Techniques for optimizing uplink performance in dual-carrier operation

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may communicate on a primary carrier using a first antenna port. The UE may communicate on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port. The UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port. The UE may switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

Priority claims

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 705,900, filed July 21, 2020, entitled "TECHNIQUES FOR UPLINK PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION IN DUAL CARRIER OPERATION," and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 248,472, filed January 26, 2021, entitled "TECHNIQUES FOR UPLINK PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION IN DUAL CARRIER OPERATION," which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications and to techniques and apparatus for uplink performance optimization in dual carrier operation. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. A typical wireless communication system may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of extensions to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0004] A wireless network may include several base stations (BSs) that can support communication for several user equipments (UEs). The UEs may communicate with the BSs via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, gNB, access point (AP), radio head, transmit receive point (TRP), new radio (NR) BS, 5G Node B, etc.

[0005]

[0005] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide common protocols that enable different user equipment to communicate on a city, national, regional, or even global scale. NR, sometimes referred to as 5G, is a set of extensions to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to improve spectral efficiency, lower costs, improve service, utilize new spectrum, and better support mobile broadband Internet access by using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL) and CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), better integrating with other open standards, as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. As demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further developments in LTE, NR, and other radio access technologies remain useful. Summary of the Invention

[0006]

[0006] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication implemented by a UE includes communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port, communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port, and switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0007]

[0007] In some aspects, the method includes switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0008]

[0008] In some aspects, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises determining that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier, and determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0009]

[0009] In some aspects, the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0010]

[0010] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0011] In some aspects, the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0012]

[0012] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0013]

[0013] In some aspects, the method includes, after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and switching the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0014]

[0014] In some aspects, the method includes switching the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0015]

[0015] In some aspects, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions comprises determining that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier, and determining to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0016] In some aspects, the decision whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer.

[0017] In some aspects, a decision on whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on a detection of an event.

[0018]

[0018] In some aspects, the UE is operating in a dual connectivity (DC) mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0019] In some aspects, the primary carrier is an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier is an NR carrier.

[0020] In some aspects, the UE operates in a dual subscriber identity module (SIM) dual active mode, where the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0021]

[0021] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication includes a memory and one or more processors operably coupled to the memory, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are configured to: communicate on a primary carrier using a first antenna port; communicate on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port; determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port; and switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0022]

[0022] In some aspects, the one or more processors are further configured to switch the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0023]

[0023] In some aspects, the one or more processors are configured, when determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, to: determine that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0024]

[0024] In some aspects, the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0025]

[0025] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0026] In some aspects, the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0027]

[0027] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0028]

[0028] In some aspects, the one or more processors are further configured to: determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; and switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0029]

[0029] In some aspects, the one or more processors are further configured to switch the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0030]

[0030] In some aspects, the one or more processors are configured, when determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions, to: determine that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determine to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0031] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer.

[0032] In some aspects, a decision on whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the detection of an event.

[0033] In some aspects, the UE is operating in a DC mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0034] In some aspects, the primary carrier is an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier is an NR carrier.

[0035] In some aspects, the UE operates in a dual SIM dual active mode, where the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0036]

[0036] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the one or more processors to communicate on a primary carrier using a first antenna port, communicate on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port, determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0037]

[0037] In some aspects, the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to switch the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0038]

[0038] In some aspects, the one or more instructions, when causing the one or more processors to determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, cause the one or more processors to: determine that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0039]

[0039] In some aspects, the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0040]

[0040] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0041] In some aspects, the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0042]

[0042] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0043]

[0043] In some aspects, the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, and switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0044]

[0044] In some aspects, the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to switch the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0045]

[0045] In some aspects, the one or more instructions, when causing the one or more processors to determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions, cause the one or more processors to: determine that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determine to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0046] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer.

[0047] In some aspects, a decision on whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the detection of an event.

[0048] In some aspects, the UE is operating in a DC mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0049]

[0049] In some aspects, the primary carrier is an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier is an NR carrier.

[0050] In some aspects, the UE is operating in a dual SIM dual active mode, where the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0051]

[0051] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes means for communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port, means for communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port, means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and means for switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0052]

[0052] In some aspects, the apparatus includes means for switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0053]

[0053] In some aspects, the means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises means for determining that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier, and means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0054]

[0054] In some aspects, the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0055]

[0055] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0056] In some aspects, the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0057]

[0057] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0058]

[0058] In some aspects, the apparatus includes means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, and means for switching the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0059]

[0059] In some aspects, the apparatus includes means for switching the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0060]

[0060] In some aspects, the means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions comprises: means for determining that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and means for determining to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0061] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer.

[0062] In some aspects, a decision on whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the detection of an event.

[0063] In some aspects, the UE is operating in a DC mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0064]

[0064] In some aspects, the primary carrier is an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier is an NR carrier.

