Terminal BWP Activation Logic for Secondary Cell Management

The patent segments the downlink BWPs into two categories: a first downlink BWP (default BWP) and other downlink BWPs. When a secondary cell is activated, only the first downlink BWP is automatically activated, while other BWPs remain deactivated unless explicitly activated through separate MAC CEs. This segmentation allows the terminal to maintain essential downlink reception capability while avoiding the power consumption and processing overhead of activating all BWPs simultaneously.

Instead of activating all downlink BWPs in the secondary cell upon receiving an activation MAC CE, the patent applies partial action by activating only the necessary first downlink BWP. This partial activation approach provides sufficient downlink reception capability for normal operation while significantly reducing power consumption and processing complexity compared to full activation of all BWPs.

The patent divides the BWP activation process into distinct stages: initial activation of the first downlink BWP upon secondary cell activation, and subsequent activation of other downlink BWPs through separate explicit signaling. This segmentation reduces processing complexity by avoiding the need to manage multiple BWP activations simultaneously, while still enabling efficient communication when needed.

The first downlink BWP is activated in advance when the secondary cell is activated, preparing the terminal for immediate downlink reception. This preliminary action ensures that essential communication functionality is available without requiring complex simultaneous management of multiple BWP activations, thus reducing processing overhead while maintaining communication efficiency.

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the terminal checks the activation status of downlink BWPs before activating the first downlink BWP. When an activation MAC CE is received, the terminal determines whether other downlink BWPs are already activated, and only activates the first downlink BWP if necessary. This feedback-based approach ensures downlink reception readiness is maintained while avoiding unnecessary activation and associated energy waste.

The activation behavior of the first downlink BWP is made dynamic rather than static. Instead of always activating the first downlink BWP upon secondary cell activation, the terminal adaptively determines whether activation is needed based on the current activation status of other downlink BWPs. This dynamic approach maintains downlink reception readiness when necessary while avoiding energy waste when other BWPs are already active.