US 11,818,743 B1
Dynamic control of uplink carrier aggregation in a wireless communication system based on spectral efficiency
Hemanth B. Pawar, Brambleton, VA (US); Krishna Sitaram, Chantilly, VA (US); and Shilpa K. Srinivas, Brambleton, VA (US)
Assigned to SPRINT SPECTRUM L.P, Overland Park, KS (US)
Filed by Sprint Spectrum L.P., Overland Park, KS (US)
Filed on Sep. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/930,641.
Application 17/930,641 is a continuation of application No. 15/929,159, filed on Nov. 8, 2019, granted, now 11,553,501.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 72/542 (2023.01); H04W 24/10 (2009.01); H04W 16/32 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 72/542 (2023.01) [H04W 16/32 (2013.01); H04W 24/10 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An access node comprising:
a wireless communication interface including an antenna structure through which to provide wireless service on a plurality of carriers;
a backhaul communication interface through which to communicate on a core network; and
a controller configured to control service of a user equipment (UE) when the UE is served by the access node with uplink carrier-aggregation over a connection encompassing multiple uplink channels including a primary uplink channel (uplink PCell) and a secondary uplink channel (uplink SCell),
wherein the controller is configured to dynamically set a channel-quality threshold applicable to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE, wherein dynamically setting the channel-quality threshold comprises adjusting the channel-quality threshold based on uplink spectral efficiency of the access node, and
wherein the controller is further configured to apply the dynamically set channel-quality threshold to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE,
wherein the dynamically set channel-quality threshold is a downlink channel quality value, and wherein applying the dynamically set channel-quality threshold to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE includes (i) receiving from the UE, through the wireless communication interface, a report of downlink channel quality, (ii) making a determination of whether the reported downlink channel quality is at least as low as the dynamically set channel-quality threshold, and (iii) responsive to the determination being affirmative, deconfiguring the uplink SCell from service of the UE.