[0065] In some aspects, the UE operates in a dual SIM dual active mode, where the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0066]

[0066] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and / or processing systems substantially as described in this specification with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

[0067] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the present disclosure in order that the following detailed description may be better understood. Additional features and advantages are described below. The concepts and examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The nature of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

[0068]

[0068] So that the above-described features of the present disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description briefly summarized above may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the description may lead to other equally effective embodiments, and therefore, the accompanying drawings illustrate only some typical embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0069] [Figure 1]

[0069] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]

[0070] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a base station in communication with a UE in a wireless network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0071] FIG. 1 illustrates an example relating to uplink performance optimization in dual carrier operation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example relating to uplink performance optimization in dual carrier operation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0072] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process associated with uplink performance optimization in dual carrier operation, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0073] 1 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0074] 1 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0070]

[0075] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Instead, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure covers any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with other aspects of the present disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of aspects described herein. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such apparatuses or methods practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions in addition to or other than the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0071]

[0076] Several aspects of telecommunications systems are presented next with reference to various apparatus and techniques. These apparatus and techniques are described in the detailed description that follows and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0072]

[0077] It should be noted that although aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5G or NR radio access technologies (RATs), aspects of the present disclosure may apply to other RATs, such as 3G RATs, 4G RATs, and / or RATs subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0073]

[0078] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network 100 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be or include a component of a 5G (NR) network, an LTE network, etc. The wireless network 100 may include several base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as an NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B (NB), access point, transmit reception point (TRP), etc. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to the coverage area of ​​a BS and / or the BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0074]

[0079] A BS may provide communication coverage for a macrocell, a picocell, a femtocell, and / or another type of cell. A macrocell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a few kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A picocell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions. A femtocell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs that have an association with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). A BS for a macrocell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a picocell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femtocell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. 1, BS 110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS 110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS 110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB,” “base station,” “NR BS,” “gNB,” “TRP,” “AP,” “Node B,” “5G NB,” and “cell” may be used interchangeably herein.

[0075]

[0080] In some aspects, the cells may not necessarily be fixed, and the geographic area of ​​the cells may move according to the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, etc., using any suitable transport network.

[0076]

[0081] Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive a data transmission from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send the data transmission to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown in FIG. 1, relay BS 110d may communicate with macro BS 110a and UE 120d to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay, etc.

[0077]

[0082] Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs, e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc. These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5-40 watts), while pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1-2 watts).

[0078]

[0083] A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and provide coordination and control for these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly via wireless or wireline backhaul.

[0079]

[0084] The UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be fixed or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smartphone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or satellite radio), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate over a wireless or wired medium.

[0080]

[0085] Some UEs may be considered machine type communication (MTC) UEs or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs and eMTC UEs include, for example, a robot, a drone, a remote device, a sensor, a meter, a monitor, a location tag, etc. that may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices and / or implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Some UEs may be considered customer premises equipment (CPE). The UE 120 may be included in a housing that stores components of the UE 120, such as a processor component, a memory component, etc. In some aspects, the processor component and the memory component may be coupled together. For example, a processor component (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory component (e.g., memory) may be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, electrically coupled, etc.

[0081]

[0086] Generally, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. A frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0082]

[0087] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly (e.g., without using a base station 110 as an intermediary for communicating with each other) using one or more sidelink channels. For example, the UEs 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (which may include, e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, etc.), mesh networks, etc. In this case, the UEs 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110.

[0083]

[0088] The devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using an electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using an operating band having a first frequency range (FR1), which may range from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and / or may communicate using an operating band having a second frequency range (FR2), which may range from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to as “millimeter wave” even though it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz), which is identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Thus, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that terms such as "sub-6 GHz," as used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies below 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz). Similarly, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that terms such as "millimeter wave," as used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). The frequencies included within FR1 and FR2 may be modified, and it is contemplated that the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0084]

[0089] As noted above, Figure 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figure 1.

[0085]

[0090] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example base station 110 200 in communication with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and the UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T≧1 and R≧1.

[0086]

[0091] At base station 110, transmit processor 220 may receive data from data source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for each UE based at least in part on a channel quality indicator (CQI) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS(es) selected for that UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc.) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t may be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

[0087]

[0092] At the UE 120, antennas 252a through 252r may receive downlink signals from the base station 110 and / or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols and provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260 and may provide decoded control and system information to a controller / processor 280. The term “controller / processor” may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing 284.

[0088]

[0093] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base station 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0089]

[0094] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a-254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. In some aspects, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna(s) 252, a modulator and / or demodulator 254, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, and / or a TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (eg, controller / processor 280) and memory 282 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein.

[0090]

[0095] At the base station 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 and other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by a demodulator 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236, if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The base station 110 may include a scheduler 246 to schedule the UE 120 for downlink and / or uplink communication. In some aspects, the base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna(s) 234, a modulator and / or demodulator 232, a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a transmit processor 220, and / or a TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., a controller / processor 240) and a memory 242 to implement aspects of any of the methods described herein.

[0091]

[0096] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or any other component of FIG. 2 may implement one or more techniques related to uplink performance optimization in dual-carrier operation, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform or direct the operation of, for example, process 400 of FIG. 4 and / or other processes described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, the memory 242 and / or the memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the base station 110 and / or the UE 120 (e.g., directly or after being compiled, translated, interpreted, etc.), may cause the one or more processors, the UE 120, and / or the base station 110 to perform or direct operations of, for example, process 400 of FIG. 4 and / or other processes described herein. In some aspects, executing the instructions may include running the instructions, translating the instructions, compiling the instructions, interpreting the instructions, etc.

[0092]

[0097] In some aspects, the UE 120 may include means for communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port, means for communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port, means for determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, means for switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, etc. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of the UE 120 described in connection with FIG. 2, such as the controller / processor 280, the transmit processor 264, the TX MIMO processor 266, the MOD 254, the antennas 252, the DEMOD 254, the MIMO detector 256, the receive processor 258, etc.

