Apparatuses and wireless devices for wireless communication

CN116634574BActive Publication Date: 2026-08-21APPLE INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310602089.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2017-11-17
Publication Date
2026-08-21
Estimated Expiration
2037-11-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

此外,增加UE设备的功能可能会对UE设备的电池寿命造成很大的压力

Benefits of technology

[0010]需注意,可在若干个不同类型的设备中实施本文描述的技术和/或将本文描述的技术与该若干个不同类型的设备一起使用,该若干个不同类型的设备包括但不限于基站、接入点、蜂窝电话、便携式媒体播放器、平板电脑、可穿戴设备和各种其他计算设备。

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates to bandwidth part activation. The present disclosure relates to performing bandwidth part activation in a cellular communications system. A wireless device can attach to a network via a cell comprising multiple bandwidth parts. The wireless device can receive an indication to activate a non-default bandwidth part for the wireless device. A bandwidth part activation timer can be started based at least in part on the activation of the non-default bandwidth part. Upon expiration of the bandwidth part activation timer, if there is no ongoing procedure to perform uplink data transmission, the wireless device can deactivate the non-default bandwidth part and activate a default bandwidth part. If there is an ongoing procedure to perform uplink data transmission upon expiration of the bandwidth part activation timer, the procedure can be completed via the non-default BWP even after expiration of the bandwidth part activation timer.
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Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on November 17, 2017, with application number 201780096867.3 and invention title "Partial Bandwidth Activation". Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to systems, apparatus, and methods for performing bandwidth partial activation in cellular communication systems. Background Technology

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment or UE) now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these capabilities. Furthermore, many different wireless communication technologies and standards exist. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), and BLUETOOTH. ™ wait.

[0004] The increasing number of features and functions introduced into wireless communication devices necessitates continuous improvement of both wireless communication and the devices themselves. Ensuring the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE) devices—such as wireless devices like cellular phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communications—is of paramount importance. Furthermore, adding functionality to UE devices can significantly strain their battery life. Therefore, it is equally crucial to reduce the power requirements in UE device design while allowing them to maintain good transmit and receive capabilities for improved communication.

[0005] To increase coverage and better serve the growing demand and scope for the intended uses of wireless communication, in addition to the aforementioned communication standards, new wireless communication technologies are under development, including fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication. Therefore, there is a need to improve the areas supporting this development and design. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This paper presents implementation schemes for apparatus, systems, and methods for performing bandwidth partial activation in cellular communication systems.

[0007] Some cells can be configured such that multiple bandwidth portions of the cell are defined, and that wireless devices served by the cell can be configured to utilize one of those bandwidth portions at a given time. Possible techniques for switching between these bandwidth portions may include explicit and implicit activation techniques. At least in some embodiments, explicit activation may include explicitly sending a signal to the wireless device to activate (e.g., a non-default) bandwidth portion. Implicit activation may include using a timer to facilitate determining when the activation of a non-default bandwidth portion expires, for example, at which time the non-default bandwidth portion can be deactivated, and the wireless device can reactivate the default bandwidth portion configured for the wireless device.

[0008] When implicit bandwidth portion activation is used, disabling the non-default bandwidth portion may interrupt any activity / process on the non-default bandwidth portion if it is in progress at the time specified by the timer to fall back to the default bandwidth portion. This may in turn cause the wireless device to restart the process, potentially increasing uplink data transmission latency compared to allowing the process to be completed using the bandwidth portion that initiated it. Restarting such a process may also increase signaling load on the network. Therefore, if such activity is in progress when the timer expires, it may be beneficial to allow it to be completed on the non-default bandwidth portion, even after the timer controlling the implicit bandwidth portion activation of the wireless device has expired.

[0009] Therefore, this paper proposes techniques for implicit bandwidth partial activation and deactivation, enabling temporary delays (and potentially avoidance) of rollback in certain exceptional circumstances, such as when an attempt to perform uplink data transmission is underway and the bandwidth partial activation timer expires. At least according to some implementations, such techniques can help avoid potentially excessive signaling load and / or potentially unnecessary increases in uplink data transmission latency.

[0010] It should be noted that the technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with several different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, cellular phones, portable media players, tablets, wearable devices and various other computing devices.

