Bandwidth partial activation

Abstract

Methods for a wireless device, comprising: Connecting to a network via a broadband cell, encompassing a variety of bandwidth portions (BWPs); Receiving a signal that activates an initial BWP; initiating a BWP activation timer at least partially based on receiving the signal that activates the initial BWP; Initiating a Direct Access Channel (RACH) procedure or a Planning Request (SR) procedure on the first BWP; Determine that the BWP activation timer expires during the RACH or SR procedure; and Completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired.

Description

AREA

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications and more specifically to systems, devices and methods for performing bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is increasing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, have become increasingly complex. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now provide access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of running complex applications that utilize these functionalities. Furthermore, there are numerous different technologies and standards for wireless communication. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (for example, in conjunction with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH™, and others.

[0003] The ever-increasing number of features and functionalities in wireless communication devices creates a continuous need for improvement in both wireless communication technology and wireless communication devices. In particular, it is important to ensure the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE devices), such as wireless devices like mobile phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communication. Furthermore, increasing the functionality of a UE device can significantly impact its battery life. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce energy requirements in UE device designs while still allowing the UE device to maintain good transmit and receive capabilities for improved communication.

[0004] To increase coverage and better meet the growing demand and reach of intended wireless communication applications, additional wireless communication technologies are under development beyond the communication standards mentioned above, including fifth-generation New Radio (5G) communication. Accordingly, improvements in this field are desired to support this development and design.

[0005] The prior art document US 2017 / 0019163 A1 discloses a method for a wireless device comprising: connecting to a network via a broadband cell comprising a plurality of bandwidth parts; receiving a signal that activates a first BWP; initiating a direct access channel procedure or a scheduling request procedure on the first bandwidth part. SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention is defined in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0007] This document presents embodiments of devices, systems and methods for performing bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system.

[0008] Some cells may be configured to define multiple bandwidth portions, and it may be possible to configure a wireless device served by the cell to use one of these bandwidth portions at a given time. Possible techniques for switching between such bandwidth portions may include explicit and implicit activation techniques. Explicit activation may, at least in some embodiments, include explicit signaling to a wireless device to activate a (e.g., non-standard) bandwidth portion. Implicit activation may include the use of a timer to facilitate the determination of a time at which activation of a non-standard bandwidth portion occurs, e.g.,at the time when the non-standard bandwidth portion may be disabled and a wireless device may re-enable a standard bandwidth portion configured for the wireless device.

[0009] When implicit bandwidth portion activation is used, if any activation / procedure is in progress on a non-standard bandwidth portion at the time a fallback to the standard bandwidth portion is specified by the timer, disabling the non-standard bandwidth portion can interrupt the activity. This, in turn, can cause the wireless device to restart the procedure, potentially increasing uplink data transmission latency compared to allowing the procedure to complete using the bandwidth portion on which it began. Restarting such a procedure can also increase the signaling load on the network.Accordingly, it may be advantageous to allow such activity on a non-standard bandwidth portion to be completed even after the expiration of the timer that controls the implicit activation of the bandwidth portion of the wireless device, if such activity is in progress when the timer expires.

[0010] Accordingly, techniques for implicit bandwidth partial activation and deactivation are presented here, so that in certain exceptional cases, evasion can be temporarily delayed (and possibly avoided), such as when a procedure attempting to perform an uplink data transmission is in progress at the time a bandwidth partial activation timer expires. Such techniques can, at least according to some embodiments, help to avoid a potentially excessive signaling load and / or potentially unnecessary increases in uplink data transmission latency.

[0011] It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including, but not limited to, base stations, access points, mobile phones, portable media playback devices, tablet computers, body-worn devices and various other computing devices.

[0012] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of a portion of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it is evident that the features described above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection or the nature of the subject matter described herein in any way. Further features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, figures, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) system for wireless communication according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary wireless user equipment device (UE device) according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments; Fig. 5 illustrates aspects of an exemplary possible broadband cell which has several possible bandwidth parts, according to some embodiments; Fig. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary possible method for performing bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system according to some embodiments; and Fig. Figures 7 to 10 illustrate, according to some embodiments, various possible implicit bandwidth part activation timelines that could occur when a UE has uplink data according to different bandwidth part activation schemes.

[0013] While the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and the detailed description thereto are not intended to be limited to the specific disclosed form, but rather that, on the contrary, they are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that lie within the nature and scope of protection of the subject matter, as defined by the accompanying claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Acronyms

[0014] Various acronyms are used in the present revelation. Definitions of the most frequently used acronyms that may appear in the present revelation are provided below: • UE: User Equipment • RF: High frequency • BS: Base station • GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication • UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunication System • LTE: Long Term Evolution • NR: New Radio • TX: Transmission / Transmit • RX: Receive • LAN: Local Area Network • WLAN: Wireless LAN • AP: Access Point • RAT: Radio Access Technology • IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers • Wi-Fi: Wireless Local Area Network RAT (WLAN RAT) based on IEEE standards 802.11 terms

