阅读说明：本技术 用于处理传输功率的无线设备、第一网络节点、第二网络节点、以及由此执行的方法 (Wireless device, first network node, second network node for handling transmission power, and methods performed thereby ) 是由 H·考拉帕蒂 R·诺里 A·尼姆巴克 于 2020-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种由被配置有与第一小区组和第二小区组之间的双连接的无线设备执行的方法。该方法包括确定第一小区组中的第一上行链路传输的传输功率的限制。该限制是基于第二小区组中的与第一上行链路传输在时间上重叠的所识别的第二上行链路传输来确定的。该方法进一步包括基于该限制来设置用于第一上行链路传输的传输功率。还提供了由第一网络节点和/或第二网络节点执行的方法。(A method is provided that is performed by a wireless device configured with dual connectivity with a first cell group and a second cell group. The method includes determining a limit for a transmission power of a first uplink transmission in a first cell group. The restriction is determined based on the identified second uplink transmission in the second cell group that overlaps in time with the first uplink transmission. The method further includes setting a transmission power for the first uplink transmission based on the restriction. A method performed by the first network node and/or the second network node is also provided.)

1. A method performed by a wireless device (130) configured with dual connectivity with a first cell group and a second cell group, the method comprising:

determining (203) a limit for a transmission power of a first uplink transmission in the first cell group, wherein the limit is determined based on the identified second uplink transmission in the second cell group that overlaps in time with the first uplink transmission; and

setting (204) the transmission power for the first uplink transmission based on the limitation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified second uplink transmission in the second cell group that overlaps the first uplink transmission is based on a detection of a downlink grant or allocation that triggers the second uplink transmission in the second cell group that would overlap in time with the first uplink transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detection of the downlink grant or allocation triggering the second uplink transmission is based on a first time offset related to a start of a transmission time of the first uplink transmission.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identified second uplink transmission is based on one or more parameters obtained (202) from a network node for the second cell group.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more parameters of the second cell group comprise:

a time division duplex uplink or downlink configuration for transmission or reception on a serving cell or bandwidth part BWP in the second cell group;

a configuration for transmission of at least one configured uplink grant for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group;

a slot format indicator for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group; and

at least one higher layer configured parameter.

6. The method of any of claims 4 to 5, wherein the one or more parameters of the second cell group are determined based on semi-static signaling.

7. The method of any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the determining (203) is further based on:

a prediction of a first downlink transmission set to trigger the second uplink transmission based on the one or more parameters during a time period before transmission of the first uplink transmission begins; and

detecting (201) the first downlink transmission.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the determining (203) comprises: identifying that a combined transmission power across the first cell group and the second cell group is less than a power threshold amount.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the determining (203) comprises: identifying the transmission power for the first uplink transmission using the limit.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the determining (203) comprises:

determining the transmission power for the first uplink transmission using a first power limit when the wireless device detects a downlink grant or allocation set to trigger the second uplink transmission in the second cell group that overlaps with the first uplink transmission, wherein the downlink grant or allocation is detected before a second time offset immediately before the start of the first uplink transmission; and

determining the transmission power for the second uplink transmission using a second power limit in the absence of detection of the downlink grant or allocation.

11. The method of claim 3 or claim 10, wherein the first and second time offsets are the same.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first power limit is less than the second power limit.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second time offset is based on capability signaling from the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second time offset is based on whether synchronous dual connectivity operation or asynchronous dual connectivity operation is used.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the second time offset comprises a timing difference between the first cell group and the second cell group.

16. A wireless device (130), comprising:

processing circuitry (706); and

a memory (707) coupled with the processing circuit, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processing circuit cause the wireless device to perform operations according to any of embodiments 1 to 15.

17. A wireless device (130) adapted to perform according to any one of embodiments 1-15.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (706) of a wireless device (130), whereby execution of the program code causes the wireless device (130) to perform operations according to any of embodiments 1-15.

19. A method performed by a first network node serving a first group of cells in a dual connectivity configuration in a communication network, the method comprising:

configuring (301) one or more scheduling parameters for one or more transmissions by a wireless device, wherein the configuration comprises a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission being greater than a time offset value; and

transmitting (302) a first message to a second network node, wherein the first message comprises an indication of the configured one or more scheduling parameters.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indication of the one or more configured scheduling parameters comprises the time offset value.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the time offset value is based on capability signaling of the wireless device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the time offset value is based on whether the wireless device is operating in a synchronous dual connection or an asynchronous dual connection.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the first network node is for a Master Cell Group (MCG) and the second network node is for a Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

24. The method of any of claims 19 to 23, further comprising:

scheduling (304) a first transmission of the one or more transmissions based on the configured one or more scheduling parameters.

25. The method of any of claims 19 to 23, further comprising:

transmitting (303) an indication of one or more parameters to the wireless device, wherein the one or more parameters are for a second cell group.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more parameters for the second cell group comprise:

a time division duplex uplink or downlink configuration for transmission or reception on a serving cell or bandwidth part BWP in the second cell group;

a configuration for transmission of at least one configured uplink grant for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group;

a slot format indicator for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group; and

at least one higher layer configured parameter.

27. A first network node (111) comprising:

processing circuitry (804); and

a memory (805) coupled with the processing circuit, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processing circuit cause the first network node to perform operations according to any one of embodiments 18 to 21.

28. A first network node (111) adapted to perform according to any of embodiments 16 to 20.

29. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by a processing circuit (804) of a first network node (111), whereby execution of the program code causes the first network node (111) to perform operations according to any one of embodiments 18 to 21.

30. A method performed by a second network node serving a wireless device using a second group of cells in a dual connectivity configuration in a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving (401) a first message from a first network node,

wherein the first message comprises an indication of one or more scheduling parameters configured by the first network node for one or more transmissions of the wireless device, and

wherein the one or more scheduling parameters include a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission, wherein the delay is greater than a time offset value.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indication of the one or more configured scheduling parameters comprises the time offset value.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the time offset value is based on capability signaling of the wireless device.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the time offset value is based on whether the wireless device is operating in a synchronous dual connection or an asynchronous dual connection.

34. The method of any of claims 30 to 33, further comprising:

transmitting (402) an indication of one or more parameters to the wireless device, wherein the one or more parameters are for the second cell group.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the one or more parameters for the second cell group comprise:

a time division duplex uplink or downlink configuration for transmission or reception on a serving cell or bandwidth part BWP in the second cell group;

a configuration for transmission of at least one configured uplink grant for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group;

a slot format indicator for a serving cell or BWP in the second cell group; and

at least one higher layer configured parameter.

36. The method of any of claims 30 to 35, further comprising:

scheduling (403) a second transmission of the one or more transmissions based on the one or more scheduling parameters.

37. A second network node (112), comprising:

a processing circuit (903); and

a memory (904) coupled with the processing circuit, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processing circuit cause the second network node to perform operations according to any of embodiments 30 to 36.

38. A second network node (112) adapted to perform according to any of embodiments 30 to 36.

39. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by a processing circuit (903) of a second network node (112), whereby execution of the program code causes the second network node (112) to perform operations according to any of embodiments 30 to 36.

40. A method performed by a first network node (111) or a second network node (112), the first and second network nodes serving a first and second group of cells, respectively, in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

configuring at least one or more scheduling parameters for one or more transmissions by a wireless device, wherein the configuration comprises a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission being greater than a value.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the configuring comprises: allowing the at least one or more scheduling parameters to be a limited set of values.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the value comprises a time offset plus a maximum possible time difference between the first cell group and the second cell group.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to wireless devices, network nodes, and methods performed thereby for handling transmission power.

Background

A wireless device within a wireless communication network may be, for example, a User Equipment (UE), a Station (STA), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a terminal, and/or a Mobile Station (MS). The wireless device is capable of wireless communication in a cellular communication network or wireless communication network (also sometimes referred to as a cellular radio system, a cellular system, or a cellular network). The communication may be performed, for example, between two wireless devices, between a wireless device and a regular telephone, and/or between a wireless device and a server via a Radio Access Network (RAN) and possibly one or more core networks included in the wireless communication network. The wireless device may further be referred to as a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer with wireless functionality, just to mention some further examples. A wireless device in this context may be, for example, a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile apparatus capable of communicating voice and/or data with another entity, such as another terminal or server, via the RAN.

The wireless communication network covers a geographical area which may be divided into cell areas, each cell area being served by a network node, which may be an access node, such as a radio network node, a radio node or a base station, e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which sometimes may be referred to as e.g. an evolved node B ("eNB"), "eNodeB", "nodeb", "B node", gNB, Transmission Point (TP), or BTS (base transceiver station), depending on the technology and terminology used. Based on the transmission power and thus also on the cell size, the base stations may be of different categories, such as e.g. wide area base stations, medium range base stations, local area base stations, home base stations, pico base stations, etc. A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by a base station or radio node at a base station site or radio node site, respectively. One base station located at a base station site may serve one or more cells. Further, each base station may support one or more communication technologies. A base station communicates over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with terminals that are within range of the base station. The wireless communication network may also be a non-cellular system including network nodes that may serve receiving nodes (such as wireless devices) with a serving beam. In third generation partnership project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), a base station (which may be referred to as an eNodeB or even an eNB) may be directly connected to one or more core networks. In the context of the present disclosure, the expression "Downlink (DL)" may be used for the transmission path from the base station to the wireless device. The expression "Uplink (UL)" may be used for the transmission path in the opposite direction, i.e. from the wireless device to the base station.

