Method and apparatus for relay operation in a wireless communication system

Abstract

A method for supporting end-to-end (e2e) quality of service (QoS) for uplink (UL) communications between a user equipment (UE) and a network via a relay node is provided, the method being performed by the relay node. The method includes receiving, from the network, a downlink (DL) packet for the UE, wherein the DL packet includes a value of a first indicator of a QoS flow on a first link between the relay node and the network, and creating or updating a QoS rule, wherein the QoS rule is derived based on the value of the first indicator, and optionally wherein the created or updated QoS rule corresponds to the UE or corresponds to the QoS flow on a second link with the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to methods, apparatus, and systems for reflecting the Quality of Service (QoS) of a User Equipment (UE) to a network relay. More specifically, this disclosure relates to methods, apparatus, and systems for reflecting QoS from a UE to a network relay in a 3GPP 5G communication system. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the growing demand for wireless data services following the commercialization of fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, considerable efforts have been made to develop improved fifth-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication systems. For this reason, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are referred to as systems beyond 4G networks or post-Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems.

[0003] To achieve high data rates, 5G communication systems are being considered for implementation in the ultra-high frequency band (millimeter wave (mmWave)) (e.g., the 60 GHz band). To mitigate radio wave propagation path loss and increase the propagation distance of radio waves in the millimeter wave band, technologies for 5G communication systems are being discussed, such as beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO systems.

[0004] In addition, to improve the system network used in 5G communication systems, technologies such as evolved small cells, advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (cloud RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communication, coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and receive interference cancellation are being developed.

[0005] In addition, for 5G communication systems, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) (FQAM), and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) have been developed as advanced coding and modulation (ACM) schemes, as well as filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies.

[0006] The internet has evolved from a human-centric connectivity network (through which humans generate and consume information) to an Internet of Things (IoT) network that exchanges and processes information between distributed elements such as objects. The Internet of Everything (IoE) technology is emerging, in which IoT-related technologies are combined with technologies for processing big data, such as connecting to cloud servers. To realize IoT, various technological components are required, such as sensing technologies, wired / wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technologies, security technologies, etc. In recent years, technologies including sensor networks for connecting objects, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and machine-type communication (MTC) have been researched. In the IoT environment, intelligent Internet of Things (IT) services can be provided to collect and interpret data obtained from interconnected objects and create new value in human life. With the convergence and integration of existing information technology (IT) and various industries, IoT can be applied to various fields such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart appliances, and high-quality medical services.

[0007] Various attempts are underway to apply 5G communication systems to IoT networks. For example, 5G communication technologies, including beamforming, MIMO, and array antennas, are being used to implement technologies related to sensor networks, M2M communication, and MTC. The aforementioned application of cloud RAN as a big data processing technology may be an example of the integration of 5G communication technology and IoT technology.

[0008] As mobile communication systems evolve to provide a variety of services, methods for effectively transmitting and receiving reference signals in wireless communication systems may become necessary.

[0009] The above information is presented as background information only to aid in understanding this disclosure. No determination or assertion is made regarding whether any of the above can be used as prior art relative to this disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided for end-to-end (e2e) Quality of Service (QoS) for supporting uplink (UL) communication between a user equipment (UE) and a network via a relay node, the method being performed by the relay node. The method includes receiving downlink (DL) packets for the UE from the network, and creating or updating QoS rules, wherein the DL packets include values ​​of a first indicator of a QoS flow on a first link between the relay node and the network, and wherein the QoS rules are derived based on the value of the first indicator. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 A general Quality of Service (QoS) model is shown in the mapping of 5G system (5GS) uplink (UL) packet matching and QoS flow to access network resources according to related technologies;

[0013] Figure 2 An example use case is shown for the UL transmission of data after packet matching at the upper layer and mapping to the data radio bearer (DRB) by the lower layer, according to relevant technologies;

[0014] Figure 3 Example use cases with Reflective Quality of Service (RQoS) and derived QoS rules based on relevant technologies are shown;

[0015] Figure 4 The communication between a remote user equipment (UE) via a relay UE and a fifth-generation core network (5GC) is illustrated according to relevant technologies.

[0016] Figure 5 An example of two UEs with two PC5 unicast links is shown, according to the relevant technology;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the transmission and reception of messages by a relay UE, a remote UE, and a radio access network (RAN) according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 7 These are diagrams used to explain problems related to certain technologies according to embodiments of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 8 A network entity according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated schematically;

[0020] Figure 9 A base station (BS) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated; and

[0021] Figure 10 A UE according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0022] In all the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals will be understood to refer to similar parts, components and structures. Detailed Implementation

[0023] [Best Mode]

[0024] The aspects of this disclosure at least address the aforementioned problems and / or disadvantages, and at least provide the following advantages. Therefore, one aspect of this disclosure is to provide apparatus and methods for reflecting the Quality of Service (QoS) of a User Equipment (UE) to a network relay in a wireless communication system.

[0025] Other aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will also become clear in part from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0026] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an end-to-end (e2e) QoS method is provided for supporting uplink (UL) communication between a UE (e.g., a remote UE) and a network (e.g., a fifth-generation core network (5GC)) via a relay node (e.g., a relay UE). The method is performed by the relay node and includes receiving downlink (DL) packets for the UE from the network (e.g., from a radio access network (RAN)), and creating or updating QoS rules (e.g., derived QoS rules), wherein the DL packets include the value of a first indicator (e.g., a QoS flow identifier (QFI)) of a QoS flow on a first link (e.g., an access (Uu) link) between the relay node and the network, wherein the QoS rules are derived based on the value of the first indicator, and optionally, wherein the created or updated QoS rules correspond to a QoS flow on the UE or to a second link (e.g., a first PC5 link) with the UE.

[0027] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a relay node is provided for supporting e2e QoS of UL communication between a UE and a network via the relay node. The relay node includes a transceiver and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to receive DL packets for the UE from the network, wherein the DL packets include the value of a first indicator of a QoS flow on a first link between the relay node and the network.

[0028] Create or update a QoS rule, wherein the QoS rule is derived based on the value of a first indicator, and optionally, wherein the created or updated QoS rule corresponds to the UE or to a QoS flow on a second link with the UE.

[0029] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of this disclosure will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of various embodiments disclosed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] [Invention Method]

[0031] The following description, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, is intended to aid in a full understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to aid understanding, but these are to be considered exemplary only. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted.

[0032] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to their documentary meaning, but are used solely by the inventors to enable a clear and consistent understanding of this disclosure. Therefore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of this disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0033] It should be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural indicators unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “component surface” includes a reference to one or more such surfaces.

[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments of this disclosure only and is not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments of this disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” used herein may also be intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terminology used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms used herein that are defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning in the context of the related art. Unless expressly defined in this disclosure, terms are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense. In some cases, even terms defined in this disclosure are interpreted as excluding embodiments of this disclosure.

[0035] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise,” “include,” and “comprising,” as well as variations of these words such as “including” and “comprises,” mean “including, but not limited to,” and are not intended to exclude other features, elements, components, integers, processes, operations, functions, characteristics, properties, and / or groups thereof.

[0036] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise,” “include,” and “comprising,” as well as variations of these words such as “including” and “comprises,” mean “including, but not limited to,” and are not intended to exclude other features, elements, components, integers, processes, operations, functions, characteristics, properties, and / or groups thereof.

[0037] In the various embodiments of this disclosure described below, hardware-based methods will be described as examples. However, because the various embodiments of this disclosure include techniques using both hardware and software, software-based methods are not excluded.

[0038] The effects and features of this disclosure, as well as methods for implementing them, will be illustrated with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this regard, embodiments of this disclosure may take different forms and should not be construed as limited to the description set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments of this disclosure are provided to make this disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of the embodiments of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0039] Throughout the disclosure, the expression "at least one of a, b and c" indicates only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, all of a, b and c, or variations thereof.

[0040] Examples of terminals may include user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), cellular phone, smartphone, computer, multimedia system capable of performing communication functions, etc.

[0041] In this disclosure, the controller may also be referred to as a processor.

[0042] Throughout the specification, a layer (or layer device) may also be referred to as an entity.

