# US 11,121,831 B2 · Methods and nodes for packet duplication relating to carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,121,831 B2 - Document ID: US11121831B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/487,483 - Filed: 2018-02-21 - Published: 2020-01-02 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-24 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Caner Kilinc; Torsten Dudda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11121831B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0032: {Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation} - H04L 1/1887: {Scheduling and prioritising arrangements} - H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers} - H04L 5/0098: {Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands} - H04W 36/00692: {using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] (allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035)} - H04W 76/15: Setup of multiple wireless link connections - H04W 80/02: Data link layer protocols - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract There is provided a method in a node for a wireless communication network. The node is configurable with a plurality of radio carriers for radio transmission between the node and one or more other nodes of the wireless communication network. The plurality of radio carriers comprises at least a first carrier and a second carrier. The node is operable according to a protocol stack comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is higher than the first layer. The first layer is responsible for aggregation of the first and second radio carriers, and the second layer is responsible for duplication of data packets for transmission over the first and second carriers. The method comprises determining, at a first entity of the first layer, that the second carrier is activated or deactivated; and sending, from the first entity of the first layer to a first entity of the second layer, an indication of the activation or deactivation of the second carrier. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method in a node for a wireless communication network, the node being configurable with a plurality of radio carriers for radio transmission between the node and one or more other nodes of the wireless communication network, the plurality of radio carriers comprising at least a first carrier and a second carrier, the node being operable according to a protocol stack comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is higher than the first layer, wherein the first layer is responsible for aggregation of the first and second carriers, and wherein the second layer is responsible for duplication of data packets for transmission over the first and second carriers, the method comprising: determining, at a first entity of the first layer, that the second carrier is activated or deactivated; and sending, from the first entity of the first layer to a first entity of the second layer, an indication of the activation or deactivation of the second carrier, wherein the first entity of the second layer is configured to commence duplication of data packets, if the indication indicates that the second carrier is activated, and cease duplication of data packets if the indication indicates that the second carrier is de-activated. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication comprises an indication of an identity or an index of one or more of the second carrier and a cell associated with the second carrier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein: the protocol stack further comprises at least one intermediate layer between the first layer and the second layer, and the indication of the activation or deactivation of the second carrier is sent from the first entity of the first layer to the first entity of the second layer via one or more entities of one of the at least one intermediate layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein: the first entity of the second layer is configured to send the first data packet and the second data packet to a first entity of the intermediate layer and a second entity of the intermediate layer respectively, and the first and second entities of the intermediate layer are configured to send the first data packet and the second data packet, respectively, to one or more entities of the first layer for transmission over the first and second carriers, respectively. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein: the protocol stack further comprises at least one intermediate layer between the first layer and the second layer, and wherein the sending comprises sending the request to activate or deactivate the second carrier via one or more entities of at least one of the at least one intermediate layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the node comprises a first entity of the intermediate layer, the method further comprising: responsive to a determination that the indication is an instruction to commence duplication of packets over the first and second carriers, identifying a second entity of the intermediate layer; and sending a first data packet and a second data packet that are duplicates of each other for transmission via the first entity and the second entity of the intermediate layer, respectively. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein identifying the second entity of the intermediate layer comprises: establishing the second entity of the intermediate layer; or identifying a pre-existing entity as the second entity of the intermediate layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising: sending the first and second data packets from the first and second entities of the intermediate layer, respectively, to the first entity of the first layer, for transmission over the first and second carriers, respectively. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the first and second data packets are sent from the first and second entities of the intermediate layer via first and second logical channels, respectively. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first entity of the second layer is configured to create a first data packet and a second data packet, which are duplicates of each other, and send the first data packet and the second data packet for transmission over the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. ### Claim 11 A node for a wireless communication network, the node being configurable with a plurality of radio carriers for radio transmission between the node and one or more other nodes of the wireless communication network, the plurality of radio carriers comprising at least a first carrier and a second carrier, the node being operable according to a protocol stack comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is higher than the first layer, wherein the first layer is responsible for aggregation of the first and second radio carriers, and wherein the second layer is responsible for duplication of data packets for transmission over the first and second carriers, the node comprising processing circuitry and a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing code which, when executed by the processing circuitry, causes the node to: determine, at a first entity of the first layer, that the second carrier is activated or deactivated; and send, from the first entity of the first layer to a first entity of the second layer, an indication of the activation or deactivation of the second carrier, wherein the first entity of the second layer is configured to commence duplication of data packets for transmission over the second carrier in responsive to a determination that the indication is an indication of the activation of the second carrier and cease duplication of data packets for transmission over the second carrier in responsive to a determination that the indication is an indication of the deactivation of the second carrier. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The node according to claim 11, wherein the indication comprises an indication of an identity or an index of one or more of the second carrier and a cell associated with the second carrier.