Terminal BWP Measurement Switching for Low-Power Channel Monitoring

Solution Overview

Problem

In communication systems, low-capability terminal devices face increased power consumption and complexity due to the need to frequently switch between BWPs for channel measurements, leading to resource load imbalance and potential communication interruptions.

Innovation Solution

A method where terminal devices perform measurements based on reference signals associated with designated bandwidth parts (BWPs) that include or exclude cell-defined synchronization signal blocks (CD-SSBs), allowing for balanced frequency domain resource use and reducing the need for frequent switching.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the active BWP does not include the CD-SSB, then frequency domain resource load is balanced, but the terminal device needs to switch to a different frequency domain resource for measurement, increasing power consumption and complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefrequency domain resource load distributionVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The network device pre-configures multiple BWPs for the terminal device, with at least one BWP containing the CD-SSB. The terminal device is prepared with these BWP configurations in advance, so when measurement is needed, it can quickly switch to a pre-configured BWP that contains the CD-SSB without performing complex frequency tuning, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining balanced resource load

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal device dynamically switches between different BWPs based on measurement requirements. When channel measurement is needed, it switches to a BWP containing the CD-SSB; when data transmission is prioritized, it uses the active BWP for data. This dynamic switching mechanism balances resource load distribution while minimizing the frequency of switching operations to reduce power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If the terminal device switches to a different frequency domain resource for measurement, then measurement can be performed, but communication may be interrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechannel measurement capabilityVSAvoidcommunication continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The network device pre-configures multiple BWPs for the terminal device, with at least one BWP containing the CD-SSB. The terminal device is prepared with these BWP configurations in advance, so when measurement is needed, it can quickly switch to a pre-configured BWP that contains the CD-SSB without performing complex frequency tuning, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining balanced resource load

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal device dynamically switches between different BWPs based on measurement requirements. When channel measurement is needed, it switches to a BWP containing the CD-SSB; when data transmission is prioritized, it uses the active BWP for data. This dynamic switching mechanism balances resource load distribution while minimizing the frequency of switching operations to reduce power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If all terminal devices concentrate on the 20 MHz frequency domain resource including the CD-SSB, then measurement can be performed without switching, but frequency domain resource load becomes unbalanced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement operation simplicityVSAvoidfrequency domain resource load distribution

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The network device divides the frequency domain resources into multiple BWPs, with at least one BWP containing the CD-SSB and other BWPs for data transmission. This segmentation allows different terminal devices to be assigned to different BWPs, distributing the load across multiple frequency domain resources while ensuring that measurement-capable BWPs are available when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal device dynamically switches between different BWPs based on measurement requirements. When channel measurement is needed, it switches to a BWP containing the CD-SSB; when data transmission is prioritized, it uses the active BWP for data. This dynamic switching mechanism balances resource load distribution while minimizing the frequency of switching operations to reduce power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12581381B2Communication method and apparatus

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A communication method and apparatus are provided, which relate to the field of communication technologies, to improve communication performance of a terminal device and improve resource utilization of a communication system. The method includes: a terminal device receives measurement information from a network device, where the measurement information indicates one or more measurement objects, and the measurement information includes one or more of the following: information about a measurement object of a serving cell, information about intra-frequency measurement of a neighboring cell, and information about inter-frequency measurement of a neighboring cell; and the terminal device performs, based on a reference signal associated with one or more measurement objects corresponding to a first bandwidth part (BWP), one or more of the following measurements: radio resource management (RRM) measurement, radio link monitoring (RLM) measurement, and beam failure recovery (BFR) measurement.