Special Cell Dormant Bandwidth Part Switching

Abstract

The present invention provides a user equipment (UE) that can operate on a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier. The UE identifies the dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and the non-dormant BWP of the carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receives an indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; and performs an action corresponding to the dormant BWP.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) cells may be able to utilize multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, a cell may be configured with a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP. Generally speaking, the non-dormant BWP may be used to provide access to network services normally available via a network connection, and the dormant BWP may be used to provide power savings benefits to connected user equipment (UE). In dual connectivity (DC) scenarios, the dormant BWP may be implemented by a special cell (SpCell) to provide power and performance benefits to the connected UE. Summary of the Invention

[0002] Some example embodiments relate to a user equipment (UE) having a processor and a transceiver communicatively connected to the processor. The processor is configured to perform operations. These operations include: identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP for a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that the active BWP is to be switched from a non-dormant BWP to a dormant BWP; and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP.

[0003] Other example embodiments relate to a baseband processor configured to perform operations including: identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP for a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from a non-dormant BWP to a dormant BWP; and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP.

[0004] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from a non-dormant BWP to a dormant BWP; and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0006] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0007] Figure 3 An example of a carrier comprising multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) is shown.

[0008] Figure 4Methods for switching between dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP from the perspective of a UE are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 5 A signaling diagram is shown for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via a secondary cell group (SCG) link according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 6 A signaling diagram is shown for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via a Master Cell Group (MCG) link according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0011] Figures 7a to 7c A signaling diagram for providing a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) dormancy indication via an MCG link is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Figure 8 A signaling diagram for timer-based switching of a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0013] Figure 9 A signaling diagram for threshold-based switching of a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0014] Figure 10 Signaling diagrams for SCell activation and deactivation according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0015] Figure 11 A signaling diagram for exchanging SCG association information via a Master Node (MN) according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0016] Figure 12 A signaling diagram for exchanging SCG association information via a MN according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0017] Figure 13 A signaling diagram for exchanging SCG association information via a MN according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0018] Figure 14 A signaling diagram for exchanging SCG association information via a MN according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0019] Figure 15 A signaling diagram for exchanging SCG association information via a MN according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein similar elements bear the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) for a special cell (SpCell). As will be described in greater detail below, the exemplary embodiments may provide power and performance benefits for user equipment (UE) configured with dual connectivity (DC).

[0021] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, as described herein, a UE is intended to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0022] The UE may support DC with a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG). The MCG may include at least one master node (MN), and the SCG may include at least one secondary node (SN). In addition, the exemplary embodiment is described with respect to a special cell (SpCell). The term "SpCell" may refer to a primary cell (PCell) of an MCG or a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of an SCG. Therefore, the terms "SpCell", "MN" and "PCell" may be used interchangeably in the context of DC. In addition, the terms "SpCell", "SN" and "PSCell" may also be used interchangeably in the context of DC.

[0023] A 5G carrier can be configured with multiple BWPs. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a BWP may refer to a group of physical resource blocks (PRBs) within a carrier. As described in more detail below, a carrier may include at least one dormant BWP and at least one non-dormant BWP. However, the configuration and arrangement of BWPs within a carrier may vary from carrier to carrier. Therefore, any reference to a specific configuration or arrangement of BWPs within a carrier is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0024] A non-dormant BWP can be used to access network services normally available via a network connection. For example, a UE can transmit and / or receive data on a non-dormant BWP. A dormant BWP can be used to provide power savings benefits with respect to data exchange processing at the UE. Specific examples of network and UE behavior with respect to a dormant BWP are discussed in detail below.

[0025] The BWP can transition between an activated state and a deactivated state. The UE can perform one or more operations related to data exchange processing on the BWP in the activated state, and the UE may not perform any operations related to data exchange processing on the BWP in the deactivated state. For example, at a first time, a non-dormant BWP can be activated to implement data exchange between the UE and the network. At a second time, the non-dormant BWP can be deactivated and the dormant BWP can be activated. From the UE's perspective, when the non-dormant BWP is in the activated state, there is less information and / or data to be monitored. This provides power saving benefits to the UE. At a third time, the active BWP can be switched back to a non-dormant BWP to enable data exchange between the UE and the network again.

[0026] Example embodiments relate to implementing a dormant BWP for a SpCell. In a first aspect, the example embodiments include mechanisms for the UE and the network to handle situations related to BWP switching between a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP. In a second aspect, the example embodiments relate to UE operations associated with the SpCell when the dormant BWP is activated. In a third aspect, the example embodiments relate to UE operations associated with the SCG when the dormant BWP is activated. The examples provided throughout this specification are described with respect to a SpCell that is a PSCell. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example concepts described herein are applicable to a SpCell that is a PCell that supports multiple BWPs.

[0027] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 can be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, desktop computer, smartphone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement can include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for illustrative purposes, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0028] UE 110 can be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network arrangement 100, the networks with which UE 110 can communicate wirelessly are 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN) 120 and LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 122. However, it should be understood that UE 110 can also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, unlicensed NR (NR-U), next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), traditional cellular network, WLAN, etc.), and UE 110 can also communicate with the network through a wired connection. Referring to the exemplary embodiment, UE 110 can establish a connection with 5G NR-RAN 120 and / or LTE-RAN 122. Therefore, UE 110 can have both a 5G NR chipset for communicating with 5G NR-RAN 120 and an LTE chipset for communicating with LTE-RAN 122.

