PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10757598-B2
Application Number: US-201916590307-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Reference frequency for UI signal bar display

Abstract:
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for a wireless device to perform methods for improvements of display of signal bars on a user interface of a wireless device. The wireless device may be configured to perform methods for determining a number of signal bars to display on the user interface based, at least in part, on a reference frequency. The reference frequency may be indicated and/or provided by a network.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A user equipment device (UE), comprising:
 at least one antenna; 
 at least one radio, wherein the at least one radio is configured to perform cellular communication using at least one radio access technology (RAT); 
 one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform voice and/or data communications; 
 wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to:
 receive, from a serving cell, an indication of a reference frequency; 
 measure reference signal received power (RSRP) for the serving cell and the reference frequency; 
 determine a maximum RSRP based on the greater of the serving cell RSRP and reference frequency RSRP; and 
 determine a number of signal bars based on the maximum RSRP. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The UE of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the reference frequency comprises a carrier aggregation frequency. 
 
     
     
       3. The UE of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the reference frequency is received via a system information block (SIB). 
 
     
     
       4. The UE of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the indication of the reference frequency comprises at least one of:
 a prioritized array of reference frequencies; or 
 an indication for the UE to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The UE of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the prioritized array of reference frequencies comprises a prioritized array of idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements. 
 
     
     
       6. The UE of  claim 4 ,
 wherein, when the indication of the reference frequency comprises the indication for the UE to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies, the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to:
 prioritize the inter-frequencies based on a neighbor frequency spectrum to generate the prioritized array of reference frequencies. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The UE of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the indication is a flag included in a system information block (SIB). 
 
     
     
       8. The UE of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to:
 determine a first reference frequency based on the prioritized array of reference frequencies, wherein the first reference frequency is a highest priority reference frequency supported by the UE. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The UE of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the reference frequency comprises a pre-configured reference frequency array. 
 
     
     
       10. The UE of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the indication of the reference frequency indicates a particular reference frequency within the pre-configured reference frequency array that corresponds to a particular operator and/or carrier of the serving cell. 
 
     
     
       11. The UE of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to:
 receive, from the network, an indication of a network preference for the UE to use reference frequency in determination of signal bars, wherein the indication is based on UE capabilities. 
 
 
     
     
       12. An apparatus, comprising:
 a memory; and 
 one or more processors in communication with the memory; 
 wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
 receive, via a system information block (SIB), an indication of a reference frequency from a serving cell, wherein the indication is a flag included in a system information block (SIB); 
 measure reference signal received power (RSRP) for the serving cell and the reference frequency; 
 determine a maximum RSRP based on the greater of the serving cell RSRP and reference frequency RSRP; and 
 determine a number of signal bars based on the maximum RSRP. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 ,
 wherein the indication of the reference frequency comprises at least one of:
 a prioritized array of reference frequencies; or 
 an indication to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 ,
 wherein the prioritized array of reference frequencies comprises a prioritized array of idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 13 ,
 wherein, when the indication of the reference frequency comprises the indication to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies, the one or more processors are further configured to:
 prioritize the inter-frequencies based on a neighbor frequency spectrum to generate the prioritized array of reference frequencies. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 13 
 wherein, when the indication of the reference frequency comprises the prioritized array of reference frequencies, the one or more processors are further configured to:
 determine a first reference frequency based on the prioritized array of reference frequencies, wherein the first reference frequency is a highest priority reference frequency supported by the apparatus. 
 
 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium storing program instructions executable by processing circuitry to cause a user equipment device (UE) to:
 receive, from a serving cell, an indication of a reference frequency; 
 measure reference signal received power (RSRP) for the serving cell and the reference frequency; 
 determine a maximum RSRP based on the greater of the serving cell RSRP and reference frequency RSRP; and 
 determine a number of signal bars based on the maximum RSRP. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the reference frequency comprises a pre-configured reference frequency array, and wherein the indication of the reference frequency indicates a particular reference frequency within the pre-configured reference frequency array that corresponds to a particular operator and/or carrier of the serving cell. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the reference frequency comprises a carrier aggregation frequency. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of  claim 17 ,
 wherein program instructions are further executable by processing circuitry to cause the UE to:
 receive, from the network, an indication of a network preference for the UE to use reference frequency in determination of signal bars, wherein the indication is based on UE capabilities.

