Method and apparatus for receiving status reports

Abstract

A method for reception status reporting in a communication device (110), the method comprising: configuring (S1) the communication device for periodic reception status reporting by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter; periodically sending (S2) the first type of reception status report according to the associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter, and periodically sending the second type of reception status report according to the associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese invention patent application with the application date of February 3, 2017, application number 201780009191.X, and invention name “Method and device for receiving status report”. Technical Field

[0002] The application relates to the field of systems in which a sending device sends data units to a receiving device and the receiving device periodically sends reception status reports to the sending device. Background Art

[0003] It is known to provide a possibility for a data unit receiver to be configured to periodically send reception status reports to a data unit sender. For example, in the context of so-called LTE-WLAN aggregation, it has been proposed to be able to configure a user equipment (UE) to periodically send PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) status PDUs, which may also be referred to as control PDUs. Summary of the invention

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved concept for sending reception status reports.

[0005] According to one embodiment, a method for reception status reporting in a communication device is proposed, the method comprising configuring the communication device for periodic reception status reporting by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, wherein the first status report type is different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter is different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0006] The method may further include periodically sending the first type of reception status report according to an associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter, and periodically sending the second type of reception status report according to an associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0007] According to another embodiment, a method for configuring a communication device for periodically receiving status reports is proposed, the method comprising providing a configuration information element to the communication device, the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0008] According to another embodiment, a method for operating a node of a communication network is proposed, the method comprising providing a configuration information element to a communication device of the communication network, the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0009] According to another embodiment, a communication device is proposed, which is configured for receiving data units and can be configured for periodic reception status reporting by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, wherein the first status report type is different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter is different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0010] According to another embodiment, a node of a communication network is proposed, which is configured to provide a configuration information element to a communication device of the communication network, wherein the configuration information element includes information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, wherein the first status report type is different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter is different from the second reporting periodicity parameter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of two communicating devices embodying the concepts of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 An example of a protocol architecture for LTE-WLAN aggregation is shown;

[0013] Figure 3 A first embodiment of the method steps according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 4 A second embodiment of the method steps according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 A third embodiment of the method steps according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 6 A fourth embodiment of the method steps according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 7 A fifth embodiment of method steps according to the present disclosure is shown; and

[0018] Figure 8 A sixth embodiment of method steps according to the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Figure 1 A system is shown comprising a communication device 100 arranged for sending a data unit 120 to another communication device 110 arranged for receiving the data unit 120, the data unit 120 being, for example, a protocol data unit (PDU) associated with a predetermined communication protocol, such as PDCP.

[0020] The communication device 100 may be included in a network node of a communication network, or may be such a node, such as an access node of a wireless communication system, such as a base station. According to an embodiment, the device 100 is included in an eNodeB. The device 100 includes, for example, an interface 101 suitable for wireless transmission and reception, and a control part 102, which may include a processor 103 and a memory 104.

[0021] The communication device 110 may be part of the same communication network, such as a mobile station of a wireless communication system. According to an embodiment, the device 110 is a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communication system such as LTE. The device 110 includes, for example, an interface 111 suitable for wireless transmission and reception, and a control part 112, which may include a processor 113 and a memory 114.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the communication device 110 is arranged to receive the data unit 120 and can be configured for periodic reception status reporting, i.e., sending a reception status report 130, which provides information about the reception status of the sent data unit 120. For example, a sequence number (SN) can be used to distinguish between individual data units, and the reception status report can use such an SN to provide information about the reception status. The reception status information can be selected in any suitable or desired manner, for example, to distinguish between states such as "received" or "lost".

[0023] At least a first type of reception status report and a second type of reception status report are provided. Only two types of status reports are referred to below, but the present invention is not limited to two and can also be applied to the case of more than two types of status reports. According to an embodiment, the device 110 can be configured for periodic reception status reporting by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter. The first status report type is different from the second status report type, and the first reporting periodicity parameter is different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0024] The configuration of the device 110 may be accomplished in any suitable or desired manner, for example by providing a configuration information element to the communication device 110, the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter. Such a configuration information element may be provided from the device 100 to the device 110, for example, at some time before starting to send the data unit 120. However, the configuration information element may also be provided by some other source internal or external to the communication network of the devices 100 and 110.