[0029] The 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be part of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc. These networks 120 and 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node B, eNodeB, HeNB, eNB, gNB, gNodeB, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets.

[0030] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a scenario in which the UE 110 is already configured with a DC. Generally speaking, the DC includes the UE 110 connected to both the MCG and the SCG. In the network arrangement 100, the 5G NR RAN 120 includes an SN 120A representing a gNB. The SN 120A can be configured as a PSCell of the SCG. Therefore, reference to a single cell corresponding to the 5G NR RAN 120 is provided for illustrative purposes only. In actual operational scenarios, multiple cells may be included in the SCG configured to serve the UE 110. In addition, the LTE-RAN 122 includes an MN 122A representing an eNB. The MN 122A can be configured as a PCell of the MCG. Therefore, reference to a single cell corresponding to the LTE-RAN 122 is provided for illustrative purposes only. In actual operational scenarios, multiple cells may be included in the MCG configured to serve the UE 110.

[0031] A cell (e.g., MN 122A, SN 120A) may include one or more communication interfaces to exchange data and / or information with a UE, a RAN, a cellular core network 130, other cells, the Internet 140, and the like. Furthermore, a cell may include a processor configured to perform various operations. For example, a cell's processor may be configured to perform operations related to DC, BWP activation / deactivation, BWP switching, and the like. However, reference to a processor is for illustrative purposes only. The operations of a cell may also be represented as independently integrated components of the cell, or as modular components coupled to the cell, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. Furthermore, in some examples, the functionality of a processor is shared between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a cell.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant procedures may be performed to connect UE 110 to 5G NR-RAN 120 and / or LTE-RAN 122. For example, as described above, 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider, where UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of 5G NR-RAN 120, UE 110 may transmit corresponding credential information to associate with 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, UE 110 may be associated with a particular cell. To access LTE services, a similar association procedure may be performed using LTE RAN 122. However, as described above, reference to 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 is for illustrative purposes only, and any suitable type of RAN may be used.

[0033] To provide an example of DC within the context of network arrangement 100, UE 110 may be connected to a 5G NR RAN 120 and an LTE RAN 122. However, reference to a separate 5G NR RAN 120 and a separate LTE-RAN 122 is provided for illustrative purposes only. A practical network arrangement may include a RAN that includes an architecture capable of providing 5G NR RAT services and LTE RAT services. For example, a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) (not shown) may include a next-generation NodeB (gNB) that provides 5G NR services and a next-generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB) that provides LTE services. The NG-RAN may be connected to at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC). Thus, in one exemplary configuration, UE 110 may achieve DC by establishing connections to at least one cell corresponding to 5G NR-RAN 120 and at least one cell corresponding to LTE-RAN 122. In another exemplary configuration, UE 110 may achieve DC by establishing connections to at least two cells corresponding to an NG-RAN or any other type of similar RAN that supports DC. To provide another example of DC, UE 110 may be connected to one or more RANs that provide 5G NR services. For example, an NG-RAN may support multiple nodes, each of which provides 5G New Radio (NR) access, such as NR-NR DC. Similarly, UE 110 may be connected to a first RAN that provides 5G NR services and another second RAN that also provides 5G NR services. Therefore, the example of a single, separate 5G NR-RAN 120 and a single, separate LTE-RAN 122 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0034] Network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. Cellular core network 130 can be considered an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network and may include an EPC and / or a 5GC. Cellular core network 130 also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the internet 140. IMS 150 can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to UE 110 using IP protocols. IMS 150 can communicate with cellular core network 130 and the internet 140 to provide multimedia services to UE 110. Network services backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the internet 140 and cellular core network 130. Network services backbone 160 can generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that can be used to extend the functionality of UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0035] Figure 2An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 100 is used to describe the UE 110. The UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0036] The processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include the SpCell dormant BWP engine 235. The SpCell dormant BWP engine 235 may be configured to perform operations related to BWP activation, BWP deactivation, BWP switching, monitoring dormant BWPs, and exchanging information associated with an SCG (e.g., SN 120A) when a dormant BWP is activated for a PSCell of the SCG.

[0037] The engine described above as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 205 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate, integrated component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is shared between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0038] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN 120, the LTE-RAN 122, the traditional RAN (not shown in the figure), the WLAN (not shown in the figure), etc. Thus, the transceiver 225 can operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies).

[0039] Figure 3An example of a carrier 310 including multiple BWPs is shown. Carrier 310 may be used for uplink and / or downlink communications between UE 110 and SN 120A. In this example, carrier 310 includes a non-dormant BWP 312 representing a first set of PRBs and a dormant BWP 314 representing a second set of PRBs. The arrangement and configuration of BWPs within a carrier may vary from carrier to carrier. Thus, Figure 3 The example shown is merely one possible configuration of a BWP and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments in any way. The exemplary embodiments are applicable to both dormant and non-dormant BWPs arranged within carrier 310 in any suitable manner.

