mode operation. Advantageously, the periodic operation in the normal mode can provide high transmit power for high-priority data and signaling while still experiencing heat mitigation in the back-off mode to prevent loss of connectivity. In some embodiments, the desired quality of service (QoS) for data (e.g., high or low priority) can be handled by a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP).

[0099] In some embodiments, the UE can operate in an ENDC deployment and can be connected to both the LTE MCG and the 5G SCG. In these embodiments, the UE can preferentially transmit data to the NR SCG during the normal mode and can transmit data to the LTE MCG during the backoff mode. For example, the UE can locally bias the updated UL-DataSplitThreshold parameter to bias the transfer to LTE during the backoff mode and give priority to data related to the LTE MCG for the UE. In some embodiments, the UE can send a Buffer Status Report (BSR) to indicate to the network which data the UE desires to transmit. In other words, in some embodiments, the UE can consider one or both of the data priority and the RAT (e.g., 5G or non-5G) associated with the data when determining whether to transmit data during the normal mode or the backoff mode. This is shown in FIG. 8, which shows that high-priority data and 5G communications are transmitted during the normal mode, while the remaining data (e.g., low-priority data and non-5G communications) are transmitted during the backoff mode. In some embodiments, if there are unused radio resources remaining during the normal mode after all high-priority data and 5G communications have been transmitted, the remaining unused radio resources can be utilized for at least a portion of any remaining data to be transmitted.

[0100] In some embodiments, the temperature of the UE can be continuously monitored, and the duty cycle that alternates between the normal mode and the back-off mode can be adjusted according to how much heat dissipation is desired. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, three different duty cycles can be used according to the desired degree of heat dissipation. Specifically, in the case of low heat dissipation (for example, when the temperature is only slightly higher than the temperature threshold, and / or when the temperature is rising slowly or decreasing more gently), the UE can spend more time in the normal mode than in the back-off mode. In the case of normal heat dissipation (when the temperature is higher than in the case of low heat dissipation and / or is rising more rapidly), the UE can spend equal (or approximately equal) time in the normal and back-off modes. Finally, when high heat dissipation is desired (for example, when the temperature is dangerously high and / or is increasing at a dangerously fast rate), the UE can spend more time in the back-off mode than in the normal mode.

[0101] In some embodiments, the UE can implement the available overall power budget, such that for a given time window, the UE has an acceptable power budget for 5G transmission. This is schematically shown in FIG. 10, where the UE transmits 5G high-priority data over a first period until the available 5G power budget is depleted, after which the UE switches to transmitting high-priority data via a non-5G data bearer (for example, data can be transmitted to the eNB via LTE). For example, when the overall 5G power budget is depleted, the UE can notify the network of an SCG failure, as a result of which it can migrate to a high-priority data bearer over non-5G.

[0102] In some embodiments, when high thermal relaxation is desired, the UE can alternate between normal mode operation and shutting off all transmit power. This is shown in FIG. 11, where the device periodically alternates between normal mode operation and a transmit power cut-off mode where the UE refrains from any transmissions. In these embodiments, the UE can determine the transmit power for a duration based on the amount of high-priority data and signaling to be transmitted and can prioritize high-priority data and signaling for transmissions during normal mode operation. Figure 12 - Flowchart for Implementing the Back-off Mode

[0103] FIG. 12 is a flowchart diagram showing a method for implementing a transmit power back-off mode for thermal relaxation, according to some embodiments. Aspects of the method of FIG. 12 can be implemented by a wireless device such as a UE (s) 106 communicating with one or more base stations (e.g., BS102) as shown and described with respect to the figure, or more generally, optionally, among other devices, and in particular, among other circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figure, in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figure. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of the UE (e.g., among various possibilities, processors (s) 302, baseband processors (s), processors (s) associated with a communication circuit (e.g., 330), etc.) can cause some or all of the method elements illustrated for the UE to be executed. Similarly, among various possibilities, processors (s) 404, baseband processors (s), processors (s) associated with a communication circuit (e.g., 430, 432), etc. can cause some or all of the method elements illustrated for the BS to be executed.

[0104] In various embodiments, some of the elements of the methods shown in the figures may be executed simultaneously, may be executed in an order different from the order shown in the figures, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed, if desired. As shown in the figures, the methods may operate as follows.

[0105] At 1202, it is determined that the temperature of the UE has risen above a first threshold temperature. For example, the UE can include one or more temperature sensors configured to periodically or continuously measure the temperature of one or more components of the UE. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor(s) can be configured to measure components of the UE that typically experience the greatest degree of heating from performing cellular transmissions, such as the radio and / or processor of the UE.

[0106] At 1204, based at least in part on determining that the temperature of the UE has risen above the first threshold temperature, the UE periodically alternates between operating in a standard mode and operating in a back-off mode. The UE is configured to transmit at normal transmit power while in the standard mode, and the UE is configured to transmit at reduced transmit power while in the back-off mode.

[0107] In some embodiments, a duty cycle that alternates between a standard mode and a back-off mode is determined based at least in part on the number of times the temperature of the UE rises above a first threshold temperature. For example, the duty cycle can be selected such that the UE spends more time in the back-off mode at higher temperatures of the UE than at lower temperatures of the UE. Alternatively or additionally, a duty cycle that alternates between a standard mode and a back-off mode can be determined based at least in part on the rate of increase of the temperature of the UE. For example, the duty cycle can be selected such that the UE spends more time in the back-off mode at a higher rate of increase of the temperature of the UE than at a lower rate of increase of the temperature of the UE. In some embodiments, a weighted consideration of both the absolute temperature of the UE and the rate of increase of the temperature can be used to determine the duty cycle.

[0108] In some embodiments, high-priority data is preferentially transmitted while operating in the standard mode, and low-priority data is preferentially transmitted while operating in the back-off mode. High-priority data can include one or more of live video streaming, voice calls, and / or control signaling. Conversely, low-priority data can include one or more of transmission control protocol (TCP) data, user datagram protocol (UDP) data, and / or buffered video streaming.

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE may establish an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with the eNB and at least one gNB. In these embodiments, the UE can be configured to communicate preferentially with the eNB via the long term evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) while operating in the back-off mode, and the UE can be configured to communicate preferentially with the gNB via the 5th generation new radio (5G NR) RAT while operating in the normal mode.

[0110] In some embodiments, the UE can have a transmit power budget associated with the 5G NR RAT, and there is a maximum budget of transmit power that the UE is permitted to utilize in a given time window of a predetermined duration. In these embodiments, the UE can determine that the transmit power budget associated with the 5G NR RAT has been depleted. Based at least in part on determining that the transmit power budget associated with the 5G NR RAT has been depleted, the UE can switch to communicating with the eNB via the LTE RAT for the remainder of the time window while operating in the normal mode.

