PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12213116-B2
Application Number: US-202017593467-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Special cell dormant bandwidth part switching

Abstract:
A user equipment (UE) may operate on a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier. The UE identifies a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC), receives an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP and performs an action corresponding to the dormant BWP.

Claims:
What is claimed: 
     
       1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 a processor configured to perform operations comprising:
 identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); 
 receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, performing beam failure detection on the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, collecting channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, generating a CSI report for transmission to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell); 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, generating a SCG buffer status for transmission to the PCell; and 
 performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP; and 
 
 a transceiver communicatively connected to the processor. 
 
     
     
       2. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell. 
     
     
       3. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein performing the action includes receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP and wherein the further indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell. 
     
     
       4. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the indication is generated by the PSCell and received from the PSCell via a master node (MN). 
     
     
       5. The UE of  claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 transmitting an acknowledgement (ACK) to the PSCell via the MN in response to the indication. 
 
     
     
       6. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein performing the action includes receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node. 
     
     
       7. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the indication is received from a master node (MN) that determines that the active BWP of the PSCell is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP. 
     
     
       8. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the indication is based on an PSCell dormancy timer running on the UE. 
     
     
       9. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP based on monitoring a threshold locally at the UE; and 
 transmitting a scheduling request or a random access channel (RACH) signal to the PSCell in response to determining that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP. 
 
     
     
       10. The UE of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 initiating a random access channel (RACH) procedure with the PSCell based on the measurement data to initiate a switch of the active BWP from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP. 
 
     
     
       11. An apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to perform operations comprising:
 identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); 
 receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, performing beam failure detection on the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, collecting channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, generating a CSI report for transmission to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell); 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, generating a SCG buffer status for transmission to the PCell; and 
 performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. 
 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein performing the action includes receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP and wherein the further indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein performing the action includes receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the indication is received from a master node (MN) that determines that the active BWP of the PSCell is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP. 
     