[0093]

[0098] As noted above, Figure 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figure 2.

[0094]

[0099] A UE (e.g., UE 120) may be capable of operating in a mode that allows the UE to communicate using two frequency carriers simultaneously. Such an operating mode is referred to herein as a dual-carrier operating mode or a dual-connectivity operating mode. Such a UE may, for example, communicate with a first base station (e.g., a first base station 110 associated with a first radio access technology (RAT)) using a first carrier and may communicate with a second base station (e.g., a second base station 110 associated with the first RAT or a second RAT) using a second carrier.

[0095]

[0100] A specific example of a dual-carrier operation mode is the so-called non-standalone (NSA) operation mode, in which a UE communicates using an anchor carrier and a non-anchor carrier. Generally, the anchor carrier supports control plane functions (e.g., call origination, call termination, location registration, etc.) and possibly some user plane functions (e.g., data traffic exchange), while the non-anchor carrier primarily supports user plane functions. In one specific example of the NSA operation mode, the anchor carrier is an LTE carrier and the non-anchor carrier is an NR carrier (e.g., a millimeter-wave (mmW) carrier, a sub-6 GHz carrier, etc.). This LTE+NR NSA operation mode is referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-NR Dual Connectivity (ENDC) operation mode. In another example of the NSA operation mode, the anchor carrier may be an NR carrier and the non-anchor carrier may be an LTE carrier. In yet another example of the NSA operation mode, the anchor carrier may be a first LTE carrier and the non-anchor carrier may be a second LTE carrier. In yet another example of an NSA mode of operation, the anchor carrier may be a first NR carrier and the non-anchor carrier may be a second NR carrier. Notably, the above example is provided for illustrative purposes, and in practice, the UE may be configured for another type of NSA mode of operation (e.g., an NSA mode of operation associated with a RAT other than LTE and NR).

[0096]

[0101] Another specific example of a dual-carrier operating mode is the so-called Dual Subscriber Identity Module Dual Active (DSDA) operating mode. For example, some UEs may be equipped with dual subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, each storing a respective International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and key associated with providing identification and authentication of the UE. In the DSDA operating mode, such a UE may be enabled to communicate using both SIMs simultaneously on two different carriers. Here, the two carriers may be associated with the same RAT or different RATs.

[0097]

[0102] Generally, in a dual-carrier operation mode, one carrier has priority over the other carrier (e.g., with respect to access to UE resources). For example, in an NSA operation mode, the anchor carrier has priority over the non-anchor carrier with respect to receive chain selection, transmit antenna selection, antenna switching decisions, uplink power sharing, etc. As a particular example, a UE may have multiple antennas (e.g., two antennas, four antennas, eight antennas, etc.) and may be configured to operate in an ENDC operation mode (i.e., an NSA operation mode in which the anchor carrier is an LTE carrier and the non-anchor carrier is an NR carrier, such as a sub-6 GHz carrier). In the ENDC operation mode, the UE may be enabled to use all of the antennas to receive communications on the anchor carrier and to receive communications on the non-anchor carrier. However, the UE may be enabled to use only a specific one of the multiple antennas to transmit communications on a given carrier. To identify which antenna should be used by the anchor carrier (before a link associated with the non-anchor carrier is established), the UE may observe channel conditions associated with the antennas. The UE then identifies the best available antenna (e.g., the antenna with the most favorable channel conditions) and allocates the antenna port associated with the best available antenna to the anchor carrier (where a given antenna port corresponds to a particular transmit antenna because the UE may receive communications over all of the antennas). Upon establishing a link associated with the non-anchor carrier (e.g., later), the UE may identify which antenna should be used by the non-anchor carrier. Here, the UE may observe channel conditions associated with the available antennas or use previously observed channel conditions. The UE then identifies the best remaining available antenna (e.g., the available antenna with the most favorable channel conditions) and allocates the antenna port associated with the best remaining available antenna to the non-anchor carrier.In this shared multi-antenna scenario, the anchor carrier is allocated the antenna port associated with the best available antenna, and the non-anchor NR carrier is allocated the antenna port associated with the next best available antenna. In particular, the number of antennas available for receiving or transmitting on a given carrier may in some cases be limited based on whether the carrier is a low-band, mid-band, or high-band carrier.

[0098]

[0103] The maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) may vary between the antennas of a UE due to losses related to the UE's hardware design, such as insertion loss and trace loss. This variation in MTPL may affect the performance of the dual-carrier operation mode. For example, in a scenario where an ENDC UE has antennas 1, 2, 3, and 4, the UE may observe channel conditions indicating that antenna 1 (corresponding to antenna port A) is the best available antenna and antenna 2 (corresponding to antenna port B) is the next-best available antenna. Following the example described above, since the LTE carrier effectively has priority over the NR carrier with respect to antenna port selection, antenna port A will be allocated to the LTE carrier (i.e., the anchor carrier), and antenna port B will be allocated to the NR carrier (i.e., the non-anchor carrier). In this scenario, assume that antenna 1 has a higher MTPL (e.g., 25 dBm) than antenna 2 (e.g., 22 decibel-milliwatts (dBm)).

