Quality of service framework enhancements for 5g services

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to "Quality of Service Framework Enhancements for 5G Services." The present disclosure relates to techniques for supporting multiple quality of service flows for a service data flow in a wireless communication system. The service data flow can include multiple categories of data having different quality of service parameters. A separate quality of service flow can be established for each category of data of the multiple categories of data having different quality of service parameters. Cellular networks and wireless devices transmitting data of the service data flow can apply packet detection rules or packet filters to determine on which quality of service flow to transmit data packets of the service data flow, and can transmit the data packets accordingly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to systems, apparatus, and methods for supporting multiple quality of service flows of service data flows in a wireless communication system.

[0002] Related technical descriptions

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment or UE) now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these capabilities. Furthermore, many different wireless communication technologies and standards exist. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), and BLUETOOTH. TM wait.

[0004] The increasing number of features and functions introduced into wireless communication devices has also created a continuous demand for improvements in wireless communication and the devices themselves. Specifically, it is important to ensure the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE) devices (e.g., wireless devices such as cellular phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communications). Furthermore, increasing the functionality of UE devices can put significant strain on their battery life. Therefore, it is equally important to reduce the power requirements in UE device design while allowing the UE device to maintain good transmission and reception capabilities to improve communication. Thus, improvements are expected in this area. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This paper presents implementation schemes of apparatus, systems, and methods for supporting multiple quality of service flows of service data flows in wireless communication systems.

[0006] According to the techniques described herein, data packets in a service data stream may include information identifying the data packet category to which they belong. Multiple such categories are possible, each potentially having different quality of service parameters. This category information may be found at a fixed or predetermined location within the packets of the service data stream, or the organization providing the category information may be configured by application functionality, such as when creating or modifying a service data stream.

[0007] Cellular networks can identify which packets in a service data stream belong to which category, for example, based on application function configuration. This category information can be used to establish different Quality of Service (QoS) streams for different categories of packets in a service data stream with different QoS requirements. Rules or filters used to parse data packets in a service data stream can be distributed within the cellular network, including wireless devices with service data stream establishment capabilities. This allows for the appropriate mapping of both uplink and downlink packets in the service data stream to the corresponding QoS streams established for them, and for the transmission of those packets via those QoS streams.

[0008] This paper also describes techniques for establishing relationships between multiple Quality of Service (QoS) flows. For example, such techniques can be used to coordinate the scheduling of data packets from related QoS flows to reduce application latency. Additionally, techniques for identifying related packets within a QoS flow are described. Such techniques can be used to improve the efficiency of network communication, for example, by enabling the dropping of packets that depend on other packets that cannot be transmitted (e.g., due to congestion), potentially preventing the transmission of unavailable packets at the receiver.

[0009] It should be noted that the technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used in several different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, mobile phones, portable media players, tablets, wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned flight controllers, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, and various other computing devices.

[0010] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0011] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 Exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0013] Figure 2 An exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0016] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating aspects of exemplary possible methods for supporting multiple quality of service flows of serving data flows in a wireless communication system, according to some embodiments; and

[0017] Figures 6 to 8 This is a communication flowchart illustrating various exemplary aspects of possible methods for supporting multiple quality of service flows of service data flows in a wireless communication system, according to some implementation schemes.

[0018] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0019] acronym

[0020] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0021] UE: User Equipment

[0022] RF: Radio Frequency

[0023] ·BS: Base Station

[0024] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0025] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0026] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0027] NR: New Radio

[0028] TX: Transmission

[0029] ·RX: Receive

[0030] • RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0031] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0032] DL: Downlink

[0033] ·UL: Uplink

[0034] QoS: Quality of Service

[0035] • QFI: QoS Flow Indicator

[0036] ·5QI: 5G QoS Identifier

[0037] •SDF: Service Data Flow

[0038] IP: Internet Protocol

[0039] • PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0040] • RLC: Radio Link Control

[0041] •RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0042] •AF: Application Function

[0043] PCF: Policy Control Function

[0044] • SMF: Session Management Function

[0045] • UPF: User Plane Function

[0046] • ADU: Application Data Unit

[0047] the term

[0048] The following is a glossary of terms that will appear in this disclosure:

[0049] Memory media—any device of any type of nontransitory memory device or storage device. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, e.g., hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In a later example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations on different computer systems connected via a network, for example. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., representing a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0050] Carrier medium—the memory medium as described above, and physical transmission medium, such as buses, networks and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals or digital signals).

[0051] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, networked appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0052] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). TM Based on Android TM Phones), tablets (e.g., iPads) TM Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) TM PlayStation Portable TM Gameboy Advance TM iPhone TM This includes wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or a combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0053] A wireless device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0054] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0055] Base station (BS) — The term “base station” has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0056] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device (such as a user equipment device or a cellular network device). A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0057] Wi-Fi—The term “Wi-Fi” encompasses the full range of its common meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks, or RATs, which are provided by and through wireless LAN (WLAN) access points to provide connectivity to the Internet. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi.” Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0058] Automatic—refers to actions or operations performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform the action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatic" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0059] "Configured as"—Various components can be described as being "configured as" to perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured as" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured as" can also be a broad expression generally meaning a structure that "has" a "circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently powered on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured as" can include hardware circuitry.

[0060] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions shall be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. The statement that a component is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of paragraph 6 of section 112 of title 35 of the United States Code.