[0111] In some embodiments, the UE can determine that the temperature of the UE has risen above a second threshold temperature, which is higher than the first threshold temperature. Based at least in part on determining that the temperature of the UE has risen above the second threshold temperature, the UE can alternate periodically between operating in the standard mode and operating in the transmit power cut-off mode, and the UE is configured to refrain from performing any transmissions during the transmit power cut-off mode. Figure 13 - Protocol for Aborting 5G Transmission

[0112] Figure 13 is a communication flow diagram showing how a UE drops a 5G gNB and communicates exclusively via LTE in some embodiments. For example, a UE operating in an ENDC deployment can decide to drop the 5G gNB as an SCG and decide to communicate only with the eNB MCG via LTE. To achieve this, among other possibilities, the following protocol can be implemented. At 1306, the UE can request a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration from the network. Subsequently, at 1308, the UE can send an "SCGFailureInformation" message to the network via the gNB. This can enable the UE to fallback to LTE operation with the eNB and no longer expend power monitoring the 5G cell.

[0113] In some embodiments, when starting procedures to terminate communication with the gNB, the UE interrupts SCG transmission for all signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs), resets the SCG-MAC, stops the T304 timer if it is running, starts transmitting the SCGFailureInformationNR message if the UE is operating in EN-DC, and can set the failure type as being due to T310 timer expiry. Reduced 5G Measurements for ENDC Deployment

[0114] In previous implementations, when the application processor (AP) of a UE is asleep, the baseband processor (BB) of the UE can wake up the AP only when there is an input Internet protocol (IP) packet targeting a known port number (e.g., the known port number can be a plurality of port numbers known to the UE as being related to the AP). This can avoid unnecessarily waking up the AP when the BB receives a packet not related to the AP. However, in an NR deployment, based on the NR measurements reported by the UE, immediately after the UE enters the RRC connected state, an NR SCG bearer can be configured. In these implementations, as soon as the NR SCG bearer is configured, the BB can wake up the AP to update a user interface (UI) icon to display "5G". In these cases, when an incoming downlink IP packet belongs to an unknown port number, this packet may not be related to the AP. However, since the NR SCG is configured in this instance, the BB may still wake up the AP to update the UI icon, resulting in unnecessary power drain.

[0115] To address these and other concerns, in some embodiments, when the AP is asleep and the BB starts a wireless connection for either an input page or BB-centric traffic (e.g., subscriber identity module (SIM) traffic), the AP can refrain from performing NR cell measurements. Additionally or alternatively, depending on the temperature of the UE, the UE can determine whether it should operate NR / ENDC in the sub-6 or mmW frequency range. For example, if the temperature is high enough that mmW operation is not desirable, the UE can refrain from performing any mmW cell measurements and perform only sub-6 cell measurements as if only ENDC bearers are added for sub-6. Cell Measurement Pruning Based on Ongoing Active Traffic

[0116] In some embodiments, before an RRC connection is established, the UE can determine whether to prune NR measurements. In some embodiments, if the UE's display is either off or in an idle state and / or there is low-level ongoing data transfer and / or a low-level traffic class, the UE can prune both sub-6 and mmW measurements (i.e., refrain from performing them). If there is an intermediate-level data transfer / traffic class ongoing, the UE can prune only the mmW measurements. Conversely, if there is a high-level data transfer / traffic class ongoing (e.g., if there are multiple traffic classes and / or a large amount of ongoing data), the UE can perform both sub-6 and mmW measurements as normal.

[0117] In some embodiments, if the UE is in a high-mobility state and further if the UE encounters multiple beam obstructions over a short period (e.g., if the number of beam obstructions over a predetermined period of "x" seconds is greater than the beam obstruction threshold number "y"), the UE can prune mmW measurements for a specific duration while the UE is in the high-mobility state. In some embodiments, instead of pruning the measurements completely, the UE can continue to measure the NR frequency, but the RRC layer may not need to report an NR measurement report unless a high-priority traffic class (e.g., an application that launches high-priority data) is active. Advantageously, in these embodiments, the measurements can be readily available and, if desired, can be sent directly to the NW. This can reduce the delay for adding an NR SCG, for example, from seconds to milliseconds.

[0118] In previous implementations, when a UE activates an application that utilizes a higher data usage over a long duration (e.g., a video streaming use case), the UE can report mmW measurement results of multiple gNBs and / or multiple component carriers (CCs), and the NW can add multiple component carriers of mmW to provide services to the UE, potentially hitting the thermal trap more rapidly. To address these and other concerns, the UE can limit its mmW measurement reports to a small number of CCs (e.g., one or two, depending on the data requirements of the active application), as a result of which the NW adds a smaller number of mmWave cells, thereby providing a higher NR throughput and reducing the likelihood of hitting the thermal trap due to long-term application usage. In other words, when the UE detects the activation of a high-throughput data application of long duration, the UE can limit the number of mmW measurements to a small predetermined number in order to meet the throughput requirements while mitigating the risk of overheating. In some embodiments, the specific frequencies picked up by the UE to perform mmW measurements can be determined based on one or more considerations including, among other possibilities, past heuristics such as the results of previous mmW measurements, PHY, L2, and beam characteristics, the number of times a particular mmW frequency was present in the previous Scell / PScell list (e.g., the PScell list can be considered to have a higher priority), or its presence in a table of information regarding the most recently used (MRU) camping-on cells such as an MRU table, but not limited to these. Selective Deactivation of a Specific NR SCell

[0119] In some embodiments, certain NR gNB SCells can be associated with higher thermal concerns due to their operating bands and / or frequencies. Based on the block error rate (BLER) and / or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), the UE can detect which SCell(s) are performing poorly. In current implementations, overheat indication can cause the UE to reduce the number of active CCs, reduce the aggregated bandwidth, and / or reduce the number of active multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers. To improve these implementations, in some embodiments, the UE can indicate to the network which SCell identifier (ID) it prefers to drop first in the case of an overheat scenario. In various embodiments, the UE can indicate either a single cell ID or a ranked list of multiple SCell IDs (e.g., {ID1, ID2, ID3}) that indicates the order for dropping SCells (e.g., first drop the SCell associated with ID1, then ID2, and finally the SCell associated with ID3). Selective CA Combination Report for Reducing Thermal Impact

[0120] While operating in either non-standalone (NSA) mode or standalone (SA) mode, the UE can use carrier aggregation (CA) on one or more NR secondary cell groups (SCGs). The number of SCell CCs added to the primary cell (PCell) can depend on the total channel bandwidth (TCB) supported by the UE. For example, if the UE supports a maximum channel bandwidth of 800 MHz, the UE can allocate 800 MHz between the master cell group (MCG) and the SCG as follows.

