Method and apparatus for splitting PDCP scheduling

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus may include a transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier including a first carrier and a second carrier. The transmitter may be configured to schedule transmit data at a PDCP level by splitting transmit data into a first packet and a second packet based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet and the second packet on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and to transmit the first packet via the first carrier and the second packet via the second carrier. The transmitter may sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second packet starting from an offset to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, wherein the offset is determined based on the relative scheduling delay.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 056,482, filed on July 24, 2020, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPLIT PDCP SCHEDULING,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 372,051, filed on July 9, 2021, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SPLIT PDCP SCHEDULING,” the entireties of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for split Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) scheduling based on relative scheduling delays. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continued mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT)), and other needs. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvements to 5G NR technology. These improvements may also apply to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that adopt these technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects, nor is it intended to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be presented later.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier including a first carrier and a second carrier, wherein the transmitter may be configured to schedule transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and to transmit the first packet set via the first carrier and the second packet set via the second carrier. Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may be a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set. Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same size or may have different sizes. Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same service type or may have different service types.

[0008] In some aspects, a first carrier may be used for a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second carrier may be used for a second RAT. The first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT or different RATs. In one aspect, the first RAT may be 5G New Radio (NR) and the second RAT may be 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE). In another aspect, the first carrier may be a 5G NR first frequency range (FR1) carrier and the second carrier may be a 5G NR second frequency range (FR2) carrier. In another aspect, one of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a terrestrial link and the other of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a non-terrestrial link. Here, the relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier may be based on the difference between the first scheduling delay of the first carrier and the second scheduling delay of the second carrier, and the first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay may be determined based on the worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. Here, the second scheduling delay of the second carrier may be greater than the first scheduling delay of the first carrier. The transmitter may be configured to sequentially transmit transmit data as a first packet set to a first radio link control (RLC) level associated with a first carrier, and sequentially transmit transmit data as a second packet set starting from an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with a second carrier, wherein the offset may be determined based on a relative scheduling delay. A scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier may be determined based on at least one of a load, a scheduling, or a resource constraint of each of the first carrier and the second carrier.

[0009] The transmitter may also be configured to receive an acknowledgment (ACK) signal indicating successful transmission of the second packet set, and in response to receiving the ACK signal, sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second data set at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

[0010] To accomplish the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0012] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2Bis a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of splitting a PDCP packet.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a communication diagram of a wireless communication method.

[0019] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0020] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus.

[0022] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended to describe various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid confusion regarding such concepts.

[0024] Several aspects of telecommunications systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0025] For example, an element or any part of an element or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system", which includes one or more processors. The example of a processor includes: a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a reduced instruction set operation (RISC) processor, a system on a chip (SoC), a baseband processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a state machine, a gated logic, a discrete hardware circuit, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Regardless of being referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other names, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, execution threads, processes, functions, etc.

[0026] Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of computer-readable media types, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0027] Although various aspects and implementations are described in this application by way of illustration of some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional implementations and use cases may be generated in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, implementation and / or use can be generated via integrated chip implementations and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase equipment, medical equipment, devices supporting artificial intelligence (AI), etc.). Although some examples may or may not specifically point to use cases or applications, the wide applicability of the described innovations can occur. The scope of implementation can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and can also be to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, the devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processor(s), interleavers, adders / summators, etc.). It is contemplated that the innovations described herein can be practiced in devices of widely varying sizes, shapes, and structures, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, and the like.

[0028] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells.

[0029] A base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The base station 102 can perform one or more of the following functions, among other things: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, through EPC 160 or core network 190) via a third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). First backhaul link 132, second backhaul link 184, and third backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0030] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There can be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 can include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, which includes spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be through one or more carriers. The base station 102 / UE 104 can use spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in carrier aggregation, with carrier aggregation for transmission in each direction up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers). The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL). A component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0031] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication links 158. The D2D communication links 158 can use the DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication links 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication can be carried out through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0032] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 (e.g., in a 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, etc.) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) before communicating to determine whether the channel is available.