[0061] Figure 1 and Figure 2 —Exemplary Communication System

[0062] Figure 1 Exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication systems that can implement various aspects of this disclosure according to some embodiments are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1The system described is merely one example of a possible system, and this implementation can be carried out in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0063] As shown in the figure, this exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user equipments 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N, via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or UE device. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0064] Base station 102 may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software for implementing wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106N. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various other possible networks). Therefore, base station 102 facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, in relation to a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network, taking into account both uplink and downlink communication of the UE. Therefore, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in the network may also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0065] Base station 102 and user equipment can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2, CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0066] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus provide, as one or more cell networks, continuous or near-continuous overlapping services to UE 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0067] It should be noted that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standards or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standards. In some implementations, UE 106 can be configured to perform techniques such as those described herein for supporting multiple quality of service flows for serving data flows in a wireless communication system. UE 106 can also be configured, or alternatively configured, to use WLAN, BLUETOOTH, etc. TM It can communicate with one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0068] Figure 2 Exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 106 can be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, wearable device, computer or tablet, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned flight controller (UAC), automobile, or virtually any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 can perform any of the method embodiments of the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as any of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), integrated circuit, and / or various other possible hardware components configured to perform (e.g., individually or in combination) any of or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein. UE 106 can be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 can be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0069] UE 106 may include one or more antennas communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio components may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Typically, the radio components may include any combination of baseband processors, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio components may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0070] In some implementations, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM), and for communication using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH. TM Each component communicates independently. Other configurations are also possible.

[0071] Figure 3 — Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0072] Figure 3A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, UE 106 may include a System-on-Chip (SOC) 300, which may include parts for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 300 may include a processor 302 capable of executing program instructions for UE 106, and display circuitry 304 capable of performing graphics processing and providing display signals to a display 360. SOC 300 may also include sensor circuitry 370, which may include components for sensing or measuring any of a variety of possible characteristics or parameters of UE 106. For example, sensor circuitry 370 may include motion sensing circuitry configured to detect motion of UE 106, for example, using a gyroscope, accelerometer, and / or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. As another possibility, sensor circuitry 370 may include one or more temperature sensing components, for example, for measuring the temperature of each of one or more antenna panels and / or other components of UE 106. Any of a variety of other possible types of sensor circuitry may also or alternatively be included in UE 106 as needed. Processor 302 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuitry or devices, such as display circuitry 304, radio components 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0073] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH). TM(e.g., Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). UE device 106 may include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a) and may include multiple antennas (e.g., shown by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communication with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. Generally, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, UE device 106 may use antenna 335 to perform wireless communication via radio circuitry 330. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to use multiple wireless communication standards for wireless communication.

[0074] UE 106 may include hardware and software components, such as those described further herein, for implementing methods of techniques for supporting multiple quality of service flows of serving data flows in a wireless communication system. The processor 302 of UE device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Furthermore, processor 302 may be coupled to, for example,... Figure 3 Other components shown and / or interoperable with it can perform techniques for supporting multiple quality of service flows in a wireless communication system, according to various embodiments disclosed herein. Processor 302 can also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on UE 106.

[0075] In some implementations, radio component 330 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communications for various corresponding RAT standards. For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the radio component 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 352, a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE and / or LTE-A controller) 354, and a BLUETOOTH controller. TM Controller 356, and in at least some embodiments, one or more of these controllers may be implemented as corresponding integrated circuits (referred to as ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (and more specifically, with the processor 302). For example, Wi-Fi controller 352 may communicate with cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH TMController 356 can communicate with cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or the like. Although three separate controllers are shown within radio component 330, other implementations with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs can be implemented in UE device 106.

[0076] Furthermore, implementation schemes in which the controller can perform functions associated with various radio access technologies are envisioned. For example, according to some implementation schemes, in addition to hardware and / or software components for performing cellular communications, the cellular controller 354 may also include hardware and / or software components for performing one or more activities associated with Wi-Fi, such as Wi-Fi preamble detection, and / or the generation and transmission of Wi-Fi physical layer preamble signals.

[0077] Figure 4 — Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0078] Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some implementation schemes is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include a processor 404 capable of executing program instructions specific to base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuitry or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0079] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106. Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0080] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. One or more antennas 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including but not limited to NR, LTE, LTE-A WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. Processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), base station 102 can be designed as an access point (AP), in which case network port 470 can be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks, for example it may include at least one Ethernet port, and radio component 430 can be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0081] Figure 5 —Supports multiple quality of service flows for service data flow

[0082] Common types of data communication may include the exchange of Internet Protocol (IP) packets between endpoints in a service data stream, such as between an application function provided by an application server and the corresponding application running on a wireless device, and in various other possible scenarios. In some scenarios, such service data streams may include different parts with different Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, such that these parts may need to or otherwise benefit from different QoS processing.

[0083] In some instances, cellular communication systems (such as 3GPP 5th generation (5G) New Radio (NR) cellular communication systems) can form at least a portion of the data communication path for such service data flows. Therefore, to effectively support the possibility that service data flows may include multiple types of data with different QoS requirements, it may be beneficial to specify techniques for supporting multiple QoS flows for service data flows within a cellular network. To illustrate a set of such possible techniques, Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting multiple QoS flows of service data flows in a wireless communication system, according to at least some embodiments.

[0084] Figure 5The aspects of the method may be implemented by wireless devices and / or cellular network elements (such as UE 106 and BS 102 shown and described in the various figures herein), user plane functions (UPF), session management functions (SMF), policy control functions (PCF), or other cellular network elements, or more generally, may be implemented as needed in combination with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such devices may be configured to cause the devices to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0085] It should be noted that, although the description uses methods involving the use of communication technologies and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figure 5 This method describes at least some elements, but this description is not intended to limit this disclosure and can be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 5 The method encompasses various aspects. In various implementation schemes, some elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in a different order than those shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 5 The method can be operated as follows.

[0086] Wireless devices can establish wireless links with cellular base stations. According to some implementations, the wireless link may include a 5G NR-based cellular link. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with an AMF entity of the cellular network via one or more gNBs that provide radio access to the cellular network. Alternatively, the wireless link may include an LTE-based cellular link. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with a mobility management entity of the cellular network via an eNB that provides radio access to the cellular network. Other types of cellular links are also possible according to various implementations, and the cellular network may also or alternatively operate according to another cellular communication technology (e.g., UMTS, CDMA2000, GSM, etc.).

