UE Capability Reporting for Carrier Aggregation Bandwidth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing user equipment (UE) technologies are insufficient in reporting maximum aggregated bandwidth capabilities for carrier aggregation, leading to limited flexibility in radio resource allocation and increased signaling burden.
Innovation Solution
The UE reports an information element that includes the maximum number of resource blocks or subcarriers that the baseband processor can process, allowing radio access networks to allocate radio resources more flexibly while minimizing signaling burden.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the UE reports detailed combinations of component carriers for carrier aggregation, then the radio access network gains better knowledge of UE capabilities, but the signaling burden on the UE increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential capability parameter (maximum aggregated bandwidth in terms of resource blocks) from the full set of UE capabilities, reporting it separately from detailed component carrier combinations. This allows the RAN to obtain necessary information without requiring the UE to report all possible carrier combinations, thereby reducing signaling overhead while preserving critical capability data.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the UE report what it can support (detailed component carrier combinations), the approach inverts the reporting by having the UE report its processing capacity limit (maximum resource blocks). This inversion allows the RAN to derive appropriate carrier configurations from the capacity limit, reducing the information the UE must report while maintaining allocation flexibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the UE reports maximum bandwidth processing capabilities for radio resource allocation, then the radio access network gains flexibility in allocating radio resources, but the signaling burden on the UE increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential processing capacity parameter (maximum aggregated bandwidth in resource blocks) from the complete set of UE capabilities. This single parameter provides the RAN with sufficient information to flexibly allocate resources across multiple component carriers without requiring the UE to report detailed configuration preferences or all possible carrier combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the reporting parameter from detailed component carrier combinations to a single capacity parameter (maximum resource blocks). This parameter transformation maintains the RAN's ability to flexibly allocate resources while significantly reducing the signaling burden, as the capacity parameter can be derived once and used for multiple allocation decisions.
3Device complexity
If the UE reports only the number of component carriers for carrier aggregation, then the signaling burden is minimized, but the flexibility in radio resource allocation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the UE report its maximum processing capacity (in resource blocks) in advance, before actual resource allocation occurs. This preliminary capacity information enables the RAN to make flexible allocation decisions for multiple component carriers without requiring subsequent detailed capability reports, thus achieving both low signaling overhead and high allocation flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The reported maximum resource block parameter serves multiple functions: it indicates the UE's processing capacity, guides component carrier configuration, and enables flexible resource allocation across different scenarios. This single universal parameter replaces the need for multiple specific capability reports, achieving versatility without increasing signaling burden.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods for reporting user equipment (UE) capabilities for carrier aggregation sessions. Instead of, or in addition to, reporting maximum bandwidth processing capabilities, the present disclosure utilizes an information element reported by the UE that includes the maximum number of resource blocks or subcarriers that can be processed by the baseband processor of the UE.