Communication method and communication devices

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and communication devices. The communication method comprises: a first protocol layer sending a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity on the basis of a first condition, wherein the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are located in a second protocol layer, transmission modes of the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are different, and the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: the type of the first data packet, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet, the amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a QoS attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and association relationships between the first data packet and other data packets.

Description

Communication method and communication device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to improve the flexibility of transmission, the related art considers configuring a radio link control (RLC) entity with different transmission modes for one radio bearer, so that one packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity can be associated with multiple RLC entities with different transmission modes. In this case, how to determine the RLC entity performing transmission is a problem to be solved.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device. The following introduces each aspect of the present application.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a communication device, and the method comprising: sending, by a first protocol layer, a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity based on a first condition, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity being located at a second protocol layer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity having different transmission modes; and wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a type of the first data packet, a remaining transmission time of the first data packet, an amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a quality of service (QoS) attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and an association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a first protocol layer configured to send a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity based on a first condition, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity being located at a second protocol layer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity having different transmission modes; and wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a type of the first data packet, a remaining transmission time of the first data packet, an amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a QoS attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and an association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store one or more computer programs. The processor is configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the communication device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the communication device described above. In another possible design, the system can further include other devices interacting with the communication device in the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. The computer program causes a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program is operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a memory and a processor. The processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

[0012] In the case where the first protocol layer is associated with multiple protocol entities of the second protocol layer, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the corresponding protocol entity in the second protocol layer based on the first condition, which is beneficial to improving the rationality and flexibility of data transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is an example of a system architecture of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an example of a user plane protocol stack.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Communication system architecture

[0019] FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a system architecture of a wireless communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application can be applied. The wireless communication system 100 can include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The network device 110 can be a device that communicates with the terminal device 120. The network device 110 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area, and can communicate with the terminal device 120 located in the coverage area.

[0020] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows one network device and two terminal devices, and optionally, the wireless communication system 100 can include a plurality of network devices and each network device can include other numbers of terminal devices within the coverage range, which are not limited by embodiments of the present application.

[0021] Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 can further include a network controller, a mobile management entity, and other network entities, which are not limited by embodiments of the present application.

[0022] It should be understood that the technical solutions of embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), and the like. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a 6th generation mobile communication system, a satellite communication system, and the like.

[0023] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity for a user, and can be used to connect people, things and machines, for example, handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. Optionally, the UE can be used to act as a base station. For example, the UE can act as a scheduling entity, which provides a sidelink signal between UEs in V2X or D2D, etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car communicate with each other using a sidelink signal. The cellular phone and the smart home device communicate with each other without relaying the communication signal through the base station.

[0024] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device, which can also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device, such as a network device, which can be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or be replaced by the following names, such as: Node B (NodeB), evolved Node B (eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), relay station, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station MeNB, auxiliary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip for being disposed in the foregoing devices or apparatuses. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that undertakes a base station function in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that undertakes a base station function in a future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0025] The base station can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0026] In some deployments, the network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device includes a CU and a DU. The gNB can also include an AAU.

[0027] The network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on the aircraft, balloon and satellite in the air. The scene where the network device and the terminal device are located is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0028] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in the present application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0029] 5G application scenarios

[0030] Currently, with the pursuit of rate, delay, high mobility, energy efficiency and the diversity and complexity of services in future life, the 3rd generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) international standard organization begins to develop 5G. The main application scenarios of 5G are: enhanced mobile broadband (enhanced mobile broadband, eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (ultra-reliable low latency communications, URLLC), and massive machine type communications (massive machine type communications, mMTC).

[0031] On the one hand, eMBB still aims to enable users to obtain multimedia content, services and data, and its demand is growing very rapidly. On the other hand, since eMBB can be deployed in different scenarios, such as indoor, urban, rural, etc., the difference between its capabilities and requirements is also relatively large, so it cannot be generalized and must be analyzed in detail in combination with the specific deployment scenario.

[0032] One of the key features of URLLC is low latency, in which scenario the connection latency can reach 1 millisecond or less, and can support high reliability connections in high-speed mobile situations, for example, at a speed of 500 kilometers / hour, the reliability can reach 99.999%. Typical applications of URLLC include: industrial automation, power automation, remote medical operations (surgery), traffic safety assurance, etc.

[0033] Typical characteristics of mMTC include: high connection density, small data volume, latency-insensitive service, low cost of module and long service life, etc. Based on this, mMTC can include one or more of the following communications: communication of industrial wireless sensor networks, communication in video monitoring scenarios, communication of wearable devices.

[0034] Radio resource control (RRC) state

[0035] In some scenarios, NR can be deployed independently. In order to reduce air interface signaling, quickly recover wireless connection and quickly recover data service, 5G defines a new RRC state, i.e. RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state. This state is different from RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state and RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state. The following describes the three RRC states.

[0036] When the terminal device is in the RRC idle state, there is no RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device (e.g. camping network device), there is no access stratum (AS) context of the terminal device on the network device side, and there is no connection between the network device and the core network for the terminal device. If the terminal device needs to enter the RRC connected state from the RRC idle state, it needs to initiate an RRC connection establishment process. In the RRC idle state, the core network can send a paging message to the terminal device, that is, the paging process can be triggered by the CN. Optionally, the paging area can also be configured by the CN. In some cases, for the terminal device in the RRC idle state, when the terminal device moves in location (e.g. moves from one cell to another), the terminal device can initiate a cell reselection process. In other cases, for the terminal device in the RRC idle state, when the terminal device needs to access a cell, the terminal device can initiate a cell selection process. That is, the mobility management of the terminal device in the RRC idle state can include cell reselection and / or cell selection.

