5g QOS provisioning for an end-to-end connection including non-5g networks

Abstract

Various embodiments may include methods and systems for improving the Quality of Service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network. The method may include: determining QoS requirements for the end-to-end network connection by network elements within the end-to-end network connection; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network elements; and adjusting QoS parameters of the first communication network by the network elements based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 263,465, filed November 3, 2021, entitled “5G QoS Provisioning For An End-to-End Connection Including Non-5G Networks,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] This invention relates to 5G QoS preparation for end-to-end connections including non-5G networks. Prior Technology

[0003] Communication networks can be configured to provide Quality of Service (QoS) for applications, services, or data streams. There are resource costs involved in provisioning a network to provide a specific QoS; therefore, service providers typically attempt to provide sufficient network resources, without overusing or underusing them, to meet specific QoS requirements. Providing QoS for applications, services, or data streams involving communication across two or more different types of networks is even more complex. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Various embodiments include systems and methods performed by network elements of a communication network for managing end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network. Some embodiments may include: determining the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection by network elements within the end-to-end network connection; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by network elements; and adjusting the QoS parameters of the first communication network by network elements based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information. In some embodiments, the first communication network may be a 5G network, and the second communication network may not be a 5G network (i.e., the second communication network may be a non-5G network).

[0005] In some configurations, the reporting entity may be a device within a second communication network, and the network element may be a device within a first communication network. Such configurations may further include: the reporting entity measuring QoS information; the network element obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network; and the network element receiving QoS information from the reporting entity.

[0006] In some formats, QoS information may include at least one of the following: round-trip time of an end-to-end network connection, one-way delay of an end-to-end network connection, or packet error rate provided to the reporting entity. In some formats, QoS information may include a classification of a second communication network. In some formats, QoS information may include a request message indicating a requested change in the round-trip time of an end-to-end network connection, the one-way delay of an end-to-end network connection, or the packet error rate provided to the reporting entity. In some formats, QoS information may include at least one of application information or traffic information.

[0007] In some cases, obtaining QoS information about the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by a network element may include measuring the latency between the endpoint servers within the first and second communication networks.

[0008] In some cases, network elements may be located within a second communication network, and the QoS information of the second communication network obtained by the network element from a reporting entity within the second communication network may include the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0009] In some configurations, network elements may be located within a third communication network that is communicatively connected to the second communication network via a first communication network. The QoS information of the second communication network obtained by the network element from a reporting entity within the second communication network may include the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0010] In some cases, network elements may be located within a first communication network, and the QoS information of the second communication network obtained by the network element from a reporting entity within the second communication network may include the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0011] In some cases, the determination of QoS requirements for an end-to-end network connection by network elements within the end-to-end network connection may include the network elements determining the QoS requirements for the end-to-end network connection based on service agreements, application types, or user requests, and the adjustment of QoS parameters of a first communication network by network elements based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information may include the network elements adjusting the 5G QoS parameters of the first communication network.

[0012] Other formats include network elements having a processor configured to perform one or more operations of any of the methods described above. Other formats include processing devices used in a network element configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations of any of the methods described above. Other formats include non-transitory processor-readable storage media storing processor-executable instructions thereon, configured to cause a processor of the network element to perform operations of any of the methods described above. Other formats include network elements having components for performing functions of any of the methods described above. Other formats include system-on-a-chip (SoC) used in the network element and including a processor configured to perform one or more operations of any of the methods described above. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0013] Figure 1A is a system block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system 100 suitable for implementation of any of the various embodiments.

[0014] Figures 1B to 1E are system block diagrams illustrating exemplary communication systems suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram of components illustrating an exemplary computing and wireless modem system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

[0016] Figure 3 is a block diagram of components illustrating a software architecture suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments, the software architecture including a stack of radio protocols for a user plane and a control plane in wireless communications.

[0017] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system configured to improve the quality of service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, according to various embodiments.

[0018] Figure 5A is a block diagram illustrating components of a relay system for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 5B is a message flow diagram illustrating the dialing process that may occur in the trunk system architecture shown in Figure 5A.

[0020] Figures 6A to 6C are block diagrams illustrating a system architecture for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments.

[0021] Figure 7A is a block diagram illustrating a split-screen rendering system for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments.

[0022] Figure 7B is a message flow diagram illustrating the dialing process that may occur in the trunk system architecture shown in Figure 7A.

[0023] Figure 8 is a process flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for improving QoS in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, according to various embodiments.

[0024] Figure 9 is a process flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for improving QoS in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, which can be implemented as part of the method shown in Figure 8.

[0025] Figure 10 is a block diagram of components suitable for use with various embodiments of a network element device.

[0026] Figure 11 is a block diagram of components suitable for use with various embodiments of a wireless device. Implementation

[0027] Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Where possible, the same element symbols will be used throughout the drawings to denote the same or similar parts. References to specific examples and embodiments are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0028] Various embodiments include systems and methods for improving the Quality of Service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection comprising a first communication network (e.g., a 5G network) and a second communication network (e.g., a non-5G network). Network elements within the 5G network may be prepared with QoS requirements for endpoint devices or endpoint user equipment (UEs) connected to the 5G network in a non-5G network. The network elements may provide QoS to the endpoint devices based on these QoS requirements. However, the network elements may not be aware of, observe, or otherwise measure the actual conditions and status of the QoS provided to the endpoint devices in the non-5G network. In various embodiments, the network elements may obtain QoS information about the non-5G network from reporting entities within the non-5G network (e.g., AR glasses, head-mounted displays (HMDs), 5G mobile phones). The network elements may utilize this QoS information to adjust the QoS parameters of the 5G network (i.e., to improve the QoS experienced by the endpoint devices or to release over-prepared 5G network resources).

[0029] The term "network element" is used herein to refer to any or all computing devices that are part of or communicate with a communication network, such as servers, routers, gateways, hub devices, switching devices, bridging devices, repeater devices, or other electronic devices that include memory, communication elements, and programmable processors. Wireless devices that communicate with a network can be considered network elements of such networks.

[0030] As used herein, the terms "network," "communication network," and "system" may be used interchangeably to refer to a portion or all of a communication network or interconnection network. A network may include a plurality of network elements. A network may include a wireless network, and / or may support one or more functions or services of a wireless network.

[0031] As used herein, "wireless network," "cellular network," and "wireless communication network" can be used interchangeably to refer to part or all of a service provider's wireless network associated with a wireless device and / or a subscription on that wireless device. The technologies described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), FDMA, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and others. Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support at least one radio access technology, which can operate on one or more frequencies or frequency ranges. For example, a CDMA network can implement Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) (including the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standard), CDMA2000 (including IS-2000, IS-95, and / or IS-856 standards), etc. In another instance, a TDMA network can implement GSM-Evolved GSM Enhanced Data Rate (EDGE). In another instance, OFDMA networks can implement Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) (including the LTE standard), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. References can be made to wireless networks using the LTE standard, and therefore the terms "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access," "E-UTRAN," and "eNodeB" are used interchangeably herein to refer to wireless networks. However, these references are provided only as examples and are not intended to exclude wireless networks using other communication standards. For example, although various third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), and fifth-generation (5G) systems are discussed herein, these systems are cited only as examples, and future generation systems (e.g., sixth-generation (6G) or higher) can be replaced in various examples.

[0032] The term "wireless device" in this document refers to any or all of the following: wireless router devices, wireless appliances, cellular phones, smartphones, portable computing devices, personal or mobile multimedia players, laptops, tablets, smart computers, ultrabooks, handheld computers, wireless email receivers, multimedia internet cellular phones, medical devices and equipment, biometric sensors / devices, wearable devices (including smartwatches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristbands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart rings and smart bracelets)), entertainment devices (e.g., wireless game controllers, music and video players, satellite radios, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) devices that enable wireless networks (including smart instruments / sensors), industrial manufacturing equipment, large and small machinery and appliances used in homes or businesses, wireless communication elements in autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, wireless devices attached to or incorporated into various mobile platforms, GPS devices, and similar electronic devices including memory, wireless communication elements, and programmable processors.

[0033] The term "System-on-a-Chip" (SOC) is used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip that contains multiple resources or processors integrated on a single substrate. A single SOC may contain circuitry for digital, analog, mixed-signal, and radio frequency functions. A single SOC may also include any number of general-purpose or special-purpose processors (digital signal processors, modem processors, video processors, etc.), memory blocks (such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and resources (such as timers, voltage regulators, oscillators, etc.). A SOC may also include software for controlling the integrated resources and processors, as well as software for controlling peripheral devices.

[0034] The term "System-in-Package" (SIP) as used herein can refer to a single module or package that incorporates multiple resources, computing units, cores, or processors on two or more IC chips, substrates, or SoCs. For example, a SIP may include a single substrate on which multiple IC chips or semiconductor dies are stacked in a vertical configuration. Similarly, a SIP may include one or more multi-chip modules (MCMs) on which multiple ICs or semiconductor dies are packaged into a single substrate. A SIP may also include multiple independent SoCs coupled together and packaged close together via high-speed communication circuitry, such as on a single motherboard or in a single wireless device. The proximity of the SoCs facilitates high-speed communication and the sharing of memory and resources.

[0035] The term "QoS information" in this document can be used to refer to data or information related to the Quality of Service (QoS) of an end-to-end connection. QoS information can be obtained by network elements for adjusting one or more QoS parameters (e.g., 5G QoS identifier (5QI)) of a telecommunications network (e.g., a 5G core network) based on the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection, which includes telecommunications networks and other types of network connections (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, sidelinks). QoS information can be reported to network elements from devices within the end-to-end network connection that includes network elements, or it can be measured or otherwise determined by network elements. QoS information can include QoS-related information for non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, BLE, sidelinks), including characteristics or metrics such as round-trip time delay, one-way delay, or packet error rate. Packet error rate may also be referred to as packet loss rate. QoS information can further include the classification of non-5G networks that are part of the end-to-end connection. For example, network connectivity classification could determine whether a non-5G network is a Wi-Fi network (e.g., IEEE 802.11ad, 802.11ac), BLE, or a wired connection (e.g., USB). As another example, network classification could include the QoS configuration of a non-5G network (e.g., Wi-Fi), which could be defined by a specific access category (e.g., best effort or video) under Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA). QoS information could also include desired changes to the QoS provided to the user equipment (UE) from a telecommunications network, where the UE is located within a different type of network within an end-to-end network connection that includes that telecommunications network. For example, the UE could report desired changes to a 5G network that provides a specific QoS standard for the UE, and the desired changes could include the amount of reduction in latency (e.g., round-trip latency, one-way latency) or packet error rate, and / or the amount of increase in latency (e.g., round-trip latency, one-way latency) or packet error rate that is permitted without violating the UE's Quality of Experience (QoE). QoS information may also include measurements between the telecommunications network and the application or endpoint server, including one-way latency from the telecommunications network to the application server, one-way latency from the application server to the telecommunications network, and / or round-trip latency between the telecommunications network and the application server. QoS information may further include information about applications running on the UE, such as video codecs, audio codecs, bitrate, framerate, latency (e.g., for rendering, for detecting gesture changes), and QoS requirements (e.g., regarding throughput and / or latency). QoS information may further include information about network traffic, such as whether uplink and downlink traffic is symmetrical, whether uplink traffic is primarily light command and gesture-based but has strict latency requirements, and whether downlink traffic is primarily heavy multimedia content but has less stringent latency requirements.QoS information may further include the time delay between the remote UE or endpoint UE and the device hosting the renderer function, for augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) applications.