Description:
PRIORITY DATA 
     This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/775,125, titled “Reference Frequency for UI Signal Bar Display”, filed Dec. 4, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present application relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to apparatus, systems, and methods for improvements to determining signal bars for display on a user interface (UI). 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now provide access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these functionalities. 
     Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for the majority of wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed Internet access to their subscriber base. LTE defines a number of downlink (DL) physical channels, categorized as transport or control channels, to carry information blocks received from medium access control (MAC) and higher layers. LTE also defines a number of physical layer channels for the uplink (UL). 
     For example, LTE defines a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) as a DL transport channel. The PDSCH is the main data-bearing channel allocated to users on a dynamic and opportunistic basis. The PDSCH carries data in Transport Blocks (TB) corresponding to a MAC protocol data unit (PDU), passed from the MAC layer to the physical (PHY) layer once per Transmission Time Interval (TTI). The PDSCH is also used to transmit broadcast information such as System Information Blocks (SIB) and paging messages. 
     As another example, LTE defines a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) as a DL control channel that carries the resource assignment for UEs that are contained in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. Multiple PDCCHs can be transmitted in the same subframe using Control Channel Elements (CCE), each of which is a nine set of four resource elements known as Resource Element Groups (REG). The PDCCH employs quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation, with four QPSK symbols mapped to each REG. Furthermore, 1, 2, 4, or 8 CCEs can be used for a UE, depending on channel conditions, to ensure sufficient robustness. 
     Additionally, LTE defines a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) as a UL channel shared by all devices (user equipment, UE) in a radio cell to transmit user data to the network. The scheduling for all UEs is under control of the LTE base station (enhanced Node B, or eNB). The eNB uses the uplink scheduling grant (DCI format 0) to inform the UE about resource block (RB) assignment, and the modulation and coding scheme to be used. PUSCH typically supports QPSK and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). In addition to user data, the PUSCH also carries any control information necessary to decode the information, such as transport format indicators and multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) parameters. Control data is multiplexed with information data prior to digital Fourier transform (DFT) spreading. 
     A proposed next telecommunications standard moving beyond the current International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) Standards is called 5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems, or 5G for short (otherwise known as 5G-NR for 5G New Radio, also simply referred to as NR). 5G-NR proposes a higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users, also supporting device-to-device, ultra-reliable, and massive machine communications, as well as lower latency and lower battery consumption, than current LTE standards. Further, the 5G-NR standard may allow for less restrictive UE scheduling as compared to current LTE standards. Consequently, efforts are being made in ongoing developments of 5G-NR to take advantage of higher throughputs possible at higher frequencies. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments relate to apparatuses, systems, and methods for improvements to determining a number of signal bars to display on a user interface (UI), where the number of signal bars are an indication of signal strength and/or perceived coverage strength. 
     In some embodiments, a user equipment device (UE) may be configured to perform methods for determining a number of signal bars to display on a UI based, at least in part, on a reference frequency. In some embodiments, a UE may receive, from a serving cell, an indication of a reference frequency. The indication may be received via a system information block (SIB). In some embodiments, the indication may include a prioritized array of reference frequencies. In some embodiments, the reference frequency comprises a carrier aggregation frequency. The UE may measure reference signal received power (RSRP) for the serving cell and a reference frequency and determine a maximum RSRP between serving cell RSRP and reference frequency RSRP. Additionally, the UE may determine a number of signal bars (to display on a UI) based on the maximum RSRP. 
     The techniques described herein may be implemented in and/or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of various other computing devices. 
     This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an example wireless communication system according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates an example of a base station (BS) and an access point in communication with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a WLAN Access Point (AP), according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates an example of connections between an EPC network, an LTE base station (eNB), and a 5G NR base station (gNB). 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates an example of a protocol stack for an eNB and a gNB. 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates an example of a 5G network architecture that incorporates both 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to the 5G CN, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates an example of a 5G network architecture that incorporates both dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access and non-3GPP access to the 5G CN, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE, according to some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 9A-9C  illustrate examples of various band deployment impact on display of signal bars. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate examples of thresholds for determining signal bars based on RSRP for specific frequency bands, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a block diagram of an example of a method for improvements of display of signal bars on a user interface of a wireless device, according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     While the features described herein may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Terms 
     The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: 
     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. 
     Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physical transmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals. 
     Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as “reconfigurable logic”. 
     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. 
     Base Station—The term “Base Station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system. 
     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. 
     Channel—a medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since characteristics of the term “channel” may differ according to different wireless protocols, the term “channel” as used herein may be considered as being used in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the type of device with reference to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widths may be variable (e.g., depending on device capability, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide while Bluetooth channels may be 1 Mhz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and/or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc. 
     Band—The term “band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose. 
     Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. 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. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are performed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is filling out the form manually, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automatic filling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields but rather they are being automatically completed). The present specification provides various examples of operations being automatically performed in response to actions the user has taken. 
     Approximately—refers to a value that is almost correct or exact. For example, approximately may refer to a value that is within 1 to 10 percent of the exact (or desired) value. It should be noted, however, that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, and so forth, as desired or as required by the particular application. 