[0087] Establishing a radio link may include, according to at least some implementations, establishing an RRC connection with a serving cellular base station. Establishing a first RRC connection may include configuring various parameters for communication between the radio device and the cellular base station, establishing environmental information for the radio device, and / or any of various other possible characteristics, such as establishing an air interface for the radio device to communicate with a cellular network associated with the cellular base station. After establishing an RRC connection, the radio device may operate in an RRC connected state. In some instances, the RRC connection may also be released (e.g., after a period of inactivity relative to data communication), in which case the radio device may operate in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. In some instances, for example due to radio device mobility, changes in radio medium conditions, and / or any other possible reasons, the radio device may perform a handover (e.g., when in RRC connected mode) or cell reselection (e.g., when in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode) to a new serving cell.

[0088] According to at least some implementations, a wireless device can establish multiple wireless links, for example, with multiple TRPs in a cellular network, based on a multi-TRP configuration. In such scenarios, the wireless device can be configured (e.g., via RRC signaling) to have one or more Transmission Control Indicators (TCIs), which may correspond to various beams available for communication with the TRPs. Furthermore, there may be situations where one or more configured TCI states can be activated at a specific time by the wireless device's Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0089] In at least some instances, establishing a wireless link may include the wireless device providing information about its capabilities. This capability information may include information related to any one of several types of wireless device capabilities.

[0090] A Service Data Flow (SDF) can be established between a wireless device and an Application Function (AF) via a wireless link. An SDF can include multiple categories of data. Different categories of data can have different QoS parameters. For example, an SDF can include data packet categories with more stringent QoS requirements (e.g., reliability, latency budget, etc.) and data packet categories with less stringent QoS requirements. SDFs with more than two categories of data packets (and more than two sets of QoS parameters) are also possible.

[0091] In 502, multiple categories of application data can be identified in the SDF. These categories can be identified by the wireless device and / or one or more cellular network elements. According to some implementations, the category to which a data packet in the SDF belongs can be identified by the wireless device and / or one or more cellular network elements, at least in part, based on the IP header information of each such packet. For example, such category information can be derived from Traffic Level and / or Type of Service (ToS) information from the IP packet header, Flow Type information from the IPv6 header, or a combination thereof. In some instances, these header fields can be set to normalized 5G QoS Identifier (5QI) values. In some instances, AF can provide a mapping from Traffic Level / ToS values ​​to normalized 5QI values, for example, as part of the AF's influence on traffic routing in 5GS. Category information used in the SDF can also be derived from higher-layer headers, such as from the security parameter index in the IP Security (IPSec) header in the UPF. As another possibility, AF can configure an offset in the IP packet at which category information is found as a rule in the SDF. For example, at the offset of the "x" bit, the "y" bit in the IP header or L4 header can carry category information. Similarly, at the offset of the "x" bit, the "y" bit in the next header following the specific type (e.g., TCP, UDP, ESP, etc.) can carry category information. Many other organizations are also capable of including application data category information in SDF packets, as well as identifying such application data category information by wireless devices and cellular networks.

[0092] In a 504 error, the QoS flow for each category of application data in the service data flow can be determined. For example, QoS flows for different categories of SDF can be established between the SMF and radio devices in a cellular network. QoS flows may have different QoS Flow Indicators (QFIs) and may have different 5QI values, which can be determined based on the QoS parameters of the associated category. Downlink packet detection rules for SDF can be created (e.g., by the SMF) based on the way category information for SDF packets is provided (e.g., as configured by the AF associated with the SDF) and can be provided to the UPF. Similarly, uplink packet filter information can be created and provided to the radio devices. Downlink packet detection rules and uplink packet filters can be used (e.g., by the UPF and radio devices for downlink and uplink packets respectively for SDF) to parse SDF packets to determine the category associated with each packet of the SDF. For example, in a scenario where there are two categories of data packets in SDF (“first” category and “second” category), downlink packet detection rules and uplink packet filters can be used to determine whether a packet is associated with a data packet of the first category of SDF or with a data packet of the second category of SDF.

[0093] In 506, different QoS flows can be used to transmit application data in the service data flow. Downlink data packets for the QoS flow of the SDF can be provided to the radio access network (RAN) of the cellular network (e.g., a cellular base station including the serving radio device), for example, based on the parsing of SDF data packets according to downlink packet detection rules. A data radio bearer (DRB) configured to provide the required QoS for each QoS flow can be established between the RAN and the radio device, and the DRB can be used to transmit downlink data packets of each data packet class of the SDF to the radio device for the QoS flow corresponding to that data packet class. In the uplink, SDF data packets can be similarly parsed by the radio device according to the packet filters provided for the SDF, and the DRB can be used to transmit uplink data packets of each data packet class of the SDF to the serving cellular base station for the QoS flow corresponding to that data packet class.

[0094] In some instances, relationships may exist between QoS flows in the SDF. Such relationships may include one QoS flow depending on another (e.g., a lower-priority QoS flow depending on a higher-priority QoS flow), or any of a variety of other types of relationships. This relationship can be identified by the radio device, for example, based on the resolution of uplink or downlink packets. In such scenarios, the radio device can provide an indication of the identified relationship to the cellular network, for example, by providing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session modification request to the SMF. The SMF can verify whether the indicated relationship between QoS flows is permitted according to one or more cellular network policies (e.g., provided by the PCF). If the indicated relationship between QoS flows is verified as permitted, the SMF can confirm the relationship between the QoS flows, for example, by providing a PDU session modification command to the radio device. Alternatively, the relationship can be identified by the UPF or another cellular network element, for example, similarly based on the resolution of uplink or downlink packets. In such scenarios, the SMF can be notified, and a network-initiated PDU session modification can be used to provide an indication of the relationship between QoS flows to the radio device. In both scenarios, the SMF can provide the RAN with an indication of the identified relationships, which can at least in part be based on the relationships between QoS flows to schedule downlink and / or uplink communication for those flows. For example, the RAN can attempt to schedule packets of related QoS flows together to reduce latency at application clients.