[0025] Preferably, in response to being configured and when receiving the data unit 120, the device 110 then periodically sends the first type of reception status reports according to the associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter, and periodically sends the second type of reception status reports according to the associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

[0026] The reporting periodicity parameter may be selected in any suitable or desired manner. For example, the reporting periodicity parameter may be selected to express a time period, such as expressed in milliseconds, indicating the time interval between consecutive transmissions of the corresponding reception status reports. However, the reporting periodicity may also be selected to express a frequency, such as expressed in 1 / s, indicating the repetition frequency of the corresponding reception status reports.

[0027] According to this embodiment, instead of allowing only one type of reception status report to be selected and then sending the selected type at a given periodicity, the described concept allows two different types of reception status reports to be sent in parallel, each type having its own periodicity. This significantly increases flexibility and introduces further degrees of operational freedom.

[0028] For example, the first status report type may be associated with a first report size, the second status report type may be associated with a second report size, and the first report size is larger than the second report size. In other words, the first report type may include more status information than the second report type. According to this embodiment, the associated value of the first report periodicity parameter may be set to be larger than the associated value of the second report periodicity parameter, that is, a large amount of status information per report that is important for occasional transmission control of the data unit 120 but consumes a large amount of transmission resources is sent less frequently than a small amount of status information per report that is usually completely effective for appropriate transmission control of the sent data unit 120, thereby achieving a good balance between reporting efficiency and resource consumption.

[0029] As an example, the reception status report of the first type may include: an indication of a first lost PDU, the first lost PDU being the lost PDU with the lowest sequence number; and a bitmap indicating other lost PDUs between the first lost PDU and the received PDU with the highest sequence number. The reception status report of the second type may also include an indication of the first lost PDU, but not a bitmap.

[0030] Note that although the first reporting periodicity parameter is different (i.e., independent) from the second reporting periodicity parameter, the values ​​configured for the two periodicities may be the same. However, if the values ​​are configured to be different, an advantageous embodiment comprises selecting the value of the first reporting periodicity parameter to be an integer multiple of the value of the second reporting periodicity parameter, as this reduces signaling.

[0031] The operation of controlling the periodic transmission of the reception status report may be performed in any suitable or desired manner. For example, this may include using a first timer for controlling the sending of the reception status report of the first type, and using a second timer for controlling the sending of the reception status report of the second type. Both timers may be started simultaneously after configuration, but according to a preferred embodiment, the first timer and the second timer are initially started with a predetermined offset. Preferably, the offset is selected so that triggering the sending of the first type of reception status report does not coincide with triggering the second type of reception status report. The offset may be preset, or it may equally be part of a configuration operation of the device 110, for example performed by a configuration information element sent by the device 100. As an example, if the value configured for the first report periodicity is 200ms and the value configured for the second report periodicity is 50ms, the offset may be configured, for example, to be 25ms.

[0032] Control operations may include:

[0033] - determining that the first timer has reached a trigger condition (e.g., when the timer has expired),

[0034] - sending a reception status report of said first type, and

[0035] - Restarting said first timer.

[0036] Additionally, control operations may include:

[0037] - determining that the second timer has reached a trigger condition (eg, when the timer has expired),

[0038] - sending a reception status report of said second type, and

[0039] - Restarting the second timer.

[0040] According to another embodiment, the device 110 may be configured to receive a message requesting to send a reception status report, such as a polling request. Such a message requesting to send a reception status report may be sent by the device 100, for example.

[0041] Additionally, control operations may include:

[0042] - receiving a message requesting to send a reception status report of said first type,

[0043] - sending a reception status report of said first type, and

[0044] - restarting the first timer. The control operation may restart only the first timer, but may also restart both the first and second timers. If both timers are to be restarted, one timer is preferably restarted with a predetermined offset relative to the other timer. The offset can be selected to be the same as described above for the initial start, or can be selected to be different. Preferably, the offset is configured (e.g., by an information element sent from device 100 to device 110), and the same offset is used for the initial start of both timers and the restart of both timers.