[0040] The BWP can transition between an activated state and a deactivated state. When in the activated state, the BWP can be used for uplink and / or downlink communications. For example, UE 110 can receive Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) information dedicated to UE 110, PDCCH information in the common search space, and / or Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) data from SN 120A on a BWP configured in the activated state. UE 110 can also transmit control information and / or data to SN 120A on a BWP configured in the activated state.

[0041] To provide Figure 3 For example, in the context of FIG, when the non-dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in the activated state, the UE 110 may exchange information and / or data with the SN 120A on the non-dormant BWP 314. When the non-dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in the deactivated state, the network may not allocate resources to the UE 110 on the non-dormant BWP 314.

[0042] When dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an active state, UE 110 can benefit from power savings related to data exchange processing. Compared to non-dormant BWP 312, dormant BWP 314 is not used for many types of data and / or information. Therefore, when dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an active state, UE 110 performs less monitoring. For example, SN 120A can transmit reference signals to UE 110 on dormant BWP 314 to ensure that UE 110 remains synchronized with SN 120A. However, when data is to be exchanged between UE 110 and SN 120A, UE 110 or the network can trigger a switch of the active BWP from dormant BWP 314 to non-dormant BWP 312. A specific example of network and UE 110 behavior when dormant BWP 314 is in an active state will be described in more detail below.

[0043] Figure 4A method 400 for switching between dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP from the perspective of UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 Network layout 100, Figure 2 UE 110 and Figure 3 The method 400 is described with reference to the carrier 310.

[0044] Initially, consider a scenario in which UE 110 is connected to MN 122A of LTE-RAN 122. To provide 5G NR services to UE 110, UE 110 may be configured with a DC. Therefore, UE 110 may establish a connection to SN 120A of 5G NR RAN 120.

[0045] In 405, UE 110 identifies the non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP corresponding to the carrier of SN 120A. For example, UE 110 may receive information indicating that SN 120A supports carrier 310 including non-dormant BWP 312 and dormant BWP 314. UE 110 may receive this information from the network before, during, or after establishing the DC. In some embodiments, this information may be received during a radio resource control (RRC) signaling exchange between UE 110 and MN 122A or between UE 110 and SN 120A. In other embodiments, this information may be broadcast by SN 120 in a system information block (SIB) or any other similar type of mechanism.

[0046] In 410, UE 110 receives an indication that non-dormant BWP 312 is configured to be in an active state. As will be described in more detail below, the indication may be received from MN 122A, SN 120A, and / or a process performed locally at UE 110.

[0047] At 415, the UE 110 operates on the non-dormant BWP 312. For example, the UE 110 may tune its transceiver 225 to the non-dormant BWP 312. The non-dormant BWP 312 may be used to transmit various different types of information and / or data. For example, when the non-dormant BWP 312 is in an activated state, the UE 110 may receive PDCCH information dedicated to the UE 110, PDCCH information in a common search space, PDSCH data, and / or reference signals from the SN 120A on the non-dormant BWP 312. These types of communications may be associated with mechanisms such as, but not limited to, PDCCH monitoring, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission and reception, PUSCH transmission, PDSCH reception, random access channel (RACH) procedures, channel state information (CSI) measurement and reporting, automatic gain control (AGC), beam management, and the like.

[0048] As described above, the non-dormant BWP 312 can be used for a variety of different types of communications and associated with a variety of different types of procedures. Therefore, when the non-dormant BWP 312 is configured to be in an active state, the UE 110 may consume a significant amount of power even when no data is being transmitted or received on the non-dormant BWP 312. In order to provide power savings benefits to the UE 110 and ensure that the SN 120A remains in an active state, a BWP switching may be implemented.

[0049] In 420, the UE 110 receives an indication that the dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an active state. In some embodiments, the indication may be received via an SCG link or via an MCG link. Figures 5 to 7c Specific examples of this type of signaling are described in more detail. In other embodiments, the indication may be received from a process running locally on the UE 110. Figures 8 and 9 Specific examples of these types of institutions are described in more detail.

[0050] In 425, UE 110 operates dormant BWP 314. Generally speaking, dormant BWP 314 is used to provide power saving benefits to UE 110 while also ensuring fast SN 120A activation. When dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an activated state, the operations supported by UE 110 and / or the network may be pre-configured or indicated to UE 110 by the network via RRC signaling or in any other appropriate manner.

[0051] To provide an example, when the dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an activated state, reception and transmission of dedicated data (e.g., PDSCH, PUSCH) and dedicated PDCCH may not be supported on the dormant BWP 314. This may provide power saving benefits to the UE 110 with respect to data exchange processing, as the UE 110 does not have to monitor or process these types of data and / or information. However, the UE 110 may still monitor the common search space for an indication to switch the active BWP back to the non-dormant BWP 312.

[0052] To provide further example, in some embodiments, RACH procedures may not be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state. In other embodiments, RACH procedures may be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state. In some embodiments, radio resource management (RRM) measurements, radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements, channel state information (CSI) measurements, and / or beam management procedures (e.g., beam failure detection (BFD), beam failure recovery (BFR), etc.) may not be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state. In other embodiments, RRM measurements, RLM measurements, CSI measurements, and / or beam management procedures may be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state. In some embodiments, SRS transmissions may not be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state. In other embodiments, SRS transmissions may be supported when the dormant BWP 314 is in an activated state.