[0043] It will be understood that the corresponding blocks of a flowchart and combinations thereof can be executed by computer program instructions. Because these computer program instructions can be embedded in the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, the instructions, executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, generate modules for performing the functions described in the flowchart blocks. Because these computer program instructions, which can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to implement functions in a particular manner, can also be stored in a computer-executable or computer-readable storage medium, the instructions stored in the computer-executable or computer-readable storage medium can also produce an article of art containing instruction modules for performing the functions described in the flowchart blocks. Because computer program instructions can also be embedded in a computer or other programmable data processing device, the instructions for performing the computer or other programmable data processing device, thereby generating a computer-implemented process by performing a series of operations on the computer or other programmable data processing device, can provide operations for performing the functions described in the flowchart blocks.

[0044] Furthermore, each box may represent a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for performing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the boxes may not occur in the order shown in the figures. For example, two boxes shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or the boxes may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions addressed herein.

[0045] As used herein, the term "module" or "device" refers to a software element or hardware element, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a "module" or "device" performs certain functions. However, the term "module" or "device" is not limited to software or hardware. The term "module" or "device" can be configured in addressable storage media or can be configured to reproduce one or more processors. Thus, for example, the term "module" or "device" includes elements such as software elements, object-oriented software elements, class elements and task elements, procedures, functions, attributes, processes, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided in elements and "modules" or "devices" can be combined with fewer elements and "modules" or "devices," or can be separated from additional elements and "modules" or "devices." Furthermore, elements and "modules" or "devices" can be implemented as one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a reproduction device or secure multimedia card. Furthermore, in embodiments of this disclosure, a “module” or “device” may include one or more processors.

[0046] In describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of relevant known functions or configurations may be omitted if they are determined to unnecessarily obscure the essence of this disclosure. Hereinafter, embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] For ease of description, examples are given of terms used to identify access nodes, terms relating to network entities, terms relating to messages, terms relating to interfaces between network entities, and terms relating to various types of identification information. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the terms described later, and other terms may be used to refer to entities with equivalent technical meanings.

[0048] For ease of description, this document uses the terms and names defined in the 3GPP LTE standard. However, this disclosure is not limited to the terms and names and can be applied equivalently to systems conforming to other standards. For ease of description, the term evolved Node B (eNodeB (eNB)) used in this disclosure can be used interchangeably with the term next-generation Node B (gNB). That is, a base station described as an eNB can represent a gNB. Furthermore, the term "terminal" can refer not only to mobile phones, NB-IoT devices, and sensors, but also to other wireless communication devices.

[0049] In the following description, the base station allocates resources to the terminal and may include at least one of a gNodeB, eNodeB, NodeB, base station (BS), radio access unit, base station controller, or node on a network. Examples of terminals may include user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), cellular phone, smartphone, computer, multimedia system capable of performing communication functions, etc. Of course, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

[0050] Specifically, this disclosure can be applied to 3GPP New Radio (NR) (the fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication standard). Furthermore, this disclosure can be applied to smart services based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technologies (e.g., smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, healthcare, digital education, retail, security and safety-related services, etc.). For ease of description, the term "eNB" used herein can be used interchangeably with the term "gNB." That is, a base station described as an eNB can also be referred to as a gNB. Furthermore, the term "terminal" can refer not only to mobile phones, NB-IoT devices, and sensors, but also to other wireless communication devices.

[0051] Furthermore, although the following descriptions, by way of example, are of Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), LTE Pro, or 5G (or NR, next-generation mobile communications) systems, embodiments of this disclosure are also applicable to other communication systems with similar technical backgrounds or channel configurations. Moreover, with some modifications, this disclosure can be applied to other communication systems without departing from its scope.

[0052] According to embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure provides methods, apparatus, and systems for UE-to-network relay reflecting Quality of Service (QoS) (RQoS). The following examples are applicable to 3GPP 5G and use terminology associated with 3GPP 5G. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the techniques disclosed herein are not limited to these examples or 3GPP 5G and can be applied to any suitable system or standard, such as one or more existing and / or future-era wireless communication systems or standards.

[0053] For example, the functionality of the various network entities and other features disclosed herein can be applied to corresponding or equivalent entities or features in other communication systems or standards. Corresponding or equivalent entities or features can be considered as entities or features that perform the same or similar roles, functions, operations, or purposes within the network.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure is not limited to the specific examples disclosed herein. For example:

[0055] The technologies disclosed in this article are not limited to 3GPP 5G.

[0056] One or more entities in the examples disclosed herein can be replaced by one or more alternative entities that perform equivalent or corresponding functions, procedures, or operations.

[0057] One or more messages in the examples disclosed herein can be replaced by one or more alternative messages, signals, or communications of other types that are equivalent to or correspond to the information.

[0058] One or more additional elements, entities, and / or messages may be added to the examples disclosed herein.

[0059] In some embodiments, one or more non-essential elements, entities, and / or messages may be omitted.

[0060] The functionality, process, or operation of a particular entity in one example can be divided among two or more separate entities in alternative examples.

[0061] The functions, processes, or operations of two or more separate entities in one example can be performed by a single entity in an alternative example.

[0062] In one example, the information carried by a particular message can be carried by two or more separate messages in an alternative example.

[0063] In one example, the information carried by two or more separate messages can be carried by a single message in an alternative example.

[0064] In alternative examples, the order of operations can be modified if possible.

[0065] Information transmission between network entities is not limited to messages of a specific form, type, and / or order as described in conjunction with the examples disclosed herein.

[0066] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure may be provided in the form of an apparatus / device / network entity configured to perform one or more defined network functions and / or methods thereof. Some embodiments of this disclosure may be provided in the form of a system (e.g., a network) including one or more such apparatus / device / network entities and / or methods thereof.

[0067] The following documents were referenced here:

[0068] [1] 3GPP TS 24.501 V16.5.1

[0069] [2] 3GPP TS 23.501 V16.3.0

[0070] [3] 3GPP TS 23.752 V0.4.0

[0071] [4] 3GPP TS 23.287 V16.3.0

[0072] [5] 3GPP TS 24.587 V16.1.0

[0073] The various acronyms, abbreviations, and definitions used in this disclosure are defined at the end of this specification.

[0074] In this disclosure, the following acronyms, abbreviations and definitions may be used.

[0075] 3GPP Third Generation Partner Program

[0076] 5G (Fifth Generation)

[0077] 5GC 5G core

[0078] 5GCN 5G Core Network

[0079] 5GS 5G system

[0080] 5GSM 5G Session Management

[0081] QoS on 5QI Uu links

[0082] AN access network

[0083] DL downlink

[0084] DRB data radio bearer

[0085] e2e end-to-end

[0086] ID Identity / Identifier

[0087] IE Information Elements

[0088] IP Internet Protocol

[0089] L2 Floor 2

[0090] N1 mode allows UEs to access the 5G core network via the 5G access network.

[0091] NAS Non-Access Layer

[0092] Narrowband NB

[0093] NR New Radio

[0094] PC5 direct communication link between UEs with ProSe capability

[0095] PC5-S PC5 Signaling

[0096] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0097] PFI / PQFI PC5 QoS Flow Identifier

[0098] PQI PC5 QFI

[0099] ProSe Nearby Services

[0100] QFI QoS Flow Identifier

[0101] QoS (Quality of Service)

[0102] QRI QoS rule identifier

[0103] RAN (Radio Access Network)

[0104] Rel release

[0105] RQ timer RQoS timer

[0106] RQI RQoS indication

[0107] RQoS reflects QoS

[0108] SMF Session Management Function

[0109] TS Technical Specifications

[0110] UE User Equipment

[0111] UL uplink

[0112] UPF User Plane Functions

[0113] The air interface between the Uu interface terminal and the base station / access point

[0114] V2X vehicles for everything

[0115] WB Broadband

[0116] Overview of signaled and derived QoS rules

[0117] The 5G QoS model is based on QoS flows, which is the finest QoS differentiation granularity within a PDU session. QoS flows are identified by QoS Flow Identifiers (QFIs). QoS flows are associated with QoS rules and optional other QoS parameters.

[0118] Typically, there are two types of QoS rules in 5GS—QoS rules notified by signals and derived QoS rules.

[0119] As the name suggests, signaled QoS rules are QoS rules that are signaled or exchanged between the UE and the network (SMF) using 5GS Session Management (5GSM) messages. Signaled QoS rules indicate, for example, whether the QoS rule is a default QoS rule or a non-default QoS rule. As specified in TS 24.501[1], each signaled QoS rule includes:

[0120] a) Whether the QoS rule is an indication of the default QoS rule;

[0121] b) QoS Rule Identifier (QRI);

[0122] c) QoS Flow Identifier (QFI);

[0123] d) Optionally, a set of grouped filters; and

[0124] e) Priority value.