[0036] Preparing QoS for applications, services, or data flows involving communications across two or more different types of networks is complex. A communication network can determine information about its own network elements and configure their operation, including devices communicating with or to those network elements (e.g., devices connected to the communication network). However, a communication network may not have information about the operation of other communication networks. For example, a wireless application client may communicate with another device (e.g., an application server or another wireless device) via a communication path. The communication path between two endpoint devices ("end-to-end" communication path) may span multiple networks.

[0037] As an example, to provide augmented reality applications, wireless smart glasses can communicate with application servers (i.e., send and receive signals to and from application servers) via communication paths spanning multiple communication networks. For instance, smart glasses can communicate with smartphones via Wi-Fi; smartphones can communicate with 5G network base stations via cellular links; 5G networks can communicate with the Internet (e.g., the Internet); and the Internet can communicate with wired networks using Ethernet, which includes application servers. In this example, the communication path between the smart glasses and the application server spans Wi-Fi, 5G, the Internet, and wired Ethernet networks. Augmented reality applications for smart glasses may require specific QoS to meet one or more application requirements. A network (e.g., a 5G network) can configure its individual network elements according to the application's QoS requirements. However, 5G networks typically cannot control the configuration and operation of network elements in non-5G networks (such as Wi-Fi, Internet, or wired Ethernet). While allocating more resources to 5G networks connected to endpoint devices can improve the QoS of non-5G networks, over-provisioning 5G core network resources is costly and inefficient.

[0038] Various embodiments include methods and network devices configured to perform QoS enhancement methods in an end-to-end network connection, which includes a first communication network (e.g., a 5G network) and a second communication network (e.g., a non-5G network) as well as other types of communication networks. In various embodiments, network elements within the end-to-end network connection can determine the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection, which are typically provided by endpoint devices within the second communication network. For example, applications, services, or data streams may request or be associated with QoS requirements. Network elements of the first communication network can obtain QoS information about the second communication network from reporting entities within the second communication network (e.g., endpoint UEs, intermediary UEs, such as 5G phones, endpoint servers). The network elements can then adjust the QoS parameters of the first communication network based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information to provide sufficient QoS to support the end-to-end connection including the second communication network.

[0039] In some embodiments, network elements within an end-to-end network connection can determine the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection. The QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection can be based in part on the UE's QoS requirements (e.g., bandwidth, bit rate, packet error rate, etc.) or data requirements. When a UE located in a non-5G network within an end-to-end network connection establishes a connection with a telecommunications network such as a 5G core network, the UE can provide network elements within the telecommunications network with QoS requirements that outline the UE's basic data requirements. For example, the UE can notify network elements that it is implementing a data streaming video application, and the network elements can configure the telecommunications network to provide QoS common in data streaming video services. In some embodiments, network elements can detect the UE's device or application type and can configure the 5G network. Network elements can configure the 5G network based on the UE's QoS requirements to provide general QoS to the endpoint UE. However, outside the 5G network, within a non-5G network where the endpoint UE resides, the 5G network may not be aware of the actual endpoint QoS. 5G networks may lack visibility and direct control over non-5G networks, and therefore may not be able to optimize the QoS provided to endpoint UEs via the 5G network. For example, a 5G network (configured by network elements) may over-prepare QoS for a UE based solely on QoS requirements received from the UE, resulting in excessive resources being provided to the UE (e.g., excessive bandwidth, bit rate; low packet rate, etc.), thus wasting 5G network resources. As another example, a 5G network (configured by network elements) may not be able to prepare sufficient QoS for the UE. In this case, the user's QoE at the endpoint UE may be poor, but the 5G network elements will not be aware of the poor QoS experienced in non-5G networks.

[0040] Various implementations allow network elements of 5G networks to manage the speed and quality of end-to-end network connections, where end-to-end QoE is not entirely affected by 5G QoS, but is also affected by the QoS of non-5G networks.

[0041] Figure 1A is a system block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system 100 suitable for implementation in any of the various embodiments. Communication system 100 may be a 5G New Radio (NR) network or any other suitable network, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Although Figure 1 illustrates a 5G network, next-generation networks may contain the same or similar elements. Therefore, references to 5G networks and 5G network elements in the following description are for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting.

[0042] Communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network architecture comprising a core network 140 and various wireless devices (shown as User Equipment (UE) 120a-120e in Figure 1). Communication system 100 may also include several base stations (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station is an entity that communicates with the wireless devices and may also be referred to as a Node B, an LTE Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an Access Point (AP), a Radio Head, a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP), a New Radio Base Station (NR BS), a 5G NodeB (NB), a Next Generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB), etc. Each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the term "cell service area" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a base station, the base station subsystem serving that coverage area, or a combination thereof, depending on the context in which the term is used. Core network 140 can be any type of core network, such as LTE core network (e.g., EPC network), 5G core network, etc.

[0043] Base stations 110a-110d can provide communication coverage for macrocell service areas, picocell service areas, femtocell service areas, another type of cell service area, or combinations thereof. Macrocell service areas can cover relatively large geographic areas (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and allow unlimited access for wireless devices with service subscriptions. Picocell service areas can cover relatively small geographic areas and allow unlimited access for wireless devices with service subscriptions. Femtocell service areas can cover relatively small geographic areas (e.g., a home) and allow restricted access for wireless devices associated with the femtocell service area (e.g., wireless devices in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). Base stations used for macrocell service areas can be referred to as macro BSs. Base stations used for picocell service areas can be referred to as pico BSs. Base stations used for femtocell service areas can be referred to as femtocell BSs or home BSs. In the example shown in Figure 1, base station 110a can be a macro BS for macro cell service area 102a, base station 110b can be a pico BS for pico cell service area 102b, and base station 110c can be a femto BS for femto cell service area 102c. Base stations 110a-110d can support one or more (e.g., three) cell service areas. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "node B", "5G NB", and "cell service area" are used interchangeably herein.

[0044] In some instances, the cell service area may not be static, and the geographical area of ​​the cell service area may move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In some instances, base stations 110a-110d may be interconnected with each other via various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, or combinations thereof using any suitable transport network), and interconnected to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the communication system 100.

[0045] Base stations 110a-110d can communicate with the core network 140 via wired or wireless communication link 126. Wireless devices 120a-120e can communicate with base stations 110a-110d via wireless communication link 122.

[0046] The wired communication link 126 can use various wired networks (such as Ethernet, TV cable, telephone, fiber optic and other forms of physical network connection), and it can use one or more wired communication protocols, such as Ethernet, point-to-point communication protocol, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Advanced Data Communication Control Protocol (ADCCP) and Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0047] The communication system 100 may also include a relay station (such as relay BS 110d). A relay station is an entity capable of receiving data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a base station or wireless device) and transmitting data transmissions to a downstream station (e.g., a wireless device or base station). A relay station may also be a wireless device capable of relaying transmissions from other wireless devices. In the example shown in Figure 1, relay station 110d can communicate with macro base station 110a and wireless device 120d to facilitate communication between base station 110a and wireless device 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay base station, relay, relay, etc.

[0048] The communication system 100 can be a heterogeneous network, comprising different types of base stations, such as macro base stations, pico base stations, femto base stations, and repeater base stations. These different types of base stations may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different interference effects on the communication system 100. For example, macro base stations may have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while pico base stations, femto base stations, and repeater base stations may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0049] Network controller 130 can be coupled to an assembly of base stations and can provide coordination and control for such base stations. Network controller 130 can communicate with the base stations via backhaul. Base stations can also communicate with each other, for example, directly or indirectly via wireless or wired backhaul.

[0050] Wireless devices 120a, 120b, and 120c can be distributed throughout the wireless system 100, and each wireless device can be stationary or mobile. Wireless devices can also be referred to as access terminals, terminals, mobile stations, user units, stations, user equipment (UE), etc.

[0051] Macro base station 110a can communicate with communication network 140 via wired or wireless communication link 126. Wireless devices 120a, 120b, and 120c can communicate with base stations 110a-110d via wireless communication link 122.

[0052] Wireless communication links 122 and 124 may include a plurality of carrier signals, frequencies, or frequency bands, each carrier signal, frequency, or frequency band may include a plurality of logical channels. Wireless communication links 122 and 124 may utilize one or more radio access technologies (RATs). Examples of RATs that can be used in wireless communication links include 3GPP LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G (such as NR), GSM, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global Interoperability Microwave Access (WiMAX), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and cellular RATs for other mobile phone communication technologies. Other examples of RATs that can be used in one or more of the various wireless communication links within the communication system 100 include mid-range protocols such as Wi-Fi, LTE-U, LTE Direct, LAA, and MuLTEfire, as well as relatively short-range RATs such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE).

[0053] Some wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (called a "resource block") can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal Fast File Transfer (FFT) size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into sub-bands. For example, a sub-band can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 sub-bands respectively.

[0054] While some implementations may use terminology and examples associated with LTE technology, some implementations may be applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as New Radio (NR) or 5G networks. NR can utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) and includes support for half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). A single-component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz can be supported. An NR resource block can span 12 subcarriers, each with a bandwidth of 75 kHz and a duration of 0.1 milliseconds (ms). Each radio frame can consist of 50 subframes of 10 ms in length. Therefore, each subframe can have a length of 0.2 ms. Each subframe can indicate the link direction of data transmission (i.e., DL or UL), and the link direction of each subframe can be dynamically switched. Each subframe can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. Beamforming can be supported, and beam direction can be dynamically configured. It can also support precoded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. The MIMO configuration in DL can support up to eight transmit antennas, with up to eight streams in multi-layer DL transmission and up to two streams per radio device. Multi-layer transmission with up to two streams per radio device can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cell service areas can be supported with up to eight service cell service areas. Alternatively, NR can support different spatial mediators instead of OFDM-based spatial mediators.

[0055] Some wireless devices can be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) wireless devices. MTC and eMTC wireless devices include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. For example, a wireless computing platform can provide connectivity to a network (e.g., a wide area network, such as the Internet or cellular networks) via wired or wireless communication links. Some wireless devices can be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or can be implemented as NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Wireless devices 120a-120e can be included within a housing that houses the components of wireless devices 120a-120e (such as processor components, memory components, similar components, or combinations thereof).

[0056] Typically, any number of communication systems and wireless networks can be deployed within a given geographical area. Each communication system and wireless network can support a specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) and can operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT can also be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. A frequency can also be referred to as a carrier, channel, etc. To avoid interference between communication systems using different RATs, each frequency can support a single RAT within a given geographical area. In some cases, 4G / LTE and / or 5G / NR RAT networks can be deployed. For example, a 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) network can simultaneously use a 4G / LTE RAT on the 4G / LTE RAN side of a 5G NSA network and a 5G / NR RAT on the 5G / NR RAN side of a 5G NSA network. The 4G / LTE RAN and 5G / NR RAN can be interconnected within the 5G NSA network and connected to the 4G / LTE core network (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network). Other exemplary network configurations may include a 5G standalone (SA) network, in which the 5G / NR RAN is connected to the 5G core network.

[0057] In some implementations, two or more wireless devices 120a-120e (e.g., shown as wireless device 120a and wireless device 120e) can communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels 124 (e.g., without using base stations 110a-110d as intermediaries). For example, wireless devices 120a-120e can communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, or similar protocols), mesh networks, or similar networks, or combinations thereof. In this case, wireless devices 120a-120e can perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and other operations performed by base stations 110a-110d as described elsewhere herein.

[0058] Figures 1B through 1D are system block diagrams illustrating exemplary communication systems 150, 160, 170, and 180 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. Referring to Figures 1A through 1D, communication systems 150, 160, 170, and 180 illustrate exemplary end-to-end communication paths between two endpoint devices spanning multiple communication networks. It should be understood that the examples shown in communication systems 150, 160, 170, and 180 are non-limiting, and other implementations of end-to-end communication paths between two endpoint devices spanning multiple communication networks are also possible.