[0095] In some implementations, certain packet sequences within the same QoS flow of an SDF can be further divided into multiple groups of packets that are strongly related to each other. Such packet sequences may be referred to herein as Application Data Units (ADUs). ADU identification for a QoS flow can be performed in any of a few ways. One possibility may include using uplink packet descriptors that provide rich metadata (e.g., flow ID information for packets that identify a specific flow). In the downlink, the configuration of the ADU identification mechanism can be performed by the AF (Automatic Feedback Controller) or can utilize in-band mechanisms within IP packets. In some instances, the identification of portions of the ADU can be carried along with QFI information in the GTP header in the downlink. Other techniques and mechanisms are also possible.

[0096] It is possible that the relationships between the parts of an ADU are strong enough that if one part of the ADU is lost or otherwise cannot be transmitted, the remaining part is useless to the receiver. Therefore, it is possible that, at least in part, the wireless device makes a packet drop decision in the uplink, and / or the cellular base station makes a packet drop decision in the downlink, based on the identification of such relationships between two packets in a QoS flow.

[0097] For example, as one possibility, the wireless device may be able to determine that the (“first”) uplink packets of the QoS flow were not successfully transmitted at the wireless device’s Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer (e.g., due to congestion, as one possibility). The wireless device may be able to determine that the (“second”) uplink packets of the QoS flow depend on the first uplink packets of the QoS flow (e.g., they are identified as belonging to the same ADU), and may discard the second uplink packets of the QoS flow at the wireless device’s PDCP layer based at least in part on the fact that the second uplink packets of the QoS flow depend on the first uplink packets of the QoS flow.

[0098] To interpret dropped packets with respect to PDCP sequence numbers, the PDCP layer of the wireless device can provide the cellular network with an indication of a second uplink packet that dropped the QoS flow. Alternatively, the PDCP sequence number (SN) can be renumbered to interpret the dropped packet, or a dummy PDCP packet with a PDCP SN corresponding to the PDCP SN of the dropped packet can be created.

[0099] Additionally or alternatively, packet dropping decisions can be made at least in part based on the identification of the relationship between two packets of a QoS flow at the RLC layer of the radio device. For example, continuing the previous example, if a second uplink packet of a QoS flow has already been submitted from the PDCP to the RLC, it is possible to drop the second uplink packet of the QoS flow at the RLC layer of the radio device and provide the cellular network with an indication to drop the second uplink packet of the QoS flow at the RLC layer of the radio device.

[0100] If provided by a wireless device in such a scenario, the cellular network (e.g., the serving cellular base station) can receive indications of one or more packet sequence numbers not transmitted by the wireless device at the PDCP or RLC layer of the wireless device at the corresponding layer of the cellular network. In such cases, the receiver is able to determine to skip waiting for the indicated packet sequence number and continue processing any subsequently received packets.

[0101] For example, it is possible that the cellular base station can determine that the (“first”) downlink packets of the QoS flow were not successfully transmitted at the cellular base station’s Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer (e.g., due to congestion, as a possibility). The cellular base station can determine that the (“second”) downlink packets of the QoS flow depend on the first downlink packets of the QoS flow (e.g., they are identified as belonging to the same ADU), and can discard the second downlink packets of the QoS flow at the cellular base station’s PDCP layer at least in part based on the fact that the second downlink packets of the QoS flow depend on the first downlink packets of the QoS flow.

[0102] To interpret dropped packets with respect to PDCP sequence numbers, the PDCP layer of a cellular base station can provide the radio device with an indication of the second downlink packet that dropped the QoS flow.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, packet dropping decisions can be made at least in part based on the identification of the relationship between two packets of a QoS flow at the RLC layer of the cellular base station. For example, continuing the previous example, if a second downlink packet of a QoS flow has already been submitted from the PDCP to the RLC, it is possible to drop the second downlink packet of the QoS flow at the RLC layer of the cellular base station and provide the radio device with an indication to drop the second downlink packet of the QoS flow at the RLC layer of the cellular base station.

[0104] If provided by a cellular base station in such a scenario, the wireless device can receive an indication of one or more packet sequence numbers not transmitted by the cellular base station at the PDCP or RLC layer of the cellular base station at the corresponding layer of the wireless device. In this case, the receiver is able to determine to skip waiting for the indicated packet sequence number and continue processing any subsequently received packets.

[0105] Therefore, at least according to some implementation schemes, Figure 5 This approach can be used to support multiple QoS flows of a service data stream, and in at least some instances, it is better able to meet the needs of services with multiple parts that require or otherwise benefit from differentiated QoS processing.

[0106] Figures 6 to 8 and additional information

[0107] Figures 6 to 8 It shows that it can be combined if needed. Figure 5 Other aspects of the method used. However, it should be noted that in Figures 6 to 8 The exemplary details shown and described with respect to these figures are not intended to limit this disclosure as a whole: many variations and alternative forms of the details provided below are possible and should be considered within the scope of this disclosure.

[0108] According to at least some implementations, the Service Data Stream (SDF) capable of flowing between a radio device and a cellular network based on 5G NR Service (5GS) may potentially include Internet Protocol (IP) packets or sequences of IP packets that require or otherwise benefit from differentiated QoS processing. For example, an IP packet sequence may belong to an I-frame of video coding in a video stream SDF and may include video coding and / or commands that are of higher importance than IP packet sequences carrying P-frames or B-frames for the video stream SDF (e.g., translated to requirements with stricter reliability, latency budgets, etc. in QoS terms), which, at least in some instances, may depend on previous or subsequent frames. In addition to video coding use cases or alternatively, any of extended reality (XR) or augmented reality (AR), multimodal, haptic, and / or various other possible use cases may also potentially include different types of packets where different QoS processing may be preferred or required.

[0109] In the current definition of 5GS, there may be packet filtering mechanisms to map IP packets from SDF (identified by the IP 5-tuple) to QoS Traffic Indicators (QFIs). IP packets belonging to the SDF may not have a finer-grained distinction. The Radio Access Network (RAN) can process IP packets at the DRB granularity level, making it possible that the RAN is unaware of the different QFIs mapped to the DRB.

