Downlink receive chain switching techniques

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable media configured to perform downlink receive chain switching operations. In some implementations, a user equipment (UE) allocates a first receive chain and a second receive chain to a first component carrier (CC), a second CC, and a third CC in accordance with one or more receive chain allocation rules. The UE may receive a first downlink message via the first receive chain allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules. The UE may switch from the first receive chain to the second receive chain in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria. The UE may receive a second downlink message via the second receive chain allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

Description

DOWNLINK RECEIVE CHAIN SWITCHING TECHNIQUESCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. App. No. 63 / 657,328, filed June 7, 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to downlink receive chain switching techniques.BACKGROUND

[0003] Wireless communication networks provide integrated communication platforms and telecommunication services to wireless user devices. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, and / or other services. The wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with the wireless user devices using wireless network protocols, such as protocols described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Example wireless communication networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). The wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband service using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features.

[0004] 5G NR also supports carrier aggregation (CA), where data is transmitted simultaneously on at least two CCs to increase throughput. UEs that support CA may include multiple receiver chains to communicate via different CCs.SUMMARY

[0005] This disclosure describes techniques for sharing downlink receive chains of a user equipment (UE) amongst three or more component carriers (CCs). In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may receive a first set of messages via a first downlink receive chain that is allocated to a first CC and a second CC in accordance with a set of downlink receive chain switching criteria and one or more tie-break rules. The UE may also receive a second set of messages via a second downlink receive chain that is allocated to a third CC in accordance with the set of downlink receive chain switching criteria and the one or more tie-break rules. Allocating receive chains of the UE to CCs based on the tie-break rules described herein may resolve ambiguous switching conditions that arise from the set of downlink receive chain switching criteria.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method that includes: allocating a first receive chain and a second receive chain to a first CC, a second CC, and a third CC in accordance with one or more receive chain allocation rules; receiving a first downlink message via the first receive chain allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules; switching from the first receive chain to the second receive chain in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria; and receiving a second downlink message via the second receive chain allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

[0007] In some embodiments, allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes allocating the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an aggregated bandwidth of the first CC and the second CC, or (iii) a respective priority of the first CC and the second CC.

[0008] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a smaller frequency separation are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0009] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a lower aggregated bandwidth are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0010] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs are allocated to receive chains according to a respective priority of the CCs.

[0011] Some embodiments may further include receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling that indicates a respective priority of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules are based on the respective priority indicated by the RRC signaling.

[0012] In some embodiments, the at least one receive chain switching criteria includes a power imbalance criterion, a receive time delay (RTD) criterion, and a frequency separation criterion.

[0013] Some embodiments may further include determining one or more possible configurations for allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more possible configurations each satisfy the at least one receive chain switching criteria; and selecting a configuration from the one or more possible configurations based on the one or more receive chain allocation rules, where the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the selected configuration.

[0014] Some embodiments may further include transmitting an indication that (i) the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) the second receive chain is allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0015] Some embodiments may further include receiving at least one control message that configures the UE to (i) allocate the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) allocate the second receive chain to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0016] In some embodiments, allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on a respective cell type of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, the respective cell type including a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell).

[0017] In some embodiments, allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective power of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a powerimbalance between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a power imbalance between the second CC and the third CC.

[0018] In some embodiments, allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of (i) an RTD between the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an RTD between the first CC and the third CC, or (iii) an RTD between the second CC and the third CC.

[0019] In some embodiments, allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of (i) a respective channel index of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a frequency separation between the second CC and the third CC.

[0020] In some embodiments, a power imbalance between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first power threshold and less than a second power threshold.

[0021] In some embodiments, an RTD between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first time threshold and less than a second time threshold.

[0022] In some embodiments, a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC is greater than a first frequency threshold and less than a second frequency threshold.

[0023] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method that includes: transmitting a first downlink message via at least one of a first CC and a second CC in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria and one or more receive chain allocation rules; and transmitting a second downlink message via a third CC in accordance with the at least one receive chain switching criteria and the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

[0024] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a smaller frequency separation are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0025] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a lower aggregated bandwidth are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0026] In some embodiments, the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs are allocated to receive chains according to a respective priority of the CCs.

[0027] Some embodiments may further include transmitting RRC signaling that indicates a respective priority of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules are based on the respective priority indicated by the RRC signaling.

[0028] In some embodiments, the at least one receive chain switching criteria includes a power imbalance criterion, an RTD criterion, and a frequency separation criterion.

[0029] Some embodiments may further include determining one or more possible configurations for allocating a first receive chain and a second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more possible configurations each satisfy the at least one receive chain switching criteria; and selecting a configuration from the one or more possible configurations based on the one or more receive chain allocation rules, where the at least one control message indicates the selected configuration.

[0030] Some embodiments may further include receiving an indication that (i) the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) the second receive chain is allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0031] Some embodiments may further include transmitting at least one control message that configures a UE to (i) allocate the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) allocate the second receive chain to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0032] Some embodiments may further include allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on a respective cell type of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, the respective cell type including a PCell or an SCell.

[0033] Some embodiments may further include allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective power of the first CC, the second CC, or the third CC, (ii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a power imbalance between the second CC and the third CC.

[0034] Some embodiments may further include allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) an RTD between the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an RTD between the first CC and the third CC, or (iii) an RTD between the second CC and the third CC.

[0035] Some embodiments may further include allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a frequency separation between the second CC and the third CC.

[0036] In some embodiments, a power imbalance between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first power threshold and less than a second power threshold.

[0037] In some embodiments, an RTD between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first time threshold and less than a second time threshold.

[0038] In some embodiments, a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC is greater than a first frequency threshold and less than a second frequency threshold.

[0039] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes one or more baseband processors configured to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0040] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, a UE includes one or more processors configured to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0041] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, a base station includes one or more processors configured to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0042] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer storage medium is encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0043] The details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantagesof these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network, according to some implementations.

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling diagram, according to some implementations.

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates an example receive chain architecture, according to some implementations.

[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates an example downlink receive chain switching scheme, according to some implementations.

[0048] FIG. 5 illustrates an example process flow of a UE-driven receive chain allocation scheme, according to some implementations.