[0053] In 430, UE 110 performs operations associated with the SCG. For example, when dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an activated state, the SCell of the SCG may be configured to be in a deactivated state, or may also be configured with a dormant BWP in an activated state. In this scenario, MN 122A may facilitate the exchange of data and / or information associated with the SCG between UE 110 and SN 120A. Therefore, performing operations associated with the SCG may include transmitting signals to SN 120A via the MCG link. Figures 10 to 15 Specific examples of the types of operations that may be performed with respect to the SCG when the dormant BWP 314 is configured in an active state are described in greater detail.

[0054] As described above, when SN 120A is configured with an activated dormant BWP 314, the SCell of the SCG can be placed in a deactivated state. Throughout this specification, the term "SCG dormant state" may refer to a scenario in which the dormant BWP 314 is configured in an activated state and the SCell of the SCG is configured in a deactivated state. The term "SCG non-dormant state" may refer to a scenario in which the non-dormant BWP 312 is configured in an activated state and the SCell of the SCG is also configured in an activated state.

[0055] In 435, UE 110 receives an indication that the active BWP is to be switched back to the non-dormant BWP 312. The indication may be a signal received from MN 122A, SN 120A, and / or a process performed locally at UE 110 (e.g., a timer, identifying a predetermined condition, etc.).

[0056] Method 400 provides a general overview of dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching from the perspective of UE 110. As described above, specific examples of signaling exchanges that can be used to trigger dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching will be referred to below. Figures 5 to 9 In addition, the following will refer to Figures 10 to 15 Specific examples of signaling exchanges that may be used to exchange SCG-related information when the dormant BWP 314 is configured in an active state are described in greater detail.

[0057] Figure 5 A signaling diagram 500 is shown for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via an SCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 500 includes UE 110 and SN 120A.

[0058] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and the non-dormant BWP 312 is currently configured to be in an active state. In addition, the UE 110 is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from the dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0059] In 505, UE 110 receives a signal from SN 120A via the SCG link. For example, the signal may be a PSCell dormancy indication indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A is to be switched to the dormant BWP 314. The signal may be a Layer 1 (L1) command transmitted in the common search space associated with SN 120A. The monitoring search space and control resource set (CORSET) of the dormant BWP 314 may be configured with a longer interval compared to the non-dormant BWP 312 to provide power saving benefits to UE 110.

[0060] To facilitate this type of signaling, a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching can be implemented, or RNTIs intended for different purposes can be used. For example, the network can associate UE 110 (or a group of UEs) with an RNTI. The network can then indicate to UE 110 that UE 110 is associated with the RNTI. In response, UE 110 can monitor for DCI that includes the RNTI associated with UE 110. The presence of the RNTI can indicate that UE 110 is the intended recipient of the DCI. In some embodiments, DCI format 2_6 can be used for L1 commands. In addition, as described above, an RNTI can be associated with a group of UEs. Thus, SN 120A can implement group-based signaling for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching for multiple UEs.

[0061] In 510, the UE 110 operates on the dormant BWP 314. As indicated above in the method 400, when the dormant BWP 314 is configured in the active state, the UE 110 may not transmit or receive dedicated data, but the UE 110 may still monitor common control information.

[0062] In 515, UE 110 receives a signal from SN 120A via the SCG link. This signal may be a PSCell recovery indication configured to indicate that the active BWP of SN 120A is to be switched from dormant BWP 314 to non-dormant BWP 312. For example, SN 120A may initiate the switch when there is data to be exchanged with UE 110 in the uplink and / or downlink. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this indication may be delivered to UE 110 in substantially the same manner as the indication delivered in 505.

[0063] At 520, a RACH procedure may be performed. Generally, a RACH procedure may be performed to ensure that the uplink to SN 120A does not lose synchronization. In some embodiments, UE 110 may perform a RACH procedure only when UE 110 identifies or assumes that the uplink with SN 120A is out of synchronization. Alternatively, any other suitable type of mechanism may be utilized to ensure that the uplink does not lose synchronization.

[0064] Data exchange between UE 110 and SN 120A may occur at 525. At this point, non-dormant BWP 312 is configured to be in an active state, so UE 110 may utilize SN 120A to transmit and / or receive dedicated UE data.

[0065] Figure 6 A signaling diagram 600 is shown for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP handover via an MCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 600 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0066] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and the non-dormant BWP 312 is currently configured to be in an active state. In addition, the UE 110 is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from the dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0067] In 605, SN 120A may transmit a PSCell dormancy indication to MN 122A indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to dormant BWP 314. In 610, MN 122A may transmit a PSCell dormancy indication to UE 110 indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to dormant BWP 314. Thus, MN 122A may transmit BWP switching information of SN 120A to UE 110 via the MCG link.

[0068] 7 , in some embodiments, SN 120A may generate an indication, and MN 122A may include the indication in its container for transmission. In other embodiments, SN 120A determines the dormant state of SN 120A and sends the indication to MN 122A. In response, MN 120A may generate a message to be transmitted to UE 110 indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A is to be switched to a dormant BWP 312. In yet other embodiments, MN 122A may determine the dormant state of SN 120A and transmit the indication to both SN 120A and UE 110.