[0037] When the terminal device is in the RRC connected state, there is an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device (e.g. base station), there is an AS context of the terminal device on the network device, and unicast data can be transmitted between the terminal device and the network device. In the RRC connected state, the network device can determine the cell-level location information of the terminal device, that is, the network device can determine the cell to which the terminal device belongs. In the RRC connected state, when the terminal device moves in location, e.g. moves from one cell to another, the network device can control the terminal device to perform cell handover.

[0038] When the terminal device is in the RRC inactive state (referred to as the inactive state for short), there is a connection between the core network and the radio access network (RAN), and the AS context of the terminal device exists on the anchor network device. The RAN can send a paging message to the terminal device, that is, the paging process can be triggered by the RAN. The RAN-based paging area is managed by the RAN, and the network device can know the location of the terminal device based on the RAN-based paging area level. In some cases, for the terminal device in the RRC inactive state, when the terminal device moves in location (for example, moves from one cell to another cell), the terminal device can initiate a cell reselection process. In other cases, for the terminal device in the RRC inactive state, when the terminal device needs to access a cell, the terminal device can initiate a cell selection process. That is, the mobility management of the terminal device in the RRC inactive state can include cell reselection and / or cell selection.

[0039] User plane protocol stack

[0040] The user plane protocol stack of the communication system can be divided into multiple sub-layers. Taking the NR system as an example, the user plane protocol stack of the NR system can be divided into four sub-layers, see FIG. 2, and the four sub-layers are, from bottom to top, a medium access control (MAC) layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and a service data adaption protocol (SDAP) layer. The PDCP layer and the RLC layer are introduced below.

[0041] For uplink, the PDCP layer is mainly responsible for processing the PDCP service data unit (SDU) received from the SDAP layer, for example, processing the received PDCP SDU to generate a PDCP packet data unit (PDU), and then the PDCP layer can send (or submit) the generated PDCP PDU to the corresponding RLC layer. For downlink, the PDCP layer is mainly responsible for receiving the PDCP PDU sent from the RLC layer, processing it (such as removing the PDCP header), and then sending it to the SDAP layer.

[0042] The functions provided by the PDCP layer mainly include one or more of the following: a maintenance function of a sequence number (SN) of a PDCP sender, a maintenance function of a SN of a PDCP receiver, a data packet header compression and decompression function, a data packet encryption and decryption function, a data packet integrity protection function, a timer-based PDCP SDU discard function, a routing function in a split bearer scenario, a duplicate transmission function, a reordering function, and an in-sequence sending function.

[0043] In the data transceiving process, for uplink sending, the PDCP sending side can maintain a local COUNT value of TX_NEXT, which can be initially set to 0. Each time a new PDCP PDU is generated, the SN in the corresponding packet header is set to the value corresponding to TX_NEXT, and TX_NEXT is incremented by 1. TX_NEXT indicates the SN of the next PDCP PDU to be constructed. In addition, the PDCP sending side can perform header compression, integrity protection, and encryption operations on PDCP SDUs in sequence according to network configuration. For downlink receiving, the PDCP receiving side can maintain a receiving window according to a local COUNT value, which can be maintained by the following local variables: RX_NEXT, RX_DELIV, and RX_REORD.

[0044] RX_NEXT indicates the COUNT value corresponding to the next PDCP SDU expected to be received.

[0045] RX_DELIV indicates the COUNT value corresponding to the next PDCP SDU expected to be sent to the uplink. In some embodiments, the RX_DELIV variable can be used to determine the lower boundary of the receiving window.

[0046] RX_REORD indicates the COUNT value corresponding to the PDCP PDU triggering the reordering timer.

[0047] It should be noted that, unlike the LTE system, in the NR system, the PDCP layer uses an absolute COUNT value-based method for local variable maintenance and condition comparison in the data transceiving process, which can improve the readability of the protocol. Specifically, in the NR system, the COUNT value is composed of a SN and a hyperframe number, and the size is fixed at 32 bits. It should be further noted that, in the NR system, the header part of the PDCP PDU still contains the SN rather than the COUNT value, so there is no increase in the air interface transmission overhead.

[0048] The RLC layer is between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer, and can process the PDU data of the PDCP layer into SDUs and then hand them over to the MAC layer.

[0049] The RLC layer can provide one or more of the following functions: segmentation, concatenation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, reordering of RLC SDUs, error correction based on automatic repeat reQuest (ARQ), filtering of duplicate packets of received RLC SDUs, re-segmentation, RLC SDU discard.

[0050] The functions provided by the RLC layer can be applied to different transmission modes. This is described below.

[0051] Segmentation, concatenation and reassembly of RLC SDUs by the RLC layer can be applied in unacknowledge mode (UM) and acknowledge mode (AM). In some embodiments, segmentation, concatenation and reassembly of RLC SDUs by the RLC layer can be understood as the RLC layer can combine multiple PDCP layer PDUs into one SDU for transmission.

[0052] Reordering of received RLC SDUs by the RLC layer can be applied in UM and AM.

[0053] Error correction by the RLC layer through ARQ can be applied in AM.

[0054] Filtering of duplicate packets of received RLC SDUs by the RLC layer can be applied in AM, the duplicate packets being due to retransmission.

[0055] Re-segmentation by the RLC layer can be applied in AM. In some embodiments, re-segmentation by the RLC layer can mean that the RLC layer re-segments retransmission packets.

[0056] RLC SDU discard can be applied in AM and UM.

[0057] The transmission modes of the RLC layer are described below.

[0058] The RLC layer provides three transmission modes for different types of data: transparent mode (TM), UM and AM.

[0059] In TM, the RLC layer does not process data and sends it directly to the MAC layer. Therefore, TM is the simplest and most efficient to handle. TM is mainly used for the transmission of paging messages, system information broadcast and signaling radio bearer 0 (SRB 0).