[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates an example process flow of a network-driven receive chain allocation scheme, according to some implementations.

[0050] FIG. 7 and 8 illustrate flowcharts of example methods for allocating downlink receive chains to CCs, according to some implementations.

[0051] FIG. 9 illustrates an example UE, according to some implementations.

[0052] FIG. 10 illustrates an example access node, according to some implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Carrier aggregation (CA) is a technique that involves combining multiple component carriers (CCs) to create a wider channel for data transmissions. Devices with CA capabilities can simultaneously use several CCs (e.g., carrier frequencies) to communicate with other devices in the network. By aggregating CCs, the effective bandwidth available to the device is increased, leading to higher data throughput and improved performance, e.g., in areas with high network traffic. CA also promotes more efficient spectrum utilization, enhanced user experience, and improved network management by dynamically adjusting to varying network conditions and user demands. Both collocated and non-collocated CCs can be used for CA. Collocated CCs are associated with the same physical location or antenna site, and noncollocated CCs are associated with different physical locations or antenna sites. Collocated CCs often have similar radio propagation characteristics (such as path loss, receive time, or signal fading). Non-collocated CCs may have different radio propagation characteristics, which can affect the timing and power of transmissions.

[0054] A user equipment (UE) with CA capabilities may be configured to dynamically share two receive chains amongst three or more CCs according to a set of downlink receive chain switching criteria. For example, if a power imbalance between two CCs is less than a first power threshold (e.g., 6 decibels “dB”) and a receive time delay (RTD) between the CCs is less than a first time threshold (e.g., 3 microseconds [pis]) and a frequency separation between the CCs is within a threshold range (X Megahertz [MHz] < f < Y MHz), the two CCs can be concurrently assigned / allocated to the same receive chain. Alternatively, if the power imbalance between two CCs is greater than the first power threshold but less than a second power threshold (e.g., 25 dB) and the RTD between the CCs is greater than the first time threshold but less than a second time threshold (e.g., 33 is) and the frequency separation between the CCs is greater than a frequency threshold (f > Y MHz), the two CCs can be concurrently assigned to different receive chains. In some cases, however, there can be more than one viable way to allocate / assign three CCs to two receive chains. In such cases, it may be unclear which option should be selected.

[0055] In accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a set of tie-break rules can be used to resolve ambiguous conditions resulting from the aforementioned downlink receive chain switching criteria. This set of tie-break rules may help the UE select an appropriate receive chain switching configuration when multiple configurations arevalid / permissible. The set of tie-break rules may consider factors like CC index, aggregated bandwidth, CC priority, and cell type, among others. For example, CCs with the closest frequencies, lowest aggregated bandwidth, and / or highest priority may be assigned to the same downlink receive chain. The tie-break rules described herein are applicable to UE-driven receive chain assignments (where the UE dynamically allocates receive chains to CCs based on the tie-break rules) and network-driven receive chain assignments (where a base station uses the tie-break rules to determine a suitable receive chain configuration for the UE).

[0056] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network 100, according to some implementations. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 102 and a base station 104 connected via one or more channels 106A, 106B across an air interface 108. The UE 102 and base station 104 communicate using a system that supports controls for managing the access of the UE 102 to a network via the base station 104.

[0057] In some implementations, the wireless network 100 may be a Non- Standalone (NS A) network that incorporates Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) technical specifications. For example, the wireless network 100 may be a E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network, or an NR- EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NE-DC) network. In some other implementations, the wireless network 100 may be a Standalone (SA) network that incorporates only 5G NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3 GPP systems (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technology, or the like. While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5GNR, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as systems subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0058] In the wireless network 100, the UE 102 and any other UE in the system may be, for example, any of laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, machine-type devices such as smart meters or specialized devices for healthcare, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless device. In wireless network 100, the base station 104 provides the UE 102 network connectivity to a broader network (not shown). This UE 102 connectivity is provided via the air interface 108 in a base station service area provided by the base station 104. In some implementations, such a broader network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with thebase station 104 is supported by one or more antennas integrated with the base station 104. The service areas can be divided into a number of sectors associated with one or more particular antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with one or more fixed antennas or may be assigned to a physical area with one or more tunable antennas or antenna settings adjustable in a beamforming process used to direct a signal to a particular sector.

[0059] The UE 102 includes control circuitry 110 coupled with transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114. The transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 may each be coupled with one or more antennas. The control circuitry 110 may include various combinations of application-specific circuitry and baseband circuitry. The transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and / or front-end module (FEM) circuitry.

[0060] In various implementations, aspects of the transmit circuitry 112, receive circuitry 114, and control circuitry 110 may be integrated in various ways to implement the operations described herein. The control circuitry 110 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a UE 102. For instance, the control circuitry 110 can allocate two receive chains (of the receive circuitry 114) to three or more CCs according to a set of downlink receive chain switching criteria (power imbalance, RTD, frequency separation) and a set of tie-break rules that consider factors such as channel index, aggregated bandwidth, and channel priority.

[0061] The transmit circuitry 112 can perform various operations described in this specification. For example, the transmit circuitry 112 can transmit an indication that (i) a first receive chain of the UE 102 is allocated to a first CC (CC1) and a second CC (CC2) and (ii) a second receive chain of the UE 102 is allocated to a third CC (CC3) in accordance with the set of downlink receive chain switching criteria and the set of tie-break rules. Additionally, the transmit circuitry 112 may transmit using a plurality of uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed, e.g., according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 112 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry 110 for transmission across the air interface 108.

[0062] The receive circuitry 114 can perform various operations described in this specification. For instance, the receive circuitry 114 can receive radio resource control (RRC) signaling that indicates a respective priority of a first CC, a second CC, and / or a third CC. The controlcircuitry 110 may use this priority information to allocate receive chains of the receive circuitry 114 to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC. Additionally, the receive circuitry 114 may receive a plurality of downlink physical channels from the air interface 108 and relay the physical channels to the control circuitry 110. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed, e.g., according to TDM or FDM along with CA. The transmit circuitry 112 and the receive circuitry 114 may transmit and receive, respectively, both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) structured within data blocks that are carried by the physical channels.