[0069] In 615, UE 110 may transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) to MN 122A in response to the PSCell dormancy indication. In 620, MN 122A may then transmit an indication of the ACK to SN 120A.

[0070] At 625, UE 110 operates on dormant BWP 314. As described above, operating on dormant BWP 314 may include monitoring the common search space. However, in these types of scenarios where BWP handover on SN 120A may be facilitated via MN 122A, it may not be necessary to monitor the common search space for the handover indication, as it may be received via MN 122A.

[0071] In 630, SN 120A may transmit a PSCell recovery indication to MN 122A indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to the non-dormant BWP 314. In 635, MN 122A may transmit a PSCell recovery indication to UE 110 indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to the non-dormant BWP 312. In 640, UE 110 may transmit an ACK to MN 122A in response to the PSCell recovery indication. In 645, MN 122A may then transmit an indication of the ACK to SN 120A. Alternatively, in some embodiments, UE 110 may transmit the ACK directly to SN 120A via an SCG link (not shown).

[0072] Data exchange between UE 110 and SN 120A may occur at 650. At this point, non-dormant BWP 312 is configured to be in an active state, so UE 110 may utilize SN 120A to transmit and / or receive dedicated UE data.

[0073] Figures 7a to 7c Signaling diagrams 700 through 740 are shown for providing PSCell dormancy indication via an MCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagrams 700 through 740 show examples of different types of SN 120A and MN 122A interactions that may occur when providing PSCell dormancy indication via an MCG link.

[0074] In signaling diagram 700, SN 120A generates a message to be delivered to UE 110. This message may be transparent to MN 122A. For example, in 701, SN 120A may transmit a PSCell dormancy indication to MN 122A via an RRC transfer message. In 702, MN 122A may transmit the PSCell dormancy indication to UE 110. Thus, MN 122A may insert the PSCell dormancy indication into a container of an MN message. In 703, UE 110 may transmit a message to MN 122A confirming that UE 110 is aware of the BWP handover. In 704, MN 122A may then transmit an RRC transfer message including the indication from UE 110 to SN 120A.

[0075] In signaling diagram 720, MN 122A may control BWP switching for SN 120A. For example, in 721, SN 120A may transmit an SN modification request to MN 122A indicating that SN 120A wishes to switch its active BWP to dormant BWP 314. In 722, MN 122A determines whether to grant BWP switching. MN 122A may make this determination on any suitable basis.

[0076] 723 through 725 provide examples of the type of signaling that may occur when MN 122A grants SN 120A permission to activate dormant BWP 314. In 723, MN 122A transmits a PSCell Dormancy Indication to UE 110 using an RRC Reconfiguration message. In 724, UE 110 may transmit an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message to MN 122A. In 725, MN 122A may transmit an SN Modification Confirm message indicating that UE 110 has been notified that SN 120A's active BWP will be switched to dormant BWP 312.

[0077] 726 provides an example of the type of signaling that may occur when MN 122A does not permit SN 120A to activate dormant BWP 314. In 726, MN 122A discards the SN Modify Request received in 721 and transmits an SN Modify Reject message to SN 120A. This message may indicate to SN 120A that the non-dormant BWP 312 will remain configured in an activated state. Thus, in signaling diagram 720, SN 120A may make a suggestion as to which BWP SN 120A will utilize. However, MN 122A has control over whether a BWP switch is performed.

[0078] In signaling diagram 740, MN 122A may control the dormant state of SN 120A. In 741, MN 122A determines that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to the dormant BWP 314. In 742, MN 122A may transmit an SN Modify Request to SN 120A. In 743, SN 120A may transmit an ACK to MN 122A in response to the request. In 744, MN 122A may transmit an RRC Reconfiguration message to UE 110, indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A will be switched to the dormant BWP 314. In 745, UE 110 may transmit an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message to MN 122A. In 746, MN 122A may transmit an SN Modify Confirm message to SN 120A, indicating that the RRC reconfiguration process is complete and UE 110 is ready to utilize the dormant BWP 314.

[0079] As described above, signaling for the dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP exchange may include an RRC message exchange between UE 110 and MN 122A. In this scenario, the legacy MCG Standard Radio Bearer 1 (SRB1) RRCReconfiguration and RRCReconfigurationComplete messages may be used to carry SCG information corresponding to the dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switch of SN 120A. For example, the SCG portion of these RRC messages may be configured to include a dormancy indication associated with SN 120A. Similarly, if measurement reporting is supported for SN 120A when dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in the active state, a measurement report triggered by SN 120A may be provided to MN 122A via an MCG SRB1 ULInformationTransferMRDC message. This information may then be forwarded to SN 120A and / or used by the MCG for other operations.

[0080] Alternatively, the MCG SRB1 RRC message can be configured to carry a new type of message. For example, the SCG dormancy indication can be provided in the "DLInformationTransferMRDC" message or the "ULInformationTransferMRDC" message portion of the RRC message. If the SCG Layer 2 (L2) Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) is transmitted via the MN RRC message, the SCG L2 MAC CE can be provided in the "DLInformationTransferMRDC" message or the "ULInformationTransferMRDC" message portion of the RRC message.