     
       15. A method, comprising:
 at a user equipment (UE): 
 identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC); 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, performing beam failure detection on the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, collecting channel state information (CSI) measurement data corresponding to the PSCell; 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, transmitting a CSI report to the PSCell via a primary cell (PCell); 
 when the active BWP is the dormant BWP, transmitting a SCG buffer status to the PCell; and 
 performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the indication is generated by the PSCell and received from the PSCell via a master node (MN). 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein performing the action includes receiving a further indication that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP to the non-dormant BWP and wherein the further indication is received from the PSCell via a master node. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the indication is included in a layer 1 (L1) command received from the PSCell.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) cell may be capable of utilizing multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, the cell may be configured with a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP. Generally, the non-dormant BWP may be used to provide access to network services normally available via the network connection and the dormant BWP may be used to provide power saving benefits to a connected user equipment (UE). In a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario, a dormant BWP may be implemented by a special cell (SpCell) to provide power and performance benefits for a connected UE 
     SUMMARY 
     Some exemplary embodiments are related to a user equipment (UE) having a processor and a transceiver communicatively connected to the processor. The processor is configured to perform operations. The operations include identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC), receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. 
     Other exemplary embodiments are related to a baseband processor configured to perform operations. The operations include identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC), receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. 
     Still other exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a user equipment (UE). The method includes identifying a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) and a non-dormant BWP of a carrier corresponding to a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) for dual connectivity (DC), receiving an indication that an active BWP is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP to the dormant BWP and performing an action corresponding to the dormant BWP. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows an exemplary network arrangement according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  2    shows an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an example of a carrier that includes multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). 
         FIG.  4    shows a method for dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching from the perspective of the UE according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  5    shows a signaling diagram for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via a secondary cell group (SCG) link according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  6    shows a signaling diagram for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via a master cell group (MCG) link according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIGS.  7   a - 7   c    shows signaling diagrams for providing a primary secondary cell (PSCell) dormancy indication via an MCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  8    shows a signaling diagram for timer based non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  9    shows a signaling diagram for threshold based non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  10    shows a signaling diagram for SCell activation and deactivation according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  11    shows a signaling diagram for exchanging SCG associated information via the master node (MN) according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  12    shows a signaling diagram for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  13    shows a signaling diagram for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  14    shows a signaling diagram for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  15    shows a signaling diagram for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN according to various exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing a dormant bandwidth part (BWP) for a special cell (SpCell). As will be described in more detail below, the exemplary embodiments may provide power and performance benefits for a user equipment (UE) configured with dual-connectivity (DC). 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic component. 
     The UE may support DC to a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG). The MCG may include at least a master node (MN) and the SCG may include at least a secondary node (SN). In addition, the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a special cell (SpCell). The term “SpCell” may refer to a primary cell (PCell) of the MCG or a primary secondary cell (PSCell) of the SCG. Thus, the terms “SpCell,” “MN” and “PCell” may be used interchangeably within the context of DC. Further, the terms “SpCell,” “SN” and “PSCell” may also be used interchangeably within the context of DC. 
     A 5G carrier may be configured with multiple BWPs. Those skilled in the art will understand that a BWP may refer to a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) within the carrier. As will be described in more detail below, a carrier may include at least one dormant BWP and at least one non-dormant BWP. However, the configuration and arrangement of BWPs within a carrier may change from carrier to carrier. Thus, any reference to a particular configuration or arrangement of BWPs within a carrier is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     The non-dormant BWP may be used for access to network services normally available via the network connection. For example, the UE may transmit and/or receive data on the non-dormant BWP. The dormant BWP may be used to provide power saving benefits with regard to data exchange processing at the UE. Specific examples of network and UE behavior with regard to the dormant BWP will be discussed in detail below. 
     A BWP may transition between an activated state and a deactivated state. The UE may perform one or more operations related to data exchange processing for a BWP that is in the activated state and the UE may not perform any operations related to data exchange processing for a BWP in the deactivated state. For example, at a first time, the non-dormant BWP may be activated to enable the exchange of data between the UE and the network. At a second time, the non-dormant BWP may be deactivated, and the dormant BWP may be activated. From the perspective of the UE, there is less information and/or data to monitor for when the non-dormant BWP is in the activated state. This provides power saving benefits to the UE. At a third time, the active BWP may be switched back to the non-dormant BWP to once again enable the exchange of data between the UE and the network. 