[0063] FIG. 1 also illustrates the base station 104. In some implementations, the base station 104 may be a 5G radio access network (RAN), a next generation RAN, a E-UTRAN, a nonterrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN. As used herein, the term “5G RAN” or the like may refer to the base station 104 that operates in an NR or 5G wireless network 100, and the term “E-UTRAN” or the like may refer to a base station 104 that operates in an LTE or 4G wireless network 100. The UE 102 utilizes connections (or channels) 106A, 106B, each of which includes a physical communications interface or layer.

[0064] The base station 104 circuitry may include control circuitry 116 coupled with transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120. The transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120 may each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface 108. The transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 104. The receive circuitry 120 may receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from one or more UEs, including the UE 102.

[0065] In FIG. 1, the one or more channels 106 A, 106B are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, an NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and / or any other communications protocol(s). In implementations, the UE 102 may directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0066] FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling diagram 200, according to some implementations. The signaling diagram 200 may implement one or more aspects of thewireless network 100, as shown and described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the signaling diagram 200 includes a UE 202, which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 102 of FIG. 1. Likewise, the signaling diagram 200 includes a base station 204a and a base station 204b, each of which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the base station 104 of FIG. 1.

[0067] The UE 202 may support intra-band non-collocated EN-DC / NR CA with 3 CCs. Intraband NR C A can be more cost-effective for network operators if antenna collocation conditions are relaxed. In some DC / CA schemes (such as EN-DC or NR CA), there can be a relatively large power imbalance (e.g., up to 25 dB) between CCs and / or a relatively large time arrival difference (e.g., more than 3 ps) between CCs observed by the UE 202. In some examples, the UE 202is a Type-2 UE that supports intra-band non-collocated NR CA and a maximum of 4 MIMO layers (e.g., up to 2 layers per CC). In other examples, the UE 202 is a Type-4 UE that also supports a maximum of 4 MIMO layers for NR CA and EN-DC. Other types of UEs are also possible. In order for the UEs to support 3 CCs, it may not be cost effective to add a third receive chain for a third CC. Rather, it may be desirable to enhance the UEs with downlink carrier switching capabilities. Receive chain switching may provide improved downlink scheduling flexibility, enabling the UE 202 to support 3 CCs with only 2 receive chains.

[0068] A Type-2 / 4 UE with switching capabilities may be referred to as a Type-2s or Type-4s UE. The UE 202 may be configured to transmit Type-2s or Type-4s capability information to one or both of the base station 204a or the base station 204b. In accordance with the techniques described herein, the UE 202 may support receive chain switching across up to 3 CCs, with simultaneous reception of up to 2 CCs. The downlink receive chain switching techniques described herein may are appliable to intra-band non-collocated CA / DC, such as FR1 intra- band non-contiguous NR CA / EN-DC for 4 layer. UE architecture type 4 supports a maximum of 4 layer MIMO for NR CA and EN-DC. For all UE architectures, there is a maximum tolerable power imbalance between downlink carriers. To enable support of Type 3a / 3b UEs, RTD should be less than the cyclic prefix (CP) length.

[0069] In some implementations, downlink receive chain switching can be configured for 3 CCs by maintaining 2 receive chains in Type-2 / Type-4 UEs (or other types of UEs). Valid assignments between CCs and downlink receive chains are based on power Imbalance, RTD, and frequency separation. 2 CCs can be assigned to the same receive chain (Type-1 capability) if the power imbalance is less than a power threshold (e.g., 6dB or any suitable value), the RTDis less than a time threshold (e.g., 3 ps), and the frequency separation is within a threshold range (Y MHz > f > X MHz). 2 CCs can be assigned to different receive chains (Type-2 / Type-4 capability) if the power imbalance is less than a second power threshold (e.g., 25dB), the RTD is within a threshold time range defined by a lower bound (e.g., 3ps) and an upper bound (e.g., 33 ps), and the frequency separation is greater than Y MHz.

[0070] FIG. 3 illustrates an example receiver chain architecture shared by multiple CCs (e.g., CC1, CC2, and CC3), according to various aspects of the present disclosure. While a first receive chain 300 A and a second receive chain 300B are shown for a single UE 202 to simplify the following discussion, other embodiments may include greater than two (e.g., three or four) such receiver circuits.

[0071] As depicted in FIG. 3, the frequency separation of between CC1 and CC2 may be sufficiently small to allow reception of CC1 and CC2 in first receive chain 300A by switching between CC1 and CC2 over time. Oppositely, a frequency separation between CC3 and either CC1 or CC2 is sufficiently great to prevent CC3 from also being received by first receive chain 300A at the same time CC1 and CC2 are being received. Consequently, second receive chain 300B may be employed to receive CC3 separately. As described in greater detail below, other characteristics that may cause CC3 to be received by second receive chain 300B include a received power that is greater or less than those of CC1 and CC2, and a timing difference between CC3 and either or both of CC1 and CC2.

[0072] As depicted in FIG. 3, each of first receiver circuit (or first receive chain) 300A and second receiver circuit (or second receive chain) 300B may include an antenna 310, a radio frequency (RF) bandpass (BP) filter 312, a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 314, a mixer 318, a low- pass (LP) filter 320, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 322. Further, in some aspects, first receive chain 300 A may be driving mixer 318 with a first local oscillator LO1 316A having a frequency froi that is positioned between CC1 and CC2 to facilitate reception of both CC1 and CC2. Second receive chain 300B may instead include a second local oscillator LO2 316B, a frequency fi .02 of which is positioned at or near CC3 to facilitate separate reception of CC3. In other aspects, first receive chain 300 A and second receive chain 300B may include greater or fewer numbers and / or types of components than those specifically depicted in FIG. 3.