[0110] According to at least some implementations, an IP packet sequence in an SDF containing one type of frame can be considered or referred to as an Application Data Unit (ADU). Providing a 5GS QoS framework could be beneficial, which could account for such ADUs that require different QoS processing within the SDF, for example, since existing 5GS agencies do not currently provide this capability.

[0111] As one aspect of such a framework, categories can be defined where ADUs from an SDF can be classified into different categories. Continuing with previous examples of encoded video streams, such category assignment could include classifying I-frames as Category 1 (Cat-1) with higher priority and import, and classifying P-frames as Category 2 (Cat-2) with lower priority and import. Thus, a single SDF can carry ADUs with multiple categories. The concept of "category" can be defined as an attribute in 5GS, where a category can define the QoS processing provided by 5GS (e.g., Cat-1 could have stricter latency / reliability requirements than Cat-2, as a possibility).

[0112] Another aspect of this framework may include how category information is identified and transmitted within a 5GS communication system. In one set of implementations, 5GS may derive categories from information in the IP header. For example, category information may be explicitly or implicitly indicated by traffic level / ToS, flow type, or a combination thereof in IPv6. In one option, these header fields may be set to normalized 5GS 5G QoS Indicator (5QI) values. In another option, the Application Function (AF) may provide the 5GS with a mapping of traffic level / ToS or flow type values ​​to normalized 5QI values ​​as part of the AF's influence on traffic routing within the 5GS. As yet another possibility, category information may be derived in the User Plane Function (UPF), for example, by deriving information from higher-layer headers, such as from the IPSec header's security parameter index. As yet another possibility, the AF may configure a general offset in the IP packet as a rule to define where category information is found. For example, at an offset of "x", the "y" bit in the IP header or L4 header carries category information for the IP packet. For example, at the offset of the "x" bit, the "y" bit in the next header of the specific type (e.g., "TCP", "UDP", or "ESP") carries category information for the IP packet. In any of the various scenarios where category information is derived at the UPF, the UPF can detect the category field from the input IP packet and apply downlink (DL) packet detection rules (PDR) (e.g., SDF + category information) to map the IP packet to a different QoS flow identifier (QFI).

[0113] Figure 6This is a communication flow diagram illustrating aspects of a possible method for allocating an ADU of an SDF to different QFIs according to some implementation schemes. As shown, the communication flow shown can be performed between UE 604 (which may include application client 602 (e.g., for application "App#1")), NG-RAN 606, UPF 608, Session Management Function (SMF) 610, Policy and Control Function (PCF) 612, User Data Storehouse (UDR) 614, Network Exposure Function (NEF) 616, and application server 618 for application App#1.

[0114] In 620, application server 618 can provide the Nnef_TrafficInfluence_create message to NEF 616, which can provide SDF packet filter parameters, including enhancements for individual IP packets with the same IP 5-tuple for potentially different QoS processing. In 622, information can be stored in UDR 614. In 624, information is updated to the PCF for subscribed data. In 626, if a PDU session affected by an AF request exists, PCC rules can be assigned to the SMF. In 628, the SMF can create DL PDR rules based on AF information. In 630, the SMF can provide packet filters for UL data to the UE.

[0115] Basic IP packet processing under such a framework in the downlink may include classifying IP packets in the UPF using IP packet filters, where the UPF maps different categories of IP packets to different QoS flows within the same PDU session according to configured QoS rules. In the uplink, configured packet filters can be used to guide the classification of IP packets at the UE.

[0116] Another aspect of such a framework may include providing techniques for identifying relationships between ADUs with different QFIs. Figure 7 This is a communication flow diagram illustrating various aspects of one such possible method. As shown, the communication flow shown can be performed between UE 704 (which may include application client 702 (e.g., for application "App#1")), NG-RAN 706, Access and Management Function (AMF) 708, UPF 710, SMF 712, and PCF 714.

[0117] In the illustrated exemplary scenario, at 716, PCC rules derived from the AF request can be assigned from PCF 714 to SMF 712. At 718, IP packets can be provided from UE 704's application client 702 to the UE baseband. At 720, for uplink application traffic, UE baseband 704 can detect whether multiple categories exist associated with IP packets in the SDF, and whether these IP packets should be mapped to different QoS flows with different 5QIs. At 722, UE 704 can identify the relationship between two QoS flows in a PDU session modification request, which can be provided to AMF 708 at 724. At 726, AMF 708 can provide an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext_Request message to SMF 712. At 728, SMF can optionally verify the requested QoS flow relationship for the provided PCC rules. In 730, SMF 712 can provide an N1N2MessageTransfer message to AMF 708, which confirms the relationship between QoS flows and provides a PDU session modification command. In 734, AMF 708 can provide an N2 session request (indicating the relationship between QoS flows) to NG-RAN 706. In 736, NG-RAN 706 can provide a PDU session modification command to UE 704 to confirm the relationship between QoS flows indicated in the authorized QoS flow description.

[0118] Therefore, the UE and network can identify and allocate knowledge of mapped QoS flows and the relationships between them. It should be noted that the relationships between QoS flows can also be detected on the UE side based on downlink reception of IP packets related to the QoS flows. Thus, such techniques may potentially support the possibility of marking a QFI as dependent on another QFI. Among various other possible use cases, such functionality may be useful in scenarios where the QFI mapped to a P-frame of an encoded video stream is marked as "dependent" to the QFI of an I-frame carrying the stream (e.g., it can be identified as "primary"). Information about the relationships between QoS flows can be used to optimize synchronization between packets in different QoS flows; for example, at least in some instances, primary and dependent QoS flows can be scheduled together in the downlink to reduce application client latency.