     The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing a dormant BWP for a SpCell. In a first aspect, the exemplary embodiments include mechanisms for the UE and the network to handle situations related to BWP switching between the non-dormant BWP and the dormant BWP. In a second aspect, the exemplary embodiments relate to UE operation associated with a SpCell when the dormant BWP is activated. In a third aspect, the exemplary embodiments relate to UE operation associated with a SCG when the dormant BWP is activated. The examples provided throughout this description are described with regard to a SpCell that is a PSCell. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the exemplary concepts described herein may be applicable to an SpCell that is a PCell that supports multiple BWPs. 
       FIG.  1    shows an exemplary network arrangement  100  according to various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary network arrangement  100  includes a UE  110 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE  110  may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE  110  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     The UE  110  may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration  100 , the networks with which the UE  110  may wirelessly communicate are a 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN)  120  and an LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN)  122 . However, it should be understood that the UE  110  may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g. 5G cloud RAN, NR in the unlicensed (NR-U), a next-generations radio access network (NG-RAN), legacy cellular network, WLAN, etc.) and the UE  110  may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. With regard to the exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN  120  and/or the LTE-RAN  122 . Therefore, the UE  110  may have both a 5G NR chipset to communication with the 5G NR-RAN  120  and an LTE chipset to communicate with the LTE-RAN  122 . 
     The 5G NR-RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122  may be portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks  120  and  122  may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a scenario in which the UE  110  is already configured with DC. Generally, DC includes the UE  110  simultaneously connected to an MCG and a SCG. In the network arrangement  100 , the 5G NR RAN  120  includes a SN  120 A that represents a gNB. The SN  120 A may be configured as a PSCell of a SCG. Thus, reference to a single cell corresponding to the 5G NR RAN  120  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. In an actual operating scenario, there may be multiple cells included in a SCG that is configured to serve the UE  110 . Further, the LTE-RAN  122  includes a MN  122 A that represents an eNB. The MN  122 A may be configured as a PCell of an MCG. Thus, reference to a single cell corresponding to the LTE-RAN  122  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. In an actual operating scenario, there may be multiple cells included in an MCG that is configured to serve the UE  110 . 
     A cell (e.g., MN  122 A, SN  120 A) may include one or more communication interfaces to exchange data and/or information with UEs, a RAN, the cellular core network  130 , other cells, the internet  140 , etc. Further, a cell may include a processor configured to perform various operations. For example, the processor of the cell may be configured to perform operations related to DC, BWP activation/deactivation, BWP switching, etc. However, reference to a processor is merely for illustrative purposes. The operations of the cell may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the cell or may be a modular component coupled to the cell, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. In addition, in some examples, the functionality of the processor is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a cell. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UE  110  to connect to the 5G NR-RAN  120  and/or the LTE-RAN  122 . For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR-RAN  120  may be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UE  110  and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the UE  110  may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN  120 . More specifically, the UE  110  may associate with a specific cell. For access to LTE services, a similar association procedure may be performed with the LTE RAN  122 . However, as mentioned above, reference to the 5G NR-RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122  is merely for illustrative purposes and any appropriate type of RAN may be used. 
     To provide an example of DC within the context of the network arrangement  100 , the UE  110  may be connected to both the 5G NR-RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122 . However, reference to an independent 5G NR-RAN  120  and an independent LTE-RAN  122  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. An actual network arrangement may include a RAN that includes architecture that is capable of providing both 5G NR RAT and LTE RAT services. For example, a next-generations radio access network (NG-RAN) (not pictured) may include a next generation Node B (gNB) that provides 5G NR services and a next generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB) that provides LTE services. The NG-RAN may be connected to at least one of the evolved packet core (EPC) or the 5G core (5GC). Thus, in one exemplary configuration, the UE  110  may achieve DC by establishing a connection to at least one cell corresponding to the 5G NR-RAN  120  and at least one cell corresponding to the LTE-RAN  122 . In another exemplary configuration, the UE  110  may achieve DC by establishing a connection to at least two cells corresponding to the NG-RAN or any other type of similar RAN that supports DC. To provide another example of DC, the UE  110  may connect to one or more RANs that provide 5G NR services. For example, a NG-RAN may support multiple nodes that each provide 5G new radio (NR) access, e.g., NR-NR DC. Similarly, the UE  110  may connect to a first RAN that provides 5G NR services and a second different RAN that also provides 5G NR services. Accordingly, the example of a single independent 5G NR-RAN  120  and a single independent LTE-RAN  122  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     The network arrangement  100  also includes a cellular core network  130 , the Internet  140 , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)  150 , and a network services backbone  160 . The cellular core network  130  may be considered to be the interconnected set of components that manages the operation/traffic of the cellular network and may include the EPC and/or the 5GC. The cellular core network  130  also manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet  140 . The IMS  150  may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE  110  using the IP protocol. The IMS  150  may communicate with the cellular core network  130  and the Internet  140  to provide the multimedia services to the UE  110 . The network services backbone  160  is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet  140  and the cellular core network  130 . The network services backbone  160  may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE  110  in communication with the various networks. 
       FIG.  2    shows an exemplary UE  110  according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE  110  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1   . The UE  110  may include a processor  205 , a memory arrangement  210 , a display device  215 , an input/output (I/O) device  220 , a transceiver  225  and other components  230 . The other components  230  may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE  110  to other electronic devices, etc. 
     The processor  205  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the UE  110 . For example, the engines may include a SpCell dormant BWP engine  235 . The SpCell dormant BWP engine  235  may be configured to perform operations related to BWP activation, BWP deactivation, BWP switching, monitoring a dormant BWP and exchanging information associated the SCG when the dormant BWP is activated for a PSCell of the SCG (e.g., SN  120 A). 
