Patent Description:
Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia content. Dual connectivity procedures may improve user experience significantly, but may introduce new challenges as well. Examples of new challenges include rapid power drain and associated thermal issues. Accordingly, improvements in the field are desired. <NPL> describes dynamic control of PDCP duplication for industrial internet of things (IIOT). <NPL>describes the value range for threshold used in uplink bearer split. <NPL> describes UL routing for the split SRB in NSA.

Embodiments relate to apparatus, methods and non-transitory computer readable memory medium to perform negotiation of bearer types, bearer type configurations, and/or related parameters. The example(s)/aspect(s)/embodiment(s)/invention(s) in the description of <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG> are according to the invention as defined in the claims.

Memory Medium - Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system in which the programs are executed, or may be located in a second different computer system which connects to the first computer system over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systems that are connected over a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computer programs) that may be executed by one or more processors.

Computer System - any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or "UE Device") - any of various types of computer systems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g. smart watch, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

Wireless Device - any of various types of computer system devices which performs wireless communications.

Processing Element - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing a function in a device, such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), as well any of various combinations of the above.

Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation.

As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station <NUM> which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N.

The base station (BS) <NUM> may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site (a "cellular base station"), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A through 106N.

The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a "cell. " The base station <NUM> and the UEs <NUM> may be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), <NUM> new radio (<NUM> NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station <NUM> is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternately be referred to as an 'eNodeB' or 'eNB'. Note that if the base station <NUM> is implemented in the context of <NUM> NR, it may alternately be referred to as 'gNodeB' or 'gNB'.

As shown, the base station <NUM> may also be equipped to communicate with a network <NUM> (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among various possibilities). Thus, the base station <NUM> may facilitate communication between the user devices and/or between the user devices and the network <NUM>. In particular, the cellular base station <NUM> may provide UEs <NUM> with various telecommunication capabilities, such as voice, SMS and/or data services.

Base station <NUM> and other similar base stations operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard may thus be provided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

Thus, while base station <NUM> may act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-N as illustrated in <FIG>, each UE <NUM> may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which might be provided by other base stations 102B-N), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells".

In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and/or to a NR core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs).

Note that a UE <NUM> may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE <NUM> may be configured to communicate using a wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and/or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, <NUM> NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). The UE <NUM> may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M/H), and/or any other wireless communication protocol, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

<FIG> illustrates user equipment <NUM> (e.g., one of the devices 106A through 106N) in communication with a base station <NUM>, according to some embodiments. The UE <NUM> may be a device with cellular communication capability such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

The UE <NUM> may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UE <NUM> may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and/or GSM or LTE using the single shared radio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for multiple-input, multiple-output or "MIMO") for performing wireless communications. In general, a radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE <NUM> may share one or more parts of a receive and/or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above.

In some embodiments, the UE <NUM> may include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and/or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). Similarly, the BS <NUM> may also include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and/or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). To receive and/or transmit such directional signals, the antennas of the UE <NUM> and/or BS <NUM> may be configured to apply different "weight" to different antennas. The process of applying these different weights may be referred to as "precoding".

<FIG> illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a communication device <NUM>, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the communication device of <FIG> is only one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, communication device <NUM> may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet and/or a combination of devices, among other devices. As shown, the communication device <NUM> may include a set of components <NUM> configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system on chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, this set of components <NUM> may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for the various purposes. The set of components <NUM> may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device <NUM>.

As shown, the SOC <NUM> may include processor(s) <NUM>, which may execute program instructions for the communication device <NUM> and display circuitry <NUM>, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display <NUM>. The processor(s) <NUM> may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) <NUM>, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) <NUM> and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory <NUM>, read only memory (ROM) <NUM>, NAND flash memory <NUM>) and/or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry <NUM>, short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM>, cellular communication circuitry <NUM>, connector I/F <NUM>, and/or display <NUM>. The MMU <NUM> may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU <NUM> may be included as a portion of the processor(s) <NUM>.

As noted above, the communication device <NUM> may be configured to communicate using wireless and/or wired communication circuitry. The communication device <NUM> may be configured to transmit a request to attach to a first network node operating according to the first RAT and transmit an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first network node and a second network node that operates according to the second RAT. The wireless device may also be configured transmit a request to attach to the second network node. The request may include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first and second network nodes. Further, the wireless device may be configured to receive an indication that dual connectivity (DC) with the first and second network nodes has been established.

As described herein, the communication device <NUM> may include hardware and software components for implementing features for using multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processor <NUM> of the communication device <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor <NUM> may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor <NUM> of the communication device <NUM>, in conjunction with one or more of the other components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

Further, as described herein, cellular communication circuitry <NUM> and short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM> may each include one or more processing elements and/or processors. In other words, one or more processing elements/processors may be included in cellular communication circuitry <NUM> and, similarly, one or more processing elements/processors may be included in short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM>. Thus, cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry <NUM>. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry <NUM>. Similarly, the short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM> may include one or more ICs that are configured to perform the functions of short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM>. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of short range wireless communication circuitry <NUM>.