[0121] Serving Cell = 200 MHz

[0122] Component Carrier 1 = 200 MHz

[0123] Component carrier 2 = 200 MHz

[0124] Component carrier 3 = 100 MHz

[0125] Component carrier 4 = 50 MHz

[0126] Component carrier 5 = 50 MHz

[0127] In the above example, it may be desirable for the UE to reduce the number of CCs. However, while in the RRC connected mode, the decision to add or release SCell is typically made by the NW. Thus, in some embodiments, the UE can use an alternative mechanism to reduce the number of active SCell CCs. For example, in some embodiments, if the UE wants to release one or more SCell, the UE can report to the network the reduced maximum channel bandwidth (MCB) that it supports via a UE capability change message.

[0128] FIG. 14 is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method for reducing the number of active SCell(s) on which a UE communicates with a UE, according to some embodiments. Aspects of the method of FIG. 14 can be implemented by a wireless device such as a UE (singular or plural) 106 communicating with one or more base stations (e.g., BS102), as shown and described with respect to the figure, or, more generally, as desired, among other devices, and in particular, among other circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figure, in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figure. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of the UE (e.g., among various possibilities, processor(s) 302, baseband processor(s), processor(s) associated with communication circuit (e.g., 330), etc.) can cause some or all of the method elements illustrated for the UE to be executed. Similarly, among various possibilities, processor(s) 404, baseband processor(s), processor(s) associated with communication circuit (e.g., 430, 432), etc. can cause some or all of the method elements illustrated for the BS to be executed.

[0129] In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown in the figure may be executed simultaneously, may be executed in an order different from the order shown in the figure, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed, as desired. As shown in the figure, the communication flow for releasing one or more SCell(s) can proceed as follows.

[0130] At 1402, the UE can camp on a plurality of SCell(s) and can set the maximum channel bandwidth supported by the UE for both the uplink (UL) and the downlink (DL). In some embodiments, the SCell(s) may be 5G gNBs.

[0131] At 1404, the UE can be in an RRC connection state with a plurality of SCell configured to communicate in one or both of UL and DL and be active.

[0132] At 1406, based on certain trigger conditions, the UE can determine to release some of the SCell. The UE can determine to reduce the number of active SCell for various reasons including, but not limited to, battery saving, low battery, high BLER, frequent RLF, and / or thermal mitigation. If there are no trigger conditions, the UE can continue normal operation at 1408.

[0133] At 1410, if there are trigger conditions, the UE can enable the information element (IE) of "UE radio capability information update required" and send a tracking area update request to the network. In response, the network can query the UE for the new / updated UE capability information. Finally, the UE can explicitly advertise a lower MCB than its actual MCB, as a result, the NW can configure the UE with a smaller subset of CC. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can advertise a specific subset of CA combinations that have a low thermal impact but can provide high throughput. For example, CA_1A_3A_5A and CA_25A_12A_66A can have the same aggregated bandwidth and number of CC, but CA_1A_3A_5A can have a lower thermal impact. Therefore, the UE can refrain from advertising CA_25A_12A_66A and can advertise CA_1A_3A_5A. Selective measurement pruning based on active bandwidth part

[0134] In some embodiments, due to thermal conditions, it may be desirable for a UE in an ENDC connection to disable its LTE and / or its NR radio to reduce the temperature within the device. In these embodiments, the UE can consider both the frequency range used in the ENDC connection and the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part (BWP) when determining whether and how to prune cell measurements.

[0135] For example, the UE can determine that its temperature has risen above a threshold, and as a result, in various scenarios, the temperature mitigation procedure can be implemented as follows. First, when the UE is communicating with both an LTE eNB and a sub-6 gNB, if the NR active BWP is larger than a threshold bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz), the UE can push UL traffic to LTE and monitor the thermal conditions. If the temperature continues to rise consistently within a predetermined number of minutes (or seconds), the UE can disable NR by transmitting SCGFailureInformation to prune further NR cell measurements. Alternatively, when the UE is communicating with both an LTE eNB and a mmW gNB, if the NR active BWP is larger than the threshold bandwidth, the UE can immediately disable NR by transmitting SCGFailureInformation to prune future NR cell measurements.

[0136] Alternatively, when the UE is communicating with both an LTE eNB and a sub-6 gNB and the NR active BWP is less than the threshold bandwidth, the UE can continue both UL and DL traffic on LTE and NR. When the UE is communicating with both an LTE eNB and a mWW gNB and the NR active BWP is less than the threshold bandwidth, UL traffic can be pushed to the MCG (e.g., by transmitting a BSR0 message to the mmW gNB), and DL traffic can follow NW scheduling.

[0137] The embodiments given above specify a threshold BW of 20 MHz, but other threshold BWs can also be used as desired. However, 20 MHz can present several advantages as a threshold BW. For example, 20 MHz is the maximum bandwidth for LTE communication, and as a result, 20 MHz can be used as an estimate of the bandwidth at which NR communication begins to exhibit significantly more battery drain and / or heat generation than LTE communication when exceeded. Therefore, the thermal mitigation of shunting traffic to LTE can be more pronounced for NR communication above 20 MHz in bandwidth.

[0138] In other embodiments, instead of pruning NR cell measurements in an ENDC communication environment when thermal mitigation is initiated, the UE can use UE assistance information to repeatedly reduce the BW of NR communication to 20 MHz. When the NR BW reaches 20Mhz, the UE can proceed to repeatedly reduce the BW of the LTE PCC. Alternatively or additionally, the UE can change the active BWP. Traffic switching according to UL limiting conditions

[0139] In some embodiments, a UE in an ENDC coverage scenario can switch traffic between LTE and NR RAT according to uplink (UL) conditions. For example, in some embodiments, if LTE coverage is UL-limited and NR is within good coverage, the UE can send a BSR "0" message to the LTE eNB and move all UL traffic to the NR gNB. Advantageously, this can reduce the active transmission power and mitigate heat. Alternatively, if NR is within UL-limited coverage and LTE is within good coverage, the UE can send a BSR "0" message to the NR gNB and move all UL traffic to the LTE eNB.

