Combined UE Carrier Aggregation via Terminal Merging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current mobile terminals are limited to supporting only one or two downlink component carriers due to legacy constraints and power consumption issues, lagging behind the carrier aggregation capabilities of network base stations, which restricts the achievement of higher data rates despite available network support for up to five component carriers.

Innovation Solution

A combined user equipment (UE) system is introduced, where multiple mobile terminals are coordinated to operate as a single device, leveraging multiple component carriers for enhanced carrier aggregation, allowing five or more carriers to be aggregated and improving spectral efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple mobile terminals are coordinated to operate as a combined UE system, then the number of aggregated component carriers can exceed five and spectral efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and coordination overhead increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata rateVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple mobile terminals are merged into a single combined UE system that operates as one logical device. The mobile terminals share radio resource control connections and coordinate their component carrier operations through a lead mobile terminal, enabling the system to aggregate more than five component carriers and achieve higher data rates while presenting a unified interface to the network.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If a single UE supports more component carriers, then higher data rates are achieved, but power consumption increases beyond acceptable limits

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata rateVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The combined UE system segments the component carrier reception tasks across multiple mobile terminals. Each mobile terminal handles only the component carriers it is configured to receive, rather than a single UE attempting to process all carriers. This segmentation distributes the power consumption burden and allows the system to support more component carriers than a single UE could handle alone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If legacy UE constraints limit support to one or two downlink component carriers, then power consumption is controlled, but the network's carrier aggregation capability of up to five carriers cannot be fully utilized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier aggregation capabilityVSAvoiddata rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The combined UE system provides multi-functionality by enabling multiple mobile terminals to collectively support more than five downlink component carriers. This universal approach allows the system to adapt to various network configurations and fully utilize the base station's carrier aggregation capability, overcoming the one-or-two carrier limitation of legacy UEs and achieving higher data rates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3536074B1Carrier aggregation on combined user equipment
Publication Date: 2024.06.26 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3536074B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3536074B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3536074B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

A method (700) includes receiving a connection request (204) from a network base station (102) on a primary component carrier (CC) (220P) associated with a primary user equipment (UE) (104P), and connecting to the network base station on the primary CC. The method also includes receiving a configuration message (206) from the network base station. The configuration message instructs operation of at least one secondary CC (220S). The at least one secondary CC is associated with at least one secondary UE (104S). The method also includes, in response to receiving the configuration message, instructing the at least one secondary UE to operate on the at least one secondary CC and receive data (208) from the network base station on the at least one secondary CC.