The radio <NUM> and at least one antenna <NUM> may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> may communicate with the radio <NUM> via communication chain <NUM>.

In addition, as described herein, processor(s) <NUM> may include one or more processing elements.

Further, as described herein, radio <NUM> may include one or more processing elements.

<FIG> illustrates an example simplified block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry of <FIG> is only one example of a possible cellular communication circuit; other circuits, such as circuits including or coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using separate antennas, are also possible. According to embodiments, cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may be included in a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> described above. As noted above, communication device <NUM> may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet and/or a combination of devices, among other devices.

The cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and <NUM> as shown (in <FIG>). In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may include dedicated receive chains (including and/or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly. For example, as shown in <FIG>, cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may include a modem <NUM> and a modem <NUM>. Modem <NUM> may be configured for communications according to a first RAT, e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A, and modem <NUM> may be configured for communications according to a second RAT, e.g., such as <NUM> NR. In some embodiments, antennas 335a-b and <NUM> may be shared between the RATs and modems as desired.

In some embodiments, a combiner <NUM> may couple transmit circuitry <NUM> to uplink (UL) front end <NUM>. Combiner <NUM> may be or include a switch and/or multiplexer. In addition, combiner <NUM> may couple transmit circuitry <NUM> to UL front end <NUM>. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry <NUM> receives instructions to transmit according to the first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem <NUM>), combiner <NUM> may be switched to a first state that allows modem <NUM> to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry <NUM> and UL front end <NUM>). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry <NUM> receives instructions to transmit according to the second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem <NUM>), combiner <NUM> may be switched to a second state that allows modem <NUM> to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry <NUM> and UL front end <NUM>).

In some embodiments, modem <NUM> and modem <NUM> may be configured to transmit at the same time, receive at the same time, and/or transmit and receive at the same time. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry <NUM> receives instructions to transmit according to both the first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem <NUM>) and the second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem <NUM>), combiner <NUM> may be switched to a third state that allows modems <NUM> and <NUM> to transmit signals according to the first and second RATs (e.g., via a transmit circuitry <NUM> and <NUM> and UL front end <NUM>). In other words, the modems may coordinate communication activity, and each may perform transmit and/or receive functions at any time, as desired.

In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry <NUM> may be configured to transmit, via the first modem while the switch is in the first state, a request to attach to a first network node operating according to the first RAT and transmit, via the first modem while the switch is in a first state, an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first network node and a second network node that operates according to the second RAT. The wireless device may also be configured to transmit, via the second radio while the switch is in a second state, a request to attach to the second network node. The request may include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first and second network nodes. Further, the wireless device may be configured to receive, via the first radio, an indication that dual connectivity with the first and second network nodes has been established.

Additionally, the modem <NUM> and modem <NUM> may coordinate their transmit and receive activities via link <NUM>. For example, the modems <NUM> and <NUM> may coordinate according to various bearer configurations such as bearer split thresholds negotiated with the network according to the embodiments described further with respect to <FIG>.

As described herein, the modem <NUM> may include hardware and software components for implementing features for using multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor <NUM> may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor <NUM>, in conjunction with one or more of the other components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

In some embodiments, processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA, or as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. In addition, as described herein, processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) <NUM>, <NUM>, etc..

As described herein, the modem <NUM> may include hardware and software components for implementing features for using multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor <NUM> may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor <NUM>, in conjunction with one or more of the other components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

In some implementations, fifth generation (<NUM>) wireless communication will initially be deployed concurrently with other wireless communication standards (e.g., LTE). For example, whereas <FIG> illustrates a possible standalone (SA) implementation of a next generation core (NGC) network <NUM> and <NUM> NR base station (e.g., gNB <NUM>), dual connectivity between LTE and <NUM> new radio (<NUM> NR or NR), such as in accordance with the exemplary non-standalone (NSA) architecture illustrated in <FIG>, has been specified as part of the initial deployment of NR. Thus, as illustrated in <FIG>, evolved packet core (EPC) network <NUM> may continue to communicate with current LTE base stations (e.g., eNB <NUM>). In addition, eNB <NUM> may be in communication with a <NUM> NR base station (e.g., gNB <NUM>) and may pass data between the EPC network <NUM> and gNB <NUM>. In some instances, the gNB <NUM> may also have at least a user plane reference point with EPC network <NUM>. Thus, EPC network <NUM> may be used (or reused) and gNB <NUM> may serve as extra capacity for UEs, e.g., for providing increased downlink and/or uplink throughput to UEs. In other words, LTE may be used for control plane signaling and NR may be used for user plane signaling. Thus, LTE may be used to establish connections to the network and NR may be used for data services. As will be appreciated, numerous other non-standalone architecture variants are possible.

In multi-RAT dual-connectivity (MR-DC), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may communicate simultaneously with a wireless (e.g., cellular) network using cells of two different RATs. The UE may maintain two control plane connections with the network, e.g., via a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG). In the MCG, a primary cell (PCell) may remain active for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control (e.g., and potentially data) communications. Similarly, in the SCG, a primary secondary cell (PSCell) may remain active for UL and DL communications, e.g., of control information. It will be appreciated that remaining active does not preclude operating according to discontinuous reception (DRX). Thus, the UE may support simultaneous reception and transmission using the MCG and SCG (e.g., via the PCell and/or PSCell, among other possible cells).