[0059] Referring to Figure 1B, an application client (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e) running on UE 152a can communicate with an application client (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e) running on UE 158. The communication path between UE 152a and UE 158 can span two networks, such as 5G network 151a and non-5G network 151b. In some embodiments, 5G network 151a may include UE 152a that can communicate with gNB 152b via cellular communication link 153, 5G core network 152c, and user plane function 152d that enables communication between 5G network 151a and non-5G network 151b. The non-5G network 151b may include interconnected networks such as the Internet 154, Wi-Fi access point 156, and wireless device 158, which can communicate with Wi-Fi access point 156 via Wi-Fi wireless communication link 157.

[0060] Referring to Figure 1C, an application client (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e) running on UE 162a can communicate with an application client (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e) running on UE 168. The communication path between UE 162a and UE 168 can span two networks, such as 5G network 161a and non-5G network 161. In some embodiments, 5G network 161a may include UE 162a that can communicate with gNB 152b via cellular communication link 163, 5G core network 162c, and user plane function 162d that enables communication between 5G network 161a and non-5G network 161b. The non-5G network 161b may include an internet (such as the Internet 164), a 4G network 166a, a 4G base station (such as an eNB 166b), and a wireless device 168 that can communicate with the eNB 166b via a 4G wireless communication link 167.

[0061] Referring to Figure 1D, the communication system 170 may include three networks. An application client running on a wireless device 174 (shown as smart glasses) in a first non-5G network 171b can communicate with an application server 176 in a second non-5G network 171c via a 5G network 171a. Thus, the communication path between the wireless device 174 and the application server 176 can span the three communication networks. In some embodiments, the first non-5G network 171b may include the wireless device 174, which can communicate with a wireless device (UE) 172a via a Wi-Fi communication link 173. The 5G network 171a may include a UE 172a that can communicate with a gNB 172b via a cellular communication link 175, a 5G core network 172c, and a user plane function 172d that enables communication between the 5G network 171a and the second non-5G network 171b. The second non-5G network 171c may include an application server 176, which can communicate with the 5G network via a wired communication link 177.

[0062] Referring to Figure 1E, the communication system 180 may include three networks. An application client running on a wireless device 184 (shown as smart glasses) in a first non-5G network 181b can communicate with an application server 188 in a second non-5G network 181c via a 5G network 181a. Thus, the communication path between the wireless device 184 and the application server 188 can span the three communication networks. In some embodiments, the first non-5G network 181b may include the wireless device 184, which can communicate with a wireless device (UE) 182a via a Wi-Fi communication link 181. The 5G network 181a may include a UE 182a that can communicate with a gNB 182b via a cellular communication link 185, a 5G core network 182c, and a user plane function 182d that enables communication between the 5G network 181a and the second non-5G network 181c. The second non-5G network 181c may include an Internet (such as the Internet) 186 that can communicate with a 5G network via a cellular communication link 185 and an application server 188 that can communicate with the Internet 186 via a wired communication link 187.

[0063] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing and wireless modem system 200 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. The various embodiments can be implemented on multiple single-processor and multi-processor computer systems, including system-on-a-chip (SoC) or system-in-package (SIP).

[0064] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the exemplary computing system 200 shown (which may be a SIP in some embodiments) includes two System-on-a-Chip (SOC) units 202 and 204 coupled to a clock 206 and a voltage regulator 208, and a wireless transceiver 266 configured to transmit and receive wireless communications to / from wireless devices (e.g., 120a-120e) or base stations (e.g., 110a-110d) via an antenna (not shown). In some embodiments, the first SOC 202 may operate as a central processing unit (CPU) of the wireless device, which executes instructions for a software application by performing arithmetic, logic, control, and input / output (I / O) operations specified by instructions. In some embodiments, the second SOC 204 may operate as a dedicated processing unit. For example, the second SOC 204 can operate as a dedicated 5G processing unit responsible for managing high-capacity, high-speed (such as 5 Gbps) and / or very high-frequency short-wavelength (such as 28 GHz millimeter wave spectrum) communications.

[0065] The first SOC 202 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 210, a modem processor 212, a graphics processor 214, an application processor 216, one or more auxiliary processors 218 (such as vector auxiliary processors) connected to one or more processors, memory 220, custom circuitry 222, system components and resources 224, an interconnect / bus module 226, one or more temperature sensors 230, a thermal management unit 232, and a thermal power envelope (TPE) element 234. The second SOC 204 may include a 5G modem processor 252, a power management unit 254, an interconnect / bus module 264, multiple millimeter-wave (mmWave) transceivers 256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260 (such as application processors, packet processors, etc.).

[0066] Each processor 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may include one or more cores, and each processor / core may perform operations independently of other processors / cores. For example, the first SOC 202 may include a processor running a first type of operating system (such as FreeBSD, LINUX, OS X, etc.) and a processor running a second type of operating system (such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10). Furthermore, any or all of processors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be included as part of a processor cluster architecture (such as a synchronous processor cluster architecture, an asynchronous or heterogeneous processor cluster architecture, etc.).

[0067] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may include various system components, resources, and custom circuitry for managing sensor data, analog-to-digital conversion, wireless data transmission, and performing other specialized operations, such as decoding data packets and processing encoded audio and video signals for presentation in a web browser. For example, the system components and resources 224 of the first SOC 202 may include power amplifiers, voltage regulators, oscillators, phase-locked loops, peripheral bridges, data controllers, memory controllers, system controllers, access ports, timers, and other similar components to support processors and software clients running on wireless devices. System components and resources 224 and / or custom circuitry 222 may also include circuitry for interface connection to peripheral devices such as cameras, electronic displays, wireless communication devices, external memory chips, etc.

[0068] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 can communicate via interconnect / bus module 250. Various processors 210, 212, 214, 216, and 218 can be interconnected via interconnect / bus module 226 to one or more memory elements 220, system elements and resources 224, as well as custom circuitry 222 and a thermal management unit 232. Similarly, processor 252 can be interconnected via interconnect / bus module 264 to a power management unit 254, an mmWave transceiver 256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260. Interconnect / bus modules 226, 250, and 264 may include reconfigurable logic gate arrays and / or implement bus architectures (such as CoreConnect, AMBA, etc.). Communication can be provided by advanced interconnects, such as high-performance on-chip networks (NoC).

[0069] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may further include input / output modules (not shown) for communicating with external resources (such as clock 206 and voltage regulator 208). External resources (such as clock 206 and voltage regulator 208) may be shared by two or more internal SOC processors / cores.

[0070] In addition to the exemplary SIP 200 discussed above, some implementations can be implemented in a variety of computing systems, which may include a single processor, multiple processors, multi-core processors, or any combination thereof.

[0071] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a software architecture 300 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments, the software architecture including a stack of radio protocols for a user plane and a control plane in wireless communications. Referring to Figures 1 through 3, a wireless device 320 may implement the software architecture 300 to facilitate communication between a wireless device 320 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200) and a base station 350 (e.g., base stations 110a-110d) of a communication system (e.g., 100). In various embodiments, layers in the software architecture 300 may form logical connections with corresponding layers in the software of the base station 350. The software architecture 300 may be distributed among one or more processors (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260). Although a single radio protocol stack is illustrated, in a multi-SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) wireless device, the software architecture 300 may include multiple protocol stacks, each associated with a different SIM (e.g., in a dual-SIM wireless communication device, the two protocol stacks are associated with two SIMs respectively). Although described below with reference to the LTE communication layer, the software architecture 300 may support any of the various standards and protocols used for wireless communication, and / or may include additional protocol stacks supporting any of the various standards and protocols used for wireless communication.

[0072] The software architecture 300 may include a Non-Access Layer (NAS) 302 and an Access Layer (AS) 304. NAS 302 may include functions and protocols supporting packet filtering, security management, mobility control, communication period management, and traffic and signal transmission between a wireless device's SIM (such as SIM 204) and its core network 140. AS 304 may include functions and protocols supporting communication between the SIM (such as SIM 204) and entities supporting the access network (such as base stations). Specifically, AS 304 may include at least three layers (Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer 3), each layer may contain multiple sublayers.

[0073] In the user plane and control plane, Layer 1 (L1) of AS 304 can be a physical layer (PHY) 306, which can supervise the transmission and / or reception functions implemented via a wireless transceiver (e.g., 266) through an air intermediate plane. Examples of such physical layer 306 functions may include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) appending, coded blocks, scrambling and descrambling, modulation and demodulation, signal measurement, MIMO, etc. The physical layer may include multiple logical channels, including a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0074] In the user plane and control plane, Layer 2 (L2) of AS 304 can be responsible for the link between wireless device 320 and base station 350 on physical layer 306. In some implementations, Layer 2 may include a Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer 308, a Radio Link Control (RLC) sublayer 310, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sublayer 312, and a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sublayer 317, each of which forms a logical connection terminating at base station 350.

[0075] In the control plane, layer 3 (L3) of AS 304 may include a Radio Resource Control (RRC) sublayer 3. Although not illustrated, software architecture 300 may include additional layer 3 sublayers, as well as multiple upper layers above layer 3. In some embodiments, RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing RRC signal transfer connections between radio device 320 and base station 350.

[0076] In various embodiments, SDAP sublayer 317 can provide a mapping between Quality of Service (QoS) streams and Data Radio Bearers (DRBs). In some embodiments, PDCP sublayer 312 can provide uplink functions, including multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels, sequence numbering, handover data processing, integrity protection, encryption, and header compression. In the downlink, PDCP sublayer 312 can provide functions including sequential delivery of data packets, duplicate data packet detection, integrity verification, decryption, and header decompression.

[0077] In the uplink, RLC sublayer 310 can provide segmentation and concatenation of upper-layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ). In the downlink, although the functions of RLC sublayer 310 may include reordering of data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception, reassembly of upper-layer data packets, and ARQ.

[0078] In the uplink, MAC sublayer 308 can provide functions including multiplexing between logical and transport channels, random access procedures, logical channel prioritization, and hybrid ARQ (HARQ) operations. In the downlink, MAC layer functions can include channel mapping within the cell service area, demultiplexing, discontinuous reception (DRX), and HARQ operations.

[0079] While the software architecture 300 can provide the ability to transmit data via physical media, it may further include at least one host layer 314 to provide data transmission services to various applications in the wireless device 320. In some embodiments, application-specific functionality provided by the at least one host layer 314 may provide an interface between the software architecture and the general-purpose processor 206.

[0080] In other embodiments, software architecture 300 may include one or more higher logical layers (such as transport, communication, presentation, application, etc.) for providing host-level functionality. For example, in some embodiments, software architecture 300 may include a network layer (such as the Internet Protocol (IP) layer), wherein logical connections terminate at a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (PGW). In some embodiments, software architecture 300 may include an application layer, wherein logical connections terminate at another device (such as an end-user device, server, etc.). In some embodiments, software architecture 300 may further include a hardware interface 316 in AS 304 between physical layer 306 and communication hardware (such as one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers).

[0081] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system 400 configured to improve QoS in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network according to various embodiments. Referring to Figures 1 through 4, system 400 may include network elements 402 of a 5G network, such as wireless devices (e.g., 110a-110d, 200, 320), base stations (e.g., 120a-120e, 200, 350), or another network element of a 5G network, including any network element of core network 140 or 5G networks 151a, 161a, 171a, and 181a.

