# US 12,771,497 B2 · Handling of medium access control (MAC) entity during secondary cell group (SCG) deactivation/reactivation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,771,497 B2 - Document ID: US12771497B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/569,354 - Filed: 2022-06-28 - Published: 2024-07-04 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-05 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Zhenhua Zou; Jens Bergqvist; Pontus Wallentin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12771497B2 ## CPC - H04L 5/0044: {Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH} - H04L 5/0098: {Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands} - H04W 28/0278: {using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12)} - H04W 56/0005: {synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Embodiments include methods for a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a wireless network via a plurality of cell groups (e.g., MCG and SCG). Such methods include, upon deactivating one of the cell groups (e.g., SCG), suspending a medium access control (MAC) entity associated with the deactivated cell group and performing one or more first operations on the MAC entity upon the suspension of the MAC entity. Such methods also include, while the MAC entity is suspended, performing one or more second operations related to reporting of uplink (UL) data available for transmission via the deactivated cell group. Such methods also include, upon reactivating the deactivated cell group, performing one or more third operations on the MAC entity and resuming the MAC entity based on the one or more third operations. Other embodiments include UEs configured to perform such methods. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a wireless network via a plurality of cell groups including a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG), the method comprising: upon deactivation of the SCG, performing one or more first operations on a medium access control (MAC) entity associated with the SCG, wherein the one or more first operations on the MAC entity include cancelling one or more ongoing MAC entity procedures; while the SCG is deactivated, performing one or more second operations related to reporting of uplink (UL) data available for transmission via the SCG; and upon reactivation of the SCG, performing one or more third operations on the MAC entity, wherein the one or more third operations comprise resetting respective prioritization parameters for each logical channel of the MAC entity to a predetermined initial value of zero. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following MAC entity procedures are cancelled upon deactivation of the SCG: random access (RA); scheduling request (SR); power headroom reporting (PHR); consistent listen-before-talk (LBT) failure recovery; beam failure recovery (BFR); pre-emptive buffer status reports (BSR); recommended bit rate query; UL configured grant (CG) confirmation; sidelink (SL) CG confirmation; and desired guard symbol (DSG) query. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of the following applies: ongoing RA procedures that are not caused by a BSR pending for transmission are cancelled, while ongoing RA procedures that are caused by a BSR pending for transmission are not cancelled; and ongoing SR procedures that are not caused by a BSR pending for transmission are cancelled, while ongoing SR procedures that are caused by a BSR pending for transmission are not cancelled. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first operations performed on the MAC entity upon the deactivation of the SCG also include one or more of the following: setting new data indicators (NDIs) for ongoing UL hybrid ARQ (HARQ) processes to values of zero; flushing soft buffers for ongoing downlink (DL) HARQ processes; resetting one or more active counters; stopping or considering to be expired one or more running timers; suspending one or more UL resource grants; releasing one or more physical UL control channel (PUCCH) resources; and releasing one or more temporary identifiers assigned by the wireless network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more running timers stopped or considered to be expired include all running timers, except at least one of the following is kept running upon the suspension: a first timer that triggers a regular buffer status report (BSR); and a second timer that triggers a scheduling request (SR) on a primary cell (PCell) of the deactivated SCG. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the suspended UL resource grants include only type-1 UL configured grants (CGs) for all cells having an associated timer that has not expired. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the released PUCCH resources include PUCCH resources for all cells having an associated timer that has not expired, except PUCCH resources for transmitting scheduling requests. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first operations performed upon the deactivation of the SCG also include maintaining any buffer status reporting (BSR) procedures, for logical channels of the MAC entity, that were ongoing upon the deactivation of the MAC entity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second operations performed while the SCG is deactivated include one or more of the following: initiating a BSR procedure to report UL data available for transmission via the deactivated cell group; initiating a scheduling request (SR) procedure when no physical UL shared channel, PUSCH, resources are available to transmit a BSR; and initiating a random access (RA) procedure when no physical UL control channel (PUCCH) resources are available to transmit a SR. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein one of the following applies: the SR procedure is initiated with substantially zero delay after determining that no PUSCH resources are available for transmitting a BSR; or initiating the BSR procedure is based on availability of UL data for transmission in a subset of all logical channels (LCHs) of the MAC entity. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the subset of LCHs includes one or more of the following: only LCHs that are not associated with a split secondary radio link control (RLC) entity; only LCHs that belong to a logical channel group (LCG); only LCHs that carry delay-sensitive UL data; and particular LCHs indicated by the wireless network via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second operations performed while the SCG is deactivated include monitoring availability of UL data on one or more logical channels (LCHs) of the MAC entity. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the monitored LCHs include one of the following subsets of all LCHs of the MAC entity: only LCHs that are not associated with a split secondary radio link control (RLC) entity; only LCHs that belong to a logical channel group (LCG); only LCHs that carry delay-sensitive UL data; and particular LCHs indicated by the wireless network via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more third operations performed upon reactivation of the SCG also include resuming one or more suspended UL resource grants. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a wireless network via a plurality of cell groups including a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG), configure the UE to perform the method of claim 1. ### Claim 16 A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a wireless network via a plurality of cell groups, including a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG), the UE comprising: communication interface circuitry configured to communicate with the wireless network via the plurality of cell groups; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the communication interface circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are configured to: upon deactivation of the SCG, perform one or more first operations on a medium access control (MAC) entity associated with the SCG, wherein the one or more first operations on the MAC entity include cancelling one or more ongoing MAC entity procedures; while the SCG is deactivated, perform one or more second operations related to reporting of uplink (UL) data available for transmission via the SCG; and upon reactivation of the SCG, perform one or more third operations on the MAC entity, wherein the one or more third operations comprise resetting respective prioritization parameters for each logical channel of the MAC entity to a predetermined initial value of zero. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The UE of claim 16, wherein one or more of the following MAC entity procedures are cancelled upon deactivation of the SCG: random access (RA); scheduling request (SR); power headroom reporting (PHR); consistent listen-before-talk (LBT) failure recovery; beam failure recovery (BFR); pre-emptive buffer status reports (BSR); recommended bit rate query; UL configured grant (CG) confirmation; sidelink (SL) CG confirmation; and desired guard symbol (DSG) query. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The UE of claim 16, wherein the one or more first operations performed on the MAC entity upon the deactivation of the SCG also include one or more of the following: setting new data indicators (NDIs) for ongoing UL hybrid ARQ (HARQ) processes to values of zero; flushing soft buffers for ongoing downlink (DL) HARQ processes; resetting one or more active counters; stopping or considering to be expired one or more running timers; suspending one or more UL resource grants; releasing one or more physical UL control channel (PUCCH) resources; releasing one or more temporary identifiers assigned by the wireless network; and maintaining any buffer status reporting (BSR) procedures, for logical channels of the MAC entity, that were ongoing upon the deactivation of the SCG. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The UE of claim 16, wherein the one or more second operations performed while the SCG is deactivated include one or more of the following: initiating a BSR procedure to report UL data available for transmission via the deactivated cell group; initiating a scheduling request (SR) procedure when no physical UL shared channel, PUSCH, resources are available to transmit a BSR; initiating a random access (RA) procedure when no physical UL control channel (PUCCH) resources are available to transmit a SR; and monitoring availability of UL data on one or more logical channels (LCHs) of the MAC entity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The UE of claim 16, wherein the one or more third operations performed upon reactivation of the SCG also include resuming one or more suspended UL resource grants.