[0073] During operation, antenna 310 of both first receive chain 300A and second receive chain 300B may receive substantially the same downlink RF signal that includes CC1, CC2, and CC3. RF BP filter 312 filters the RF signal and LNA 314 amplifies the filtered RF signalin both first receive chain 300A and second receive chain 300B. Thereafter, mixer 318 in first receive chain 300 A down-converts a portion of the amplified RF signal in the neighborhood of f oi and LP filter 320 filters out higher frequencies in the resulting signal to produce an analog baseband signal that includes signals associated with CC1 and CC2 while attenuating signals associated with CC3. In contrast, mixer 318 in second receive chain 300B down-converts a portion of the amplified RF signal in the neighborhood of fro2 and LP filter 320 filters out higher frequencies in the resulting signal to produce an analog baseband signal that includes signals associated with CC3 while attenuating signals associated with CC1 and CC2. ADC 322 in both first receive chain 300 A and second receive chain 300B may then produce digital baseband signals for processing by one or more baseband processors (not shown in FIG. 3) of the UE.

[0074] In some implementations, the gain of LNA 314 of first and second receiver circuits 300A and 300B may be adjusted (e.g., via automatic gain control (AGC) to amplify the downlink signals of CC1, CC2, or CC3 by an appropriate amount. Further, in some aspect, the frequency of LO1 of first receive chain 300A and LO2 of second receive chain 300B may be tuned to the target frequency of CC1, CC2, or CC3 as needed. In some implementations, the timing of ADC 322 of first and second receiver circuits 300A and 300B may be adjusted to adapt to the particular timing of CC1, CC2, or CC3.

[0075] The receive chain architecture 300 may support 2 CCs in the same receive chain (e.g. Type-1 capability) and 2 CCs in different receive chains (Type-2 / Type-4 capability). Dynamic receive chain reconfiguration / switching may be applicable to shared receive chain architectures (Type-1) and separated receive chain architectures (Type-2 and Type 4a / 4b). The receive chain architecture 300 may support 3 CCs: 2 CCs may be configured in an initial state, and 3 CCs may be allocated after reconfiguration / switch.

[0076] FIG. 4 illustrates an example downlink receive chain switching scheme 400, according to some implementations. The downlink receive chain switching scheme 400 may implement one or more aspects of the wireless network 100, as shown and described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the downlink receive chain switching scheme 400 includes a first receive chain 404a (Rx Chain 1) and a second receive chain 404b (Rx Chain 2), which may be a part of the receive circuitry 114 described with reference to FIG. 1. The first receive chain 404a may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the first receive chain 300A of FIG.3. Likewise, the second receive chain 404b may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the second receive chain 300B of FIG. 3.

[0077] Valid assignments between CCs and downlink receive chains 404 can be based on power imbalance, RTD, and frequency separation. As described herein, power imbalance refers to the difference (in dB) between the received power of two CCs. RTD refers to the difference in arrival time (measured in ps) between two CCs. Frequency separation refers to the difference in frequency (measured in MHz) between two CCs. When using these factors to assign CCs to receive chains 404, ambiguous conditions may arise when two or more receive chain allocations are possible / valid. The tie-break rules described herein can help resolve such ambiguous trigger conditions.

[0078] In the example of FIG. 4, CC1 is initially assigned to the first receive chain 404a, and CC3 is initially assigned to the second receive chain 404b. If the following conditions are met, CC2 may be assigned to the second receive chain 404a (as depicted in new state 1): power imbalance of CC1 vs CC3 > 6dB (initial state); power imbalance of CC2 vs CC1 < 6dB (same receive chain); power imbalance of CC2 vs CC3 > 6dB (different receive chains); RTD of CC1 vs CC3 > 3ps (initial state); RTD of CC2 vs CC1 < 3ps (same receive chain); RTD of CC2 vs CC3 < 3ps (same receive chain); frequency separation of CC1 vs CC2 > Y MHz (initial state); frequency separation of CC1 vs CC3 > Y MHz (same receive chain); frequency separation of CC2 vs CC3 > Y MHz (same receive chain).

[0079] In some embodiments, however, it may be unclear whether to assign CC2 to the first receive chain 404a (as depicted in new state 1) or the second receive chain 404b (as depicted in new state 2). For example, the following conditions may lead to an ambiguous / indeterminate reconfiguration scenario: power imbalance of CC1 vs CC3 > 6dB (initial state); power imbalance of CC2 vs CC1 < 6dB (same receive chain); power imbalance of CC2 vs CC3 < 6dB (same receive chain); RTD of CC1 vs CC3 > 3ps (initial state); RTD of CC2 vs CC1 < 3ps (same receive chain); RTD of CC2 vs CC3 < 3ps (same receive chain); frequency separation of CC1 vs CC2 > Y MHz (initial state); frequency separation of CC1 vs CC3 > Y MHz (same receive chain); frequency separation of CC2 vs CC3 > Y MHz (same receive chain).

[0080] The tie-break rules described herein can be used to resolve ambiguous / indeterminate reconfiguration scenarios, such as the example mentioned above. In some embodiments, the tie-break rules include three stages: a channel index rule (first stage), an aggregated bandwidth rule (second stage), and a channel priority rule (third stage). In the first stage, CCs with theclosest frequencies are assigned to the same downlink receive chain. If the channel index rule does not resolve the assignment condition, CCs with the lowest aggregated BW are assigned to the same downlink receive chain. For example, if the aggregated bandwidth of CC1 + CC2 (in MHz) is less than the aggregated bandwidth of CC3 + CC2 (in MHz), CC1 and CC2 can be assigned to the same downlink receive chain.

[0081] If the aggregated bandwidth rules does not resolve the assignment condition, the entity responsible for allocating the receive chains (e.g., a UE 102 or base station 104) may use an RRC-configured priority rule. In some embodiments, channel priority (configured via RRC) may be used by default. Additional criteria, such as PCell vs SCell(s), can also be considered for assignment purposes. In some examples, there may be nesting orders between the aforementioned criteria.

[0082] FIG. 5 illustrates an example process flow 500 of a UE-driven receive chain allocation scheme, according to some implementations. The process flow 500 may implement one or more aspects of the signaling diagram 200, as shown and described with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the process flow 500 includes a UE 502, which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 202 of FIG. 2. Likewise, the process flow 500 includes a base station 504, which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the base station 204a or the base station 204b of FIG. 2. In the following description of the process flow 500, operations between the UE 502 and the base station 504 can be added, omitted, or performed in a different order (with respect to the exemplary order shown).