[0033] The small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' can adopt NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' adopting NR in the unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0034] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency bands have been identified with the frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and literature. A similar naming issue sometimes arises with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and literature, although FR2 is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz), which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) identifies as the “millimeter wave” band.

[0035] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands of these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz–24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and therefore can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR 2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation to above 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating frequency bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz–71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz–114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz–300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0036] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like (if used herein) can be broadly interpreted to mean frequencies that may be lower than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" and the like (if used herein) can be broadly interpreted to mean frequencies that may be lower than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" and the like (if used herein) can be broadly interpreted to mean frequencies that may be mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0037] Whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), the base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, may operate in traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies in communicating with the UE 104. When a gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near-millimeter wave frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. The millimeter wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. The base station 180 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming.

[0038] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals in one or more transmit directions 182′ to UE 104. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182″. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals in one or more transmit directions to base station 180. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals in one or more receive directions from UE 104. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0039] The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176. The IP Services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming services, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0040] The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to the IP services 197. The IP services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), packet switched (PS) stream (PSS) services, and / or other IP services.

[0041] A base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, Node B, eNB, access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver functionality, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), transmit reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. Base station 102 provides an access point to EPC 160 or core network 190 for UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a medical device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, or any other similarly functional device. Some of UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., a parking meter, a gas pump, a toaster, a vehicle, a heart monitor, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology. In some scenarios, the term UE may also apply to one or more companion devices, such as in a device constellation arrangement. One or more of these devices may access a network together and / or individually.

[0042] Reference again Figure 1 In certain aspects, the UE 104 may include a split PDCP packet scheduling component 198 configured to schedule the transmit data at a PDCP level by splitting the transmit data into a first set of packets and a second set of packets based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first set of packets and the second set of packets on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and transmit the first set of packets via the first carrier and transmit the second set of packets via the second carrier. In certain aspects, the base station 180 may include a split PDCP packet scheduling component 199 configured to schedule the transmit data at a PDCP level by splitting the transmit data into a first set of packets and a second set of packets based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first set of packets and the second set of packets on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and transmit the first set of packets via the first carrier and transmit the second set of packets via the second carrier. While the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may be applicable to other similar areas, such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM, and other wireless technologies.

[0043] Figure 2Ais a diagram 200 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B is a diagram 230 illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C is a diagram 250 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D 280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where a subframe within a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) is dedicated to either DL or UL, or time division duplex (TDD), where a subframe within a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) is dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A 、 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (mostly DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 1 (all UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown with slot formats 1 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are all DL and UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the slot format via the received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically via DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically via radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Note that the description below also applies to the 5G NR frame structure for TDD.

[0044] Figures 2A-2DThe figure shows a frame structure, and various aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication technologies, which may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 14 or 12 symbols, depending on whether the cyclic prefix (CP) is regular or extended. For a regular CP, each time slot may include 14 symbols, while for an extended CP, each time slot may include 12 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be CP orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of slots within a subframe is based on the CP and the numerology. The numerology defines the subcarrier spacing (SCS) and, effectively, the symbol length / duration, which is equal to 1 / SCS.

[0045] μ <![CDATA[SCSΔf=2 μ ·15[kHz]]]> cyclic prefix 0 15 conventional 1 30 conventional 2 60 Regular, Extended 3 120 conventional 4 240 conventional

[0046] For normal CP (14 symbols / slot), different digital schemes μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For extended CP, digital scheme 2 allows 4 slots per subframe. Thus, for normal CP and digital scheme μ, there are 14 symbols per slot and 2μ slots per subframe. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is the digital scheme 0 to 4. Thus, digital scheme μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz and digital scheme μ=4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A-2D An example is provided for a conventional CP with 14 symbols per slot and a digital scheme μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific number scheme and CP (normal or extended).

