Pcell location in carrier aggregation configuration

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a primary cell location in carrier aggregation configuration. In an aspect, a terminal device receives carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and performs the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

Description

PCELL LOCATION IN CARRIER AGGREGATION CONFIGURATION CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from, and the benefit of, US Provisional Application No.63 / 703493, filed October 4, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD

[0002] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communication and in particular, to a terminal device, a network device, methods, apparatuses and a computer readable storage medium for determining a primary cell location in carrier aggregation configuration. BACKGROUND

[0003] A communication network can be seen as a facility that enables communications between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is one example of a communication network.

[0004] Such communication networks operate in accordance with standards, such as those promulgated by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Examples of such standards include the so-called 5G (5th Generation) standard or other standards promulgated by 3GPP. SUMMARY

[0005] In general, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for determining a primary cell location in carrier aggregation configuration.

[0006] In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and perform the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0007] In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: configure carrier aggregation configuration information for non- contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determinedbased on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and transmit the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0008] In a third aspect, there is provided a method. The method may include: receiving carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and performing the non-contiguous intra- band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method may include: configuring carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non- contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and transmitting the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus may include: means for receiving carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and means for performing the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus may include: means for configuring carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and means for transmitting the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium including program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to any of fourth or sixth aspects.

[0013] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program including instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform at least the method according to any of fourth or sixth aspects.

[0014] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device may include: receiving circuitry configured to receive carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-bandcarrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and performing circuitry configured to perform the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0015] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device may include: configuring circuitry configured to configure carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0016] It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Fig. 1A illustrates a communication environment in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0019] Fig.1B illustrates a FDD band with an UL frequency segment and a DL frequency segment;

[0020] Fig.2 illustrates an exemplary signaling chart illustrating communication process in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Fig.3 illustrates an exemplary rule to secure for fragmented CA operation;

[0022] Fig.4 illustrates an exemplary rule for the minimum fragmented CA combination;

[0023] Fig.5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Fig.6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig. 7 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Fig.8 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0033] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0034] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0035] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0036] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

[0037] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle- mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0038] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for a primary cell location in carrier aggregation configuration. In some embodiments, a terminal device may receive carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. The terminal device may further perform the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule. Principles and some example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Fig.1A illustrates an example of a network environment 100 in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 100, which may be a part of a communication network, comprises a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. The network environment 100 may also be called as a network system, a communication environment, a communication network, a communication system, or the like, the present disclosure does not limit this aspect.

[0040] The environment 100 may comprise any suitable number of devices and cells. In the environment 100, the network device 120 can provide services to the terminal device 110, and the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 may communicate with direct links / channels.

[0041] In the environment 100, a link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred toas a downlink (DL), while a link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In downlink, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or a receiver). In uplink, the terminal device 110 is a transmitting TX device (or a transmitter) and the network device 120 is a RX device (or a receiver). It is to be understood that the network device 120 may provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, the network device 120 can provide multiple cells.

[0042] Communications in the communication system 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1002.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0043] It is to be understood that the numbers of devices (i.e., the terminal device 110 and the network device 120) and their connection relationships and types shown in FIG.1A are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitation. For example, the environment 100 may include any suitable numbers of devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, while FIG.1A depicts the terminal device 110 as a mobile phone; the terminal device 110 may be any type of user equipment.

[0044] While adjacent channel selectivity, In-band blocking and narrowband blocking all rely on the presence (or lack of) analogue filtering, image rejection is determined by the un-equal balancing of the carrier bandwidths and the in-gap distance. Lastly, the ΔRIBNC(delta reference sensitivity relaxation) for non- contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation, is a metric that is caused purely by the location of the primary cell (PCell) within the band relative to the secondary cell (SCell).

[0045] Fig.1B illustrates a frequency division duplexing (FDD) band with an UL frequency segment and a DL frequency segment. In each segment, a primary component carrier (PCC) is present. In the DL segment, a secondary component carrier (SCC) is also present. At the top, the duplex filtering is shown across the two frequency segments. Between the UL and DL PCC, there is the duplexing distance for the FDD band, which secures a relative consistent attenuation (isolation) between the uplink and the downlink through the duplex filter. When the SCC of the downlink is placed closer to the uplink PCC than the DL PCC, it becomes clear that the SCC will not have the same isolation as the DL PCC from the uplink PCC. This means that the SCCreceiver sensitivity will be affected by the uplink. The ΔRIBNCis therefore a relaxation of the receiver sensitivity that targets the SCC “facing” the uplink PCC in FDD bands.