The multi-carrier operation will now be described.

In multi-carrier or Carrier Aggregation (CA) operation, a UE may be able to receive and/or transmit data to more than one serving cell. In other words, a CA-capable UE may be configured to operate with rushing through one serving cell. The carrier of each serving cell may be generally referred to as a Component Carrier (CC). For simplicity, it can be understood that a Component Carrier (CC) means a single carrier in a multi-carrier system. The term Carrier Aggregation (CA) may also be referred to (e.g., interchangeably referred to as) "multi-carrier system", "multi-cell operation", "multi-carrier" transmission and/or reception. This may be understood to mean that the CA may be used to transmit signaling and data in both the uplink and downlink directions. One CC is a Primary Component Carrier (PCC), or simply primary carrier or even anchor carrier. The remaining CCs may be referred to as Secondary Component Carriers (SCCs), or simply secondary carriers or even supplementary carriers. The serving cell may be interchangeably referred to as a primary cell (PCell) or a Primary Serving Cell (PSC). Similarly, a secondary serving cell may be interchangeably referred to as a secondary cell (SCell) or a Secondary Serving Cell (SSC).

In general, the primary CC or anchor CC may carry UE-specific signaling that may be needed by the UE. A primary CC (i.e., PCC or PCell) may be present in CA in both uplink and downlink directions. In case there is a single UL CC, a PCell may be located on the CC. The network may assign different primary carriers to different UEs operating in the same sector or cell.

In Dual Connectivity (DC) operation, a UE may be served by at least two nodes, referred to as a primary enb (menb) and a secondary enb (senb). More generally, in multi-connectivity (also referred to as multi-connectivity) operation, a UE may be served by two or more nodes, where each node may operate or manage one group of cells, e.g., MeNB, SeNB1, SeNB2, and so on. More specifically, in multi-connectivity, each node may serve or manage at least the secondary serving cells belonging to its own group of cells. Each cell group may contain one or more serving cells. The UE may be configured with PCCs from both MeNB and SeNB. Pcells from MeNB and SeNB may be referred to as PCell and PSCell, respectively. The UE may also be configured with one or more SCCs from each of the MeNB and SeNB. The corresponding secondary serving cells served by the MeNB and SeNB may be referred to as scells. A UE in DC may typically have a separate transmitter/receiver (TX/RX) for each connection with MeNB and SeNB. This may allow the MeNB and SeNB to independently configure one or more procedures (e.g., Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle, etc.) for the UE on their PCell and PSCell, respectively.

In multi-connectivity, all cell groups may contain serving cells of the same Radio Access Technology (RAT), e.g., LTE, or different cell groups may contain serving cells of different RATs.

The dual connection will now be described.

An evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) may support Dual Connectivity (DC) operation, whereby a multi Rx/Tx UE in RRC _ CONNECTED may be configured to utilize radio resources provided by two different schedulers located in two enbs CONNECTED via a non-ideal backhaul over an X2 interface (see 3GPP 36.300). DC operation may be understood to advantageously provide data aggregation and link diversity by using more than one link to achieve robustness. The enbs involved in DC may assume two different roles for a certain UE: an eNB may act as a primary node (MN) or as a Secondary Node (SN). In DC, a MN may be understood as e.g. a radio network node that may terminate an interface between at least the radio network node and a Mobility Management Entity (MME). Such an interface may be, for example, an S1 control plane interface between the eNB and the MME (S1-MME). In DC, SN may be understood as a radio network node that may provide additional radio resources to the UE, but not the MN. In DC, a UE can be connected to one MN and one SN.

Dual Connectivity (DC) may be generally used in NR (5G) and LTE systems to increase UE transmission and reception data rates. With dual connectivity, the UE may typically initially operate a group of serving cells called a Master Cell Group (MCG). The network may then configure the UE with an additional cell group, referred to as a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). Each Cell Group (CG) may have one or more serving cells. The MCG and SCG may operate from geographically non-co-located gnbs.

Disclosure of Invention

According to various embodiments of the inventive concept, a method performed by a wireless device configured with dual connectivity with a first cell group and a second cell group is provided. The method includes determining a limit for a transmission power of a first uplink transmission in a first cell group. The restriction is determined based on the identified second uplink transmission in the second cell group that overlaps in time with the first uplink transmission. The method further includes setting a transmission power for the first uplink transmission based on the restriction.

Corresponding embodiments for a wireless device, a computer product and a computer program of the inventive concept are also provided.

According to further embodiments of the inventive concept, a method performed by a first network node serving a first group of cells in a dual connectivity configuration in a communication network is provided. The method includes configuring one or more scheduling parameters for one or more transmissions of a wireless device. The configuration includes a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission being greater than a time offset value. The method further comprises sending the first message to the second network node. The first message includes an indication of the configured one or more scheduling parameters.

In some embodiments, the other operations performed by the first network node include: a first transmission of the one or more transmissions is scheduled based on the configured one or more scheduling parameters.

In some embodiments, the other operations performed by the first network node include: an indication of the one or more parameters is transmitted to the wireless device. The one or more parameters are for a second cell group.

Corresponding embodiments for the first network node, the computer product and the computer program of the inventive concept are also provided.

According to other embodiments of the inventive concept, there is provided a method performed by a second network node serving a wireless device using a second group of cells in a dual connectivity configuration in a communication network. The method includes receiving a first message from a first network node. The first message comprises an indication of one or more scheduling parameters configured by the first network node for one or more transmissions by the wireless device. The one or more scheduling parameters include a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission, wherein the delay is greater than a time offset value.

In some embodiments, the other operations performed by the second network node include: an indication of one or more parameters is transmitted to the wireless device, wherein the one or more parameters are for the second cell group.

In some embodiments, the other operations performed by the second network node include: a second transmission of the one or more transmissions is scheduled based on the one or more scheduling parameters.

Corresponding embodiments for the second network node, the computer product and the computer program of the inventive concept are also provided.

According to further embodiments of the inventive concept, a method performed by a first network node or a second network node is provided, wherein the first network node and the second network node serve a first group of cells and a second group of cells, respectively, in a telecommunication network. The method includes configuring at least one or more scheduling parameters for one or more transmissions of a wireless device. The configuration includes a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission being greater than a time offset value.

Existing DC methods can result in poor network performance due to low coverage and data rates.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide solutions to these and other potential problems. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a wireless device and network node(s) operate to provide a method of power sharing for a new radio dual connection. For example, these operations may allow the wireless device to reach full power on the first cell group based on the presence/absence of transmission activity on the second cell group. Thus, system performance can be improved by improving coverage and data rate.

Drawings

According to the following description, examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a wireless communication network according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method in a wireless device according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method in a first network node according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method in a second network node according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating aspects of a method performed by a wireless device according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating aspects of a method performed by a wireless device according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wireless device according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a first network node according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a second network node according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 11 is a generalized block diagram of a host computer communicating with user equipment via a base station over a partial wireless connection according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 12 is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to embodiments herein.

Fig. 15 is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of a method in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to embodiments herein.

Detailed Description

As part of the development of the embodiments herein, one or more challenges of the prior art will first be identified and discussed.

For dual connectivity, the UE may need to perform UL transmissions across both the MCG and SCG. Since the MCG and SCG may not be co-located, or because implementations may not allow for close coordination of schedulers between cell groups, scheduling decisions by the NW for such uplink transmissions may not be fully coordinated, and the UE may need to use a power sharing mechanism to allocate transmission power between CGs. The simplest power sharing mechanism is that the UE can transmit on the MCG and SCG using a predetermined power limit, regardless of the transmission activity on the other CGs. This is suboptimal because the predetermined power limit will be less than the full UL power that the UE can transmit with.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure and embodiments thereof may provide solutions to these and other challenges. Embodiments herein may generally be understood to address: a mechanism may be needed that may allow a UE to reach full power on other CGs based on the presence/absence of transmission activity on the CGs. This mechanism can improve system performance by increasing coverage and data rate. Embodiments herein may be generally understood to relate to power sharing for NR-DC.

Embodiments herein may also be generally understood to provide mechanisms for determining UE transmit power when configured with NR-NR dual connectivity. A method is described herein in which a UE may determine a transmission power for a first uplink transmission on a first cell group by using a power limitation. The UE may set a lower power limit for the first UL transmission if the UE detects a scheduling grant/allocation that triggers an overlapping second uplink transmission in the second cell group. If no such scheduling grant/allocation is detected, the UE may set a higher power limit, e.g., full power, for the first UL transmission. The UE may also set a lower power limit if it is determined that there may be potential overlapping uplink transmissions in the second cell group. The same procedure may be followed for other cell groups.

Some contemplated embodiments will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples are shown. In this section, embodiments herein will be described in more detail by way of a number of exemplary embodiments. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. The disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments herein are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be present by default in another embodiment, and how these components are used in other exemplary embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Note that although terminology from LTE/5G has been used in this disclosure to illustrate embodiments herein, this should not be taken as limiting the scope of embodiments herein to only the above-described system. Other wireless systems with similar features may also benefit from utilizing the concepts covered in this disclosure.

