Radio link monitoring

• US 9,974,099 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sivanesan, Kathiravetpillai, Koc, Ali Taha, Jha, Satish C., Vannithamby, Rath
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Christine
• Application Number:
  US14/498,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20150146562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2621 using frequency division multiple access [FDMA] H04B7/2615 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1825 Adaptation of specific ARQ protocol parameters according to transmission conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2607 Cyclic extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0078 Timing of allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/22 using time-division multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 : at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 : in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 : Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 : for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 : detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 : Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 : based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 : Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 : Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• 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: H04W 88/10 : adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In embodiments, apparatuses, methods, and storage media may be described for monitoring channel quality of a radio link between a secondary evolved NodeB (SeNB) and a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network configured for dual connectivity. In embodiments, the UE may generate one or more indications of a channel quality of the SeNB-UE radio link and forward the indication to the SeNB. Based on the indication, the UE may receive a radio resource control (RRC) message from a master eNB (MeNB) related to the SeNB-UE radio link. Other embodiments may be claimed.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a communications interface to;

process a first downlink (DL) signal from a secondary evolved NodeB (SeNB) that the UE is to communicatively couple with over a first radio link; and

process a second DL signal from a master evolved NodeB (MeNB) that the UE is to communicatively couple with over a second radio link, wherein the first radio link and the second radio link are radio links that at least partially overlap in time in a dual connectivity network; and

radio resource control (RRC) circuitry coupled with the communications interface, the RRC circuitry to generate, based on a first radio link monitoring (RLM) parameter that is related to the first radio link and the first DL signal and that is different than a second RLM parameter that is related to the second radio link and the second DL signal, a first indication of a quality parameter related to the first radio link;

wherein the first RLM parameter is a value of a first timer that is related to the first radio link and the second RLM parameter is a value of a second timer that is related to the second radio link and the first timer is different from the second timer; and

wherein the second timer is a t310 timer and the first timer is a timer that is different than the t310 timer.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the SeNB has a first cell coverage area and the MeNB has a second cell coverage area that is at least partially different than the first cell coverage area.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the communications interface is further to transmit the first indication to the SeNB.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the indication is to be transmitted by the SeNB to the MeNB.

5. The UE of claim 3, wherein the communications interface is further to receive, from the MeNB over the second radio link, a RRC message based on the first indication.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the quality parameter related to the first radio link is a channel quality indicator (CQI) parameter.

7. The UE of claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile memory (NVM) coupled with the RRC circuitry.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause a user equipment (UE) that is concurrently communicatively coupled with a secondary evolved NodeB (SeNB) over a first radio link and a master evolved NodeB (MeNB) over a second radio link in a dual connectivity network such that the first radio link and the second radio link at least partially overlap in time, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the UE, to:

identify a first downlink (DL) signal from the SeNB and a second DL signal from the MeNB; and

generate, based on a first radio link monitoring (RLM) parameter that is related to the first radio link and the first DL signal and that is different than a second RLM parameter that is related to the second radio link and the second DL signal, an indication of a quality parameter related to the first radio link;

wherein the first RLM parameter is a value of a first timer that is related to the first radio link and the second RLM parameter is a value of a T310 timer that is related to the second radio link, and the first timer is different than a T310 timer.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the SeNB has a first cell coverage area and the MeNB has a second cell coverage area that is at least partially different than the first cell coverage area.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further to transmit the indication to the SeNB.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the indication is to be transmitted by the SeNB to the MeNB.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further to receive, from the MeNB, a radio resource control (RRC) message based on the indication.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the quality parameter related to the first radio link is a channel quality indicator (CQI) parameter.

14. User equipment (UE) circuitry to:

process a first downlink (DL) signal from a secondary evolved NodeB (SeNB) that the UE is to communicatively couple with over a first radio link;

process a second DL signal from a master evolved NodeB (MeNB) that the UE is to communicatively couple with over a second radio link, wherein the first radio link and the second radio link are radio links that at least partially overlap in time in a dual connectivity network; and

generate, based on a first radio link monitoring (RLM) parameter that is related to the first radio link and the first DL signal and that is different than a second RLM parameter that is related to the second radio link and the second DL signal, a first indication of a quality parameter related to the first radio link;

wherein the first RLM parameter is a value of a first timer that is related to the first radio link and the second RLM parameter is a value of a T310 timer that is related to the second radio link, and the first timer is different than a T310 timer.

15. The UE circuitry of claim 14, wherein the SeNB has a first cell coverage area and the MeNB has a second cell coverage area that is at least partially different than the first cell coverage area.

16. The UE circuitry of claim 14, wherein the UE circuitry is further to transmit the first indication to the SeNB.

17. The UE circuitry of claim 16, wherein the indication is to be transmitted by the SeNB to the MeNB.

18. The UE circuitry of claim 16, wherein the UE circuitry is further to receive, from the MeNB over the second radio link, a RRC message based on the first indication.

19. The UE circuitry of claim 14, wherein the quality parameter related to the first radio link is a channel quality indicator (CQI) parameter.