[0099]

[0104] In such a situation, giving priority to the LTE carrier over the NR carrier may hinder performance. For example, because a significant portion of data traffic may use the NR carrier, there may be numerous grants on the NR carrier, but no or few grants on the LTE carrier. Furthermore, due to the nature of the NR frequency, the NR carrier may experience relatively higher path loss than the LTE carrier. One option to overcome the path loss on the NR carrier is to increase the transmit power on the NR carrier. However, because the LTE carrier had higher priority with respect to antenna port selection (e.g., because the LTE carrier was allocated antenna port A), the NR carrier is forced to use the suboptimal transmit antenna (corresponding to antenna port B), which means that the transmit power on the NR carrier is limited (e.g., compared to the allowed transmit power on the LTE carrier), which inhibits performance on the NR carrier. Furthermore, because there are no or few grants on the LTE carrier and the path loss on the LTE carrier is relatively low, the LTE carrier may be able to use the suboptimal antenna port without impacting service. That is, the best transmit antenna (corresponding to antenna port A) is not necessarily required to support communication on the LTE carrier. Rather, the best transmit antennas may be better utilized by the NR carrier.

[0100]

[0105] Some aspects described herein provide techniques and apparatus for uplink performance optimization in dual-carrier operation. In some aspects, a UE may communicate on a primary carrier (e.g., an anchor carrier) using a first antenna port (e.g., corresponding to the best available transmit antenna) and may communicate on a secondary carrier (e.g., a non-anchor carrier) using a second antenna port (e.g., corresponding to the next-best available transmit antenna). In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and may switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port accordingly. As described in further detail below, in some aspects, the UE may determine that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port satisfy a threshold (e.g., a threshold associated with determining whether the primary carrier can maintain a link on the second antenna port) and may trigger an antenna switch accordingly.

[0101]

[0106] In this way, a secondary carrier (e.g., a carrier with a relatively high allocation or transit power requirement) may be allowed to use the best available antenna, thereby allowing the secondary carrier to be allocated to an antenna port that allows transmission at a higher transmit power while avoiding performance impact on the primary carrier. This improves overall performance, achievable throughput, and call sustainability associated with the UE when operating in dual-carrier mode.

[0102]

[0107] 3A and 3B illustrate an example 300 related to uplink performance optimization in dual-carrier operation in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the example 300 includes communication between a UE (e.g., UE 120), a first base station (e.g., a first BS 110 identified as BS1), and a second base station (e.g., a second BS 110 identified as BS2). In some aspects, the first base station and the second base station may be associated with the same RAT (e.g., LTE, NR, etc.) or different RATs. In some aspects, the UE, the first base station, and the second base station may be included in a wireless network, such as wireless network 100. The first base station and the second base station and the UE may communicate over a first wireless access link and a second wireless access link, respectively, each of which may include an uplink and a downlink.

[0103]

[0108] As indicated by reference 302, a UE may communicate on a primary carrier (e.g., with a first base station) using a first antenna port, where the first antenna port corresponds to a first transmit antenna of the UE. The first antenna port is identified in example 300 as port A. Similarly, as indicated by reference 304, a UE may communicate on a secondary carrier (e.g., with a second base station) using a second antenna port, where the second antenna port corresponds to a second transmit antenna of the UE. The second antenna port is identified in example 300 as port B.

[0104]

[0109] In some aspects, the UE may be operating in an NSA mode of operation. For example, the UE may be operating in an ENDC mode of operation. When the UE is operating in the NSA mode, the primary carrier is the anchor carrier and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier. Alternatively, in some aspects, the UE may be a dual-SIM UE operating in a DSDA mode of operation, which allows the UE to communicate using two different carriers.

[0105]

[0110] In some aspects, the primary carrier and the secondary carrier are associated with different RATs. For example, the primary carrier may be an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier may be an NR carrier (e.g., when the UE is operating in an ENDC mode of operation). As another example, the primary carrier may be an NR carrier and the secondary carrier may be an LTE carrier. In some aspects, the primary carrier and the secondary carrier are associated with the same RAT. For example, the primary carrier may be a first LTE carrier and the secondary carrier may be a second LTE carrier. As another example, the primary carrier may be a first NR carrier and the secondary carrier may be a second NR carrier.

[0106]

[0111] In some aspects, a UE begins communicating on a secondary carrier after the UE begins communicating on a primary carrier. For example, a link using the primary carrier may be established between the UE and a first base station. In connection with establishing the link using the primary carrier, the UE may identify a first transmit antenna as the best available antenna and allocate a first antenna port (port A corresponding to the first transmit antenna) to the primary carrier. Thus, the antenna port associated with the best available antenna is allocated to the primary carrier. Continuing with this example, a link using a secondary carrier is established between the UE and a second base station after establishment of the link using the primary carrier. In connection with establishing the link using the secondary carrier, the UE may identify a second transmit antenna as the best remaining available antenna and allocate a second antenna port (port B corresponding to the second transmit antenna) to the secondary carrier.

[0107]

[0112] In some aspects, a link using a secondary carrier may be established when a UE begins operation in an NSA mode. For example, when a UE is an ENDC UE, the UE may initially establish a link associated with an LTE carrier. Then, upon detecting a trigger to begin operation in the ENDC mode, the UE may establish a link using an NR carrier.

[0108]

[0113] In particular, in the scenario illustrated by references 302 and 304, the primary carrier (e.g., anchor carrier) is allocated the antenna port associated with the best available antenna, and the secondary carrier (e.g., non-anchor carrier) is allocated the antenna port associated with the best remaining available antenna.