[0047] The frame structure can be represented using a resource grid. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also called a physical RB (PRB)), which extends over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0048] like Figure 2A As shown, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RSs may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for one specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RSs may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0049] Figure 2B The figure shows examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs), each CCE comprising six RE groups (REGs), each REG comprising 12 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol of an RB. The PDCCH within a BWP can be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). The UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., common search space, UE-specific search space) during a PDCCH monitoring opportunity on the CORESET, where the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs can be located at higher and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of a frame. The UE 104 uses the PSS to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) can be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of a frame. The UE uses the SSS to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE is able to determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH), which carries the master information block (MIB), can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also known as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides multiple RBs in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information that is not sent over the PBCH (such as the system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0050] like Figure 2CAs shown, some of the REs carry DM-RSs for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for one specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible). The UE may send DM-RSs for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RSs for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of the subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0051] Figure 2D The figure shows an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH can be positioned as indicated in a configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI) such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACKs and / or negative ACKs (NACKs)). The PUSCH carries data and can additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0052] Figure 33 is a block diagram of a base station 310 communicating with a UE 350 in an access network. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, and the medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0053] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of the physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM streams are spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived based on a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0054] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0055] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0056] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, splitting and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0057] The TX processor 368 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 based on a reference signal or feedback transmitted from the base station 310. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided via separate transmitters 354TX to different antennas 352. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0058] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to an RX processor 370.

[0059] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0060] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 198 related aspects.

[0061] The transmitter may be a UE and / or a base station. The transmitter may have a dual carrier splitting function, and the data for transmission may be split at the PDCP level between two RAT-specific RLCs. In some aspects, the two RATs may include any type of RAT and may be the same or different RATs. In one aspect, in the EUTRA-NR (EN) dual connectivity (DC) (EN-DC) configuration, NR PDCP data may be split between LTE RLC and NR RLC. On the other hand, in the NR-DC configuration, NR PDCP data may be split between NR FR1 RLC and NR FR2 RLC. On the other hand, the two RATs may include at least two of NR FR1, NR FR2+, NR FR3, NR FR4, etc. On the other hand, the combination of a primary cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) may include a terrestrial link and a non-terrestrial link, and PDCP data may be split between the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link.

[0062] HARQ BLER is unavoidable and non-zero in any real-world radio network, meaning that some physical layer transmissions on data channels (e.g., PDSCH) will be lost and retransmitted using some form of redundancy. For mmW communications, this is one of the key factors in radio coverage. Any physical layer transmission that is not recovered via HARQ retransmissions is considered a HARQ failure and can be recovered via RLC-level retransmissions.

[0063] In UL transmission, the time delay of RLC-level retransmission to the base station can be expressed as a function of various configuration and scheduling parameters, and the total UL time delay T from the time hole to sending RLC NACK at the UE is UL_NACK_TX_DELAY can be calculated as follows:

[0064] T UL_NACK_TX_DELAY =T DL_HOLE_TO_UL_NACK +T UL_GRANT_REQ +T UL_GRANT_PHY +

[0065] T UL_LCP_DELAY +T UL_HARQ_DELAY .

[0066] Here, T DL_HOLE_TO_UL_NACK It can refer to the RLC from the parameter T reassembly and T statusProhibit The time delay from the time the hole is seen in DL to the time NACK is triggered in UL, T UL_GRANT_REQ It can refer to the time delay of the next available UL opportunity granted by SR and BSR (if unavailable), T UL_GRANT_PHY It can refer to the time delay of the next available UL grant configuration at the PHY layer, T UL_LCP_DELAY It can refer to the time delay of the next available opportunity to send information according to the LCP process in the MAC TB encoding, and T UL_HARQ_DELAY It may refer to the transmission delay of packets arriving at the base station due to HARQ retransmission.

[0067] In DL transmission, the time delay of RLC level retransmission reaching UE can be expressed as a function of various configurations, and the total DL time delay T from the RLC NACK seen by the base station to the RLC retransmission reaching UE is DL_RETX_DELAY can be calculated as follows:

[0068] T DL_RETX_DELAY =T UL_NACK_PROCESS +T UL_RETX_TO_MAC +T DL_LCP_DELAY +

[0069] T DL_HARQ_DELAY .

[0070] Here, T UL_NACK_PROCESS It can refer to the time for RLC to process the received UL CONTROL PDU with RLC NACK, T UL_RETX_TO_MAC It can refer to the time to prepare and keep RLC PDU to MAC, T DL_LCP_DELAY It can refer to the time delay of sending RLC PDU over OTA, scheduling delay, which depends on the buffer and priority of data already in the pipeline, and T DL_HARQ_DELAYIt can refer to the time delay of sending delayed-arrival packets to the UE due to HARQ delay.