In the user plane, the UE may support three bearer types, e.g., MCG-bearer, SCG-bearer, and split bearer (e.g., using both the MCG and SCG). In some embodiments, for a split bearer configuration, UL transmissions up to a (e.g., configurable) threshold amount of data may be transmitted via only the primary RLC entity (e.g., via the MCG, although the SCG may also serve as the primary RLC entity, if desired). In some embodiments, for UL transmission equal to or greater than the threshold amount, transmission may occur via both primary RLC entity and secondary RLC entity. In existing MR-DC mechanisms (e.g., including Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA)-NR-DC (EN-DC), in which LTE is the MCG and NR is the SCG), the bearer type and (for split bearer) the UL amount of data threshold may be configured by the network. The split between the MCG and SCG may be referred to as split bearer configuration. The split bearer configuration may include both the threshold for initiating splitting (e.g., ul-DataSplitThresold) and the portion of data to be transmitted by each cell group after the threshold is reached. Such a threshold may be evaluated relative to the amount of data in the UE's UL buffer, e.g., for the split bearer. In other words, in some embodiments, if the amount of data in the buffer is below the threshold, the MCG may be used for transmission of all data in the buffer, but if the amount of data in the buffer reaches the threshold, the data may be split with a portion being transmitted on the MCG and a second portion being transmitted on the SCG. Relevant technical specifications include 3GPP <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Among other details, these specifications list various possible thresholds for ul-DataSplitThresold (e.g., b0, b100, b200, b400, b800, b1600, b3200, b6400, b12800, b25600, b51200, b102400, b204800, b409600, and b819200), however it will be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure may include other threshold values and configurations.

Conversely the split bearer configuration may include both the threshold for initiating splitting (e.g., dl-DataSplitThresold) and the portion of data to be transmitted by each cell group after the threshold is reached (e.g., offloading ratio). Such a threshold may be evaluated relative to the amount of data in the Network's data buffer, e.g., for the split bearer. In other words, in some embodiments, if the amount of data in the buffer is below the threshold, the MCG may be used for transmission of all data in the buffer, but if the amount of data in the buffer reaches the threshold, the data may be split with a portion being transmitted on the MCG and a second portion being transmitted on the SCG.

Radio transmission and reception may vary in power consumption based on what RAT and/or frequency is used to perform the transmission. For example, LTE may require less energy than NR frequency band <NUM> (FR1) (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>,<NUM>, according to some embodiments), which may require less energy than NR FR2 (e.g., <NUM>,<NUM>-<NUM>,<NUM>, according to some embodiments). For example, NR FR1 and FR2 may include beamforming techniques which may require higher power for transmission than LTE. Further, FR2 may include more beams, and more highly focused beams) than FR1, which may also require higher power.

In the case of a UE operating according to EN-DC, if the network configures the NR SCG as the primary RLC entity (e.g., UL and/or DL), the UE power consumption may vary and thermal overheating may occur. In particular, due to the high power requirements associated with beamforming, a UE performing transmissions according to NR for a long period of time may reach temperature thresholds, and then signal to the network to reduce NR transmissions. This may result in a cyclic pattern with significant amounts of signaling (e.g., use of NR leads to overheating leads to signaling leads to decreased use of NR leads to normal temperatures leads to increased use of NR leads to overheating, etc.). This pattern may occur if the network configures an SCG bearer on NR or if the network configures a split bearer with a primary RLC entity as NR (e.g., via an NR SCG).

It will be appreciated that high power drain and overheating may also happen to a UE even in the DL reception cases. As a result, it may be desirable for a UE to negotiate bearer type and bearer type configuration (dl-DataSplitThresold) based on factors observed from UE side.

<FIG> is a communication flow diagram which illustrates exemplary techniques for negotiating bearer configuration. The techniques of <FIG> may allow for a UE and network to negotiate bearer configurations (e.g., MCG, SCG, or split bearer, and any split bearer configuration parameters) to avoid the various problems described above. For example, according to various embodiments described above a UE may perform UL transmissions using NR FR1 and/or NR FR2 at a low enough rate to reduce or avoid the overheating problems described above.

Aspects of the method of <FIG> may be implemented by a network including one or more base stations (e.g., BS <NUM>) in communication with one or more wireless device, such as the UE(s) <NUM>, as illustrated in and described with respect to the Figures, or more generally in conjunction with any of the computer circuitry, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the Figures, among other devices, as desired. For example, a processor (or processors) of the UE (e.g., processor(s) <NUM>, processor(s) associated with communication circuitry <NUM> or <NUM> such as processor(s) <NUM> and/or <NUM>, etc.), base station (e.g., processor(s) <NUM>, or a processor associated with radio <NUM> and/or communication chain <NUM>, among various possibilities), or network element (e.g., any component of NGC <NUM>, EPC <NUM>, etc.) may cause the UE or base station(s) to perform some or all of the illustrated method elements. Note that while at least some elements of the method are described in a manner relating to the use of communication techniques and/or features associated with 3GPP specification documents, such description is not intended to be limiting to the disclosure, and aspects of the method may be used in any suitable wireless communication system, as desired. Further, the method may be applied in other contexts (e.g., between multiple UEs, e.g., in device-to-device communications). In various embodiments, some of the elements of the methods shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, may be substituted for by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired. As shown, the method may operate as follows.