[0015] The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in the present application: Storage medium – any of the various types of non-volatile storage devices or storage devices. The term "storage medium" is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disk, or tape drive; 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, e.g., a hard disk, or optical storage; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The storage medium may include other types of non-volatile memory as well as combinations thereof. Furthermore, the storage medium may be located in a primary computer system where the programs are executed, or it may be located in a secondary, separate computer system connected to the primary computer system via a network, such as the Internet.In the latter case, the second computer system can provide the first computer system with program instructions for execution. The term "storage medium" can include two or more storage media, which may be located in different places, such as different computer systems connected via a network. Program instructions can be stored on the storage medium (e.g., executed as computer programs) and can be executed by one or more processors. Carrier medium - a storage medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, a network and / or another physical transmission medium that transmits signals, such as electrical, electromagnetic or digital signals. Computer system (or computer) – any of the many types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe system, workstation, network device, internet device, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or any other device or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to include any device (or combination of devices) with at least one processor that executes instructions from a storage medium. User equipment (UE) (or "UE device") – any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), tablet computers (e.g., iPad™, Samsung Galaxy™), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), body-worn devices (e.g., smartwatches, smartglasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music playback devices, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that can be easily transported by a user and is capable of wireless communication. Wireless device – any of several types of computer system devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile) or stationary or fixed in a specific location. A UE (Universal Operating System) is an example of a wireless device. Communication device – any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communications, where the communications may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile) or stationary or fixed in a particular location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE (Universal Equipment) is another example of a communication device. Base station (BS) - The term 'base station' has the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least one wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system. Processing element – ​​refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing a function in a device, such as a user equipment device or a mobile network device. Processing elements can include, for example: processors and associated memory, sections or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and any of the many combinations of the foregoing. Wi-Fi – The term “Wi-Fi” encompasses the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least one wireless communications network or RAT served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points, providing connectivity to the internet through these access points. State-of-the-art Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on IEEE 802.11 standards and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi.” A Wi-Fi network (WLAN network) is distinct from a cellular network. Automatic refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or a device (e.g., switching logic, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without user input that directly specifies or executes the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" contrasts with an operation performed or specified manually by the user, where the user provides input to directly execute the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by user input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," with the user specifying each action to be carried out.For example, a user completing an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input that specifies information (e.g., by typing information, checking boxes, selecting radio buttons, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even if the computer system needs to update the form in response to the user's actions. Alternatively, the form can be automatically filled out by the computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software running on the computer system) analyzes the form's fields and completes the form entirely without any user input specifying the answers for the fields. As mentioned above, the user can request automatic form completion but is not involved in the actual process of filling out the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for fields; rather, these are completed automatically).The present patent specification provides various examples of operations that are performed automatically in response to actions taken by the user. Configured to – Various components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad term that generally means “possessing a structure that” performs the task or tasks during operation. Thus, the component may be configured to perform the task even if the component is not currently performing that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even if the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad term for a structure that generally means “possessing switching logic that” performs the task or tasks during operation.Therefore, the component can be configured to perform the task even if it is not currently powered on. Generally, the switching logic that forms the structure "configured to" can include hardware circuits.

[0016] For convenience, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to." The listing of a component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly not intended to invoke an interpretation under 35 USC § 112, paragraph six, for that component. Figures 1 and 2 - Exemplary communication system

[0017] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system in which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system is characterized by Fig. 1 is merely an example of a possible system and embodiments can be implemented as desired in any of the many systems.

[0018] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 which communicates via a transmission medium with one or more (e.g., any number) user devices 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or UE device. Thus, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0019] Base Station 102 can be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) or a radio cell and can include hardware and / or software that enables wireless communication with User Equipment (UEs) 106A to 106N. If Base Station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it can alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If Base Station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it can alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". Base Station 102 can also be equipped to communicate with a Network 100 (e.g., among other possibilities, a mobile network operator's core network, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the internet). Thus, Base Station 102 can support communication between user devices and / or between user devices and Network 100.The communication range (or coverage area) of the base station can be referred to as a "cell." As also used herein, from the perspective of UEs, a base station can sometimes be considered to represent the network insofar as it affects the uplink and downlink communications of the UE. Thus, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in the network can also be interpreted as the UE communicating with the network.

[0020] The Base Station 102 and the user devices can be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of the various Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g. 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0021] The Base Station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or a different mobile communication standard can thus be provided as one or more networks of cells capable of providing a continuous or near-continuous overlapping service to the UE 106 and similar devices in a geographical area over one or more mobile communication standards.

[0022] It should be noted that a UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, a UE 106 may be configured to communicate using one or both of a 3GPP cellular communication standard or a 3GPP2 cellular communication standard. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may be configured, at least according to the various methods described herein, to perform cellular communication using modular control channel formats for uplink control information. The UE 106 may also, or alternatively, be configured to communicate using WLAN, BLUETOOTH™, one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., 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.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of the devices 106A to 106N) connected to the base station 102, according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device with connectivity to wireless networks, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a body-worn device, a computer, a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device. The UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 can perform any of the method execution modes described herein by executing such stored instructions.Alternatively or additionally, the UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), configured to perform any of the method execution modes described herein, or any part of any of the method execution modes described herein. The UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any of several wireless communication protocols. For example, the 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.