[0119] like Figure 7As shown, one possibility is that the relationship information of relevant QoS flows can be provided from the UE to the network in the PDU session modification request from the UE to the SMF. According to some implementations, the SMF can optionally verify the relationship between the QoS flows requested by the UE using policies provided by the PCF, for example, to confirm which policies allow and / or support the requested relationship. The SMF can confirm the indicated relationship between QoS flows in the PDU session modification command. The SMF can set the PDR in the UPF and provide the corresponding packet filter to the UE, and can transmit the relationship between QFIs to the NG-RAN (e.g., to help support the possibility of improving synchronization between packets of relevant QoS flows). However, it should be noted that the relationship between QoS flows can also be detected on the network side (e.g., through the UPF). In such scenarios, the network-initiated PDU session modification command can be provided to the UE to indicate the detected relationship, and the UPF can also notify the SMF and NG-RAN of the relationship between QFIs.

[0120] As previously described, an ADU in a QoS flow may include one or more IP packets. IP packets belonging to an ADU within the same QoS flow may have strong relationships. For example, in at least some instances, if the receiver cannot use only a portion of the ADU, the entire ADU may still be unavailable if only two out of three IP packets belonging to the ADU are successfully delivered. Therefore, relationship information of the IP packets belonging to the ADU can be used to determine when to discard functionally useless IP packets, for example, if the other IP packet to which the IP packet's use belongs has been lost or cannot be transmitted.

[0121] Identification of the parts of an ADU can be performed in any of a variety of ways. For example, implementation-specific techniques can be used, such as packet descriptors that provide rich metadata (flow IDs, which identify all packets in a specific flow) in the uplink. In the downlink, this identification can be configured by an in-band mechanism in the AF or IP packet. The identification of the parts of the ADU can be carried along with QFI information in the downlink GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) header; in at least some instances, the RAN can use this information to determine which packets may be dropped in the event of congestion.

[0122] In some implementations, such "smart" dropping can be performed at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer based on the result of subordinate IP packets of an ADU. For example, for a UE that has already identified the mapping of PDCP sequence numbers (SNs) 1, 2, and 3 as belonging to an ADU, if a PDCP PDU with SN#1 has been dropped (e.g., due to congestion), there may be a situation where the UE also drops PDCP SN#2 and PDCP SN#3 at the UE's location, for example, because it may know that the receiver cannot work with an incomplete ADU.

[0123] In one implementation, it's possible that the remainder of the IP packets for such an ADU is dropped by PDCP. A PDCP PDU with SN#2 and SN#3 can be recreated; however, this could result in increased load on UE processing (e.g., for encryption). As an alternative, a PDCP dummy PDU can be created using SN#2 and SN#3. In another implementation, it's possible that the UE notifies the network of the dropped SNs in a PDCP status report. This can encourage receivers to stop waiting for these SNs to ensure they are delivered in order. In the downlink direction, the gNB can identify the relationships between PDCP PDUs that are part of an ADU. At least as a possibility, in cases where dropping an SN is caused by dropping a related PDCP PDU, the gNB can send a PDCP status report indicating that the SN will not be transmitted.

[0124] Figure 8 This is a communication flow diagram illustrating various aspects of a possible method for processing IP frames within an ADU within a QFI, according to some implementation schemes. As shown, the communication flow illustrated can be performed between UE PDCP entity 802, UE RLC entity 804, NG-RAN RLC entity 806, and NG-RAN PDCP entity 808.

[0125] In the illustrated scenario, the first ADU (“ADU#1”) 810 may include PDCP SNs #1, #2, and #3. Additionally, the second ADU (“ADU#2”) 812 may include PDCP SNs #4 and #5. PDCP SN#1 may fail to transmit because PDCP SNs #2 and #3 originate from the same ADU as SN#1; therefore, in 814, the UE can also discard these PDUs without attempting transmission. In 816, the UE PDCP 802 may provide the NG-RAN PDCP 808 with a PDCP status report indicating that SNs #2 and #3 have been skipped. PDCP SNs #4 and #5 of the second ADU 812 can be processed independently of PDCP SNs #1, #2, and #3, for example, because they belong to different ADUs.

[0126] If some dependent PDCP PDUs have already been submitted to the RLC when it is determined that they cannot be transmitted, a Smart Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) method based on packets of interest in the uplink can be used. Specifically, following the foregoing example, if PDCP PDUs with SN#2 and SN#3 have already been submitted to the RLC layer, the UE can employ a smart ARQ mechanism to avoid further delays. The UE RLC can locally discard the RLC PDUs carrying PDCP PDUs SN#2 and SN#3 and can send an RLC status report to the NG-RAN RLC indicating the skipped SNs. A similar smart ARQ method based on packets of interest in the downlink can also be used. Similarly, following the foregoing example, if PDCPPDUs with SN#2 and SN#3 have already been submitted to the RLC layer, the gNB can employ a smart ARQ mechanism to avoid further delays. The gNB RLC can locally discard the RLC PDUs carrying PDCP PDUs SN#2 and SN#3 and can send an RLC status report to the UE RLC indicating the skipped SNs. According to at least some implementations, such authorities may allow the corresponding entity (e.g., NR-RAN RLC in an uplink scenario or UE RLC in a downlink scenario) to stop waiting for any skipped packets and then provide successfully received packets with subsequent SNs to the PDCP for sequential transmission.

[0127] Further exemplary implementations are provided below.

[0128] One set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: determine that the SDF includes at least two categories of data, wherein a first category of data in the SDF has different Quality of Service (QoS) parameters compared to a second category of data in the SDF; transmit the first category of data in the SDF using a first QoS stream; and transmit the second category of data in the SDF using a second QoS stream, wherein the first category of data in the SDF and the second category of data in the SDF are transmitted using different QoS streams, at least in part based on the determination that the first category of data in the SDF has different QoS parameters compared to the second category of data in the SDF.

[0129] According to some implementations, the processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to: parse the packets of the SDF according to the packet filter to determine whether the packets of the SDF are associated with data of a first category of the SDF or data of a second category of the SDF.

[0130] According to some implementations, the packet filter determines whether an SDF packet is associated with data of a first category of the SDF or data of a second category of the SDF based on one or more of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) header information indicating the Traffic Level or Type of Service (ToS); IPv6 flow type information; IP Security (IPSec) header security parameter index information; or an offset value indicating the position of the category information in the SDF packet.