A UE <NUM> in communication with one or more BS <NUM> of a wireless network, e.g., a cellular network, may enter a dual connectivity mode with the network, according to some embodiments (<NUM>). The dual connectivity mode may be EN-DC, e.g., the MCG may operate according to LTE and the SCG may operate according to NR (e.g., including FR1 and/or FR2). The MCG and SCG may be provided by the same or different base stations (e.g., one or more BS <NUM>).

The BS <NUM> may provide initial configuration information, e.g., related to dual connectivity. Such configuration information may include an indication of a bearer (e.g., MCG, SCG, or split). Similarly, the configuration information may include an indication of a threshold for use of both cell groups in a split bearer configuration (e.g., ul-DataSplitThresold or dl-DataSplitThresold) and/or an indication of what portion of data to transmit using the SCG of the threshold is reached. Further, the configuration may include whether data should initially be split on a split bearer or all transmitted on the MCG, e.g., via a parameter ul-DataSplitDRB-ViaSCG (e.g., true may indicate that both cell groups should be used, false may indicate that only MCG should be used initially).

In some embodiments, the initial configuration information may provide a range of buffer (e.g., a range for the amount of data) to trigger splitting data over the split bearer. In other words, in addition to or instead of indicating a single ul-DataSplitThreshold, the initial configuration information may indicate a threshold range (e.g., ul- SplitThresholdRange). For example, a network may set UL-SplitThresholdRange as b6400 to b409600, UL-DataSplitThreshold as b51200, and ul-DataSplitDRB-ViaSCG as FALSE. Such a configuration may cause the UE to use an initial UL-DataSplitThreshold of b51200, and may permit the UE to adjust the threshold within the range of b6400 to b409600 as desired (e.g., based on conditions, as discussed below).

In some embodiments, the initial configuration information may provide a range of portions for splitting, e.g., if a split threshold is reached. For example, the configuration information may indicate to direct between a first percentage and a second percentage to a secondary RLC entity in the event that the split threshold is reached. For example, if a SCG is a primary RLC entity of a split bearer, the configuration information may indicate that if the split threshold is reached, <NUM>-<NUM>% of the UL data may be directed to the secondary RLC entity (e.g., the MCG).

In some embodiments, the initial configuration information may specify respective ranges for a plurality of respective split bearer parameters (e.g., a first range for data split threshold, a second range for offloading ratio, etc.).

In some embodiments, the initial configuration information may cause the UE to perform and report one or more measurements. The measurements may include any radio link measurements such as signal-noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), channel quality indicator (CQI), channel state information (CSI), block error rate (BLER), bit error rate (BER), channel impulse response (CIR), channel error response (CER), etc. Parameters related to how and when these measurements may be performed and/or reported may be specified, such as hysteresis parameters.

The initial configuration information may be provided by radio resource control (RRC) message, or other type of signaling. The configuration may apply to actions performed by one or more layers of the UE <NUM>, e.g., including the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), and/or MAC layers, etc. For example, the configuration may apply to how an NR PDCP layer splits a split bearer for LTE and NR RLC layers, e.g., as discussed with respect to <FIG> below.

The UE <NUM> and BS <NUM> may exchange communications of data (e.g., application data, payload data, etc.) and/or other control information (e.g., UL and/or DL directions) prior to entering dual connectivity and/or while in dual connectivity.

The UE <NUM> may transmit information to the BS <NUM> (<NUM>), according to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the information may indicate one or more preferences (e.g., suggestions) of the UE related to bearer configuration (e.g., bearer type, offloading ratio (e.g., a split ratio) and/or threshold of a split bearer, etc.). Such suggestions or preferences may be based on any or all of: battery level of the UE, thermal status (e.g., temperature) of the UE or of any particular component(s), active applications, whether the device is locked or actively in use, etc. The suggestions may include one or more of: a suggested bearer (e.g., MCG, SCG, or split), preferred RAT for UL transmission and DL reception (e.g., LTE or NR, etc.), preferred NR frequency band (e.g., FR1 or FR2), preferred primary RLC entity for a split bearer (e.g., LTE, NR FR1, NR FR2), and/or preferred offloading ratio and/or threshold for a split bearer (e.g., <NUM>% to SCG for transmissions greater than 1000Mbytes, etc.). For example, the suggestions may include a range for each RAT, e.g., a range for a split threshold for each RAT. For example, the suggestion(s) may include a split threshold range for LTE and a second split threshold range for NR.