[0046] The relaxation for this UE condition is captured in 38.101-1, as shown in the following table 7.3A.2.2-1, with levels as much as 25.2dB for CA_n26(2A).

[0047] In view of the above, one challenge with the carrier aggregation is how to define UE requirements for fragmented carrier aggregations (CA) considering the impact of having an SCC placed closer to the uplink PCC. The term “fragmented CA” refers to a certain configuration within the existing CA definition of “non- contiguous intra-band carrier configuration” in which the UE must receive the two non-contiguous component carriers using just one receiver. This single receiver will be subjected to larger interference, since the receiver must down-convert an un-attenuated interference between the two component carriers. It causes additional interference to the UE, that is already suffering from performance loss of supporting fragmented CA withoutan analogue channel filter. Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a framework that allows UE to operate in the fragmented CA condition. It is assumed that the target to reduce the number of receivers in use at the UE is to increase the inter-band combinations (for example, using free receiver for higher CA combinations).

[0048] With the embodiments, the terminal device that only uses one Rx chain will not have to suffer additional REFSENS degradation on the SCell due to lack of isolation in the duplex filtering. Moreover, requirements for UE RF performance in fragmented CA can be made without consideration of ΔRIBNC.

[0049] Hereinafter, the example method for providing PCell location in carrier aggregation configuration will be described with reference to Fig.2 to Fig.6. Reference is first made to Fig.2, which illustrates an exemplary signaling chart illustrating communication process in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 2, a network device 120 configures 210 carrier aggregation configuration information 214 for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device. In some embodiments, the carrier aggregation configuration information based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a PCC on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. The network device 120 transmits 212 the carrier aggregation configuration information 214 to the terminal device 110. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 receives 216 the carrier aggregation configuration information 214, and then terminal device 110 performs 218 the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0051] In some embodiments, if the frequency of the UL band is lower than the frequency of the DL band, the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the DL band. The SCC is placed away from the UL band with respect to the PCC on the DL band.

[0052] Additionally or alternatively, if the frequency of the UL band is higher than the frequency of the DL band, the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the DL band. The SCC is placed away from the UL band with respect to the PCC on the DL band.

[0053] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the DL band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the DL band.

[0054] For instance, the minimum fallback (the lowest carrier combination) to support the feature of the fragmented CA is the non-contiguous intra-band CA case with no inter-band combination, and Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary rule to secure for fragmented CA operation. As shown in the top of Fig.3, the UL band is lower than the DL band; when the PCC is mandated by the rule (such as the note in the requirements) to be placed at CC1 on the DL band and then the SCC is accordingly placed at CC2 on the DL band, the PCC on the DL band will be configured closer to UL band with respect to the SCC on the DL band. Asshown in the bottom of Fig.3, the UL band is higher than the DL band; when the PCC is mandated by the rule (such as the note in the requirements) to be placed at CC2 on the DL band and then the SCC is accordingly at CC1 on the DL band, the PCC on the DL band will be configured closer to UL band with respect to the SCC on the DL band. In this way, the additional interference to the UE will be avoided.