[0045] Additionally, control operations may include:

[0046] - receiving a message requesting to send a reception status report of said second type,

[0047] - sending a reception status report of said second type, and

[0048] - Restarting the second timer. The control operation may restart only the second timer, but may also restart both the first and second timers. If both timers are to be restarted, one timer is preferably restarted with a predetermined offset relative to the other timer. The offset can be selected to be the same as described above for the initial start, or can be selected to be different. Preferably, the offset is configured (e.g., by an information element sent from device 100 to device 110), and the same offset is used for the initial start of both timers and the restart of both timers.

[0049] As mentioned above, the presently described concept allows for sending two different types of reception status reports in parallel, each type having an independently configurable periodicity. In order to use transmission resources more efficiently, the operation can be controlled in such a way that it includes sending only one of the first and second types of reception status reports within a predetermined time period from the other. For example, the time period can be a transmission time interval (TTI), so that the method includes sending only one of the first and second types of reception status reports within the same transmission time interval. However, it is also possible to set the time period to be longer, such as a plurality of TTIs.

[0050] The presently described concepts can also be embodied as a computer program product comprising program code to be executed by a processor (eg, processor 113) of a communication device such as device 110 to perform a method according to any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0051] The presently described concepts can also be embodied as a computer program product comprising program code to be executed by a processor (eg, processor 103) of a communication network node such as device 100 to perform a method according to any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0052] Other examples of the above concepts will be described below in a more detailed context. This is only to better illustrate the concepts and is not intended to be limiting.

[0053] This example will be described in the context of the integration of LTE and WLAN. However, it should be understood that the problems and solutions described herein are equally applicable to wireless access networks and user equipment (UE) implementing other access technologies and standards. LTE and WLAN are used as example technologies to which the present invention is applicable, so the use of LTE and WLAN in the specification is particularly useful for understanding the problems and solutions to the problems.

[0054] LTE-WLAN Aggregation (LWA) is a feature where the UE can use links to both the eNB and the WLAN for reception and transmission. This feature was described by 3GPP in Release 13 as part of [RP-150510] and revised in [RP-151114]. There are different architectural options for LTE-WLAN aggregation. In the split bearer architecture option (also represented by Option 3C), the data is split in the PDCP layer. For the downlink direction, this splitting is done in the eNB. The eNB can dynamically decide how to route the PDCP PDUs to the UE - either directly using LTE RLC, LTE MAC and LTE PHY, or via a backhaul channel to the WLAN and then to the UE using 802.11 MAC and 802.11 PHY.

[0055] Figure 2 The envisioned protocol architecture for LTE-WLAN aggregation is shown. The WLAN termination (WT) point in the network can be implemented by a WLAN access point (AP) and / or an access controller (AC) or another network node. The interface protocol between the eNB and the WT is denoted as Xw.

[0056] The current working assumption in 3GPP RAN2 is to introduce a new PDCP status report format, which can be used periodically or based on polling by the eNB. Typically, with the help of PDCP status reporting, the UE informs the eNB about the PDCP reception status in the UE.

[0057] The legacy report contains a field for setting the first lost sequence (FMS) number to the first lost PDCP SDU, and a bitmap field whose bit length is equal to the number of PDCP SNs from the first lost PDCP SDU (but not including the first lost PDCP SDU) up to and including the last out-of-sequence PDCP SDU, rounded up to the next multiple of 8. The following explains how the eNB uses the FMS and the bitmap.

[0058] FMS: With the help of the FMS field, the eNB knows how much data is in flight, that is, in the process of transmission and reordering between the eNB and UE PDCP. This information is useful so that the eNB limits its transmission and does not put more than 1 / 2 of the PDCP SN space in transmission. In addition, the average PDCP reception rate can be estimated by comparing the progress of the FMS field between subsequent reports. Since the RLC (LTE) reception rate is also known in the eNB (based on RLC feedback), the eNB is also able to estimate the WLAN reception rate. Similarly, the eNB is able to estimate the data in transmission on the WLAN link (= sent data - FMS + 1 - data sent but not received by LTE RLC). These information segments may be useful for the eNB for flow control and multipath scheduling (LTE or WLAN) of PDCP data.