     Concurrent—refers to parallel execution or performance, where tasks, processes, or programs are performed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency may be implemented using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are performed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computational elements, or using “weak parallelism”, where the tasks are performed in an interleaved manner, e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads. 
     Various components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad recitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently performing that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits. 
     Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B —Communication Systems 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates a simplified example wireless communication system, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system of  FIG. 1  is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired. 
     As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station  102 A which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices  106 A,  106 B, etc., through  106 N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, the user devices  106  are referred to as UEs or UE devices. 
     The base station (BS)  102 A 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  106 A through  106 N. 
     The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station  102 A and the UEs  106  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), 5G new radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station  102 A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternately be referred to as an ‘eNodeB’ or ‘eNB’. Note that if the base station  102 A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternately be referred to as ‘gNodeB’ or ‘gNB’. 
     As shown, the base station  102 A may also be equipped to communicate with a network  100  (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  102 A may facilitate communication between the user devices and/or between the user devices and the network  100 . In particular, the cellular base station  102 A may provide UEs  106  with various telecommunication capabilities, such as voice, SMS and/or data services. 
     Base station  102 A and other similar base stations (such as base stations  102 B . . .  102 N) 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  106 A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards. 
     Thus, while base station  102 A may act as a “serving cell” for UEs  106 A-N as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , each UE  106  may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which might be provided by base stations  102 B-N and/or any other base stations), which may be referred to as “neighboring cells”. Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and/or between user devices and the network  100 . Such cells may include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and/or cells which provide any of various other granularities of service area size. For example, base stations  102 A-B illustrated in  FIG. 1  might be macro cells, while base station  102 N might be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible. 
     In some embodiments, base station  102 A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “gNB”. 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). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. 
     Note that a UE  106  may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE  106  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, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). The UE  106  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 or DVB-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. 1B  illustrates user equipment  106  (e.g., one of the devices  106 A through  106 N) in communication with a base station  102  and an access point  112 , according to some embodiments. The UE  106  may be a device with both cellular communication capability and non-cellular communication capability (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and so forth) such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device. 
     The UE  106  may include a processor that is configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE  106  may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE  106  may include a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein. 
     The UE  106  may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UE  106  may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1×RTT/1×EV-DO/HRPD/eHRPD), LTE/LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using a single shared radio and/or GSM, LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using the single shared radio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for 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  106  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  106  may include separate transmit and/or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As a further possibility, the UE  106  may include one or more radios which are shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios which are used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE  106  might include a shared radio for communicating using either of LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1×RTT or LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible. 
       FIG. 2 —Access Point Block Diagram 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an access point (AP)  112 . It is noted that the block diagram of the AP of  FIG. 2  is only one example of a possible system. As shown, the AP  112  may include processor(s)  204  which may execute program instructions for the AP  112 . The processor(s)  204  may also be coupled (directly or indirectly) to memory management unit (MMU)  240 , which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)  204  and to translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory  260  and read only memory (ROM)  250 ) or to other circuits or devices. 
     The AP  112  may include at least one network port  270 . The network port  270  may be configured to couple to a wired network and provide a plurality of devices, such as UEs  106 , access to the Internet. For example, the network port  270  (or an additional network port) may be configured to couple to a local network, such as a home network or an enterprise network. For example, port  270  may be an Ethernet port. The local network may provide connectivity to additional networks, such as the Internet. 
     The AP  112  may include at least one antenna  234 , which may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE  106  via wireless communication circuitry  230 . The antenna  234  communicates with the wireless communication circuitry  230  via communication chain  232 . Communication chain  232  may include one or more receive chains, one or more transmit chains or both. The wireless communication circuitry  230  may be configured to communicate via Wi-Fi or WLAN, e.g., 802.11. The wireless communication circuitry  230  may also, or alternatively, be configured to communicate via various other wireless communication technologies, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Global System for Mobile (GSM), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA2000, etc., for example when the AP is co-located with a base station in case of a small cell, or in other instances when it may be desirable for the AP  112  to communicate via various different wireless communication technologies. 
     In some embodiments, as further described below, an AP  112  may be configured to perform methods to provide a reference frequency for determining a number of signal bars to display on a UI as further described herein. 
       FIG. 3 —Block Diagram of a UE 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a communication device  106 , according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the communication device of  FIG. 3  is only one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, communication device  106  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  106  may include a set of components  300  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  300  may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for the various purposes. The set of components  300  may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device  106 . 
     For example, the communication device  106  may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash  310 ), an input/output interface such as connector I/F  320  (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; dock; charging station; input devices, such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices, such as speakers; etc.), the display  360 , which may be integrated with or external to the communication device  106 , and cellular communication circuitry  330  such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  (e.g., Bluetooth™ and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device  106  may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card, e.g., for Ethernet. 
