BWP Switching for SCell Dormancy Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, the transition between dormancy and non-dormancy behavior of Secondary Cells (SCells) during Bandwidth Part (BWP) switching causes interruptions to active serving cells, and there is a lack of defined time duration for UE to stop transmission or reception in SCells, leading to potential overlap with BWP switching interruptions.
Innovation Solution
A method where User Equipment (UE) detects Downlink Control Information (DCI) formats indicating SCell dormancy, performs BWP switching, and stops transmission or reception during a specific time duration that includes a delay period and an interruption period to avoid conflicts with other active serving cells, allowing for controlled BWP switching and response to the Primary Cell (PCell) after the duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If BWP switching is performed for SCell dormancy transition, then power consumption is reduced and data throughput is improved, but transmission or reception in active serving cells is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The network pre-configures multiple BWPs for each SCell including dormant BWPs and active BWPs. The UE is provided with BWP configuration information through RRC signaling before actual BWP switching occurs, allowing the UE to prepare for the transition in advance. This preliminary configuration enables faster switching with reduced interruption to active serving cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic BWP switching where the UE can transition between dormant BWP and active BWP based on real-time data transmission requirements. The network can dynamically indicate BWP switching through DCI formats (Case 1 with scheduling DCI or Case 2 with non-scheduling DCI), allowing the system to adaptively adjust SCell operation state to balance power consumption and transmission continuity.
2Speed
If BWP switching delay is reduced, then transition speed between dormancy and non-dormancy behavior is improved, but interruption time to active serving cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The BWP switching process is segmented into distinct phases: the first period of time (T1) for actual BWP switching operation, and the second period of time (T2) for interruption to active serving cells. By separating these functions temporally, the patent allows the BWP switching to complete quickly while clearly defining the interruption window, enabling the network to schedule transmissions accordingly and minimize the impact on overall system performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for enhancing Bandwidth Part (BWP) operation towards Secondary Cell (SCell) dormancy indication is proposed. A User Equipment (UE) detects a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format including an SCell dormancy indication that indicates an active BWP change for a serving cell. The UE performs BWP switching for the serving cell in response to the DCI format. The UE stops transmission or reception in the serving cell during a time duration from a slot containing a last symbol of the DCI format, wherein the time duration includes a first period of time of delay for the BWP switching and a second period of time of interruption to other active serving cells.