It will be appreciated that the suggested bearer (e.g., MCG, SCG, or split), preferred RAT for UL transmission and DL reception (e.g., LTE or NR, etc.), preferred primary RLC entity for a split bearer (e.g., LTE, NR FR1, NR FR2), and/or preferred offloading ratio and/or threshold for a split bearer (e.g., <NUM>% to SCG for transmissions greater than 1000Mbytes, etc.) may be different between UL and DL. In other words, any suggestion for UL may be independent of any suggestion for DL and vice versa. In various embodiments, the UE may make suggestions for only UL configuration(s), only DL configuration(s), or both UL and DL configuration(s).

The UE may determine such preferences based on various factors including measurements of the MCG and/or SCG, thermal information, etc. This information may be provided to the network through RRC (e.g., UE assistance information) and/or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE), among various possibilities. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit data on underlying measurements (e.g., thermal status, battery level, application activity, etc.) in addition to or instead of transmitting preference information.

In some embodiments, the UE may transmit one or more measurement reports to the BS <NUM>. Such report(s) may be transmitted as specified in initial configuration information. For example, the UE may transmit a report on the RSRP, e.g., of the MCG and/or SCG. Further, the UE may transmit one or more buffer status report (BSR), e.g., indicating the amount of UL data in a buffer of the UE for transmission to the BS.

The network may determine a (e.g., updated) bearer configuration and BS <NUM> may transmit an indication of the selected bearer configuration to the UE <NUM> (<NUM>), according to some embodiments. The selected (e.g., negotiated) bearer configuration may be transmitted as an RRC reconfiguration, among various possibilities.

The selected bearer configuration may be selected based on the information transmitted by the UE. For example, the selected bearer configuration may be based on the preferences indicated by the UE and/or any reports of measurements and/or BSR. The BS may also consider other information. For example, the network may consider measurements performed by the BS (e.g., UL SINR of one or both cell groups, e.g., as measured by the BS or other network elements). The network may also consider other factors such as traffic of other UEs, load on either or both of the MCG and/or SCG, load on other cells, bandwidth availability, interference from other cells/networks/RATs, network policies, etc. For example, the network may attempt to balance load among various cells of the network, including the MCG and/or SCG.

In some embodiments, the DL bearer selection and/or DL bearer configuration may not be transmitted to the UE by the network. For example, the network may select to configure the bearers according to the parameters suggested/reported by the UE and start exchange data traffic using the selection and configuration autonomously.

The UE <NUM> and BS <NUM> may perform further communication, e.g., according to the selected bearer configuration (<NUM>), according to some embodiments. Such further communication may include UL and/or DL transmission of data and/or control information.

For UL transmissions, the UE <NUM> may operate according to the (e.g., updated) selected bearer configuration of <NUM>. For example, the UE may use a bearer indicated by the configuration, and, if that bearer is a split bearer, the UE may use any offloading ratio and/or threshold for directing data of split bearer to the MCG and/or SCG. For example, if a split bearer is specified, the UE may use a primary RLC entity for any data transmissions less (e.g., in number of bits, bytes, etc.) than a data split threshold. The UE may use the primary RLC entity and the secondary RLC entity for any transmissions greater than the data split threshold, and may split the data between the two RLC entities according to an offloading ratio. Similarly, if the bearer configuration provides a range of data split thresholds, the UE may dynamically adapt the threshold that it uses within that range, e.g., as desired by the UE, e.g., according to conditions. Still further, if the bearer configuration provides a range of offloading ratios, the UE may dynamically adapt the ratio that it uses within that range, e.g., as desired by the UE, e.g., according to conditions. The UE may consider any of various factors (e.g., measurements) in adapting the data split threshold and/or offloading ratio.

Similarly, for DL transmissions, the BS <NUM> may operate according to the (e.g., updated) selected bearer configuration of <NUM>. For example, the BS may use a bearer consistent with the selected configuration, and, if that bearer is a split bearer, the BS may use any offloading ratio and/or threshold for directing data of split bearer to the MCG and/or SCG. For example, if a split bearer is selected, the BS may use a primary RLC entity for any data transmissions less (e.g., in number of bits, bytes, etc.) than a data split threshold. The BS may use the primary RLC entity and the secondary RLC entity for any transmissions greater than the data split threshold, and may split the data between the two RLC entities according to an offloading ratio. Similarly, if the bearer configuration provides a range of data split thresholds, the BS may dynamically adapt the threshold that it uses within that range, e.g., as desired by the BS and/or as indicated by the UE, e.g., according to conditions. Still further, if the selected bearer configuration provides a range of offloading ratios, the BS may dynamically adapt the ratio that it uses within that range, e.g., as desired BS and/or as indicated by the UE, e.g., according to conditions. The BS may consider any of various factors (e.g., measurements) and/or further indications from the UE in adapting the data split threshold and/or offloading ratio.

<FIG> illustrates aspects of an exemplary radio protocol architecture, according to some embodiments. The illustrated architecture may be an example or portion of cellular communication circuitry, e.g., as may be included in a UE <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, among various possibilities. The example may be illustrated in context of EN-DC.