[0024] The UE 106 can include one or more antennas for communication using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, the UE 106 can share one or more parts of a receive and / or transmit chain under multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio device can include a single antenna or multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for wireless communication. Generally, a radio device can include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing switching logic (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, or amplifiers), or digital processing switching logic (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio device can implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware.

[0025] In some embodiments, the UE 106 can include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. Alternatively, the UE 106 can include one or more radio devices shared by multiple wireless communication protocols and one or more radio devices used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 can include a shared radio device for communicating using LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or GSM) and separate radio devices for communicating using both Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH™. Other configurations are also possible. Figure 3 - Block diagram of an example UE device

[0026] Fig. Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments. As shown, the UE 106 can include a system-on-chip (SOC) 300, which can contain sections for various purposes. As shown, the SOC 300 can, for example, include one or more processors 302, which can execute program instructions for the UE 106, and a display switching logic 304, which can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 360. The one or more processors 302 can also be connected to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which can be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and assign these addresses to locations in a memory (e.g.,The MMU 340 may be used to translate memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, or NAND flash memory 310, and / or to be coupled with other circuits or devices, such as the display switching logic 304, a radio device 330, a connector interface 320, and / or a display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be enclosed as a section of one or more processors 302.

[0027] As shown, the SOC 300 can be coupled with various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 can include various memory types (e.g., including a NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling with the computer system), the display 360, and the wireless communication switching logic 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH™, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 can include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a) and possibly multiple antennas (e.g., illustrated by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communication with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown as examples, and the UE device 106 can include fewer or more antennas. Collectively, the one or more antennas are referred to as antenna 335.For example, the UE device 106 can use the antenna 335 to perform wireless communication using the radio switching logic 330. As noted above, in some embodiments the UE can be configured to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0028] As further described below, the UE 106 (and / or base station 102) can include hardware and software components for implementing methods for performing at least bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system. The one or more processors 302 of the UE device 106 can be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium). In other embodiments, the one or more processors 302 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).Furthermore, the processor(s) 302 can perform bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system according to various embodiments disclosed herein as in . Fig. 3 shown can be coupled with and / or interact with other components. The one or more 302 processors can also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications that run on the UE 106.

[0029] In some embodiments, the radio device 330 may include separate controllers designed to control communications for different respective RAT standards. For example, the radio device 330, as described in Fig. Figure 3 shows a Wi-Fi controller 332, a cellular controller (e.g., NR controller) 334, and a BLUETOOTH™ controller 336. In at least some embodiments, one, more, or all of these controllers can be implemented as separate integrated circuits (ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (more specifically, with the processor(s) 302). For example, the Wi-Fi controller 332 can communicate with the cellular controller 334 via a cellular ISM link or a WCI interface, and / or the BLUETOOTH™ controller 336 can communicate with the cellular controller 334 via a cellular ISM link, and so on. While three separate controllers are illustrated within the radio device 330, other embodiments feature more or less similar controllers for various different RATs that can be implemented in the UE device 106. Figure 4 - Block diagram of an example base station

[0030] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some embodiments. It is noted that the base station is Fig. Figure 4 is merely an example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 can include one or more processors 404 that can execute program instructions for the base station 102. The one or more processors 404 can also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which can be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 404 and translate these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450), or to other circuits or devices.

[0031] The base station 102 can include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 can be configured to establish a connection to a telephone network and to provide access to the telephone network to a variety of devices, such as the UE devices 106, as described above. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 described. The network port 470 (or an additional network port) can be configured additionally or alternatively to establish a connection to a mobile network, such as a mobile network operator's core network. The core network can provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a variety of devices, such as the UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 470 can establish a connection to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network can provide a telephone network (e.g., between other UE devices served by the mobile network operator).

[0032] The base station 102 can include at least one antenna 434 and possibly several antennas. The antenna(s) 434 can be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and can further be configured to communicate with the UE devices 106 via the radio device 430. The antenna(s) 434 communicate with the radio device 430 via a communication chain 432. The communication chain 432 can be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio device 430 can be configured to communicate using various wireless telecommunications standards, including, but not limited to, NR, LTE, LTE-A, WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. The processor 404 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement and / or support an implementation of some or all of the procedures described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a USB drive).are stored on a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, the processor 404 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs, for example, Wi-Fi, the base station 102 can be configured as an access point (AP), in which case the 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 can include at least one Ethernet port, and the radio device 430 can be configured to communicate in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard.The base station 102 can be operated according to the various methods disclosed herein for wireless devices for performing bandwidth partial activation in a mobile communication system. Figures 5 to 6 - Bandwidth partial activation

[0033] In at least some mobile communication systems, broadband cells can be provided by a mobile network. A broadband cell can encompass multiple bandwidth portions, so it may be possible, for example, for a wireless device to be configured to use only a portion of the total cell bandwidth at any given time. Fig. Figure 5 illustrates a possible representation of such a broadband cell according to some embodiments, including several possible bandwidth parts. In the illustrated example, the broadband cell (WB cell) can include three bandwidth parts (BWPs), i.e., BWP#0, BWP#1, and BWP#2. In other scenarios, different configurations (e.g., including a different number of BWPs and / or any number of other possible differences) are also possible for a WB cell.