[0060] UM can also be referred to as an unreliable mode. In UM, the RLC layer does not perform ARQ processing. UM does not support retransmission and is generally suitable for services that have low requirements for data reliability but are sensitive to latency, such as audio data radio bearers (DRBs), video, and other services that have high real-time requirements.

[0061] Unlike TM, UM is more complex, although it does not guarantee correct transmission. For example, in UM, the sending end needs to segment (if necessary) and add headers to RLC SDUs to construct UM data PDUs (UMD PDUs), and the receiving end needs to remove headers and reassemble (if necessary) the UMD PDUs. Segmentation and reassembly are because the MAC entity informs the UM RLC entity of the size limit of the UMD PDU that the MAC layer can receive. Because of the size limit, for a RLC SDU that is too large, a PDU may not be able to contain a complete SDU when the RLC entity constructs it into a UMD PDU. Therefore, the RLC SDU needs to be segmented into multiple RLC SDU segments, and each PDU contains only one RLC SDU segment in the data field, and then a header is added to construct a UMD PDU and sent to the MAC layer for transmission. That is, segmentation / reassembly and header addition / removal are the main differences between UM and TM.

[0062] AM can also be referred to as a reliable mode. In AM, the RLC layer provides full-featured processing. In other words, in AM, the RLC has the functions of UM and can also support data reception status feedback. Because of retransmission in AM, the transmission efficiency is relatively low. That is, AM supports retransmission based on status feedback reports, which can guarantee the reliability of data transmission, but also increases the latency of data transmission. AM is suitable for dedicated control and dedicated services, and generally has high requirements for reliability. For example, AM can be applied to the transmission of services that are sensitive to errors, such as SRB 0, file transfer protocol (FTP), Web browsing, and the like.

[0063] Like UM, the AM RLC entity also performs segmentation and reassembly, and header addition and removal if necessary. Unlike TM / UM, AM needs to guarantee the correctness of data transmission, so the sending end needs to perform retransmission as necessary based on the reception status of the receiving end.

[0064] Radio bearer (RB)

[0065] A radio bearer is used for network equipment to allocate different layer protocol entities and configurations for a terminal device, which can include PDCP entity, RLC entity, MAC entity and physical layer allocated resources, etc. A radio bearer can include data radio bearer (DRB) and signaling radio bearer (SRB).

[0066] In some embodiments, PDCP and radio bearer can be one-to-one correspondence, that is, each radio bearer can be associated with a PDCP entity.

[0067] The terminal device in multi-radio access technology dual connectivity (MR-DC) configuration has three types of radio bearers, which are master cell group bearer (MCG bearer), secondary cell group bearer (SCG bearer) and split bearer.

[0068] When the RLC, MAC and physical protocol stack of a radio bearer is located at the master node (MN), the radio bearer is called MCG bearer.

[0069] When the RLC, MAC and physical protocol stack of a radio bearer is located at the secondary node (SN), the radio bearer is called SCG bearer.

[0070] The split bearer has radio links on both MN and SN, but only one PDCP protocol stack. In some embodiments, the PDCP protocol stack is located at the MN side. In some embodiments, the PDCP protocol stack is located at the SN side. In some cases, the purpose of the split bearer is to improve the traffic of the wireless interface. In some cases, for example, when the PDCP layer allows the PDCP data packet to be retransmitted between different links, the split bearer can also improve the reliability of the radio bearer.

[0071] In some embodiments, for a split bearer, its associated PDCP entity can be associated with two RLC entities. One RLC entity is the primary path, and the other RLC entity is the secondary path.

[0072] In some implementations, the PDCP layer can determine whether to transmit data using the primary path or the secondary path according to a current data amount. For example, if a total data amount of the current PDCP layer and the RLC layers associated therewith is greater than or equal to a certain threshold (e.g., ul-DataSplitThreshold), the PDCP layer can transmit the PDCP PDU to the primary RLC entity (i.e., the RLC entity corresponding to the primary path) or the secondary RLC entity (i.e., the RLC entity corresponding to the secondary path); and / or if the total data amount of the current PDCP layer and the RLC layers associated therewith is less than the threshold, the PDCP layer can transmit the PDCP PDU to the primary RLC entity.

[0073] In some embodiments, for one split bearer, the RLC transmission modes of the RLC entities associated with one PDCP entity are the same. For example, for one transmission direction (e.g., uplink or downlink), the RLC entities associated with one PDCP entity are all UM RLC entities, or the RLC entities associated with one PDCP entity are all AM RLC entities. In this way, one radio bearer can only provide one type of transmission mode.

[0074] In order to improve the flexibility of transmission, it can be considered to configure RLC entities of different transmission modes for one radio bearer, i.e., the RLC entities associated with one split bearer can be different RLC transmission modes. In this case, the scheme of determining which RLC entity to use for data transmission based on the current data amount described above will no longer be applicable.

[0075] Therefore, in the scenario where one PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities, how to determine the RLC entity to perform transmission is a problem to be solved. For example, in the scenario where one PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities of different transmission modes, how to determine the RLC entity to perform transmission is a problem to be solved.

[0076] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device, which can determine the RLC entity to perform transmission based on a first condition, and are beneficial to improving the rationality and flexibility of data transmission.

[0077] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application will be introduced first.

[0078] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the scenario where one PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities. For example, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the scenario where one PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities of different transmission modes. Alternatively, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the scenario where one PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities of the same transmission mode.

[0079] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application can be applied in a split bearer scenario. In the split bearer scenario, one split bearer is associated with one PDCP entity, and one split bearer can be associated with multiple RLC entities.

[0080] The method embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 3. The method shown in FIG. 3 can be performed by a communication device. In some embodiments, the communication device can be a terminal device, such as the terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the communication device can be a network device, such as the network device 110 shown in FIG. 1.