As shown, a MAC layer of each RAT may handle both a dedicated bearer (e.g., the MCG bearer for LTE and/or an SCG bearer for NR) and a split bearer. In contrast, a NR PDCP layer may handle a split bearer, a separate instance of an NR PDCP layer may handle an SCG bearer, and a joint LTE/NR PDCP layer may handle an MCG bearer. Further, two LTE RLC layer instances and two NR RLC layer instances may handle the three bearers, e.g., separate LTE and NR RLC instances may handle the split bearer.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary wireless environment in which a UE <NUM> may use a dual connectivity (DC) connection such as EN-DC, according to some embodiments. As shown, the UE may have separate connections (e.g., separate bearers) to an MCG <NUM> and SCG <NUM>. In some embodiments, the MCG may correspond to a macro cell while the SCG may correspond to a smaller cell. The MCG and SCG may be provided by the same or different BS <NUM>. For example, the MCG and SCG may be provided by collocated BS <NUM>, or a single BS <NUM> performing multiple logical roles. The MCG and SCG may be provided by physically separated BS <NUM>. The SCG may correspond to a particular portion of the geographic region covered by the MCG.

<FIG> illustrates the possibility that over use of the SCG <NUM> for UL transmissions may lead to overheating of the UE <NUM> and/or significant amounts of signaling (e.g., between the UE <NUM> and one or more BS <NUM>) to avoid, reduce, or mitigate overheating. As noted above, UL transmissions on NR FR1 and NR FR2 may require high power due to relatively focused (e.g., beamforming) transmissions. Accordingly, if NR transmissions continue for sufficiently long (note, the length of time may depend on various factors including use of FR1 vs. FR2, ambient temperatures, other activity of the device, etc.), the UE <NUM> may overheat or approach a threshold of overheating. Accordingly, the UE may signal the network to change DC parameters to increase use of the MCG <NUM> (e.g., LTE). This may lead to undesirable cycling of overheating and signaling related to the beginning and ending of overheating conditions.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate examples of a UE transmitting a bearer suggestion to a network. As shown in <FIG>, a UE <NUM> may be configured in a DC mode (e.g., EN-DC) with a LTE master node (MN) <NUM> (e.g., a PCell of an MCG) and a NR secondary node (SN) <NUM> (e.g., a PSCell of a SCG) (<NUM>). The configuration may be as described above with respect to <NUM>. The UE may transmit a bearer suggestion to the MN (<NUM>). The bearer suggestion may be an example of the information transmitted as described above with respect to <NUM>. The bearer suggestion may be transmitted as a MAC CE. In the illustrated example, the bearer suggestion may indicate the UE's suggestion to the network to configure an SCG bearer on NR FR1 cell(s). The MN may exchange information regarding this suggestion with the SN (<NUM>). For example, the MN may inform the SN that the SCG bearer will be configured on NR FR1 cells, and the SN may acknowledge the message and/or may confirm that resources are available. The MN may transmit an RRC configuration (e.g., reconfiguration) message to the UE, e.g., indicating that the SCG bearer configuration includes a logical channel (LCH) mapped on to NR FR1 cell(s) (<NUM>). The RRC reconfiguration message may be an example of the transmission of configuration information described above with respect to <NUM>. The UE may communicate with the SN using NR FR1 (<NUM>). The communication may be an example of the further communication described above with respect to <NUM>. The communication may include UL transmissions on FR1, e.g., according to the RRC reconfiguration.

<FIG> illustrates an example similar to that of <FIG>. In the case of <FIG>, the UE may be configured in DC mode as described above with respect to <NUM>. The UE may transmit UE assistance information, e.g., via one or more RRC message to the MN <NUM> (<NUM>). The UE assistance information may include the same information as described above with respect to <NUM>. However, the format, timing, and resources used for the transmission may be different (e.g., RRC instead of MAC CE). The remainder of <FIG> (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) may proceed as described above with respect to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a suggestion related to a split bearer suggestion. Similar to <FIG> and <FIG>, the UE may be configured in DC mode as described above with respect to <NUM>. The UE may transmit a bearer suggestion indicating a split bearer and associated suggested configuration parameters (<NUM>). The configuration parameters may include any of the split bearer features, e.g., as discussed with respect to <NUM>. For example, the suggested parameters may include a suggested split (or range of splits) for UL and/or DL data transmissions between LTE and NR. For example, the parameters may include a percentage to be transmitted on each RAT or each cell group or a ratio of one transmission type to the other (e.g., an offloading ratio). Additionally, the suggested parameters may include a threshold (or a threshold range) for transmitting on the secondary RLC entity. In the illustrated example, the bearer suggestion and parameters are transmitted by MAC CE. However, it will be appreciated that other formats and channels may be used to transmit such information as desired. For example, a MAC CE may be used, among various possibilities. Although not shown in <FIG>, it will be appreciated that the MN <NUM> may confer with or inform SN <NUM> about the bearer suggestion and/or configuration selection, e.g., as in <NUM>.