[0059] Bitmap: After a handover in LTE single connection, the eNB is able to do PDCP retransmissions (of all data between the highest SN sent and the FMS), already knowing only the FMS. However, due to RLC out-of-order delivery after the handover, the UE may have received some data. For this purpose, a bitmap is introduced, which indicates exactly which SN is still outstanding and which SN has been received. The bitmap enables selective retransmissions. The bitmap is useful if LWA selective retransmissions on the PDCP level are also considered (or a list of lost SNs below the highest out-of-order received SN, but this may result in higher overhead than a bitmap). These selective PDCP retransmissions can be done, for example, when PDUs are lost on WLAN. Reversing this gap with LTE PDCP can improve end-user performance. Such retransmissions can be done by the eNB.

[0060] The maximum size of the bitmap is 1 / 2 of the SN space. For a 15-bit SN, the maximum size is 2KB. For a Cat5 UE with a maximum theoretical UL rate of 75376 bits / TTI, this will result in 21% overhead within that TTI, which is considerable, so it is preferred to avoid including frequency feedback of the bitmap.

[0061] Using the methods outlined in this document, it is possible to configure a UE with two different PDCP status reporting formats for periodic reporting. Based on the different formats the reporting can have different periodicity and time offset to start the periodic reporting. This enables the eNB to receive less frequent detailed PDCP status reports, avoiding uplink overhead, but still receive less detailed PDCP status reports very frequently. The detailed PDCP status reports can use the traditional PDCP status reporting format, and the frequent PDCP status reports can use the new format including, for example, only the FMS.

[0062] The new concepts allow for more efficient PDCP status reporting. These concepts use the advantages of taking advantage of two different status reporting formats. Typically, one of them is more resource efficient and thus has less uplink overhead, while the other format is more detailed and enables, for example, selective retransmission of lost data units, but uses more UL radio resources.

[0063] In one embodiment, the UE is configured to periodically perform PDCP status reporting based on two different PDCP status reporting formats with two different configurable periodicities. It should be understood that although more than two formats (and more than two periodicities) may be used, here as an example, it is assumed that two formats are used.

[0064] In one embodiment, the first periodicity is a multiple of the other periodicity. This reduces signaling.

[0065] Less frequent reporting may be configured for a detailed PDCP status reporting format (eg, a legacy PDCP status reporting format including FMS and a bitmap).

[0066] More frequent reporting may be configured for a less detailed PDCP status reporting format (eg, a new format that may be based only on FMS).

[0067] In other words, in one embodiment, two different periodicities may be configured for periodic PDCP status reporting, one period for reporting FMS and bitmap, and another period omitting the bitmap from the report, ie, only FMS.

[0068] In one embodiment, the UE will discard the transmission of a format with less information (eg, only FMS) if a format with more information (eg, legacy format, ie, FMS and bitmap) is sent simultaneously, eg, in the same TTI.

[0069] In one embodiment, two different timers (eg, referred to as t-StatusReportType1 and t-StatusReportType2, as described in further detail in this document) are used in the PDCP implementation of the UE to handle the timing of the transmission of status reports based on different formats.

[0070] In another embodiment, the UE is configured with a timing offset between the starting points of the two formats of periodic reporting.For example, if one timer is already running and starts at time t1, then the second timer starts at time t2 = t1 + offset.

[0071] In one embodiment, the UE restarts the periodic timer when sending a PDCP report triggered by eNB polling. In one version of this embodiment, the UE will restart the periodic timer only for the report type that is polled. For example, if the eNB has configured the UE to send periodic reports with FMS+bitmap every 100ms, and also configured the UE to send periodic reports with only FMS every 50ms, and the eNB polls the UE for reports with FMS+bitmap, the UE will restart the timer used to determine when to send reports with FMS+bitmap (rather than the timer that determines when to send reports with only FMS). Alternatively, when any report is polled, i.e. in the example provided above, the UE may restart all periodic timers, and the UE will then restart both the timer used to determine when to send a report with FMS+bitmap and the timer used to determine when to send a report with only FMS.