[0081] The method shown in FIG. 3 includes step S310, in which the first protocol layer (or the protocol entity in the first protocol layer) sends a first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on a first condition.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity can be located in the same protocol layer. For example, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are both located in the second protocol layer (hereinafter, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are both located in the second protocol layer will be described as an example).

[0083] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer and the second protocol layer belong to different protocol layers. Alternatively, the first protocol layer and the protocol layer to which the first protocol entity belongs belong to different protocol layers, and the first protocol layer and the protocol layer to which the second protocol entity belong belong to different protocol layers.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer is located above the second protocol layer. For example, the first protocol layer is adjacent to the second protocol layer and is located above the second protocol layer. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, for example, the first protocol layer can be spaced apart from the second protocol layer by other protocol layers, but is located above the second protocol layer.

[0085] In some embodiments, the wireless bearer corresponding to the first protocol layer is a split bearer. In some embodiments, one split bearer can be associated with a protocol entity in the first protocol layer.

[0086] In some embodiments, the wireless bearer corresponding to the second protocol layer is a split bearer. In some embodiments, one split bearer can be associated with multiple (two or more) protocol entities in the second protocol layer, for example, one split bearer can be associated with the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity in the second protocol layer. In other words, in the split bearer scenario, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity can belong to the protocol entities associated with the split bearer.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer can be a PDCP layer, or a protocol layer in a future communication system that has the same or similar functions as the PDCP layer.

[0088] In some embodiments, the second protocol layer can be an RLC layer, or a protocol layer in a future communication system that is the same as or similar to the function of an RLC layer. Correspondingly, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity can be RLC entities, or protocol entities in a future communication system that are the same as or similar to the function of an RLC entity.

[0089] In some embodiments, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and / or the transmission mode of the second protocol entity mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can include one or more of the following transmission modes: AM, UM, TM.

[0090] In some embodiments, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity can be the same. For example, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity are both AM. Or, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity are both UM. Or, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity are both TM.

[0091] In some embodiments, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity can be different. For example, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM, and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. Or, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM, and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM. Or, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is UM, and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM, and so on.

[0092] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can be understood as or replaced by the first protocol layer determining the receiving object (the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity) of the first data packet based on the first condition. Taking the first protocol layer as a PDCP layer and the second protocol layer as an RLC layer as an example, the PDCP layer can determine which RLC entity in the RLC layer to send the first data packet to based on the first condition.

[0093] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the first data packet. For example, the first data packet can be a PDU. Or, the first data packet can be a data packet in a data burst, etc. In some embodiments, the type of the first data packet can also be divided in a finer granularity. Taking the first data packet as a PDU as an example, the first data packet can be a data PDU or a control PDU.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first data packet can include one data packet. In some embodiments, the first data packet can include multiple data packets.

[0095] In the embodiments of this application, in the case that the first protocol layer is associated with multiple protocol entities of the second protocol layer, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the corresponding protocol entity of the second protocol layer based on the first condition, which is beneficial to improving the rationality and flexibility of data transmission.

[0096] The first condition will be introduced below.

[0097] In the embodiments of this application, the first condition can be associated with one or more factors (information), or in other words, the first condition is related to one or more factors. For example, the first condition can be associated with various attributes of the first data packet. Alternatively, the first condition can be associated with the first protocol layer. Alternatively, the first condition can be associated with the second protocol layer, and so on.

[0098] Exemplarily, the first condition can be associated with one or more of the following factors: the type of the first data packet, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet, the amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, the QoS attribute of the first data packet, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, and the association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first condition can be associated with one of the above factors. For example, the first condition is associated with the type of the first data packet. Alternatively, the first condition is associated with the remaining transmission time of the first data packet. Alternatively, the first condition is associated with the amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity. Alternatively, the first condition is associated with the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, and so on.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first condition can be associated with multiple of the above factors. For example, the first condition is associated with the type of the first data packet and the remaining transmission time of the first data packet. Alternatively, the first condition is associated with the type of the first data packet, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet, and the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs. Alternatively, the first condition is associated with the QoS attribute of the first data packet and the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs. It should be noted that in the case that the first condition is associated with multiple of the above factors, there are other combinations of the above factors, such as the first condition is associated with the type of the first data packet, the QoS attribute of the first data packet, and the association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets. In order to be brief, other combinations are not listed here.

[0101] For the convenience of understanding, different first conditions and how to determine the receiving object of the first data packet based on the first condition are introduced below in combination with different embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments can be used alone or in combination. For example, embodiments one to six can be used alone. For another example, embodiment one can be used in combination with any one or more of embodiments two to six, such as determining the receiving object of the control PDU according to the method of embodiment one, and determining the receiving object of the data PDU according to any one or more of embodiments two to six. For another example, embodiment four can be used in combination with embodiment five. For the sake of brevity, other combination modes are not listed here, but the embodiments of the present application do not exclude other combination modes, and embodiments one to six can be used in any combination.

[0102] Embodiment one: The first condition is associated with the type of the first data packet

[0103] The type of the first data packet is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application, or in other words, the division mode of the type of the first data packet is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. As an implementation mode, the type of the first data packet can be divided according to the information carried by the data packet, for example, the type of the first data packet can include data packets carrying data and data packets carrying control information. Taking the first data packet as a PDU for example, the type of the first data packet can include a data PDU and a control PDU. As an implementation mode, the type of the first data packet can be divided according to the transmission delay requirement of the data packet, for example, the type of the first data packet can include a data packet with high delay requirement and a data packet with low delay requirement. As an implementation mode, the type of the first data packet can be divided according to the transmission reliability of the data packet, for example, the type of the first data packet can include a data packet with high reliability requirement and a data packet with low reliability requirement. As an implementation mode, the type of the first data packet can be divided according to the source of the data packet, for example, the type of the first data packet can include a data packet corresponding to a video frame, a data packet corresponding to a Web browsing service, etc.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include: the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the type of the first data packet.