[0083] In the example of FIG. 5, the UE 502 optionally transmits (506) Type-2s or Type-4s capability information to the base station 504. For example, if the UE 502 is a Type-2 UE with switching capabilities, the UE 502 may transmit Type-2s capability information. Likewise, if the UE 502 is a Type-4 UE with switching capabilities, the UE 502 may transmit Type-4s capability information. This capability information may indicate, for example, a type of the UE 502 (e.g., Type-1, Type-2, Type-4), a quantity of CCs supported by the UE 502, a quantity of receive chains of the UE 502, a DC / CA scheme (such as NR-CA or EN-DC) supported by the UE 502, etc.

[0084] The base station 504 may transmit (508) an indication of downlink receive chain sharing criteria to use for allocating the first receive chain 404a and the second receive chain 404b to CC1, CC2, and CC3. As described herein, the downlink receive chain sharing criteria may include factors like power imbalance, RTD, frequency separation, and the like. Forexample, the downlink receive chain sharing criteria may indicate that two CCs can be concurrently assigned to the first receive chain 404a if the power imbalance between the CCs is less than 6 dB, the RTD between the CCs is less than 3 ps, and the frequency separation between the CCs is within a threshold range (X MHz < f < Y MHz). Alternatively, if the power imbalance between two CCs greater than 6 dB but less than 25 dB, and the RTD between the CCs is greater than 3 ps but less than 33 ps, and the frequency separation between the CCs is greater than Y MHz, the two CCs may be concurrently assigned to different receive chains.

[0085] The base station 504 may also transmit (510) an indication of one or more tie-break rules to use for ambiguous conditions that cannot be resolved using the downlink receive chain sharing criteria alone. As described herein, the tie-break rules may consider factors like channel index, aggregated bandwidth, channel priority, and the like. In some implementations, the downlink receive chain sharing criteria and / or the tie-break rules may be signaled via at least one control message, such as an RRC message.

[0086] In some implementations, the base station 604 may configure the UE 602 to monitor the CCs for conditions that trigger a reconfiguration event, such as an event to assign CC1 and CC3 to the same receive chain, an event to assign CC1 and CC2 to different receive chains, or an event to refrain from assigning CC2 and CC3 to different receive chains at the same time. These event triggers may be RRC-configured.

[0087] The UE 502 may determine (512) a suitable receive chain allocation based on the CC measurements, the set of downlink receive chain switching criteria, and the tie-break rules (if applicable). In some embodiments, the UE 502 may determine to switch from one receive chain allocation to another based on detecting one or more of the aforementioned trigger events.

[0088] The UE 502 may transmit (514) an indication of the determined / selected receive chain allocation to the base station 504. In some implementations, the indication of the receive chain allocation selected by the UE 502 may be conveyed via an RRC message or LI transmission.

[0089] The UE 502 may allocate (516) the first receive chain 404a and the second receive chain 404b to CC1, CC2, and CC3 according to the determined receive chain allocation. For example, the UE 502 may assign CC 1 and CC2 to the first receive chain 404a based on a power imbalance between CC1 and CC2, an RTD between CC1 and CC2, a frequency separation between CC1 and CC2, etc.

[0090] In some implementations, the base station 504 schedules (518) downlink transmissions to the UE 502 based on the receive chain allocation selected by the UE 502. The base station 504 may transmit scheduling information that indicates the timing of data transmissions for CC1, CC2, and / or CC3. In some examples, the base station 504 transmits the scheduling information to the UE 502 after a period of time to ensure that the UE 502 has successfully reconfigured the first receive chain 404a and the second receive chain 404b according to the determined receive chain allocation. Thereafter, the base station 504 may transmit (520) one or more downlink messages to the UE 502 according to the scheduling information.

[0091] Aspects of the present disclosure provide a mechanism by which a switching functionality can be implemented to enable reception of data over two or more CCs using a single receiver circuit or receive chain, thus enabling data reception over a greater number of CCs than available receiver circuits at the UE 502. Such functionality may be particularly useful for intra-band non-collocated NR CA and EN-DC deployments, in which CCs that have significantly different power levels and reception timing can be received using two or more receive chain (also referred to as receiver circuits). Further, configurations involving both periodic or repeated measurement reporting and event-driven reporting are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0092] FIG. 6 illustrates an example process flow 600 of a network-driven receive chain allocation scheme, according to some implementations. The process flow 600 may implement one or more aspects of the signaling diagram 200, as shown and described with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the process flow 600 includes a UE 602, which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 202 of FIG. 2. Likewise, the process flow 600 includes a base station 604, which may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the base station 204a or the base station 204b of FIG. 2. In the following description of the process flow 600, operations between the UE 602 and the base station 604 can be added, omitted, or performed in a different order (with respect to the exemplary order shown).

[0093] In the example of FIG. 6, the UE 602 optionally performs (606) measurements of CC1, CC2, and CC3. The measurements can include, for example, reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements and / or system frame number (SFN) and frame timing difference (SFTD) measurements of CC1, CC2, and CC3. The UE 602 may use these measurements to determine a power imbalance between the CCs, an RTD between the CCs, etc. In someimplementations, the UE 602 performs the CC measurements according to a measurement configuration provided by the base station 604.

[0094] The UE 602 may transmit (608) an indication of the CC measurements to the base station 604. In some implementations, the UE 602 may report the CC measurements via a measurement report. The measurement report may include, for example, an RSRP of CC1, an RSRP differential between CC2 and CC3, an RTD between CC1 and CC3, and so on. In some implementations, one or more of the CC measurements may be signaled relative to a reference measurement. For example, the RSRP of CC2 may be indicated relative to the absolute RSRP of CCl.

[0095] The base station 604 may determine (610) a receive chain allocation for the UE 602 based on the CC measurements reported by the UE 602, a set of downlink receive chain sharing criteria, and one or more tie-break rules. As described herein, the downlink receive chain sharing criteria may include factors like power imbalance, RTD, and frequency separation, while the tie-break rules may consider factors like channel index, aggregated bandwidth, channel priority, and the like. In some implementations, the downlink receive chain sharing criteria and / or the tie-break rules may be signaled via at least one control message, such as an RRC message.