[0034] In some systems (e.g., at least some 5G NR deployments), a wireless device may only be able to operate on one BWP at a time, even though multiple BWPs may be configured for a given wireless device. For example, a wireless device may be configured to monitor a downlink control channel and perform data transmission / reception on an enabled BWP, but may also be configured not to monitor the downlink control channel or not perform data transmission / reception.

[0035] Any number of techniques can be used to switch between active / enabled BWPs. Two possible examples include explicit and implicit activation techniques. When a BWP is explicitly enabled, a wireless device can be explicitly provided with a signal indicating that a certain BWP is being enabled 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 such a case, a wireless device can be configured to have a default BWP and can start the BWP activation timer when switching to a non-default BWP. Upon timer expiration, the wireless device can fall back to the default BWP, thereby implicitly enabling the default BWP.In at least some cases, the BWP activation timer may be able to be restarted if successfully decoded downlink control information communication planning downlink data is received by the wireless device, and / or under one or more other conditions.

[0036] Allowing a wireless device to operate at a bandwidth smaller than the total cell bandwidth using such techniques can be advantageous in at least some cases, for example, in terms of wireless device power consumption, improved support for wireless devices with lower bandwidth capabilities, and / or the provision of interference attenuation qualities, among other possibilities. However, it may be important to carefully design the enable / disable schemes, especially including implicit BWP enable / disable techniques, to avoid potentially increased signaling load and / or uplink data transmission latency that could occur if a wireless device needs to transmit uplink data around the BWP enable timer's expiration time.

[0037] Accordingly, Fig. 6 at least according to some embodiments, a flowchart illustrating a method for a wireless device (e.g. a wireless user equipment device (UE device)) to perform bandwidth part-activation in a cellular communication system, avoiding excessive signaling load and / or uplink data transmission latency when a wireless device initiates uplink data communication but has not yet completed it when a BWP activation timer expires.

[0038] Aspects of the procedure of Fig. 6 can be implemented as desired by a wireless device, e.g., in conjunction with a mobile communication base station, such as a UE 106 and a BS 102, which are illustrated in and described in relation to various figures herein, or more generally in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figures above, among other devices. It should be noted that, although at least some elements of the method of Fig. 6. Communication techniques and / or features associated with the use of NR and / or 3GPP specification documents are described in a manner that does not restrict disclosure, but this description is not intended to limit the disclosure, and that procedural aspects of Fig. 6. The method can be used as desired in any suitable wireless communication system. In various embodiments, some of the elements of the methods shown can be performed simultaneously or in a different order than shown, replaced by other method elements, or omitted. Furthermore, additional method elements can be performed as desired. As shown, the method can be Fig. 6. The following applies.

[0039] In the case of 602, the wireless device can connect to a broadband cell provided by a cellular network. The broadband cell can be configured to include multiple BWPs, making it possible, for example, to serve different wireless devices using different subsets of the cell's total bandwidth. As part of the process of connecting to the cell, or during another configuration operation (such as when a radio source control link between the wireless device and the cell is established or reconfigured), the wireless device can receive configuration information specifying a default BWP for the wireless device and / or configuration information specifying a BWP activation timer length, among various other possible configuration information.The default BWP can be a BWP of the cell for which the wireless device can activate by default, for example, if no other (e.g., non-default) BWP is explicitly enabled or if the activation of a non-default BWP expires. The BWP activation timer length can be the specified length of a timer that is initiated when a non-default BWP is activated (and which can potentially be reset to extend the activation under certain conditions), for example, to provide a way to implicitly disable the non-default BWP and / or re-enable the default BWP.

[0040] In the 604 standard, the wireless device can receive a signal that activates a non-standard BWP. According to some embodiments, this signal can be provided via downlink control information (which may also include scheduling data communication), for example, on a downlink control channel such as a physical 5G NR downlink control channel (PDCCH). Once activated, the non-standard BWP can be used for downlink control channel monitoring by the wireless device and for uplink and / or downlink data transmissions.

[0041] At 606, the wireless device can initiate a BWP activation timer for the non-standard BWP. As noted earlier, the BWP activation timer can provide an implicit mechanism for eventually disabling the non-standard BWP and re-enabling the standard BWP for the wireless device. The timer can be started based on an activation of the non-standard BWP, such as when switching to the non-standard BWP. In at least some embodiments, the timer can be restarted (or otherwise modified to extend the time until its expiration) when the wireless device successfully decodes downlink control information to schedule data transmission on the non-standard BWP, for example, as a kind of implicit extension of the non-standard BWP's activation.

[0042] If no activity (such as a procedure to attempt / perform an uplink data transmission, and / or possibly a network-triggered direct access channel procedure) is currently in progress that is configured to at least temporarily prolong the use of the non-default BWP when the BWP activation timer expires, the wireless device can disable the non-default BWP and enable the standard BWP at that time. However, if any such activity / procedure is in progress, disabling the non-default BWP may interrupt it, which in turn may force the wireless device to restart the procedure. This can increase uplink data transmission latency and network signaling load, at least in some cases.Accordingly, it may be advantageous to allow such activity on a non-standard bandwidth portion to be completed even after the BWP activation timer for the non-standard BWP has expired, if such activity is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires.