[0082] Network element 402 may include one or more processors 428 coupled to electronic storage device 426 and transceiver 427 (which may be a wired transceiver and / or a wireless transceiver, e.g., 266). In network element 402, transceiver 427 may be configured to receive messages transmitted in transit and pass those messages to processor(s) 428 for processing. Similarly, processor 428 may be configured to send messages for transmission to transceiver 427 for transmission. Network element 402 may send messages to or receive messages from communication network 424 via wired and / or wireless communication links.

[0083] Referring to network element 402, processor(s) 428 can be configured by machine-readable instructions 406. Machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or more instruction modules. Instruction modules may include computer program modules. Instruction modules may include one or more of the following: end-to-end QoS module 408, QoS acquisition module 410, QoS adjustment module 412, or other instruction modules.

[0084] The end-to-end QoS module 408 can be configured to determine the QoS requirements for end-to-end network connections used to transmit packets from a packet source (e.g., an endpoint UE) to a packet destination (e.g., an endpoint server), and vice versa. The end-to-end QoS module can be configured to determine the QoS requirements for end-to-end network connections based on service agreements, application types, or user requests.

[0085] The QoS acquisition module 410 can be configured to obtain QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity (e.g., an endpoint UE, an intermediary UE, or an endpoint server) within the second communication network. The QoS acquisition module 410 can be configured to receive QoS information from the reporting entity by network elements. The QoS acquisition module 410 can be configured to measure the latency between the first communication network and the endpoint server within the second communication network. The QoS acquisition module 410 can be configured to measure the latency between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0086] The QoS adjustment module 412 can be configured to adjust the QoS parameters of the first communication network based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information. The QoS adjustment module 412 can be configured to adjust the 5G QoS parameters of the first communication network.

[0087] Electronic storage device 426 may include non-transitory storage media that store information electronically. The electronic storage media of electronic storage device 426 may include one or both of the following: system storage devices integrally provided with network element 402 (i.e., substantially non-removable) and / or removable storage devices that can be removably connected to network element 402 via, for example, a port (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a FireWire port, etc.) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage device 426 may include one or more of the following: optically readable storage media (e.g., optical discs, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape, hard disks, floppy disk drives, etc.), charge-based storage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media (e.g., flash memory drives, etc.), and / or other electrically readable storage media. Electronic storage device 426 may include one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., cloud storage devices, virtual private networks, and / or other virtual storage resources). Electronic storage device 426 may store software algorithms, information determined by processor(s) 428, information received from network element 402, or other information that enables network element 402 to function as described herein.

[0088] Multiple processors 428 may be configured to provide information processing capabilities in network element 402. Thus, multiple processors 428 may include one or more of the following: digital processors, analog processors, digital circuitry designed to process information, analog circuitry designed to process information, state machines, and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. Although multiple processors 428 are shown as a single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In some embodiments, multiple processors 428 may include multiple processing units and / or processor cores. Processing units may be physically located within the same device, or multiple processors 428 may represent the processing functions of a plurality of devices operating in concert. Multiple processors 428 may be configured to perform modules 408-412 and / or other modules via: software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software, hardware, and / or firmware; and / or other mechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on multiple processors 428. As used herein, the term "module" may refer to any element or set of elements that performs the functions belonging to that module. This may include one or more physical processors, processor-readable instructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any other element during the execution of processor-readable instructions.

[0089] The descriptions of the functions provided by the different modules 408-412 described below are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting, as any module among 408-412 may provide more or fewer functions than described. For example, one or more modules among 408-412 may be eliminated, and some or all of their functions may be provided by other modules 408-412. As another example, processor 428 may be configured to execute one or more additional modules that may perform some or all of the functions categorized below as belonging to one of modules 408-412.

[0090] Figure 5A is a block diagram illustrating a relay system 500 for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments. Referring to Figures 1 through 5, the relay system 500 may include: a 5G relay tethered AR (WLAR) UE 506, which includes a 5G WLAR 502 (i.e., including endpoint UEs (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184)) and an intermediary UE 504 (e.g., UEs 172a, 182a); a cloud / edge network 508 communicatively connected to the 5G relay WLAR UE 506 via a 5G network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c); and an endpoint server 510 (e.g., application servers 176, 188) that provides AR / MR / XR applications. An endpoint UE (not shown) can be mapped to a 5G WLAR 502, and an intermediary UE 504 can be mapped together with the 5G WLAR 502 to a 5G relay WLAR UE 506. The relay system 500 can determine QoS information regarding non-5G networks (such as wireless connections 501 (e.g., Wi-Fi communication links 173, 183) and endpoint server network connections 507 (e.g., wired communication links 177, 189)). This QoS information can be reported to, measured by, or otherwise determined by network elements of the 5G network (e.g., network element 402), used to adjust one or more QoS parameters based on the QoS requirements provided to the 5G WLAR 502 by the 5G network.

[0091] The 5G WLAR 502 can be a head-mounted display (HMD) or other types of AR / MR / XR glasses, or a device used to implement AR / MR / XR applications to provide a QoE to a user. The 5G WLAR 502 can include the following functional blocks: AR Runtime 502a, Lightweight Scene Manager 502b, Media Client 502c, and Basic AR / MR / XR Application 502d. AR Runtime 502a can receive sensor information and camera information from various sensors of the endpoint device mapped to the 5G WLAR 502 (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184). AR Runtime 502a can include the following functional blocks: Visual Engine / SLAM, Pose Correction, and Sound Mapping, to generate an AR / MR / XR experience based on AR data received from the Basic AR / MR / XR Application 502d and output it to the display and speakers of the 5G WLAR 502. The featherweight scene manager 502b may include the following functional blocks: a basic scene graphics processing handler and a compositor, to help AR execution 502a generate an AR / MR / XR experience based on AR data received from the basic AR / MR / XR application 502d. The basic AR / MR / XR application 502d may receive user input for selecting various AR / MR / XR applications, features, and options, and may request and receive AR / MR / XR data via an end-to-end network connection based on user input from the endpoint server 510. The media client 502c may include the following functional blocks: scene description delivery, content delivery, and a basic codec. The media client 502c may support media access functionality to support the delivery of media content components via an end-to-end network connection including a 5G network connection 505 and a wireless connection 501. In some embodiments, the wireless connection 501 may be a Wi-Fi BLE or sidelink connection. Media access capabilities may include 5GMS (5G Media Streaming), MTSI (Multimedia Telephony Service over IMS), web-connected or edge-related client functionality, and other media access capabilities. For example, media client 502c can request and receive AR / MR / XR application content information from media AS 508a-2 on the cloud / edge network 508, and can communicate AR / MR / XR application content information and associated requests with AR execution 502a.

[0092] Intermediate UE 504 can act as a relay device to relay IP packets between 5G WLAR 502 and cloud / edge network 508 and endpoint server 510, allowing 5G WLAR 502 to execute AR / MR / XR applications based on application information stored by endpoint server 510. Intermediate UE 504 may include media communication period processing routine 504a, which includes edge functionality supporting QoS control on the 5G system (i.e., adjusting QoS parameters to achieve changes in QoS provided to the 5G relay WLAR UE 506). To support appropriate QoS for the end-to-end network connection of relay system 500, media communication period processing routine 504a may consider the constraints of the tethered link (i.e., wireless connection 501) to provide sufficient QoS on 5G network connection 505, thereby providing sufficient QoS for end users.

[0093] The cloud / edge network 508 may include the following functional blocks: media delivery function 508a and AR / MR / XR application 508b. Media delivery function 508a may include the following functional blocks: media application function (AF) 508a-1 and media application server (AS) 508a-2, which may include content delivery, scene description, decoder, and encoder. Media AF 508a-1 may communicate with the media communication processing mode 504a of the intermediary UE 504 via 5G network connection 505 to establish end-to-end network connections for relay system 500, such as pose-to-render-to-photon loop 503. Media AS 508a-2 may relay AR / MR / XR content to the media client 502c of 5G WLAR 502 via the intermediary UE 504. AR / MR / XR application 508b may include the following functional blocks: AR functionality, semantic awareness, social integration, media asset storage, and AR scene manager 508b-1. AR scene manager 508b-1 may include the following functional blocks: scene graphics generator, immersive visual renderer, and immersive audio renderer. Endpoint server 510 may be communicatively coupled to cloud / edge network 508 via endpoint server network connection 507, and may provide updates to application files for AR / MR / XR application 508b.

[0094] The pose-to-rendering-to-photonic loop 503 can be established via an end-to-end network connection as shown in Figure 5A. For example, the media client 502c, the media communication processing mode 504a, and the media delivery function 508a can communicate via wireless connection 501 and 5G network connection 505 to establish a stable and constant communication path for the pose-to-rendering-to-photonic loop 503. Therefore, the pose-to-rendering-to-photonic loop 503 can include four wireless links (i.e., two between the 5G WLAR 502 and the intermediary UE 504, and two between the intermediary UE 504 and the cloud / edge network 508) for communicating AR / MR / XR information via the end-to-end network connection. For example, the intermediary UE 504 can relay requests for AR / MR / XR information for AR / MR / XR applications from the 5G WLAR 502 to the cloud / edge network 508 via the pose-to-rendering-to-photonic loop 503. The AR / MR / XR application 508b (i.e., AR scene manager 508b-1) can receive, process, and respond to requests by sending associated AR / MR / XR information to the 5G WLAR 502 via the pose-to-render-to-photon loop 503.

[0095] In some embodiments, network elements within an end-to-end network connection can determine the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection. The QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection can be based in part on the UE's QoS requirements (e.g., bandwidth, bit rate, packet error rate, etc.) or data requirements. When a UE located in a non-5G network (e.g., 5G WLAN 502) within an end-to-end network connection establishes a connection with a telecommunications network such as a 5G core network, the UE can provide network elements within the telecommunications network with QoS requirements that outline the UE's basic data requirements. For example, the UE can notify network elements that it is implementing a data streaming video application, and the network elements can configure the telecommunications network to provide QoS common in data streaming video services. In some embodiments, network elements can detect the UE's device or application type and can configure the 5G network. Network elements can configure the 5G network based on the UE's QoS requirements to provide general QoS to the endpoint UE. However, outside the 5G network, within a non-5G network where the endpoint UE resides, the 5G network may not be aware of the actual endpoint QoS. 5G networks may lack visibility and direct control over non-5G networks, and therefore may be unable to optimize the QoS provided to endpoint UEs via the 5G network. For example, a 5G network (configured by network elements) may over-provision QoS to a UE based solely on QoS requests received from the UE, resulting in excessive resources being provided to the UE (e.g., excessive bandwidth, bit rate; low packet rate, etc.), thus wasting 5G network resources. As another example, a 5G network (configured by network elements) may not be able to prepare sufficient QoS for the UE. In this case, the user's QoE at the endpoint UE may be poor, but the network elements of the 5G network will not be aware of the poor QoS experienced in the non-5G network. Various embodiments allow the network elements of the 5G network to indirectly optimize the QoS experienced by endpoint UEs in the non-5G network based on QoS information provided to the network elements from devices or reporting entities in the non-5G network.

[0096] Figure 5B is a message flow diagram illustrating the dialing process that may occur in the relay system architecture shown in Figure 5A. Referring to Figures 1A to 5B, in this architecture, the intermediary UE 504 is not involved in media processing because it acts as a relay between the network and the AR glasses 502. To ensure the desired end-to-end QoS, UE 504 monitors and estimates the QoS of the link (e.g., Wi-Fi link) with the AR glasses 502, determines the QoS requirements on the 5G system, and issues a QoS request to the PDU communication period establishment process. Specifically, the initiation of an AR application running on the AR glasses 502 can begin with the application initiating Device Exploration Message Exchange 1 to detect and establish a wireless connection with the intermediary UE 504. Once a wireless connection is established with the intermediary UE 504, the AR application running on the AR glasses 502 can initiate an edge exploration request and message 2 via the media communication period processing routine 504a (“MSH” in Figure 5B) executed in the intermediary UE 504. The intermediate UE 504 can initiate edge exploration and connection message exchange with the edge application server 508 via the user plane function 510 (UPF) of the 5G network through the media communication processing mode 504a.