[0125] QoS rules and packet filters are used for uplink (UL) user data packet matching in Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions of IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, or Ethernet PDU session types. That is, rules and packet filters enable the association between data and QoS flows, ensuring that data is processed based on the characteristics of the QoS flows identified by the QFI. This is called packet matching and will be discussed later in this section.

[0126] On the other hand, the derived rules are QoS rules derived on-the-fly, not signaled. UEs that support Reflective QoS (RQoS) use the derived rules. UEs supporting RQoS should indicate this by setting the RQoS bit to "Support Reflective QoS" in the 5GSM Capability IE of the PDU Session Establishment Request message. RQoS means that the UE reflects the processing of UL data packets based on the QoS processing received in the downlink (DL). To this end, the UE derives QoS rules (RQoS applies to the received DL packets) based on the received DL packets, and then processes and transmits UL data based on the derived QoS rules, as described below.

[0127] For UEs supporting RQoS, the lower layer in the UE can receive DL packets with QFI and RQI (RQoS indicator), where RQI indicates that the data associated with the DL stream is subject to RQoS. The lower layer provides QFI and RQI to the NAS, which then derives the QoS rules for UL transmissions, as follows:

[0128] a) The QFI of the exported QoS rule is set to the received QFI.

[0129] b) The priority value of the exported QoS rule is set to 80 (decimal); and

[0130] c) The UL-direction packet filter for exporting QoS rules is set as the UL-direction export packet filter.

[0131] When the UE exports QoS rules, the UE associates and starts timer T3583 (called the RQ timer), which guards the exported rules for the period of time. The timer value is signaled to the UE using a 5GSM message, or the UE applies the default value as described in [1].

[0132] The UE updates the exported rules as follows (see [1]):

[0133] a) The UE will use the last received RQ timer value during either the UE-requested PDU session establishment process or the network-requested PDU session modification process of the PDU session to restart timer T3583 associated with the exported QoS rule. If no RQ timer value was received during either the UE-requested PDU session establishment process or any network-requested PDU session modification process of the PDU session, the default normalized RQ timer value will be used.

[0134] b) If the QFI value associated with the DL user data packet is different from the QFI value stored for the exported QoS rule, the UE should replace the QFI value stored for the exported QoS rule with the new QFI value for the exported QoS rule.

[0135] The conditions for deleting the exported QoS rule from [1] are as follows:

[0136] Table 1

[0137]

[0138]

[0139] The UE may have QoS rules notified by signaling and derived QoS rules. For one or both, the UE uses these rules to perform uplink packet matching, that is, to match data with a specific QoS flow, and then transmit and process that specific QoS flow according to the QoS profile or the characteristics of the QoS flow (e.g., based on the associated QFI).

[0140] As indicated below from TS 24.501[1], the UE performs packet matching in the UL direction:

[0141] Table 2

[0142]

[0143] After a data packet is matched to a QoS flow, the UE provides the data packet and the QFI of the corresponding QoS flow to which the data packet has been matched. The lower layer then performs a mapping of the QoS flow (identified by the QFI) to access network resources, so that the data packet that has been matched with the QoS flow (identified by the QFI) will be transmitted using the mapped access network resources. Therefore, the transmission will allow the data packet to receive the processing associated with the QFI according to the QoS profile of the flow.

[0144] Figure 1 A general QoS model in 5GS-UL packet matching and the mapping of QoS flows to access network resources are illustrated according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0145] refer to Figure 1 (From TS 23.501[2]), which shows the overall QoS model in 5GS, where both the matching and mapping of UL packets to resources are visualized:

[0146] It should be noted that multiple QoS rules can have the same QFI, so packets matched based on these different QoS rules will have the same processing due to the same QFI.

[0147] Next, we will provide examples of how the UE uses both signaling and exported QoS rules.

[0148] For example, suppose a UE has a PDU session #1 with two QoS rules identified by QoS Rule Identifier (QRI) A and QRI B. Assume QRI A is used for the default QoS rule, and QRI B is used for a non-default QoS rule. Assume QRI A has a priority value of 2, and QRI B has a priority value of 1. This means QRI B is checked before QRI A because a lower priority implies higher priority.

[0149] Assuming the PDU session is for type IPv6, and the UE has the following components for packet filtering of QoS rules identified by QRI B:

[0150] -Source IP address: IP-Src-Y

[0151] - Destination IP address: IP-Dst-Z

[0152] -Source port: #222

[0153] -Destination port: #333

[0154] - Next header: "someHeader"

[0155] It is also assumed that the QoS rule identified by QRI B has an associated QFI#20.

[0156] It should be noted that the parameter values ​​above are for illustrative purposes only.

[0157] Figure 2 This illustrates an example use case of UL data transmission after packet matching by the upper layer and mapping to the DRB by the lower layer, according to relevant technologies.

[0158] refer to Figure 2 As described above, when, according to operation S210, the UE has UL data to be sent from the source IP address and port number indicated above, and the destination is the destination IP address and port number indicated above, and the next header field is set to the value indicated above, then according to... Figure 2 In operation S220, the UE matches the UL data with the QoS flow identified by QFI#20. This is because the PF matching the data information to be sent is part of QRI B.

[0159] Then, the UE provides UL data packets to the lower layer and also indicates QFI as #20. Then, according to... Figure 2 In operation S230, the lower layer maps the data associated with QFI to the corresponding Data Radio Bearer (DRB), which is DRB5 in this case.

[0160] In DL, when these packets request QoS processing according to the QoS profile defined by QFI 20, the access network (AN) will typically send any corresponding DL packets on DRB 5.

[0161] For the sake of simplicity, in Figure 2 The interaction between AN and UPF is not shown in the data.

[0162] So far, the above examples assume that the UE has used the QoS rules that are signaled so far, namely QRI A and QRI B.

[0163] Figure 3 Example use cases with RQoS and derived QoS rules based on related technologies are shown.

[0164] refer to Figure 3 Assuming RQoS applies to the PDU session, the access network can receive DL packets with an indication that RQoS should be used for the DL packets (see Section 5.7.5.3 in [2]). The AN that has determined to use a different QFI for the DL packets will then transmit the DL packets on DRB 6 and indicate to the UE that RQoS should be applied to the flow, such as Figure 3The operation S310 is shown in the diagram. Although not shown, the AN also indicates to the UE that a QFI is required for the corresponding UL service.

[0165] It should be noted that this example illustrates that DRB 6 is used to send DL packets that will be processed according to the QoS profile associated with QFI 18; however, it is possible for different QFIs to map to the same DRB. Therefore, it is possible for DL ​​packets to have different QFIs (e.g., QFI 18) but still use the same DRB (e.g., DRB 5), even though DRB 5 is also used to transmit or receive data associated with QFI 20.

[0166] When a lower layer in the UE receives a DL packet and examines the RQI indicator, the lower layer passes the packet to a higher layer, which in turn provides the RQI and QFI that should be used for the corresponding UL packet. The RQI indicates that RQoS should apply to the UL, and the associated QFI is the QFI that any UL packet should be sent to. This is in... Figure 3 The operation S320 is shown in the diagram.

[0167] Based on the received instruction, the UE (the upper layer) then creates the derived QoS rules and associates and starts timer T3583, as described in [1]. This in Figure 3 The operation is shown in S330.

[0168] Although not in Figure 3 As shown, however, any UL packets corresponding to the DL packets indicated by the RQI will now be associated with QFI18 until the UE deletes the derived QoS rule, for example, after T3583 expires.

[0169] 5G Proximity Service Overview (ProSe)

[0170] TR 23.752[3] is investigating Proximity Services (ProSe) for 5G. A key issue being investigated is support for UE-to-network relays (hereinafter referred to as relay UEs) that act as a means for remote UEs to connect to 5GS, where the remote UE is considered to be outside coverage. Thus, the remote UE connects to the relay UE via a direct over-the-air connection (particularly using 3GPP New Radio (NR) access technology), and the relay UE acts as a Layer 3 type relay. Other proposals exist for the relay UE to act as a Layer 2 relay; however, this document assumes that the relay UE actually acts as a Layer 3 relay entity.

[0171] Direct communication between any UEs with ProSe capability, such as between remote UEs and trunk UEs, occurs via a so-called PC5 link, which is a direct link using NR access. Trunk UEs communicate with the network using the Uu interface.

[0172] Figure 4 A communication reference between a remote UE and a 5GC via a relay UE is shown according to the relevant technology. Figure 4 (from [3]), which shows an example of a remote UE connecting to the 5G core (5GC) via a relay UE.