[0140] If both LTE and NR are UL-limited, the UE can disable NR by sending a SCGFailureInformation message. Further, if the UL traffic is not important UL traffic (e.g., below a priority threshold level), the UE can delay UL traffic via LTE until the thermal conditions improve. Alternatively, if both LTE and NR are UL-limited, the UE can enable the supplementary UL (SUL) channel and move all UL traffic to the SUL channel. Figure 15 - Selective Measurement Pruning during High-Priority Data Sessions

[0141] In some embodiments, a UE in an NSA deployment (e.g., an ENDC scenario) can have an ongoing high-priority data transfer with high service quality (QoS) requirements such as a voice over LTE (VoLTE) call. FIG. 15 is a flowchart diagram showing a method of performing selective NR cell measurement pruning in this or other scenarios according to some embodiments. Aspects of the method of FIG. 15 can be implemented by a wireless device such as a UE (singular or plural) 106 communicating with one or more base stations (e.g., BS102) as shown and described with respect to the figure, or more generally, as desired, among other devices, and in particular, in combination with any of the other circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figure, and in particular, any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figure. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of the UE (e.g., among various possibilities, processors (singular or plural) 302, baseband processors (singular or plural), processors (singular or plural) associated with a communication circuit (e.g., 330), etc.) can cause the UE to execute some or all of the method elements illustrated for the UE. Similarly, among various possibilities, processors (singular or plural) 404, baseband processors (singular or plural), processors (singular or plural) associated with a communication circuit (e.g., 430, 432), etc. can cause the BS to execute some or all of the method elements illustrated for the BS.

[0142] In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown in the figure may be executed simultaneously, may be executed in an order different from the order shown in the figure, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed as desired. As shown in the figure, the method may operate as follows.

[0143] In 1502, the UE capable of ENDC is camped on the LTE eNB. The NW can support NR ENDC from the UE's location, which can be enabled via the system information block 2 (SIB-2) uplink information (ULI).

[0144] In 1504, the UE can determine whether there is an ongoing high-priority data session with high QoS requirements such as a VoLTE call (e.g., QoS class identifier (QCI) of 1 to 4). If the high QoS session is not ongoing, the UE can return to normal operation in step 1506.

[0145] In 1508, if the high QoS session is ongoing, the UE can determine whether both LTE and NR are currently active on the device (e.g., the UE can determine whether it has an active connection with both the eNB and gNB associated with the ENDC deployment). If both LTE and NR are not currently active on the device, the UE can return to normal operation in step 1506.

[0146] In 1510, if both LTE and NR are currently active, the UE can determine whether all UL data is being sent to the MCG (e.g., on the LTE eNB). If it is determined that the UL data is not being executed for the MCG, in step 1512, the UE can send a BSR0 message to the NR gNB, avoid any UL traffic on the NR gNB, and the UE can then proceed to step 1514.

[0147] At 1514, if it is determined that all UL data has been sent to the MCG, the UE can determine whether the temperature of the UE is higher than a temperature threshold (e.g., 80% of the maximum safe temperature, or another threshold). If the temperature does not exceed the threshold, the UE can return to normal operation at step 1506.

[0148] At 1516, if it is determined that the temperature exceeds the temperature threshold, the UE can perform an NR cell measurement pruning procedure. For example, the UE can disable the connection with the NR gNB by sending a "SCGFailureInformation" message to the network. The SCGFailureInformation message may not include a measurement result frequency list ("measResultFreqList") or a measurement result secondary cell group (SCG) failure ("measResultSCG - Failure) information element (IE). Advantageously, this can prevent the network from reconfiguring the NR connection. In addition, the UE can refrain from performing further NR cell measurements until the high - priority data session ends and / or the thermal condition improves (e.g., the temperature drops below the threshold or a predetermined number of times below the threshold). De - activation of NR in SA deployment

[0149] In some embodiments, the UE can communicate with a 5G gNB in a stand - alone (SA) connection without also being connected to an LTE eNB. In these embodiments, various techniques can be implemented to mitigate overheating. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the UE can send a UEAssistanceInformation message to the gNB to reduce the maximum number of CCs for the connection, reduce the maximum aggregated BW in the combination of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) for both sub - 6 and mmW, and / or reduce the maximum number of MIMO layers for DL and UL.

[0150] Alternatively, in some deployments, the network may not support the UEAssistanceInformation message and alternative methods can be used. As an example, if the UE is experiencing overheating and the serving cell (e.g., MCG) is a sub 6 gNB, the UE can perform inter-RAT B1 and / or B2 measurements. For example, the B1 measurement can determine whether an inter-RAT neighbor (e.g., an LTE cell) has a signal strength above a threshold, and the B2 measurement can determine both whether the serving cell has a signal strength degradation compared to a first threshold and whether the inter-RAT neighboring cell has a signal strength stronger than a second threshold. In these embodiments, during B1 and / or B2 inter-RAT measurements, if the UE finds an identified LTE cell that is not in the same frequency range as the sub 6 gNB cell, the UE can disable NR and move to the LTE cell. Alternatively, if the B1 and / or B2 measurements find an identified LTE cell within the same frequency range as the sub 6 gNB and the difference in signal strength (e.g., received signal to received power (RSRP) ratio, or another measure of signal strength) between the serving gNB cell and the LTE cell is less than a threshold (e.g., within 3 - 5 dBm), the UE can remain camped on the gNB and avoid LTE measurements for a predetermined number of seconds.

[0151] In other embodiments, if the UE experiences overheating while camped on an mmW gNB, if an LTE cell that meets the B1 or B2 measurement is found, the UE can always disable NR and move to the LTE cell until the thermal condition improves. Figures 17A - 17B - Changes in Coverage Scenarios

[0152] Figures 17A - 17B show a UE moving between two different coverage scenarios according to some embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 17A shows a UE moving in the direction of the coverage boundary between an LTE cell and a Sub - 6 NR cell. FIG. 17B shows a UE that is within the coverage of both the LTE cell and the Sub - 6 NR cell and is moving towards an NR mmW cell (e.g., NR mmW cell #1). In this coverage scenario, as an example, the UE can be attached to the LTE cell as the MCG and can or may not be attached to the Sub - 6 NR cell as the SCG. Flowcharts for performing cell measurements in FIGS. 18 - 19 - ENDC

[0153] FIG. 18 is a flowchart diagram showing a method by which a UE performs cell measurements in an ENDC coverage scenario according to some embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 18 shows a method by which a UE can prioritize a sub6 NR cell over a mmW NR cell when certain criteria are met. At 1902, the UE determines whether it is attached to an LTE cell and is in the RRC connected state. If not, the UE continues normal operation at 1904. At 1906, the UE can determine whether NR measurements are configured by the network, and at 1910, can determine whether there are available sub6 and mmW frequency NR cells configured to perform measurements. If either determination is negative, the UE continues normal operation at 1908 or 1912, respectively. At 1914, the available NR cells can be ranked based on their signal strength (e.g., their RSRP and / or SNR), and at 1916, it can be determined whether the remaining UE battery life is below a threshold level such as 30%, 50%, or another threshold. If the battery life is below the threshold level, at 1920, the UE can determine whether there is an available sub6 cell whose signal strength is within a predetermined number of decibels (e.g., 3 dB) of the mmW cell with the highest signal strength, and if so, can determine whether the signal strength of the sub6 cell is greater than the hysteresis level. If there is no available sub6 cell within the predetermined number of decibels of the mmW cell, the UE continues normal operation at 1924.