[0081] In another embodiment, an MCG uplink / downlink MAC CE can be implemented to carry the container of the SCG uplink / downlink MAC CE. The MCG L2 MAC CE can have a sub-header of variable length. The MCG MAC CE content is an SCG L2 MAC CE, where the MAC CE type is indicated via the Logical Channel ID (LCID). The length can be calculated based on the L parameter in the message header.

[0082] Figure 8 A signaling diagram 800 is shown for timer-based switching of a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram 800 includes a UE 110 and a SN 120A.

[0083] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and the non-dormant BWP 312 is currently configured to be in an active state. In addition, the UE 110 is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from the dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0084] As described above, UE 110 may determine to switch the active BWP based on a process performed locally at UE 110. In this example, the network may configure UE 110 with a PSCell dormancy timer.

[0085] In 805, the UE 110 starts (or restarts) the PSCell dormancy timer in response to the schedule received from the SCG. In some embodiments, the PSCell dormancy timer may also be started (or restarted) in response to performing a transmission to the SCG (not shown).

[0086] The parameters of the PSCell dormancy timer are known to both the network and UE 110. Therefore, in step 810, both UE 110 and SN 120A are aware that the PSCell inactivity timer has expired. In step 815, UE 110 operates on dormant BWP 314 because, based on the expiration of the timer, UE 110 can assume that the active bandwidth portion has been switched from non-dormant BWP 312 to dormant BWP 314. Thus, without any explicit signaling from SN 120A or MN 122A, SN 120A's active BWP can be switched to dormant BWP 314.

[0087] Figure 9 A signaling diagram 900 for threshold-based switching of non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Signaling diagram 900 includes UE 110 and SN 120A.

[0088] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured in an active state of SN 120 A. Furthermore, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0089] In this example, the network may configure the UE 110 with a threshold that may be used to trigger a BWP handover. In 905, the UE 110 determines that the amount of data available for SCG transmission is greater than a threshold.

[0090] At 910, UE 110 performs a RACH procedure with SN 120A via the SCG link. Alternatively, UE 110 may transmit a scheduling request (not shown) to SN 120A. For example, if UE 110 identifies or assumes that UE 110 is not synchronized with SN 120A in the uplink, UE 110 may transmit a RACH. If UE 110 identifies or assumes that UE 110 is synchronized with SN 120A in the uplink, UE 110 may transmit a scheduling request.

[0091] Figure 10 Shown is a signaling diagram 1000 for SCell activation and deactivation according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1000 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0092] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and the non-dormant BWP 312 is currently configured to be in an active state. In addition, the UE 110 is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from the dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0093] At 1005, UE 110 may receive a PSCell dormancy indication indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A is to be switched from non-dormant BWP 312 to dormant BWP 314. In this example, the PSCell dormancy indication is shown as being received from SN 120A. However, as described above, this type of indication may also be received from MN 122A or via a process performed locally at UE 110.

[0094] As described above, all SCells within the SCG may be switched to a deactivated state when the active BWP of SN 120A is the dormant BWP 314. Thus, in 1010, UE 110 may operate on the dormant BWP 314, and the SCG may be configured to be in an SCG dormant state.

[0095] In 1015, UE 110 receives a PSCell resumption indication indicating that the active BWP of SN 120A is to be switched from dormant BWP 312 to non-dormant BWP 314. In this example, the PSCell resumption indication is shown as being received from SN 120A. However, as described above, this type of indication may also be received from MN 122A or via a process performed locally at UE 110.

[0096] At this point, the SCells of the SCG are still configured to be in the deactivated state. In 1020, SN 120A may transmit an SCell activation command to UE 110 via the SCG link. This command may indicate to UE 110 that one or more SCells currently configured to be in the deactivated state will transition to the activated state. Therefore, in some embodiments, the network may provide explicit signaling of which SCells to reactivate. In other embodiments, explicit signaling may not be used. Instead, in response to PSCell restoration indication 1015, UE 110 may assume that the initial SCell activation state configured by RRC signaling will be restored.

[0097] As described above, when dormant BWP 314 is configured to be in an active state, SCG-related information may be exchanged between UE 110 and SN 120A via MN 122A. In some embodiments, SCG-related information may be transmitted by UE 110 to MN 122A in a container of ULInformationTransferMRDC, which may then be forwarded by MN 122A to SN 120A. Similarly, SCG-related information may be forwarded by MN 122A to UE 110 in a container of DLInformationTransferMRDC. Alternatively, SCG-related information may be transmitted in a Layer 2 (L2) inter-cell group MAC CE.

[0098] SCG-associated information may include but is not limited to CSI reports, SCG-specific RRC messages transmitted via SRB3 or SRB1 (e.g., measurement reports, UE assistance information, RRCreconfiguration, RRCreconfigurationcomplete, etc.), uplink MAC CE (e.g., buffer status report (BSR) MAC CE, BFR MAC CE, listen before conversation MAC CE, etc.), tracking area (TA) commands, discontinuous reception (DRX) commands, etc.

[0099] Figure 11 Shown is a signaling diagram 1100 for exchanging SCG association information via MN 122A, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1100 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0100] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured in an active state of SN 120 A. Furthermore, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0101] At 1105, UE 110 receives a reference signal from SN 120A. For example, when dormant BWP 314 is active, UE 110 may monitor the common search space. UE 110 may collect CSI measurement data based on measuring one or more reference signals.