[0011] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence 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, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1Exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0013] Figure 2 An exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 This is an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some implementation schemes;

[0015] Figure 4 This is an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some implementation schemes;

[0016] Figure 5 Aspects of exemplary possible broadband cells with multiple possible bandwidth portions according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating exemplary possible methods for performing bandwidth partial activation in a cellular communication system according to some embodiments; and

[0018] Figure 7-10 The diagram illustrates various possible implicit bandwidth partial activation timelines that may occur when a UE has uplink data according to various bandwidth partial activation schemes, based on some implementation schemes.

[0019] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0020] acronym

[0021] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0022] •UE: User Equipment

[0023] •RF: Radio Frequency

[0024] •BS: Base Station

[0025] •GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0026] • UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

[0027] •LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0028] •NR: New Radio

[0029] •TX: Transmit / Transmit

[0030] •RX: Receive / Receive

[0031] •LAN: Local Area Network

[0032] •WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

[0033] •AP: Access Point

[0034] •RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0035] •IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

[0036] • Wi-Fi: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 standard RAT

[0037] the term

[0038] The following is a glossary of terms that will appear in this application:

[0039] Memory media—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In a later example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations on different computer systems connected via a network, for example. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., representing a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0040] Carrier media—memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0041] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) containing at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0042] User equipment (UE) (or "UE device")—any of a variety of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (such as iPhones). ™ Based on Android ™ Phones), tablets (e.g., iPads) ™ Samsung Galaxy ™ ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ Wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices. Generally, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined as any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0043] A wireless device is any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0044] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0045] Base station (BS) — The term “base station” has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0046] Processing element—refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing the functions in a device (such as user equipment or cellular network equipment). Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuitry such as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), programmable hardware elements such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and any combination thereof.

[0047] Wi-Fi—The term “Wi-Fi” encompasses the full range of its common meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks, or RATs, which are provided by and through wireless LAN (WLAN) access points to provide connectivity to the Internet. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi.” Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0048] Automatic—refers to actions or operations performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware components, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform the actions or operations. Therefore, the term "automatic" contrasts with actions performed or specified manually by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, selecting a radio component, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0049] "Configured as"—Various components can be described as being "configured as" to perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured as" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured as" can be a broad description that generally means "having a circuit system that performs one or more tasks during operation." Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured as" can include hardware circuitry.

[0050] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions shall be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. The statement that a component is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of paragraph 6 of section 112 of title 35 of the United States Code.

[0051] Figure 1 and Figure 2 -Exemplary communication system

[0052] Figure 1 Exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication systems that can implement various aspects of this disclosure according to some embodiments are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described is merely an example of a possible system, and these implementations can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0053] As shown in the figure, this exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user equipments 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N, via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or UE device. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0054] Base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software to enable wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106N. If base station 102 is implemented in an LTE environment, it may be referred to as an “eNodeB” or “eNB”. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a “gNodeB” or “gNB”. Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various other possible networks). Therefore, base station 102 facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a “cell”. Also as used herein, in relation to a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network, taking into account both uplink and downlink communication of the UE. Therefore, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in the network may also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0055] Base station 102 and user equipment can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0056] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus provide, as one or more cell networks, continuous or near-continuous overlapping services to UE 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0057] It should be noted that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standards or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standards. In some implementations, UE 106 can be configured to perform cellular communication using a modular control channel format for uplink control information, at least according to the various methods described herein. UE 106 can also be configured, or alternatively configured, to use WLAN, BLUETOOTH, etc. ™It can communicate with one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0058] Figure 2 Exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. UE 106 may be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, wearable device, computer, or tablet, or substantially any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments of the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments of the present invention or any portion thereof. UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0059] UE 106 may include one or more antennas communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio components may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Typically, the radio components may include any combination of baseband processors, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio components may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0060] In some implementations, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or GSM), and for communication using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. ™ Each component communicates independently. Other configurations are also possible.