[0097] Once a communication connection is established with the edge application server 508, the application running in the AR glasses 502 can send media capability messages 4 to the edge application server 508 via this connection. Upon receiving notification of the media capabilities from the AR glasses 502, the edge application server 508 and the AR glasses 502 can exchange split-screen rendering configuration messages 5 to divide the rendering processing tasks between the AR glasses 502 at the edge application server 508 (and possibly the intermediary UE 504). With this configuration established, the application running in the AR glasses 502 can launch AR applications and messages 6.

[0098] To initiate support for AR applications, in operation 7, the intermediate UE 504 can estimate the Quality of Service (QoS) of the AR glasses' Wi-Fi link via the wireless connection to the AR glasses 502 and the connection to the user plane function 510 via the media communication processing mode 504a. In operation 8, the intermediate UE 504 can communicate requests for the QoS levels required to support AR applications and establish Protocol Data Unit (PDU) communication sessions. Subsequently, the AR application running in the AR glasses 502 can send camera feeds, audio data, and gesture information to the edge application server 508 in data stream 9. The edge application server 508 can use this uploaded data to generate audio and video AR media, which is downloaded to the AR glasses 502 in video / audio / scene map data stream 10.

[0099] Figures 6A to 6C are block diagrams illustrating system architectures 600a-600c for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments. Referring to Figures 1 to 6C, the system architectures 600a-600c shown in Figure 6A may include endpoint UE 602 (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184), intermediate UE 604 (e.g., UE 172a, 182a, intermediate UE 504), gNB 606 (e.g., gNB 172b, 182b), non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 608, user plane function (UPF) 610 (e.g., 172d, 182d), and endpoint server 612 (e.g., application server 176, 188, endpoint server 510). In some embodiments of the elements of FIG5A, endpoint UE 602 may be mapped to 5G WLAR 502, intermediate UE 604 may be mapped to intermediate UE 504, and endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604 may be mapped to 5G trunk WLAR UE 506.

[0100] System architectures 600a-600c can represent various end-to-end telecommunications network architectures, where QoS information can be measured and / or recorded by endpoint devices (e.g., endpoint UE 602, endpoint server 612) in non-5G networks and subsequently reported from those endpoint devices to network elements (e.g., network element 402) within the 5G network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c) to adjust the QoS parameters of the 5G network based on the QoS requirements of the endpoint devices (i.e., within the end-to-end network connection) and the reported QoS information. Referring to Figures 6A-6C, network elements can be gNB 606, N3IWF 608, UPF 610, or devices, components, functional blocks, or any other entities within the 5G network that include gNB 606, N3IWF 608, and UPF 610.

[0101] Referring to Figure 6A, endpoint UE 602 can be partially managed by 3GPP (i.e., the higher layer of 3GPP management) via N3IWF 608. N3IWF 608 can partially manage endpoint UE 602 using interface Y1 between endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604, and interface Y2 between intermediate UE 604 and N3IWF 608. In system architecture 600a in which endpoint UE 602 is partially managed by 3GPP, endpoint UE 602, intermediate UE 604, or both endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604 can measure, record, or otherwise obtain QoS information describing the status and attributes of the QoS of a non-5G network. For example, endpoint UE 602 and / or intermediate UE 604 (e.g., via media communication processing mode 504a) can collect QoS information (such as round-trip delay, one-way delay, and / or packet error rate) of non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connection between endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604) and report the obtained QoS information to network elements of the 5G network (e.g., N3IWF 608).

[0102] Referring to Figure 6B, endpoint UE 602 may be managed independently of 3GPP, rather than by 3GPP. In system architecture 600b where endpoint UE 602 is managed independently of 3GPP, intermediate UE 604 can measure, record, or otherwise obtain QoS information describing the status and attributes of the QoS of non-5G networks. For example, intermediate UE 604 (e.g., via media communication processing mode 504a) can notify the 3GPP network of the presence of endpoint UE 602 via a non-3GPP network (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth). Subsequently, intermediate UE 604 can collect QoS information of non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connection between endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604) and report the obtained QoS information to network elements of the 5G network, such as media AF 508a-1, access and mobility management function (AMF), or policy and charging function (PCF). The PCF can control the service protocol and determine which 5G QoS to provide to the 5G network. The PCF (not shown) can connect to the AMF (not shown), and the AMF can connect to the media AF 508a-1.

[0103] Referring to Figure 6C, endpoint UE 602 can be fully managed by 3GPP. In system architecture 600a, where endpoint UE 602 is fully managed by 3GPP (e.g., via PC5 interface, sidelink), endpoint UE 602, intermediate UE 604, or both endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604 can measure, record, or otherwise obtain QoS information describing the status and attributes of the QoS of non-5G networks. For example, endpoint UE 602 and / or intermediate UE 604 (e.g., via media communication processing mode 504a) can collect QoS information of non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connection between endpoint UE 602 and intermediate UE 604) and report the obtained QoS information to network elements of the 5G network (e.g., media AF 508a-1, AMF, or PCF).

[0104] System architectures 600a-600c describe various methods for obtaining QoS information from non-5G networks and reporting the obtained QoS information to network elements in the 5G network via reporting entities (e.g., endpoint UE 602, intermediate UE 604) for further processing. In some embodiments, QoS information may include QoS-related information for non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, BLE, sidelinks), including characteristics or metrics such as round-trip time or latency, one-way latency, or packet error rate. QoS information may further include classification of non-5G networks as part of an end-to-end connection. For example, network connection classification may determine whether a non-5G network is a Wi-Fi network (e.g., IEEE 802.11ad, 802.11ac), BLE, or a wired connection (e.g., USB). As another example, network classification may include QoS configuration for non-5G networks (e.g., Wi-Fi), which may be defined by a specific access category (e.g., best effort or video) under Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA). QoS information may further include desired changes to the QoS provided to endpoint UE 602 from the 5G telecommunications network. For example, endpoint UE 602 may report the desired changes to network elements of the 5G network that prepares a specific QoS for endpoint UE 602, and the desired changes may include the amount of reduction in latency (e.g., round-trip latency, one-way latency) or packet error rate, and / or the amount of increase in latency (e.g., round-trip latency, one-way latency) or packet error rate that is permitted without violating the Quality of Experience (QoE) of endpoint UE 602.

[0105] QoS information may further include metrics measured between the telecommunications network and the application or endpoint server, including one-way latency from the telecommunications network to the application server, one-way latency from the application server to the telecommunications network, round-trip latency between the telecommunications network and the application server, packet error rate from the telecommunications network to the application server, and / or packet error rate from the application server to the telecommunications network. For example, network elements within the 5G core network can measure time delay metrics to and from endpoint servers (e.g., endpoint servers 510, 612). Measurements performed by network elements can be proactive, where network elements can send probe packets (such as ping messages indicating round-trip latency between the network element and endpoint server 612) and / or timestamp messages to determine round-trip latency and / or one-way latency. For example, network elements within the 5G core network can generate timestamp messages with timestamps indicating a start time (To).

[0106] In response to receiving a timestamp message indicating To from a network element, endpoint server 612 can generate a timestamp reply message with a timestamp for the time of receipt (Tr). The timestamp reply message may also include a timestamp indicating To and a timestamp for the time of transmission (Tt) of the timestamp reply message. Subsequently, endpoint server 612 can send the timestamp reply message to a network element within the 5G core network that initially sent a timestamp message including To.

[0107] In response to receiving a timestamp reply message from endpoint server 612, a network element may generate a timestamp indicating the reception or final time (Tf). The network element may then calculate any of the following: (i) the one-way delay from the network element within the 5G core network to endpoint server 612 (i.e., one-way delay = Tr – To); (2) the one-way delay from endpoint server 612 to the network element (i.e., one-way delay = Tf – Tt); (3) the round-trip delay between the network element and endpoint server 612 (i.e., round-trip delay = Tf – To, or Tf – Tt + Tr – To). In some embodiments, the measurement of round-trip delay and / or one-way delay may be performed passively by recording the local timestamps of the transmitted packets and the corresponding return packets. In some embodiments, the measurement of time delay between network elements and endpoint server 612 may be performed by network entities such as media AF 508a-1, media AS 508a-2 and / or UPF 610.

[0108] QoS information may further include information about applications running on endpoint UE 602, such as video codecs, audio codecs, bit rates, frame rates, latency (e.g., for rendering, for detecting gesture changes), or QoS requirements (e.g., regarding throughput and / or latency). QoS information may further include information about network traffic, such as whether uplink and downlink traffic is symmetrical, whether uplink traffic is primarily light-command and gesture-based but has strict latency requirements, and whether downlink traffic is primarily multimedia-heavy but has less stringent latency requirements. For example, QoS information including application information and / or traffic information can be obtained via various system architectures 600a-600c (e.g., 5G relay WLAN UE 506) and can subsequently be reported to network elements within the 5G network via media communication processing routines 504a and / or media clients 502c.

[0109] QoS information may further include the time delay between endpoint UE 602 and the device that manages renderer functions for augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), or extended reality (XR) applications (e.g., mediating UE 604, endpoint server 612).

[0110] Figure 7A is a block diagram illustrating a split-screen rendering system 700 for improving QoS in end-to-end network connections according to various embodiments. In the split-screen rendering architecture, non-5G network QoS information (such as time delays between multiple devices performing rendering operations for the same output) can be used by network elements to better optimize the QoS experienced by the non-5G network within the end-to-end connection by adjusting the QoS parameters of the 5G network.

[0111] Referring to Figures 1 through 7A, the split-screen rendering system 700 may include: a 5G split-screen rendering wireless tethered AR (WLAR) UE 706, which includes endpoint UE 702 (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UE 602), intermediate UE 704 (e.g., UE 172a, 182a, intermediate UE 504, 604); a 5G system 708 communicatively connected to the 5G split-screen rendering WLAR UE 706 via a 5G network (e.g., 5G core network 172c, 182c); and endpoint servers 710 (e.g., application servers 176, 188, endpoint servers 510, 612), which provides AR / MR / XR applications. Endpoint UE 702 and intermediate UE 704 may be mapped together to the 5G split-screen rendering WLAR UE 706. System 700 can determine QoS information about non-5G networks (such as wireless connections 701 (e.g., Wi-Fi communication links 173, 183, wireless connection 501) and endpoint server network connections 707 (e.g., wired communication links 177, 189, endpoint server network connection 507)), which can be reported to network elements of the 5G network (e.g., network element 402), measured by the network element, or otherwise determined by the network element, for adjusting one or more QoS parameters based on the QoS requirements provided to endpoint UE 702 by the 5G network.