[0102] Next, UE 110 may transmit a CSI report to SN 120A via MN 122A. For example, the CSI measurement data may satisfy a predetermined condition and trigger the transmission of the CSI measurement report to SN 120A. Thus, in 1110, UE 110 may transmit the CSI measurement data to MN 122A, and in 1115, MN 122A may forward the CSI measurement data to SN 120A.

[0103] UE 110 may transmit an indication of the CSI measurement data to MN 122A in a ULinformationTransferMRDC container. MN 122A may then forward the CSI measurement data to SN 120A. Alternatively, UE 110 may transmit an indication of the CSI measurement data to MN 122A in an L2 MAC CE. MN 122A may then forward the CSI measurement data to SN 120A.

[0104] At 1120, SN 120A may determine that the active BWP is to be switched from dormant BWP 314 to non-dormant BWP 312. This determination may be based on factors such as, but not limited to, the amount of data to be received and / or transmitted by UE 110 and CSI measurement data. Although not shown in signaling diagram 1100, a situation may arise where the CSI report indicates that SN 120A is unable to provide sufficient network connectivity, and therefore, the network may determine that SN 120A is to be released and / or configured with a different SN or SNs.

[0105] In 1125, SN 120A may transmit a PSCell dormancy command to switch from dormant BWP 314 to non-dormant BWP 312. As described above, this type of message may be provided to UE 110 in any of a number of different ways. Therefore, the message in 1125 shown as being provided directly to UE 110 via the SCG link is for illustration purposes only.

[0106] Figure 12 Shown is a signaling diagram 1200 for exchanging SCG association information via MN 122A, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1200 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0107] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured in an active state of SN 120 A. Furthermore, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0108] At 1205, UE 110 receives a reference signal from SN 120A. For example, when dormant BWP 314 is active, UE 110 may monitor the common search space. At 1210, UE 110 may perform BFD based on measuring one or more reference signals. In response to the BFD procedure, UE 110 may be triggered to send a BFD report to SN 120A and deactivate the BFD procedure on SN 120A.

[0109] At 1215, UE 110 may transmit a BFR report to MN 122A. UE 110 may also terminate the BFD procedure at UE 110. At 1220, MN 122A may forward the BFR report to SN 120A. UE 110 may transmit an indication of the BFR report to MN 122A in a ULinformationTransferMRDC container. MN 122A may then forward the indication of the BFR report to SN 120A. Alternatively, UE 110 may transmit an indication of the BFR report data to MN 122A in an L2 MAC CE. MN 122A may then forward the indication of the BFR report to SN 120A.

[0110] In response, SN 120A may trigger an RRCReconfiguration to reconfigure the beam. Thus, in 1225, SCG-specific RRC reconfiguration information may be sent to UE 110 in an SRB3 or SRB1 container. As described above, this type of message may be provided to UE 110 in any of a number of different ways. Therefore, the message in 1230 shown as being provided directly to UE 110 via the SCG link is for illustrative purposes only.

[0111] In 1230 , UE 110 may transmit an RRCReconfiguration Complete message to SN 120A in an SRB3 or SRB1 container.

[0112] In other embodiments, instead of transmitting a BFR report to the SN 120A, the UE 110 may trigger a RACH procedure on the SN 120A to switch the active BWP from the dormant BWP 314 to the non-dormant BWP 312 based on the BFD procedure.

[0113] Figure 13 Shown is a signaling diagram 1300 for exchanging SCG association information via MN 122A, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1300 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0114] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured to be in an active state of SN 120A. In addition, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0115] In 1305, UE 110 may determine that data from only SCG dedicated radio bearers (DRBs) is to be received by UE 110. This determination may be based on scheduling, a previously received indication, or any other suitable type of indication.

[0116] In 1310 , UE 110 may initiate a RACH procedure (or send a scheduling request) to trigger a switch of the active BWP from dormant BWP 314 to non-dormant BWP 312 .

[0117] Alternatively, at 1315, UE 110 may transmit an SCG Buffer Status Report (BSR) MAC CE to MN 122A. At 1320, MN 122A may forward the BSR MAC CE to SN 120A. For example, UE 110 may transmit the BSR MAC CE to MN 122A in a ULinformationTransferMRDC container. MN 122A may then forward the BSR MAC CE to SN 120A. Alternatively, UE 110 may transmit the BSR MAC CE to MN 122A as an L2 MAC CE (e.g., an inter-cell group MAC CE). MN 122A may then forward the BSR MAC CE to SN 120A.

[0118] In other embodiments, different procedures may be used for different data types. For example, if the available data is from only SCG DRBs, UE 110 may initiate a BWP handover via a RACH procedure or a scheduling request. If the available data is from only separated DRBs, UE 110 may transmit an SCG MAC CE to SN 120A via MN 122A, or UE 110 may cancel the BSR.

[0119] In another example, if the available data is only for split DRBs, the data volume and data delivery will not inform the suspect SCG link, and the UE 110 Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) can only deliver the data volume information to the MCG link and trigger only the MCG BSR MAC CE. With this enhancement, the UE 110 does not need to trigger an SCG BSR report to the SN 120A, and data transmission to the SN 120A via the SCG link will not be triggered, and the SCG can remain in a dormant state. In some embodiments, this example technique can be selectively implemented based on a comparison of the available data with a threshold.