[0096] The base station 604 may transmit (612) an indication of the receive chain allocation to the UE 602. The base station 604 may indicate the receive chain allocation via RRC signaling, a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE), or downlink control information (DCI), among other examples. In some embodiments, the receive chain allocation is based on a capability or type of the UE 602 (Type-1, Type-2, Type-4) and / or a cell type associated with each CC (PCell or SCell).

[0097] The UE 602 may allocate (614) the first receive chain 404a and the second receive chain 404b to CC1, CC2, and CC3 according to the receive chain allocation provided by the base station 604. For example, the UE 602 may allocate the first receive chain 404a to CC1 and CC2; the second receive chain 404b may be allocated to CC3. The receive chains may be allocated in a way that satisfies both the downlink receive chain switching criteria and the tiebreak rules. For example, if a decision cannot be made based on the downlink receive chain switching criteria alone, the tie-break rules may help “break the tie” between two possible allocations.

[0098] In some implementations, the base station 604 schedules downlink transmissions to the UE 602 based on the determined receive chain allocation. For example, if CC3 and CC1 are assigned to different receive chains and the UE 602 supports concurrent downlink reception, the base station 604 can schedule simultaneous downlink transmissions to the UE 602 via CC1 and CC3. The base station 604 may transmit downlink scheduling information to the UE 602 by means of a Carrier Indicator Field (CIF) in DCI. In some embodiments, self-carrier scheduling (where each CC carries DCI with scheduling information for that particular CC) and / or cross-carrier scheduling (where one CC includes scheduling information for multiple CCs) may be employed.

[0099] The UE 602 may receive (618) the downlink transmissions from the base station 604 via the first receive chain 404a and / or the second receive chain 404b in accordance with the scheduling information. In some aspects, CCs that share a receive chain (such as CC1 and CC2) may be scheduled such that CC1 and CC2 carry data in an asynchronous switching manner (e.g., using time-division multiplexing). CCs assigned to different receive chains (such as CC1 and CC3) can be scheduled simultaneously.

[0100] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the description that follows generally describes method 700 in the context of the other figures in this description. For example, method 700 can be performed by the UE 202 of FIG. 2. It will be understood that method 700 can be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 700 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order. The example method 700 shown in FIG. 7 can be modified or reconfigured to include additional, fewer, or different steps (not shown in FIG. 7), which can be performed in the order shown or in a different order.

[0101] As described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 6, a UE 102 may receive an indication of one or more tie-break rules to use in conjunction with a set of downlink receive chain switching criteria. The UE 102 may allocate (702) a first receive chain 404a and a second receive chain 404b to CC1, CC2, and CC3 according to the downlink receive chain switching criteria and the tie-break rules. As described herein, the downlink receive chain switching criteria may be based on power imbalance, RTD, and frequency separation. The tie-break rules may be based on channel index, aggregated bandwidth, channel priority, cell type, or acombination thereof. In some implementations, the UE 102 may dynamically allocate the first receive chain 404a and the second receive chain 404b based on measurements of CC1, CC2, and CC3. In some other implementations, a base station 104 may configure or instruct the UE 102 to use a specific receive chain allocation.

[0102] The UE 102 may receive (704) a first downlink message via the first receive chain 404a that is allocated to CC1 and CC2 in accordance with the downlink receive chain switching criteria and the tie-break rules. The UE 102 may also receive (708) a second downlink message via the second receive chain 404b that is allocated to CC3 in accordance with the downlink receive chain switching criteria and the tie-break rules. In some examples, the UE 102 may reconfigure or switch (706) from the first receive chain 404a to the second receive chain 404b after receiving the first / second downlink message.

[0103] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 800, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the description that follows generally describes method 800 in the context of the other figures in this description. For example, method 800 can be performed by the base station 204a of FIG. 2. It will be understood that method 800 can be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 800 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order. The example method 800 shown in FIG. 8 can be modified or reconfigured to include additional, fewer, or different steps (not shown in FIG. 8), which can be performed in the order shown or in a different order.

[0104] In accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a base station 104 may determine (802) a receive chain allocation for a UE 102 according to a set of downlink receive chain switching criteria and one or more tie-break rules. As described herein, the downlink receive chain switching criteria may be based on power imbalance, RTD, and frequency separation. The tie-break rules may be based on channel index, aggregated bandwidth, channel priority, cell type, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the base station 104 may determine the receive chain allocation based on CC measurements reported by the UE 102. The base station 104 may transmit (804) at least one control message that configures the UE 102 to allocate a first receive chain 404a and a second receive chain 404b to CC1, CC2, and CC3 based on the downlink receive chain switching criteria and the tie-break rules.

[0105] The base station 104 may transmit (806) a first downlink message to the UE 102 via CC1 or CC2, which are allocated to the first receive chain 404a in accordance with the at least one control message. The base station 104 may transmit (808) a second downlink message to the UE 102 via CC3, which is allocated to the second receive chain 404b in accordance with the at least one control message. In some implementations, the base station 104 may reconfigure or reallocate the first receive chain 404a and / or the second receive chain 404b after transmitting the first / second downlink message.

[0106] FIG. 9 illustrates an example UE 900, according to some implementations. The UE 900 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with UE 102 of FIG. 1. The UE 900 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (for example, microphones, pressure sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, inventory sensors, electric voltage / current meters, etc.), video devices (for example, cameras, video cameras, etc.), wearable devices (for example, a smart watch), relaxed-IoT devices.

[0107] The UE 900 may include processors 902, RF interface circuitry 904, memory / storage 906, user interface 908, sensors 910, driver circuitry 912, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 914, one or more antenna(s) 916, and battery 918. The components of the UE 900 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 9 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 900. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangement of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0108] The components of the UE 900 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 920, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0109] The processors 902 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 922A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 922B, and / or graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 922C. The processors 902 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, suchas program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 906 to cause the UE 900 to perform operations described herein.