     The above referenced engine being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  205  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE  110  or may be a modular component coupled to the UE  110 , e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor  205  is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE. 
     The memory arrangement  210  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE  110 . The display device  215  may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device  220  may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device  215  and the I/O device  220  may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceiver  225  may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the LTE-RAN  122 , a legacy RAN (not pictured), a WLAN (not pictured), etc. Accordingly, the transceiver  225  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). 
       FIG.  3    illustrates an example of a carrier  310  that includes multiple BWPs. The carrier  310  may be used for uplink and/or downlink communications between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. In this example, the carrier  310  includes a non-dormant BWP  312  that represents a first set of PRBs and a dormant BWP  314  that represents a second set of PRBs. The arrangement and configurations of BWPs within a carrier may vary from carrier to carrier. Thus, the example illustrated in  FIG.  3    is just one possible configuration of BWPs and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments in any way. The exemplary embodiments are applicable to a dormant BWP and a non-dormant BWP being arranged within the carrier  310  in any appropriate manner. 
     A BWP may transition between an activated state and a deactivated state. When in the activated state, a BWP may be used for uplink and/or downlink communications. For example, the UE  110  may receive physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information dedicated to the UE  110 , PDCCH information in the common search space and/or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) data from the SN  120 A on the BWP configured in the activated state. The UE  110  may also transmit control information and/or data to the SN  120 A on the BWP configured in the activated state. 
     To provide an example within the context of  FIG.  3   , when the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state, the UE  110  may exchange information and/or data with the SN  120 A on the non-dormant BWP  312 . When the non-dormant BWP  314  is configured in the deactivated state, the network may not assign resources to the UE  110  on the non-dormant BWP  312 . 
     The UE  110  may receive power saving benefits with regard to data exchange processing when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state. Compared to the non-dormant BWP  312 , the dormant BWP  314  is not used for as many types of data and/or information. Thus, there is less monitoring performed by the UE  110  when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state. For example, the SN  120 A may transmit reference signals to the UE  110  on the dormant BWP  314  to ensure that the UE  110  remains synchronized with the SN  120 A. However, when data is to be exchanged between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A, the UE  110  or the network may trigger a switch of the activated BWP from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . Specific examples of network and UE  110  behavior when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state will be described in more detail below. 
       FIG.  4    shows a method  400  for dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching from the perspective of the UE  110  according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  400  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1   , the UE  110  of  FIG.  2    and the carrier  310  of  FIG.  3   . 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which the UE  110  is connected to the MN  122 A of the LTE-RAN  122 . To provide the UE  110  with 5G NR services, the UE  110  may be configured with DC. Accordingly, the UE  110  may establish a connection to the SN  120 A of the 5G NR RAN  120 . 
     In  405 , the UE  110  identifies a non-dormant BWP and a dormant BWP for a carrier corresponding to the SN  120 A. For example, the UE  110  may receive information that indicates that the SN  120 A supports the carrier  310  that includes non-dormant BWP  312  and dormant BWP  314 . The UE  110  may receive this information from the network before, during or after the establishment of DC. In some embodiments, this information may be received during a radio resource control (RRC) signaling exchange between the UE  110  and either the MN  122 A or between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. In other embodiments, this information may be broadcast by the SN  120  in a system information block (SIB) or any other similar type of mechanism. 
     In  410 , the UE  110  receives an indication that the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state. As will be described in more detail below, this indication may be received from the MN  122 A, the SN  120 A and/or a process being executed locally at the UE  110 . 
     In  415 , the UE  110  operates on the non-dormant BWP  312 . For example, the UE  110  may tune its transceiver  225  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . The non-dormant BWP  312  may be used to transport a variety of different types of information and/or data. For example, when the non-dormant BWP  312  is in the activated state, the UE  110  may receive PDCCH information dedicated for the UE  110 , PDCCH information in the common search space, PDSCH data and/or reference signals from the SN  120 A on the non-dormant BWP  312 . These types of communications may be associated with mechanisms such as, but not limited to, PDCCH monitoring, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission and reception, PUSCH transmissions, PDSCH reception, a random access channel (RACH procedure, channel state information (CSI) measurement and reporting, automatic gain control (AGC), beam management, etc. 
     As indicated above, the non-dormant BWP  312  may be used for a wide variety of different types of communications and be associated with a wide variety of different types of procedures. Accordingly, the UE  110  may expend a significant amount of power when the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state even when there is no data being transmitted or received on the non-dormant BWP  312 . To provide power saving benefits to the UE  110  and to ensure that the SN  120 A remains in the activated state, BWP switching may be implemented. 
     In  420 , the UE  110  receives an indication that the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state. In some embodiments, this indication may be received via the SCG link or via the MCG link. Specific examples of this type of signaling will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS.  5 - 7     c . In other embodiments, this indication may be received from a process running locally at the UE  110 . Specific examples of these types of mechanisms will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS.  8 - 9   . 
     In  425 , the UE  110  operates the dormant BWP  314 . Generally, the dormant BWP  314  is utilized to provide the UE  110  with power saving benefits while also ensuring fast SN  120 A activation. The operations supported by the UE  110  and/or the network when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state may be preconfigured or indicated to the UE  110  by the network via RRC signaling or in any other appropriate manner. 