[0120] Figure 14 Shown is a signaling diagram 1400 for exchanging SCG association information via MN 122A, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1400 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0121] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured in an active state of SN 120 A. Furthermore, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0122] In 1405, UE 110 may transmit an SRS to SN 120A. In 1410, SN 120A may transmit a tracking area (TA) command to MN 122A. In 1415, MN 122A may forward the TA command to UE 110.

[0123] In 1420, UE 110 may adjust the PSCell uplink TA and restart the time alignment adjustment timer (TAT). If the TAT is still running, UE 110 may assume that UE 110 is still synchronized in the uplink. Therefore, in 1425, UE 110 may transmit a scheduling request to initiate a switch of the active BWP from the dormant BWP 314 to the non-dormant BWP 312 and facilitate data exchange between UE 110 and SN 120A. Alternatively, if the TAT expires, in 1430, a RACH procedure may be performed to synchronize with SN 120A and switch the active BWP from the dormant BWP 314 to the non-dormant BWP 314. Alternatively,

[0124] Figure 15 Shown is a signaling diagram 1500 for exchanging SCG association information via MN 122A, according to various exemplary embodiments. Signaling diagram 1500 includes UE 110, MN 122A, and SN 120A.

[0125] Initially, consider a scenario where DC is established and dormant BWP 314 is currently configured in an active state of SN 120 A. Furthermore, UE 110 is configured to switch to non-dormant BWP 312 when a switch-out from dormant BWP 314 is triggered.

[0126] At 1505, UE 110 may receive a reference signal from SN 120A. UE 110 may generate measurement data based on one or more reference signals. In this example, when the measurement data meets a threshold, a measurement report may be transmitted to SN 120A via MN 122A.

[0127] At 1510, UE 110 may transmit an indication of the measurement report to MN 122A in a ULInformationTransferMRDC container. At 1515, MN 122A may forward the indication of the measurement report to SN 120A. In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to the measurement report, UE 110 may also transmit a request to the network to perform a handover from a dormant BWP to a non-dormant BWP at SN 120A. Thus, in response to SN 120A radio quality exceeding a threshold, UE 110 may trigger a handover from a dormant BWP to a non-dormant BWP via the request.

[0128] In other embodiments, instead of a request, UE 110 may initiate a handover from a dormant BWP to a non-dormant BWP. For example, UE 110 may initiate a RACH procedure to trigger the BWP handover. In this scenario, UE 110 may also send data, a BSR, and / or a measurement report associated with SN 120A to the network.

[0129] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0130] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied, or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or described function of the device of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0131] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0132] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor configured to perform operations comprising: Identify the dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and non-dormant BWP of the carrier corresponding to the primary secondary cell (PSCell) of the secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that an active BWP is to switch from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; When the active BWP is the dormant BWP, perform one or more of the following: (1) collect channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell, generate a CSI report, and transmit the CSI report to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell), or (2) generate an SCG buffer status for transmission to the PSCell; and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP; and A transceiver is communicatively connected to the processor. 2 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell.

3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein performing the action comprises receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, and wherein the further indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell. 4 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the indication is generated by the PSCell and received from the PSCell via a master node (MN).

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: In response to the indication, an acknowledgement (ACK) is transmitted to the PSCell via a master node (MN).

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the indication is received from a master node (MN), the MN determining that the active BWP of the PSCell is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on a PSCell dormancy timer running on the UE.

9. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining, based on a locally monitored threshold at the UE, that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP; as well as In response to determining that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, a scheduling request or a random access channel (RACH) signal is transmitted to the PSCell.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: When the active BWP is the dormant BWP, collecting beam failure measurement data corresponding to the PSCell; as well as A random access channel (RACH) procedure is initiated with the PSCell based on the measurement data to initiate a handover of the active BWP from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP.

11. A device for user equipment, the device comprising a baseband processor, the baseband processor configured to perform operations comprising: Identify the dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and non-dormant BWP of the carrier corresponding to the primary secondary cell (PSCell) of the secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that an active BWP is to switch from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; When the active BWP is the dormant BWP, perform one or more of the following: (1) collect channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell, generate a CSI report, and transmit the CSI report to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell), or (2) generate an SCG buffer status for transmission to the PSCell; as well as An action corresponding to the dormant BWP is performed.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein performing the action comprises receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to switch from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, and wherein the further indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein performing the action comprises receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to switch from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the indication is received from a master node (MN), the MN determining that the active BWP of the PSCell is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP.

15. A method for partial switching of dormant bandwidth of a special cell, comprising: At the User Equipment (UE): Identify the dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and non-dormant BWP of the carrier corresponding to the primary secondary cell (PSCell) of the secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); receiving an indication that an active BWP is to switch from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; When the active BWP is the dormant BWP, perform one or more of the following: (1) collect channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell, generate a CSI report, and transmit the CSI report to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell), or (2) generate an SCG buffer status for transmission to the PSCell; as well as An action corresponding to the dormant BWP is performed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication is generated by the PSCell and received from the PSCell via a Master Node (MN).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein performing the action comprises receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to switch from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP, and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell.

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