# US 2016/0262177 A1 · Apparatus, System, and Method for Toggling Carrier Aggregation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0262177 A1 - Document ID: US20160262177A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/853,404 - Filed: 2015-09-14 - Published: 2016-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-06 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Harshit CHUTTANI; Sai Sravan Bharadwaj KARRI; Someet LAL; Navid DAMJI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160262177A1 ## CPC - H04W 52/0225: {using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal} - H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers} - H04W 76/15: Setup of multiple wireless link connections - H04L 5/0057: {Physical resource allocation for CQI} - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract An apparatus, system, and method optimize a manner in which carrier aggregation (CA) is used. The apparatus comprises a transceiver and processor. The transceiver is used to establish a connection with a network including first and second network components used for a CA functionality. The processor implicitly deactivates the SCell while the CA functionality is enabled by the network by determining that the CA functionality is enabled by the network, determining that the SCell is one of out-of-service (OoS) and effectively OoS when the second network component is reachable by the apparatus and a connection parameter with the second network component is below a predetermined threshold, transmitting a channel quality indicator (CQI) value of zero for the SCell to the first network component to implicitly deactivate the SCell, and utilizing a low power consumption state where monitoring of the SCell is terminated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A user equipment, comprising: a transceiver configured to enable the user equipment to establish a connection with a network including a first network component and a second network component and to use a carrier aggregation functionality, the first network component configured as a primary serving cell (PCell) and the second network component configured as a secondary serving cell (SCell); and a processor configured to implicitly deactivate the SCell while the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network by: determining that the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network; determining that the SCell is one of out-of-service (OoS) and effectively OoS, the SCell being effectively OoS when the second network component is reachable by the user equipment and a connection parameter with the second network component is below a predetermined threshold; transmitting a channel quality indicator (CQI) value of zero for the SCell to the first network component to implicitly deactivate the SCell; and utilizing a low power consumption state where monitoring of the SCell is terminated. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor determines that the SCell is OoS by: determining an absence of the SCell for a predetermined time duration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to implicitly deactivate the SCell by: performing a search for the SCell upon determining the absence of the SCell. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the network is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network configured with a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) functionality, and wherein the predetermined time duration is based upon a predetermined number of cycles of the DRX functionality. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to implicitly deactivate the SCell by: initiating a timer upon determining the absence of the SCell; and transmitting a channel state information (CSI) report to the first network component upon expiry of the timer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The user equipment of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to implicitly deactivate the SCell by: performing at least one further search for the SCell while the timer is running. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The user equipment of claim 3, wherein, when the search detects a presence of the SCell, the user equipment transmits an observed CQI value for the SCell and utilizes a high power consumption state where the SCell is monitored. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the CQI value of zero is transmitted upon determining the absence of the SCell. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the connection parameter includes at least one measured connection value between the user equipment, the first network component, the second network component, and a combination thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the at least one measured connection value is associated with one of a SCell downlink signal-to-interference-plus-noise (SINR), a SCell channel quality indicator (CQI), a SCell throughput, a SCell-PCell throughput ratio, a SCell downlink reference signal received power (RSRP), and a SCell downlink transport block (TB) size. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the processor determines that the SCell is effectively OoS by: monitoring the connection parameter associated with the SCell; and determining whether a criteria threshold for the connection parameter is met. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the criteria threshold is when a drop occurs below a predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the processor determines that the SCell is effectively OoS by: initiating a timer upon the criteria threshold being met; and monitoring that the connection parameter satisfies the criteria threshold until the timer expires. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the CQI value of zero is transmitted for a predetermined time duration. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the predetermined time duration increases based upon a state of implicit deactivation, the state defined by a consecutive instance the SCell is implicitly deactivated. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the processor determines that the SCell is effectively OoS by: determining motion state information of the user equipment, the predetermined time duration being based upon the motion state information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the predetermined time duration doubles for each subsequent state. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the processor monitors the connection parameter associated with the SCell after the predetermined time duration and determines the criteria threshold for the connection parameter is not met, and wherein the user equipment transmits an observed CQI value for the SCell and utilizes a high power consumption state where the SCell is monitored. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the measured connection value is a SCell-PCell throughput ratio value and the predetermined threshold is between 0.1 and 0.4. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the measured connection value is a combination of a SCell downlink SINR value and a SCell downlink TB size value and the predetermined threshold for the SCell downlink SINR is between 0 dB and −5 dB. ### Claim 21 A method, comprising: at a user equipment configured to implicitly deactivate a secondary serving cell (SCell) while the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network, the user equipment establishing a connection with a network including a first network component configured as a primary serving cell (PCell) and a second network component configured as the SCell: determining that the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network; determining an absence of the SCell for a predetermined time duration; performing a search for the SCell upon determining the absence of the SCell; transmitting a channel quality indicator (CQI) value of zero for the SCell to the first network component while performing the search to implicitly deactivate the SCell; and utilizing a low power consumption state where monitoring of the SCell is terminated. ### Claim 22 A method, comprising: at a user equipment configured to implicitly deactivate a secondary serving cell (SCell) while the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network, the user equipment establishing a connection with a network including a first network component configured as a primary serving cell (PCell) and a second network component configured as the SCell: determining that the carrier aggregation functionality is enabled by the network; monitoring at least one connection parameter associated with the SCell; determining whether a criteria threshold for the at least one connection parameter is met; transmitting a channel quality indicator (CQI) value of zero for the SCell to the first network component when the criteria threshold is met for a predetermined time duration; and utilizing a low power consumption state where monitoring of the SCell is deactivated for the predetermined time duration.