[0043] Thus, at 608, the wireless device can initiate a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission on the non-standard BWP. According to some embodiments, the procedure may include a scheduling request, for example, if the wireless device has time clock synchronization with the network. Alternatively (or additionally), the procedure may include a direct access channel procedure, for example, if the wireless device does not currently have time clock synchronization with the network, and / or if the wireless device has previously failed to attempt a scheduling request procedure. Initiation of the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission on the non-standard BWP can be triggered by the generation of uplink data for transmission by the wireless device and the arrival of this uplink data in a baseband buffer of the wireless device, at least according to some embodiments.As an alternative or additional option, in some embodiments the wireless device can perform a network-triggered direct access channel procedure, for example to attempt to perform a downlink data transmission on the non-standard BWP.

[0044] At 610, the wireless device can determine that the BWP activation timer for the non-default BWP has expired. As noted earlier, if no procedure is considered an in-progress exception when the BWP activation timer expires, the wireless device can disable the non-default BWP and enable the standard BWP. However, if the procedure to perform the uplink data transmission on the non-default BWP (or any other procedure defined as an exception) is still in progress when the BWP activation timer expires, the wireless device cannot immediately disable the non-default BWP or enable the standard BWP after the BWP activation timer expires.

[0045] In such a case, the wireless device can complete the procedure to perform the uplink data transmission on the non-standard BWP after the non-standard BWP activation timer expires at 612. In other words, activation of the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer expires can be delayed under certain defined exceptional circumstances, such as when a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission is in progress at that time.

[0046] The uplink data transmission procedure can be completed successfully or unsuccessfully. For example, the wireless device may consider the uplink data transmission procedure to have failed if it does not receive a response from the network in response to a scheduling request (e.g., in the case of a scheduling request procedure) or a Message 1 or Message 3 (e.g., in the case of a direct access channel procedure) within a certain time period after a certain number of retries (or if it cannot decode a response).The specified number of retries and / or the time without receiving a response can be configured by the network, or determined internally by the wireless device, or specified by wireless communication standard specification documents, among other possibilities.

[0047] In at least some cases, if the procedure for performing the uplink data transmission fails, the wireless device can fall back to the default BWP (for example, it can disable the non-default BWP and enable the default BWP). Alternatively, in at least some cases, if the procedure for performing the uplink data transmission fails, for example, even after the BWP activation timer has expired, the wireless device can proceed with another procedure to attempt the uplink data transmission on the non-default BWP. For example, if desired, after an unsuccessful scheduling request procedure on the non-default BWP that completes after the BWP activation timer has expired, the wireless device can also attempt a direct access channel procedure on the non-default BWP.Alternatively, if desired, such a follow-up procedure can be carried out on the standard BWP after an evasive maneuver.

[0048] According to at least some embodiments, the wireless device may consider the procedure for performing the uplink data transmission as successfully completed if the wireless device receives an uplink permission from the network as part of the procedure (e.g., if, in the case of a scheduling request procedure, the wireless device receives an uplink permission from the network in response to a scheduling request provided to the network by the wireless device, or if, in the case of a direct access channel procedure, the wireless device receives a message 2 from the network in response to a message 1 provided by the wireless device, and a message 4 from the network in response to a message 3 provided by the wireless device). In such a case, the wireless device may perform the uplink data transmission (e.g.,via the non-standard BWP) using the provided uplink permission. It should be noted that in some cases, such as a network-triggered RACH procedure, successful completion of the procedure may occur when the wireless device receives a downlink assignment for a new data transmission.

[0049] It should also be noted that, at least in some embodiments, when downlink control information (e.g., scheduling the requested uplink data transmission in response to the procedure to perform the uplink data transmission, or possibly scheduling another data transmission) is received by the wireless device via the non-standard BWP, the BWP activation timer for the non-standard BWP may potentially restart (or otherwise extend) even after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0050] Thus, the techniques for BWP activation and deactivation, which are based on the procedure of Fig. As described in section 6, while allowing an implicit switch from a non-standard BWP to a standard BWP upon expiration of a BWP activation timer, such a switch can be temporarily delayed (and potentially avoided) in certain exceptional cases, such as when a procedure attempting to perform an uplink data transmission is in progress at the BWP activation timer's expiration time. Such techniques can, at least according to some embodiments, help avoid a potentially excessive signaling load and / or potentially unnecessary increases in uplink data transmission latency. Figures 7 to 10 - BWP activation scheme timelines

[0051] Fig. Figures 7 to 10 illustrate, according to some embodiments, various possible implicit bandwidth part-activation timelines that could occur when a UE has uplink data according to different bandwidth part-activation schemes. It should be noted that Fig. 7 to 10 and the following information to illustrate further considerations and possible implementation details regarding the procedure of Fig. 6 are provided and are not intended to restrict the disclosure in its entirety. Numerous variations and alternatives regarding the details provided below are possible and are to be considered as falling within the scope of protection of the disclosure.