[0109]

[0114] In some aspects, as indicated by reference 306, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port (Port B) to the first antenna port (Port A). In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port. For example, in an NSA mode of operation, the UE may determine whether to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0110]

[0115] In some aspects, a determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier to the first antenna port is based at least in part on a determination of whether the primary carrier can maintain a link on the second antenna port. Thus, in some aspects, a determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier is based at least in part on whether channel conditions on the second antenna port indicate that the second antenna port will provide sufficient support for communication on the primary carrier. That is, in some aspects, the UE may determine whether the primary carrier can maintain a link on the second antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port. In some aspects, the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port may be based on one or more metrics associated with the second antenna port. The one or more metrics may include, for example, a block error rate (BLER) associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) associated with the second antenna port, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) associated with the second antenna port, and / or another metric indicative of the channel conditions at the second antenna port. In some aspects, the channel conditions may be the result of applying a function to the one or more metrics.

[0111]

[0116] In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port by determining whether channel conditions associated with the second antenna port satisfy a threshold for communicating on the primary carrier. The threshold for communicating on the primary carrier may be a threshold related to determining whether the primary carrier can maintain a link on the second antenna port. In some aspects, the threshold is related to one or more metrics related to the second antenna port. For example, the threshold may include a BLER threshold (e.g., 5% BLER), an RSSI threshold (e.g., −80 dBm RSSI), an SNR threshold (e.g., 5 dBm SNR), and / or thresholds for functions that operate based on the BLER, RSSI, SNR, and / or one or more other metrics.

[0112]

[0117] In some aspects, the UE may determine one or more metrics associated with a second antenna port (e.g., by performing one or more measurements associated with the UE's antenna) and may determine channel conditions associated with the second antenna port based at least in part on the one or more metrics. The UE may then determine whether the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port satisfy a threshold. Here, if the UE determines that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port satisfy the threshold (e.g., the channel conditions indicate that the second antenna port can support a link on the primary carrier), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port do not satisfy the threshold (e.g., the channel conditions indicate that the second antenna port cannot support a link on the primary carrier), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0113]

[0118] In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. That is, in some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on whether switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port will provide a benefit to the UE. The UE benefit may relate, for example, to improving transmit power, increasing throughput, improving call sustainability, etc.

[0114]

[0119] In some aspects, the UE may determine the degree of UE benefit (e.g., improvement to transmit power, increase to throughput, improvement to call sustainability, etc.) based on parameters of the second antenna port (e.g., MTPL, power headroom, etc.), parameters of the first antenna port, channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and / or channel conditions associated with the first antenna port.

[0115]

[0120] For example, the UE may determine an improvement to the transmit power associated with the secondary carrier based on the MTPL associated with the second antenna port and the MTPL associated with the first antenna port. Here, if the UE determines that the degree of UE benefit (i.e., the improvement to the transmit power) satisfies a transmit power improvement threshold (e.g., a threshold indicating a minimum improvement to the MTPL required to enable switching of the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the degree of UE benefit does not satisfy the transmit power improvement threshold, the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0116]

[0121] As another example, the UE may determine a difference between channel conditions associated with a first antenna port and channel conditions associated with a second antenna port and derive a degree of UE benefit (e.g., improvement in channel conditions) based at least in part on the difference. Here, if the UE determines that the degree of UE benefit satisfies a channel condition improvement threshold (e.g., a threshold indicating a minimum improvement to channel conditions required to enable switching of the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the degree of UE benefit does not satisfy the channel condition improvement threshold, the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0117]

[0122] In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based at least in part further on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier. That is, in some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on information related to data traffic on the primary carrier and the secondary carrier. The information related to data traffic may include, for example, information indicating the number or regularity of resource block (RB) allocations on the primary carrier and the secondary carrier (e.g., on the uplink and / or downlink).

[0118]

[0123] As a particular example, the UE may identify the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier in a particular time window. Here, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier meets a threshold number of RB allocations for the secondary carrier (e.g., the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier is greater than a particular number of RB allocations), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier does not meet a threshold associated with the secondary carrier, the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0119]

[0124] As another particular example, the UE may identify the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier in a particular time window. Here, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier meets a threshold number of RB allocations for the primary carrier (e.g., the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier is less than or equal to a particular number of RB allocations), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier does not meet the threshold associated with the primary carrier, the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0120]

[0125] As yet another particular example, the UE may identify the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier within a particular time window and may identify the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier within a particular time window. Here, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the secondary carrier is greater than the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier (e.g., by a particular number of RB allocations), the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Conversely, if the UE determines that the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier is less than or equal to the number of RB allocations on the primary carrier, the UE may determine that the secondary carrier should not be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0121]

[0126] In example 300, the UE determines that the secondary carrier should be switched from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3B by reference 308, the UE may switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. In some aspects, the UE switches the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the UE switches the secondary carrier from port B to port A and switches the primary carrier from port A to port B.

[0122]

[0127] After switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, as indicated by reference 310, the UE may communicate on the secondary carrier (e.g., with the second base station) using the first antenna port. Similarly, after switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port, as indicated by reference 312, the UE may communicate on the primary carrier (e.g., with the first base station) using the second antenna port.

[0123]

[0128] In this way, the secondary carrier may be allowed to use the best available antenna (in example 300, this is the first transmit antenna associated with port A), thereby allowing the secondary carrier to be allocated to an antenna port that enables transmission at a higher transmit power while avoiding performance impact on the primary carrier. As a result, the overall performance, achievable throughput, and call sustainability of the UE may be improved when the UE is operating in a dual-carrier mode (e.g., an NSA mode such as ENDC, a DSDA mode, etc.).