     To provide an example, when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state, the reception and transmission of dedicated data (e.g., PDSCH, PUSCH) and dedicated PDCCH may not be supported on the dormant BWP  314 . This may provide a power saving benefit to the UE  110  with regard to data exchange processing because the UE  110  does not have to monitor or process these types of data and/or information. However, the UE  110  may still monitor the common search space for an indication to switch the active BWP back to the non-dormant BWP  312 . 
     To provide further examples, in some embodiments, a RACH procedure may not be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In other embodiments, a RACH procedure may be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In some embodiments, radio resource management (RRM) measurements, radio link monitoring (RLM) measurements, channel state information (CSI) measurements and/or beam management procedures (e.g., beam failure detection (BFD), beam failure recovery (BFR), etc.) may not be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In other embodiments, RRM measurements, RLM measurements, CSI measurements and/or beam management procedures may be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In some embodiments, SRS transmission may not be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In other embodiments, SRS transmission may be supported may be supported when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. 
     In  430 , the UE  110  performs an operation associated with the SCG. For example, when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state, the SCells of the SCG may be configured in the deactivated state or may also be configured with a dormant BWP in the activated state. In this type of scenario, the exchange of data and/or information associated with the SCG between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A may be facilitated by the MN  122 A. Thus, performing an operation associated with the SCG may include transmitting a signal to the SN  120 A via the MCG link. Specific examples of the types of operations that may be performed with regard to the SCG when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS.  10 - 15   . 
     As indicated above, when the SN  120 A is configured with a dormant BWP  314  in the activated state, the SCells of the SCG may be placed in the deactivated state. Throughout this description, the term “SCG dormant state” may refer to a scenario in which the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state and the SCells of the SCG are configured in the deactivated state. The term “SCG non-dormant state” may refer to a scenario in which the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state and the SCells of the SCG are also configured in the activated state. 
     In  435 , the UE  110  receives an indication that the active BWP is to be switched back to the non-dormant BWP  312 . This indication may be a signal received from the MN  122 A, the SN  120 A and/or a process being executed locally at the UE  110  (e.g., a timer, identifying a predetermined condition, etc.). 
     The method  400  provides a general overview of dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching from the perspective of the UE  110 . As mentioned above, specific examples of the signaling exchanges that may be used to trigger dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS.  5 - 9   . Further, specific examples of the signaling exchanges that may be used to exchange SCG associated information when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS.  10 - 15   . 
       FIG.  5    shows a signaling diagram  500  for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via a SCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  500  includes the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the non-dormant BWP  312  is currently configured in the activated state. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  505 , the UE  110  receives a signal from the SN  120 A via the SCG link. For example, the signal may be a PSCell dormancy indication that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . The signal may be a layer 1 (L1) command transmitted in the common search space associated with the SN  120 A. The monitoring search space and control resource set (CORSET) of the dormant BWP  314  may be configured with a longer interval compared to the non-dormant BWP  312  to provide power saving benefits to the UE  110 . 
     To facilitate this type of signaling, a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching may be implemented or an RNTI intended for a different purpose may be used. For example, the network may associate the UE  110  (or a group of UEs) with the RNTI. The network may then indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  is associated with the RNTI. In response, the UE  110  may monitor for DCI that includes an RNTI associated with the UE  110 . The presence of the RNTI may indicate that the UE  110  is the intended recipient of the DCI. In some embodiments, DCI formant 2_6 may be utilized for the L1 command. Further, as indicated above, the RNTI may be associated with a group of UEs. Thus, the SN  120 A may implement group based signaling for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching of multiple UEs. 
     In  510 , the UE  110  operates on the dormant BWP  314 . As indicated above in the method  400 , when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state the UE  110  may not transmit or receive dedicated data but the UE  110  may still monitor for common control information. 
     In  515 , the UE  110  receives a signal from the SN  120 A via the SCG link. The signal may be a PSCell resume indication configured to indicate that the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched out of the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . For example, the SN  120 A may initiate the switch when there is data to be exchanged with the UE  110  in the uplink and/or downlink. Those skilled in the art will understand that this indication may be delivered to the UE  110  in a substantially manner to the indication delivered in  505 . 
     In  520 , a RACH procedure may be performed. Generally, the RACH procedure may be performed to ensure that the uplink to the SN  120 A is not out of synchronization. In some embodiments, the UE  110  may only perform the RACH procedure when the UE  110  identifies or assumes that the uplink with the SN  120 A is out of synchronization. Alternatively, any other appropriate type of mechanism may be utilized to ensure that the uplink is not out of synchronization. 
     In  525 , a data exchange between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A may occur. At this time, the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state and thus, the UE  110  may transmit and/or receive dedicated UE data with the SN  120 A. 
       FIG.  6    shows a signaling diagram  600  for non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching via an MCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  600  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the non-dormant BWP  312  is currently configured in the activated state. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  605 , the SN  120 A may transmit a PSCell dormancy indication to the MN  122 A that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . In  610 , the MN  122 A may transmit a PSCell dormancy indication to the UE  110  that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . Thus, the MN  122 A may transmit BWP switching information for the SN  120 A to the UE  110  via the MCG link. 