[0055] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non- contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing (FDD) band, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. For instance, the configuration combination may be included in the below table 1 as a new entry since some of the bands for fragmented CA is already defined, for example, table 1 may be the table 7.3.A.2.2-1: Intra-band non- contiguous CA with one uplink configuration for reference sensitivity in FDD bands, which is defined in 3GPP TR 38.101-1. This will be a way to adopt the fragmented CA into the non-contiguous intra-band CA reference sensitivity. Table 1 CA SCS Aggregated channel bandwidth Wgap / [MHz] UL PCC ΔRIBNCDuplex configuration (PCC / SCC) (PCC+SCC) allocation (dB) mode (kHz) (LCRB) CA_n1(2A) 15 / 15 5MHz + 5MHz 0.0 < Wgap ≤ 25 0.5 FDD 50.0 CA_n2(2A) 15 / 15 5MHz + 5MHz Wgap = 55.0 1055.0 FDD Wgap = 30.0 25 0.0 CA_n3(2A) 15 / 15 5MHz + 5MHz Wgap = 65.0 1254.7 FDD Wgap= 45.0 2550.0 CA_n3(2A) N / A NOTE 1 NOTE 2 NOTE 4 0.0 FDD CA_n5(2A) 15 / 15 15MHz + 5MHz Wgap = 5.0 556.3 FDD NOTE 1: All combinations of channel bandwidths defined in Table 5.5A.2-1. NOTE 2: All applicable sub-block gap sizes. NOTE 3: The PCC allocation is same as Transmission bandwidth configuration NRBas defined in Table 5.3.2-1. NOTE 4: The carrier center frequency of PCC in the DL operating band is configured closer to the UL operating band. NOTE 5: Refers to the UL resource blocks shall be located as close as possible to the downlink operating band but confined within the transmission.

[0056] As shown the bold “CA_n3(2A)” of in table 1, the configuration combination may be defined in the table 1 as a new entry, and is not necessarily defined using the syntax of CA declaration as for non- contiguous intra-band CA, but could be identified as a Fragmented CA configuration from a Note, or from a new syntax developed to indicate the UE is to receive the two component carriers of the CA with a single receiver per antenna path. The configuration combination may be limited by note 1 “All combinations of channel bandwidths defined in Table 5.5A.2-1”. The configuration combination may further be limited by note 2 “All applicable sub-block gap sizes”. The configuration combination may further be limited by note 4 “The carrier center frequency of PCC in the DL operating band is configured closer to the UL operatingband”.

[0057] Continue referring to Fig. 2, in some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers. As an example, the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the DL band is configured closer to the UL band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the DL band. Alternatively or additionally, the rule comprises that the PCC is configured in the DL band of the single carrier configuration.

[0058] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. For example, the rule may be defined in the below table 2, and the table 2 may be table 5.5A.3.1-1a: NR CA configurations and bandwidth combinations sets defined for inter-band CA (two bands), which is defined in 3GPP TR 38.101-1.

[0059] For instance, the above exemplary minimum fallback does not include an inter-band combination. Since it makes no sense to apply fragmented CA to use only one Rx chain, when the UE has plenty of Rx chains available, the minimum fragmented CA combination will be an inter-band combination, that will require the use of the Rx chain that has been spared in the fragmented CA band. If it is decided to declare the minimum fragmented CA combination as part of a 2 CA inter-band combination, where one band has fragmented carriers, then it will not be declared as described in the table 1. Fig.4 illustrates an exemplary rule for the minimum fragmented CA combination. As shown in Fig.4, the PCC is mandated by the rule (such as by the note or text) to be configured in the DL band of the single carrier configuration. In this way, the additional interference to the UE will be avoided.

[0060] Exemplarily, the rule may be included in the agreement in the 3GPP specification as the following underlined text: 5.5A.3.0 General For the NR inter-band CA configurations in sub-clause 5.5A.3, when the capability [BandCombination-UplinkTxSwitch-r18] is present, three or four bands can be configured in the uplink with simultaneous uplink transmission on up to two bands, and the corresponding inter-band CA requirements with uplink assigned to one or two bands shall apply. For each uplink band pair in the NR inter-band CA configurations, according to the capability [uplinkTxSwitchingOptionForBandPair], – if switchedUL is supported, uplink transmission on any one band of the band pair in the band combination shall be supported according to the scheduling commands, and the corresponding inter-band CA requirements with uplink assigned to one band on band X or band Y apply; – if dualUL is supported, simultaneous uplink transmission on the two NR UL bands from the band pair for which dualUL is declared in the band combination shall be supported according to the scheduling commands, and the corresponding inter- band CA requirements with uplink CA between the two uplink bands apply. For a UE supporting [BandOrdering1T1Tto1T1T] for parallel uplink transmission switching for a band combination consisting with four different bands, the UE is allowed toreport capability [preferredBandPairs] via band-ordering approach to indicate the UE’s preferred switching band pairs for which it supports dualUL and perform the switching case configured by network. For the NR inter-band CA configurations in sub-clause 5.5A.3, when the capability [Fragmented-CA] is present, the carrier center frequency of PCC in the DL operating band with non-contiguous intra-band CA is configured closer to the UL operating band or the PCC is present in the DL operating band with single carrier configuration.