[0071] Large PDCP DL window construction may occur in various scenarios based on, for example, HARQ BLER and RLC BLER at a single RAT level, HARQ BLER and RLC BLER at different RAT levels, scheduling gaps between different RATs at a PHY level, or scheduling gaps between different RATs at a PDCP level.

[0072] While waiting for retransmissions to converge at the PDCP level, the UE may experience a memory full condition, and the UE's PDCP may perform a PDCP memory flush. The PDCP memory flush may include the PDCP flushing packets from the lower edge of the window to free up some memory, with the PDCP updating the lower edge to a newer value. The PDCP may accept new packets incoming to fill the hole from the updated lower boundary (or lower threshold) to the upper boundary (or upper threshold), and the PDCP may discard incoming packets below the updated lower edge as out-of-window (OOW packets), and the corresponding updated RLC-level lower edge as part of the PDCP lower edge update.

[0073] Figure 4 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of splitting PDCP packets. Diagram 400 may include a first diagram 410 and a second diagram 420. The first diagram 410 illustrates splitting PDCP packets for in-sequence PDCP packet splitting, while the second diagram 420 may illustrate splitting PDCP packets for forward PDCP packet splitting. The first diagram 410 and the second diagram 420 may include a combination of a first RAT packet 402 and a second RAT packet 404.

[0074] In some aspects, the two RATs may include any type of RAT and may be the same or different RATs. In one aspect, in an EN-DC configuration, the first RAT group 402 may be an LTE group and the second RAT group 404 may be an NR group. In another aspect, in an NR-DC configuration, the first RAT group 402 may be an NR FR1 group and the second RAT group 404 may be an NR FR 2 group. In another aspect, the two RATs may include any combination of at least two of NR FR1, NR FR2+, NR FR3, NR FR4, etc. In another aspect, the combination of a primary cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) may include terrestrial links and non-terrestrial links, and PDCP data may be split between the terrestrial links and the non-terrestrial links.

[0075] In some aspects, each of the first RAT packet 402 and the second RAT packet 404 may have the same traffic type or may have different traffic types. Here, the traffic type may include at least one of an application, a logical channel, a quality of service (QoS), a packet data network (PDN), a network slice type, or any user-specific traffic type associated with the RAT packet 402 and the second RAT packet 404.

[0076] A first diagram 410 may illustrate splitting PDCP packets for in-sequence PDCP packet splitting. A transmitter may perform in-sequence splitting at the PDCP level to split transmit data. In-sequence PDCP splitting at the network and at the UE may split transmit data based on a grant provided below to the UE. In-sequence PDCP splitting may result in packet drops.

[0077] The PDCP split ratio can be determined based on the link ratio. For example, the PDCP split ratio can be 5% LTE and 95% NR. NR is scheduled on 8 CCs, while LTE is scheduled on 1 CC. For example, a first packet 412 corresponding to PDCP sequence numbers (SNs) 1-500 can be sent to the LTE RLC, while a second packet 414 corresponding to PDCP SNs 501-10,000 can be sent to the NR RLC. Subsequently, a third packet 416 corresponding to PDCP sequence numbers (SNs) 10,001-10,500 can be sent to the LTE RLC, and a fourth packet 418 corresponding to PDCP SNs 10,501-20,000 can be sent to the NR RLC.

[0078] The data available for transmission can be simply split between NR and LTE based on the scheduling ratio at T0, without considering the relative scheduling delay. Therefore, LTE and NR are expected to start sending packets at T0. That is, the NR leg continues to transmit from T0, while the LTE leg starts transmitting at T0+T0 due to scheduling delay. delay In particular, the scheduler can schedule transmissions in the order of HARQ retransmissions (ReTx), signaling radio bearers (SRB), guaranteed bit rate (GBR), and non-guaranteed bit rate (Non-GBR). Data on NR may need to be buffered for T0+T delay , which may lead to the following problems, as shown in Table 1 below.