[0173] refer to Figure 3 Communication between the remote UE and the 5GC must support end-to-end (e2e) Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure that the services used are satisfied in terms of data packet processing.

[0174] To meet e2e QoS requirements, the QoS on a PC5 link (i.e., PQI) must correspond to a certain QoS on a Uu link (i.e., 5QI). For example, there should be a certain match between the PQI and 5QI used at the corresponding interfaces so that the e2e service can satisfy a certain set of requirements and expectations. Therefore, it can be expected that even if the QoS on the PC5 link (i.e., PQI) remains unchanged, a change in the QoS level of a link (e.g., a Uu link) may affect the overall e2e QoS.

[0175] refer to Figure 2 The solution is described in solution #24 of [3] regarding e2e QoS processing for the model as follows:

[0176] Table 3

[0177]

[0178] Based on the text referenced in Table 3, it is expected that for a known 5QI on the Uu interface, the relay UE will select a QoS level, i.e., PQI, that matches the PC5 link of the remote UE. Therefore, it is also expected that the relay UE has been properly configured to have information that enables it to match the 5QI value with the appropriate corresponding PQI value, allowing e2e communication to be achieved with the expected quality of experience.

[0179] Regarding PC5 links, 5G ProSe is most likely to use existing or similar solutions that are defined for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a part of which supports, for example, the establishment and modification of direct links between two vehicles. For example, TS 23.287[4] describes the different processes associated with the establishment and modification of PC5 links, and details of these related messages can be found in TS24.587[5].

[0180] Figure 5 An example of two UEs with two PC5 unicast links according to related technologies is shown.

[0181] refer to Figure 5(From [4]), which shows an example of a PC5 unicast link that can be established between two UEs.

[0182] Figure 5 Assuming an application uses a PC5 link for V2X communication, however, a PC5 link can also be used for ProSe in Rel-17. Therefore, the V2X example is for descriptive purposes to understand how a current PC5 link works, but should not be considered a limitation of PC5 communication for V2X services only. The use of a PC5 link for V2X communication can be described as follows.

[0183] A PC5 unicast link between two UEs allows V2X communication between one or more pairs of peering V2X services within those UEs. All V2X services within UEs using the same PC5 unicast link use the same application layer ID.

[0184] A PC5 unicast link supports one or more V2X service types if these V2X service types are associated with at least one pair of peer application layer IDs for that PC5 unicast link. For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, UE A and UE B have two PC5 unicast links, one between peer application layer ID 1 / UE A and application layer ID 2 / UE B, and the other between peer application layer ID 3 / UE A and application layer ID 4 / UE B.

[0185] If multiple V2X service types use PC5 unicast links, a PC5 QoS flow identified by a PFI (PC5 QoS Flow Identifier, which can also be referred to as / abbreviated as PQFI) can be associated with more than one V2X service type.

[0186] The above information is presented as background information only to aid in understanding this disclosure. No determination or assertion is made regarding whether any of the above applies to prior art relative to this disclosure.

[0187] Given the relevant technology, at least the following problems exist:

[0188] How QoS on the Uu link affects QoS on the PC5 link is not specified.

[0189] To truly support e2e QoS, a change in QoS on one branch / link of communication will require a change in QoS on the other branch / link. Specifically, the QoS of a Uu link (i.e., the Uu link between the relay UE and the RAN) may change due to the use of RQoS. When this happens, the relay UE can start using a different QFI for UL transmissions on the Uu interface and thus use QoS processing. However, because RQoS is used on the Uu link, the current behavior of such a UE regarding the QoS used on PC5 is unspecified. This means that true e2e QoS has not yet been specified or supported by the applied RQoS.

[0190] Therefore, in summary, the use of RQoS by relay UEs and its impact on PC5 link QoS are unspecified.

[0191] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions to this problem. For example, in view of the above-described problem, some embodiments of this disclosure provide one or more of the following solutions.

[0192] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after the relay UE uses and applies RQoS to the UL data associated with the remote UE in question, the relay UE can adjust the QoS of the PC5 used for communication with the remote UE. For example, adjusting the PC5 QoS between the relay UE and the remote UE can be done by the relay UE according to one or more of the following:

[0193] - Modify the current PC5 link established with the remote UE to use a different PC5 QFI (PQI), where the PQI will correspond to the QFI (or 5QI) of the Uu link using RQoS. The corresponding PQI to be used is based on the configuration information in the relay UE.

[0194] - Within the current PC5 link, existing PC5 flows are used, and the PQI of the existing PC5 flows corresponds to the QFI (or 5QI) applied to the Uu link as a result of RQoS.

[0195] - Create a new PC5 QoS flow. Due to RQoS, the PQI of the new PC5 QoS flow corresponds to the QFI (or 5QI) on the Uu link.

[0196] Some embodiments of this disclosure are described in more detail below. Those skilled in the art will understand that the techniques disclosed herein can be used in any suitable combination.

[0197] 1. Adjust PC5 QoS after using RQoS on the Uu link.

[0198] This solution assumes that the relay UE (i.e., UE-to-network relay) is configured with the necessary information, including a mapping between the QoS profiles of the Uu link and the PC5 link. For the corresponding link, the QoS profile information can be in the form of QFI or PFI, where each QFI on the Uu is associated with a 5QI, and therefore each PFI on the PC5 link is associated with a PC55QI (PQI). As an example, assume the relay UE has the following configuration information regarding the QFI mapping between the QFIs on the Uu and the PFIs on the PC5:

[0199] Table 4

[0200] A1(A) X1(X) B2(B) Y2(Y) C3(C) Z3(Z)

[0201] Assume that a relay UE uses QFI A1 when transmitting data in the UL on a Uu link, where the data is targeted at a specific remote UE. Thus, the matching PC5QoS (i.e., PFI X1) of the flow between the remote UE and the relay UE has PQI X as shown in the table above.

[0202] The relay UE can receive DL packets for the remote UE in question on Uu, where the DL packets are accompanied by RQI bits, i.e., indicating that RQoS should be used and the QFI should be applied in the UL direction. As an example, assume that the indicated QFI is B2 associated with 5QI B via Uu.

[0203] When this occurs, in addition to the exported QoS rules for the UL Uu, the relay UE may optionally create PC5 exported QoS rules, where the PC5 exported QoS corresponds to the remote UE in question. For this purpose, due to RQoS, the relay should determine the PQI corresponding to the 5QI indicated on the DL Uu. The relay UE should use any configuration information to make this determination. The relay UE may locally associate the remote UE in question (or a PC5 QoS flow with the remote UE) with the exported PC5 QoS rules and / or the RQoS timer corresponding to the exported PC5 QoS rules. This association can be accomplished using the remote UE's identifier, such as, but not limited to: the remote UE's destination tier 2 ID, PFI, ProSe service ID, application tier ID, IP address or prefix, or any combination of these identifiers.

[0204] The relay UE should then modify the associated PC5 QoS flow or the mapping between Uu and the PC5 QoS flow to match the PQI of the PC5 link / flow to the 5QI on Uu (and the indicated QFI on Uu) towards the remote UE. Returning to the example, the relay UE could then modify the PC5 QoS flow or mapping with the remote UE such that PQI Y is set to match the 5QI B of QFI B2, where the latter will be used as part of the RQoS on the Uu link (UL direction).

[0205] To modify the PC5 QoS flow, due to different QFIs on the Uu, for example, after using RQoS or after the QoS rules are derived due to RQoS, the relay UE can take any one or more of the following options described below.

[0206] Option 1: Modify the PFI of the current PC5QoS flow with the remote UE.

[0207] In this option, the relay UE can modify the PQI of the current PC5 QoS flow with the remote UE to match the 5QI at the Uu level indicated by (or for) RQoS. For example, this can be done after the relay UE creates a derived QoS rule due to RQoS.

[0208] The relay UE may send a PC5 message to the remote UE in which the relay UE should identify the PC5 QoS flow in question whose PQI should be updated (e.g., by using PFI). The relay UE should also include the updated PQI of the PC5 QoS flow to be used (wherein the PQI matches the 5QI requirement on the Uu link indicated by RQoS). The relay UE may also send other types of information in the PC5 message, such as the ProSe service to which the modification is to be applied. The PC5 message sent to the remote UE may be a PC5 signaling (PC5-S) message. The PC5-S message may be a new type of message defined as modifying the characteristics of a PC5 QoS flow, or it may be the same as or similar to a direct link modification request message used for V2X communication (e.g., see [5]). If the direct link modification request message is reused, the relay UE may set the operation to "modify the PC5 QoS parameters of an existing PC5 QoS flow", for example as defined in [5], or it may define a new operation such as "modify the PC5 QoS parameters of an existing PC5 QoS flow due to RQoS". If it is necessary for the relay UE to notify the remote UE of a change in PC5 level PQI based on Uu level 5QI indicated by (or for) RQoS, then this new operation can be used.