[0061] In addition to the underlined text, or as an alternative, the table 2 may indicate the definition of the fragmented CA combination. Table 2 Uplink CA configuration or NR Bandwidth NR CA configuration Channel bandwidth (MHz) (NOTE 3) single uplink Band combination set carrier10CA_n1A-n3(2A) CA_n1A-n3A n1 5, 10, 15, 20 0 n3 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 n1 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 1 n3 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 n1 5, 10, 15, 20 2 n3 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 n1 n1 channel bandwidths in Table 5.3.5-1 4 and 5 n3 n3 channel bandwidths in Table 5.3.5-1 CA_n1A-n3(2A)17CA_n1A-n3A n1 5, 10, 15, 20 0 n3 CA_n3(2A)_BCS0 CA_n1A-xxx CA_n1A-n3A n1 5, 10, 15, 20 0 n3 CA_n3(2A)_BCS0 The following notes are applied to the above tables: NOTE 10: Only single uplink carriers with power class other than PC3 are listed. NOTE 17: The carrier center frequency of PCC in the DL operating band of the non-contiguous intra-band is configured closer to the UL operating band. Or the PCC is present in the DL operating band with single carrier configuration.

[0062] As shown “CA_n1A-n3(2A)” and “CA_n1A-xxx” of in table 2, the configuration combination may be defined in the table 2 as a new entry. The configuration combination may be limited by note 17 “The carrier center frequency of PCC in the DL operating band of the non-contiguous intra-band is configured closer to the UL operating band. Or the PCC is present in the DL operating band with single carrier configuration”.

[0063] Continue referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two DL component carriers and one UL component carriers.

[0064] In some embodiments, in addition to include the requirements as the note, these embodiments provide an option to include another table for the bands that support fragmented CA. The plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation. Forexample, the plurality of configuration combinations may be included in a table 3 different from the table 1 (which has only FDD bands that can have uplink CA in the non-contiguous intra-band combination) and the table 2.

[0065] Exemplarily, the definition may be included in the agreement in the 3GPP specification as followings:

[0066] For aggregation of two or more downlink FDD carriers received with 1 RX chain and having one uplink carrier the reference sensitivity is defined only for the specific uplink and downlink test points which are specified in Table 7.3A.2.2-3. The requirements apply with all downlink carriers and one uplink carrier active. The reference sensitivity requirements shall be verified with the network signaling value NS_01 (Table 6.2.3.1-1) configured.

[0067] A new table 3 that is limited to have one uplink only in the fragmented CA band may be provided as part of 38.101-1 section 7.3A.2.2 Reference sensitivity power level for Intra-band non-contiguous CA, and the table 3 may be named as intra-band non-contiguous CA for fragmented CA. Table 3 CA configuration SCS Aggregated channel Wgap / [MHz] UL PCC MSD (PCC / SCC) bandwidth (PCC+SCC) allocation (dB) (kHz) (LCRB) CA_n2A-xxx 15 / 15 5MHz + 5MHz 0.0 < Wgap ≤ xx 25 x.xdB CA_n2A-xxx 15 / 15 5MHz + 10MHz 0.0 < Wgap ≤ xx 25 y.ydB .. CA_n66A-xxx 15 / 15 5MHz + 5MHz 0.0 < Wgap≤ xx 25 z.zdB

[0068] NS_01 is important, since there is no A-MPR related to the REFSENS definition and testing. This table will allow differentiation of requirements that include considerations of image rejection (differences in PCC and SCC channel bandwidths).

[0069] Fig.5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 with reference to Fig.1.

[0070] At block 510, the terminal device 110 receives carrier aggregation configuration information for non- contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. At block 520, the terminal device 110 performs the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0071] In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of the downlink band. In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within thedownlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

[0072] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

[0073] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non- contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

[0074] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

[0075] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier. In some embodiments, the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

[0076] Fig.6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 with reference to Fig.1.