Fig. 1 depicts a non-limiting example of a wireless network or wireless communication network 100 (also sometimes referred to as a wireless communication system, a cellular radio system, or a cellular network) in which embodiments herein may be implemented. The wireless communication network 100 may generally be a 5G system, a 5G network, or a next generation system or network.

The wireless communication network 100 may also support other technologies such as, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), LTE half duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD), LTE operating in unlicensed bands), WCDMA, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) TDD, GSM networks, GERAN networks, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), EDGE networks, networks including any combination of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as, for example, multi-standard radio (MSR) base stations, multi-RAT base stations, etc., any third generation partnership project (3GPP) cellular network, WiFi networks, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax), or any cellular network or system. Thus, although terminology from 5G/NR and LTE is used in this disclosure to illustrate embodiments herein, this should not be taken as limiting the scope of embodiments herein to only the above-described systems.

The wireless communication network 100 comprises a plurality of network nodes, wherein a first network node 111 and a second network node 112 are depicted in the non-limiting example of fig. 1. In other examples not depicted in fig. 1, either of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may be a distributed node, such as a virtual node in a cloud, and may perform its functions entirely on the cloud or in part cooperate with radio network nodes. The expression "network nodes 111, 112" may be used herein to refer to any one of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

Each of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may be understood as a radio network node. That is, a transmission point, such as a radio base station (e.g., a gNB, eNB) or any other network node having similar features capable of serving a wireless device (such as user equipment or machine type communication device) in the wireless communication network 100.

The wireless communication network 100 covers a geographical area which may be divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area may be served by a network node, but one radio network node may also serve one or more cells. The wireless communication network 100 may include at least one of a first cell group 121 and a second cell group 123. The first cell group 121 may be, for example, an MCG. The second cell set 123 may be, for example, an SCG. The first cell group 121 may include a first cell and one or more second cells. That is, one or more cells may be included in each of the first cell group 121 and the second cell group. In the non-limiting example depicted in fig. 1, only the first cell is depicted to simplify the drawing. The first cell may be a primary cell (PCell), and each of the one or more second cells may be a secondary cell (SCell). In the non-limiting example depicted in fig. 1, the first network node 111 is a radio network node serving a first cell. In some examples, the first network node 111 may serve a receiving node, such as a wireless device, with a serving beam.

The second cell group 123 may include a third cell and one or more fourth cells. In the non-limiting example depicted in fig. 1, only the third cell is depicted to simplify the drawing. The third cell may be a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and each of the one or more fourth cells may be a secondary cell (SCell). In the non-limiting example depicted in fig. 1, the second network node 112 is a radio network node serving a third cell. The second network node 112 may serve a receiving node, such as a wireless device, with a serving beam.

In some examples, the first network node 111 may be a MN.

In some examples, the second network node 112 may be a SN.

In some examples, the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may both be a gNB.

In LTE, any one of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may be referred to as an eNB. In some examples, the first network node 111 may be an eNB that is a MN, and the second network node 112 may be a gNB that is a SN. It may be noted that although the description of embodiments herein may focus on the case of LTE-NR tight coupling (tail interworking) where LTE is the primary node, embodiments herein may be understood to also apply to other DC cases, such as LTE-NR DC (where NR is the primary node and LTE is the secondary node (NE-DC)), NR-NR DC (where both the primary and secondary nodes are NR nodes), or even between LTE/NR and other RATs. In some examples, the first network node 111 may be a gNB as a MN, while the second network node 112 may be an eNB as a SN.

Based on the transmission power and thus also on the cell size, any of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may be of different categories, such as e.g. a macro base station, a home base station or a pico base station. Any of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may support one or more communication technologies, and its name may depend on the technology and terminology used. In 5G/NR, any of the first and second network nodes 111, 112 may be referred to as a gNB and may be directly connected to one or more core networks (not depicted in fig. 1).

A plurality of wireless devices are located in the wireless communication network 100, of which a wireless device 130 is depicted in the non-limiting example of fig. 1. The wireless device 130 included in the wireless communication network 100 may be a wireless communication device such as a 5G UE or UE, which may also be referred to as, for example, a mobile terminal, wireless terminal and/or mobile station, mobile phone, cellular phone, or laptop computer with wireless capability, just to name a few further examples. Any user device included in the wireless communication network 100 may be, for example, a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile device capable of communicating voice and/or data via the RAN with another entity, such as a server, laptop, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or tablet computer (sometimes referred to as a wireless-enabled surf tablet), machine-to-machine (M2M) device, a device equipped with a wireless interface, such as a printer or file storage device, a modem, or any other radio network element in a communication system capable of communicating over a radio link. The wireless device 130 included in the wireless communication network 100 is capable of wireless communication in the wireless communication network 100. The communication may be performed, for example, via a RAN and possibly one or more core networks that may be included within the wireless communication network 100.

The wireless device 130 may be configured to communicate with a first network node 111 in a first cell over a first link 141 (e.g., a radio link) within the wireless communication network 100. The wireless device 130 may be configured to communicate with the first network node 111 in each of the one or more second cells over a respective second link (e.g., a radio link) within the wireless communication network 100. The wireless device 130 may be configured to communicate with the second network node 112 in the third cell over a third link 143 (e.g., a radio link) within the wireless communication network 100. The wireless device 130 may be configured to communicate with the second network node 112 in each of the one or more fourth cells 124 over a respective fourth link (e.g., radio link) within the wireless communication network 100.

The first network node 111 and the second network node 112 may be configured to communicate within the wireless communication network 100 over a fifth link 150 (e.g., a wired link or an X2 interface).

In general, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant art unless a different meaning is explicitly given and/or implied from the context in which they are used. All references to a/an/the element, device, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless one step is explicitly described as after or before another step and/or to imply that one step must be after or before another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any embodiment may apply to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features and advantages of the appended embodiments will be apparent from the description that follows.

In general, the use of "first," "second," and/or "fourth" herein may be understood as any manner of representing different elements or entities, and may be understood as not imparting additive or chronological features to the terms they modify, unless otherwise indicated based on context.

Several embodiments are included herein. It should be noted that the examples herein are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be present by default in another embodiment, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how these components may be used in other exemplary embodiments.

More specifically, the following are embodiments related to a network node, such as the second network node 112 or the first network node 111 (e.g., the gNB), and embodiments related to a wireless device, such as the wireless device 130 (e.g., 5 GUE).

It is an object of embodiments herein to improve the handling of transmission power by wireless devices in a wireless communication network. It is a particular object of embodiments herein to improve handling of transmission power by a wireless device in dual connectivity.

The wireless device 130 embodiments relate to fig. 2, 5, 6, and 10-15.

A method performed by a wireless device, such as wireless device 130, is described herein. This method may be understood as being for handling transmission power. The wireless device 130 may be configured with dual connectivity to be able to transmit using the first cell group 121 and the second cell group 123. The wireless device 130, the first cell group 121, and the second cell group 123 may operate in the wireless communication network 100.

The method may include one or more of the following actions.

In some embodiments, all actions may be performed. One or more embodiments may be combined, if applicable. For simplicity of description, not all possible combinations are described. Fig. 2 depicts a non-limiting example of a method performed by the wireless device 130. The order in which certain operations are performed may differ from that shown in fig. 2.

The determination 203 of the limit of the transmission power of the first uplink transmission in the first cell group 121 will now be described. The determination 203 may be based on:

i. whether a second uplink transmission in the second cell group 123 that overlaps in time with the first uplink transmission is predicted/expected/present/determined to occur, e.g., whether the second uplink transmission is predicted to overlap in time with the first uplink transmission, an

Whether an uplink transmission opportunity in the second cell group 123 that overlaps in time with the first uplink transmission is predicted/expected/present/determined to occur, e.g., whether the uplink transmission opportunity is predicted to overlap in time with the first uplink transmission. The wireless device 130 may be configured to perform the action, for example, with the determining unit 701 within the wireless device 130 being configured to perform the determining action 203. The determining unit 701 may be the processor 706 of the wireless device 130 or an application running on such a processor.

In some examples, wireless device 130 may determine the transmission power of the first uplink transmission, e.g., as part of determining 203.

In some embodiments, the determination 203 may be further based on at least one of:

a. detection by the wireless device 130 of a downlink transmission set to trigger a second uplink transmission;

b. selecting between a first limit of transmission power and a second limit of transmission power,

c. an offset associated with the start of the transmission time of the first uplink transmission,

d. one or more parameters of the second cell group 123, e.g., the first group of parameters, an

e. And (4) a priority rule.

In some examples, the wireless device 130 may determine whether the second uplink transmission is present based on detecting a PDCCH that triggered the second uplink transmission.

In some examples, the wireless device 130 may determine whether an uplink transmission opportunity exists based on one or more higher layer configured parameters.

In some examples, the parameters of the higher layer configuration may include one or more of:

(a) a search space configuration based on which a PDCCH monitoring occasion may be determined for a serving cell/bandwidth part (BWP) in the second cell group 123;

(b) a configuration regarding possible K1 values for PUSCH/PUCCH transmissions on the serving cell/BWP in the second cell group, the K1 value being the offset between PDSCH and the corresponding HARQ-ACK on PUSCH/PUCCH;

(c) the K2 value is the offset between the PDCCH and the corresponding PUSCH for the configuration of PUSCH transmission on serving cell/BWP in the second cell group with respect to the possible K2 value.