[0061] Figure 3 - Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0062] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some implementations. As shown, UE 106 may include a System-on-Chip (SOC) 300, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 300 may include one or more processors 302 capable of executing program instructions for UE 106, and display circuitry 304 capable of performing graphics processing and providing display signals to display 360. One or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuitry or devices, such as display circuitry 304, radio components 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some implementations, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0063] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system), display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH). ™(e.g., Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). UE device 106 may include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a) and may include multiple antennas (e.g., shown by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communication with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, UE device 106 may use antenna 335 to perform wireless communication via radio circuitry 330. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to use multiple wireless communication standards for wireless communication.

[0064] As further described herein, UE 106 (and / or base station 102) may include hardware and software components for implementing methods for at least UE 106 to perform bandwidth partial activation in a cellular communication system. One or more processors 302 of UE device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, one or more processors 302 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown, one or more processors 302 may be coupled to and / or interoperable with other components to perform bandwidth partial activation in a cellular communication system according to various embodiments disclosed herein. One or more processors 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106.

[0065] In some implementations, radio component 330 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communications for various corresponding RAT standards. For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the radio component 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 332, a cellular controller (e.g., an NR controller) 334, and a blue tone. ™ Controller 336, and in at least some embodiments, one or more of these controllers may be implemented as corresponding integrated circuits (referred to as ICs or chips), which communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (more specifically with one or more processors 302). For example, Wi-Fi controller 332 may communicate with cellular controller 334 via a cell-ISM link or WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH ™Controller 336 can communicate with cellular controller 334 via a cell-ISM link, etc. Although three separate controllers are shown within radio component 330, other implementations have fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs that can be implemented in UE device 106.

[0066] Figure 4 - Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0067] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some implementation schemes. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include a processor 404 capable of executing program instructions for base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuitry or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0068] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106. Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0069] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including but not limited to NR, LTE, LTE-A WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. Processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), base station 102 can be designed as an access point (AP), in which case network port 470 can be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks, for example, it may include at least one Ethernet port, and radio component 430 can be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard. Base station 102 can operate according to the various methods disclosed herein to enable wireless devices to perform bandwidth partial activation in a cellular communication system.

[0070] Figure 5-6 -Bandwidth partial activation

[0071] In at least some cellular communication systems, broadband cells can be provided by the cellular network. A broadband unit may include multiple bandwidth portions, for example, allowing a wireless device to be configured to utilize only a portion of the total cell bandwidth at a given time. Figure 5 This diagram illustrates possible representations of such a broadband cell comprising multiple possible bandwidth portions according to some implementation schemes. In the example shown, a broadband (WB) cell may include three bandwidth portions (BWPs), namely BWP#0, BWP#1, and BWP#2. In other cases, there may also be different configurations for WB cells (e.g., including different numbers of BWPs and / or any other possible variations).

[0072] In some systems (e.g., at least some 5G NR deployments), it may be the case that a radio device can only operate on one BWP at a time, but multiple BWPs can be configured for a given radio device. For example, a radio device may be configured to monitor the downlink control channel and perform data transmission / reception on an active BWP, but it may also be configured not to monitor the downlink control channel or perform data transmission / reception.

[0073] Any of a variety of techniques can be used for switching between active / activated BWPs. Two possible examples can include explicit and implicit activation techniques. When an explicit BWP is activated, the wireless device is explicitly provided with signaling indicating that a certain BWP is being activated for the wireless device, for example, using downlink control information. Implicit BWP activation can be based at least in part on a BWP activation timer. In this case, the wireless device can be configured to have a default BWP and can start the BWP activation timer when switching to a non-default BWP. When the timer expires, the wireless device can fall back to the default BWP, thus implicitly activating the default BWP. At least in some cases, it may be possible that the BWP activation timer can be restarted when successfully decoded downlink control information schedules downlink data to be received by the wireless device and / or received under one or more other conditions.

[0074] Using such techniques can be beneficial, allowing wireless devices to operate on bandwidths smaller than the entire cell bandwidth. In some cases, this may improve support for wireless devices with lower bandwidth capabilities relative to their power consumption, and / or provide a variety of possible interference suppression characteristics. However, it may be important to carefully design activation / deactivation schemes, particularly including implicit BWP activation / deactivation techniques, to avoid potentially increased signaling load and / or uplink data transmission delays that could occur if the wireless device has uplink data to transmit near the BWP activation timer expiration time.