[0154] If the battery life is not below the threshold level, at 1918, the UE can check whether the UE is in a locked state, whether its display is off, and / or whether it is not currently functioning as a WLAN hot spot. If not, the UE continues normal operation at 1920. If one or more of these conditions are met, the UE can similarly proceed to check for available sub6 cells within the threshold difference in signal strength from the strongest available mmW cell at 1920.

[0155] When the sub-6 cell is within a predetermined difference in signal strength from the strongest mmW cell, at 1922, the UE can prioritize the sub-6 cell over the mmW cell and report measurements regarding the sub-6 cell. In some embodiments, a hysteresis can be used where the sub-6 cell is not prioritized unless it has a signal strength greater than a hysteresis value such as -100 dBm. When the battery level returns above the threshold, this function can be deactivated and the normal reporting operation can be followed.

[0156] In some embodiments, following prioritizing the sub-6 cell, it can be determined that an application has started on the UE that utilizes high data throughput. At least in part in response to determining that an application has started on the UE that utilizes high data throughput, the UE can establish an ENDC connection with the eNB and the mmW NR cell for performing high data throughput.

[0157] FIG. 19 is a flowchart diagram similar to FIG. 18, further considering embodiments where the UE is in an ENDC scenario and is attached to a sub-6 serving NR cell as well as an LTE cell in the RRC idle or connected mode. In FIG. 19, when the UE's battery level is below the threshold and / or the UE is in a locked state, the UE can decide not to report measurements regarding the mmW cell even if it has a signal strength higher than the camped-on sub-6 cell. More specifically, FIG. 19 can proceed as follows.

[0158] In 2002, the UE determines whether it is involved in an ENDC connection in the RRC idle or connected state with a sub-6 NR cell. If not, the UE continues normal operation in 2004. In 2006, the UE can determine whether there are available sub-6 and mmW frequency NR cells configured to perform measurements. If not, the UE continues normal operation in 2008. In 2010, the available NR cells can be ranked based on their signal strengths (e.g., their RSRP and / or SNR), and in 2012, it can be determined whether the remaining UE battery life falls below a threshold level such as 30%, 50%, or another threshold. If the battery life falls below the threshold level, in 2018, the UE can determine whether there are available sub-6 cells (including the serving sub-6 cell) whose signal strength is within a predetermined number of decibels (e.g., 3 dB) of the mmW cell with the highest signal strength, and if so, it can determine whether the signal strength of the sub-6 cell is greater than a hysteresis level (e.g., -100 dBm or another threshold). If there are no available sub-6 cells within the predetermined number of decibels of the mmW cell, the UE continues normal operation in 2022.

[0159] If the battery life does not fall below the threshold level, in 2014, the UE can check whether the UE is in a locked state, whether its display is off, and / or whether it is not currently functioning as a WLAN hotspot. If not, the UE continues normal operation in 2016. If one or more of these conditions are met, the UE can similarly proceed to check for available sub-6 cells within the threshold difference in signal strength from the strongest available mmW cell in 2018.

[0160] If the signal strength of the sub-6 cell is within a predetermined difference from the strongest mmW cell and the signal strength of the sub-6 cell is greater than the hysteresis level, in 2020, the UE can report measurements regarding this sub-6 cell instead of the mmW cell with the best signal strength. Further, the UE may not report an event to the serving gNB (i.e., the serving sub-6 cell) to trigger a handover to this mmW cell. In some embodiments, a hysteresis can be used where the sub-6 cell is not prioritized unless it has a signal strength greater than a hysteresis value such as -100 dBm. When the battery level returns above the threshold, this function can be deactivated and can follow the normal reporting operation. Figure 20 - Flowchart for implementing the SCG failure start procedure

[0161] Figure 20 is a flowchart diagram showing a method for implementing an SCG failure start procedure according to some embodiments.

[0162] Aspects of the method of FIG. 5 can be implemented by a wireless device such as a UE (singular or plural) 106 communicating with one or more base stations (e.g., BS102) as shown and described with respect to the figure, or more generally, as desired, among other devices, and in particular, among other circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figure, in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figure. For example, one or more processors (or processing elements) of the UE (e.g., among various possibilities, processors (singular or plural) 302, baseband processors (singular or plural), processors (singular or plural) associated with a communication circuit (e.g., 330), etc.) can cause the UE to execute some or all of the method elements illustrated for the UE. Similarly, among various possibilities, processors (singular or plural) 404, baseband processors (singular or plural), processors (singular or plural) associated with communication circuits (e.g., 430, 432), etc. can cause the BS to execute some or all of the method elements illustrated for the BS.

[0163] In various embodiments, some of the elements of the methods shown in the figures may be executed simultaneously, may be executed in an order different from the order shown in the figures, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed, if desired. As shown in the figures, the methods may operate as follows.

[0164] At 2202, the 5G-NSA mmW-capable UE device is turned on.

[0165] At 2402, it is determined whether the UE is within the LTE cell coverage.

[0166] At 2404, if it is determined that the UE is not within the LTE cell coverage, the UE can continue with normal operation.

[0167] At 2406, based on the determination that the UE is within the LTE cell coverage, the UE can determine whether it is in the LTE RRC connected state and whether information regarding the SCG having the mmW SCell has been received from the network. Otherwise, the UE can continue with normal operation at step 2408.

[0168] If a positive determination is made in step 2406, in step 2410, the UE can determine whether any trigger condition is satisfied. Otherwise, the UE continues normal operation at 2412. The list of trigger conditions is presented in FIG. 21(2102), which can include the user locking the UE (2104), the UE moving at a speed exceeding a predetermined threshold speed (e.g., a speed corresponding to movement in a vehicle) (2106), whether the device is connected to WiFi (2108), whether the device is connected to a vehicle via Bluetooth (trademark) (2110), whether a gradual decrease in mmW received signal power or an increase in propagation loss is detected (2112), or whether the device has fallen below a threshold level of remaining battery life (2114).

[0169] If the trigger condition is satisfied, the UE can start a timer in step 2414. When the timer expires in step 2416, the UE can execute the SCG failure start procedure in step 2418 and can report the SCG failure to the network in step 2420. Steps 2418 and 2420 can help remove the UE from the mmW cell in response to the occurrence of the trigger condition.