     As will be described in more detail below with regard to  FIG.  7   , in some embodiments, the SN  120 A may generate the indication and the MN  122 A may include the indication in its container for transmission. In other embodiments, the SN  120 A determines the dormancy state for the SN  120 A and send an indication to the MN  122 A. In response, the MN  120 A may generate a message that is to be transmitted to the UE  110  that indicates that the active BWP for SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  312 . In further, embodiments, the MN  122 A may determine the SN  120 A dormancy state and transmit an indication to both the SN  120 A and the UE  110 . 
     In  615 , the UE  110  may transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) to the MN  122 A in response to the PSCell dormancy indication. In  620 , MN  122 A may then transmit an indication of the ACK to the SN  120 A. 
     In  625 , the UE  110  operates on the dormant BWP  314 . As mentioned above, operating on the dormant BWP  314  may include monitoring the common search space. However, in these types of scenarios where BWP switching on the SN  120 A may be facilitated via the MN  122 A, it may be unnecessary to monitor the common search space for the switching indication because it may be received via the MN  122 A. 
     In  630 , SN  120 A may transmit a PSCell resume indication to the MN  122 A that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the non-dormant BWP  314 . In  635 , the MN  122 A may transmit a PSCell resume indication to the UE  110  that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the non-dormant BWP  312 . In  640 , the UE  110  may transmit an ACK to the MN  122 A in response to the PSCell resume indication. In  645 , the MN  122 A may then transmit an indication of the ACK to the SN  120 A. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the UE  110  may transmit the ACK directly to the SN  120 A via the SCG link (not pictured). 
     In  650 , a data exchange between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A may occur. At this time, the non-dormant BWP  312  is configured in the activated state and thus, the UE  110  may transmit and/or receive dedicated UE data with the SN  120 A. 
       FIGS.  7   a - 7   c    show signaling diagrams  700 - 740  for providing a PSCell dormancy indication via an MCG link according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagrams  700 - 740  show examples of different types of SN  120 A and MN  122 A interactions that may occur when providing a PSCell dormancy indication via the MCG link. 
     In the signaling diagram  700 , the SN  120 A generates the message that is to be delivered to the UE  110 . This message may be transparent to the MN  122 A. For example, in  701 , the SN  120 A may transmit the PSCell dormancy indication to the MN  122 A via an RRC transfer message. In  702 , the MN  122 A may for the PSCell dormancy indication to the UE  110 . Thus, the MN  122 A may insert the PSCell dormancy indication into the container of the MN message. In  703 , the UE  110  may transmit a message to the MN  122 A confirming that the UE  110  is aware of the BWP switching. In  704 , the MN  122 A may then transmit an RRC transfer message to the SN  120 A that includes the indication from the UE  110 . 
     In the signaling diagram  720 , the MN  122 A may control BWP switching for the SN  120 A. For example, in  721 , the SN  120 A may transmit a SN modification request to the MN  122 A indicating that the SN  120 A wants to switch its active BWP to the dormant BWP  314 . In  722 , the MN  122 A determines whether the BWP switching is permitted. The MN  122 A may make this determination on any appropriate basis. 
       723 - 725  provide an example of the type of signaling that may occur when the MN  122 A permits the SN  120 A to activate the dormant BWP  314 . In  723 , the MN  122 A transmits a PSCell dormancy indication to the UE  110  using an RRC reconfiguration message. In  724 , the UE  110  may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the MN  122 A. In  725 , the MN  122 A may transmit a SN modification confirm message indicating that the UE  110  has been informed that the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  312 . 
       726  provides an example of the type of signaling that may occur when the MN  122 A does not permit the SN  120 A to activate the dormant BWP  314 . In  726 , the MN  122 A discards the SN modification request received in  721  and transmits an SN modification refuse message to the SN  120 A. This message may indicate to the SN  120 A that the non-dormant BWP  312  is to remain configured in the activate state. Thus, in the signaling diagram  720 , the SN  120 A may make suggestions regarding which BWP is to be utilized by the SN  120 A. However, the MN  122 A has control over whether or not the BWP switch is performed. 
     In the signaling diagram  740 , the MN  122 A may control the dormancy state of the SN  120 A. In  741 , the MN  122 A determines that the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . In  742 , the MN  122 A may transmit a SN modification request to the SN  120 A. In  743 , the SN  120 A may transmit an ACK to the MN  122 A in response to the request. In  744 , the MN  122 A may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE  110  indicating that the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . In  745 , the UE  110  may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the MN  122 A. In  746 , the MN  122 A may transmit an SN modification confirm message to the SN  120 A indicating the RRC reconfiguration procedure is complete and the UE  110  is ready to utilize dormant BWP  314 . 
     As indicated above, the signaling for dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching may include the exchange of RRC messages between the UE  110  and the MN  122 A. In this type of scenario, the legacy MCG standard radio bearer 1 (SRB1) RRCReconfiguration and RRCReconfigurationComplete messages may be used to carry SCG information that corresponds to dormant BWP and non-dormant BWP switching for the SN  120 A. For example, the SCG portion of these RRC messages may be configured to include a dormancy indication associated with the SN  120 A. Similarly, if measurement reporting is supported for the SN  120 A when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state, the SN  120 A triggered measurement report may be provided to the MN  122 A via MCG SRB1 ULInformationTransferMRDC message. This information may then be forwarded to the SN  120 A and/or used by the MCG for other operations. 
     Alternatively, the MCG SRB1 RRC message may be configured to carry a new type of message. For example, the SCG dormancy indication may be provided in a “DLInformationTransferMRDC” message or an “ULInformationTransferMRDC” message portion of an RRC message. If a SCG layer 2 (L2) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) is transmitted via the MN RRC message, the SCG L2 MAC CE may be provided in a “DLInformationTransferMRDC” message or an “ULInformationTransferMRDC” message portion of the RRC message. 
     In further embodiments, an MCG uplink/downlink MAC CE may be implemented to carry the container of SCG uplink/downlink MAC CE. This MCG L2 MAC CE may have a subheader variable length. The MCG MAC CE content is the SCG L2 MAC CE where the MAC CE type is indicated via the logical channel ID (LCID). The length may be calculated based on the L parameter in the header of the message. 
       FIG.  8    shows a signaling diagram  800  for timer based non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  800  includes the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the non-dormant BWP  312  is currently configured in the activated state. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     As mentioned above, the UE  110  may determine that the active BWP is to be switched based on a process being executed locally at the UE  110 . In this example, the network may configure the UE  110  with a PSCell dormancy timer. 