[0131] According to some implementations, the processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to provide an indication of the relationship between a first QoS stream and a second QoS stream to the cellular network.

[0132] According to some implementations, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determine that a first uplink packet of the first QoS stream was not successfully transmitted at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the wireless device; determine that a second uplink packet of the first QoS stream depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS stream; and discard the second uplink packet of the first QoS stream at the PDCP layer of the wireless device, based at least in part on the fact that the second uplink packet of the first QoS stream depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS stream.

[0133] According to some implementation schemes, the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow is determined to depend on the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow based on packet descriptor information included in the first uplink packet and the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow.

[0134] According to some implementation schemes, based at least in part on dropping the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the PDCP layer of the wireless device, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to perform one or more of the following: provide an indication to the cellular network to drop the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the PDCP layer of the wireless device; renumber the PDCP sequence number (SN) at the PDCP layer of the wireless device; or create a dummy PDCP packet with a PDCP SN at the PDCP layer of the wireless device, the PDCP SN corresponding to the PDCP SN of the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow.

[0135] According to some implementations, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determine that a first uplink packet of the first QoS flow was not successfully transmitted at the radio link control (RLC) layer of the wireless device; determine that a second uplink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow; discard the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the RLC layer of the wireless device, based at least in part on the fact that the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow; and provide an indication to the cellular network to discard the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the RLC layer of the wireless device.

[0136] According to some implementations, the processor is further configured to enable the wireless device to receive an indication of one or more packet sequence numbers that have not been transmitted to the wireless device by the cellular network at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the wireless device.

[0137] Another set of embodiments may include a cellular network element comprising: a processor; and a network interface operatively coupled to the processor, wherein the cellular network element is configured to: determine that a Service Data Flow (SDF) between an Application Function (AF) and a wireless device comprises at least two classes of packets, wherein packets of a first class of the SDF have different Quality of Service (QoS) parameters compared to packets of a second class of the SDF; establish a first QoS flow for packets of the first class of the SDF; and establish a second QoS flow for packets of the second class of the SDF.

[0138] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular network element is further configured to: provide the downlink packet detection rules of the SDF to a second cellular network element and provide uplink packet filtering information to a wireless device, wherein the downlink packet detection rules and the uplink packet filtering information are configured to determine whether a packet of the SDF is associated with a first category of packets of the SDF or with a second category of packets of the SDF, wherein the downlink packet detection rules and the uplink packet filtering information are based on one or more of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) header information indicating the Traffic Level or Type of Service (ToS) of the SDF packet; IPv6 flow type information of the SDF packet; IP Security (IPSec) header security parameter index information of the SDF packet; or an offset value indicating the position of category information in the SDF packet.

[0139] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular network element is further configured to: determine the relationship between a first QoS flow and a second QoS flow; and provide an indication of the relationship between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow to a second cellular network element.

[0140] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular network element is further configured to receive an indication of the relationship between the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream from a wireless device.

[0141] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular network element is further configured to: verify whether the relationship between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow is permitted based on one or more cellular network policies.

[0142] Another set of embodiments may include a cellular base station comprising: an antenna; a radio component operatively coupled to the antenna; and a processor operatively coupled to the radio component; wherein the cellular base station is configured to: establish a radio link with a wireless device; transmit a first packet to the wireless device over the radio link using a first QoS stream; and transmit a second packet to the wireless device over the radio link using a second QoS stream, wherein both the first packet and the second packet are associated with a Serving Data Stream (SDF).

[0143] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular base station is further configured to: receive an indication of the relationship between a first QoS stream and a second QoS stream; and, at least in part based on the relationship between the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream, perform scheduling on one or more of the downlink or uplink communications of the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream.

[0144] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular base station is further configured to: determine that a first downlink packet of a first QoS flow has not been successfully transmitted; determine that a second downlink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first downlink packet of the first QoS flow; and discard the second downlink packet of the first QoS flow based at least in part on the fact that the second downlink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first downlink packet of the first QoS flow.

[0145] According to some implementation schemes, a second downlink packet of the first QoS flow is dropped at either the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to provide an indication to a radio device that a second downlink packet of the first QoS flow is dropped at either the PDCP layer or the RLC layer of the cellular base station.

[0146] According to some implementation schemes, the second downlink packet of the first QoS stream is determined to depend on the first downlink packet of the first QoS stream, based on header information included in the first downlink packet and the second downlink packet of the first QoS stream.

[0147] According to some implementation schemes, the cellular base station is further configured to receive, at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the cellular base station, an indication of one or more packet sequence numbers not transmitted to the cellular base station by a wireless device.

[0148] Another exemplary implementation may include a method comprising: having the device perform any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0149] Another exemplary embodiment may include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio component coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operatively coupled to the radio component, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0150] Another set of exemplary embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible memory medium comprising program instructions that, when executed at the device, cause the device to implement any or all of the portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0151] Another exemplary set of implementations may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the examples described above.

[0152] Another exemplary set of embodiments may include an apparatus that includes means for performing any or all elements of any of the examples described above.

[0153] Another set of exemplary embodiments may include an apparatus that includes a processing element configured to cause a wireless device to perform any or all of the elements of any of the foregoing examples.