[0170] In 2422, if the UE detects an inversion of the trigger condition (i.e., if the trigger condition in 2410 was that the UE was locked, the inversion of the trigger condition can include detecting that the UE was subsequently unlocked), the UE can report measurements from LTE to NR as configured by the network and continue normal operation in step 2424. Antenna switching according to traffic

[0171] In some embodiments, particularly when the UE is involved in the sustained peak throughput of data transmission and / or reception, the UE can monitor the rate of change of the temperature of the UE over time. In these embodiments, if the rate of change of the temperature is greater than a predetermined value, the UE can switch to a different antenna module with a signal strength worse than that of the best antenna module. Thereby, the data rate can be artificially reduced, but it can help maintain or reduce the temperature. Additionally or alternatively, the dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can be adjusted to reduce the thermal impact at the expense of degraded performance. Advantageously, these methods can enable the UE to communicate via a 5G network over a longer duration without overheating. Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) backoff

[0172] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to implement a specific absorption rate (SAR) back-off function, and the UE can be configured to detect the orientation of the UE's grip and / or detect the proximity of the UE to the user's hand and / or ear. When the UE is sufficiently close to a specific body part of the user (e.g., when the UE is placed against the user's ear), the SAR back-off function can limit the transmission (Tx) power of the UE for one or more frequency bands to prevent excessive radiation exposure to the user and / or comply with applicable laws and regulations. For example, a UE that supports mmW or higher frequency transmissions can be configured to limit its Tx power for these frequencies under specific user grip conditions to meet SAR limitations and / or regulations. The SAR limitations can be stepped, and in some embodiments, a first reduced Tx power limit is set while the device is held in the hand, and a second (e.g., more stringent) Tx power limit is set while the device is held against the user's head. In some embodiments, the more stringent Tx power limit can include completely disabling mmW transmissions. Further, in some embodiments, the Tx limitations imposed by SAR regulations can vary depending on the frequency. For example, higher frequency transmissions (e.g., above 30 GHz) such as those expected to be utilized by 5G NR can be subject to more stringent transmission power limitations between specific grip orientations than lower frequencies because higher frequencies have the potential to cause greater health risks to the user.

[0173] In the following numbered paragraphs, additional embodiments are described.

[0174] In some embodiments, a user equipment device (UE) comprises a radio and a processor operably coupled to the radio. The UE is configured to receive a notification to initiate communication with a remote device by a baseband processor (BB) of the UE. The UE is further configured to at least partially wake an application processor (AP) of the UE from sleep in response to receiving the notification. The UE is further configured to determine that communication with the remote device is not associated with a 5th generation new radio (5G NR) radio access technology (RAT). Based at least in part on determining that communication with the remote device is not associated with 5G NR RAT, the UE is further configured to refrain from performing a first measurement associated with 5G NR RAT.

[0175] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that a temperature of the UE exceeds a threshold, and the first measurement is not performed at least in part based on determining that the temperature of the UE exceeds the threshold, and the first measurement includes a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency measurement. In these embodiments, the UE is further configured to perform a second measurement associated with 5G NR RAT in a sub-6 GHz frequency range.

[0176] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to determine whether a level of data transfer to be performed by the UE is below a first threshold, and refrain from performing a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency radio measurement associated with 5G NR RAT based at least in part on determining that the level of data transfer to be performed by the UE is below the first threshold.

[0177] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that the UE is in a high mobility state, and the first measurement is not performed at least in part based on determining that the UE is in a high mobility state.

[0178] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that a level of data transfer to be performed by the UE is below a second threshold, where the second threshold is less than the first threshold. In these embodiments, the UE is further configured to refrain from performing sub-6 GHz frequency radio measurements associated with the 5G NR RAT, at least partially based on determining that the level of data transfer to be performed by the UE is below the second threshold.

[0179] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that the UE's display is off and to refrain from performing sub-6 GHz frequency radio measurements associated with the 5G NR RAT, at least partially based on determining that the UE's display is off.

[0180] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to establish a connection with a network via a plurality of secondary cells (SCells) associated with the 5G NR RAT, perform signal quality measurements for each of the plurality of SCells, and transmit to the network a drop priority list indicating a preference for dropping at least a first SCell of the plurality of SCells, where the drop priority list is determined at least partially based on the results of the signal quality measurements.

[0181] In some embodiments, the drop priority list includes a ranked order of preferences for dropping each of the plurality of SCells.

[0182] In some embodiments, the UE establishes a connection with a network via a plurality of SCell associated with 5G NR RAT, utilizing a first bandwidth, determines that a reduced bandwidth condition has occurred, and at least partially in response to determining that the reduced bandwidth condition has occurred, transmits to the network updated UE capability information specifying the ability to communicate with the network using a second bandwidth that is smaller than the first bandwidth, and in response to at least partially transmitting the updated UE capability information to the network, receives from the network an indication to remove one or more of the plurality of SCell from the connection.

[0183] In some embodiments, the reduced bandwidth condition includes one or more of the UE's battery level dropping below a battery level threshold, the UE's temperature rising above a temperature threshold, the block error rate (BLER) associated with the connection rising above a BLER threshold, or the frequency of radio link failures rising above a radio link failure threshold.

[0184] In some embodiments, the UE establishes an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with an eNB and one or more gNBs, determines that the UE's temperature has risen above a temperature threshold, determines whether the active bandwidth part (BWP) used for the ENDC connection is greater than a bandwidth threshold, and based at least in part on determining that the active BWP is greater than the bandwidth threshold, disables the connection with the one or more gNBs and transitions the ENDC connection to a stand-alone connection with the eNB.

[0185] In some embodiments, the BWP threshold is 20 MHz.

[0186] In some embodiments, the UE establishes an ENDC connection with the network via an eNB and a gNB, determines that the eNB is experiencing insufficient uplink coverage, and transmits a buffer status report (BSR) to the network and moves all data traffic associated with the connection to the gNB, at least partially based on the determination that the eNB is experiencing insufficient uplink coverage.

[0187] In some embodiments, the UE establishes an ENDC connection with the network via an eNB and a gNB, determines that the gNB is experiencing insufficient uplink coverage, and transmits a buffer status report (BSR) to the network and moves all data traffic associated with the connection to the eNB, at least partially based on the determination that the gNB is experiencing insufficient uplink coverage.

[0188] In some embodiments, the UE establishes an ENDC connection with the network via an eNB and a gNB, determines that both the eNB and the gNB are experiencing insufficient uplink coverage, and enables a supplementary uplink (SUL) channel and moves all data traffic associated with the connection to the SUL channel, at least partially based on the determination that both the eNB and the gNB are experiencing insufficient uplink coverage.