Split bearer parameters such as a data split threshold may be selected (e.g., for suggestion to the BS) by the UE based on various factors (e.g., measurements). For example, the UE may consider one or more of: MCG Pcell RSRP, MCG PCell SINR, SCG Pscell RSRP, SCG Pscell SINR, BLER on SCG, BLER on MCG, battery level, status of one or more applications executing on the UE, and/or thermal (e.g., temperature measurements of the UE (e.g., as a whole or at a specific component or components). Additional or different measurements may also be used, e.g., of radio conditions and/or performance of the UE. In other words, any of various measurements of DL conditions may be used to inform the UE's selection of recommended UL parameters. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may consider corresponding UL measurements (e.g., as measured by a BS <NUM> and reported to the UE).

Tables <NUM> and <NUM> below are illustrative examples of selecting a suggested ul-DataSplitThreshold based on DL measurements. Such tables may be used anytime a UE wishes to recommend split bearer parameters or update a previous recommendation. For example, such parameters may be used if ul-DataSplitDRB-ViaSCG is FALSE and if conditions on the MCG are better than the conditions on the SCG (e.g., plus a configurable threshold), among various possibilities. For example, such a table may be based on conditions of the MCG (e.g., as measured by RSRP, SNR, and/or other metrics) in comparison to conditions (e.g., as measured by RSRP, SNR, and/or other metrics) of the SCG (e.g., and potentially a threshold). In other words, various tables may be used which correspond to various levels of differences in conditions between the MCG and SCG. For example, if conditions at the MCG are significantly better than at the SCG, the UE may use a table that leads to relatively more use of the MCG (e.g., higher data split thresholds). Similarly, if conditions are better at the SCG than the MCG, the UE may use a table that leads to relatively more use of the SCG (e.g., lower data split thresholds). Thus, the recommended bearer configuration may be based on a comparison of the MCG and SCG.

It will be appreciated that, although Tables <NUM> and <NUM> illustrate selection of ul-DataSplitThreshold, other split bearer parameters may be selected in a similar manner. Further, bearer selection, e.g., MCG, SCG, or split bearer may be performed based on the same or similar factors, e.g., using tables of ranges for one or more measurements.

Returning to <FIG>, based on the suggested parameters, the MN may transmit an RRC configuration (or reconfiguration) message to the UE, e.g., including updated bearer configuration (<NUM>, e.g., similar to <NUM>). In the illustrated example, the selected configuration may include a split bearer configuration with LTE as the primary RLC entity and a data split threshold of 100MB. Further, a data offloading ratio or portions for each RAT may also be included (e.g., an offloading ratio). It will be appreciated that the illustrated values are exemplary only and that other values or parameters may be included. For a first transmission that is less than the data split threshold (e.g., < 100MB), the data may be transmitted entirely using the MN (<NUM>). For a second transmission that exceeds the data split threshold (e.g., > 100MB), the UL transmissions may be split (e.g., according to the ratio) between the MN an SN (<NUM>). It will be appreciated that transmissions <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrative examples of communications as described with respect to <NUM>. Further, it will be appreciated that the order of the two transmissions is exemplary only; any number of transmissions less than and/or greater than the threshold may occur in any order.

<FIG> and tables <NUM>-<NUM> illustrate an exemplary data structure for transmitting a bearer suggestion, e.g., as in <NUM>. In the illustrated example, a MAC CE is shown. However, it will be appreciated that other structures (e.g., an RRC message) may be used, and similar features and design elements may be used.

The bearer suggestion may be formatted as shown in <FIG>, according to some embodiments. However, it will be appreciated that other formats or structures may be used. In the example, the bearer suggestion format may include a logical channel identifier (LCH-ID), bearer type, split bearer threshold (note that additional or different split bearer parameters may be included, e.g., an offloading ratio), and an indication of FR1 or FR2.

The bearer type field may use an index as illustrated in Table <NUM>, according to some embodiments.

The split bearer threshold field may use an index as illustrated in Table <NUM>, according to some embodiments.

It will be appreciated that <FIG> and tables <NUM>-<NUM> are exemplary only and that other formats are possible. For example, additional fields may be included (e.g., offloading ratio, etc.), fields may be combined (e.g., an index for a combination of split threshold and offloading ratio may be used, etc.), or not all illustrated fields may be included.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a network (e.g., BS <NUM> or other network element) selecting a bearer configuration based on UE information. As shown, the UE may be configured in a DC mode, e.g., as described above with respect to <NUM> (<NUM>). The network may provide configuration information including instructions for the UE to take and report one or more measurements. The UE may provide a measurement report to the network, e.g., via a transmission to a BS <NUM> providing the MN (<NUM>). In the illustrated example, the measurement report may include one or more RSRP measurements. However, it will be appreciated that alternative and/or additional measurements may be included. The measurement(s) may be of a PCell, a PSCell, and/or other cell or cell group. Further, the measurement report may include or be associated with other reports (e.g., a BSR, a report on thermal status of the UE, etc.). The measurement report may be or be associated with a regularly scheduled report to the network, such as channel state information (CSI). Based on the measurement report, the network may select a bearer configuration and transmit configuration message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message) to the UE indicating the selected bearer configuration (<NUM>). The bearer configuration message may be based on one or more of: measurements reported in the measurement report, buffer status of the UE, and/or measurements taken by the BS <NUM> (and/or other BS <NUM>). The network may use tables similar to Tables <NUM> and <NUM> (described above) to select a configuration, among various possibilities. For example, based on reported DL RSRP (e.g., in the measurement report), UL SNR (e.g., measured by the BS <NUM> of the MN), and/or BSR, the network may select a configuration for the UE. In the illustrated example, the configuration message indicates a split bearer configuration with a primary RLC entity on LTE and a data split threshold of 100MB, however other configurations may be selected as desired. For example, such a data split threshold (e.g., and/or ratio, etc.) may be selected based on DL RSRP of a PCell (e.g., as reported by the UE in a measurement report), among various possibilities. The UE may then communicate with the network (including the MN and/or SN) according to the configuration. Additional measurement reports and additional configuration messages may be sent, e.g., based on a schedule and/or based on changing conditions (e.g., detected based on measurements, etc.). Thus, the configuration may be updated by the network (e.g., periodically or as needed) in response to changing conditions as reported by the UE.