[0075] therefore, Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for enabling a wireless device (e.g., a wireless user equipment (UE) device) to perform bandwidth partial activation in a cellular communication system according to at least some embodiments, which avoids excessive signaling load and / or uplink data transmission delay when the BWP activation timer expires and the wireless device has been started but has not yet completed uplink data communication.

[0076] Figure 6 Various aspects of the method may be implemented, for example, in conjunction with cellular base stations by wireless devices such as UE 106 and BS 102 shown and described with respect to the various figures herein, or more generally, in conjunction as needed with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figures above, among other devices. It should be noted that, although Figure 6 At least some elements of the method are described in a manner relating to the use of communication technologies and / or features related to NR and / or 3GPP specification documents, but such description is not intended to limit this disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 6The method encompasses various aspects. In various implementation schemes, some of the method elements shown may be executed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 6 The method can be operated as follows.

[0077] In 602, a wireless device may attach to a broadband cell provided by a cellular network. The broadband cell may be configured to include multiple BWPs, for example, enabling the use of different subsets of the total cell bandwidth to serve various wireless devices. As part of the attaching process to the cell or during another configuration operation (e.g., when establishing or reconfiguring a radio resource control connection between the wireless device and the cell), the wireless device may receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device, and / or may receive configuration information indicating the length of a BWP activation timer, as well as various other possible configuration information. The default BWP may be the BWP that the wireless device can activate by default to in the cell, for example, if no other (e.g., non-default) BWP is explicitly activated, or if the activation of a non-default BWP expires. The BWP activation timer length may be a specified length of a timer started when a non-default BWP is activated (which may in some cases be reset to extend the activation), for example, to provide a way to implicitly deactivate a non-default BWP and / or reactivate the default BWP.

[0078] In section 604, the wireless device may receive an indication to activate a non-default BWP. According to some implementations, this indication may be provided, for example, via downlink control information (e.g., data communications may also be scheduled) on a downlink control channel such as the 5G NR Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Once activated, the non-default BWP can be used for downlink control channel monitoring by the wireless device and for uplink and / or downlink data transmission.

[0079] In 606, the wireless device may initiate a BWP activation timer for a non-default BWP. As previously described, the BWP activation timer provides an implicit mechanism to eventually disable the non-default BWP and reactivate the wireless device's default BWP. The timer may be started based on the activation of the non-default BWP, for example, when switching to a non-default BWP. At least according to some implementations, when the wireless device successfully decodes downlink control information to schedule data transmission on the non-default BWP, the timer may be restarted (or the timer may be modified in other ways to extend the time until it expires), for example, as a way to implicitly extend the activation of the non-default BWP.

[0080] If there is no ongoing activity configured to at least temporarily extend the use of the non-default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires (such as a process attempting to initiate / perform uplink data transmission, and / or a network-triggered random access channel process), the wireless device can deactivate the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP at that time. However, if any such activity / process is in progress, deactivating the non-default BWP may interrupt it, potentially forcing the wireless device to restart the process, which, in at least some cases, may increase uplink data transmission latency and signaling load on the network. Therefore, if such activity is underway when the BWP activation timer expires, it may be beneficial to allow this activity to be performed on the non-default BWP even after the non-default BWP's BWP activation timer has expired.

[0081] Therefore, in 608, the wireless device may initiate a process to perform uplink data transmission on a non-default BWP. According to some embodiments, for example, if the wireless device has timing synchronization with the network, the process may include a scheduling request. Alternatively (or additionally), for example, if the wireless device does not currently have timing synchronization with the network, and / or if the wireless device has previously failed to successfully attempt a scheduling request process, the process may include a random access channel procedure. At least according to some embodiments, the initiation of the process to perform uplink data transmission on a non-default BWP can be triggered by generating uplink data for transmission by the wireless device and having that uplink data arrive in the wireless device's baseband buffer. As an alternative or additional possibility, in some embodiments, the wireless device may perform a network-triggered random access channel procedure, for example, to attempt to perform downlink data transmission on a non-default BWP.