     The cellular communication circuitry  330  may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas  335  and  336  as shown. The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  may also couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas  337  and  338  as shown. Alternatively, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas  335  and  336  in addition to, or instead of, coupling (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas  337  and  338 . The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  and/or cellular communication circuitry  330  may include multiple receive chains and/or multiple transmit chains for receiving and/or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) configuration. 
     In some embodiments, as further described below, cellular communication circuitry  330  may include dedicated receive chains (including and/or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and/or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). In addition, in some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry  330  may include a single transmit chain that may be switched between radios dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio may be dedicated to a first RAT, e.g., LTE, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, e.g., a second radio that may be dedicated to a second RAT, e.g., 5G NR, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain. 
     The communication device  106  may also include and/or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of various elements, such as display  360  (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and/or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and/or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and/or receiving or interpreting user input. 
     The communication device  106  may further include one or more smart cards  345  that include SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) (Universal Integrated Circuit Card(s)) cards  345 . 
     As shown, the SOC  300  may include processor(s)  302 , which may execute program instructions for the communication device  106  and display circuitry  304 , which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display  360 . The processor(s)  302  may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)  340 , which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)  302  and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory  306 , read only memory (ROM)  350 , NAND flash memory  310 ) and/or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry  304 , short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329 , cellular communication circuitry  330 , connector I/F  320 , and/or display  360 . The MMU  340  may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU  340  may be included as a portion of the processor(s)  302 . 
     As noted above, the communication device  106  may be configured to communicate using wireless and/or wired communication circuitry. The communication device  106  may be configured to perform methods to determine a number of signal bars to display on a UI based, at least in part, on a reference frequency as further described herein. 
     As described herein, the communication device  106  may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features for a communication device  106  to communicate a scheduling profile for power savings to a network. The processor  302  of the communication device  106  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  302  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  302  of the communication device  106 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  300 ,  304 ,  306 ,  310 ,  320 ,  329 ,  330 ,  340 ,  345 ,  350 ,  360  may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processor  302  may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor  302  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor  302 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s)  302 . 
     Further, as described herein, cellular communication circuitry  330  and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in cellular communication circuitry  330  and, similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329 . Thus, cellular communication circuitry  330  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry  330 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry  330 . Similarly, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329  may include one or more ICs that are configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry  329 . 
       FIG. 4 —Block Diagram of a Base Station 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example block diagram of a base station  102 , according to some embodiments. It is noted that the base station of  FIG. 4  is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station  102  may include processor(s)  404  which may execute program instructions for the base station  102 . The processor(s)  404  may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)  440 , which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)  404  and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory  460  and read only memory (ROM)  450 ) or to other circuits or devices. 
     The base station  102  may include at least one network port  470 . The network port  470  may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices  106 , access to the telephone network as described above in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The network port  470  (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility related services and/or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE devices  106 . In some cases, the network port  470  may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and/or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider). 
     In some embodiments, base station  102  may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “gNB”. In such embodiments, base station  102  may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and/or to a NR core (NRC) network. In addition, base station  102  may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNB s. 
     The base station  102  may include at least one antenna  434 , and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna  434  may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices  106  via radio  430 . The antenna  434  communicates with the radio  430  via communication chain  432 . Communication chain  432  may be a receive chain, a transmit chain or both. The radio  430  may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. 
     The base station  102  may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station  102  may include multiple radios, which may enable the base station  102  to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station  102  may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE as well as a 5G NR radio for performing communication according to 5G NR. In such a case, the base station  102  may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station  102  may include a multi-mode radio which is capable of performing communications according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.). 
     As described further subsequently herein, the BS  102  may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor  404  of the base station  102  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  404  may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition) the processor  404  of the BS  102 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  430 ,  432 ,  434 ,  440 ,  450 ,  460 ,  470  may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processor(s)  404  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s)  404 . Thus, processor(s)  404  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s)  404 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s)  404 . 
     Further, as described herein, radio  430  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio  430 . Thus, radio  430  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of radio  430 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio  430 . 
       FIG. 5 : Block Diagram of Cellular Communication Circuitry 
       FIG. 5  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. 5  is only one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to embodiments, cellular communication circuitry  330  may be include in a communication device, such as communication device  106  described above. As noted above, communication device  106  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  330  may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas  335   a - b  and  336  as shown (in  FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry  330  may include dedicated receive chains (including and/or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and/or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as shown in  FIG. 5 , cellular communication circuitry  330  may include a modem  510  and a modem  520 . Modem  510  may be configured for communications according to a first RAT, e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A, and modem  520  may be configured for communications according to a second RAT, e.g., such as 5G NR. 