[0105] For example, in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a control PDU, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity; in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a data PDU, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity, such as the first condition determination provided in the following embodiments.

[0106] For example, in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a data packet with low latency requirement, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity; in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a data packet with high latency requirement, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0107] For example, in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a data packet with high reliability requirement, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity; in some embodiments, if the first data packet comprises a data packet with low reliability requirement, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first data packet can belong to different data packet types, in which case, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined according to one type to which the first data packet belongs. For example, the first data packet belongs to both a control PDU and a data packet with low latency requirement, and the first data packet can be sent to the first protocol entity according to the principle that the first data packet belongs to a control PDU. For another example, the first data packet belongs to both a data packet with high latency requirement and a data packet with high reliability requirement, and the first data packet can be sent to the first protocol entity according to the principle that the first data packet belongs to a data packet with high reliability requirement.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first data packet can belong to different data packet types, in which case, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined according to one type to which the first data packet belongs. For example, the first data packet belongs to both a control PDU and a data packet with low latency requirement, and the first data packet can be sent to the first protocol entity according to the principle that the first data packet belongs to a control PDU. For another example, the first data packet belongs to both a data packet with high latency requirement and a data packet with high reliability requirement, and the first data packet can be sent to the first protocol entity according to the principle that the first data packet belongs to a data packet with high reliability requirement.

[0110] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the generation object of the control PDU. In some embodiments, the control PDU can be generated by the first protocol layer. In some embodiments, the control PDU can be generated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer. Taking the first protocol layer as the PDCP layer for example, the control PDU can be generated by the PDCP layer, or can be generated by the SDAP layer.

[0111] In some embodiments, embodiment one can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment one can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM, and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment one can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM, and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0112] In embodiment one, different types of data packets can be transmitted by protocol entities of different transmission modes, which is beneficial to ensure reasonable transmission of data packets. For example, the control PDU is transmitted by the protocol entity of the AM transmission mode, which is beneficial to improve the reliability of the transmission of the control PDU.

[0113] Embodiment two: the first condition is associated with the remaining transmission time of the first data packet

[0114] In some embodiments, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet can be used to indicate the transmission delay requirement of the first data packet, for example, the delay requirement of the first data packet transmitted to the second protocol layer, the delay requirement of the first data packet sent from the physical layer, etc.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include: the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the remaining transmission time of the first data packet.

[0116] In some embodiments, if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity. In some embodiments, if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is less than the first threshold, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0117] In some embodiments, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet can be indicated by a timer, or in other words, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined by a timer.

[0118] In some embodiments, the timer can be specially defined to indicate the remaining transmission time of the first data packet. For example, a new timer can be defined to indicate the remaining transmission time of the first data packet. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the timer can be an existing timer (e.g., a discard timer), and the remaining transmission time of the first data packet can be determined according to the running time and / or the remaining running time of the existing timer.

[0119] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation manners of how to determine the remaining transmission time of the first data packet or how to determine the receiving object of the first data packet based on the timer. Several implementation manners are given below.

[0120] As an implementation manner, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined according to the running state of the timer. For example, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include: if the timer is in the running state, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the timer is in the stopped state or the non-running state, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0121] As an implementation manner, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined according to the running time of the timer. For example, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include: if the running time of the timer is less than the second threshold, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the running time of the timer is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0122] As an implementation manner, the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined according to the remaining running time of the timer. For example, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include: if the remaining running time of the timer is greater than or equal to the third threshold, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the remaining running time of the timer is less than the third threshold, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0123] In some embodiments, the third threshold can be the same as the first threshold. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the third threshold can be greater than the first threshold, or the third threshold can be less than the first threshold.

[0124] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the configuration manner of one or more of the first threshold value, the second threshold value, and the third threshold value. For example, the threshold values can be configured by the network device, determined based on the implementation of the terminal device, predefined by the protocol, or the like.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the first protocol layer is ready to send the first data packet to the second protocol layer, the first protocol layer can determine the receiving object of the first data packet based on the timer. For example, when the first protocol layer is ready to send the first data packet to the second protocol layer, if the timer is in a running state, the first data packet is sent to the first protocol entity, otherwise, the first data packet is sent to the second protocol entity. For another example, when the first protocol layer is ready to send the first data packet to the second protocol layer, if the running time length of the timer is less than the second threshold value, the first data packet is sent to the first protocol entity, otherwise, the first data packet is sent to the second protocol entity. For another example, when the first protocol layer is ready to send the first data packet to the second protocol layer, if the remaining running time length of the timer is greater than or equal to the third threshold value, the first data packet is sent to the first protocol entity, otherwise, the first data packet is sent to the second protocol entity.

[0126] In some embodiments, the timer is started or restarted when the first protocol layer receives the first data packet. For example, the timer can be started when the first protocol layer receives the SDU corresponding to the PDU.

[0127] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the running manner of the timer. In some embodiments, the timer can run from 0 to a configured time length. In some embodiments, the timer can run from a configured time length to 0 (i.e., in a countdown manner).

[0128] In some embodiments, if the timer runs from 0 to a configured time length, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet or the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined based on the running state of the timer and / or the running time length of the timer.

[0129] In some embodiments, if the timer runs from a configured time length to 0, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet or the receiving object of the first data packet can be determined based on the running state of the timer and / or the remaining running time length of the timer.