[0209] If a V2X message, such as a direct link modification request message, or any other message in [5], is used for ProSe communication, the “V2X service identifier” field can be set to a new value to indicate that the message is for a ProSe service. Some embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to any PC5-S message, such as in [5], and are not necessarily limited to messages that modify direct links. In this way, the relay UE can also identify the specific ProSe service to which the PC5 message is being sent.

[0210] When the relay UE does not have any other existing PC5 QoS flows and matches the PQI with the indicated Uu level 5QI based on RQoS, the relay UE can proceed as disclosed above (e.g., based on option 1 above).

[0211] Option 2: Use existing PC5 QoS streams. Due to RQoS, the PQI of existing PC5 QoS streams matches the Uu level 5QI. match

[0212] In this option, the relay UE can verify the existence of another existing PC5 QoS flow, for which the PQI can be matched against the indicated Uu level 5QI based on RQoS. This can be done, for example, after the relay UE creates derived QoS rules due to RQoS.

[0213] If such an existing PC5 QoS flow is available, in the example above, the PC5 QoS flow would be a flow with a QoS profile of PQI Y (matching 5QI B on Uu), and the relay UE can modify the packet filter in the PC5 QoS rules so that the flow B2 packets on Uu will be directed to PFI Y2 on PC5. In other words, the relay UE can now use this PC5 QoS flow (i.e., with PQI Y in our example) to send DL data to the remote UE. The relay UE can send a PC5 message to the remote UE, such as a PC5-S message, optionally, where the message can be a direct link modification request message (e.g., see [5]), to associate the PC5 QoS flow Y2 with the ProSe service it replaces from flow X1 (if it is not already associated), and optionally remove the associated ProSe service from X1 (if needed). For this purpose, the relay UE can include the ProSe service identifier, Y2, to be added to the identified QoS flow.

[0214] In addition, the relay UE can send a PC5 message, such as a PC5-S message, to the remote UE. Optionally, this message can be a direct link release request message (e.g., see [5]) to release the previous QoS flow used for exchanging data before using RQoS on the Uu link, unless that QoS is still being used with other associated ProSe services afterward (i.e., X1 in the example above). In this way, the relay UE can release the QoS flow (i.e., X1 in the example above) on the PC5 link with the remote UE. Optionally, the relay UE can modify the PC5 link so that the ProSe service being used on PC5 flow X1 is removed. In this way, PC5 QoS flow X1 can still be maintained and can be reused in the future. In order to reuse QoS flows in the future, for example, after deleting QoS rules derived from PC5 and re-establishing QoS rules notified by signaling, the relay UE can modify the PC5 link (e.g., by sending relevant PC5 messages to the remote UE) to add ProSe services back to PC5 QoS flow X1. This means that both the relay UE and the remote UE will restore the corresponding ProSe services on the identified QoS flows on the PC5 link (i.e., exchange the corresponding ProSe service data).

[0215] The relay UE may, as described above, first modify the PC5 link and then release another QoS flow (for which the PQI is X, i.e., X1 in the example above), or may take these actions simultaneously, or may, as described above, first release the QoS flow and then modify the other, or may take any combination of the above-described actions in any order. It is also possible that the relay UE sends a message with one or more of the operations disclosed above, i.e., modifying the PC5 link and releasing the other.

[0216] Option 3: Create a new PC5 QoS flow. Due to RQoS, the PQI of the new PC5 QoS flow matches the Uu level 5QI.

[0217] In this option, the relay UE can create or establish a new PC5 QoS flow on the PC5 link, such that, due to RQoS, the PQI of the new flow will match or correspond to the 5QI of the Uu link. For example, this can be done after the relay UE creates a derived QoS rule due to RQoS.

[0218] To this end, the relay UE should send a PC5 message to the remote UE, which could be a PC5-S message, or alternatively, a direct link establishment request message or a direct link modification request message (see [5] for example). The relay UE may include the PQI of the QoS flow, which, due to RQoS, would correspond to the 5QI of the Uu link (in the example above, this would be PQI Y, where the PC5 QoS flow ID is Y2) as 5QI B in the example above.

[0219] The relay UE can indicate the ProSe service that should be used on the PC5 QoS flow in the PC5 message sent to the remote UE.

[0220] Furthermore, the relay UE can send a PC5 message, such as a PC5-S message, to the remote UE, optionally, where the message can be a direct link release request message (e.g., see [5]), to release a previous PC5 QoS flow (i.e., X1 in the example above) used for exchanging data before RQoS was used on the Uu link. In this way, the relay UE can release the PC5 QoS flow (i.e., X1 in the example above) on the PC5 link (and optionally, the packet filter in the signaled QoS rule), which was used before the QoS rule was derived due to RQoS. Optionally, the relay UE can modify the PC5 link / flow (i.e., X1) so that the ProSe service currently used on it will now be removed. In this way, the QoS flow can be preserved and can be reused in the future. In order to reuse the QoS flow in the future (i.e., X1 in the example above), for example, after deleting the exported QoS rule and reusing the signaled QoS rule, the relay UE can modify the PC5 link (by sending the relevant PC5 message to the remote UE) to add the same ProSe service on the QoS flow. This means that both the relay UE and the remote UE will restore the corresponding ProSe service on the identified QoS flow (i.e., X1 in the example above) on the PC5 link (i.e., exchange the data of the corresponding ProSe service).

[0221] The relay UE may first establish a PC5 link as described above, and then release another (existing) QoS flow (for which PQI is X, i.e., X1 in the example above), or may take these actions simultaneously, or may release the QoS flow first and create another as described above, or may take any combination of the techniques disclosed above in any order. It is also possible that the relay UE sends a message with one or more of the operations disclosed above, i.e., establishing a PC5 link and releasing another.

[0222] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the transmission and reception of messages by a relay UE, a remote UE, and a RAN according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0223] Figure 6 The above-disclosed technologies for relay UE 62 are summarized, and the operation is described below:

[0224] Reference Figure 6In operation S610-A, relay UE 62 can have a PC5 link and PC5 QoS flow with remote UE 60, where PQI is X (i.e., PFI X1). In operation S610-B, relay UE 62 can have a corresponding Uu-level QoS flow with 5QI A (i.e., QFI A1). Thus, the ProSe service runs on PC5 links and Uu links with PQI X and 5QI A respectively.

[0225] In operation S620, relay UE 62 can receive DL packets from RAN 64 for the ProSe service being used by remote UE 60. Relay UE 62 can receive DL packets that have an indication of RQoS application (i.e., the RQI bit is set) and a QFI used with RQoS. In the example above, this QFI (or 5QI) is assumed to be B1 (or 5QI B) (note that this is just an example).

[0226] In operation S630, relay UE 62 can create PC5-derived QoS rules for RQoS, whereby these rules are associated with the remote UE 60 under discussion. Relay UE 62 can locally associate the remote UE 60 under discussion with the PC5-derived QoS rules using the identifier of the remote UE 60, such as, but not limited to, the destination layer 2 ID, PFI, ProSe service ID, application layer ID, IP address or prefix of the remote UE 60, or any combination of these identifiers.

[0227] In operation S640, the relay UE 62 can determine the PQI to be used such that the PQI matches the Uu level 5QI that RQoS is to use. This determination can use local information (e.g., configuration information) that has a mapping between the Uu level 5QI and the PC5 level PQI.

[0228] In operation S650, relay UE 62 may send a PC5 message to remote UE 60, wherein the message enables the use of a determined PQI (associated with the PC5 QoS flow) such that the PC5 level PQI corresponds to (or matches) the Uu level 5QI, as described in operation S640. This PC5 message can be any message disclosed in the different options described above. For example, the message could be a request to modify the PQI of the PC5 QoS flow used for ProSe service.

[0229] In operation S660, relay UE 62 may send a PC5 message to remote UE 60 to stop using the previous PQI for the ProSe service in question (optionally). The request may take the form of releasing the PC5 QoS flow with the previous PQI, or it may take the form of keeping the PC5 QoS flow but removing the ProSe service associated with the previous PQI.

[0230] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations disclosed above are merely examples of how the techniques disclosed herein can be used and are not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the examples in this disclosure are not limited to the specific operations or specific order of operations disclosed in the accompanying drawings. Similarly, those skilled in the art will understand that, in addition to the specific examples disclosed herein, the relay UE can take other actions in different orders and any combinations.