[0124]

[0129] In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port back to the second antenna port after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port back to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port. For example, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port back to the second antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port observed by the UE after the UE switches the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0125]

[0130] In some aspects, the determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier back to the second antenna port is based at least in part on a determination of whether the primary carrier can continue to maintain a link on the second antenna port. Thus, in some aspects, the determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier back is based at least in part on whether other channel conditions on the second antenna port indicate that the second antenna port will continue to provide sufficient support for communication on the primary carrier. In some aspects, the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port may be based on one or more metrics associated with the second antenna port, as described above. In some aspects, the UE may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier back to the second antenna port by determining whether other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating on the primary carrier, as described above. In some aspects, based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port back to the second antenna port, the UE may switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port and may switch the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0126]

[0131] In some aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer. For example, the UE may start a timer (e.g., a 100 millisecond timer) when switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, and upon expiration of the timer, may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port back to the second antenna port. Here, if the UE determines that the UE should not switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port, the UE may restart the timer. In this manner, the UE may be configured to periodically reevaluate switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0127]

[0132] In some aspects, the determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the detection of an event. For example, the UE may detect the event and, upon detection of the event, may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port. The event may include, for example, a movement of the UE from a cell whose primary carrier is associated with a first RAT (e.g., LTE) to a cell whose primary carrier is associated with a second RAT (e.g., NR), a change in the UE's operating mode (e.g., from ENDC to standalone mode over NR), a handover of the primary carrier to another cell, or another type of event.

[0128]

[0133] As noted above, Figures 3A and 3B are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described with respect to Figures 3A and 3B.

[0129]

[0134] 4 illustrates an example process 400, performed by, for example, a user UE, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The example process 400 is an example of a UE (e.g., UE 120) performing operations related to uplink performance optimization in dual-carrier operation.

[0130]

[0135] 4, in some aspects, process 400 may include communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port (block 410). For example, a UE (e.g., using antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller / processor 280, and / or memory 282) may communicate on a primary carrier using a first antenna port as described above. In some aspects, the operations of block 410 may be performed by communication component 508 of FIG. 5.

[0131]

[0136] 4, in some aspects, process 400 may include communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port (block 420). For example, a UE (e.g., using antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller / processor 280, and / or memory 282) may communicate on the secondary carrier using the second antenna port as described above. In some aspects, the operations of block 420 may be performed by communication component 508 of FIG. 5.

[0132]

[0137] 4, in some aspects, process 400 may include determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port (block 430). For example, the UE (e.g., using antennas 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller / processor 280, and / or memory 282) may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, as described above. In some aspects, the operation of block 430 may be performed by determining component 510 of FIG. 5.

[0133]

[0138] 4, in some aspects, process 400 may include switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port (block 440). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller / processor 280, and / or memory 282) may switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, as described above. In some aspects, the operation of block 440 may be performed by switching component 512 of FIG. 5.

[0134]

[0139] Process 400 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects, described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0135]

[0140] In a first aspect, the process 400 includes switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0136]

[0141] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises determining that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier, and determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0137]

[0142] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0138]

[0143] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0139]

[0144] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0140]

[0145] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0141]

[0146] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the process 400 includes, after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port, and switching the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0142]

[0147] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the process 400 includes switching the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0143]

[0148] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions comprises: determining that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determining to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0144]

[0149] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, a decision on whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on expiration of a timer.

[0145]

[0150] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, a decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on detection of an event.

[0146]

[0151] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eleventh aspects, the UE is operating in a DC mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0147]

[0152] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to twelfth aspects, the primary carrier is an LTE carrier and the secondary carrier is an NR carrier.

[0148]

[0153] In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to thirteenth aspects, the UE is operating in a dual SIM dual active mode, where the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0149]

[0154] 4 illustrates example blocks of process 400, in some aspects process 400 may include additional, fewer, different, or differently configured blocks than those shown in FIG 4. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 400 may be performed in parallel.

[0150]

[0155] 5 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 500 for wireless communication. The apparatus 500 may be a UE (e.g., UE 120), or the UE may include the apparatus 500. In some aspects, the apparatus 500 includes a receiving component 502 and a transmitting component 504, which may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). As shown, the apparatus 500 may communicate with another apparatus 506 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using the receiving component 502 and the transmitting component 504. As further shown, the apparatus 500 may include one or more of a communicating component 508, a determining component 510, or a switching component 512, among other examples.

[0151]

[0156] In some aspects, apparatus 500 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein with respect to FIGS. 3A-3B. Additionally or alternatively, apparatus 500 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 400 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, apparatus 500 and / or one or more components illustrated in FIG. 5 may include one or more components of a UE described above with respect to FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components illustrated in FIG. 5 may be implemented within one or more components described above with respect to FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components of a set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or processor to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0152]

[0157] The receiving component 502 may receive communications such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof from the device 506. The receiving component 502 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of the device 500. In some aspects, the receiving component 502 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) and provide the processed signals to one or more other components of the device 506. In some aspects, the receiving component 502 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof of a UE as described above with respect to FIG.

[0153]

[0158] The transmitting component 504 may transmit a communication to the device 506, such as a reference signal, control information, a data communication, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, one or more other components of the device 506 may generate a communication and provide the generated communication to the transmitting component 504 for transmission to the device 506. In some aspects, the transmitting component 504 may perform signal processing on the generated communication (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) and transmit the processed signal to the device 506. In some aspects, the transmitting component 504 may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of a UE described above with respect to FIG. 2. In some aspects, the transmitting component 504 may be co-located with the receiving component 502 in a transceiver.