[0079]

[0080] <Table 1. Example of sequential PDCP split transmission results>

[0081] First, due to load variations on the LTE leg, scheduling may become delayed on the LTE leg, which may cause the UE to first receive and buffer the first packet 412 corresponding to PDCP SN 501-10000 over NR and wait until the second packet 414 corresponding to PDCP SN 1-500 is received over LTE with a time delay of 70ms, which may be considerable for NR communications.

[0082] Furthermore, even when the LTE leg is scheduled on time, HARQ BLER and HARQ retransmissions at the RLC level may involve a delay of 8ms or more, such as, for example, with an average delay of 10ms. In a regular case, there may be 1 or 2 retransmissions, which may add nearly 20ms of delay on the LTE leg, which may also be considerable for NR communications.

[0083] In some aspects, PDCP may experience a full memory condition, which may be due to scheduling delays from loading on one leg or recovery delays from HARQ / ARQ BLER. In response to this condition, memory flushing may result in some packet loss to upper layers and some packets being dropped at the RLC / PDCP level due to OOW packets.

[0084] PDCP scheduling can be configured to reduce OOW packets from a radio resource management perspective. The network may not be aware of packet drops because the network may receive a HARQ ACK or RLC ACK indicating successful transmission, however the packet may be discarded on the receiver side due to memory flushing and OOW packets, resulting in upper layer packet loss. Upper layer packet loss may increase the retransmission time (RTT) to recover through upper layer retransmission, which results in a poor user experience. In some aspects, upper layer protocols may be sensitive to retransmission / loss / packet delay and may cut Tx scheduling or adjust windows / resources to have a deteriorated user experience, for example, TCP window scaling, video encoder scheme degradation, etc.

[0085] A second diagram 420 illustrates split PDCP packets for forward PDCP packet splitting. Longer packet recovery times on slower links compared to faster links can cause bottlenecks, while packets received and buffered over faster links can stress the receiver. In some aspects, forward PDCP scheduling between a first RLC carrying first RAT packets 402 and a second RLC carrying second RAT packets 404 can reduce bottlenecks in wireless communications. For example, the first RLC can be an NR RLC carrying NR packets, and the second RLC can be an LTE RLC carrying LTE packets.

[0086] Based on forward PDCP packet splitting, the transmitter can schedule packets that may have longer latency on the slower link to ensure that faster link data does not wait for the slower link to be scheduled and / or recovered.

[0087] In some aspects, the transmit data may be ready at T0 and the transmit data may be split based on the scheduling ratio and the relative scheduling delay to ensure that faster RLC legs (e.g., NR RLC legs) can be scheduled with T0 to T0+T0. delay The data between the two RLC branches can be scheduled to have a transmission rate from T delay The split can be dynamically configured based on the gap between the NR branch and the LTE branch to ensure that the LTE branch (i.e., the slower branch) can be budgeted relative to the NR branch (i.e., the faster branch). delay The configuration of data splitting between faster and slower branches may be maintained by relative gaps in worst case scheduling that depends on dynamic radio conditions.

[0088] In one aspect, the worst case scheduling relative gap may be 70ms, NR data may be expected within 0-70ms, while LTE may have data expected within 70-75ms. If LTE successfully transmits data within a duration of 30-35ms, LTE data may be expected to be 100-105ms (i.e., 70ms relative to NR data) instead of 140ms.

[0089] In another aspect, the PDCP packet diagram of the second diagram 420 may have 10,000 packets. The transmitter may allocate a second packet 424 corresponding to PDCP SNs 4500-5000 to LTE and a first packet 422 corresponding to PDCP SNs 1-4500 to NR. Similarly, the transmitter may allocate a fourth packet 428 corresponding to PDCP SNs 9950-10,000 to LTE and a third packet 426 corresponding to PDCP SNs 5001-9500 to NR.

[0090] According to forward PDCP scheduling, delays in scheduling and / or resuming LTE packets (i.e., packets for the slower link) can reduce the impact on overall data transmission performance because NR traffic (i.e., packets for the faster link) can be released to upper layers without flushing memory. When LTE scheduling is successful and LTE packets can be successfully sent or resumed over NR, the impact on data transmission performance can be reduced because the LTE traffic is buffered in relatively small sizes (e.g., less than 500 packets in this case).