[0082] In 610, the wireless device can determine that the BWP activation timer for a non-default BWP has expired. As previously described, if no process considered abnormal is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires, the wireless device can disable the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires. However, if a process performing uplink data transmission on a non-default BWP (or other process defined as such abnormality) is still in progress when the BWP activation timer expires, the wireless device must not disable the non-default BWP, nor activate the default BWP immediately after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0083] In this scenario, according to 612, the wireless device can complete the uplink data transmission process on the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer for the non-default BWP expires. In other words, under certain defined exceptional circumstances, such as if uplink data transmission is in progress, the activation of the non-default BWP can be extended after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0084] The process of performing uplink data transmission may be successful or unsuccessful. For example, as one possibility, if the wireless device responds to a scheduling request (e.g., in the case of a scheduling request procedure) or message 1 or message 3 (e.g., in the case of a random access channel procedure) for a certain amount of time after a certain number of retries but does not receive a response from the network (or is unable to decode the response), the wireless device may consider the process of performing uplink data transmission unsuccessful. In these various possibilities, the specified number of retries and / or the amount of time without a response may be configured by the network, determined internally by the wireless device, or specified by the wireless communication standard specification document.

[0085] In at least some cases, if the uplink data transmission process fails to complete successfully, the wireless device can then fall back to the default BWP (e.g., disable the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP). Alternatively, in at least some cases, if the uplink data transmission process fails to complete successfully, the wireless device can, for example, still attempt another process to perform uplink data transmission on the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires. For example, if needed, after the BWP activation timer expires and the scheduling request process fails to complete successfully on the non-default BWP, the wireless device can also attempt a random access channel process on the non-default BWP. Alternatively, if needed, this follow-up process can be performed on the default BWP after the fallback.

[0086] According to at least some implementations, if a wireless device receives an uplink grant from the network as part of the process of performing uplink data transmission (e.g., in the case of a scheduling request process, the wireless device receives an uplink grant from the network in response to a scheduling request provided by the wireless device to the network, or in the case of a random access channel process, the wireless device receives message 2 from the network in response to message 1 provided by the wireless device and message 4 in response to message 3 provided by the wireless device), then the wireless device can consider the process to have been successfully completed. In this case, the wireless device can use the provided uplink grant to perform uplink data transmission (e.g., via a non-default BWP). It should be noted that in some cases, such as in the case of a network-triggered RACH process, successful completion of the process can occur when the wireless device receives a downlink allocation for new data transmission.

[0087] Additionally, note that, at least in some implementations, if the wireless device receives downlink control information via a non-default BWP (e.g., scheduling a requested uplink data transmission in response to the execution of uplink data transmission, or possibly scheduling another data transmission), the wireless device may restart (or otherwise extend) the BWP activation timer for the non-default BWP even after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0088] Therefore, according to Figure 6 The techniques described for BWP activation and deactivation allow for an implicit fallback from a non-default BWP to the default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, but may temporarily delay (and potentially avoid) this fallback in certain exceptional circumstances, such as when an attempt to perform uplink data transmission is underway when the BWP activation timer expires. At least according to some implementations, such techniques can help avoid potentially excessive signaling load and / or potentially unnecessary increases in uplink data transmission latency.

[0089] Figure 7-10 - BWP Activation Plan Timeline

[0090] Figure 7-10 This illustrates various possible implicit bandwidth partial activation timelines that may occur when a UE has uplink data according to various bandwidth partial activation schemes, based on some implementation schemes. Note that... Figure 7-10 The following information serves as a reference for... Figure 6 Further considerations and illustrative examples of possible implementation details of the method are provided, but are not intended to limit this disclosure in general. Various variations and alternatives to the details provided below are possible and should be considered to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0091] Figure 7 A possible timeline is shown where a wireless device deactivates a non-default BWP and activates the default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, regardless of whether this interrupts any ongoing processes. This could occur during uplink-related processes (such as scheduling request processes or random access channel processes) that the network may not be aware of beforehand. For example, since the BWP activation timer (which may also be referred to as the BWP deactivation timer) is controlled and updated by the network, for example, via explicit signaling, and such processes may require a time window or retransmission scheme to complete, downlink control information to trigger the restart of the BWP activation timer may not be provided before the BWP activation timer expires while uplink-related processes are occurring.