[0231] The relay UE can continue to use the PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI until the use of RQoS on the Uu link ends. The relay UE can end the use of RQoS on the Uu link under different conditions, such as the expiration of RQoS timer T3583 or after the exported QoS rule (associated with the remote UE) is deleted.

[0232] 2. After RQoS is exhausted on the Uu link, adjust PC5QoS.

[0233] A relay UE can stop using RQoS on the Uu link, where RQoS is associated with services exchanged with a remote UE on the PC5 QoS stream. The relay UE can stop using RQoS when, for example, an RQoS timer expires.

[0234] When RQoS usage ceases, the relay UE can revert to using the signaled QoS rules (and optionally the packet filters associated with the remote UE) on the Uu link for the remote UE's services. When this occurs, the relay UE can, for example, based on configuration information, re-determine the PC5 level PQI corresponding to (or matching) the signaled QoS rules for the QFI (or 5QI). In the example above, the relay UE can stop using RQoS with 5QI B and revert to using 5QI A (which is associated with the signaled QoS rules). Therefore, the UE accordingly determines that PQI X on the PC5 stream is the match for 5QI A.

[0235] Once the PQI to be used has been determined as described above, the relay UE can modify the PQI of the QoS flow used with the remote UE based on PQI X. Thus, as long as the new PQI matches the 5QI of the QoS rule notified by signaling, the relay UE can proceed as disclosed in any of the above options.

[0236] When using RQoS, the relay UE can use any of the options disclosed above based on previous actions taken by the relay to adjust PC5 QoS. For example, if the relay UE has modified the existing QoS flow on the PC5 link to use a different PQI, where, due to RQoS, this PQI will correspond to 5QI, then the relay UE should now modify the QoS flow on the PC5 link with the remote UE again, so that the PQI is also changed, and specifically, the PQI should be the PQI corresponding to the 5QI of the signaled QoS rule after the end of RQoS usage. The UE can also perform other options by using an appropriate PQI based on configuration information, where the PQI now corresponds to the 5QI of the signaled QoS rule now in use after the cessation of RQoS usage.

[0237] 3. Trigger the deletion of exported QoS rules at the relay UE.

[0238] A relay UE may delete a PC5-derived QoS rule associated with a QoS flow on a specific remote UE and / or PC5 link (wherein the association may be based on any identifier disclosed herein) when any one or more of the following occur:

[0239] - The associated PC5 QoS flow was deleted (by the remote UE or relay UE).

[0240] - The ProSe service running on the associated PC5 QoS stream was removed (by a remote UE or a relay UE).

[0241] -Release the PC5 link between the remote UE and the relay UE.

[0242] - The RQoS timer T3583 (which is associated with the remote UE) via the Uu link expires.

[0243] In this disclosure, the term PFI may also be referred to as PQFI (PC5 QoS flow identifier), as defined, for example, in [5].

[0244] Some embodiments of this disclosure enable true e2e QoS for remote UEs using UE-to-network relay. Some embodiments enable the relay UE to optimize the QoS on the PC5 link so that it matches the QoS of the Uu link, which changes when RQoS is applied (or discontinued).

[0245] Some embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to dynamic QoS processing without dynamic PCC support. Specifically, some embodiments do not require any explicit intervention from the SMF. This can potentially save signaling between the SMF and the relay UE in the frequent modification of the relay PDU session on Uu (e.g., when the Uu level 5QI changes dynamically to accommodate changes in the AN level packet delay budget).

[0246] Figure 7 This is a diagram used to explain problems related to certain technologies according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0247] The following outlines various techniques provided by some embodiments of this disclosure to address certain problems associated with related technologies. Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure is not limited to the examples below.

[0248] 1.Reference Figure 7 Remote UEs (outside network coverage) can use UE-to-network relays (within network coverage) to access and use PDU sessions.

[0249] (a) The link between the remote UE and the relay UE is a PC5 link. The link between the UE and the network relay and the network is a Uu interface.

[0250] (b) When providing services to remote UEs, it is desirable to ensure end-to-end support of session QoS, i.e., the QoS of the PC5 link (referred to as PQI) must correspond to the QoS of the Uu link (referred to as 5QI (or QFI)).

[0251] 2. QoS rules can be signaled QoS rules or derived QoS rules. When the network uses Reflective QoS (RQoS), derived QoS rules are used.

[0252] (a) RQoS enables the network and UE to apply different QoS treatments "in operation" (i.e., by using different QFIs), without signaling via the NAS protocol.

[0253] (b) For example, the network may decide to change the QFI of the downlink flow from QFI A to QFI B, and further instruct the UE to also use QFI B for the uplink direction:

[0254] i. To apply RQoS, the network sends downlink packets and sets the RQI bit to indicate that RQoS should be used by the UE. The network also indicates the QFI to be used (e.g., QFI B).

[0255] ii. The lower layers in the UE provide RQoS indications and QFIs (e.g., QFI B) for downlink packets to the NAS.

[0256] iii. The UE (NAS) derives QoS rules such that uplink packets will be processed using the QFI indicated by the lower layer (e.g., QFI B).

[0257] 3. RQoS results in the creation of derived QoS rules in the UE. The derived rules are used for a duration defined by the RQoS timer. When the timer expires, the UE deletes the derived rules and uses the existing signaled QoS rules.

[0258] To understand the problem, assume the following initial scenario:

[0259] - The UE-to-network relay 72 has a PDU session with the network, and uses the QoS of "QFI A" to exchange data with the network 74 for the remote UE 70 (see Figure 7 operation S710-1A therein).

[0260] - The remote UE 70 has a PC5 link with the UE-to-network relay 72, and the QoS is "PQI X" (see Figure 7 operation S710-1B therein).

[0261] - The end-to-end QoS is: <PC5 link QoS><Uu interface QoS> = <PQI X><QFI A> (see Figure 7 operations S710-1A and S710-1B therein).

[0262] The above assumption means that on the Uu link (between the UE-to-network relay 72 and the network 74), packets use the QoS with QFI A

[0263] Accordingly, the PC5 link (between the remote UE 70 and the UE-to-network relay 72) is using PQI X. This is because PQI X is the optimal corresponding selection for QFI A.

[0264] Therefore, the end-to-end QoS is implemented through <PQI X><QFI A>.

[0265] Problem: For the PDU session of the UE-to-network relay 72, the network 74 may decide to use RQoS for downlink packets (see Figure 7 operation S720 therein). For example, the network 74 may decide to apply RQoS to downlink packets, and thus apply QFI B instead of the existing QFI A (see Figure 7 operation S730-A). When this occurs, the end-to-end QoS becomes <PQI X><QFI B> (see Figure 7 operations S730-A and S730-B).

[0266] The problem is that <PQI X> corresponds to <QFI A>, but what should the corresponding PQI be for <QFI B> now, that is, end-to-end QoS <PQI?><QFI B>?

[0267] In summary: When RQoS is used on a Uu link and the QFI is modified, true end-to-end QoS may be impossible if the UE to network relay 72 does not change the PQI. The UE to network relay 72 requires new behavior to determine and implement the end-to-end QoS generated by RQoS.

[0268] Some embodiments of this disclosure can address the above-mentioned problems using one or more of the following operations.

[0269] 1) When the UE receives a DL packet with a Reflecting QoS Indicator (RQI) to the network relay 72, the UE to the network relay 72 exports / updates the QoS rules for the remote UE 70 in the UL direction.

[0270] 2) Based on the new QFI on Uu due to RQoS, if PC5 exists, and for that PC5, PC5 QoS corresponds to the new QFI (from RQoS), then the UE performs an L2 link modification process on network trunk 72 to move DL services on the PC5 QoS flow that matches the PQI with the new QFI.

[0271] 3) Based on the new QFI on Uu due to RQoS, if there is no PC5 link, for the PC5 link, the PC5 QoS corresponds to the new QFI (from RQoS), then the UE to the network relay 72 determines the new PQI based on the new QFI.

[0272] 4) When a new PQI is determined for a new QFI, the UE uses the L2 link modification process to establish a new PC5 QoS flow with the determined PQI to the network relay 72.

[0273] 5) When an exported QoS rule is deleted, for example, after the RQoS timer expires, the UE to network relay 72 will use the signaled QoS rule for the Uu link. The UE to network relay 72 will then execute the L2 link modification process again, so that the QoS of the PC5 QoS flow will again match the QFI of the signaled QoS rule.