     In  805 , the UE  110  starts (or restarts) the PSCell dormancy timer in response to dedicated scheduling received from the SCG. In some embodiments, the PSCell dormancy timer may also be started (or restarted) in response to performing a transmission to the SCG (not pictured). 
     Both the network and the UE  110  are aware of the parameters for the PSCell dormancy timer. Thus, in  810 , both the UE  110  and the SN  120 A are aware that the PSCell inactivity timer has expired. In  815 , the UE  110  operations on the dormant BWP  314  because based on the expiration of the timer the UE  110  may assume that the active bandwidth part has been switched from the non-dormant BWP  312  to the dormant BWP  314 . Thus, without any explicit signaling from the SN  120 A or the MN  122 A, the active BWP for the SN  120 A may be switched to the dormant BWP  314 . 
       FIG.  9    shows a signaling diagram  900  for threshold based non-dormant BWP and dormant BWP switching according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  900  includes the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In this example, the network may configure the UE  110  with a threshold value that may be used to trigger BWP switching. In  905 , the UE  110  determines that the available data amount for SCG transmission is greater than the threshold value. 
     In  910 , the UE  110  performs a RACH procedure with the SN  120 A via the SCG link. Alternatively, the UE  110  may transmit a scheduling request to the SN  120 A (not pictured). For example, if the UE  110  identifies or assumes that the UE  110  is out of synchronization in the uplink with the SN  120 A, the UE  110  may transmit the RACH. If the UE  110  identifies or assumes that the UE  110  is in synchronization in the uplink with the SN  120 A, the UE  110  may transmit the scheduling request. 
       FIG.  10    shows a signaling diagram  1000  for SCell activation and deactivation according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1000  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the non-dormant BWP  312  is currently configured in the activated state. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1005 , the UE  110  may receive a PSCell dormancy indicating that the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched from the non-dormant BWP  312  to the dormant BWP  314 . In this example, the PSCell dormancy indication is shown as being received from the SN  120 A. However, as demonstrated above, this type of indication may also be received from the MN  122 A or via a process being executed locally at the UE  110 . 
     As mentioned above, when the active BWP for the SN  120 A is the dormant BWP  314 , all SCells within the SCG may be switched to the deactivated state. Accordingly, in  1010 , the UE  110  may operate on the dormant BWP  314  and the SCG may be configured in the SCG dormant state. 
     In  1015 , the UE  110  receives a PSCell resume indication that indicates the active BWP for the SN  120 A is to be switched the from the dormant BWP  312  to the non-dormant BWP  314 . In this example, the PSCell resume indication is shown as being received from the SN  120 A. However, as demonstrated above, this type of indication may also be received from the MN  122 A or via a process being executed locally at the UE  110 . 
     At this time, the SCells of the SCG are still configured in the deactivate state. In  1020 , the SN  120 A may transmit an SCell activation command via the SCG link to the UE  110 . This command may indicate to the UE  110  that one or more SCells currently configured in the deactivated state are to transition to the activated state. Thus, in some embodiments, the network may provide explicit signaling for which SCells are to be reactivated. In other embodiments, explicit signaling may not be utilized. Instead, in response to the PSCell resume indication  1015 , the UE  110  may assume that initial SCell activated state configured by RRC signaling is to resume. 
     As indicated above, SCG associated information may be exchanged between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A via the MN  122 A when the dormant BWP  314  is configured in the activated state. In some embodiments, the SCG associated information may be transmitted by the UE  110  in the container of the ULInformationTransferMRDC to the MN  122 A and then forwarded to the SN  120 A by the MN  122 A. Similarly, SCG associated information may be forwarded to the UE  110  by the MN  122 A in the container of DLInformationTransferMRDC. Alternatively, the SCG associated information may be transmitted in a layer 2 (L2) cross cell group MAC CE. 
     The SCG associated information may include, but is not limited to, CSI reporting, SCG specific RRC messages transmitted via SRB3 or SRB1 (e.g., measurement reports, UE assistance information, RRCreconfiguration, RRCreconfiguration complete, etc.), uplink MAC CEs (e.g., buffer status report (BSR) MAC CE, BFR MAC CE, listen-before-talk MAC CE, etc.), a tracking area (TA) command, a discontinuous reception (DRX) command, etc. 
       FIG.  11    shows a signaling diagram  1100  for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN  122 A according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1100  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1105 , the UE  110  receives a reference signal from the SN  120 A. For example, the UE  110  may monitor the common search space when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. The UE  110  may collect CSI measurement data based on measuring one or more reference signals. 
     Next, the UE  110  may transmit a CSI report to the SN  120 A via the MN  122 A. For example, the CSI measurement data may satisfy a predetermined condition and trigger the transmission of the CSI measurement report to the SN  120 A. Thus, in  1110  the UE  110  may transmit the CSI measurement data to the MN  122 A and in  1115  the MN  122 A may forward the CSI measurement data to the SN  120 A. 
     The UE  110  may transmit an indication of the CSI measurement data to the MN  122 A in the ULinformationTransferMRDC container. The MN  122 A may then forward the CSI measurement data to the SN  120 A. Alternatively, the UE  110  may transmit an indication of the CSI measurement data to the MN  122 A in a L2 MAC CE. The MN  122 A may then forward the CSI measurement data to the SN  120 A. 
     In  1120 , the SN  120 A may determine that the active BWP is to be switched from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . This determination may be based on factors such as, but not limited to, an amount of data that is to be received and/or transmitted by the UE  110  and the CSI measurement data. Although not show in the signaling diagram  1100 , a scenario may occur where the CSI report indicates that the SN  120 A is not capable of providing an adequate network connection and thus, the network may determine that the SN  120 A is to be released and/or a different one or more SNs are configured. 
     In  1125 , the SN  120 A may transmit a PSCell dormancy command to switch out of the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . As mentioned above, this type of message may be provided to the UE  110  in any of a variety of different ways. Thus, the message in  1125  being shown as being provided directly to the UE  110  via the SCG link is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
       FIG.  12    shows a signaling diagram  1200  for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN  122 A according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1200  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1205 , the UE  110  receives a reference signal from the SN  120 A. For example, the UE  110  may monitor the common search space when the dormant BWP  314  is in the activated state. In  1210 , the UE  110  may perform BFD based on measuring one or more reference signals. In response to the BFD procedure, the UE  110  may be triggered to send a BFR report to the SN  120 A and stop the BFD procedure on the SN  120 A. 