[0091] The same idea can be equally applied to UL splitting when exchanging UL PDCP packets between NR RLC and LTE RLC entities in the uplink. If a pre-built model is adopted, forward PDCP packet splitting can greatly help improve the receiver performance compared to the transmitter.

[0092] Figure 4 The examples of the first and second diagrams 410 and 420 provide that the faster link may be an NR connection and the slower link may be an LTE connection; however, aspects of the present disclosure may not be limited thereto, and the faster link and the second link may be any form of communication or different RATs applicable to the present disclosure. In one aspect, the slower link may be an NR first frequency (FR1) frequency, and the faster link may be an NR second frequency (FR2) frequency. In another aspect, the combination of the faster link and the slower link may include a combination of at least two of NR FR1 RLC, NR FR2+RLC, NR FR3 RLC, or NR FR4 RLC.

[0093] In some aspects, Figure 4 The first schematic diagram 410 and the second schematic diagram 420 may include a terrestrial link and a non-terrestrial link. Based on the coverage of the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link and the mobility of the connected UE, the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link may be one of a faster link and a slower link. The terrestrial link may be provided by a stationary base station, while the non-terrestrial link may be provided by a mobile base station (e.g., an aircraft, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), a satellite, etc.). In one aspect, the terrestrial link may have better coverage for a UE that is stationary or has relatively low mobility, and the terrestrial link may be a fast link for a user equipment that is stationary or has low mobility. In another aspect, the non-terrestrial link may have better coverage for a UE in motion, and the non-terrestrial link may be a fast link for a UE in motion.

[0094] According to the present disclosure, the network can split bearer traffic between different RATs or cells with different load, scheduling, and / or resource-constrained branches, and scheduling delays on the slower branches can reduce the impact on data arriving on the faster branches. This can help the receiver deliver packets without excessive memory pressure and / or processing constraints, and also provide a loss-reducing communication environment to upper layers, thereby enhancing the end-user experience. When packets are pre-built and sent in a dynamic manner, the method and apparatus can be equally applied to UE UL splitting.

[0095] Figure 55 is a communication diagram 500 of a wireless communication method. Communication diagram 500 may include a transmitter 502 and a receiver 504. Transmitter 502 may be a base station or a user equipment terminal (UE). Transmitter 502 may be connected to receiver 504 via a split carrier including a first carrier and a second carrier. Transmitter 502 may provide forward PDCP scheduling between a packet set and a second packet set to reduce bottlenecks in wireless communication.

[0096] At 506, the transmitter 502 may schedule the transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio. The scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier may be determined based on at least one of a load, a scheduling, or a resource constraint of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

[0097] Each of the first packet set and the second packet set can be one of a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set. In one aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set can have the same size, or at least one packet in the first packet set and the second packet set can have a different size than another packet in the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0098] In another aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same service type or may have different service types. The service type may include at least one of an application, a logical channel, a QoS, a PDN, a network slice type, or any user-specific service type associated with the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0099] The first carrier may be used for a first RAT, and the second carrier may be used for a second RAT. In one aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT. In another aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be different RATs. For example, the first carrier may be a 5G NR FR1 carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR FR2 carrier. Alternatively, the first carrier may be an LTE carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR carrier.

[0100] In some aspects, one of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a terrestrial link, and the other of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a non-terrestrial link. That is, the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link may be one of a fast link and a slow link based on the coverage of the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link and the mobility of the connected UE.

[0101] The relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier may be based on a difference between a first scheduling delay for the first carrier and a second scheduling delay for the second carrier. The first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay may be determined based on a worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. In one aspect, the second scheduling delay for the second carrier may be greater than the first scheduling delay for the first carrier.

[0102] At 508, the transmitter 502 may transmit the transmit data as a first set of packets (towards the receiver 504) in sequence to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, where an offset may be determined based on the relative scheduling delay.

[0103] At 510, transmitter 502 may sequentially send transmit data as a second packet set (towards receiver 504) to a second RLC level associated with a second carrier starting at an offset relative to the first packet set, where the offset may be determined based on a relative scheduling delay. In one aspect, in response to an ACK signal that may be received at 514, transmit data may be sequentially sent as a second packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier at the offset relative to the first packet set.