Setting 204 a transmission power for sending the first uplink transmission based on the determined limit will now be described. The wireless device 130 may be configured to perform the action, for example, with a setup unit 702 within the wireless device 130 configured to perform the setup action 204. The setup unit 702 may be the processor 706 of the wireless device 130 or an application running on such a processor.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the acts of:

obtaining 202 one or more parameters, e.g. from a network node 111, 112 serving the wireless device 130, will now be described. The wireless device 130 may be configured to perform the action, for example, with the obtaining unit 703 within the wireless device 130 being configured to perform the obtaining action 202. The obtaining unit 703 may be the processor 706 of the wireless device 130 or an application running on such a processor.

The obtaining in this act 202 may be performed via the first link 141 or the second link 142.

In some embodiments, the determination 201 may be further based on: based on the one or more parameters, a prediction of a downlink transmission that is set to trigger a second uplink transmission.

Other units 705 may be included in the wireless device 130.

It will now be described that the detection 201 is set to trigger a first downlink transmission of a second uplink transmission within a time period before the start of the transmission of the first uplink transmission, and wherein the determination 203 is further based on the detection 201 of the first downlink transmission. The wireless device 130 may be configured to perform the action, for example, with a detection unit 704 within the wireless device 130 configured to perform the detection action 201. The detection unit 704 may be a processor 706 of the wireless device 130 or an application running on such a processor.

The determination 203 may include ensuring that the combined transmit power across the first cell group 121 and the second cell group 123 does not exceed a threshold, e.g., a limit on power or a power limit.

The wireless device 130 may also be configured to communicate user data with a host application unit in the host computer 1110, e.g., via another link, such as 1150.

In fig. 7, optional units are indicated by dashed boxes.

The wireless device 130 may include an interface unit to facilitate communication between the wireless device 130 and other nodes or devices (e.g., network nodes 111, 112, host computer 1110, or any other node). In some particular examples, the interface may include, for example, a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

The wireless device 130 may include an arrangement as shown in fig. 7 or fig. 11.

By the wireless device 130 determining 203 a limit for the transmission power of the first uplink transmission in the first cell group 121 and setting the transmission power based on the determined limit, the wireless device 130 is able to transmit at a higher power (e.g., full power) if it determines that there is no scheduling grant/allocation or potential scheduling grant/allocation that triggers overlapping transmissions. This can be understood as improving system performance. Furthermore, a simpler implementation can be implemented in the wireless device 130, wherein hardware/software in the wireless device 130 can set the transmission power of the first cell group 121 without having to accurately calculate the transmission power of the overlapping transmissions on the second cell group 123.

The first network node 111 embodiment relates to fig. 3 and fig. 10-15.

A method performed by a first network node, such as the first network node 111, is described herein. The method may be understood as processing the transmission power of the wireless device 130. The wireless device 130 may be served by the first network node 111 using the first cell group 121. The first network node 111 and the wireless device 130 may operate in a wireless communication network 100.

The first network node 111 may serve the wireless device 130 using the first cell group 121 in a dual connectivity configuration comprising the second cell group 123.

The method may include one or more of the following actions.

In some embodiments, all actions may be performed. Where applicable, one or more embodiments may be combined. For simplicity of description, not all possible combinations are described. Fig. 3 depicts a non-limiting example of a method performed by the first network node 111. The order of execution of some of the actions may differ from that shown in figure 3.

Configuring 301 one or more scheduling parameters for one or more transmissions by the wireless device 130 will now be described. The configuration may be such that the delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission is greater than a value. The first network node 111 may be configured to perform the action, e.g. with a configuration unit 801 within the first network node 111 configured to perform the configuration action 301. The configuration unit 801 may be the processor 804 of the first network node 111 or an application running on such a processor.

Sending 302 a first message to the second network node 112, the first message comprising an indication of the configured one or more scheduling parameters will now be described. The first network node 111 may be configured to perform this action, e.g. with a sending unit 802 configured to perform this sending action 302. The sending unit 802 may be a processor 804 of the first network node 111 or an application running on such a processor.

The transmission may be performed, for example, via the first link 141.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise one or more of the following acts:

scheduling 304 a first transmission of the one or more transmissions based on the configured one or more scheduling parameters will now be described. The first network node 111 may be configured to perform the action, e.g. with a scheduling unit 803 within the first network node 111 configured to perform the scheduling action 304. The scheduling unit 803 may be the processor 804 of the first network node 111 or an application running on such a processor.

In some embodiments, in which the first network node 111 may serve the wireless device 130 using the first cell group 121 in a dual connectivity configuration comprising the second cell group 123, the method may further comprise:

sending 303 one or more parameters, e.g. a first indication of one or more parameters, to the wireless device 130, the one or more parameters being of the second cell group 123 will now be described. The first network node 111 may be configured to perform the action, e.g. with a sending unit 802 within the first network node 111 configured to perform the sending action 303.

The transmission may be performed, for example, via the first link 141.

A further unit 811 may be comprised in the first network node 111.

The first network node 111 may also be configured to communicate user data with a host application unit in the host computer 1110, e.g., via another link, such as 1150.

In fig. 8, optional units are indicated by dashed boxes.

The first network node 111 may comprise an interface unit to facilitate communication between the first network node 111 and other nodes or devices, such as another first network node 111, a wireless device 130, a host computer 1110, or any other node. In some particular examples, the interface may include, for example, a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

The first network node 111 may comprise an arrangement as shown in fig. 8 or fig. 11.

Some embodiments herein will now be further described by some non-limiting examples.

In the following description, any reference to a/the UE or to "UE" only may be understood to refer equally to wireless device 130; any reference to a/the gNB may be understood to refer equally to the first network node 111 and/or the second network node 112; any reference to the first cell group or first cell group CG1 may be understood as equally referring to the first cell group 121; any reference to the second cell group or first cell group CG2 may be understood as equally referring to the second cell group 123.

The second network node 112 embodiment relates to fig. 4 and fig. 10-15.

A method performed by a second network node, such as second network node 112, is described herein. The method may be understood as processing the transmission power of the wireless device 130. The wireless device 130 may be served by the second network node 112 using the second cell group 123. The second network node 112 and the wireless device 130 may operate in the wireless communication network 100.

The second network node 112 may use the second cell group 121 in a dual connectivity configuration comprising the first cell group 121 to serve the wireless device 130.

The method may include one or more of the following actions.

In some embodiments, all actions may be performed. Where applicable, one or more embodiments may be combined. For simplicity of description, not all possible combinations are described. Fig. 4 depicts a non-limiting example of a method performed by the second network node 112. Some operations may be performed in a different order than that shown in fig. 4.

Receiving 401 a first message from the first network node 111 will now be described. The first message may comprise an indication of one or more scheduling parameters configured by the first network node 111. The configured one or more scheduling parameters may be used for one or more transmissions by the wireless device 130. The configured one or more parameters may be such that a delay between a downlink message and a corresponding uplink transmission is greater than a value. The first network node 112 may be configured to perform this action, e.g. with a receiving unit 901 within the second network node 112 configured to perform this receiving action 401. The receiving unit 901 may be a processor 903 of the second network node 112 or an application running on such a processor.

In some embodiments, where the second network node 112 may serve the wireless device 130 using the second cell group 123 in a dual connectivity configuration comprising the first cell group 121, the method may further comprise:

sending 402 one or more parameters, e.g. a second indication of the one or more parameters, to the wireless device 130. The one or more parameters may be of the second cell group 123. The second network node 112 may be configured to perform the action, e.g. with the sending unit 902 configured to perform the sending action 402. The sending unit 902 may be a processor 903 of the second network node 112 or an application running on such a processor.

The transmission may be performed, for example, via the second link 142.

In some embodiments, the method may further comprise one or more of the following acts:

scheduling 403 a second transmission of the one or more transmissions based on the configured one or more scheduling parameters. The second network node 112 may be configured to perform the action, e.g. with a scheduling unit 910 within the second network node 112 configured to perform the scheduling action 403. The scheduling unit 910 may be the processor 903 of the second network node 112 or an application running on such a processor.

A further unit 911 may be comprised in the second network node 112.

The second network node 112 may also be configured to communicate user data with a host application unit in the host computer 1110, e.g., via another link, such as 1150.

In fig. 9, optional units are indicated by dashed boxes.

The second network node 112 may include an interface unit to facilitate communication between the second network node 112 and other nodes or devices (e.g., the first network node 111, the wireless device 130, the host computer 1110, or any other node). In some particular examples, the interface may include, for example, a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

The second network node 112 may comprise an arrangement as shown in fig. 9 or fig. 11.

Some embodiments herein will now be further described by some non-limiting examples.

In the following description, any reference to a/the UE or to "UE" only may be understood to refer equally to wireless device 130; any reference to a/the gNB may be understood to refer equally to the first network node 111 and/or the second network node 112; any reference to the first cell group or first cell group CG1 may be understood as equally referring to the first cell group 121; any reference to the second cell group or first cell group CG2 may be understood as equally referring to the second cell group 123.

A first set of examples will now be described.

