Power headroom reporting with dual connectivity

• US 9,480,029 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Koc, Ali T., Sivanesan, Kathiravetpillai, Jha, Satish C., Vannithamby, Rath, Zhang, Yujian
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/495,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/248 where transmission power control commands are generated based on a path parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/365 Power headroom reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a communication between a user equipment (“UE”) and a plurality of evolved Node Bs (“eNBs”). A UE may be adapted to operate in a dual connected mode on respective wireless cells provided by first and second eNBs. The UE may be adapted to estimate respective power headroom (“PHR”) values associated with simultaneous operation on the first and second wireless cells. The UE may cause the first and second PHR estimates to be transmitted to both the first and second eNBs. The first and second eNBs may use these estimates to compute respective uplink transmission powers for the UE. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus to be included in a user equipment (“

UE”

), the apparatus comprising;

transmitter circuitry; and

processor circuitry coupled to the transmitter circuitry, the processor circuitry to simultaneously operate on a first wireless primary cell (“

PCell”

), provided by a first eNB (evolved Node B), and a second wireless PCell, provided by a second eNB, and to compute a first estimate of a power headroom (“

PHR”

) associated with the first wireless PCell and a second estimate of a PHR associated with the second wireless PCell;

the processor circuitry to identify an uplink transmission power based on the first estimate and the second estimate in response to transmission of the first estimate and the second estimate;

the processor circuitry to cause the transmitter circuitry to transmit an uplink communication based on said uplink transmission power in response to receipt of an indication of said uplink transmission power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry to cause the transmitter circuitry to send the second estimate to the first eNB.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry to cause the transmitter circuitry to send the second estimate to the second eNB.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry to cause the transmitter circuitry to send the first estimate to the second eNB.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the processor circuitry to detect a predetermined event, and further to cause the transmitter circuitry to transmit the first estimate and the second estimate based on the detection of the predetermined event.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined event is associated with at least one of operation, by the processor circuitry, on a third wireless cell simultaneous or the operation on the first and second wireless Pcells.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined event is associated with termination of the operation on the second PCell by the processor circuitry.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined event is associated with expiration of a first timer associated with the operation on the first PCell or expiration of a second timer associated with the operation on the second PCell.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the predetermined event is further associated with a pathloss value that exceeds a threshold value.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising receiver circuitry, coupled with the processor circuitry, to receive said indication of said uplink transmit power;

and

wherein the predetermined event is associated with reception by the receiver circuitry of a request to transmit the first estimate to the first eNB.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further to detect that that a transmission power has reached a maximum value, and cause the transmitter circuitry to transmit, to the first eNB, an indication that the transmission power has reached the maximum value.

12. An apparatus to be included in an evolved Node B (“

eNB”

), the apparatus comprising;

receiver circuitry to receive a first power headroom (“

PHR”

) value associated with communication between the eNB and a user equipment (“

UE”

) and a second PHR value associated with communication between another eNB and the UE;

processor circuitry, coupled with the receiver circuitry, to determine an uplink transmission power associated with the communication between the eNB and the UE based on the first PHR value and the second PHR value; and

transmitter circuitry, coupled with the processor circuitry, to transmit an indication of the uplink transmission power to the UE.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the processor circuitry to cause the eNB to connect to the other eNB through non-ideal backhaul.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, the receiver circuitry to receive an indication that the UE has reached a maximum transmission power, and the determination of the uplink transmission power is further based on the indication.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, the receiver circuitry to receive at least one of the first PHR value or second PHR value from the UE.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, the receiver circuitry to receive at least one of the first PHR value or the second PHR value from the other eNB via an X2 interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, the transmitter circuitry to transmit at least one of the first PHR value or the second PHR value to the other eNB via an X2 interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, the processor circuitry to generate a request for the UE to transmit the first and second PHR values, the transmitter circuitry to transmit the request to the UE.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, the processor circuitry to determine at least one duration associated with at least one timer and at least one pathloss threshold value, the transmitter circuitry to transmit the at least one duration and at least one pathloss threshold value to the UE for determination of a PHR value report by the UE.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising compute device-executable instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a user equipment (“

UE”

), cause the UE to;

operate in a dual connectivity mode on a first wireless cell, provided by a first evolved Node B (“

eNB”

);

operate on a second wireless cell, provided by a second eNB, simultaneously with the operation on the first wireless cell;

compute a first power headroom (“

PHR”

) value associated with the first wireless cell;

compute a second PHR value associated with the second wireless cell;

identify an uplink transmission power that is based on the first estimate and the second estimate in response to transmission of the first PHR value to at least one of the first eNB or the second eNB and transmission of the second PHR value to at least one of the first eNB or the second eNB; and

cause transmitter circuitry of the UE to transmit an uplink communication based on said uplink transmission power in response to identification of said uplink transmission power.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the transmitter circuitry to transmit the uplink communication to the first eNB.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the UE to detect a predetermined event, and further wherein the transmission of the first PHR value is based on the detection of the predetermined event.

23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising compute device-executable instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by an evolved Node B (“

eNB”

), cause the eNB to;

receive a first power headroom (“

PHR”

) value associated with communication between the eNB and a user equipment (“

UE”

);

receive a second PHR value associated with communication between another eNB and the UE;

calculate a transmission power value associated with the communication between the eNB and the UE based on the first PHR value and the second PHR value; and

transmit an indication of the transmission power value to the UE.

24. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the eNB to receive an indication that the UE has reached a maximum transmission power, and further wherein the computation of the uplink transmission power is further based on the indication.

25. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the eNB to communicate at least one of the first PHR value or the second PHR value with the other eNB via an X2 interface.