     As shown, modem  510  may include one or more processors  512  and a memory  516  in communication with processors  512 . Modem  510  may be in communication with a radio frequency (RF) front end  530 . RF front end  530  may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end  530  may include receive circuitry (RX)  532  and transmit circuitry (TX)  534 . In some embodiments, receive circuitry  532  may be in communication with downlink (DL) front end  550 , which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna  335   a.    
     Similarly, modem  520  may include one or more processors  522  and a memory  526  in communication with processors  522 . Modem  520  may be in communication with an RF front end  540 . RF front end  540  may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end  540  may include receive circuitry  542  and transmit circuitry  544 . In some embodiments, receive circuitry  542  may be in communication with DL front end  560 , which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna  335   b.    
     In some embodiments, a switch  570  may couple transmit circuitry  534  to uplink (UL) front end  572 . In addition, switch  570  may couple transmit circuitry  544  to UL front end  572 . UL front end  572  may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna  336 . Thus, when cellular communication circuitry  330  receives instructions to transmit according to the first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem  510 ), switch  570  may be switched to a first state that allows modem  510  to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry  534  and UL front end  572 ). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry  330  receives instructions to transmit according to the second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem  520 ), switch  570  may be switched to a second state that allows modem  520  to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry  544  and UL front end  572 ). 
     In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry  330  may be configured to perform methods to determine a number of signal bars to display on a UI based, at least in part, on a reference frequency as further described herein. 
     As described herein, the modem  510  may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features or for time division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operations, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors  512  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  512  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  512 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  530 ,  532 ,  534 ,  550 ,  570 ,  572 ,  335  and  336  may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processors  512  may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors  512  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors  512 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors  512 . 
     As described herein, the modem  520  may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features for communicating a scheduling profile for power savings to a network, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors  522  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  522  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  522 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  540 ,  542 ,  544 ,  550 ,  570 ,  572 ,  335  and  336  may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processors  522  may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors  522  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors  522 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors  522 . 
     5G NR Architecture with LTE 
     In some implementations, fifth generation (5G) wireless communication will initially be deployed concurrently with current wireless communication standards (e.g., LTE). For example, dual connectivity between LTE and 5G new radio (5G NR or NR) has been specified as part of the initial deployment of NR. Thus, as illustrated in  FIGS. 6A-B , evolved packet core (EPC) network  600  may continue to communicate with current LTE base stations (e.g., eNB  602 ). In addition, eNB  602  may be in communication with a 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB  604 ) and may pass data between the EPC network  600  and gNB  604 . Thus, EPC network  600  may be used (or reused) and gNB  604  may serve as extra capacity for UEs, e.g., for providing increased downlink 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. 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates a proposed protocol stack for eNB  602  and gNB  604 . As shown, eNB  602  may include a medium access control (MAC) layer  632  that interfaces with radio link control (RLC) layers  622   a - b . RLC layer  622   a  may also interface with packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer  612   a  and RLC layer  622   b  may interface with PDCP layer  612   b . Similar to dual connectivity as specified in LTE-Advanced Release 12, PDCP layer  612   a  may interface via a master cell group (MCG) bearer to EPC network  600  whereas PDCP layer  612   b  may interface via a split bearer with EPC network  600 . 
     Additionally, as shown, gNB  604  may include a MAC layer  634  that interfaces with RLC layers  624   a - b . RLC layer  624   a  may interface with PDCP layer  612   b  of eNB  602  via an X 2  interface for information exchange and/or coordination (e.g., scheduling of a UE) between eNB  602  and gNB  604 . In addition, RLC layer  624   b  may interface with PDCP layer  614 . Similar to dual connectivity as specified in LTE-Advanced Release 12, PDCP layer  614  may interface with EPC network  600  via a secondary cell group (SCG) bearer. Thus, eNB  602  may be considered a master node (MeNB) while gNB  604  may be considered a secondary node (SgNB). In some scenarios, a UE may be required to maintain a connection to both an MeNB and a SgNB. In such scenarios, the MeNB may be used to maintain a radio resource control (RRC) connection to an EPC while the SgNB may be used for capacity (e.g., additional downlink and/or uplink throughput). 
     5G Core Network Architecture—Interworking with Wi-Fi 
     In some embodiments, the 5G core network (CN) may be accessed via (or through) a cellular connection/interface (e.g., via a 3GPP communication architecture/protocol) and a non-cellular connection/interface (e.g., a non-3GPP access architecture/protocol such as Wi-Fi connection).  FIG. 7A  illustrates an example of a 5G network architecture that incorporates both 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to the 5G CN, according to some embodiments. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., such as UE  106 ) may access the 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, e.g., such as gNB or base station  604 ) and an access point, such as AP  112 . The AP  112  may include a connection to the Internet  700  as well as a connection to a non-3GPP inter-working function (N3IWF)  702  network entity. The N3IWF may include a connection to a core access and mobility management function (AMF)  704  of the 5G CN. The AMF  704  may include an instance of a 5G mobility management (5G MM) function associated with the UE  106 . In addition, the RAN (e.g., gNB  604 ) may also have a connection to the AMF  704 . Thus, the 5G CN may support unified authentication over both connections as well as allow simultaneous registration for UE  106  access via both gNB  604  and AP  112 . As shown, the AMF  704  may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., network slice selection function (NSSF)  720 , short message service function (SMSF)  722 , application function (AF)  724 , unified data management (UDM)  726 , policy control function (PCF)  728 , and/or authentication server function (AUSF)  730 ). Note that these functional entities may also be supported by a session management function (SMF)  706   a  and an SMF  706   b  of the 5G CN. The AMF  706  may be connected to (or in communication with) the SMF  706   a . Further, the gNB  604  may in communication with (or connected to) a user plane function (UPF)  708   a  that may also be communication with the SMF  706   a . Similarly, the N3IWF  702  may be communicating with a UPF  708   b  that may also be communicating with the SMF  706   b . Both UPFs may be communicating with the data network (e.g., DN  710   a  and  710   b ) and/or the Internet  700  and IMS core network  710 . 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates an example of a 5G network architecture that incorporates both dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) access and non-3GPP access to the 5G CN, according to some embodiments. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., such as UE  106 ) may access the 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, e.g., such as gNB or base station  604  or eNB or base station  602 ) and an access point, such as AP  112 . The AP  112  may include a connection to the Internet  700  as well as a connection to the N3IWF  702  network entity. The N3IWF may include a connection to the AMF  704  of the 5G CN. The AMF  704  may include an instance of the 5G MM function associated with the UE  106 . In addition, the RAN (e.g., gNB  604 ) may also have a connection to the AMF  704 . Thus, the 5G CN may support unified authentication over both connections as well as allow simultaneous registration for UE  106  access via both gNB  604  and AP  112 . In addition, the 5G CN may support dual-registration of the UE on both a legacy network (e.g., LTE via base station  602 ) and a 5G network (e.g., via base station  604 ). As shown, the base station  602  may have connections to a mobility management entity (MME)  742  and a serving gateway (SGW)  744 . The MME  742  may have connections to both the SGW  744  and the AMF  704 . In addition, the SGW  744  may have connections to both the SMF  706   a  and the UPF  708   a . As shown, the AMF  704  may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., NSSF  720 , SMSF  722 , AF  724 , UDM  726 , PCF  728 , and/or AUSF  730 ). Note that UDM  726  may also include a home subscriber server (HSS) function and the PCF may also include a policy and charging rules function (PCRF). Note further that these functional entities may also be supported by the SMF  706   a  and the SMF  706   b  of the 5G CN. The AMF  706  may be connected to (or in communication with) the SMF  706   a . Further, the gNB  604  may in communication with (or connected to) the UPF  708   a  that may also be communication with the SMF  706   a . Similarly, the N3IWF  702  may be communicating with a UPF  708   b  that may also be communicating with the SMF  706   b . Both UPFs may be communicating with the data network (e.g., DN  710   a  and  710   b ) and/or the Internet  700  and IMS core network  710 . 
     Note that in various embodiments, one or more of the above described network entities may be configured to perform methods to improve security checks in a 5G NR network, including mechanisms to provide a reference frequency for determining a number of signal bars to display on a UI, e.g., as further described herein. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE (e.g., such as UE  106 ), according to some embodiments. The baseband processor architecture  800  described in  FIG. 8  may be implemented on one or more radios (e.g., radios  329  and/or  330  described above) or modems (e.g., modems  510  and/or  520 ) as described above. As shown, the non-access stratum (NAS)  810  may include a 5G NAS  820  and a legacy NAS  850 . The legacy NAS  850  may include a communication connection with a legacy access stratum (AS)  870 . The 5G NAS  820  may include communication connections with both a 5G AS  840  and a non-3GPP AS  830  and Wi-Fi AS  832 . The 5G NAS  820  may include functional entities associated with both access stratums. Thus, the 5G NAS  820  may include multiple 5G MM entities  826  and  828  and 5G session management (SM) entities  822  and  824 . The legacy NAS  850  may include functional entities such as short message service (SMS) entity  852 , evolved packet system (EPS) session management (ESM) entity  854 , session management (SM) entity  856 , EPS mobility management (EMM) entity  858 , and mobility management (MM)/GPRS mobility management (GMM) entity  860 . In addition, the legacy AS  870  may include functional entities such as LTE AS  872 , UMTS AS  874 , and/or GSM/GPRS AS  876 . 
     Thus, the baseband processor architecture  800  allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access). Note that as shown, the 5G MM may maintain individual connection management and registration management state machines for each connection. Additionally, a device (e.g., UE  106 ) may register to a single PLMN (e.g., 5G CN) using 5G cellular access as well as non-cellular access. Further, it may be possible for the device to be in a connected state in one access and an idle state in another access and vice versa. Finally, there may be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, de-registration, identification, authentication, as so forth) for both accesses. 
     Note that in various embodiments, one or more of the above described functional entities of the 5G NAS and/or 5G AS may be configured to perform methods to determine a reference frequency for determining a number of signal bars to display on a UI, e.g., as further described herein. 
     Signal Bar Display 
     In existing implementations, mobile devices may provide an indication of coverage quality and/or received signal strength via display of signal bars on a user interface. Typically, signal bars displayed as a bar chart (e.g., a set of four or five bars), with the bar chart indicating coverage quality for a mobile device based on a number of signal bars. For example, a mobile device with “good” coverage quality may display 3 bars out of a set of 4 bars (or may shade 3 out of 4 bars of a bar chart displayed on the user interface of the wireless device). Conversely, a mobile device with “poor” coverage quality may display 1 bar out of a set of 4 bars (or may shade 1 out of 4 bars of a bar chart displayed on the user interface of the wireless device). Thus, users of mobile devices have come to rely on signal bars as an indication of coverage (or service) quality. Further, as mobile devices have evolved, users have become increasingly sensitive to signal bars as an indication of quality of a particular mobile device. For example, for a given location (e.g., a home or place of work) mobile device users often expect a newer wireless device to display more signal bars than an older wireless device. 
     In existing implementations, signal bars are typically based on serving cell reference signal received power (RSRP) and/or signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR). However, there is no standard defined algorithm for display of signal bars and operators often define implementation specific thresholds to convert RSRP to a number of signal bars. Additionally, any change (e.g., carrier/operator changes in re-selection thresholds and/or device manufacturer adjustments to power cell selection) in algorithm for display of signal bars may result in a lower number of signal bars being displayed. Further, such changes may provide a wireless device user (already sensitive to signal bar display) the wrong perception about operator coverage and/or wireless device performance. 
     For example,  FIGS. 9A-9C  illustrate various scenarios in which carrier re-selection thresholds and manufacturer cell selection impact display of signal bars. In particular,  FIGS. 9A-9B  illustrate the impact of a carrier adding a new band at a geographic location and adjusting re-selection thresholds and  FIG. 9C  illustrates the impact of manufacturer cell selection. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9A , a carrier/operator may have initially deployed a cellular tower (base station)  930  with a single frequency band  910 . Further, wireless device  920  may indicate signal strength (coverage quality) at various locations (a-e) throughout the coverage area of band  910  via display of signal bars. Hence, the closer to cellular tower  930  wireless device  920  is, the more signal bars that wireless device  920  will display. For example, at location “a”, wireless device  920  may display 5 signal bars, at location “b”, wireless device  920  may display 4 signal bars, at location “c”, wireless device  920  may display 3 signal bars, at location “d”, wireless device  920  may display 2 signal bars, and at location “e”, wireless device  920  may display 1 signal bar. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9B , the carrier/operator may deploy a second frequency band  915  at cellular tower  930 . Band  915  may be a higher frequency band than band  910 . Further, due to the range of the frequency spectrum, propagation loss on band  915  may be higher than band  910 . Further, the carrier/operator may additionally deploy carrier aggregation between bands  910  and  915 , thereby doubling throughput for wireless devices that support carrier aggregation. In addition, to share loading, the carrier/operator may require that wireless devices being served by cellular tower  930  prefer band  915  over band  910 . In other words, the carrier/operator may change re-selection priorities such that wireless devices prefer band  915  over band  910  and wireless devices closer to cellular tower  930  will camp on band  915  whereas devices further from cellular tower  930  will camp on band  910 . Hence, due to the deployment of band  915 , when wireless device  920  is near the cellular tower  930 , it will camp on band  915  and as it moves further from cellular tower  930 , it will eventually camp on band  910 . Thus, as illustrated by  FIG. 9B , at locations “a”-“d”, wireless device  920  will camp on band  915  and at location “e”, wireless device  920  will camp on band  910 . Additionally, at location “a”, wireless device  920  may display 5 signal bars, at location “b”, wireless device  920  may display 4 signal bars, at location “c”, wireless device  920  may display 3 signal bars, and at location “e”, wireless device  920  may display 1 signal bar. Thus, at locations “a”-“c” and “e”, a user of wireless device  920  may not perceive a degradation in coverage. However, at location “d”, wireless device  920  may now display only 1 signal bar while camping on band  915  whereas wireless device  920  displayed 2 signal bars while camping on band  910  at location “d”. Thus, the user may perceive a degradation in coverage at location “d” even though coverage and throughput have been improved via the deployment of band  915 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9C , wireless devices  920  and  921  may both be at a location “f” and may both be served by cellular tower  930 . Thus, wireless devices  920  and  921  may be experiencing similar (or the same) radio frequency (RF) conditions. Upon startup, wireless device  921  may start frequency scanning with band  910  and may initially camp on band  910 . Additionally, due to lower propagation loss of the lower frequency of band  910 , wireless device  921  may experience an RSRP resulting in display of 3 signal bars. Conversely, upon startup, wireless device  920  may start frequency scanning with band  915  and may initially camp on band  915 . However, due to higher propagation loss of the higher frequency of band  915 , wireless device  920  may experience an RSRP resulting in display of 2 signal bars. Note however, due to carrier aggregation among bands  910  and  915 , both wireless devices  920  and  921  will operate with identical downlink data rates, irrespective of which band the wireless devices are camping on. Further, although wireless device  921  may initially camp on band  910 , once in idle mode, wireless device  921  may reselect to band  915  (e.g., due to operator/carrier re-selection preferences as discussed above), and update to display 2 signal bars, which seems to be an indication of coverage degradation. Note that a similar scenario may occur when devices are recovering from an out-of-service event (e.g., based on when a device triggers frequency scan and which band the frequency scan is started, a device may camp on either band  910  or  915 ). 
     Additional complications may be caused by coverage variance across different frequency bands due differing transmission powers (in addition to coverage variance due to propagation loss). For example, as discussed above with reference to  FIG. 9B , wireless device  920  at location “d” may be in far coverage on band  915  but may be in marginal to good coverage on band  910 . However, since wireless device  920  is directed to camp on band  915 , it may display lower signal bars. The differing transmission powers are induced due to maximum limits on downlink (DL) Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) set by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Thus, for a given location, transmission power must be shared across all bands transmitted at the location. Thus, as operators deploy additional frequency bands at existing locations, transmission powers of existing bands must be adjusted such the maximum DL EIRP is not exceeded. 
     Hence, as carriers/operators deploy more and more frequency bands, data rates continue to improve significantly in most cases, however, due to the above described phenomena, end users may perceive a degradation in coverage quality due to the number of signal bars being displayed. Further, such perceived degradation may lead users to return/exchange newer wireless devices. Additionally, 5G NR deployments, enabling larger number of higher frequency bands and large coverage variance among the various frequency bands, are expected to further exacerbate such issues. 
     Embodiments described herein provide mechanisms for a UE (such as UE  106 ) to determine a number of signal bars to display on a UI based, at least in part, on a reference frequency and/or for a network (e.g., a network entity such as base station  604 /access point  112 ) to provide a reference frequency for determining a number of signal bars to display on a UI. In some embodiments, a reference frequency may be configured (explicitly or implicitly) by a network, e.g., via one or more parameters included in a system information block (SIB). For example, if the UE is in idle mode, the UE may determine reference signal received power (RSRP) for the reference frequency and a serving cell. The UE may then use the maximum of reference frequency RSRP and serving cell RSRP for determining a number of signal bars. For example, if reference frequency RSRP corresponds to 4 signal bars and serving cell RSRP corresponds to 2 signal bars, the UE may display signal bars based on the reference frequency RSRP. Note that the UE may ignore the reference frequency if carrier aggregation is not possible between a serving cell and the reference frequency due to UE capabilities (e.g., UE is not capable of using the reference frequency). As another example, if the UE is in connected mode, the network may indicate (or configure) the reference frequency based on carrier aggregation frequencies. In some embodiments, measurement periodicity for the reference frequency may be determined by one of the network (e.g., signaled via the SIB) or the UE (e.g., based on conditions at the UE, such as battery level, UE mobility, user interaction, and so forth). For example, UE may trigger a measurement of reference frequency when a user interacts with the UE and/or based on enabling a display of the UE (e.g., on UE pickup, UE wakeup, and so forth). In some embodiments, regardless of user interaction, measurement periodicity for the reference frequency may be less than a specified duration (e.g., less than 2 seconds, less than 5 seconds, less than 10 seconds, and so forth). 
     In some embodiments, the network may indicate (or configure) the reference frequency based on connected mode gap measurements. In some embodiments, a reference frequency may be configured (or determined) via various mechanisms. Note that in some embodiments, a network may indicate a preference for the UE to continue using existing algorithms for signal bar determination or for the UE to use a reference frequency as derived via the mechanisms further described herein. In some embodiments, such a preference may be indicated via dedicated signaling between the UE and the network. 
     For example, the reference frequency may be configured via a system information block (SIB) received from the network. Note that in some embodiments, if UE does not support the reference frequency specified in the SIB, the UE may ignore the reference frequency and use serving cell RSRP for determination of a number of signal bars). 
     As another example, the reference frequency may be configured base on array of reference frequencies received via a SIB from the network. In some embodiments, the array of reference frequencies may a priority order. Thus, a UE supporting a first reference frequency in the array of reference frequencies may use the first reference frequency. However, if the first reference frequency is not supported, the UE may continue through the array of reference frequencies until a supported reference frequency is located (found). 
     As a further example, a current idle mode inter-frequency configured for neighbor cell measurements may be used as a reference frequency where the current idle mode inter-frequency may be based on explicit reference priority number provided by the network. For example, for SIB5 in LTE, frequencies configured in SIB5 may be used as reference frequencies. Additionally, the network may extend SIB5 to provide explicit reference priority numbers for these frequencies. Thus, a UE supporting a first reference priority frequency in the SIB5 list of frequencies may use the first reference priority frequency. However, if the first reference priority frequency is not supported, the UE may continue through the SIB5 list of frequencies until a supported reference priority frequency is located (found). 
     As yet another example, a current idle mode inter-frequency configured for neighbor cell measurements may be used as a reference frequency where the current idle mode inter-frequency may be based on implicit reference priority number derived from neighbor cell frequency spectrum. For example, a UE may create/derive an array of reference frequencies from inter frequencies (which will be configured for neighbor idle measurement purposes). In some embodiments, such an array may be arranged in ascending order based on neighbor frequency spectrum. In some embodiments, a flag (e.g., a Boolean flag) introduced into a SIB may be used for by the network to indicate usage of such a mechanism. 