[0104] At 512, transmitter 502 may transmit a first set of packets to receiver 504 via a first carrier and a second set of packets to receiver 502 via a second carrier. At 506, transmitter 502 may transmit transmit data including the first set of packets and the second set of packets based on PDCP level scheduling.

[0105] At 514, the transmitter 502 may receive an ACK signal from the receiver 504, indicating that the second packet set was successfully transmitted. In response to the ACK signal received from the receiver 504, at 510, the transmitter 502 may sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second packet set at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

[0106] Figure 6 600 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method. The method may be performed by a transmitter, which may be a UE (eg, UE 104; apparatus 802) or a base station (eg, base station 102 / 180; transmitter 502; apparatus 902).

[0107] At 602, the transmitter may schedule the transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between a first carrier and a second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio. The scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier may be determined based on at least one of a load, a scheduling, or a resource constraint of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. For example, at 506, the transmitter 502 may schedule the transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on the scheduling ratio. Furthermore, 602 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0108] Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may be one of a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set. In one aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same size, or at least one packet in the first packet set and the second packet set may have a different size than another packet in the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0109] In another aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same service type or may have different service types. The service type may include at least one of an application, a logical channel, a QoS, a PDN, a network slice type, or any user-specific service type associated with the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0110] The first carrier may be used for a first RAT, and the second carrier may be used for a second RAT. In one aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT. In another aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be different RATs. For example, the first carrier may be a 5G NR FR1 carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR FR2 carrier, or the first carrier may be an LTE carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR carrier.

[0111] In some aspects, one of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a terrestrial link, while the other of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a non-terrestrial link. That is, based on the coverage of the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link and the mobility of the connected UE, the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link may be one of a fast link and a slow link.

[0112] The relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier may be based on a difference between a first scheduling delay for the first carrier and a second scheduling delay for the second carrier. The first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay may be determined based on a worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. In one aspect, the second scheduling delay for the second carrier may be greater than the first scheduling delay for the first carrier.

[0113] At 604, the transmitter may sequentially transmit transmit data as a first set of packets (towards the receiver) to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, wherein an offset may be determined based on a relative scheduling delay. For example, at 508, the transmitter 502 may sequentially transmit transmit data as a first set of packets (towards the receiver 504) to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, wherein an offset may be determined based on a relative scheduling delay. Furthermore, 604 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0114] At 606, the transmitter may sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second set of packets (towards the receiver) to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, starting at an offset relative to the first set of packets, wherein the offset may be determined based on the relative scheduling delay. In one aspect, in response to an ACK signal that may be received at 610, the transmit data may sequentially transmit the second set of packets as a second set of packets to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, at an offset relative to the first set of packets. For example, at 510, the transmitter 502 may sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second set of packets (towards the receiver 504) to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, starting at an offset relative to the first set of packets, wherein the offset may be determined based on the relative scheduling delay. Furthermore, 606 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0115] At 608, the transmitter may transmit a first set of packets to a receiver via a first carrier and a second set of packets to the receiver via a second carrier. At 602, the transmitter 502 may transmit transmit data including the first set of packets and the second set of packets based on PDCP level scheduling. For example, at 512, the transmitter 502 may transmit the first set of packets to the receiver 504 via the first carrier and the second set of packets to the receiver 504 via the second carrier. Furthermore, 608 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0116] At 610, the transmitter may receive an ACK signal from the receiver indicating successful transmission of the second packet set. In response to the ACK signal received from the receiver, at 606, the transmitter may sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second packet set at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier. For example, at 514, the transmitter 502 may receive an ACK signal from the receiver 504 indicating successful transmission of the second packet set. Furthermore, 610 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0117] Figure 7 700 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method. The method may be performed by a transmitter, which may be a UE (eg, UE 104; apparatus 802) or a base station (eg, base station 102 / 180; transmitter 502; apparatus 902).