[0274] Operation 1 above corresponds to Figure 6 Operation S630. Operation 3 above corresponds to... Figure 6 Operation S640. Operation 2 above corresponds to... Figure 6 Operation S650. Operation 4 above also corresponds to Figure 6 Operation S650. Operation 5 above corresponds to something similar to... Figure 6 The operation of operation S650; in the example of this disclosure, the process corresponding to operation 4 above can be used in the case of operation 5 above.

[0275] refer to Figure 4 As defined in Clause 5.6.5.3 of TS 23.501, reflective QoS control on the Uu can be used for dynamic QoS processing of the remote UE 70 to save signaling between the SMF and the 5G ProSe Layer 3 UE to network relay. When a DL packet with RQI for the remote UE 70 is received on the Uu, the 5G ProSe UE to network relay 72 creates a new derived QoS rule or updates an existing derived QoS rule corresponding to the remote UE 70, as defined in TS 23.501, based on the indicated QFI. The derived QoS rule is used for UL packets from the remote UE 70 at the Uu interface.

[0276] Based on QoS rules notified by signaling (via SMF) or derived QoS rules (via uplink Uu reflecting QoS), the 5G ProSe UE to network relay 72 can use the L2 link modification process as defined in Clause 6.4.3.4 of TS 23.304 (V1.0.0) to update existing PC5 QoS flows or establish new PC5 QoS flows (when the QFI to PC5 QoS flow mapping does not exist).

[0277] When a 5G ProSe UE to Network Relay deletes an exported QoS rule, for example after an RQ timer expires, the 5G ProSe UE to Network Relay can, after deleting the exported QoS rule, use the PQI mapped from the 5QI of the currently used QoS rule to execute the L2 link modification process defined in Clause 6.4.3.4 of TS 23.304 (V1.0.0).

[0278] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide an end-to-end (e2e) Quality of Service (QoS) method for supporting uplink (UL) communication between a user equipment (UE) (e.g., a remote UE) and a network (e.g., a 5GC) via a relay node (e.g., a relay UE), the method being performed by the relay node and comprising: receiving downlink (DL) packets for the UE from the network (e.g., from the RAN), wherein the DL packets include a value of a first indicator (e.g., QFI) of a QoS flow on a first link (e.g., Uu) between the relay node and the network; and creating or updating a QoS rule (e.g., a derived QoS rule), wherein the QoS rule is derived based on the value of the first indicator, and optionally, wherein the created or updated QoS rule corresponds to a QoS flow on the UE or a second link (e.g., a first PC5 link) with the UE.

[0279] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining the value of a second indicator (e.g., PFI) of the QoS flow on the link with the UE, wherein the determined value of the second indicator may correspond to the received value of the first indicator (e.g., to meet certain e2e QoS requirements).

[0280] In some embodiments, the method may further include, if there is a QoS flow on a third link with the UE (e.g., a second PC5 link) whose QoS corresponds to the value of a determined second indicator, then executing a process (e.g., an L2 link modification process) to move the DL service on the second link to the existing QoS flow.

[0281] In some embodiments, the method may further include, if there is no QoS flow whose QoS corresponds to the value of the determined second indicator, then an execution process (e.g., an L2 link modification process) is executed to create a new QoS flow for DL ​​services on a third link (e.g., a PC5 link) with the UE using the value of the determined second indicator.

[0282] In some embodiments, the execution process may include transmitting a message to the UE that includes a determined value of a second indicator.

[0283] In some embodiments, the execution process may include instructing the UE on services associated with the second link and / or the third link (e.g., ProSe services) (e.g., services associated with the second link before the process and associated with the third link after the process when the service moves from the second link to the third link).

[0284] In some embodiments, the value of the second indicator may be determined based on a predetermined mapping between the values ​​of the first indicator and the second indicator.

[0285] In some embodiments, the group may include a third indicator (e.g., RQI) having a value indicating that the QoS processing of the UL should reflect the QoS processing of the DL (e.g., should use reflective QoS).

[0286] In some embodiments, the UE and relay node may support ProSe (ProSe) service.

[0287] In some embodiments, the QoS rule may be a derived QoS rule of the UE corresponding to the UL group.

[0288] In some embodiments, the method may further include deleting QoS rules.

[0289] In some embodiments, the method may further include starting a timer (e.g., time T3583) when a QoS rule is created or updated, wherein the QoS rule may be deleted when the timer expires.

[0290] In some embodiments, the method may further include, when a QoS rule has been deleted: applying a signaled QoS rule to a first link; and determining a second value of a second indicator (e.g., PFI) of a QoS flow on the link with the UE, wherein the determined second value of the second indicator may correspond to the value of a first indicator associated with the signaled QoS rule.

[0291] In some embodiments, the method may further include an execution process (e.g., an L2 link modification process) to move DL traffic on the second link to an existing QoS flow on a fourth link (e.g., a third PC5 link) of the UE, where the QoS corresponds to a determined second value of the second indicator.

[0292] In some embodiments, the method may further include an execution process (e.g., an L2 link modification process) to create a new QoS flow for DL ​​services on a fourth link with the UE using a determined second value of a second indicator.

[0293] In some embodiments, the execution process may include instructing the UE on a service associated with at least one of the second link or the fourth link (e.g., a ProSe service) (e.g., a service associated with the second link before the process and associated with the fourth link after the process when the service moves from the second link to the fourth link).

[0294] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a relay node configured to operate according to any aspect, example, embodiment, and / or claim of the methods disclosed herein.

[0295] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a network (or wireless communication system) including a relay node and a UE according to the foregoing examples.

[0296] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program including instructions that, when executed by a computer or processor, cause the computer or processor to perform any aspect, example, embodiment, and / or claim of the methods disclosed herein.

[0297] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer or processor-readable data carrier having a computer program according to the foregoing examples stored thereon.

[0298] Figure 8 A network entity according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated schematically.

[0299] refer to Figure 8 This is a block diagram of network entities that can be used in the examples of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 8The network entities shown can be implemented as, for example, network elements on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a suitable platform (e.g., on cloud infrastructure).

[0300] Entity 800 includes a processor (or controller) 801, a transmitter 803, and a receiver 805. Receiver 805 is configured to receive one or more messages or signals from one or more other network entities. Transmitter 803 is configured to transmit one or more messages or signals to one or more other network entities. Processor 801 is configured to perform one or more operations and / or functions as described above.

[0301] Figure 9 A base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated schematically.

[0302] refer to Figure 9 The base station 900 may include a processor 910, a transceiver 920, and a memory 930. However, not all of the components shown are essential. The base station 900 may be composed of components such as... Figure 9 It can be implemented with more or fewer components. Furthermore, according to another embodiment, the processor 910, transceiver 920, and memory 930 can be implemented as a single chip.

[0303] The aforementioned components will now be described in detail.

[0304] Processor 910 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the proposed functions, processes, and / or methods. Operation of base station 900 may be implemented by processor 910.

[0305] Transceiver 920 may include an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the transmitted signal and an RF receiver for down-converting the received signal. However, according to another embodiment, transceiver 920 may be implemented with more or fewer components than shown in the components.

[0306] Transceiver 920 can be connected to processor 910 and transmit and / or receive signals. These signals may include control information and data. Furthermore, transceiver 920 can receive signals via a wireless channel and output signals to processor 910. Transceiver 920 can also transmit signals output from processor 910 via a wireless channel.

[0307] The memory 930 may store control information or data included in signals obtained by the base station 900. The memory 930 may be connected to the processor 910 and store at least one instruction, protocol, or parameter for the proposed function, process, and / or method. The memory 930 may include read-only memory (ROM) and / or random access memory (RAM) and / or hard disk and / or CD-ROM and / or DVD and / or other storage devices.

[0308] In one embodiment, the processor 910 is configured to generate indication information related to a set of power control parameters for a channel used to transmit data with a first priority, and to transmit the indication information to the user equipment (UE).

[0309] Figure 10 A user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0310] UE 1000 can be a remote UE 60, a relay UE 62, a remote UE 70, or a UE to network relay 72.

[0311] refer to Figure 10 UE 1000 may include a processor 1010, a transceiver 1020, and a memory 1030. However, not all of the components shown are required. UE 1000 may be composed of components such as processor 1010, transceiver 1020, and memory 1030. Figure 10 It can be implemented with more or fewer components as shown. Furthermore, according to another embodiment, the processor 1010, transceiver 1020, and memory 1030 can be implemented as a single chip.

[0312] The aforementioned components will now be described in detail.