[0052] Fig. Figure 7 illustrates a possible timeline where, upon the expiration of a BWP activation timer, a wireless device deactivates a non-default BWP and activates a default BWP, regardless of whether this interrupts any ongoing procedure. This can occur during an uplink-related procedure, such as a scheduling request procedure or a direct access channel procedure, which the network cannot know in advance and which the wireless device has initiated. For example, because the BWP activation timer (which can alternatively be referred to as a BWP deactivation timer) is controlled and updated by the network, e.g.,via explicit signaling, and such procedures may require a time window or retransmission scheme to complete the procedure, there is no downlink control information provided to trigger a restart of the BWP activation timer before the BWP activation timer expires while an uplink-related procedure is occurring.

[0053] In such a scenario, the BWP activation timer expiration, as shown, can interrupt an uplink-related procedure that is in progress (e.g., a RACH procedure, as shown) and can cause the wireless device to disable the non-default BWP (e.g., BWP#1) and enable the default BWP (e.g., BWP#0). At this point, the wireless device can restart the RACH procedure and ultimately perform the desired uplink activity over the default BWP, introducing significant additional uplink latency and signaling overhead due to the procedure interruption.

[0054] Fig. Figure 8 illustrates an alternative approach where, upon expiration of a BWP activation timer, a wireless device disables a non-standard BWP and activates a standard BWP, except when this interrupts an ongoing procedure, which is considered an exception, such as a scheduling request or direct access channel procedure attempting to initiate an uplink data transmission. As shown, in such a scenario, an ongoing RACH / SR procedure can continue on the non-standard BWP upon expiration of the BWP activation timer, even after the BWP timer has expired (e.g., until completion). In other words, a BWP can remain activated while an SR or RACH procedure is in progress, regardless of whether the BWP activation timer expires. Furthermore, it may be possible for the BWP activation timer to be restarted during the procedure, for example,According to a policy, the timer restarts upon successful decoding of DCI, indicating that the PDSCH / PUSCH is scheduled. In this case, the wireless device can continue using the non-standard BWP, even after a gap between the timer's expiration and restart. This can reduce the uplink latency and / or signaling load experienced by the wireless device, for example, compared to the approach of [missing information]. Fig. Reduce by 7.

[0055] Fig. Figure 9 illustrates further possible details of the approach of Fig. 8 in a scenario where a RACH procedure is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires. As shown, in such a case, the wireless device can continue the RACH procedure until the entire procedure is complete, including, if necessary, preamble retransmission(s). If the procedure completes successfully, the BWP activation timer can be restarted, and the wireless device can continue to use the non-standard BWP, for example, when receiving scheduling information (e.g., using a UE-dedicated C-RNTI in the case of conflict-based direct access (CBRA) or using an RA-RNTI in the case of conflict-free direct access (CFRA)). However, it should be noted that if no message 2 / message 3 is present, the BWP activation timer can be restarted.4. If the wireless device successfully receives / decodes the message, the procedure cannot be completed successfully, in which case the wireless device may fall back to the standard BWP.

[0056] Fig. Figure 10 illustrates further possible details of the approach of Fig. 8 in a scenario where an SR procedure is in progress when the BWP activation timer expires. As shown, in such a case, the wireless device can continue the SR procedure until the entire procedure is complete, including, if necessary, up to a maximum number of SR transmissions. If desired, a one-time SR transmission approach (e.g., such that the maximum number of SR transmissions can be one) can be used to reduce, for example, the potential time beyond a BWP timer expiration that the wireless device can remain on the non-standard BWP.

[0057] If the procedure completes successfully, the BWP activation timer can be restarted, and the wireless device can resume using the non-standard BWP, for example, if the wireless device successfully receives scheduling information. However, it should be noted that if the maximum number of SR transmissions is reached, and / or if an SR_prohibition timer expires, the SR procedure cannot be completed successfully, in which case the wireless device can fall back to the standard BWP. In this case, the wireless device can, if desired, proceed with a RACH procedure on the standard BWP, as shown. Alternatively, if an SR procedure is unsuccessful on a non-standard BWP after a BWP activation timer expires, a RACH procedure can, if desired, be performed on the same BWP (e.g.,...).(non-standard) BWP is triggered while the BWP activation timer remains expired.

[0058] It should be noted that the illustrated timelines are provided only as examples, and any number of additional BWP activation schemes can be used as well or as an alternative if desired.

[0059] Further exemplary embodiments are provided below.

[0060] A set of embodiments may include a method for a wireless device comprising: connecting to a network via a broadband cell comprising a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receiving a signal that activates a first BWP; initiating a BWP activation timer at least partially based on receiving the signal that activates the first BWP; initiating a direct access channel (RACH) procedure or a 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 has expired.

[0061] According to some embodiments, the first BWP comprises a non-standard BWP for the wireless device, the method further comprising: receiving configuration information specifying a standard BWP for the wireless device.

[0062] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: disabling the first BWP and activating the default BWP if, at the expiry of the BWP activation timer, no RACH or SR procedure is in progress via the first BWP.

[0063] According to some embodiments, the procedure further includes: disabling the first BWP and activating the default BWP if the RACH or SR procedure is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0064] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving downlink control information via the first BWP during the RACH or SR procedure, wherein the downlink control information schedules data communication for the wireless device; and restarting the BWP activation timer after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving the downlink control information via the first BWP.