[0072] In the following, an example of a configuration information element is given, more specifically a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration message, where the new concept of two independent reporting periodicity parameters is highlighted:

[0073]

[0074]

[0075] In addition, an example of specifying control according to two timers is provided below, where the LWA status report is an example of a reception status report:

[0076] When t-StatusReportType1 expires (if configured), the UE shall:

[0077] - If the LWA bearer is configured by upper layers to send PDCP status reports in the uplink (statusFeedback[3]):

[0078] - compile and send Type 1 PDCP status reports, i.e., conventional PDCP status reports, as specified in subclause 5.3.1;

[0079] -Start t-StatusReportType1.

[0080] When t-StatusReportType2 expires (if configured), the UE shall:

[0081] - If the LWA bearer is configured by upper layers to send PDCP status reports in the uplink (statusFeedback[3]):

[0082] - compile and send a Type 2 PDCP status report, i.e., an LWA PDCP status report, as specified in subclause 5.x.1;

[0083] -Start t-StatusReportType2.

[0084] When the value of t-StatusReportType1 is configured or reconfigured by upper layers, the UE shall:

[0085] -If t-StatusReportType1 is running:

[0086] -Stop and restart t-StatusReportType1;

[0087] -If t-StatusReportType1 is not running:

[0088] -Start t-StatusReportType1;

[0089] When the value of t-StatusReportType2 is configured or reconfigured by upper layers, the UE shall:

[0090] - If t-StatusReportType2 is running:

[0091] -Stop and restart t-StatusReportType2;

[0092] -If t-StatusReportType2 is not running:

[0093] -Start t-StatusReportType2;

[0094] Timer Description

[0095] b)t-StatusReportType1

[0096] The duration of the timer is configured by upper layers (statusPDU-PeriodicityType1[3]). Once configured, the timer is used to trigger the transmission of a status report of type 1 for LWA as specified in subclause 5.x.

[0097] c)t-StatusReportType2

[0098] The duration of the timer is configured by upper layers (statusPDU-PeriodicityType2[3]). Once configured, the timer is used to trigger the transmission of a status report of type 2 for LWA as specified in subclause 5.x.

[0099] It may be noted that in the previous examples no time offset configuration was included.

[0100] In the following, examples including time offset configurations are given.

[0101]

[0102]

[0103] It can be seen that the field "statusPDU-PeriodOffset" has been added to the information element.

[0104] The specification for the control of the timer can then be modified as follows:

[0105] When the value of t-StatusReportType1 or t-StatusReportType2 is configured or reconfigured by upper layers, the UE shall:

[0106] - If t-StatusReportType1 is running:

[0107] -Stop and restart t-StatusReportType1;

[0108] - If t-StatusReportType1 is not running:

[0109] -Start t-StatusReportType1;

[0110] - If t-StatusReportType2 is running:

[0111] - if [3] is configured, stop and restart t-StatusReportType2 after a timing offset statusPDU-PeriodOffset compared to the start of t-StatusReportType1;

[0112] - If t-StatusReportType2 is not running:

[0113] - If [3] is configured, t-StatusReportType2 is started after a timing offset statusPDU-PeriodOffset compared to the start of t-StatusReportType1.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a status report in a communication device (110), the method comprising: configuring (S1) the communication device (110) for periodically receiving status reports by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter, and According to the associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter, reception status reports of the first status reporting type are periodically sent (S2), and according to the associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter, reception status reports of the second status reporting type are periodically sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A first timer (T1) is used for controlling the sending of reception status reports of the first status report type, and a second timer is used for controlling the sending of reception status reports of the second status report type.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The first timer and the second timer are initially started with a predetermined offset.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: - determining (T2) that the first timer has reached a trigger condition, - sending (T3) a reception status report of said first status report type, and - Restarting (T4) said first timer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: - determining (T5) that the second timer has reached a trigger condition, - sending (T6) a reception status report of said second status report type, and - Restarting (T7) said second timer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: - receiving (U1) a message requesting sending of a reception status report of said first status report type, - sending (U2) a reception status report of said first status report type, and - Restarting (U3) said first timer.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The second timer is restarted (U4).