[0112] Endpoint UE 702 can be an HMD or other type of AR / MR / XR glasses or a device used to implement AR / MR / XR applications to provide a certain QoE to a user. Endpoint UE 702 can include the following functional blocks: basic AR execution time 702a, feather-level scene manager 702b, and tethering function 702c. Basic AR execution time 702a can receive sensor information and camera information from various sensors of endpoint UE 702. Basic AR execution time 702a can include the following functional blocks: a visual engine / SLAM and pose correction to generate an AR / MR / XR experience based at least on additional AR / MR / XR data received from another device or component of the master renderer application and output it to the display and speakers of endpoint UE 702. Feather-level scene manager 702b can include the following functional blocks: a basic application and a compositor to assist AR execution time 702a in generating an AR / MR / XR experience based on AR data received from another rendering device via tethering function 702c. The tethering function 702c can receive user input for selecting various AR / MR / XR applications, functions, and options, and the basic AR execution time 702a can request and receive AR / MR / XR data from the endpoint server 710 and / or another rendering device via an end-to-end network connection based on the user input. The tethering function 702c may include the following functional blocks: content delivery and basic codec. The tethering function 702c can support wireless communication functions to support the delivery of media content components via an end-to-end network connection including a 5G network connection 705 and a wireless connection 701. For example, the tethering function 702c can request and receive rendered AR / MR / XR application content information from the AR scene manager 704c of the intermediate UE 704 (i.e., the intermediate UE is performing rendering processing to be used in a split-screen rendering application), and can communicate the AR / MR / XR application content information and associated requests with the AR execution time 702a.

[0113] Intermediate UE 704 can act as a device for managing renderer applications, rendering data that can be used in conjunction with application data rendered by endpoint UE 702. Intermediate UE 704 may include the following functional blocks: binding function 704a, AR execution 704b, AR scene manager 704c, media access function 704d, and AR / MR / XR application 705e. Binding function 704a may include the following functional blocks: content delivery, decoder, and encoder; binding function 702c to relay AR / MR / XR information to endpoint UE 702 via wireless connection 701. AR execution 704b may include the following functional blocks: visual engine / SLAM, visual mapping, and sound field mapping to render AR / MR / XR content that can be used by endpoint UE 702, thereby generating an AR / MR / XR experience and outputting it to the display and speakers of endpoint UE 702. The AR scene manager 704c may include the following functional blocks: scene graphics processing routines, a compositor, an immersive visual renderer, and an immersive audio renderer, to help AR execution 704b generate a split-screen rendered AR / MR / XR content experience based on AR data received from the AR / MR / XR application 702e. The AR / MR / XR application 702e may receive user input for selecting various AR / MR / XR applications, features, and options, and may request and receive AR / MR / XR data from the endpoint server 710 via an end-to-end network connection based on this user input. The media access function 704d may include the following functional blocks: media communication processing routines 704d-1 and media access function 704d-2. The media client 704d-2 may include the following functional blocks: a 2D codec, scene description delivery, an immersive media decoder, and content delivery. Media access function 704d can support media access functionality to enable the request and delivery of media content components via an end-to-end network connection including 5G network connection 705. For example, media communication processing mode 704d-1 and media client 704d-2 may include the ability to support establishing a 5G network connection with 5G system 708 (i.e., media AF 708a and media AS 708b with 5G system 708).

[0114] The 5G system 708 may include the following functional blocks: Media AF 708a and Media AS 708b. Media AF 708a and Media AS 708b can communicate AR / MR / XR application information from endpoint server 710 to intermediate UE 704 and / or endpoint UE 702 to perform a split-screen rendering process.

[0115] Endpoint server 710 can be communicatively coupled to 5G system 708 via endpoint server network connection 707, and can provide updates to application files for various components that can be distributed to intermediate UE 704 to AR / MR / XR application 704e. In some embodiments, endpoint server 710 can manage renderer applications and can perform split-screen rendering processes to generate AR / MR / XR content, which can be combined with application content rendered by endpoint UE 702 to output a complete AR / MR / XR experience. For example, endpoint server 710 may include functional blocks such as AR function 710a and AR scene 710b, which can perform AR / MR / XR rendering functions similar to the basic AR execution time 702a and feather level scene manager 702b of endpoint UE 702 and the AR execution time 704b and AR scene manager 704c of intermediate UE 704.

[0116] The pose-to-rendering-to-photon loop 703 can be established via an end-to-end network connection as shown in Figure 7A. For example, the tethering function 702c can communicate via wireless connection 701 to establish a stable and constant communication path for the pose-to-rendering-to-photon loop 703. Therefore, the pose-to-rendering-to-photon loop 703 may include two wireless links (i.e., two between the endpoint UE 702 and the intermediary UE 704) for communicating split-screen rendering AR / MR / XR information via wireless connection 701. For example, the endpoint UE 702 can send pose information (e.g., 3D orientation, accelerometer information, additional sensor information) to the intermediary UE 704 via the pose-to-rendering-to-photon loop 703. The AR scene manager 704c receives the pose information and, in response, generates split-screen rendered AR / MR / XR data corresponding to the pose information and sends it to the endpoint UE 702 via the pose-to-rendering-to-photon loop 703 to develop a complete AR / MR / XR experience. In some embodiments where the endpoint server 710 can manage the split-screen rendering function, the pose-to-render-to-photon loop 703 can be extended via a 5G network connection 705 to allow the transmission of split-screen rendering requests (i.e., from the endpoint UE 702) and content (i.e., from the intermediary UE 704 and / or the endpoint server 710) between the endpoint UE 702 and the endpoint server 710.

[0117] In some embodiments, obtaining, calculating, or otherwise determining the latency between endpoint UE 702 (e.g., a rendering device, such as glasses, HMD, etc.) and the device managing the rendering function (i.e., intermediary UE 704, endpoint server 710) can be used by network elements of the 5G network to improve the QoS of non-5G networks within the end-to-end connection (i.e., from endpoint UE 702 to endpoint server 710). Based on QoS information including the latency between endpoint UE 702 and the device managing the rendering function, network elements can adjust the QoS parameters of the 5G network to achieve optimal changes within the 5G network, thereby indirectly providing improved or sufficient QoS to non-5G networks.

[0118] In some embodiments, transmission latency may be measured by endpoint UE 702 based on round-trip time measurements between endpoint UE 702 and the device of the master renderer (i.e., intermediate UE 704, endpoint server 710), or it may be measured based on one-way latency with the aid of timestamps. In some embodiments, transmission latency may be measured by a network element located in or processed with the 5G network and closest to endpoint UE 702 (e.g., intermediate UE 704 as a 5G phone operator). In some embodiments, the device measuring latency (e.g., endpoint UE 702 or intermediate UE 704) may report the measured latency to network elements within the 5G core network and / or to the device of the master split-screen rendering function. The latency ("D") can be used by the device managing the renderer function to predict the time corresponding to the rendered content (e.g., video, audio), so that any content rendered by the split-screen rendering device can be sent to the endpoint UE 702 in a timely manner. This allows the endpoint UE 702 to generate a complete AR / MR / XR experience by combining the received rendered content with the corresponding content rendered locally by the endpoint UE 702. For example, the device managing the renderer function can predict a pose in the future "x" seconds and render content to prepare for that pose, where x = rendering latency (i.e., the time to render the content) + D + display latency (i.e., the display latency of the endpoint UE 702). In some embodiments, the latency can be relayed or reported to network elements of the 5G network to determine whether the QoS parameters of the 5G network can be adjusted to promote a reduction in latency "D" or to reallocate 5G network resources if a longer latency "D" can be tolerated without affecting the QoE observed by the user of the endpoint UE 702.

[0119] In some embodiments of system 700 implementing a 5G split-screen rendering wireless tethered AR (WLAR) UE 706, to determine the latency between an endpoint device and a primary renderer device, the endpoint device can be mapped to endpoint UE 702, and the primary renderer device can be mapped to an intermediary UE 704 (e.g., a 5G phone). Therefore, the intermediary UE 704 can receive latency information from endpoint UE 702 and can relay the latency information to network elements within the 5G network, as described with reference to Figures 6A to 6C. For example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600a, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 702) is partially managed by 3GPP via N3IWF 608. As another example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600b, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 702) is managed independently of 3GPP. As yet another example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600c, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 702) is entirely managed by 3GPP via the PC5 side link.

[0120] In some embodiments of a relay system 500 including a 5G relay wireless tethered AR (WLAR) UE 506, to determine the latency between an endpoint device and a master renderer device, the endpoint device can be mapped to a 5G WLAR 502, and the master renderer device can be mapped to a cloud / edge (e.g., cloud / edge network 508, endpoint server 510). Therefore, the master renderer's cloud / edge can receive latency information from the 5G WLAR 502 and can relay the latency information to network elements within the 5G network, as described with reference to Figures 6A to 6C. For example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600a, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 502) is partially managed by 3GPP via N3IWF 608. As another example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600b, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 502) is managed independently of 3GPP. As yet another example, latency can be reported to network elements in a system implementing system architecture 600c, where endpoint UE 602 (e.g., 502) is entirely managed by 3GPP via the PC5 side link.

[0121] In various embodiments, network elements within a telecommunications network can adjust the QoS parameters of the telecommunications network based on the QoS requirements of endpoint UEs (e.g., 5G WLAN 502, endpoint UE 602, endpoint UE 702) and QoS information obtained from non-5G networks within the same end-to-end network connection as the telecommunications network. Adjusting QoS parameters may include configuring the 5G network to: influence the QoS observed in the non-5G network; improve the QoS of the non-5G network based on received QoS information and QoS requirements; or allocate fewer resources to the endpoint UE after determining that fewer 5G resources will be sufficient and the QoE observed at the endpoint UE will not be negatively affected by resource reallocation. In some embodiments, adjusting QoS parameters may include adjusting the 5QI of the 5G network.

[0122] Figure 7B is a message flow diagram illustrating the dialing process that may occur in the relay system architecture shown in Figure 7A. Referring to Figures 1A to 7B, in this architecture, the Media Communication Period Processing (MSH) 704, performed in the intermediary UE 704, handles edge exploration. The link between the AR glasses 702 and the intermediary UE 704 can be a Wi-Fi link as shown, but it can also be a 3GPP sidelink via the PC5 interface. The 5G system, represented by the User Plane Function (UPF) 708, is involved at the start of the dialing process in messages 2 to 4. The edge exploration process is shown as application-driven, but it can be network-driven (in which case the edge exploration request message 2 can be omitted). After the media software has been downloaded in message 4, all processing and communication can take place between the AR glasses 702 and the intermediary UE 704.

[0123] Specifically, the initiation of the AR application executing the intermediary UE 704 can begin with the device exploration message exchange 1 between the tethering function 704a executed in UE 714 and the AR glasses 702 to establish a wireless connection between the two devices. Once a wireless connection is established with the AR glasses 702, the AR application 704b executing in the intermediary UE 704 can initiate an edge exploration request 2 to the media communication period processing mode 704d ("MSH" in Figure 7B) executed in the intermediary UE 704. The intermediary UE 704 can initiate an edge exploration and connection message exchange 3 with the edge application server 710 via the user plane function 708 (UPF) of the 5G network through the media communication period processing mode 704a.

[0124] With a communication connection established with the edge application server 710, application 704b, executed in the intermediate UE 704, downloads media software from the edge application server 710 via user plane function 708 in message exchange 4.

[0125] At this point, the AR glasses 702 can send a media capability message 5 to the application 704b running in the intermediary UE 704. Having notified the AR glasses of the media capability, the application 704b running in the intermediary UE 704 and the AR glasses 702 can exchange a function split-screen negotiation message 6 to divide rendering processing tasks between the AR glasses 702 and the application 704b running in the intermediary UE 704. As an example of function split-screen, the intermediary UE 704 can request to use the display of the AR glasses 702.

[0126] With a split-screen configuration established, application 704b running in intermediary UE 704 can initiate AR application message 7. Subsequently, AR glasses 702 can send camera feeds, audio data, and gesture information to application 704b running in intermediary UE 704 in data stream 8. Application 704b can use such uploaded data to generate audio and video AR media, which is downloaded to AR glasses 702 in video / audio / scene graph data stream 9.