[0154]

[0159] The communication component 508 may communicate on a primary carrier using a first antenna port, and the communication component 508 may communicate on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port.

[0155]

[0160] The determining component 510 may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port. The determining component 510 may determine that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier and may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier. After switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, the determining component 510 may determine whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port. The determination component 510 may determine that other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port cannot meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier, and may decide to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination that other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port cannot meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0156]

[0161] The switching component 512 may switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. The switching component 512 may switch the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. The switching component 512 may switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port. The switching component 512 may switch the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0157]

[0162] The number and arrangement of components shown in Figure 5 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged components than those shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Figure 5 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Figure 5 may be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components shown in Figure 5 may perform one or more functions that are described as being performed by another set of components shown in Figure 5.

[0158]

[0163] 6 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 600 for wireless communication. The apparatus 600 may be a base station (e.g., base station 110), or the base station may include the apparatus 600. In some aspects, the apparatus 600 includes a receiving component 602 and a transmitting component 604, which may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). As shown, the apparatus 600 may communicate with another apparatus 606 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using the receiving component 602 and the transmitting component 604.

[0159]

[0164] In some aspects, apparatus 600 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein with respect to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. Additionally or alternatively, apparatus 600 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein. In some aspects, apparatus 600 and / or one or more components illustrated in FIG. 6 may include one or more components of the base station described above with respect to FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components illustrated in FIG. 6 may be implemented within one or more components described above with respect to FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or processor to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0160]

[0165] The receiving component 602 may receive communications such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof from the device 606. The receiving component 602 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of the device 600. In some aspects, the receiving component 602 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples) and provide the processed signals to one or more other components of the device 606. In some aspects, the receiving component 602 may include one or more antennas, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof of the base station described above with respect to FIG.

[0161]

[0166] The transmitting component 604 may transmit a communication to the device 606, such as a reference signal, control information, a data communication, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, one or more other components of the device 606 may generate a communication and provide the generated communication to the transmitting component 604 for transmission to the device 606. In some aspects, the transmitting component 604 may perform signal processing on the generated communication (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples) and transmit the processed signal to the device 606. In some aspects, the transmitting component 604 may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the base station described above with respect to FIG. 2. In some aspects, the transmitting component 604 may be co-located with the receiving component 602 in a transceiver.

[0162]

[0167] The number and arrangement of components shown in Figure 6 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged components than those shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Figure 6 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Figure 6 may be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components shown in Figure 6 may perform one or more functions that are described as being performed by another set of components shown in Figure 6.

[0163]

[0168] The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure.

[0164]

[0169] Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication implemented by a user equipment (UE), comprising: communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port; communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on channel conditions associated with the second antenna port; and switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0165]

[0170] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0166]

[0171] Aspect 3: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 2, wherein determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises: determining that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0167]

[0172] Aspect 4: The method of aspect 3, wherein the threshold is related to at least one of a block error rate associated with the second antenna port, a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port, or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port.

[0168]

[0173] Aspect 5: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0169]

[0174] Aspect 6: The method of aspect 5, wherein the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

[0170]

[0175] Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the determination of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to a resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to a resource allocation for the secondary carrier.

[0171]

[0176] Aspect 8: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 7, further comprising: after switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port; and switching the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port.

[0172]

[0177] Aspect 9: The method of aspect 8, further comprising switching the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a determination to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port.

[0173]

[0178] Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 8 to 9, wherein determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions comprises: determining that other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determining to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a determination that other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier.

[0174]

[0179] Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 8 to 10, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer.

[0175]

[0180] Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 8 to 11, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the detection of an event.

[0176]

[0181] Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 1 to 12, wherein the UE is operating in a dual connectivity (DC) mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode.

[0177]

[0182] Aspect 14: The method of any of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the primary carrier is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) carrier and the secondary carrier is a New Radio (NR) carrier.

[0178]

[0183] Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the UE is operating in a dual subscriber identity module (SIM) dual-active mode, wherein the primary carrier is associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier is associated with a second SIM.

[0179]

[0184] Aspect 16: An apparatus for wireless communication in a device, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method described in one or more aspects of aspects 1 to 15.

[0180]

[0185] Aspect 17: A device for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory and the one or more processors are configured to perform a method described in one or more of aspects 1 to 15.

[0181]

[0186] Aspect 18: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing a method as recited in one or more aspects of aspects 1 to 15.

[0182]

[0187] Aspect 19: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method described in one or more aspects of aspects 1 to 15.

[0183]

[0188] Aspect 20: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform a method described in one or more of Aspects 1 to 15.

[0184]

[0189] The above disclosure provides illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or acquired from practice of the embodiments.

[0185]

[0190] The term "component" as used herein is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. A processor, as used herein, is implemented in hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code, and it should be understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein.

[0186]

[0191] As used herein, meeting a threshold may refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0187]

[0192] Although particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed herein, these combinations do not limit the disclosure of various aspects. Indeed, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed herein. While each dependent claim set forth below may depend directly on only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the range. A phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to include a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other order of a, b, and c).