[0065] According to some embodiments, completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired includes: successful completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP if the wireless device receives an uplink permit or a downlink assignment from the network as part of the RACH or SR procedure; or unsuccessful completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries.

[0066] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a wireless device comprising: at least one antenna; a radio device operably coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio device; wherein the wireless device is configured to: connect to a cell, the cell comprising a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receive a signal that activates a non-standard BWP; initiate a BWP activation timer at least partially based on activation of the non-standard BWP; initiate a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP; and determine that the BWP activation timer has expired before completion of the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP.and completing the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0067] According to some embodiments, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes one of: a direct access channel (RACH) procedure; or a scheduling request procedure.

[0068] According to some embodiments, the wireless device is further configured to: receive configuration information specifying a default BWP for the wireless device; and disable the non-default BWP and enable the default BWP when, at the expiration of the BWP activation timer, no procedure to perform an uplink data transmission via the non-default BWP is in progress.

[0069] According to some embodiments, the wireless device is further configured to: disable the non-standard BWP and enable the standard BWP if the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer has expired.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the wireless device is further configured to: receive downlink control information via the non-standard BWP during the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission, wherein the downlink control information schedules data communication for the wireless device; and restart the BWP activation timer after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving the downlink control information via the non-standard BWP.

[0071] According to some embodiments, the wireless device is further configured to: receive configuration information specifying a BWP activation timer length.

[0072] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a device comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to: connect to a cell, the cell comprising a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); receive a signal activating a non-standard BWP; initiate a BWP activation timer at least partially based on activation of the non-standard BWP; complete a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired, if a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP is in progress at the time the BWP activation timer has expired.and disabling the non-standard BWP and enabling a standard BWP if, at the expiration of the BWP activation timer, no procedure to perform an uplink data transmission via the non-standard BWP is in progress.

[0073] According to some embodiments, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: receive downlink control information via the non-standard BWP during the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission, wherein the downlink control information schedules data communication for the wireless device; and restart the BWP activation timer for the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving the downlink control information via the non-standard BWP.

[0074] According to some embodiments, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a scheduling request procedure (SR procedure), wherein the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is successfully completed if the wireless device receives an uplink permission from the network in response to an SR provided to the network by the wireless device, and wherein the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries.

[0075] According to some embodiments, if the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP does not complete successfully after the BWP activation timer has expired, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: initiate a direct access channel (RACH) procedure over the non-standard BWP, at least partially based on the fact that the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP did not complete successfully.

[0076] According to some embodiments, if the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP does not complete successfully after the BWP activation timer has expired, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: disable the non-standard BWP and enable the standard BWP, at least partially based on the fact that the SR procedure has completed and the BWP activation timer has expired; and initiate a direct access channel (RACH) procedure via the standard BWP.

[0077] According to some embodiments, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a conflict-based scheduling request (RACH) procedure, wherein the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is successful if the wireless device receives a message 2 from the network in response to a message 1 provided to the network by the wireless device, and a message 4 from the network in response to a message 3 provided to the network by the wireless device, wherein the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successful.if the wireless device does not receive message 2 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 1 re-attempts, or does not receive message 4 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 3 re-attempts.

[0078] According to some embodiments, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a conflict-free direct access channel (RACH) procedure, wherein the conflict-free RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is successfully completed if the wireless device receives a message 2 from the network in response to a message 1 provided to the network by the wireless device, and wherein the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed if the wireless device does not receive a message 2 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 1 re-attempts.

[0079] According to some embodiments, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: receive configuration information specifying the default BWP for the wireless device; and receive configuration information specifying a BWP activation timer length.

[0080] Another exemplary embodiment may include a method comprising: performing any or all parts of the foregoing examples by means of a wireless device.

[0081] Another exemplary embodiment may include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio device coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio device, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all parts of the foregoing examples.

[0082] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include a non-volatile, computer-accessible storage medium comprising program instructions which, when executed on a device, cause the device to implement any or all parts of any of the foregoing examples.

[0083] Yet another exemplary set of embodiments may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all parts of any of the foregoing examples.

[0084] Yet another exemplary set of embodiments may include a device comprising a means for carrying out any or all elements of any of the foregoing examples.

[0085] Yet another exemplary set of embodiments may include a device comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to perform any or all of the elements of the foregoing examples.

[0086] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the present invention can be implemented using one or more user-designed hardware devices, such as ASICs. In still other embodiments, the present invention can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs.

[0087] In some embodiments, a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-volatile memory element) can be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, when executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a procedure, e.g., any one of the procedure execution forms described herein, or any combination of the procedure execution forms described herein, or any subset of any one of the procedure execution forms described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0088] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) can be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a storage medium (or storage element), wherein program instructions are stored in the storage medium, the processor being configured to read and execute the program instructions from the storage medium, and the program instructions being executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device can be implemented in one of many forms.