     In  1215 , the UE  110  may transmit the BFR report to the MN  122 A. In addition, the UE  110  may also terminate the BFD procedure at the UE  110 . In  1220  the MN  122 A may forward the BFR report to the SN  120 A. The UE  110  may transmit an indication of the BFR report to the MN  122 A in the ULinformationTransferMRDC container. The MN  122 A may then forward the indication of the BFR report to the SN  120 A. Alternatively, the UE  110  may transmit the indication of the BFR report data to the MN  122 A in the L2 MAC CE. The MN  122 A may then forward the indication of the BFR report to the SN  120 A. 
     In response, the SN  120 A may trigger RRCReconfiguration to reconfigure the beam. Thus, in  1225 , SCG specific RRC reconfiguration information may be sent to the UE  110  in the SRB3 or SRB1 container. As mentioned above, this type of message may be provided to the UE  110  in any of a variety of different ways. Thus, the message in  1230  shown as being provided directly to the UE  110  via the SCG link is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     In  1230 , an RRCReconfiguration complete message may be transmitted by the UE  110  to the SN  120 A in the SRB3 or SRB1 container. 
     In other embodiments, instead of transmitting the BFR report to the SN  120 A, the UE  110  may trigger a RACH procedure on the SN  120 A to switch the active BWP from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312  based on the BFD procedure. 
       FIG.  13    shows a signaling diagram  1300  for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN  122 A according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1300  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1305 , the UE  110  may determine that data from the SCG only dedicated radio bearer (DRB) is to be received by the UE  110 . This determination may be based on a schedule, a previously received indication or any other appropriate type of indication. 
     In  1310 , the UE  110  may initiate a RACH procedure (or send a scheduling request) to trigger the switch of the active BWP from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312 . 
     Alternatively, in  1315 , the UE  110  may transmit a SCG buffer status report (BSR) MAC CE to the MN  122 A. In  1320 , the MN  122 A may forward the BSR MAC CE to the SN  120 A. For example, the UE  110  may transmit the BSR MAC CE to the MN  122 A in the ULinformationTransferMRDC container. The MN  122 A may then forward the BSR MAC CE to the SN  120 A. Alternatively, the UE  110  may transmit the BSR MAC CE to the MN  122 A as a L2 MAC CE (e.g., cross cell group MAC CE). The MN  122 A may then forward the BSR MAC CE to the SN  120 A. 
     In other embodiments, there may be different procedures for different data types. For example, if the available data is from the SCG only DRB, the UE  110  may initiate BWP switching via RACH procedure or a scheduling request. If the available data is only from the split DRB, the UE  110  may transmit the SCG MAC CE to the SN  120 A via the MN  122 A or the UE  110  may cancel the BSR. 
     In another example, if the available data is only for the split DRB, the data amount and the data delivery will not inform to the suspected SCG link and the UE  110  packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) can only deliver the data amount information to the MCG link and only trigger the MCG BSR MAC CE. With this enhancement, the UE  110  does not need to trigger the SCG BSR reporting to the SN  120 A and will not trigger the data transmission via the SCG link to the SN  120 A and the SCG may remain in the dormant state. In some embodiments, this exemplary technique may be selectively implemented based on a comparison of the available data to a threshold value. 
       FIG.  14    shows a signaling diagram  1400  for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN  122 A according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1400  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1405 , the UE  110  may transmit an SRS to the SN  120 A. In  1410 , the SN  120 A may transmit a tracking area (TA) command to the MN  122 A. IN  1415 , the MN  122 A may forward the TA command the UE  110 . 
     In  1420 , the UE  110  may adjust the PSCell uplink TA and restart the time alignment adjustment timer (TAT). if the TAT is still running, the UE  110  may assume the UE  110  is still synchronized in the uplink. Thus, in  1425 , the UE  110  may transmit a scheduling request initiate the switch of the active BWP from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  312  and facilitate the exchange of data between the UE  110  and the SN  120 A. Alternatively, if the TAT expires, in  1430 , a RACH procedure may be performed to synchronize with the SN  120 A and switch the active BWP from the dormant BWP  314  to the non-dormant BWP  314 . Alternatively, 
       FIG.  15    shows a signaling diagram  1500  for exchanging SCG associated information via the MN  122 A according to various exemplary embodiments. The signaling diagram  1500  includes the UE  110 , the MN  122 A and the SN  120 A. 
     Initially, consider a scenario in which DC is established and the dormant BWP  314  is currently configured in the activated state for the SN  120 A. Further, the UE  110  is configured to switch to the non-dormant BWP  312  when the UE  110  is triggered to switch out from the dormant BWP  314 . 
     In  1505 , the UE  110  may receive a reference signal from the SN  120 A. The UE  110  may generate measurement data based on one or more reference signal. In this example, when the measurement data satisfies a threshold value a measurement report may be transmitted to the SN  120 A via the MN  122 A. 
     In  1510 , the UE  110  may transmit an indication of the measurement report in an ULInformationTransferMRDC container to the MN  122 A. In  1515 , the MN  122 A may forward an indication of the measurement report to the SN  120 A. In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to the measurement report, the UE  110  may also transmit a request for the network to perform dormant BWP to non-dormant BWP switching on the SN  120 A. Thus, in response to the SN  120 A radio quality exceeding a threshold the UE  110  may trigger dormant BWP to non-dormant BWP switching via the request. 
     In other embodiments, instead of a request, the UE  110  may initiate the dormant BWP to non-dormant BWP switching. For example, the UE  110  may initiate a RACH procedure to trigger the BWP switching. In this type of scenario, the UE  110  may also send data, a BSR and/or a measurement report associated with the SN  120 A to the network. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor. 
     Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200806
Publication Date: 20250128
Grant Date: 20250128
Priority Date: 20200806
Inventors: XU, FANGLI
ZHANG, DAWEI
HU, HAIJING
PALLE VENKATA, Naveen Kumar R.
VANGALA, SARMA V.
CHEN, YUQIN
WU, ZHIBIN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W72/23", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/004", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/20", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/15", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0055", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0048", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0057", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0092", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/001", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/0453", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/0453", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/004", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/23", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/0453", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80114159