IP Library Granted Patent US 11,057,962
Granted Patent B2
US 11,057,962 · App. 16/339,143 · Granted Jul 6, 2021

Systems and methods to report band combination capabilities in a telecommunication network

Inventors: Shadi Iskander (Unterhaching, DE); Naveen Palle (San Diego, CA); Candy Yiu (Portland, OR); Birgit Breining (Munich, DE); Youn Hyoung Heo (Seoul, KR); Hesham Elhelw (Munich, DE)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04W88/10H04L5/001H04L5/0094H04W8/24H04W72/0453H04W76/27H04W88/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,057,962
App. No.
16/339,143
Granted
Jul 6, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques described herein may be used to enable User Equipment (UE) to efficiently and reliably report supported band combinations to a wireless network. An enhanced NodeB (eNB) may determine eNB-supported bands combinations for carrier aggregation scenarios, create a simplified representation of the eNB-supported bands combinations (e.g., using a highest order band combination, groups of band combinations, etc.), and communicate the eNB-supported bands combinations to the UE. The UE may determine UE-supported band combinations that are among the eNB-supported bands combinations, create a simplified representation of the UE-supported band combinations, and communicate the eNB-supported bands combinations to the eNB. The eNB may use the UE-supported band combinations to allocate appropriate carriers to the UE for carrier aggregation.

Claims (42)

1. An apparatus of a base station comprising:

an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and

one or more processors that are controlled to:

determine a plurality of frequency band combinations, each frequency band combination, of the plurality of frequency band combinations, including a plurality of wireless frequency bands supported by the base station for carrier aggregation;

determine from the plurality of frequency band combinations a preferred subset of frequency band combinations based upon a prioritization criteria;

communicate, to a User Equipment (UE), via the interface to the RF circuitry, an indication of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations; and

receive, from the UE, via the interface to RF circuitry, at least one frequency band combination that corresponds to the preferred subset of frequency band combinations and is supported by the UE for carrier aggregation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the prioritization criteria comprises a characteristic of the frequency band combinations.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the characteristic comprises a likelihood of a given frequency band combination to interfere with another frequency band combination.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the characteristic comprises a service provision capability to the UE.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the determination of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations is made based on the prioritization criteria dynamically.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the prioritization criteria is configured.

7. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) comprising:

an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and

one or more processors that are controlled to:

receive, from a base station, via the interface to the RF circuitry, an indication of a preferred subset of frequency band combinations selected from a plurality of frequency band combinations based upon a prioritization criteria, each frequency band combination, of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations, including a plurality of wireless frequency bands supported by the base station for carrier aggregation;

determine, based on the indication, at least one frequency band combination that corresponds to the preferred subset of frequency band combinations and that is supported by the UE for carrier aggregation; and

communicate, via the interface to the RF circuitry, the at least one frequency band combination to the base station.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the prioritization criteria comprises a characteristic of the frequency band combinations.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the characteristic comprises a likelihood of a given frequency band combination to interfere with another frequency band combination.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the characteristic comprises a service provision capability to the UE.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the prioritization criteria is configured.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the determination of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations is made based on the prioritization criteria dynamically.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with a base station, to:

determine a plurality of frequency band combinations, each frequency band combination, of the plurality of frequency band combinations, including a plurality of wireless frequency bands supported by the base station for carrier aggregation;

determine from the plurality of frequency band combinations a preferred subset of frequency band combinations based upon a prioritization criteria;

communicate, to a User Equipment (UE), an indication of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations; and

receive, from the UE, at least one frequency band combination that corresponds to the preferred subset of frequency band combinations and is supported by the UE for carrier aggregation.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the prioritization criteria comprises a characteristic of the frequency band combinations.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the characteristic comprises a likelihood of a given frequency band combination to interfere with another frequency band combination.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the characteristic comprises a service provision capability to the UE.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the prioritization criteria is configured.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the determination of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations is made based on the prioritization criteria dynamically.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with a User Equipment (UE), to:

receive, from a base station, an indication of a preferred subset of frequency band combinations selected from a plurality of frequency band combinations based upon a prioritization criteria, each frequency band combination, of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations, including a plurality of wireless frequency bands supported by the base station for carrier aggregation;

determine, based on the indication, at least one frequency band combination that corresponds to the preferred subset of frequency band combinations and is supported by the UE for carrier aggregation; and

communicate the at least one frequency band combination to the base station.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the prioritization criteria comprises a characteristic of the frequency band combinations.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the characteristic comprises a likelihood of a given frequency band combination to interfere with another frequency band combination.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the characteristic comprises a service provision capability to the UE.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the prioritization criteria is configured.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the determination of the preferred subset of frequency band combinations is made based on the prioritization criteria dynamically.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT Recorded Aug 11, 2020
From: INTEL IP CORPORATION
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053455/0489 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2020
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 053065/0627 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,256,370