[0110] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuitry 922A may access a communication protocol stack 924 in the memory / storage 906 to communicate over a 3 GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 922A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at a physical (PHY) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and a non-access stratum layer. In some implementations, the PHY layer operations may additionally / altematively be performed by the components of the RF interface circuitry 904. The baseband processor circuitry 922A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in 3 GPP-compatible networks. In some implementations, the waveforms for NR may be based cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) “CP-OFDM” in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM “DFT-S-OFDM” in the uplink.[OHl] The memory / storage 906 may include one or more non -transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 924) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 902 to cause the UE 900 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage 906 include any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 900. In some implementations, some of the memory / storage 906 may be located on the processors 902 themselves (for example, LI and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 906 is external to the processors 902 but accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory / storage 906 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0112] The RF interface circuitry 904 may include transceiver circuitry and radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 900 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 904 may include various elements arranged intransmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0113] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from an air interface via antenna(s) 916 and proceed to filter and amplify (with a low-noise amplifier) the signal. The signal may be provided to a receiver of the transceiver that downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processors 902.

[0114] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier prior to the signal being radiated across the air interface via the antenna(s) 916. In various implementations, the RF interface circuitry 904 may be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

[0115] The antenna(s) 916 may include one or more antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna(s) 916 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple input, multiple output communications. The antenna(s) 916 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna(s) 916 may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands including bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0116] The user interface 908 includes various input / output (VO) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 900. The user interface 908 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (for example, a reset button), a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other like information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (for example, binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes “LEDs” and multi -character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices ortouchscreens (for example, liquid crystal displays “LCDs,” LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 900.

[0117] The sensors 910 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send the information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, inertia measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors; temperature sensors (for example, thermistors); pressure sensors; image capture devices (for example, cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (for example, infrared radiation detector and the like); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

[0118] The driver circuitry 912 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices that are embedded in the UE 900, attached to the UE 900, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 900. The driver circuitry 912 may include individual drivers allowing other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within, or connected to, the UE 900. For example, driver circuitry 912 may include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensors 910 and control and allow access to sensors 910, drivers to obtain actuator positions of electro-mechanic components or control and allow access to the electro-mechanic components, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0119] The PMIC 914 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 900. In particular, with respect to the processors 902, the PMIC 914 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.

[0120] In some implementations, the PMIC 914 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the UE 900. A battery 918 may power the UE 900, although in some examples the UE 900 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 918 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, andthe like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 918 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0121] FIG. 10 illustrates an example access node 1000 (e.g., abase station or gNB), according to some implementations. The access node 1000 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with base station 104. The access node 1000 may include processors 1002, RF interface circuitry 1004, core network (CN) interface circuitry 1006, memory / storage circuitry 1008, and one or more antenna(s) 1010.

[0122] The components of the access node 1000 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 1012. The processors 1002, RF interface circuitry 1004, memory / storage circuitry 1008 (including communication protocol stack 1014), antenna(s) 1010, and interconnects 1012 may be similar to like-named elements shown and described with respect to FIG. 9. For example, the processors 1002 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 1016A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 1016B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 1016C.

[0123] The CN interface circuitry 1006 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 5th Generation Core network (5GC) using a 5GC -compatible network interface protocol such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 1000 via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 1006 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 1006 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0124] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” or the like may describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the term “NG RAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 1000 that operates in an NR or 5G system (for example, a gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 1000 that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB). According to various implementations, the access node 1000 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station,and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0125] In some implementations, all or parts of the access node 1000 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In V2X scenarios, the access node 1000 may be or act as a Road Side Unit (RSU), which refers to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU,” and the like.

[0126] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0127] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

[0128] Example l is a method including: allocating a first receive chain and a second receive chain to a first CC, a second CC, and a third CC in accordance with one or more receive chain allocation rules; receiving a first downlink message via the first receive chain allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules; switching from the first receive chain to the second receive chain in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria; and receiving a second downlink message via the second receive chain allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

[0129] Example 2 includes the method of example 1, where allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes: allocating the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an aggregated bandwidth of the first CC and the second CC, or (iii) a respective priority of the first CC and the second CC.

[0130] Example 3 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 2, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a smaller frequency separation are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0131] Example 4 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 2, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a lower aggregated bandwidth are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0132] Example 5 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 2, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs are allocated to receive chains according to a respective priority of the CCs.

[0133] Example 6 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 5, further including: receiving RRC signaling that indicates a respective priority of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules are based at least in part on the respective priority indicated by the RRC signaling.

[0134] Example 7 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 6, where the at least one receive chain switching criteria includes a power imbalance criterion, a receive time delay criterion, and a frequency separation criterion.

[0135] Example 8 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 7, further including: determining one or more possible configurations for allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more possible configurations each satisfy the at least one receive chain switching criteria; and selecting a configuration from the one or more possible configurations based at least in part on the one or more receive chain allocation rules, where the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the selected configuration.

[0136] Example 9 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 8, further including: transmitting an indication that (i) the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and thesecond CC and (ii) the second receive chain is allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0137] Example 10 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 9, further including: receiving at least one control message that configures the UE to (i) allocate the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) allocate the second receive chain to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0138] Example 11 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 10, where allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on a respective cell type of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, the respective cell type comprising a PCell or an SCell.

[0139] Example 12 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 11, where allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective power of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a power imbalance between the second CC and the third CC.

[0140] Example 13 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 12, where allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a receive time delay between the first CC and the second CC, (ii) a receive time delay between the first CC and the third CC, or (iii) a receive time delay between the second CC and the third CC.

[0141] Example 14 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 13, where allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC includes: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a frequency separation between the first CC andthe second CC, (iii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a frequency separation between the second CC and the third CC.

[0142] Example 15 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 14, where a power imbalance between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first power threshold and less than a second power threshold.

[0143] Example 16 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 15, where a receive time delay between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first time threshold and less than a second time threshold.

[0144] Example 17 includes the method of any of examples 1 to 16, where a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC is greater than a first frequency threshold and less than a second frequency threshold.

[0145] Example 18 is a method including: transmitting a first downlink message via at least one of a first CC or a second CC in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria and one or more receive chain allocation rules; and transmitting a second downlink message via a third CC in accordance with the at least one receive chain switching criteria and the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

[0146] Example 19 includes the method of example 18, further including: associating a first receive chain with the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an aggregated bandwidth of the first CC and the second CC, or (iii) a respective priority of the first CC and the second CC.

