Dynamic carrier reconfiguration in response to predicted uplink intermodulation distortion
AssigneeSprint Spectrum L.P.
InventorsSreekar Marupaduga, Mark Wade
Life of this patent
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Abstract
When an access node is providing a UE with carrier-aggregation service on a PCell in combination with one or more SCells and the UE engages in a voice call including uplink voice communication on the PCell, the access node will determine that there is a threshold high level of IMD on the uplink resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions, and the access node will responsively swap the UE's PCell with one of the UE's one or more SCells. In a representative implementation, the decision to swap these carriers in the UE's connection could be based on a further determination that the level of IMD on the uplink of the SCell is not threshold high.
Claims20
A method for controlling carriers on which an access node of a cell site serves a user equipment device (UE) when the access node provides the UE with carrier-aggregation service on a connection encompassing at least a first carrier configured as a primary cell (PCell) for the carrier-aggregation service and a second carrier configured as a secondary cell (SCell) for the carrier-aggregation service, the method comprising:
- making a determination that there is a predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on an uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from the cell site;
- and
- responsive to at least the determination that there is the predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on the uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from the cell site, swapping the first carrier and second carrier in the connection, wherein the swapping makes the second carrier the PCell of the carrier-aggregation service and makes the first carrier the SCell of the carrier-aggregation service.
A computing system for controlling carriers on which an access node of a cell site serves a user equipment device (UE) when the access node provides the UE with carrier-aggregation service on a connection encompassing at least a first carrier configured as a primary cell (PCell) for the carrier-aggregation service and a second carrier configured as a secondary cell (SCell) for the carrier-aggregation service, the computing system comprising:
- a processing unit;
- non-transitory data storage;
- and
- program instructions stored in the non-transitory data storage and executable by the processing unit to carry out operations including:
- making a determination that there is a predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on an uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from the cell site, and
- responsive to at least the determination that there is the predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on the uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from the cell site, causing the first carrier and second carrier to be swapped in the connection, wherein the swapping makes the second carrier the PCell of the carrier-aggregation service and makes the first carrier the SCell of the carrier-aggregation service.
An access node comprising:
- an antenna structure through which to engage in air-interface communication;
- and
- a controller for controlling carriers on which the access node serves a user equipment device (UE) when the access node provides the UE with carrier-aggregation service on a connection encompassing at least a first carrier configured as a primary cell (PCell) for the carrier-aggregation service and a second carrier configured as a secondary cell (SCell) for the carrier-aggregation service,
- wherein the controller is configured to make a determination that there is a predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on an uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from a cell site at which the access node operates, and
- wherein the controller is configured to respond at least the determination that there is the predefined threshold high extent of intermodulation distortion on the uplink channel of the first carrier resulting from concurrent downlink transmissions from the cell site by causing the first carrier and second carrier to be swapped in the connection, wherein the swapping makes the second carrier the PCell of the carrier-aggregation service and makes the first carrier the SCell of the carrier-aggregation service.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.