[0077] At block 610, the network device 120 configures carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. At block 620, the network device 120 transmits the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0078] In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of thedownlink band. In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

[0079] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

[0080] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non- contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

[0081] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

[0082] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier. In some embodiments, the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

[0083] In some embodiments, an apparatus (for example, the terminal device 110) capable of performing the method 500 may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0084] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for receiving carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. The apparatus further comprisesmeans for performing the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

[0085] In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of the downlink band. In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

[0086] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

[0087] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non- contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

[0088] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

[0089] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier. In some embodiments, the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

[0090] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 500. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0091] In some embodiments, an apparatus (for example, the network device 120) capable of performing the method 600 may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The meansmay be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for configuring carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, where the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band. The apparatus further comprises means for transmitting the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

[0093] In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of the downlink band. In some embodiments, the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

[0094] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

[0095] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non- contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

[0096] In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

[0097] In some embodiments, the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination. In some embodiments, the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier. In some embodiments, the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 600. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0099] Fig.7 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement the communication device, for example the first network device 110, and the second network device 120 as shown in Fig.1. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0100] The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network devices.

[0101] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0102] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM) 724, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that may not last in the power-down duration.

[0103] A computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0104] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program so that the device 700 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to Figs.2 to 6. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0105] In some embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

[0106] Fig. 8 illustrates an example of the computer readable medium 800 in form of CD or DVD in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium has the program 730 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer-readable medium 800 is depicted in form of CD or DVD, the computer-readable medium 800 may be in any other form suitable for carry or hold the program 730.

[0107] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0108] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer- executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the methods 500 or 600 as described above with reference to Fig.5 to Fig.6. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0109] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0110] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[0111] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium wouldinclude an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non- transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0112] Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that may be described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub- combination.

[0113] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above may be disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and perform the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of the downlink band.

3. The terminal device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

4. The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and wherein the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

5. The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and wherein the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination.

6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

7. The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and wherein the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and wherein the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination.

9. The terminal device of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

11. A network device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: configure carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and transmit the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the rule comprises that the PCC has the lowest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is lower than a frequency of the downlink band.

13. The network device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the rule comprises that the PCC has the highest frequency within the downlink band based on determining that a frequency of the uplink band is higher than a frequency of the downlink band.

14. The network device of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation without inter-band carrier aggregation, and wherein the rule comprises that a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a secondary component carrier (SCC) on the downlink band.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the configuration combination is included in a table for the intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation with one uplink configuration in frequency division duplexing bands, and wherein the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the configuration combination comprises a plurality of combinations of channel bandwidths of the PCC and the SCC.

17. The network device of any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a configuration combination of inter-band carrier aggregation in which one band comprises at least two component carriers, and wherein the rule comprises at least one of the following: a carrier center frequency of the PCC on the downlink band is configured closer to the uplink band with respect to a carrier center frequency of a SCC on the downlink band; or the PCC is configured in the downlink band of the single carrier configuration.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the configuration combination is included in a table for carrier aggregation configurations for inter-band carrier aggregations, and wherein the rule is defined as a note in the table applied to the configuration combination.

19. The network device of any of claims 11 to 18, wherein the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation comprises a plurality of configuration combinations aggregating at least two downlink component carriers and one uplink component carrier.

20. The network device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of configuration combinations are included in a table for intra-band non-contiguous carrier aggregation.

21. A method comprising: receiving carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and performing the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

22. A method comprising: configuring carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and transmitting the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

23. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of the terminal device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; and means for performing the non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation based on the carrier aggregation configuration information and the rule.

24. An apparatus comprising: means for configuring carrier aggregation configuration information for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation in which two non-contiguous component carriers are received by one receiver of a network device, wherein the carrier aggregation configuration information is determined based on a rule, and the rule comprises that a primary component carrier (PCC) on a downlink band is placed towards an uplink band; andmeans for transmitting the carrier aggregation configuration information to the terminal device.

25. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least one of the methods of claims 21 and 22.

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