[0127] Figure 8 is a process flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 800 for improving QoS in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, according to various embodiments. Referring to Figures 1 through 8, method 800 can be implemented in a processor (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) configured to perform the operations of the method. In various embodiments, the processor (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) can be configured to perform the operations via processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory processor-readable medium (e.g., memory devices 220, 258, electronic storage device 426). The component for performing each operation of method 800 can be a processor of the wireless modem system 200 and / or network element 402, such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0128] In block 802, network elements within the end-to-end network connection can determine the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection. In various embodiments, network elements (e.g., network element 402) can determine the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection based on the QoS needs of endpoint UEs (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UEs 602, 702) located in a second network (e.g., a non-5G network). In some embodiments, determining the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection by network elements within the end-to-end network connection can include: determining the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection by network elements based on service agreements, application types, or user requests. In some embodiments, the first communication network can be a 5G network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c), while the second communication network may not be a 5G network (i.e., a non-5G network). The components used to perform the operations of each of blocks 802 may include processors of the wireless modem system 200 and / or network element 404, such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0129] In block 804, a network element can obtain QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network. In various embodiments, a network element (e.g., network element 402) can receive, determine, or otherwise obtain QoS information from a reporting entity within the second communication network (e.g., a non-5G network), such as wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UEs 602, 702, UEs 172a, 182a, intermediary UEs 504, 604, 704, application servers 176, 188, and endpoint servers 510, 612, 710.

[0130] In some embodiments, QoS information may include at least one of the following: round-trip time of an end-to-end network connection, one-way delay of an end-to-end network connection, or packet error rate provided to a reporting entity. In some embodiments, QoS information may include a classification of a second communication network. In some embodiments, QoS information may include a request message indicating a requested change to the round-trip time of an end-to-end network connection, the one-way delay of an end-to-end network connection, or the packet error rate provided to a reporting entity. In some embodiments, QoS information may include at least one of application information or traffic information.

[0131] In some embodiments, obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by a network element may include measuring the latency between the first communication network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c) and endpoint servers (e.g., application servers 176, 188, endpoint servers 510, 612, 710) within the second communication network. In some embodiments, the network element may be located within the second communication network, and obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element may include measuring the latency between the reporting entity and the network element. In some embodiments, the network element may be located within a third communication network (e.g., a non-5G network) communicatively connected to the second communication network via the first communication network, and obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element may include measuring the latency between the reporting entity and the network element. In some embodiments, the network element may be located within a first communication network, and obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element may include measuring the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0132] The components used to perform the operations of each of blocks 804 may include processors of the wireless modem system 200 and / or network element 404, such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0133] In block 806, a network element can adjust the QoS parameters of the first communication network based on determined QoS requirements and obtained QoS information. In various embodiments, a network element (e.g., network element 402) can adjust the QoS parameters of the first communication network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c) based on QoS requirements determined in block 802 and QoS information obtained in block 804. In some embodiments, adjusting the QoS parameters of the first communication network by a network element based on determined QoS requirements and obtained QoS information may include adjusting the 5G QoS parameters (e.g., 5QI) of the first communication network by the network element. Components for performing each operation of block 806 may include processors of the wireless modem system 200 and / or network element 404, such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0134] The order of operations performed in blocks 802-806 is merely illustrative, and in some embodiments, the operations in blocks 802-806 may be performed in any order and partially simultaneously. In some embodiments, method 800 may be performed by a processor of a device independently of but in conjunction with an external memory device. For example, method 800 may be implemented as a software module executing within the processor of a SoC or in dedicated hardware within the SoC, which issues commands to establish a secure memory channel and access the memory of the external memory device and is otherwise configured to take actions and store data as described.

[0135] Figure 9 is a process flowchart illustrating an embodiment of method 900 for improving QoS in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, according to some embodiments, which may be implemented as part of method 800. Referring to Figures 1 through 9, method 900 may be implemented in a processor (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) configured to perform the operations of the method. In various embodiments, the processor (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) may be configured to perform the operations via processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory processor-readable medium (e.g., memory devices 220, 258, electronic storage device 426). The component used to perform each operation of method 800 may be a processor of the wireless modem system 200, network element 402, or reporting entity (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UEs 602, 702, UEs 172a, 182a, intermediary UEs 504, 604, 704, application servers 176, 188, endpoint servers 510, 612, 710), such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0136] In block 902, the reporting entity can measure QoS information. Specifically, the reporting entity (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UEs 602, 702, UEs 172a, 182a, intermediary UEs 504, 604, 704, application servers 176, 188, endpoint servers 510, 612, 710) can measure, record, and / or otherwise determine QoS information for end-to-end network connections, including non-5G networks. Subsequently, the reporting entity can transmit the QoS information from the second communication network (e.g., a non-5G network) to network elements (e.g., network element 402) within the first communication network (e.g., 5G core networks 172c, 182c). The component used to perform the operations in block 902 may be a processor of the wireless modem system 200, network element 402, or reporting entity (e.g., wireless devices 174, 184, endpoint UEs 602, 702, UEs 172a, 182a, intermediary UEs 504, 604, 704, application servers 176, 188, endpoint servers 510, 612, 710), such as processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428, etc.

[0137] After the operation in block 902 is executed, the system can execute the operation in block 802 of method 800 (Figure 8).

[0138] Figure 10 is a block diagram of components suitable for use with various embodiments of a network element device. Such network element devices (e.g., network elements of core network 140 or 5G networks 151a, 161a, 171a and 181a, base station devices (such as base stations 110a-110d, 200, 350, etc., e.g., 402)) may include at least the components shown in Figure 10. Referring to Figures 1 through 10, network element device 1000 may typically include a processor 1001 coupled to volatile memory 1002 and mass non-volatile memory (such as disk drive 1008). Network element device 1000 may also include peripheral memory access devices 1006, such as a floppy disk drive, CD-ROM, or DVD drive coupled to processor 1001. Network element device 1000 may also include a network access port 1004 (or interface) coupled to processor 1001 for establishing a data connection with a network (such as the Internet or a local area network coupled to other system computers and servers). Network element device 1000 may include one or more antennas 1007 for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation that can be connected to a wireless communication link. Network element device 1000 may include additional access ports for coupling to peripheral devices, external memory, or other devices, such as USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, etc.

[0139] Figure 11 is a block diagram of components suitable for use with various embodiments of a wireless device 1100. In some embodiments, the wireless device 1100 may operate as a network element. Referring to Figures 1 through 11, various embodiments may be implemented on various wireless devices 1100 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320, 404), an example of which is illustrated in Figure 11 in the form of a smartphone. The wireless device 1100 may include a first SOC 202 (e.g., SOC-CPU) coupled to a second SOC 204 (e.g., a SOC with 5G capability). The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may be coupled to internal memory 1116, a display 1112, and a speaker 1114. Additionally, the wireless device 1100 may include an antenna 1104 for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation, which may be connected to a transceiver 427 coupled to one or more processors in the first SOC 202 and / or the second SOC 204. The wireless device 1100 may include a menu selection button or rocker switch 1120 for receiving user input.

[0140] Wireless device 1100 may include a voice codec (CODEC) circuit 1110 that digitizes sound received from a microphone into data packets suitable for wireless transmission and decodes the received sound data packets to generate an analog signal, which is provided to a speaker to produce sound. One or more processors among the first SOC 202, the second SOC 204, the wireless transceiver 266, and the CODEC 1110 may include digital signal processor (DSP) circuitry (not shown separately).

[0141] The processors of network element device 1000 and wireless device 1100 can be any programmable microprocessor, microcomputer, or multiprocessor chip, which can be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform various functions (including those described in some embodiments below). In some wireless devices, multiple processors may be provided, such as one processor within SoC 204 dedicated to wireless communication functions and another within SoC 202 dedicated to executing other applications. Software applications can be stored in memories 1002 and 1116 before being accessed and loaded into the processor. The processor may include sufficient internal memory to store application software instructions.

[0142] The various embodiments shown and described are provided by way of example only to illustrate the various features of the requested item. However, the features shown and described with respect to any given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated embodiment and can be used or combined with other embodiments shown and described. Furthermore, the requested item is not intended to be limited to any one exemplary embodiment. For example, one or more operations of methods 800 and 900 may replace or be combined with one or more operations of methods 800 and 900.

[0143] The following paragraphs describe implementation examples. Although some of the following implementation examples are described according to exemplary methods, other exemplary implementations may include: an exemplary method implemented by a base station, as discussed in the following paragraphs, the base station including a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform the operations of the methods of the following implementation examples; an exemplary method implemented by a base station, as discussed in the following paragraphs, the base station including components for performing the functions of the methods of the following implementation examples; and an exemplary method discussed in the following paragraphs that can be implemented as a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, on which processor-executable instructions are stored, the processor-executable instructions being configured to cause a processor of the base station to perform the operations of the methods of the following implementation examples.

[0144] Example 1. A method for improving the quality of service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, the method comprising: determining QoS requirements for the end-to-end network connection by network elements within the end-to-end network connection; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network elements; and adjusting QoS parameters of the first communication network by the network elements based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information.

[0145] Example 2. The method of Example 1, wherein the first communication network is a 5G network and the second communication network is not a 5G network.

[0146] Example 3. The method of any one of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the reporting entity is a device within a second communication network and the network element is a device within a first communication network, the method further includes measuring QoS information via the reporting entity, wherein obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element includes receiving QoS information from the reporting entity by the network element.

[0147] Example 4. The method of any one of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of the following: round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

[0148] Example 5. The method of any one of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the QoS information includes the classification of the second communication network.

[0149] Example 6. The method of any one of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the QoS information includes a request message indicating a request to change the round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, the one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or the packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

[0150] Example 7. The method of any one of Example 1 or 2, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of application information or traffic information.

[0151] Example 8. The method of any one of Examples 1 or 2, wherein obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by a network element includes measuring the latency between the first communication network and the endpoint servers within the second communication network.

[0152] Example 9. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the network element is located within the second communication network and the QoS information of the second communication network is obtained by the network element from the reporting entity within the second communication network includes measuring the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0153] Example 10. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the network element is located within a third communication network, the third communication network is communicatively connected to the second communication network through the first communication network, and the QoS information of the second communication network is obtained by the network element from the reporting entity within the second communication network, including measuring the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0154] Example 11. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the network element is located within the first communication network and the QoS information of the second communication network is obtained by the network element from the reporting entity within the second communication network includes measuring the delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

[0155] Example 12. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the QoS requirement of the end-to-end network connection is determined by the network element within the end-to-end network connection includes the QoS requirement of the end-to-end network connection determined by the network element based on the service protocol, application type, or user request, and the QoS requirement of the first communication network is regulated by the network element based on the determined QoS requirements and the QoS information obtained.

[0156] As used in the present case, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,” etc. are intended to include computer-related entities such as, but not limited to, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution that are configured to perform a particular operation or function. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process, a processor, an object, an executable, an execution thread, a program, or a computer that runs on a processor. To illustrate, both applications and wireless equipment running on wireless equipment can be referred to as components. One or more components may reside within a program or execution thread, and the components may be located on one processor or core or distributed between two or more processors or cores. In addition, the components can be executed from various non-transient computer-readable media on which various instructions or data structures are stored. Components may communicate via local or remote processes, function or procedure dialing, electronic signals, data packets, memory reads / writes, and other known network, computer, processor, or process-related communication methods.