[0189] In some embodiments, the UE establishes an ENDC connection with the network via an eNB and a gNB, starts a high-priority data session with the network via the ENDC connection, determines that the temperature of the UE exceeds a temperature threshold, and disconnects from the gNB and continues the high-priority data session with the eNB, at least partially in response to determining that the temperature of the UE exceeds the temperature threshold.

[0190] In some embodiments, disabling the connection to the gNB includes sending a SCGFailureInformation message to the gNB.

[0191] In some embodiments, the SCGFailureInformation message does not include a measurement result frequency list information element or a measurement result secondary cell group (SCG) failure information element.

[0192] In some embodiments, after disabling the connection to the gNB, the UE is further configured to refrain from performing cell measurements on the gNB until a high-priority data session is completed or until the temperature of the UE drops below a temperature threshold.

[0193] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to establish a stand-alone (SA) connection with the network via the gNB, perform radio access technology inter-frequency (RAT) cell measurements on the eNB, and determine whether the eNB operates in a frequency range overlapping with the SA connection via the gNB. Based on the determination that the eNB does not operate in the overlapping frequency range, the UE is further configured to disable the connection to the gNB and establish a connection to the eNB.

[0194] In some embodiments, based on the determination that the eNB operates in an overlapping frequency range, the UE is further configured to determine whether the signal strength of the eNB and the signal strength of the gNB differ by less than a predetermined amount. In these embodiments, based at least in part on the determination that the signal strength of the eNB and the signal strength of the gNB differ by less than a predetermined amount, the UE is further configured to continue the SA connection with the network via the gNB and refrain from performing further RAT cell measurements on the eNB for a predetermined period.

[0195] In some embodiments, the SA connection via the gNB operates within the sub-6 GHz frequency range.

[0196] In some embodiments, the SA connection via the gNB operates within the mmWave frequency range.

[0197] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to establish a connection with an eNB that supports ENDC, determine that each of a first gNB operating in a sub-6 GHz frequency band and a second gNB operating in a mmWave frequency band is available, and determine the signal strength of each of the first gNB and the second gNB, wherein the signal strength of the second gNB is stronger than the signal strength of the first gNB. Based at least in part on determining that the signal strength of the first gNB is within a predetermined decibel range of the signal strength of the second gNB, the UE is further configured to establish an ENDC connection with the eNB and the first gNB.

[0198] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to establish an ENDC connection with the eNB and the second gNB based at least in part on determining that the signal strength of the first gNB is not within a predetermined decibel range of the signal strength of the second gNB.

[0199] In some embodiments, establishing the ENDC connection with the eNB and the first gNB is performed based at least in part on determining that the remaining battery level of the UE is below a predetermined threshold.

[0200] In some embodiments, establishing the ENDC connection with the eNB and the first gNB is performed based at least in part on determining that the display of the UE is turned off.

[0201] In some embodiments, the connection with the eNB is in the radio resource control (RRC) idle or connected state.

[0202] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that the UE is functioning as a wireless local area network (WLAN) hotspot and, based at least in part on determining that the UE is functioning as a WLAN hotspot, establish an ENDC connection with an eNB and a second gNB instead of with the eNB and a first gNB.

[0203] In some embodiments, when the UE establishes an ENDC connection with the eNB and the first gNB, the UE is further configured to start a timer and, upon expiration of the timer, establish an ENDC connection with the eNB and the second gNB.

[0204] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to determine that an application has started on the UE that utilizes high data throughput and, at least in part, in response to determining that the application has started on the UE that utilizes high data throughput, establish an ENDC connection with the eNB and the second gNB to execute the high data throughput.

[0205] In some embodiments, the UE performs wireless communication with a network via a gNB using a mmWave frequency band, determines that the UE is within a first predetermined range of a user, and is configured to reduce the wireless communication with the network using the mmWave frequency band based at least in part on determining that the UE is within the first predetermined range of the user.

[0206] In some embodiments, determining that the UE is within the first predetermined range of the user includes one or more of determining a distance to the user's face using a face recognition function of the UE or determining whether the user is currently holding the UE using a grip detection function of the UE.

[0207] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that the UE is within a second predetermined range of the user, the second predetermined range being smaller than the first predetermined range, and to disable wireless communication with a network using a mmWave frequency band, at least in part based on determining that the UE is within the second predetermined range of the user.

[0208] In some embodiments, a user equipment device (UE) comprises a radio and a processor operatively coupled to the radio. The UE establishes an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with a network via an eNB and a gNB, starts a high-priority data session with the network via the ENDC connection, determines that the temperature of the UE exceeds a temperature threshold, and is configured to disable the connection with the gNB and continue the high-priority data session with the eNB, at least in part in response to determining that the temperature of the UE exceeds the temperature threshold.

[0209] In some embodiments, disabling the connection with the gNB includes sending a SCGFailureInformation message to the gNB.

[0210] In some embodiments, disabling the connection with the gNB further includes requesting a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration from the network, and the SCGFailureInformation message is sent to the gNB after requesting the RRC reconfiguration from the network.

[0211] In some embodiments, the SCGFailureInformation message does not include a measurement result frequency list information element or a measurement result secondary cell group (SCG) failure information element.

[0212] In some embodiments, the failure type of the SCGFailureInformation message is set as T310 timer expiration.

[0213] In some embodiments, after disabling the connection to the gNB, the UE is further configured to refrain from performing cell measurements on the gNB until the high-priority data session is completed or until the temperature of the UE drops below a temperature threshold.

[0214] In some embodiments, disabling the connection to the gNB includes one or more of interrupting secondary cell group (SCG) transmissions for all signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs), resetting SCG-media access control (MAC), or stopping the T304 timer.

[0215] In some embodiments, the UE is configured to periodically alternate between operating in a standard mode and an off-back mode based at least in part on determining that the temperature of the UE has risen above a first threshold temperature and determining that the temperature of the UE has risen above the first threshold temperature. While in the standard mode, the UE transmits at normal transmit power, and while in the off-back mode, the UE transmits at reduced transmit power.

[0216] In some embodiments, the duty cycle that alternates between the standard mode and the off-back mode is such that the UE spends more time in the off-back mode for higher temperatures of the UE than for lower temperatures of the UE, the number of times the temperature of the UE has risen above the first threshold temperature, or the rate of rise of the temperature of the UE, such that the duty cycle is selected such that the UE spends more time in the off-back mode for a faster rate of rise of the temperature of the UE than for a slower rate of rise of the temperature of the UE. It is determined based at least in part on one or more of the above.

[0217] In some embodiments, high-priority data is preferentially transmitted while operating in the standard mode, and low-priority data is preferentially transmitted while operating in the off-back mode.

