Carrier Aggregation Capability Signaling for Wireless Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current UE capability signaling in radio networks restricts wireless devices to use less radio features, such as MIMO layers, due to signaling a minimum capability for all component carriers, leading to underutilization of advanced devices' capabilities, especially with higher order carrier aggregation.
Innovation Solution
The network node receives UE capabilities indicating maximum limits per component carrier and across all carriers, allowing it to select and configure radio features accordingly, ensuring both limits are respected and fully utilized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If minimum capability is signaled for all component carriers, then compatibility is maintained, but device capability underutilization occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The capability signaling is segmented into per-carrier maximum capabilities and total aggregated capabilities. Instead of signaling a single minimum capability for all carriers, the device now signals separate capability values for each component carrier and an overall total, allowing the network to selectively allocate capabilities across carriers based on actual device capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The capability parameters are changed from a static minimum value applied uniformly across all carriers to dynamic maximum values per carrier with an aggregated total. This parameter change enables flexible capability allocation where the network can assign different MIMO layer counts, bandwidths, or other radio features to different carriers based on device capabilities and network conditions.
2Productivity
If higher order carrier aggregation is used, then data throughput increases, but capability underutilization worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The capability allocation becomes dynamic with higher order carrier aggregation. The network can now adaptively distribute capabilities across multiple carriers based on real-time conditions and device capabilities. Each carrier can be configured with appropriate MIMO layers and bandwidth within the signaled maximum limits, allowing full utilization of advanced device capabilities while maintaining flexibility for changing network conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary capability signaling before carrier aggregation configuration, providing the network with maximum per-carrier capabilities and total aggregated capabilities. This preliminary action enables the network to plan and configure carrier aggregation settings that fully utilize device capabilities from the outset, rather than discovering capability mismatches during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A network node (600), a wireless device (602) and methods for controlling a radio communication using carrier aggregation. The wireless device (602) sends (6:1) UE capabilities to the network node (600), indicating a maximum capability limit per component carrier and a total maximum capability limit across all component carriers to be used in the radio communication. The network node (600) further selects (6:2) a number of component carriers to be used by the wireless device, and configures (6:3) radio features on the selected component carriers based on the received UE capabilities. The network node (600) then signals (6:4) the selected number of component carriers and the configured radio features to the wireless device (602) for use in the radio communication (6:5). Thereby, the network node (600) can utilize the full capabilities of the wireless device (602) when configuring the radio features while still respecting both the maximum capability limit per carrier and the total maximum capability limit.