In some embodiments, a network (e.g., BS <NUM> or other network element) may configure a UE to operate flexibly within a range of parameters. For example, (e.g., in <NUM> and/or <NUM>), the BS <NUM> may transmit configuration information indicating the range of parameters and (e.g., in <NUM>) the UE may dynamically select parameter values within that range while communicating with the network. In some embodiments, the range of parameters may be selected by the network based on information provided by the UE (e.g., preferences and/or measurements, e.g., in <NUM>). In other embodiments, the range of parameters may be selected by the network without input from the UE (e.g., in <NUM> and so that <NUM> and <NUM> are omitted).

The range of parameters may include a range of split threshold, a range of offloading ratios, and/or a selection of possible bearer types (e.g., MCG, SCG, and/or split), among various possibilities. The UE may then autonomously (or automatically) change actual values within the range of parameters according to its internal preference. For example, the UE may dynamically adjust the parameter (e.g., a data split threshold, offloading ratio, etc.) within the range based on detecting a change in radio conditions (e.g., measurements of RSRP, SNR, BLER, etc.).

As an illustrative example, in an RRC reconfiguration message, in PDCP-configuration (e.g., or other suitable message and/or field), the network may include a new information element (IE): UL-SplitThresholdRange. The network may set UL-SplitThresholdRange as b6400 to b409600. The network may use the same or a different IE to set ULDataSplitThreshold (e.g., an initial configured value) as b51200 and ul-DataSplitDRB-ViaSCG as FALSE. Based on this configuration, the UE may start with UL-DataSplitThreshold as b51200. Then, based on measurements, if MCG cell is performing better (e.g., or otherwise based on internal preference), UE may increase ULDataSplitThreshold up to b409600 (e.g., upper limit in this example) or any value between b51200 and b409600 without having any communication with network about a change in UL-DataSplitThreshold. Similarly, if based on measurements MCG cell is performing worse (e.g., or otherwise based on internal preference), the UE may decrease ULDataSplitThreshold as low as b6400 (e.g., lower limit in this example) or any value between b51200 and b6400 without having any communication with network about change in UL-DataSplitThreshold. If UE does not make measurements of the MCG (or is otherwise unable to make any conclusion about UL-DataSplitThreshold), it may use the initial network configured value (e.g., b51200 in this example).

In some embodiments, the new RRC IE may be configured as follows:
[[ ul-DataSplitThresholdRange-rx CHOICE {
release NULL,
start ENUMERATED {
b0, b100, b200, b400, b800, b1600, b3200, b6400, b12800,
b25600, b51200, b102400, b204800, b409600, b819200,
spare <NUM> }
end ENUMERATED {
b0, b100, b200, b400, b800, b1600, b3200, b6400, b12800,
b25600, b51200, M02400, b204800, b409600, b819200,
spare1 }
}.

This new IE may be compared to the existing ul-DataSplitThreshold IE (e.g., see 3GPP <NUM> and <NUM>):
[[ ul-DataSplitThreshold-r13 CHOICE {
release NULL,
setup ENUMERATED {
b0, b100, b200, b400, b800, b1600, b3200, b6400, b12800,
b25600, b51200, b102400, b204800, b409600, b819200,
spare1 }
}.

It will be appreciated that the ul-DataSplitThresholdRange IE described above is exemplary only, and that alternative formats or other details of the IE may be used as desired.

Claim 1:
A method, comprising:
at a user equipment device ,UE, :
entering a dual connectivity mode (<NUM>) with a cellular network, wherein the dual connectivity mode includes connections to a master cell group and a secondary cell group;
transmitting (<NUM>), to a base station of the cellular network, information including a suggested uplink split bearer configuration for a bearer connecting the UE to the master cell group and the secondary cell group, wherein the information includes a data split threshold, wherein for uplink transmissions less than the data split threshold amount, uplink transmission may occur via only the primary radio link control, RLC, entity;
receiving (<NUM>), from the base station, an indication of a selected uplink bearer configuration; and
transmitting (<NUM>), to the base station, uplink data according to the selected uplink bearer configuration.