[0154] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0155] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any method described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0156] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. In still other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0157] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system performs a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0158] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or memory elements), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and wherein the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset or any combination of such subsets of any method embodiments described herein). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0159] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the disclosure is fully understood. This disclosure is intended to render the following claims as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: Processor, the processor being configured to enable the wireless device to: Service data stream SDF established and applied via cellular network (AF); The SDF is determined to include data from at least two categories, wherein the data from the first category of the SDF has different Quality of Service (QoS) parameters compared to the data from the second category of the SDF; Based on the parsing of uplink or downlink data packets, the relationship between a first QoS flow associated with a first QoS flow indicator (QFI) and a second QoS flow associated with a second QFI is identified, wherein the relationship includes the first QoS flow depending on the second QoS flow. The relationship is indicated to the cellular network using a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Modification Request; Receive a PDU session modification command from the cellular network in response to the PDU session modification request; The first category of data in the SDF is transmitted using the first QoS stream; as well as The second category of data in the SDF is transmitted using the second QoS stream. The data of the first category of the SDF and the data of the second category of the SDF are transmitted using a first QoS stream and a second QoS stream, based at least in part on the determination that the data of the first category of the SDF and the data of the second category of the SDF have different QoS parameters compared with the data of the second category of the SDF, and the scheduling of the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream is based at least in part on the relationship between them, wherein the data packets of the first QoS stream and the data packets of the second QoS stream are scheduled together.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: The SDF groups are parsed using a grouping filter to determine whether the SDF groups are associated with data of the first category of the SDF or with data of the second category of the SDF.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, The grouping filter determines whether the grouping of the SDF is associated with data of the first category of the SDF or with data of the second category of the SDF based on one or more of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) header information, which indicates the Traffic Level or Type of Service (ToS). IPv6 flow type information; IP Security IPSec header security parameter index information; or Offset value, which indicates the position of category information in the grouping of the SDF.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: It is determined that the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow was not successfully transmitted at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the wireless device; The determination of the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow; and The second uplink packet of the first QoS stream, which is at least partially based on the first uplink packet of the first QoS stream, is discarded at the PDCP layer of the wireless device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, The second uplink packet of the first QoS stream is determined to depend on the first uplink packet of the first QoS stream based on packet descriptor information included in the first uplink packet and the second uplink packet of the first QoS stream.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to perform one or more of the following, based at least in part on dropping the second uplink packets of the first QoS flow at the PDCP layer of the wireless device: Provide the cellular network with an indication to discard the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the PDCP layer of the wireless device; The PDCP serial number SN is renumbered at the PDCP layer of the wireless device; or A dummy PDCP packet with a PDCP SN is created at the PDCP layer of the wireless device, the PDCP SN corresponding to the PDCP SN of the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: It is determined that the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow was not successfully transmitted at the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the wireless device; The determination of the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first uplink packet of the first QoS flow; The second uplink packet of the first QoS stream depends at least in part on the first uplink packet of the first QoS stream, and the second uplink packet of the first QoS stream is dropped at the RLC layer of the wireless device; as well as Provide the cellular network with an indication to discard the second uplink packet of the first QoS flow at the RLC layer of the wireless device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Receive an indication that one or more packet sequence numbers were not transmitted to the wireless device by the cellular network at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the wireless device.

9. A cellular network element, comprising: processor; and A network interface, which is operatively coupled to the processor, The cellular network element is configured as follows: The Service Data Flow (SDF) between the Application Function (AF) and the wireless device is determined to include at least two categories of packets, wherein the first category of packets in the SDF has different Quality of Service (QoS) parameters compared to the second category of packets in the SDF; Establish a first QoS flow for the first category of packets in the SDF; Establish a second QoS flow for the second category of packets in the SDF; Determine the relationship between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow; Provide a second cellular network element with an indication of the relationship between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow; as well as Verify whether the relationship between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow is allowed based on one or more cellular network policies.

10. The cellular network element of claim 9, wherein the cellular network element is further configured to: The downlink packet detection rules of the SDF are provided to the second cellular network element, and uplink packet filter information is provided to the wireless device, wherein the downlink packet detection rules and the uplink packet filter information are configured to determine whether a packet of the SDF is associated with a first category of packets of the SDF or with a second category of packets of the SDF. The downlink packet detection rules and the uplink packet filter information are based on one or more of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) header information, wherein the IP header information indicates the traffic level or type of service (ToS) of the packet in the SDF; The IPv6 flow type information of the packet in the SDF; The IP security header security parameter index information of the packet in the SDF; or Offset value, which indicates the position of category information in the grouping of the SDF.

11. The cellular network element of claim 9, wherein the cellular network element is further configured to: The wireless device receives an indication of the relationship between the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream.

12. A cellular base station, comprising: antenna; A radio component, the radio component being operatively coupled to the antenna; and A processor capable of being operatively coupled to the radio component; The cellular base station is configured as follows: Establish a wireless link with the wireless device; Receive an indication of the relationship between a first QoS flow associated with a first QoS flow indicator (QFI) and a second QoS flow associated with a second QFI, wherein the relationship includes the first QoS flow depending on the second QoS flow; Scheduling is performed on one or more of the downlink or uplink communications of the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream, at least in part, based on the relationship between the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream, wherein data packets of the first QoS stream and data packets of the second QoS stream are scheduled together; The first packet is transmitted to the wireless device over the wireless link using the first QoS stream; as well as The second packet is transmitted to the wireless device over the wireless link using the second QoS stream. Both the first packet and the second packet are associated with the Service Data Stream (SDF).

13. The cellular base station according to claim 12, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to: It was determined that the first downlink packet of the first QoS flow was not successfully transmitted; The determination of the second downlink packet of the first QoS flow depends on the first downlink packet of the first QoS flow; and The second downlink packet of the first QoS flow is at least partially based on the first downlink packet of the first QoS flow, and the second downlink packet of the first QoS flow is discarded.

14. The cellular base station according to claim 13, The second downlink packets of the first QoS flow are dropped at either the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to: Provide the wireless device with an indication to discard the second downlink packet of the first QoS flow at either the PDCP layer or the RLC layer of the cellular base station.

15. The cellular base station according to claim 13, The second downlink packet of the first QoS stream is determined to depend on the first downlink packet of the first QoS stream based on header information included in the first downlink packet and the second downlink packet of the first QoS stream.

16. The cellular base station according to claim 12, wherein the cellular base station is further configured to: Receive an indication of one or more packet sequence numbers that were not transmitted by the wireless device to the cellular base station at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of the cellular base station.

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