In a first set of examples, a UE may be configured with at least two cell groups. For example, a first cell group CG1 and a second cell group CG 2. Each cell group may include one or more serving cells. The UE may be scheduled for a first uplink transmission, e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, PRACH, for a serving cell in CG 1. The UE may use the power limit to determine a transmission power for the first uplink transmission. The power limit may be determined using a time offset (T _ offset) from the start of the first uplink transmission, a first set of parameters corresponding to CG2, and whether any DL grants/allocations in CG2 that may trigger uplink transmissions that may overlap with the first uplink transmission were detected (or previously received) prior to T _ offset.

If the first uplink transmission starts from time T0, the UE may determine a transmission power for the first uplink transmission using a first power limit (P11) if:

(a) the UE detects the DL grant/allocation of an uplink transmission overlapping the first uplink transmission in the trigger CG2 before T0-T _ offset (condition a), or

(b) The UE determines from the first set of parameters that there may be a DL grant/allocation following T0-T _ offset that may potentially trigger an uplink transmission in CG2 that overlaps the first uplink transmission or a periodic/semi-persistent uplink transmission in CG2 that overlaps the first uplink transmission (condition B),

otherwise, the UE may determine a transmission power for the first uplink transmission using the second power constraint (P12).

The first set of parameters may include one or more of:

TDD UL/DL configuration indicated for transmission/reception on serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

search space configuration or CORESET configuration based on which PDCCH monitoring occasions can be determined for the serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

configuration related to transmission of configuration UL grant for serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

configuration for PUSCH/PUCCH transmission on serving cell/BWP in CG2, related to possible K1 values, K1 value being the offset between PDSCH and corresponding HARQ-ACK on PUSCH/PUCCH;

configuration for PUSCH transmission on serving cell/BWP in CG2, related to possible K2 values, K2 value being the offset between PDCCH and corresponding PUSCH;

configuration and TDRA related to possible K0 values for PDSCH reception on serving cell/BWP in CG2, K0 value being the offset between PDCCH and corresponding PDSCH;

slot format indicator for serving cell/BWP in CG 2.

The first set of parameters may be determined based on semi-static signaling (i.e., RRC signaling). The power limit for the CG2 may be determined using the same process described above.

The first power limit (P11) may be lower than the second power limit (P12). In one example, the UE may be configured with both first and second power limits via RRC for each CG, i.e., P11 and P12 for CG1 and P21, P22 for CG2, where P21 may be the lower power limit for CG 2. In another example, the first power limit may be RRC configured and the second power limit may be determined according to UE power class, Pcmax, etc., e.g., P11 and P21 may be RRC configured and P12 and P22 may be determined according to UE power class, Pcmax, etc.

The UE may use different T _ offsets based on whether it can operate in a synchronous NR-DC scenario or an asynchronous NR-DC scenario. T _ offset may be configured by higher layers. T _ offset may be based on UE capability signaling.

Fig. 4 illustrates the above-described aspect.

The gnbs served by CG1 and CG2 may avoid condition B described above by configuring their scheduling parameters (e.g., allowable k0, k1, k2) as a limited set of values. For example, the gNB may configure scheduling parameters such that the delay between DL grant (s)/allocation(s) and corresponding UL transmission(s) may always be greater than a given value X, such as the maximum possible time difference (Td) between X ═ T _ offset + CG1 and CG 2. With such a configuration, the UE may set its power limit to P12 without checking condition B. For example, Td may be about 35us for synchronous NR-DC and about 500us for asynchronous NR-DC. The gNB may use inter-gNB signaling to coordinate the value of X to be used. The MCG may determine the value of X and indicate it to the SCG.

In general, there may be a maximum power limit (P _ tot _ limit) applicable to the combined UE transmit power across transmissions on CG1 and CG 2. The UE may need to ensure that the combined UE transmit power across transmissions on CG1 and CG2 does not exceed P _ tot _ limit. If P11 and P21 are configured such that P11+ P21< ═ P _ tot _ limit, and the UE sets each CG power limit using the procedure described above, the UE can set the transmission power for transmission over CG1 without calculating the actual transmission power of the overlapping transmissions over CG 2. This reduces the complexity of the UE implementation.

In some embodiments related to the first set of examples, if the UE is configured with power limits P11 and P21, e.g., CG1 is an MCG and CG2 is an SCG, such that P11+ P21> P _ tot _ limit, and if the UE is scheduled with a first UL transmission with transmit power pwr1 on CG1 and a second UL transmission with transmit power pwr2 on CG2, such that pwr1+ pwr2> P _ tot _ limit, the UE may reduce the CG transmit power for the second UL transmission (i.e., SCG transmission) such that the total UE transmit power across CG1 and CG2 does not exceed P _ tot _ limit.

A second set of examples will now be described.

In a second set of examples, a UE may be configured with at least two cell groups. For example, a first cell group CG1 and a second cell group CG 2. Each cell group may include one or more serving cells. The UE may be scheduled for a first uplink transmission, e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, PRACH, for a serving cell in CG 1. The UE may use the power limit to determine a transmission power for the first uplink transmission. The power limit may be determined using a time offset (T _ offset) from the start of the first uplink transmission and a first set of parameters corresponding to CG 2.

If the UE determines from the first set of parameters that an overlapping UL transmission on CG2 (i.e., an UL transmission overlapping the first uplink transmission on CG1) may be triggered by PDCCH(s) received within a time T _ offset from the start of the first uplink transmission, it may use the first power limit to determine the transmission power for the first uplink transmission. If the UE determines from the first set of parameters that an overlapping UL transmission on CG2 (i.e., an UL transmission overlapping the first uplink transmission on CG1) may only be triggered by PDCCH(s) received before a time T _ offset from the start of the first uplink transmission, it may use the second power limit to determine the transmission power for the first uplink transmission.

The first set of parameters may include:

TDD UL/DL configuration indicated for transmission/reception on serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

search space configuration or CORESET configuration based on which PDCCH monitoring occasions can be determined for the serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

configuration related to transmission of configuration UL grant for serving cell/BWP in CG 2;

configuration for PUSCH/PUCCH transmission on serving cell/BWP in CG2, related to possible K1 values, K1 value being the offset between PDSCH and corresponding HARQ-ACK on PUSCH/PUCCH;

configuration for PUSCH transmission on serving cell/BWP in CG2, related to possible K2 values, K2 value being the offset between PDCCH and corresponding PUSCH;

configuration and TDRA related to possible K0 values for PDSCH reception on serving cell/BWP in CG2, K0 value being the offset between PDCCH and corresponding PDSCH;

slot format indicator for serving cell/BWP in CG 2.

The first set of parameters may be determined based on semi-static signaling (i.e., RRC signaling).

The first power limit may be lower than the second power limit. In one example, the UE may be configured with both the first power limit and the second power limit via RRC. In another example, the first power limit may be RRC configured, and the second power limit may be determined according to a UE power class, Pcmax, and the like.

To determine the transmission power of the first UL transmission, if the PDCCH(s) triggering the UL transmission overlapping the first UL transmission on CG2 is received before T _ offset from the beginning of the first UL transmission, the UE may use the information in the decoded PDCCH, e.g., the UL grant with DCI formats 0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 1-1 or the DL-allocated UE.

If the UE determines that there is a second UL transmission overlapping the first UL transmission, e.g., at CG2, the UE may use a priority rule based on comparing the signal/channel type and payload of the first and second transmissions in order to determine the transmission power of the first UL transmission. One example of a precedence rule is PRACH of PCell > PUCCH/PUSCH with ACK/NACK and/or SR of Scell > PUCCH/PUSCH with other UCI > PUSCH and no UCI > SRs/PRACH. Another example is that MCG transmissions may be prioritized over SCG.

Based on such a priority rule, if the UE determines that the first UL transmission has a higher priority, it may send the first UL transmission based on the corresponding power control setting and based on the first power limit or the second power limit as described above. Alternatively, if the UE determines that the first UL transmission has a lower priority, it may reduce the power of the first UL transmission by considering the power required for the higher priority transmission in the other CGs (i.e., the second UL transmission in this example).

In some embodiments, the UE may use the order to calculate the transmission power for transmissions in different CGs. For example, the UE may first calculate the transmission power for transmissions on the MCG, e.g., based on one of the prioritization rules described above, and then may calculate the transmission power for transmissions on the SCG by considering the power used for MCG transmission(s). Here, MCG is a master cell group and SCG is a secondary cell group.

In other embodiments, the UE may first calculate the transmission power of the CG whose transmission occurred earlier, and then calculate the transmission power of the other CGs.

The UE may use different T _ offsets based on whether it is operating in a synchronous NR-DC scenario or an asynchronous NR-DC scenario. T _ offset may be configured by higher layers.

Fig. 5 shows an example.

As shown in fig. 5, for UL transmission on CG1 triggered by DL PDCCH g1, if the UE determines that all possible PDCCH monitoring occasions on CG2 that may trigger UL transmission on CG2 that overlaps with CG1 UL transmission occur before time T _ offset, the UE may set the power limit for CG1 UL transmission to P11, case a in the figure. If the UE determines that a PDCCH monitoring occasion can occur within the time T _ offset, the UE can set the power limit for CG1 UL transmission to P12, case B in the figure. For both case a and case B, the UE does not detect any PDCCH(s) scheduling overlapping UL transmissions on CG 2. For case C, there is an overlapping UL transmission on CG2 triggered by PDCCH (g2) received earlier than T _ offset from the start of CG1 UL transmission. For this case, the UE may first calculate the transmission power of the CG with the earlier started UL transmission (in this case CG1), and then may calculate the transmission power of the CG with the later transmission (i.e., CG2 in case C). For case D, there is an overlapping UL transmission on CG2 that may be triggered by PDCCH (g2) received later than T _ offset from the start of CG1 UL transmission. For this case, the UE may first calculate the transmission power for the CG1 power similar to case B, while the CG2 power limit is given by P21, and the CG2 may use any power not used by the CG 1.