[0147] Example 20 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 19, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a smaller frequency separation are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0148] Example 21 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 19, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a lower aggregated bandwidth are allocated to a same receive chain.

[0149] Example 22 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 19, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs are allocated to receive chains according to a respective priority of the CCs.

[0150] Example 23 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 22, further including: transmitting RRC signaling that indicates a respective priority of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more receive chain allocation rules are based at least in part on the respective priority indicated by the RRC signaling.

[0151] Example 24 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 23, where the at least one receive chain switching criteria includes a power imbalance criterion, a receive time delay criterion, and a frequency separation criterion.

[0152] Example 25 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 24, further including: determining one or more possible configurations for allocating receive chains to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, where the one or more possible configurations each satisfy the at least one receive chain switching criteria; and selecting a configuration from the one or more possible configurations based at least in part on the one or more receive chain allocation rules, where the at least one control message indicates the selected configuration.

[0153] Example 26 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 25, further including: receiving an indication that (i) the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) the second receive chain is allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0154] Example 27 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 26, further including: transmitting at least one control message that configures a UE to (i) allocate the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) allocate the second receive chain to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

[0155] Example 28 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 27, further including: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on a respective cell type of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, the respective cell type comprising a PCell or an SCell.

[0156] Example 29 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 28, further including: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective power of the first CC, the second CC, or the third CC, (ii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) apower imbalance between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a power imbalance between the second CC and the third CC.

[0157] Example 30 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 29, further including: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a receive time delay between the first CC and the second CC, (ii) a receive time delay between the first CC and the third CC, or (iii) a receive time delay between the second CC and the third CC.

[0158] Example 31 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 30, further including: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a frequency separation between the second CC and the third CC.

[0159] Example 32 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 31, where a power imbalance between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first power threshold and less than a second power threshold.

[0160] Example 33 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 32, where a receive time delay between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first time threshold and less than a second time threshold.

[0161] Example 34 includes the method of any of examples 18 to 33, where a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC is greater than a first frequency threshold and less than a second frequency threshold.

[0162] Example 35 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-34, or any other method or process described herein.

[0163] Example 36 includes an apparatus with logic, modules, and / or circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) configured to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-34, or any other method or process described herein.

[0164] Example 37 is an apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-34, or portions thereof.

[0165] Example 38 is a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the system can include the methods of any one of examples 1-34.

[0166] Example 39 is a device capable of wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the device can include the methods of any one of examples 1-34.

[0167] Example 40 is an apparatus including one or more baseband processors configured to perform the method of any of examples 1 to 17.

[0168] Example 41 is an apparatus including one or more baseband processors configured to perform the method of any of examples 18 to 34.

[0169] Example 42 is a UE including one or more processors configured to perform the method of any of examples 1 to 17.

[0170] Example 43 is a base station including one or more baseband processors configured to perform the method of any of examples 18 to 34.

[0171] Example 44 is a non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any of examples 1 to 17.

[0172] Example 45 is a non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any of examples 18 to 34.

[0173] The foregoing examples are implementable using a computer-implemented method; a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the computer-implemented method; and a computer system including a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to perform the computer- implemented method or the instructions stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable medium.

[0174] A system, e.g., a base station, an apparatus including one or more baseband processors, and so forth, can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. The operations or actions performed either by the system can include the methods of any one of examples 18-34.

[0175] Any of the above-described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0176] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

[0177] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method comprising: allocating a first receive chain and a second receive chain to a first component carrier (CC), a second CC, and a third CC in accordance with one or more receive chain allocation rules; receiving a first downlink message via the first receive chain allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules; switching from the first receive chain to the second receive chain in accordance with at least one receive chain switching criteria; and receiving a second downlink message via the second receive chain allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC comprises: allocating the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC and the second CC, (ii) an aggregated bandwidth of the first CC and the second CC, or (iii) a respective priority of the first CC and the second CC.

3. The method of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a smaller frequency separation are allocated to a same receive chain.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs with a lower aggregated bandwidth are allocated to a same receive chain.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the one or more receive chain allocation rules indicate that CCs are allocated to receive chains according to a respective priority of the CCs.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling that indicates a respective priority of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, wherein the one or more receive chain allocation rules are based at least in part on the respective priority indicated by the RRC signaling.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one receive chain switching criteria comprises a power imbalance criterion, a receive time delay criterion, and a frequency separation criterion.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: determining one or more possible configurations for allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, wherein the one or more possible configurations each satisfy the at least one receive chain switching criteria; and selecting a configuration from the one or more possible configurations based at least in part on the one or more receive chain allocation rules, wherein the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC in accordance with the selected configuration.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: transmitting an indication that (i) the first receive chain is allocated to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) the second receive chain is allocated to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: receiving at least one control message with an indication to (i) allocate the first receive chain to the first CC and the second CC and (ii) allocate the second receive chain to the third CC in accordance with the one or more receive chain allocation rules and the at least one receive chain switching criteria.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC comprises: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to the one or more receive chain allocation rules that are based on a respective cell type of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, the respective cell type comprising a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell).

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC comprises: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective power of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a power imbalance between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a power imbalance between the second CC and the third CC.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC comprises: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a receive time delay between the first CC and the second CC, (ii) a receive time delay between the first CC and the third CC, or (iii) a receive time delay between the second CC and the third CC.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC comprises: allocating the first receive chain and the second receive chain to the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC according to at least one of: (i) a respective channel index of the first CC, the second CC, and the third CC, (ii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC, (iii) a frequency separation between the first CC and the third CC, or (iv) a frequency separation between the second CC and the third CC.

15. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein a power imbalance between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first power threshold and less than a second power threshold.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 15, wherein a receive time delay between the third CC and at least one of the first CC or the second CC is greater than a first time threshold and less than a second time threshold.

17. The method of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein a frequency separation between the first CC and the second CC is greater than a first frequency threshold and less than a second frequency threshold.

18. One or more processors configured to, when executing instructions stored in a memory, perform the method of any of claims 1-17.

19. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-17.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any of claims 1-17.

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