[0092] In this scenario, as shown in the figure, the expiration of the BWP activation timer can interrupt an ongoing uplink-related process (e.g., the RACH process shown in the figure), and the wireless device can disable a non-default BWP (e.g., BWP#1) and activate the default BWP (e.g., BWP#0). The wireless device can then restart the RACH process and eventually perform the desired uplink activity via the default BWP, while the interruption of this process introduces significant additional uplink latency and signaling load.

[0093] Figure 8 An alternative method is shown in which the wireless device deactivates the non-default BWP and activates the default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, unless this would interrupt an ongoing process considered abnormal, such as a scheduling request to initiate uplink data transmission or a random access channel procedure. As shown, in this case, the ongoing RACH / SR procedure can continue on the non-default BWP even after the BWP activation timer has expired (e.g., until completion). In other words, the BWP can remain active while the SR or RACH procedure is in progress, regardless of whether the BWP activation timer has expired. Furthermore, during this procedure, the BWP activation timer can be restarted, for example, according to a strategy such that the timer is restarted upon successful decoding of the DCI scheduling PDSCH / PUSCH. In this case, the wireless device can continue using the non-default BWP even after the gap between the timer expiration and the restart. For example, with... Figure 7 Compared to other methods, this reduces uplink latency and / or signaling load experienced by wireless devices.

[0094] Figure 9 This illustrates a scenario where a RACH process is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires. Figure 8 Further possible details of the method are as follows. As shown in the figure, in this case, the radio device can continue the RACH procedure if necessary until the entire procedure is complete, including, for example, preamble retransmission. If the procedure is successfully completed, the BWP activation timer can be restarted, and the radio device can continue to use a non-default BWP (e.g., using UE-specific C-RNTI in contention-based random access (CBRA) or RA-RNTI in contention-free random access (CFRA)) for example, upon receiving scheduling information. However, it should be noted that if the radio device fails to receive / decode message 2 / message 4, the procedure may fail to complete, in which case the radio device can fall back to the default BWP.

[0095] Figure 10 This illustrates a scenario where the SR process is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires. Figure 8Further possible details of the method are as follows. As shown in the figure, in this case, the wireless device may continue the SR process until the entire process is complete, for example, including up to a specified maximum number of SR transmissions. If necessary, a single SR transmission method may be used (e.g., making the maximum number of SR transmissions one), for example, to reduce the potential amount of time the wireless device may remain on a non-default BWP after the BWP timer expires.

[0096] If the process completes successfully, the BWP activation timer can be restarted, and the wireless device can continue using the non-default BWP, for example, when the wireless device successfully receives the scheduling information. However, it should be noted that if the maximum number of SR transmissions is reached, and / or when the SR_prohibit timer expires, the SR procedure may fail to complete successfully. In this case, the wireless device can fall back to the default BWP. As shown in the figure, if necessary, the wireless device can follow up with the RACH procedure on the default BWP in this situation. Alternatively, if necessary, if the SR procedure fails to complete successfully on the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires, the RACH procedure can be triggered on the same (e.g., non-default) BWP, while the BWP activation timer remains in place until the expiration date.

[0097] It should be noted that the timelines shown are provided by way of example only, and any number of additional BWP activation schemes may be used as needed or alternatively.

[0098] Further exemplary implementations are provided below.

[0099] One set of implementations may include a method for a wireless device, the method comprising: attaching to a network via a broadband cell comprising a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receiving an instruction to activate a first BWP; starting a BWP activation timer based at least in part on the receipt of the instruction to activate the first BWP; initiating a random access channel (RACH) or scheduling request (SR) procedure on the first BWP; determining that the BWP activation timer expires during the RACH or SR procedure; and completing the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0100] According to some implementation schemes, the first BWP includes a non-default BWP for the wireless device, wherein the method further includes: receiving configuration information indicating a default BWP for the wireless device.

[0101] According to some implementations, the method further includes: if no RACH or SR process is in progress via the first BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, then deactivate the first BWP and activate the default BWP.

[0102] According to some implementation schemes, the method also includes: if the RACH or SR process is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer expires, then the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

[0103] According to some implementations, the method further includes: receiving downlink control information via a first BWP during a RACH or SR process, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and restarting the BWP activation timer after its expiration, based at least in part on the receipt of the downlink control information via the first BWP.