[0157] In the future, a variety of different cellular and mobile communication services and standards may be available or anticipated, all of which can be implemented and benefit from various embodiments. Such services and standards include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 3rd generation mobile communications technology (3G), 4th generation mobile communications technology (4G), 5th generation mobile communications technology (5G) and subsequent 3GPP technologies, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 3GSM, Universal Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems (e.g., cdmaOne, CDMA1020TM), Enhanced Data Rate Evolution of GSM (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMPS), Digital AMPS (IS-136 / TDMA), Evolutionary Data Optimization (EV-DO), Digital Enhanced Wireless Telecommunications (DECT), Global Interoperability Microwave Access (WiMAX), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wi-Fi Protected Access I&II (WPA, WPA2), and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN). Each of these technologies relates to the transmission and reception of, for example, voice, data, signal transmission and / or content messages. It should be understood that any reference to terminology and / or technical details related to a single telecommunications standard or technology is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the request to a particular communication system or technology, unless specifically stated in the language of the request.

[0158] The foregoing method descriptions and process flowcharts are provided as illustrative examples only and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of the various embodiments must be performed in the presented order. As those skilled in the art will understand, the order of operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in any order. Words such as "then," "following," and "next" are not intended to limit the order of operations; these words are used to guide the reader in reading the description of the method. Furthermore, any reference to singular request elements, such as the use of the articles "a," "an," or "the," should not be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

[0159] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, elements, circuits, and algorithmic operations described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative elements, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of the claim.

[0160] The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, individual gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware elements, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any general-purpose processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of receiver intelligent objects, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some operations or methods may be performed by circuitry specific to a given function.

[0161] In one or more embodiments, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The operation of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be embodied in a processor-executable software module or processor-executable instructions, which can reside on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium can be any storage medium accessible by a computer or processor. For example (but not limitingly), such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage devices, magnetic storage devices or other magnetic storage objects, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible by a computer. As used herein, magnetic disks and optical disks include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, DVDs, floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media. Furthermore, the operation of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of code and / or instructions on non-transitory processor-readable and / or computer-readable storage media, and may be incorporated into computer program products.

[0162] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to be consistent with the widest scope of the claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0163] 100: Communication System 102a: Macrocell Service Area 102b: Microcell Service Area 102c: Nanoparticle service area 110a: Macro BS 110b: WeiweiBS 110c: nanomicroBS 110d: Relay BS 120a: Wireless equipment 120b: Wireless device 120c: Wireless device 120d: Wireless device 120e: Wireless devices 122: Wireless communication link 124: Wireless communication link 126: Wired or wireless communication link 130: Network Controller 140: Communication Network 150: Communication System 151a: 5G network 151b: Non-5G network 152a:UE 152b:gNB 152c: 5G Core Network 152d: User plane function 153: Cellular Communication Link 154: Internet 156: Wi-Fi access point 157: Wi-Fi wireless communication link 158: Wireless devices 160: Communication System 161a: 5G network 161b: Non-5G network 162a:UE 162c: 5G Core Network 162d: User plane function 163: Cellular Communication Link 164: Internet 166a: 4G network 166b:eNB 167: 4G wireless communication link 168: Wireless devices 170: Communication System 171a: 5G network 171b: First non-5G network 171c: Second non-5G network 172a: Wireless Equipment (UE) 172b:gNB 172c: 5G Core Network 172d: User plane function 173: Wi-Fi communication link 174: Wireless devices 175: Cellular Communication Link 176: Application Server 177: Wired communication link 180: Communication System 181a: 5G network 181b: First non-5G network 181c: Second non-5G network 182a: Wireless Equipment (UE) 182b:gNB 182c: 5G Core Network 182d: User plane function 183: Wi-Fi communication link 184: Wireless devices 185: Cellular Communication Link 186: Internet 187: Wired communication link 188: Application Server 189: Wired communication link 200: Wireless Modem System 202: First SOC 204: Second SOC 206: Clock 208: Voltage Regulator 210: Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 212: Modem Processor 214: Graphics Processor 216: Application Processor 218: Auxiliary Processor 220: Memory 222: Custom Circuits 224: System Components and Resources 230: Temperature sensor 232: Thermal Management Unit 234: Thermal Power Envelope (TPE) Element 250: Interconnect / Bus Module 252: Processor 254: Power Management Unit 256: Millimeter-wave (mmWave) transceiver 258: Memory 260: Additional Processor 264: Interconnect / Bus Module 266: Wireless transceiver 300: Software Architecture 302: Non-Accessible Layer (NAS) 304: Access Control Server (AS) 306: Entity Layer (PHY) 308: MAC sublayer 310: Radio Link Control (RLC) Sublayer 312: Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Sublayer 313: RRC sublayer 314: Host Layer 317: Service Data Adaptation Agreement (SDAP) 320: Wireless devices 350:Base station 400: System 402: Network Element 406: Machine-readable instructions 408: End-to-end QoS module 410: QoS Acquisition Module 412: QoS Adjustment Module 424: Communication Network 426: Electronic storage device 428: Processor 500: Relay System 501: Wireless Connection 502:5GWLAR 502a:AR execution 502b: Featherweight Scene Manager 502c: Media Client 503: From Pose to Rendering to Photon Circuit 504: Intermediary User Experience 504a: Standard Procedures for Media Communication Processing 505: 5G network connection 506: 5G relay WLARUE 507: Endpoint server network connection 508: Cloud / Edge Network 508a: Media AS 508a-1: Media Application Functionality (AF) 508a-2: Media Application Server (AS) 508b: AR / MR / XR Applications 508b-1: AR Scene Manager 510: Endpoint Server 600a: System Architecture 600b: System Architecture 600c: System Architecture 602: Endpoint UE 604: Intermediary User Experience 606:gNB 608:N3IWF 610:UPF 612: Endpoint Server 700: Split-screen rendering system 701: Wireless Connection 702: Endpoint UE 702a: Basic AR Execution 702b: Featherweight Scene Manager 702c: tethering function 703: From Pose to Rendering to Photon Circuit 704: Intermediary UE 704a: Standard Procedures for Media Communication Processing 704b: Application 704c:AR Scene Manager 704d: Media Access Function 704d-1: Media Communication Processing Norms 704d-2: Media Access Function 704e: AR / MR / XR Applications 705: 5G network connection 706: 5G Split-Screen Rendering Wireless Tie-in AR (WLAR) UE 707: Endpoint server network connection 708: 5G System 708a: Media AF 708b: Media AS 710: Endpoint Server 800: Method 802: Operation 804: Operation 806: Operation 900: Method 902: Operation 1000: Network Element Device 1001: Processor 1002: Memory 1004: Network Access Port 1006: Peripheral Memory Access Device 1007: Antenna 1008: Disk Drive 1100: Wireless devices 1104: Antenna 1110: Audio Encoding / Decoding (CODEC) Circuit 1112: Monitor 1114: Speaker 1116: Internal Memory 1120: Select button / rocker switch L1: Layer 1 L2: Layer 2 L3: Layer 3 Y1: Interface Y2: Interface

[0164] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number) none Overseas storage information (please note in the order of storage country, institution, date, and number) none

Claims

1. A method for improving the Quality of Service (QoS) in an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network, comprising the steps of: determining a QoS requirement for the end-to-end network connection by a network element within the end-to-end network connection; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element; and adjusting a QoS parameter of the first communication network by the network element based on the determined QoS requirement and the obtained QoS information.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first communication network is a 5G network and the second communication network is not a 5G network.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the reporting entity is a device within the second communication network and the network element is a device within the first communication network, the method further comprising the steps of: measuring the QoS information by the reporting entity, wherein the step of obtaining the QoS information of the second communication network by the network element from the reporting entity within the second communication network comprises the network element receiving the QoS information from the reporting entity.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of the following: a round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, a one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or a packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the QoS information includes a category of the second communication network.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the QoS information includes a request message indicating a round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, a one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or a request to change a packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of application information or traffic information.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element includes measuring a delay between the first communication network and an endpoint server within the second communication network.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein: The network element is located within the second communication network; and the step of obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element includes measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein: The network element is located within a third communication network, which is communicatively connected to the second communication network via the first communication network; and the step of the network element obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network includes measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

11. The method as described in claim 1, wherein: The network element is located within the first communication network; and the step of obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by the network element includes measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

12. The method as described in claim 1, wherein: The step of determining the QoS requirements of the end-to-end network connection by the network element within the end-to-end network connection includes the network element determining a QoS requirement of the end-to-end network connection based on a service agreement, application type, or user request; and the step of adjusting the QoS parameters of the first communication network by the network element based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information includes the network element adjusting a 5G QoS parameter of the first communication network.

13. A network element, comprising: A processor is configured with processor-executable instructions for: determining a QoS requirement for an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network; and adjusting a QoS parameter of the first communication network based on the determined QoS requirement and the obtained QoS information.

14. The network element as described in claim 13, wherein the first communication network is a 5G network and the second communication network is not a 5G network.

15. The network element as described in request item 13, wherein: The reporting entity is a device within the second communication network, and the network element is configured for use within the first communication network; and the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions for: measuring the QoS information by the reporting entity; and obtaining the QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by receiving the QoS information from the reporting entity by the network element.

16. The network element as described in claim 13, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of the following: a round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, a one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or a packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

17. The network element as described in claim 13, wherein the QoS information includes a category of the second communication network.

18. The network element as described in claim 13, wherein the QoS information includes a request message indicating a round-trip delay of the end-to-end network connection, a one-way delay of the end-to-end network connection, or a request to change a packet error rate provided to the reporting entity.

19. The network element as described in claim 13, wherein the QoS information includes at least one of application information or traffic information.

20. The network element as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to obtain QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network by measuring a delay between the first communication network and an endpoint server within the second communication network.

21. The network element as described in request item 13, wherein: The network element is located within the second communication network; and the QoS information of the second communication network is obtained from the reporting entity within the second communication network by measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

22. The network element as described in request item 13, wherein: The network element is located within a third communication network, which is communicatively connected to the second communication network via the first communication network; and QoS information of the second communication network is obtained from the reporting entity within the second communication network by measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

23. The network element as described in request item 13, wherein: The network element is located within the first communication network; and the QoS information of the second communication network is obtained from the reporting entity within the second communication network by measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

24. The network element as described in request item 13, wherein: The QoS requirements of the peer-to-peer network connection are determined by determining a QoS requirement based on a service agreement, application type, or user request; and the QoS parameters of the first communication network are adjusted based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information by adjusting a 5G QoS parameter of the first communication network.

25. A network element, comprising: Components used to determine a QoS requirement for an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network; A component for obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network; and a component for adjusting a QoS parameter of the first communication network based on the determined QoS requirements and the obtained QoS information.

26. The network element as claimed in claim 25, wherein the reporting entity is a device within the second communication network and the network element is a device within the first communication network, the network element further including means for measuring the QoS information by the reporting entity, wherein the means for obtaining the QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network includes means for receiving the QoS information from the reporting entity by the network element.

27. The network element as described in request item 25, wherein: The network element is located within the second communication network; and the components for obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network include components for measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

28. The network element as described in request item 25, wherein: The network element is located within a third communication network, which is communicatively connected to the second communication network via the first communication network; and the components for obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network include components for measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

29. The network element as described in request item 25, wherein: The network element is located within the first communication network; and the component for obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from the reporting entity within the second communication network includes a component for measuring a delay between the reporting entity and the network element.

30. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions being configured to cause a processor of a network element to perform operations including: determining a QoS requirement for an end-to-end network connection including a first communication network and a second communication network; obtaining QoS information of the second communication network from a reporting entity within the second communication network; and adjusting a QoS parameter of the first communication network based on the determined QoS requirement and the obtained QoS information.

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