[0089] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications are apparent to the person skilled in the art after a full understanding of the foregoing disclosure. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

[1] Method for a wireless device comprising: Connecting to a network via a broadband cell, encompassing a variety of bandwidth portions (BWPs); Receiving a signal that activates an initial BWP; initiating a BWP activation timer at least partially based on receiving the signal that activates the initial BWP; Initiating a Direct Access Channel (RACH) procedure or a Planning Request (SR) procedure on the first BWP; Determine that the BWP activation timer expires during the RACH or SR procedure; and Completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the first BWP comprises a non-standard BWP for the wireless device, the method further comprising: Receiving configuration information that specifies a default BWP for the wireless device. [3] The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: Deactivate the first BWP and activate the default BWP if no RACH or SR procedure is in progress via the first BWP when the BWP activation timer expires. [4] The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: Deactivate the first BWP and activate the default BWP if the RACH or SR procedure does not complete successfully after the BWP activation timer expires. [5] The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: Receiving downlink control information via the first BWP during the RACH or SR procedure, wherein the downlink control information plans data communication for the wireless device; and Restarting the BWP activation timer after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving downlink control information via the first BWP. [6] Method according to claim 1, wherein completing the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP after the BWP activation timer has elapsed comprises: Successful completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP, if the wireless device receives an uplink permit or a downlink assignment from the network as part of the RACH or SR procedure; or unsuccessful completion of the RACH or SR procedure on the first BWP, if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries. [7] Wireless device comprising: at least one antenna; a radio device that is operable with at least one antenna; and a processing element that is operably coupled to the radio device; where the wireless device is configured to: Connect to a cell, where the cell comprises a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); Receiving a notification that activates a non-standard BWP; Initiating a BWP activation timer at least partially based on activation of the non-standard BWP; Initiate a procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP; Determine that the BWP activation timer has expired before the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission over the non-standard BWP has been completed; and Completing the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission via the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired. [8] Wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission comprises: a direct access channel procedure (RACH procedure); or a planning requirements procedure. [9] Wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the wireless device is further configured to: Receiving configuration information that specifies a default BWP for the wireless device; and Disable the non-standard BWP and enable the standard BWP if, at the end of the BWP activation timer, no procedure to perform an uplink data transmission via the non-standard BWP is in progress. [10] Wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the wireless device is further configured to: Disable the non-standard BWP and enable the standard BWP if the procedure to perform an uplink data transfer does not complete successfully after the BWP activation timer expires. [11] Wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the wireless device is further configured to: Receiving downlink control information via the non-standard BWP during the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission, wherein the downlink control information plans a data communication for the wireless device; and Restarting the BWP activation timer after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving downlink control information via the non-standard BWP. [12] Wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the wireless device is further configured to: Receiving configuration information that specifies a BWP activation timer length. [13] Device comprising a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to: Connect to a cell, where the cell comprises a plurality of bandwidth portions (BWPs); Receiving a notification that activates a non-standard BWP; Initiating a BWP activation timer at least partially based on activation of the non-standard BWP; Completing a procedure to perform an uplink data transfer over the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired, if a procedure to perform an uplink data transfer over the non-standard BWP is in progress at the time the BWP activation timer has expired; and Disable the non-standard BWP and enable a standard BWP if, at the expiration of the BWP activation timer, no procedure is in progress to perform an uplink data transmission via the non-standard BWP. [14] Device according to claim 13, wherein the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Receiving downlink control information via the non-standard BWP during the procedure to perform an uplink data transmission, wherein the downlink control information plans a data communication for the wireless device; and Restarting the BWP activation timer for the non-standard BWP after the BWP activation timer has expired, at least partially based on receiving downlink control information via the non-standard BWP. [15] Device according to claim 13, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a scheduling request procedure (SR procedure), where the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is successfully completed when the wireless device receives an uplink permission from the network in response to an SR provided to the network by the wireless device, where the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed if the wireless device does not receive a response from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of retries. [16] Device according to claim 15, wherein, if the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer has expired, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Initiating a Direct Access Channel (RACH) procedure via the non-standard BWP at least partially based on the fact that the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP has not completed successfully. [17] Device according to claim 15, wherein, if the SR procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed after the BWP activation timer has expired, the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Disabling the non-default BWP and enabling the default BWP at least partially based on the SR procedure being complete and the BWP activation timer having expired; and Initiating a Direct Access Channel (RACH) procedure via the standard BWP. [18] Device according to claim 13, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a conflict-based scheduling request (RACH) procedure, where the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is successfully completed when the wireless device receives a message 2 from the network in response to a message 1 provided to the network by the wireless device, and a message 4 from the network in response to a message 3 provided to the network by the wireless device, where the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP fails if the wireless device does not receive message 2 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 1 re-attempts, or does not receive message 4 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 3 re-attempts. [19] Device according to claim 13, the procedure for performing an uplink data transmission includes a conflict-free direct access channel (RACH) procedure, where the conflict-free RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is successfully completed when the wireless device receives a message 2 from the network in response to a message 1 provided to the network by the wireless device, where the conflict-based RACH procedure on the non-standard BWP is not successfully completed if the wireless device does not receive message 2 from the network within a specified time period after a specified number of message 1 re-attempts. [20] Device according to claim 13, wherein the processing element is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Receiving configuration information that specifies the default BWP for the wireless device; and Receiving configuration information that specifies a BWP activation timer length.

Images