[0188]

[0193] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or required unless explicitly described as such. Additionally, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Additionally, as used herein, the article "the" includes one or more items referenced in connection with the article "the" and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Additionally, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, combinations of related and unrelated items, etc.) and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Where only one item is intended, the phrase "only one" or similar language is used. Additionally, as used herein, terms such as "has," "have," and "having" are intended to be open-ended terms. Additionally, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on," unless expressly specified otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term "or" is inclusive when used consecutively and can be used interchangeably with "and / or" unless otherwise specified (e.g., when used in combination with "either" or "only one of"). The inventions described in the claims of the present application as originally filed are set forth below. [C1] 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a user equipment (UE), comprising: communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port; communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port; switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; A method comprising: [C2] switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; The method of C1, further comprising: [C3] The determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises: determining that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and The method of claim C1, comprising: [C4] The threshold value is a block error rate associated with the second antenna port; a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port; or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port; The method according to C3, wherein the method is related to at least one of the following: [C5] The method of C1, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port. [C6] The method of C5, wherein the UE benefit relates to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability. [C7] The method of claim 1, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to a resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to a resource allocation for the secondary carrier. [C8] determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port after the switching of the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; switching the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the first antenna port; The method of C1, further comprising: [C9] switching the primary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the decision to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port; The method of C8, further comprising: [C10] determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the other channel conditions, determining that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and determining to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the determination that the other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port fail to meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and The method of claim C8, comprising: [C11] The method of C8, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer. [C12] The method of C8, wherein the decision of whether to switch the secondary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on detection of an event. [C13] The method of C1, wherein the UE is operating in a dual connectivity (DC) mode, the primary carrier is an anchor carrier associated with the DC mode, and the secondary carrier is a non-anchor carrier associated with the DC mode. [C14] The method of claim 1, wherein the primary carrier is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) carrier and the secondary carrier is a New Radio (NR) carrier. [C15] The method of C1, wherein the UE is operating in a dual subscriber identity module (SIM) dual-active mode, the primary carrier being associated with a first SIM and the secondary carrier being associated with a second SIM. [C16] A user equipment (UE) for wireless communications, comprising: Memory and one or more processors operably coupled to the memory; wherein the memory and the one or more processors: communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port; communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port; switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; A user equipment (UE) configured to perform the following: [C17] the one or more processors: switching the primary carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; The UE of C16, further configured to: [C18] When determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, the one or more processors: determining that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the determination that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet the threshold for communicating using the primary carrier; and The UE according to C16 performs the above. [C19] The determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port comprises: a UE benefit associated with switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; or information related to resource allocation for the primary carrier and information related to resource allocation for the secondary carrier; The UE of C16, further based on at least one of: [C20] 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising: When executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), the one or more processors: communicating on a primary carrier using a first antenna port; communicating on a secondary carrier using a second antenna port; determining whether to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port; switching the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a decision to switch the secondary carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more instructions for causing a

Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a user equipment (UE) operating in a dual connectivity (DC) mode, comprising: communicating on an anchor carrier using a first antenna port; communicating on a non-anchor carrier using a second antenna port; determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port or based on a first maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) associated with the first antenna port, a second MTPL associated with the second antenna port, and a transmit power associated with the non-anchor carrier, wherein the first MTPL associated with the first antenna port is different from the second MTPL associated with the second antenna port; switching the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; A method comprising:

2. switching the anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port includes: determining that the channel conditions associated with the second antenna port meet a threshold for communicating using the anchor carrier; determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on determining that the channel condition associated with the second antenna port meets the threshold for communicating using the anchor carrier; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

4. The threshold value is a block error rate associated with the second antenna port; a received signal strength indicator associated with the second antenna port; or a signal-to-noise ratio associated with the second antenna port; The method of claim 3 , wherein the method is associated with at least one of:

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; or 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on a UE benefit associated with switching the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, the UE benefit related to at least one of improving transmit power, increasing throughput, or improving call sustainability.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port is further based on information related to a resource allocation for the anchor carrier and information related to a resource allocation for the non-anchor carrier.

7. After the switching of the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port, determining whether to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on other channel conditions associated with the second antenna port; switching the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. switching the anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on the decision to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port; The method of claim 7 further comprising:

9. determining whether to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the other channel conditions, determining that the other channel condition associated with the second antenna port fails to meet a threshold for communicating using the anchor carrier; and determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on determining that the other channel condition associated with the second antenna port fails to meet the threshold for communicating using the anchor carrier; and The method of claim 7, comprising:

10. determining whether to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on the expiration of a timer; or 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether to switch the non-anchor carrier from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is triggered based on detection of an event.

11. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the anchor carrier is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) carrier and the non-anchor carrier is a New Radio (NR) carrier.

12. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is operating in a dual subscriber identity module (SIM) dual-active mode, the anchor carrier being associated with a first SIM and the non-anchor carrier being associated with a second SIM.

13. A computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 12 when executed by a processor.

14. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment operating in a dual connectivity (DC) mode, comprising: means for communicating on an anchor carrier using a first antenna port; means for communicating on a non-anchor carrier using a second antenna port; means for determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on a channel condition associated with the second antenna port or based on a first maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) associated with the first antenna port, a second MTPL associated with the second antenna port, and a transmit power associated with the non-anchor carrier, wherein the first MTPL associated with the first antenna port is different from the second MTPL associated with the second antenna port; means for switching the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port based on determining to switch the non-anchor carrier from the second antenna port to the first antenna port; Equipped with Device for wireless communication.

15. 15. An apparatus for wireless communication according to claim 14, further comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 2 to 12.

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