As outlined above, embodiments herein may be understood to relate to a UE configured with dual connectivity using power limitation to determine a transmission power for transmissions in a first cell group, wherein the power limitation may be determined using conditions a and B described below.

If the first uplink transmission starts from time T0, the UE may determine a transmission power for the first uplink transmission using a first power limit (P11) if:

the ue detects the DL grant/allocation of the uplink transmission overlapping the first uplink transmission in the trigger CG2 before T0-T _ offset (condition a), or

The ue determines from the first set of parameters that there may be a DL grant/allocation of an uplink transmission overlapping the first uplink transmission in the potential trigger CG2 received after T0-T _ offset (condition B);

otherwise, i.e. conditions a and B do not apply, the UE may use the second power limit (P12) to determine the transmission power for the second uplink transmission.

The first power limit may be lower than the second power limit.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein may provide one or more of the following general technical advantage(s). Embodiments herein may be understood as allowing a UE to transmit at a higher power (e.g., full power) if it determines that there are no scheduling grants/allocations or potential scheduling grants/allocations that trigger overlapping transmissions. This can be understood as improving system performance. Embodiments herein may be understood to also allow for simpler UE implementations where the UE hardware/software may set the transmit power of the first CG without the need to accurately calculate the transmit power of the overlapping transmissions on the second CG.

Fig. 7 depicts in a) and b), respectively, two different examples of arrangements that the wireless device 130 may comprise to perform the method acts described above with respect to fig. 2. In some embodiments, the wireless device 130 may include the following arrangement depicted in fig. 7 a.

Several embodiments are included herein. Components from one embodiment may be present in another embodiment by default, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how these components may be used in other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description of the following sections corresponds to the same references provided above with respect to the actions described for the wireless device 130 and, therefore, will not be repeated here.

In fig. 7, optional modules are represented by dashed boxes.

Embodiments herein in the wireless device 130 may be implemented by one or more processors (such as the processor 706 in the wireless device 130 depicted in fig. 7 a) in conjunction with computer program code for performing the functions and acts of embodiments herein. A processor as used herein may be understood as a hardware component. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for example in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the wireless device 130. One such carrier may take the form of a CD ROM disc. However, other data carriers, such as memory sticks, are also feasible. Further, the computer program code may be provided as pure program code on a server and may be downloaded to the wireless device 130.

The wireless device 130 may also include a memory 707, the memory 707 including one or more storage units. The memory 707 is arranged to store the obtained information, to store data, configurations, schedules, and applications that when executed in the wireless device 130 perform the methods herein, and the like.

In some embodiments, wireless device 130 may receive information from, for example, first network node 111 and/or second network node 112 through receive port 708. In some embodiments, the receive port 708 may be connected to one or more antennas in the wireless device 130, for example. In other embodiments, the wireless device 130 may receive information from another structure in the wireless communication network 100 through the receiving port 708. Because receive port 708 may be in communication with processor 706, receive port 708 may transmit the received information to processor 706. The receive port 708 may also be configured to receive other information.

The processor 706 in the wireless device 130 may be further configured to transmit or send information to, for example, the first network node 111 and/or the second network node 112 or another structure in the wireless communication network 100 via the transmit port 709, which transmit port 709 may be in communication with the processor 706 and the memory 707.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the above-described determining unit 701, setting unit 702, obtaining unit 703, detecting unit 704, and other units 705 may refer to a combination of analog and digital modules, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g., stored in memory, that when executed by one or more processors (such as processor 706) performs as described above. One or more of these processors, as well as other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or multiple processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among multiple separate components, whether packaged separately or assembled in a system on a chip (SoC).

Further, in some embodiments, the different modules 701-705 described above may be implemented as one or more applications running on one or more processors (such as processor 706).

Thus, the methods for the wireless device 130 according to embodiments described herein may each be implemented using a computer program 710 product, the computer program 710 product comprising instructions (i.e., software code portions) that, when executed on at least one processor 706, cause the at least one processor 706 to perform the actions described herein, as performed by the wireless device 130. The computer program 710 product may be stored on a computer readable storage medium 711. The computer-readable storage medium 711, having the computer program 710 stored thereon, may include instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor 706, cause the at least one processor 706 to perform the acts described herein, as performed by the wireless device 130. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 711 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a CD ROM disk or memory stick. In other embodiments, the computer program 710 product may be stored on a carrier containing the computer program 710 just described, where the carrier is an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or one of the computer-readable storage media 711 as described above.

The wireless device 130 may include a communication interface configured to facilitate communication between the wireless device 130 and other nodes or devices (e.g., the first network node 111 or the second network node 112). The interface may, for example, comprise a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

In other embodiments, the wireless device 130 may include the following arrangement depicted in fig. 7 b. The wireless device 130 may include processing circuitry 706 (e.g., one or more processors, such as processor 706) and memory 707 in the wireless device 130. The wireless device 130 may also include radio circuitry 712 that may include, for example, a receive port 708 and a transmit port 709. The processing circuit 706 may be configured or operable to perform method acts according to fig. 2 in a manner similar to that described in relation to fig. 7 a. The radio circuit 712 may be configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection with at least the first network node 111 and/or the second network node 112. A circuit may be understood herein as a hardware component.

Accordingly, embodiments herein also relate to a wireless device 130 operable to process transmission power, the wireless device 130 operable to operate in a wireless communication network 100. The wireless device 130 may comprise a processing circuit 706 and a memory 707 containing instructions executable by the processing circuit 706, whereby the wireless device 130 is further operable to perform acts such as those described with respect to the wireless device 130 in fig. 2.

Fig. 8 depicts in a) and b), respectively, two different examples of arrangements that the first network node 111 may comprise for performing the method actions described above in relation to fig. 3. In some embodiments, the first network node 111 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in fig. 8 a.

Embodiments herein in the first network node 111 may be implemented by one or more processors, such as the processor 804 in the first network node 111 depicted in fig. 8a, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of embodiments herein. A processor as used herein may be understood as a hardware component. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for example in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the first network node 111. One such carrier may take the form of a CD ROM disc. However, other data carriers, such as memory sticks, are also feasible. Furthermore, the computer program code may be provided as pure program code on a server and may be downloaded to the first network node 111.

The first network node 111 may further comprise a memory 805, the memory 805 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 805 is arranged for storing the obtained information, storing data, configurations, schedules, and applications etc. which when executed in the first network node 111 perform the methods herein.

In some embodiments, the first network node 111 may receive information from, for example, the second network node 112 and/or the wireless device 130 through the receiving port 806. In some embodiments, the receiving port 806 may be connected to one or more antennas in the first network node 111, for example. In other embodiments, the first network node 111 may receive information from another structure in the wireless communication network 100 through the receiving port 806. Since the receive port 806 may be in communication with the processor 804, the receive port 806 may transmit the received information to the processor 804. The receiving port 806 may also be configured to receive other information.

The processor 804 in the first network node 111 may further be configured to transmit or send information to e.g. the second network node 112 and/or the wireless device 130 or another structure in the wireless communication network 100 via the send port 807, which send port 807 may be in communication with the processor 804 and the memory 805.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the above-described configuration unit 801, transmission unit 802, scheduling unit 803, and other unit 811 may refer to a combination of analog and digital modules, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g., stored in memory, that when executed by one or more processors (such as processor 804) performs as described above. One or more of these processors, as well as other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or multiple processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among multiple separate components, whether packaged separately or assembled in a system on a chip (SoC).

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the different units 801, 803 and 811 described above may be implemented as one or more applications running on one or more processors (such as processor 804).

Thus, the methods for the first network node 111 according to embodiments described herein may each be implemented with a computer program 808 product comprising instructions (i.e. software code portions) which, when executed on the at least one processor 804, cause the at least one processor 804 to perform the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node 111. The computer program 808 product may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 809. The computer-readable storage medium 809, on which the computer program 808 is stored, may comprise instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor 804, cause the at least one processor 804 to perform the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node 111. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 809 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a CD ROM disk or memory stick. In other embodiments, the computer program 808 product may be stored on a carrier containing the computer program 808 just described, wherein the carrier is an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or one of the computer readable storage media 809 as described above.

The first network node 111 may comprise a communication interface configured to facilitate communication between the first network node 111 and other nodes or devices (e.g., the second network node 112 and/or the wireless device 130). The interface may, for example, comprise a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

In other embodiments, the first network node 111 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in fig. 8 b. The first network node 111 may comprise processing circuitry 804 (e.g., one or more processors, such as processor 804) and memory 805 in the first network node 111. The first network node 111 may also comprise a radio circuit 810, which may comprise, for example, a receive port 806 and a transmit port 807. The processing circuit 810 may be configured or operable to perform method acts according to fig. 3 in a manner similar to that described in relation to fig. 8 a. The radio circuitry 810 may be configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection with at least the second network node 112 and/or the wireless device 130. A circuit may be understood herein as a hardware component.