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: - receiving (V1) a message requesting sending of a reception status report of said second status report type, - sending (V2) a reception status report of said second status report type, and - Restart (V3) said second timer.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The first timer is restarted (V4).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first status report type is associated with a first report size and the second status report type is associated with a second report size, the first report size being larger than the second report size.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter is greater than the associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter is an integer multiple of the associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: Only one of the first status report type reception status report and the second status report type reception status report is sent within a predetermined time period from the other.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising: Only one of the first status report type reception status report and the second status report type reception status report is sent in the same transmission time interval.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The reception status report is a status PDU or a control PDU of a predetermined protocol.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The predetermined protocol is a packet data convergence protocol.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The reception status report of the first status report type comprises: an indication of a first missing PDU, the first missing PDU being the lost PDU with the lowest sequence number; and a bitmap indicating other missing PDUs between the first missing PDU and the received PDU with the highest sequence number.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The reception status report of the second status report type comprises an indication of a first missing PDU, the first missing PDU being the lost PDU having a lowest sequence number.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The communication device (100) is also configured for aggregation between a first radio access technology (LTE-Uu) and a second radio access technology (WLAN).

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The first wireless access technology (LTE-Uu) is a cellular wireless communication technology, and the second wireless access technology is a wireless local area network communication technology (WLAN).

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The aggregation is LTE-WLAN aggregation.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The communication device (110) is a mobile station of a wireless communication network.

23. A method of configuring a communication device (110) for periodically receiving status reports, the method comprising: A configuration information element (W1) is provided to the communication device (110), the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The communication device (110) is a mobile station of a wireless communication network.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: The configuration information element is provided by an access node of the wireless communication network.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The access node is a base station.

27. The method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: The configuration information element is a radio resource control configuration message.

28. The method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: The first status reporting type is associated with a first reporting size, the second status reporting type is associated with a second reporting size, the first reporting size is greater than the second reporting size, and an associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter is greater than an associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

29. A method of operating a node of a communication network, the method comprising: A configuration information element (X1) is provided to a communication device (110) of the communication network, the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: sending (X2) a data unit to said communication device (110), and Receive (X3) a reception status report of the first status report type and a reception status report of the second status report type.

31. A computer readable medium storing program code to be executed by a processor of a communication device (110) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

32. A computer readable medium storing program code for execution by a processor of a communication network node to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 30.

33. A communication device (110) configured to receive data units and configured for periodic reception status reporting by associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, wherein the first status report type is different from the second status report type and the first reporting periodicity parameter is different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

34. The communication device (110) according to claim 33 is also configured to: periodically send a reception status report of the first status report type according to an associated value of the first reporting periodicity parameter, and periodically send a reception status report of the second status report type according to an associated value of the second reporting periodicity parameter.

35. The communication device (110) according to claim 33 or 34, comprises an interface (111) and a processor (113), wherein the interface (111) is configured to receive data units and send reception status reports, and the processor (113) is configured to control the sending of reception status reports.

36. A node of a communication network, the node being configured to provide a configuration information element to a communication device (110) of the communication network, the configuration information element comprising information for associating a first status report type with a value of a first reporting periodicity parameter and associating a second status report type with a value of a second reporting periodicity parameter, the first status report type being different from the second status report type, the first reporting periodicity parameter being different from the second reporting periodicity parameter.

37. The node according to claim 36, further arranged for sending data units to the communication device (110), and for receiving reception status reports of the first status report type and reception status reports of the second status report type.

38. A node according to claim 36 or 37, comprising an interface (101) and a processor (103), wherein the interface is configured to send data units and receive status reports, and the processor (103) is configured to control the sending of data units and control the processing of information contained in the reception status report.

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