     In some embodiments, a cell specific mapping may be used to configure/determine a reference frequency. For example, a network may configure a mapping between serving cell RSRP and signal bars via system information. In some embodiments, the network may include the mapping in a master information block (MIB) or a SIB. Further, in some embodiments, the network may provide offsets relative to Srxlevmin for mapping purposes. Note that Srxlevmin may specify a minimum acceptable common pilot channel (CPICH) received signal code power (RSCP) value. Additionally, Srxlevmin may be derived from parameters specified by the network, such as parameters sometimes referred to as Qrxlevmin (which may define minimum RSRP values measured by the UE in a cell to be able to get unrestricted coverage-based service in that cell) and UE_TX_PWR_MAX_RACH (which generally refers to a maximum transmit power level that can be used by a UE when accessing the cell on a random access channel (RACH)). In addition, in some embodiments, downlink reference signal power, which may be indicated in system information, may also be used as an additional offset. 
     In some embodiments, a UE may have an internally configured reference frequency based on carrier. In other words, the UE may maintain a data structure that may include an array of reference frequencies for each carrier. In some embodiments, the data structure may be updated over-the-air. In some embodiments, the data structure may be downloaded from a server. 
     In some embodiments, a UE may use neighbor cell frequencies configured by a network in system information to derive a reference frequency array. For example, the UE may scan for neighbor cells to propagate a reference frequency array for a given location. Once propagated, the UE may determine a preferred reference frequency for use in display of signal bars, e.g., based on location and/or the reference frequency array. 
     In some embodiments, a UE may have frequency band specific RSRP offsets for signal bar determination. Additionally, in some embodiments, a UE may use reference signal power from system information as an additional offset. For example,  FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate examples of thresholds for determining signal bars based on RSRP for specific frequency bands, according to some embodiments. For example,  FIG. 10A  illustrates an example of a look up table for determining signal bars for bands 4 and 12 when reference signal power is greater than or equal to 21. In some embodiments, reference signal power may be broadcast via a system information block, such as SIB2 in LTE. Similarly,  FIG. 10B  illustrates an example of a look up table for determining signal bars for bands 4 and 12 when reference signal power is between 0 and 21 with an additional offset based on reference signal power. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a block diagram of an example of a method for improvements of display of signal bars on a user interface of a wireless device, according to some embodiments. The method shown in  FIG. 11  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired. As shown, this method may operate as follows. 
     At  1102 , a wireless device (e.g., such as UE  106 ), may receive an indication of a reference frequency from a network, e.g., from a cell serving the wireless device. In other words, the wireless device may receive the indication of the reference frequency from a serving cell (e.g., such as base station  102  and/or base station  604 ). In some embodiments, a reference frequency (e.g., as indicated by the network) may be used to determine a number of signal bars to display on a user interface (UI) of the wireless device. In other words, a number of signal bars to display on the UE may be based on the reference frequency. In some embodiments, the reference frequency may be (or include) a carrier aggregation frequency. In some embodiments, the reference frequency (and/or the indication of the reference frequency) may be received via a system information block (SIB). In some embodiments, the wireless device may receive an indication of a network preference for the wireless device to use the reference frequency to determine a number of signal bars to display. In some embodiments, the preference may be based on capabilities of the wireless device (e.g., whether the wireless device supports carrier aggregation and/or whether the wireless device supports the reference frequency). 
     In some embodiments, the indication of the reference frequency may be (or include) a prioritized array of reference frequencies. In such embodiments, the prioritized array of reference frequencies may be (or include) a prioritized array of idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements. In some embodiments, the indication of the reference frequency may be (or include) an indication for the wireless device to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies. In such embodiments, the wireless device may prioritize the inter-frequencies based on neighbor frequency spectrum to make (create) the prioritized array of reference frequencies. Further, in some embodiments, the indication for the wireless device to use idle mode inter-frequencies configured for neighbor measurements as reference frequencies may be (or include) a flag (e.g., a Boolean flag) included in a SIB. 
     In some embodiments, the wireless device may determine the reference frequency based on the prioritized array of reference frequencies. For example, the wireless device may choose (or select) the highest prioritized reference frequency supported by the wireless device from the prioritized array of reference frequencies. 
     In some embodiments, the reference frequency may include (or be) a pre-configured reference frequency array. Further, in such embodiments, the indication of the reference frequency may indicate a particular reference frequency within the pre-configured reference frequency array that corresponds to a particular operator/carrier of the serving cell. 
     At  1104 , the wireless device may measure a reference signal received power (RSRP) for the serving cell and the reference frequency. In some embodiments, the reference frequency may be measured via a highest performing cell on the reference frequency. In other words, the wireless device may measure RSRP for the reference frequency for multiple cells and select an RSRP from the highest performing cell. In some embodiments, measurement of the RSRP for the serving cell and the reference frequency may be periodic. In some embodiments, the periodicity may be configurable by the network and/or the wireless device. In some embodiments, the periodicity may be based on power conditions (e.g., periodicity may be lengthened in lower power modes) and/or mobility conditions at the wireless device (e.g., periodicity may be shortened at higher mobility conditions as compared to lower mobility conditions). In some embodiments, measurement of the RSRP may be triggered by one or more events at the wireless device, such as when a user interacts with the wireless device and/or based on enabling of a display of the wireless device (e.g., on pickup, wakeup, and so forth). 
     At  1106 , the wireless device may determine a maximum RSRP between (e.g., based on the greater of) the RSRP for the serving cell and the RSRP for the reference frequency. In other words, the wireless device may determine which RSRP is greater—the RSRP for the serving cell or the RSRP for the reference frequency. 
     At  1108 , the wireless device may determine a number of signal bars (e.g., to display of the UI) based on the maximum RSRP. In some embodiments, determining the number of signal bars may include reference to an RSRP to signal bars mapping provided by the network. In some embodiments, determining the number of signal bars may include offsetting the maximum RSRP by a network specified amount. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments may be realized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodiments may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs. 
     In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured so that it stores program instructions and/or data, where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets. 
     In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE  106 ) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms. 
     Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20191001
Publication Date: 20200825
Grant Date: 20200825
Priority Date: 20181204
Inventors: KODALI, Sree Ram
ZHANG, DAWEI
XU, FANGLI
HU, HAIJING
KREUCHAUF, JUERGEN H.
XING, LONGDA
SHIKARI, MURTAZA A.
NOOLU, RAMA DIWAKARA RAO
Gurumoorthy, Sethuraman
NIMMALA, SRINIVASAN
LOVLEKAR, SRIRANG A.
OU, XU
CHEN, YUQIN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04M1/724", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/23", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 70849544