[0130] In some embodiments, embodiment two can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment two can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment two can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0131] The first data packet is determined based on the remaining transmission time, which is beneficial to balance the latency and reliability of data packet transmission. For example, data packets with a longer remaining transmission time can be transmitted using AM transmission to improve the reliability of the data packets.

[0132] Embodiment three: the first condition is associated with the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity

[0133] In some embodiments, the first protocol entity uses AM transmission mode, and in this case, the first condition can be associated with the amount of data to be transmitted by the protocol entity using AM transmission mode. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the first condition can also be associated with the amount of data to be transmitted by the protocol entity using UM or TM transmission mode.

[0134] In some embodiments, the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity can include the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity.

[0135] In some embodiments, the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity can include the amount of data to be newly transmitted by the first protocol entity.

[0136] In some embodiments, the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity can include the amount of data to be newly transmitted by the first protocol entity and the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity.

[0138] Taking an example in which the amount of data to be transmitted by the first protocol entity includes the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity. For example, if the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity is less than or equal to a fourth threshold, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity is greater than the fourth threshold, the first protocol layer can send the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0139] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the configuration manner of the fourth threshold. For example, the fourth threshold can be determined according to the implementation of the terminal device. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and for example, the fourth threshold can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the network device.

[0140] In some embodiments, embodiment three can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment three can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment three can be applied in a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0141] In embodiment three, the amount of data to be transmitted (e.g., the amount of data to be retransmitted) of the first protocol entity can reflect the quality of the radio link corresponding to the first protocol entity and / or the latency of the first protocol entity in transmitting data, and therefore, determining the receiving object of the first data packet according to the amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity is conducive to balancing the latency and reliability of data packet transmission.

[0142] Embodiment four: the first condition is associated with a QoS attribute of the first data packet

[0143] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the QoS attribute (or QoS parameter) of the first data packet, and exemplarily, the QoS attribute of the first data packet can include one or more of the following: QoS flow identifier, allocation and retention priority (ARP), guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), uplink / downlink maximum packet loss rate (UL / DL MPLR), packet delay budget (PDB), packet error rate (PER), priority level, etc.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can comprise: the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the QoS attribute of the first data packet. For example, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a first QoS attribute, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a second QoS attribute or does not comprise the first QoS attribute, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity. For example, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a first QoS flow identifier, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a second QoS flow identifier or does not comprise the first QoS flow identifier, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity. For example, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a first QoS flow identifier and a first ARP, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a second QoS flow identifier and a second ARP, or the QoS attribute of the first data packet does not comprise the first QoS flow identifier and the first ARP, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first QoS attribute and the second QoS attribute have different value ranges. For example, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a QoS flow identifier, the first QoS attribute can refer to a QoS flow identifier in a first value range (e.g., a QoS flow identifier in a value range of 0-31), and the second QoS attribute can refer to a QoS flow identifier in a second value range (e.g., a QoS flow identifier in a value range of 32-63). For example, if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a PDB, the first QoS attribute can refer to a PDB in a first value range (e.g., a PDB less than or equal to 1 millisecond), and the second QoS attribute can refer to a PDB in a second value range (e.g., a PDB greater than 1 millisecond), and the like.

[0146] In some embodiments, the QoS attribute of the first data packet is indicated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer. For example, if the first protocol layer is a PDCP layer, the QoS attribute of the first data packet can be indicated by a protocol layer (e.g., an SDAP layer, an application layer) above the PDCP layer.

[0147] In some embodiments, the QoS attribute of the first data packet is determined according to configuration information of the network device, or in other words, the QoS attribute of the first data packet is determined based on an indication of the network device. For example, the QoS attribute (such as the QoS flow identifier, the PDB, etc.) of the first data packet is indicated by the network device.

[0148] In some embodiments, embodiment four can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment four can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment four can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0149] Embodiment four can determine the receiving object of the first data packet based on the QoS attribute of the first data packet, so as to meet different service requirements and improve the rationality of data transmission.

[0150] Embodiment five: the first condition is associated with information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs

[0151] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the data set to which the first data packet belongs. In some embodiments, the data set to which the first data packet belongs can be a PDU set. In some embodiments, the data set to which the first data packet belongs can be a data burst.

[0152] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, as long as the information is used to indicate the characteristics (or attributes) of the data set to which the first data packet belongs. For example, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs can include one or more of the following: importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, error rate of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, time delay budget of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, sequence number of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, etc. Taking the first data packet as a PDU for example, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs can include one or more of the following: PDU set importance, PDU set error rate, PDU set delay budget, PDU set sequence number, etc.

[0153] However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs can further include other information. For example, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs can further include information about the data packets included in the data set, such as which data packets are included in the data set in addition to the first data packet.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can include the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs. For example, if the data set to which the first data packet belongs includes the first attribute information, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the data set to which the first data packet belongs includes the second attribute information or does not include the first attribute information, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0155] Taking an example in which the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs includes the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, in some embodiments, if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a low-priority data set, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0156] Taking an example in which the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs includes the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, in some embodiments, if the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is higher than or equal to a fifth threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is lower than the fifth threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0157] In some embodiments, whether the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set or a low-priority data set is determined by comparing the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs with a threshold value (such as the fifth threshold value). For example, if the importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is higher than or equal to the fifth threshold value, the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set, otherwise the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a low-priority data set.

[0158] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the value of the fifth threshold value, and exemplarily, the fifth threshold value can be any integer, or can be any percentage.

[0159] In some embodiments, the value range of the first attribute information and the second attribute information is different. Taking the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs as an example, the first attribute information can refer to the importance of the data set in the first value range (for example, the importance of the data set in the value range of 1-3), and the second attribute information can refer to the importance of the data set in the second value range (for example, the importance of the data set in the value range of 4-7).