Accordingly, embodiments herein also relate to a first network node 111 comprising a processing circuit 804 and a memory 805, said memory 805 containing instructions executable by said processing circuit 804, whereby the first network node 111 is operable to perform the actions described for example with respect to the first network node 111 in fig. 3.

Fig. 9 depicts in a) and b), respectively, two different examples of arrangements that the second network node 112 may comprise for performing the method actions described above in relation to fig. 4. In some embodiments, the second network node 112 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in fig. 9 a.

Several embodiments are included herein. Components from one embodiment may be present in another embodiment by default, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how these components may be used in other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description of the following sections corresponds to the same references provided above with respect to the actions described for the first network node 111 and will therefore not be repeated here.

In fig. 9, optional modules are represented by dashed boxes.

The embodiments herein in the second network node 112 may be implemented by one or more processors, such as the processor 903 in the second network node 112 depicted in fig. 9a, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. A processor as used herein may be understood as a hardware component. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for example in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the second network node 112. One such carrier may take the form of a CD ROM disc. However, other data carriers, such as memory sticks, are also feasible. Furthermore, the computer program code may be provided as pure program code on a server and may be downloaded to the second network node 112.

The second network node 112 may also comprise a memory 904, the memory 904 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 904 is arranged for storing the obtained information, storing data, configurations, schedules, and applications etc. which when executed in the second network node 112 perform the methods herein.

In some embodiments, the second network node 112 may receive information from, for example, the first network node 111 and/or the wireless device 130 through the receiving port 905. In some embodiments, the receiving port 905 may be connected to one or more antennas in the second network node 112, for example. In other embodiments, the second network node 112 may receive information from another structure in the wireless communication network 100 through the receiving port 905. Since the receiving port 905 can communicate with the processor 903, the receiving port 905 can transmit the received information to the processor 903. The receive port 905 may also be configured to receive other information.

The processor 903 in the second network node 112 may further be configured to transmit or send information to, for example, the first network node 111 and/or the wireless device 130 or another structure in the wireless communication network 100 through the transmit port 906, which transmit port 906 may be in communication with the processor 903 and the memory 904.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the above-described receiving unit 901, transmitting unit 902, scheduling unit 910, and other unit 911 may refer to a combination of analog and digital modules, and/or one or more processors configured with, for example, software and/or firmware stored in memory that, when executed by one or more processors (such as processor 903), performs as described above. One or more of these processors, as well as other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or multiple processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among multiple separate components, whether packaged separately or assembled in a system on a chip (SoC).

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the different units 901-902 and 910-911 described above may be implemented as one or more applications running on one or more processors (such as processor 903).

Thus, the methods for the second network node 112 according to embodiments described herein may be implemented with a computer program 907 product, respectively, which computer program 710 product comprises instructions (i.e. software code portions) which, when executed on the at least one processor 903, cause the at least one processor 903 to perform the actions described herein, as performed by the second network node 112. The computer program 907 product may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 908. The computer-readable storage medium 908 having the computer program 907 stored thereon may comprise instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor 903, cause the at least one processor 903 to perform the actions described herein, as performed by the second network node 112. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 908 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a CD ROM disk or memory stick. In other embodiments, the computer program 907 product may be stored on a carrier containing the computer program 907 just described, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium 908 as described above.

The second network node 112 may include a communication interface configured to facilitate communication between the second network node 112 and other nodes or devices (e.g., the second network node 112 and/or the wireless device 130). The interface may, for example, comprise a transceiver configured to transmit and receive radio signals over an air interface in accordance with a suitable standard.

In other embodiments, the second network node 112 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in fig. 9 b. The second network node 112 may include processing circuitry 903 (e.g., one or more processors, such as processor 903) and memory 904 in the second network node 112. The second network node 112 may also include radio circuitry 909, which may include, for example, a receive port 905 and a transmit port 906. The processing circuit 903 may be configured or operable to perform method acts according to fig. 4 in a manner similar to that described with respect to fig. 9 a. The radio circuitry 909 may be configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection with at least the first network node 111 and/or the wireless device 130. A circuit may be understood herein as a hardware component.

Thus, embodiments herein also relate to a second network node 112 comprising a processing circuit 903 and a memory 904, said memory 904 containing instructions executable by said processing circuit 903, whereby the second network node 112 is operable to perform the actions described in relation to the second network node 112, e.g. in fig. 4.

In general, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant art unless a different meaning is explicitly given and/or implied from the context in which they are used. All references to a/an/the element, device, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless one step is explicitly described as after or before another step and/or to imply that one step must be after or before another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any embodiment may apply to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features and advantages of the appended embodiments will be apparent from the description that follows.

As used herein, a list of alternatives separated by commas is followed and wherein the last alternative is preceded by "and" the expression for the term "at least one: "may be understood to mean that only one alternative in the list of alternatives is applicable, that more than one alternative in the list of alternatives is applicable, or that all alternatives in the list of alternatives are applicable. This expression can be understood as being equivalent to the following list of alternatives separated by commas and in which the last alternative is preceded by "or" the expression of the term "at least one: ".

Examples and further extensions and variants relating to embodiments herein will now be described.

FIG. 10: a telecommunications network according to some embodiments is connected to a host computer via an intermediate network.

Referring to fig. 10, according to an embodiment, the communication system comprises a telecommunications network 1010 (such as the wireless communication network 100, e.g. a 3 GPP-type cellular network) comprising an access network 1011 (such as a radio access network) and a core network 1014. The access network 1011 comprises a plurality of network nodes, such as any one of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112. For example, base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c (such as an NB, eNB, gNB, or other type of wireless access point) each define a corresponding coverage area 1013a, 1013b, 1013 c. Each base station 1012a, 1012b, 1012c may be connected to the core network 1014 by a wired or wireless connection 1015. A plurality of wireless devices, such as wireless device 130, are included in the wireless communication network 100. In fig. 10, a first UE 1091 located in a coverage area 1013c is configured to wirelessly connect to a corresponding base station 1012c or be paged by the base station 1012 c. A second UE 1092 located in the coverage area 1013a may be wirelessly connected to a corresponding base station 1012 a. Although multiple UEs 1091, 1092 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to the case where only one UE is in the coverage area or is connected to a corresponding base station 1012. Either of the UEs 1091, 1092 is an example of the wireless device 130.

The telecommunications network 1010 itself is connected to a host computer 1030, the host computer 1030 may be embodied in hardware and/or software in a stand-alone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 1030 may be under the ownership or control of the service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The connections 1021 and 1022 between the telecommunications network 1010 and the host computer 1030 may extend directly from the core network 1014 to the host computer 1030 or may be via an optional intermediate network 1020. The intermediate network 1020 may be one or a combination of more than one of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network; the intermediate network 1020 (if any) may be a backbone network or the internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1020 may include two or more sub-networks (not shown).

The communication system of fig. 10 as a whole enables connection between the connected UEs 1091, 1092 and the host computer 1030. This connection may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1050. The host computer 1030 and the connected UEs 1091, 1092 are configured to communicate data and/or signaling via the OTT connection 1050 using the access network 1011, the core network 1014, any intermediate networks 1020 and possibly further infrastructure as an intermediary (not shown). The OTT connection 1050 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes are unaware of the routing of the uplink downlink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1012 may not or need not be informed of past routes of incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 1030 to be forwarded (e.g., handed off) to the connected UE 1091. Similarly, the base station 1012 need not be aware of future routes for outgoing uplink communications from the UE 1091 toward the host computer 1030.

With respect to fig. 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, which are described next, it is understood that the UE is an example of the wireless device 130, and any description provided for the UE applies equally to the wireless device 130. It is further understood that a base station is an example of any of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112, and any description provided for a base station is equally applicable to any of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

FIG. 11: a host computer according to some embodiments communicates with user equipment via a base station over a partial wireless connection.

An example implementation of a wireless device 130 (e.g., a UE), a network node 110 (e.g., a base station), and a host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs, according to an embodiment, will now be described with reference to fig. 11. In a communication system 1100, such as a wireless communication network 100, a host computer 1110 includes hardware 1115, including a communication interface 1116 configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 1100. Host computer 1110 also includes processing circuitry 1118, which may have storage and/or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit 1118 may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 1110 also includes software 1111 that is stored in the host computer 1110 or is accessible by the host computer 3310 and is executable by the processing circuit 1118. Software 1111 includes host applications 1112. Host application 1112 is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as UE 1130 connected via OTT connection 1150 terminated at UE 1130 and host computer 1110. In providing services to remote users, host application 1112 may provide user data that is sent using OTT connection 1150.