[0218] In some embodiments, high-priority data can include, among other possibilities, one or more of live video streaming, voice calls, or control signaling. Low-priority data can include, among other possibilities, one or more of transmission control protocol (TCP) data, user datagram protocol (UDP) data, or buffered video streaming.

[0219] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to establish an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with an eNB and at least one gNB, communicate preferentially with the eNB via a long-term evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) while operating in a back-off mode, and communicate preferentially with the gNB via a fifth-generation new radio (5G NR) RAT while operating in a normal mode.

[0220] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that a transmission power budget associated with the 5G NR RAT has depleted and, based at least in part on determining that the transmission power budget associated with the 5G NR RAT has depleted, switch to communicating with the eNB via the LTE RAT while operating in a normal mode.

[0221] In some embodiments, the UE is further configured to determine that the temperature of the UE has risen above a second threshold temperature that is higher than a first threshold temperature and, based at least in part on determining that the temperature of the UE has risen above the second threshold temperature, to periodically alternate between operating in a standard mode and operating in a transmission power cut-off mode, and the baseband processor is configured to cause the UE to refrain from performing any transmissions during the transmission power cut-off mode.

[0222] In addition to the above exemplary embodiments, further embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments can be realized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. Still other embodiments may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0223] In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to execute the method, for example, any of the embodiments of the methods described herein, or any combination of the embodiments of the methods described herein, or any subset of any of the embodiments of the methods described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0224] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a storage medium. Here, the storage medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium. The program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the embodiments of the methods described herein, or any subset of any of the embodiments of the methods described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms.

[0225] In some embodiments, a network device (e.g., BS102) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a storage medium. Here, the storage medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium. The program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any arbitrary subset of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The network device may be realized in any of various forms.

[0226] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that generally recognize meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled to minimize the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the permitted use should be clearly shown to the user.

[0227] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the above disclosure is fully appreciated. The following claims are intended to be construed to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: establishing an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with a network, the ENDC connection involving an evolved Node B (eNB) and a gNode B (gNB); starting a data session with the network via the ENDC connection; determining that the performance of one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, is degraded based on one of a block error rate (BLER) or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR); indicating a preference for dropping the one or more cells and continuing the data session using the eNB, at least partially based on the determination that the performance of the one or more cells is degraded; A method, including, as part of indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells, transmitting a drop priority list to the network prior to dropping the one or more cells. **Claim 2** The BLER and SINR are signal quality measurement values, the one or more cells are one or more secondary cells (SCells), and the method further comprises: performing signal quality measurements of the one or more SCells; The method according to claim 1, wherein the drop priority list is determined at least partially based on the signal quality measurement values. **Claim 3** Indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, includes indicating a single cell identifier (ID) of a secondary cell (SCell) of the gNB that the UE preferably drops first, according to the method of claim 1. **Claim 4** The eNB is a primary cell (PCell), according to the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, include secondary cells (SCells). **Claim 5** The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining that the UE meets overheating conditions, and indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, is at least partially based on the determination that the UE meets overheating conditions. **Claim 6** **Claim 19** ​ ​ The method according to claim 5, further comprising refraining from performing cell measurements related to the gNB until the data session is completed or until the UE no longer meets the overheating condition.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drop priority list includes a ranked order of preference for dropping a plurality of secondary cells (SCells) of the gNB.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor establishes an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with a network, with an evolved Node B (eNB) and a gNodeB (gNB); initiates a data session with the network via the ENDC connection; determines that the performance of one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, is degraded based on one of a block error rate (BLER) or a signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR); indicates a preference for dropping the one or more cells and continuing the data session using the eNB, at least partially based on the determination that the performance of the one or more cells is degraded; is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to An apparatus, including transmitting a drop priority list to the network prior to dropping the one or more cells, as part of indicating a preference for dropping the one or more cells.

9. The BLER and SINR are signal quality measurement values, the one or more cells are one or more secondary cells (SCells), and the at least one processor performs signal quality measurements of the one or more SCells; is further configured to cause the UE to The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drop priority list is determined based at least in part on the signal quality measurement values.

10. Indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB, associated with the ENDC connection, includes indicating a single cell identifier (ID) of a secondary cell (SCell) of the gNB that the UE preferably drops first, according to the apparatus of claim 8.

11. The eNB is a primary cell (PCell). The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB associated with the ENDC connection include a secondary cell (SCell).

12. The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to determine that the UE satisfies overheating conditions, and further configured to cause the UE to indicate a preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB associated with the ENDC connection, which is at least partially based on the determination that the UE satisfies the overheating conditions. The apparatus according to claim 8.

13. The at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to refrain from performing cell measurements related to the gNB until the data session is completed or until the UE no longer satisfies the overheating conditions. The apparatus according to claim 12.

14. The drop priority list includes a ranked order of preferences for dropping a plurality of secondary cells (SCells) of the gNB. The apparatus according to claim 8.

15. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a radio operably coupled to the at least one processor.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, the program instructions being to establish an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) new radio (NR) dual connectivity (ENDC) connection with a network, with an evolved Node B (eNB) and a gNode B (gNB); to initiate a data session with the network via the ENDC connection; to determine, based on one of a block error rate (BLER) or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), that the performance of one or more cells corresponding to the gNB associated with the ENDC connection is degraded; to indicate a preference for dropping the one or more cells and to continue the data session using the eNB, at least partially based on the determination that the performance of the one or more cells is degraded; and executable by at least one processor of the user equipment (UE) to cause the UE to perform the above. ​ A non - transitory computer - readable storage medium including, as part of indicating a preference for dropping the one or more cells, transmitting a drop - priority list to the network prior to dropping the one or more cells.

17. The BLER and SINR are signal - quality measurement values, the one or more cells are one or more secondary cells (SCells), and the program instructions are further executable to cause the UE to perform signal - quality measurements of the one or more SCells, and the drop - priority list is determined at least in part based on the signal - quality measurement values. The non - transitory computer - readable storage medium according to claim 16.

18. Indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB associated with the ENDC connection includes indicating a single cell identifier (ID) of a secondary cell (SCell) of the gNB that the UE preferably drops first. The non - transitory computer - readable storage medium according to claim 16.

19. The program instructions are further executable to cause the UE to determine that the UE satisfies overheating conditions, and indicating the preference for dropping the one or more cells corresponding to the gNB associated with the ENDC connection is at least in part based on the determination that the UE satisfies the overheating conditions. The non - transitory computer - readable storage medium according to claim 16.

20. The program instructions are further executable to cause the UE to refrain from performing cell measurements related to the gNB until the data session is completed or until the UE no longer satisfies the overheating conditions. The non - transitory computer - readable storage medium according to claim 19. ​ ​

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