[0160] In some embodiments, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is indicated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer. Taking the first protocol layer as the PDCP layer as an example, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs can be indicated by a protocol layer (such as the SDAP layer, the application layer) above the PDCP layer.

[0161] In some embodiments, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is determined according to the configuration information of the network device, or in other words, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is determined based on the indication of the network device. For example, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs (such as the importance of the data set, the delay budget of the data set, etc.) is indicated by the network device.

[0162] In some embodiments, embodiment five can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment five can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment five can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0163] Embodiment five can determine the receiving object of the first data packet based on the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, so as to meet different service requirements and improve the rationality of data transmission.

[0164] Embodiment six: the first condition is associated with the association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets

[0165] In some embodiments, the other data packets refer to data packets associated with the first data packet, such as data packets belonging to the same data set as the first data packet, data packets belonging to the same video frame as the first data packet, data packets to be sent to the same device as the first data packet, etc.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can comprise: the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on an association between the first data packet and other data packets. For example, when the first data packet and the other data packets belong to a same data set, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can comprise: if the other data packets are sent to the first protocol entity, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the other data packets are sent to the second protocol entity, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity. For example, when the first data packet and the other data packets belong to a same video frame, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition can comprise: if the other data packets are sent to the first protocol entity, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the other data packets are sent to the second protocol entity, the first protocol layer sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

[0167] In some embodiments, embodiment six can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from the transmission mode of the second protocol entity. For example, embodiment six can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM. For another example, embodiment six can be applied to a scenario where the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM and the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is TM.

[0168] In embodiment six, the data packets with an association (e.g., data packets belonging to a same data set) can be sent to protocol entities with a same transmission mode, which is beneficial to guarantee that the data packets with an association have a same or similar transmission delay and reliability, thereby being beneficial to guarantee the rationality of transmission.

[0169] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0170] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 400 can be a terminal device or a network device. The communication device 400 comprises a first protocol layer 410 and a second protocol layer 420. The first protocol layer 410 can be configured to send a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity based on a first condition, wherein the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are located at the second protocol layer 420, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity have different transmission modes; and wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a type of the first data packet, a remaining transmission time of the first data packet, an amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a QoS attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and an association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets.

[0171] Optionally, the type of the first data packet comprises a control PDU and / or a data PDU, and the first protocol layer is configured to send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the first data packet comprises the control PDU.

[0172] Optionally, the control PDU is generated by the first protocol layer, and / or the control PDU is generated by a protocol layer located above the first protocol layer.

[0173] Optionally, the first protocol layer is configured to send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is less than the first threshold.

[0174] Optionally, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the timer is in a running state, and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the timer is in a stopped state or a non-running state.

[0175] Optionally, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if a running duration of the timer is less than a second threshold, and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the running duration of the timer is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0176] Optionally, the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if a remaining running time of the timer is greater than or equal to a third threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the remaining running time of the timer is less than the third threshold.

[0177] Optionally, the timer is started when the first protocol layer receives the first data packet.

[0178] Optionally, the amount of data to be transmitted includes an amount of data to be retransmitted, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if an amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity is less than or equal to a fourth threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the amount of data to be retransmitted by the first protocol entity is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0179] Optionally, the QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a QoS flow identifier of the first data packet, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a first QoS flow identifier; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a second QoS flow identifier or does not include the first QoS flow identifier.

[0180] Optionally, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs includes an importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a low-priority data set.

[0181] Optionally, the QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is indicated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer.

[0182] Optionally, the QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is determined according to configuration information of a network device.

[0183] Optionally, the other data packets belong to the same data set as the first data packet, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the other data packets are sent to the first protocol entity.

[0184] Optionally, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is AM, and / or the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is UM.

[0185] Optionally, the first protocol layer corresponds to a split bearer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity belong to protocol entities associated with the split bearer.

[0186] Optionally, the first protocol layer is a PDCP layer, and the second protocol layer is an RLC layer.

[0187] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 5 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 500 can be used to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The apparatus 500 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0188] The apparatus 500 can include one or more processors 510. The processor 510 can support the apparatus 500 to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 510 can be a general processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0189] The apparatus 500 can also include one or more memories 520. The memory 520 stores a program, which can be executed by the processor 510, so that the processor 510 performs the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memory 520 can be independent of the processor 510 or integrated in the processor 510.

[0190] The apparatus 500 can also include a transceiver 530. The processor 510 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 530. For example, the processor 510 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 530.

[0191] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0192] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0193] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0194] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably in the present application. In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0195] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication" mentioned can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can be an indication with an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained by A; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained by C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0196] In the embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0197] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can mean that there is a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, or can mean that there is an associated relationship between the two, or can mean an indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0198] The "comprising" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can mean direct inclusion or indirect inclusion. Alternatively, the "comprising" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be replaced by "indicating" or "used for determining". For example, A comprising B can be replaced by A indicating B, or A used for determining B.

[0199] In the embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating related information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation manner is not limited in the present application. For example, the predefinition can refer to the definition in a protocol.

[0200] In the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, can include the LTE protocol, the NR protocol and the related protocol applied to the future communication system, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0201] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only used to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in the present application generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0202] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0203] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0204] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. According to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present application.