[0313] Processor 1010 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the proposed functions, processes and / or methods. Operation of UE 1000 may be implemented by processor 1010.

[0314] Transceiver 1020 may include an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the transmitted signal and an RF receiver for down-converting the received signal. However, according to another embodiment, transceiver 1020 may be implemented with more or fewer components than shown in the components.

[0315] Transceiver 1020 can be connected to processor 1010 and transmit and / or receive signals. These signals may include control information and data. Furthermore, transceiver 1020 can receive signals via a wireless channel and output signals to processor 1010. Transceiver 1020 can also transmit signals output from processor 1010 via a wireless channel.

[0316] The memory 1030 may store control information or data included in signals obtained by the UE 1000. The memory 1030 may be connected to the processor 1010 and store at least one instruction, protocol, or parameter for the proposed function, process, and / or method. The memory 1030 may include read-only memory (ROM) and / or random access memory (RAM) and / or hard disk and / or CD-ROM and / or DVD and / or other storage devices.

[0317] The techniques described herein can be implemented using any suitably configured apparatus and / or system. Such apparatus and / or system can be configured to perform methods according to any aspect, embodiment, example, or claim disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include one or more elements, such as receivers, transmitters, transceivers, processors, controllers, modules, units, etc., each element configured to perform one or more corresponding process, operation, and / or method operations to implement the techniques described herein. For example, operation / function of X can be performed by a module (or X module) configured to perform X. One or more elements can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software.

[0318] It will be understood that the examples of this disclosure can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software. Any such software can be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage devices, such as storage devices like ROM, whether erasable or rewritable, or in the form of memory, such as RAM, memory chips, devices, or integrated circuits, or stored on optical or magnetically readable media, such as CDs, DVDs, disks, or magnetic tapes.

[0319] It will be understood that storage devices and storage media are embodiments of machine-readable storage means adapted to store one or more programs including instructions that, when executed, implement some embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, some embodiments provide programs including code for implementing methods, apparatus, or systems according to any examples, embodiments, aspects, and / or claims disclosed herein, and / or machine-readable storage means for storing such programs. Furthermore, such programs can be communicated electronically via any medium, such as communication signals carried via wired or wireless connections.

[0320] Although this disclosure has been shown and described with reference to some embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by any of the appended claims.

[0321] Those skilled in the art will understand that computer program instructions can be used to implement each box in the structure diagram and / or block diagram and / or flowchart, as well as combinations of boxes in the structure diagram and / or block diagram and / or flowchart. Those skilled in the art will understand that these computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or another processor of the programmable data processing component to be implemented, such that the solution specified in one or more boxes of the structure diagram and / or block diagram and / or flowchart is executed by the computer or other processor of the programmable data processing component.

[0322] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations, measures, and solutions discussed in this application can be replaced, altered, combined, or deleted. Furthermore, other operations, measures, and solutions discussed in this application can also be replaced, altered, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted. Additionally, prior art incorporating the operations, methods, and processes discussed in this application can also be replaced, altered, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted.

[0323] The above are merely some of the embodiments of this application, and it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of this application. These should be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0324] The methods described in the claims or specification according to embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0325] When implemented as software, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be provided to store one or more programs (software modules). The one or more programs stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executable by one or more processors in an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions to cause the electronic device to perform methods according to embodiments of this disclosure, which are described in the claims or specification of this disclosure.

[0326] One or more programs (software modules, software, etc.) may be stored in random access memory (RAM), including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage devices, optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile optical disc (DVD), other types of optical storage devices, or non-volatile memory such as cassette tape. Alternatively, one or more programs may be stored in memory provided by all or part of these devices. Furthermore, each memory may include multiple configured memories.

[0327] Furthermore, one or more programs may be stored in an attachable storage device accessible via a communication network such as the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. These storage devices may be connected to a device executing embodiments of this disclosure via an external port. Additionally, separate storage devices on the communication network may access the device executing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0328] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, methods for efficiently transmitting and receiving reference signals in a wireless communication system can be provided.

[0329] The technical problems to be solved by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the following description other technical problems not described herein.

[0330] In specific embodiments of this disclosure, the elements included in this disclosure have been expressed in singular or plural form according to the proposed specific embodiments of this disclosure. However, the singular or plural form is appropriately chosen according to the proposed situation for ease of interpretation and is not intended to limit this disclosure to a single or multiple elements. Even when an element is expressed in plural form, it may also be provided as a single element, and even when an element is expressed in singular form, it may also be provided as multiple elements.

[0331] Although this disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for performing Quality of Service (QoS) control by a relay user equipment (UE), the method comprising: On the Uu interface between the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the Relay UE, downlink DL packets with QoS Indicator (RQI) and QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) for remote UEs are received. Based on the reception of DL packets with RQI, derived QoS rules are created; Based on the exported QoS rules, create exported PC5 QoS rules for the remote UE; Based on the 5G QoS identifier 5QI associated with the derived PC5 QoS rules, determine the PC5 5G QoS identifier PQI; as well as Based on the determined PQI, a link modification request message is sent to the remote UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, In the presence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, the PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI is modified based on the link modification request message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, In the absence of a PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI, a new PC5 QoS flow is established based on a link modification request message.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the case of deleting the exported QoS rule after the QoS RQoS timer expires, a link modification request message is sent to the remote UE. The link modification request message includes a new PQI that maps to the new 5QI of the configured QoS rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The exported QoS rules are created using the received QFI.

6. A method for performing Quality of Service (QoS) control by a remote user equipment (UE), the method comprising: When the PC5 5G QoS identifier PQI is determined based on the 5G QoS identifier 5QI associated with the derived PC5 QoS rules, a link modification request message is received from the relay UE, the link modification request message being based on the determined PQI. as well as Based on the exported PC5 QoS rules, send uplink packets. Specifically, when a downlink DL packet reflecting a QoS Indicator (RQI) and a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) is received on the Uu interface between the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the Relay UE, the derived QoS rules are created at the Relay UE based on the reception of the DL packet with the RQI. The exported PC5 QoS rules are created at the relay UE based on the exported QoS rules.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, In the presence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, the PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI is modified based on the link modification request message; as well as In the absence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, a new PC5 QoS flow is established based on a link modification request message.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: In the case of deleting the exported QoS rule after the QoS RQoS timer expires, a link modification request message is received from the relay UE. The link modification request message includes a new PQI that is mapped to the new 5QI of the configured QoS rule.

9. A relay user equipment (UE) performing Quality of Service (QoS) control, the relay UE comprising: transceiver; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver, is configured to: On the Uu interface between the radio access network (RAN) and the relay UE, downlink DL packets containing QoS indication (RQI) and QoS flow identifier (QFI) for remote UEs are received. Based on the reception of DL packets with RQI, derived QoS rules are created. Based on the exported QoS rules, create exported PC5 QoS rules for the remote UE. Based on the 5G QoS identifier 5QI associated with the derived PC5 QoS rules, the PC5 5G QoS identifier PQI is determined, and Based on the determined PQI, a link modification request message is sent to the remote UE.

10. The relay UE according to claim 9, wherein, In the presence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, the PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI is modified based on the link modification request message.

11. The relay UE according to claim 9, wherein, In the absence of a PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI, a new PC5 QoS flow is established based on a link modification request message.

12. The relay UE according to claim 9, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: In the case of deleting the exported QoS rule after the QoS RQoS timer expires, a link modification request message is sent to the remote UE. The link modification request message includes a new PQI that maps to the new 5QI of the configured QoS rule.

13. The relay UE according to claim 9, wherein, The exported QoS rules are created using the received QFI.

14. A remote user equipment (UE) that performs Quality of Service (QoS) control, the remote UE comprising: transceiver; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver, is configured to: When the PC5 5G QoS identifier PQI is determined based on the 5G QoS identifier 5QI associated with the derived PC5 QoS rules, a link modification request message is received from the relay UE, the link modification request message being based on the determined PQI, and Based on the exported PC5 QoS rules, send uplink packets. Specifically, when a downlink DL packet reflecting a QoS Indicator (RQI) and a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) is received on the Uu interface between the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the relay UE, the derived QoS rules are created at the relay UE based on the reception of the DL packet with the RQI. The exported PC5 QoS rules are created at the relay UE based on the exported QoS rules.

15. The remote UE according to claim 14, wherein, In the presence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, the PC5 QoS flow with the defined PQI is modified based on the link modification request message, and In the absence of a PC5 QoS flow with a defined PQI, a new PC5 QoS flow is established based on a link modification request message.

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