[0104] According to some implementation schemes, completing the RACH or SR process on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer expires includes: if the wireless device receives an uplink grant or downlink allocation from the network as part of the RACH or SR process, the RACH or SR process is successfully completed on the first BWP; or if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified amount of time after a specified number of retries, the RACH or SR process is not successfully completed on the first BWP.

[0105] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a wireless device comprising: at least one antenna; a radio component operatively coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processing element operatively coupled to the radio component; wherein the wireless device is configured to: attach to a cell, wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receive an instruction to activate a non-default BWP; start a BWP activation timer based at least in part on the activation of the non-default BWP; initiate a process of performing uplink data transmission via the non-default BWP; determine that the BWP activation timer has expired before completing the process of performing uplink data transmission via the non-default BWP; and complete the process of performing uplink data transmission via the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0106] According to some implementation schemes, the process of performing uplink data transmission includes one of the following processes: a random access channel (RACH) process; or a scheduling request process.

[0107] According to some implementation schemes, the wireless device is further configured to: receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device; and if there is no uplink data transmission process being performed via the non-default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, disable the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP.

[0108] According to some implementation schemes, the wireless device is further configured to disable the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP if the uplink data transmission process is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0109] According to some implementation schemes, the wireless device is further configured to: receive downlink control information via a non-default BWP during the uplink data transmission process, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and, at least in part based on the receipt of downlink control information via the non-default BWP, restart the BWP activation timer after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0110] According to some implementation schemes, the wireless device is further configured to receive configuration information indicating the length of the BWP activation timer.

[0111] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to: attach to a cell, wherein the cell includes a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receive an instruction to activate a non-default BWP; initiate a BWP activation timer at least in part based on the activation of the non-default BWP; complete the uplink data transmission process via the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires if there is an ongoing uplink data transmission process via the non-default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires; and deactivate the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP if there is no ongoing uplink data transmission process via the non-default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires.

[0112] According to some implementations, the processing element is further configured to enable the wireless device to: receive downlink control information via a non-default BWP during the process of performing uplink data transmission, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and, at least in part based on the receipt of downlink control information via the non-default BWP, restart the BWP activation timer for the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0113] According to some implementation schemes, the process of performing uplink data transmission includes a scheduling request (SR) process, wherein the SR process is successfully completed on a non-default BWP if the wireless device receives an uplink permission from the network in response to the SR provided by the wireless device to the network, and the SR process is not successfully completed on a non-default BWP if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified amount of time after a specified number of retries.

[0114] According to some implementations, if the SR process is not successfully completed on a non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to initiate a random access channel (RACH) process via the non-default BWP, at least in part, based on the failure to successfully complete the SR process on the non-default BWP.

[0115] According to some implementations, if the SR process is not successfully completed on the non-default BWP after the BWP activation timer expires, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: at least in part, based on the completion of the SR process and the expiration of the BWP activation timer, disable the non-default BWP and activate the default BWP; and initiate a random access channel (RACH) process via the default BWP.

[0116] According to some implementation schemes, the process of performing uplink data transmission includes a contention-based random access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein a contention-based RACH procedure is successfully completed on a non-default BWP if the wireless device receives message 2 from the network in response to message 1 provided by the wireless device to the network and message 4 from the network in response to message 3 provided by the wireless device to the network. If the wireless device fails to receive message 2 from the network within a specified time after a specified number of retries for message 1 or fails to receive message 4 from the network within a specified time after a specified number of retries for message 3, a contention-based RACH procedure is not successfully completed on a non-default BWP.

[0117] According to some implementation schemes, the process of performing uplink data transmission includes a contention-free random access channel (RACH) process, wherein a contention-free RACH process is successfully completed on a non-default BWP if the wireless device receives message 2 from the network in response to message 1 provided from the wireless device to the network, and a contention-based RACH process is not successfully completed on a non-default BWP if the wireless device does not receive message 2 from the network within a specified amount of time after a specified number of retries for message 1.

[0118] According to some implementations, the processing element is further configured to enable the wireless device to: receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device; and receive configuration information indicating the length of the BWP activation timer.

[0119] Another exemplary implementation may include a method comprising: performing any or all of the foregoing examples by a wireless device.