The communication system 1100 further comprises any one of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112, illustrated in fig. 11 as a base station 1120 provided in the telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1125 enabling it to communicate with a host computer 1110 and a UE 1130. The hardware 1125 can include a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 1100, and a radio interface 1127 for establishing and maintaining a wireless connection 1170 with at least a wireless device 1130, illustrated in fig. 11 as a UE 1130 located in a coverage area (not shown in fig. 11) served by the base station 1120. Communication interface 1126 may be configured to facilitate connection 1160 to host computer 1110. The connection 1160 may be direct or it may pass through a core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in fig. 11) and/or through one or more intermediate networks external to the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1125 of the base station 1120 also includes processing circuitry 1128, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 1120 also has software 1121 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

The communication system 1100 also includes the UE 1130 already mentioned. Its hardware 1135 may include a radio interface 1137, which radio interface 3337 is configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 1170 with a base station serving the coverage area in which the UE 1130 is currently located. The hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 also includes processing circuitry 1138, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 1130 also includes software 1131 that is stored in the UE 1130 or accessible by the UE 1130 and executable by the processing circuitry 1138. The software 1131 includes client applications 1132. Client application 1132 is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1130 with the support of host computer 1110. In host computer 1110, executing host application 1112 can communicate with executing client application 1132 via OTT connection 1150 that terminates at UE 1130 and host computer 1110. In providing services to a user, client application 1132 may receive request data from host application 1112 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 1150 may carry both request data and user data. Client application 1132 may interact with a user to generate user data that it provides.

Note that host computer 1110, base station 1120, and UE 1130 shown in fig. 11 may be similar to or the same as host computer 1030, one of base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c, and one of UEs 1091, 1092, respectively, of fig. 10. That is, the internal workings of these entities may be as shown in fig. 11, and independently, the surrounding network topology may be as shown in fig. 10.

In fig. 11, OTT connection 1150 has been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between host computer 1110 and UE 1130 via base station 1120 without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices and the exact routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure may determine a route, which may be configured to hide the route from the UE 1130 or from a service provider operating the host computer 1110, or both. When OTT connection 1150 is active, the network infrastructure may further make a decision by which it may dynamically change routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

The wireless connection 1170 between the UE 1130 and the base station 1120 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described in this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1130 using the OTT connection 1150, with the wireless connection 1170 forming the last leg of the OTT connection. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve coverage and data rates, providing benefits such as reduced user latency, better response, and extended battery life.

A measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, delay, and other factors of one or more embodiment improvements. There may further be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130 in response to changes in the measurements. The measurement procedures and/or network functions for reconfiguring OTT connection 1150 may be implemented in software 1111 and hardware 1115 of host computer 1110 or in software 1131 and hardware 1135 of UE 1130 or in both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with the communication device through which OTT connection 1150 passes; the sensor may participate in the measurement process by providing a value of the monitored quantity as exemplified above or providing a value of another physical quantity from which the software 1111, 1131 can calculate or estimate the monitored quantity. Reconfiguring OTT connections 1150 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguration need not affect base station 1120 and it may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 1120. Such processes and functions are known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the measurement of throughput, propagation time, delay, etc. by host computer 1110. The measurement can be achieved because the software 1111 and 1131 causes messages (in particular null messages or "dummy" messages) to be sent using the OTT connection 1150 as it monitors for propagation time, errors, etc.

FIG. 12: a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be those described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. To simplify the present disclosure, this section will include only the reference numbers to fig. 12. In step 1210, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1211 (which may be optional) of step 1210, a host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 1220, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying user data. In step 1230 (which may be optional), the base station sends the user data carried in the host computer initiated transmission to the UE in accordance with the teachings of the described embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1240 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with a host application executed by the host computer.

FIG. 13: a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be those described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. To simplify the present disclosure, this section will include only the reference numbers to fig. 13. In step 1310 of the method, a host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 1320, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. According to the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure, transmissions may be made via a base station. In step 1330 (which may be optional), the UE receives user data carried in the transmission.

FIG. 14: a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be those described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. To simplify the present disclosure, this section will include only the reference numbers to fig. 14. In step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1420, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1421 of step 1420 (which may be optional), the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1411 of step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to received input data provided by the host computer. The executing client application may further consider user input received from the user in providing the user data. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data is provided, in sub-step 1430 (which may be optional), the UE initiates transmission of the user data to the host computer. In step 1440 of the method, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE according to the teachings of the described embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15: a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 15 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be those described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. To simplify the present disclosure, this section will include only the reference numbers to fig. 15. In step 1510 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the described embodiments of the present disclosure. In step 1520 (which may be optional), the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1530 (which may be optional), the host computer receives user data carried in a transmission initiated by the base station.

Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include a plurality of such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry that may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), dedicated digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), cache, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, and so forth. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be configured to cause the respective functional units to perform corresponding functions in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

The term "unit" may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic, electrical and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing the respective tasks, procedures, calculations, output and/or display functions, etc., as those described herein.

Further numbered embodiments will now be described.

Embodiment 1. a base station configured to communicate with a User Equipment (UE). The base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

An embodiment 2. a communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and

a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a User Equipment (UE). The cellular network comprises base stations having radio interfaces and processing circuits. The processing circuitry of the base station is configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

Embodiment 3. the communication system according to embodiment 2, further comprising a base station.

Embodiment 4. the communication system of embodiment 36, further comprising a UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a base station.

Embodiment 5. the communication system of embodiment 4, wherein the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide the user data; the UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with a host application.

Embodiment 6. a method implemented in a base station, comprising one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of a first network node 111 and a second network node 112.

Embodiment 7. a method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises the following steps: at a host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating transmission of the user-carried data to the UE via a cellular network including the base station. The base station performs one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

Embodiment 8. the method of embodiment 7, further comprising: at the base station, user data is transmitted.

Embodiment 9. the method of embodiment 8, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application. The method further comprises the following steps: at the UE, a client application associated with the host application is executed.

Embodiment 10. a User Equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station. The UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 11. a communication system, comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a User Equipment (UE). The UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the UE is configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 12. the communication system according to embodiment 11, further comprising a UE.

Embodiment 13. the communication system of embodiment 12, wherein the cellular network further comprises a base station configured to communicate with the UE.

Embodiment 14. the communication system of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide the user data; the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

Embodiment 15. a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE) includes one or more actions described herein as being performed by a wireless device 130.

Embodiment 16. a method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises the following steps: at a host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating transmission of the user-carried data to the UE via a cellular network including the base station. The UE performs one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 17. the method of embodiment 16, further comprising: at the UE, user data is received from a base station.

Embodiment 18. a User Equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station. The UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 19. a communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising: a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment (UE) to a base station. The UE includes a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 20 the communication system according to embodiment 19, further comprising a UE.

Embodiment 21 the communication system according to embodiment 20, further comprising a base station. The base station includes: a radio interface configured to communicate with a UE; and a communication interface configured to forward user data carried by transmissions from the UE to the base station to the host computer.

Embodiment 22. the communication system of embodiment 20 or 21, wherein the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to provide the user data.

Embodiment 23. the communication system of embodiment 46 or 47, wherein the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide the requested data; the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to provide the user data in response to the requested data.

Embodiment 24. a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE), comprising one or more actions described herein as being performed by a wireless device 130.

Embodiment 25. the method of embodiment 24, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to the host computer via transmission to the base station.

Embodiment 26. a method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises the following steps: at the host computer, user data transmitted from the UE to the base station is received, wherein the UE performs one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 27. the method of embodiment 26, further comprising: at the UE, user data is provided to the base station.

Embodiment 28 the method of embodiment 27, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application, thereby providing user data to be transmitted; and executing, at the host computer, a host application associated with the client application.

Embodiment 29 the method of embodiment 27, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application; and receiving, at the UE, input data for the client application, the input data provided by executing, at the host computer, a host application associated with the client application. The user data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the input data.

Embodiment 30. a base station configured to communicate with a User Equipment (UE). The base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by any of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

Embodiment 31. a communication system comprising a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment (UE) to a base station. The base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry of the base station is configured to perform one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of the first network node 111 and the second network node 112.

Embodiment 32 the communication system of embodiment 31, further comprising a base station.

Embodiment 33. the communication system according to embodiment 32, further comprising a UE. The UE is configured to communicate with a base station.

Embodiment 34 the communication system of embodiment 33, wherein the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application. The UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer.

Embodiment 35 a method implemented in a base station, comprising one or more actions described herein as being performed by either of a first network node 111 and a second network node 112.

Embodiment 36. a method implemented in a communication system comprising a host computer, a base station, and a User Equipment (UE). The method comprises the following steps: at the host computer, user data is received from the base station that originates from transmissions that the base station has received from the UE. The UE performs one or more actions described herein as being performed by the wireless device 130.

Embodiment 37 the method of embodiment 36, further comprising: at a base station, user data is received from a UE.

Embodiment 38. the method of embodiment 37, further comprising: at the base station, transmission of the received user data to the host computer is initiated.

Abbreviations

At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in the present disclosure. If there is inconsistency between abbreviations, the above usage should be prioritized. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should be prioritized over any subsequent listing(s).

CDM code division multiplexing

CQI channel quality information

CRC cyclic redundancy check

DCI downlink control information

DFT discrete Fourier transform

DM-RS demodulation reference signal

FDM frequency division multiplexing

HARQ hybrid automatic repeat request

OFDM orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

PAPR peak-to-average power ratio

PUCCH physical uplink control channel

PUSCH physical uplink shared channel

SRS sounding reference signal

Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH)

DC dual connection

PRB physical resource block

RRC radio resource control

UCI uplink control information

Effective isotropic radiated power of EIRP

SS-block synchronization signal block

CSI-RS channel state information reference signal

PBCH primary broadcast channel

The claims are provided below. The reference numbers/letters are provided in parentheses by way of example/illustration and do not limit the claims to the specific elements indicated by the reference numbers/letters.