[0205] In addition, each of the function units in each of the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0206] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0207] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a communication device, and the method comprises: The first protocol layer sends a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity based on a first condition, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity are located at a second protocol layer, and a transmission mode of the first protocol entity is different from that of the second protocol entity; The first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a type of the first data packet, a remaining transmission time of the first data packet, an amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a quality of service (QoS) attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and an association relationship between the first data packet and other data packets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The type of the first data packet comprises a control packet data unit (PDU) and / or a data PDU. The first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition, comprising: If the first data packet comprises a control PDU, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The control PDU is generated by the first protocol layer, and / or the control PDU is generated by a protocol layer located above the first protocol layer.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition, comprising: If the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is less than the first threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition, comprising: If the timer is in a running state, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the timer is in a stopped state or a non-running state, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition, comprising: If a running duration of the timer is less than a second threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the running duration of the timer is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on the first condition, comprising: If a remaining running duration of the timer is greater than or equal to a third threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the remaining running duration of the timer is less than the third threshold value, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity. If a remaining running time of the timer is less than the third threshold, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The timer is started when the first protocol layer receives the first data packet.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The amount of data to be transmitted includes an amount of data to be retransmitted, The first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on a first condition, including: If an amount of data to be retransmitted of the first protocol entity is less than or equal to a fourth threshold, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the amount of data to be retransmitted of the first protocol entity is greater than the fourth threshold, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a QoS flow identity of the first data packet, The first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on a first condition, including: If the QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a first QoS flow identity, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a second QoS flow identity or does not include the first QoS flow identity, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs includes an importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, The first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on a first condition, including: If the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or If the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a low-priority data set, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is indicated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is determined according to configuration information of a network device.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The other data packets belong to a same data set as the first data packet, and the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity or the second protocol entity based on a first condition, including: If the other data packets are sent to the first protocol entity, the first protocol layer sends the first data packet to the first protocol entity.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein, A transmission mode of the first protocol entity is an acknowledgement mode AM, and / or a transmission mode of the second protocol entity is a non-acknowledgement mode UM.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein, The first protocol layer corresponds to a split bearer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity belong to protocol entities associated with the split bearer.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein, The first protocol layer is a packet data convergence protocol PDCP layer, and the second protocol layer is a radio link control RLC layer.

18. A communication device, characterized by including: a first protocol layer, configured to send a first data packet to a first protocol entity or a second protocol entity based on a first condition, the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity being located at a second protocol layer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity having different transmission modes; wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a type of the first data packet, a remaining transmission time of the first data packet, an amount of data to be transmitted of the first protocol entity, a quality of service (QoS) attribute of the first data packet, information of a data set to which the first data packet belongs, and an association between the first data packet and other data packets.

19. The communication device of claim 18, wherein, The type of the first data packet includes a control packet data unit (PDU) and / or a data PDU. The first protocol layer is configured to send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the first data packet includes a control PDU.

20. The communication device of claim 19, wherein, The control PDU is generated by the first protocol layer, and / or the control PDU is generated by a protocol layer located above the first protocol layer.

21. The communication device of any of claims 18-20, wherein, The first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is greater than or equal to a first threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the remaining transmission time of the first data packet is less than the first threshold.

22. The communication device of any of claims 18-21, wherein, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the timer is in a running state; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the timer is in a stopped state or a non-running state.

23. The communication device of any of claims 18-21, wherein, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if a running duration of the timer is less than a second threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the running duration of the timer is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

24. The communication device of any of claims 18-21, wherein, The remaining transmission time of the first data packet is indicated by a timer, and the first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if a remaining running duration of the timer is greater than or equal to a third threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the remaining running duration of the timer is less than the third threshold.

25. The communication device of any of claims 22-24, wherein, The timer is started when the first protocol layer receives the first data packet.

26. The communication device of any of claims 18-25, wherein, The amount of data to be transmitted includes an amount of data to be retransmitted, The first protocol layer is configured to: send the first data packet to the first protocol entity if the amount of data to be retransmitted of the first protocol entity is less than or equal to a fourth threshold; and / or send the first data packet to the second protocol entity if the amount of data to be retransmitted of the first protocol entity is greater than the fourth threshold. The QoS attribute of the first data packet includes a QoS flow identifier of the first data packet, 27. The communication device of any of claims 18-26, wherein, The first protocol layer is configured to: ​ if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a first QoS flow identity, sending the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the QoS attribute of the first data packet comprises a second QoS flow identity or does not comprise the first QoS flow identity, sending the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

28. The communication device of any of claims 18-27, wherein, the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs comprises an importance of the data set to which the first data packet belongs, the first protocol layer is configured to: if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a high-priority data set, send the first data packet to the first protocol entity; and / or if the data set to which the first data packet belongs is a low-priority data set, send the first data packet to the second protocol entity.

29. The communication device of any of claims 18-28, wherein, the QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is indicated by a protocol layer above the first protocol layer.

30. The communication device of any of claims 18-29, wherein, the QoS attribute of the first data packet and / or the information of the data set to which the first data packet belongs is determined according to configuration information of a network device.

31. The communication device of any of claims 18-30, wherein, the other data packet belongs to the same data set as the first data packet, and the first protocol layer is configured to: if the other data packet is sent to the first protocol entity, send the first data packet to the first protocol entity.

32. The communication device of any of claims 18-31, wherein, the transmission mode of the first protocol entity is an acknowledgement mode AM, and / or the transmission mode of the second protocol entity is a non-acknowledgement mode UM.

33. The communication device of any of claims 18-32, wherein, the radio bearer corresponding to the first protocol layer is a split bearer, and the first protocol entity and the second protocol entity belong to protocol entities associated with the split bearer.

34. The communication device of any of claims 18-33, wherein, the first protocol layer is a packet data convergence protocol PDCP layer, and the second protocol layer is a radio link control RLC layer.

35. A communications device, characterized by a memory for storing a program, and a processor for invoking the program in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

36. An apparatus comprising: a processor for invoking a program in a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

37. A chip, characterized by a processor for invoking a program in a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

38. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising: a program stored thereon, which causes a computer to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

39. A computer program product, characterised in that, a program, which causes a computer to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

40. A computer program, characterized in that, the computer program causes a computer to perform the method in any one of claims 1-17.

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