[0120] Another exemplary embodiment may include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operatively coupled to the radio component, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0121] Another set of exemplary embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible memory medium comprising program instructions that, when executed at the device, cause the device to implement any or all of the portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0122] Another exemplary set of implementations may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0123] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus that includes means for performing any or all elements of any of the examples described above.

[0124] Another set of exemplary embodiments may include an apparatus that includes a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to perform any or all of the elements of any of the foregoing examples.

[0125] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the invention can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the invention can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. In still other embodiments, the invention can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0126] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system performs a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0127] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and wherein the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions, wherein 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 or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0128] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the disclosure is fully understood. This disclosure is intended to render the following claims as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable the wireless device to: Attached to the network via a broadband cell that includes multiple bandwidth portions of the BWP; Receive instruction to activate the first BWP; The BWP activation timer is started at least in part based on the receipt of the instruction to activate the first BWP; Initiate the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure on the first BWP; The BWP activation timer expires during the RACH process; Avoid performing a fallback to the default BWP during the RACH procedure; as well as After the BWP activation timer expires, the RACH process is completed on the first BWP.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first BWP includes a non-default BWP for the wireless device, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to: If no RACH process is in progress via the first BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to: If the RACH process is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to: During the RACH process, downlink control information is received via the first BWP, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and The BWP activation timer is restarted after it expires, at least in part, based on receiving the downlink control information via the first BWP.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein completing the RACH process on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer expires comprises: If the wireless device receives an uplink grant or downlink allocation from the network as part of the RACH process, the RACH process is successfully completed on the first BWP. or If the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries, the RACH procedure is not successfully completed on the first BWP.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to: When the RACH process is successfully completed, the BWP activation timer is restarted.

8. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to enable the wireless device to: Attached to the network via a broadband cell that includes multiple bandwidth portions of the BWP; Receive instruction to activate the first BWP; At the first moment, at least in part based on the receipt of the instruction to activate the first BWP, the BWP activation timer is started; Initiate the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure on the first BWP; Avoid performing a fallback to the default BWP during the RACH procedure; as well as At a second time, the RACH process is completed on the first BWP, wherein the time difference between the first and second times is longer than the length of the BWP activation timer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first BWP includes a non-default BWP for the wireless device, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: If no RACH process is in progress via the first BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: If the RACH process is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: During the RACH process, downlink control information is received via the first BWP, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and The BWP activation timer is restarted, at least in part, based on the downlink control information received via the first BWP.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein performing the RACH process on the first BWP comprises: If the wireless device receives an uplink grant or downlink allocation from the network as part of the RACH process, the RACH process is successfully completed on the first BWP. or If the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries, the RACH procedure is not successfully completed on the first BWP.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: When the RACH process is successfully completed, the BWP activation timer is restarted.

15. A wireless device, comprising: Wireless communication circuit system; and At least one processor, coupled to a wireless communication circuit system and configured to cause the wireless device to: Attached to the network via a broadband cell that includes multiple bandwidth portions of the BWP; Receive instruction to activate the first BWP; At the first moment, at least in part based on receiving the instruction to activate the first BWP, the BWP activation timer is started; Initiate the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure on the first BWP; Avoid performing a fallback to the default BWP during the RACH procedure; as well as At the second time, after the BWP activation timer expires, the RACH process is completed on the first BWP.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the first BWP includes a non-default BWP for the wireless device, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive configuration information indicating the default BWP for the wireless device; and If no RACH process is in progress via the first BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: If the RACH process is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer expires, the first BWP is deactivated and the default BWP is activated.

18. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: During the RACH process, downlink control information is received via the first BWP, wherein the downlink control information is scheduled for data communication of the wireless device; and The BWP activation timer is restarted, at least in part, based on the downlink control information received via the first BWP.

19. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein completing the RACH process on the first BWP comprises: If the wireless device receives an uplink grant or downlink allocation from the network as part of the RACH process, the RACH process is successfully completed on the first BWP. or If the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries, the RACH procedure is not successfully completed on the first BWP.

20. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: When the RACH process completes successfully, the BWP activation timer is restarted.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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    CN111373813B