[0118] At 702, the transmitter may schedule the transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between a first carrier and a second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio. The scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier may be determined based on at least one of a load, a scheduling, or a resource constraint of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. For example, at 506, the transmitter 502 may schedule the transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on the scheduling ratio. Furthermore, 702 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0119] Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may be one of a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set. In one aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same size, or at least one packet in the first packet set and the second packet set may have a different size than another packet in the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0120] In another aspect, each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same service type or may have different service types. The service type may include at least one of an application, a logical channel, a QoS, a PDN, a network slice type, or any user-specific service type associated with the first packet set and the second packet set.

[0121] The first carrier may be used for a first RAT, and the second carrier may be used for a second RAT. In one aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT. In another aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be different RATs. For example, the first carrier may be a 5G NR FR1 carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR FR2 carrier, or the first carrier may be an LTE carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR carrier.

[0122] In some aspects, one of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a terrestrial link, while the other of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a non-terrestrial link. That is, based on the coverage of the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link and the mobility of the connected UE, the terrestrial link and the non-terrestrial link may be one of a fast link and a slow link.

[0123] The relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier may be based on a difference between a first scheduling delay for the first carrier and a second scheduling delay for the second carrier. The first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay may be determined based on a worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. In one aspect, the second scheduling delay for the second carrier may be greater than the first scheduling delay for the first carrier.

[0124] At 708, the transmitter may transmit a first set of packets to a receiver via a first carrier and a second set of packets to the receiver via a second carrier. At 702, the transmitter 502 may transmit transmit data including the first set of packets and the second set of packets based on PDCP-level scheduling. For example, at 512, the transmitter 502 may transmit the first set of packets to the receiver 504 via the first carrier and the second set of packets to the receiver 504 via the second carrier. Furthermore, 708 may be performed by the split PDCP packet scheduling component 840 or the split PDCP packet scheduling component 940.

[0125] Figure 88 is a schematic diagram 800 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an apparatus 802. The apparatus 802 may be a UE, a component of a UE, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the apparatus 802 may include a cellular baseband processor 804 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 822. In some aspects, the apparatus 802 may also include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 820, an application processor 806 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 808 and a screen 810, a Bluetooth module 812, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 814, a global positioning system (GPS) module 816, or a power supply 818. The cellular baseband processor 804 communicates with the UE 104 and / or the BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 822. The cellular baseband processor 804 may include computer-readable media / memory. The computer-readable media / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 804 is responsible for overall processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable media / memory. When executed by the cellular baseband processor 804, the software causes the cellular baseband processor 804 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 804 when executing the software. The cellular baseband processor 804 also includes a receiving component 830, a communication manager 832, and a transmitting component 834. The communication manager 832 includes one or more components illustrated. The components within the communication manager 832 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 804. The cellular baseband processor 804 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include a memory 360 and / or at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 802 may be a modem chip and include only the baseband processor 804, while in another configuration, the device 802 may be the entire UE (e.g., see Figure 3 350) and includes additional modules of device 802.

[0126] The communication manager 832 includes a split PDCP packet scheduling component 840, which is configured to schedule transmit data at the PDCP level by splitting the transmit data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, sending the transmit data as the first packet set in sequence to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, sending the transmit data as the second packet set in sequence to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier starting from an offset relative to the first packet set, sending the first packet set via the first carrier, sending the second packet set via the second carrier, and receiving an ACK signal indicating that the second packet set was successfully sent, for example, as described with respect to 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 702 and 708.

[0127] The apparatus may include executing Figure 5 、 6 and 7 additional components for each box of the algorithm in the flowchart. In this way, Figure 5 、 6 Each block in the flowcharts of FIG5 and 7 may be performed by a component, and the apparatus may include one or more of these components. A component may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the recited process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the recited process or algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0128] As shown, apparatus 802 may include various components configured for different functions. In one configuration, apparatus 802, and in particular, cellular baseband processor 804, includes means for scheduling transmit data at the PDCP level by splitting transmit data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between a first carrier and a second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, as well as means for transmitting the first packet set via the first carrier and the second packet set via the second carrier. Apparatus 802 includes means for sequentially transmitting transmit data as a first packet set to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, means for sequentially transmitting transmit data as a second packet set starting at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, and means for receiving an ACK signal indicating successful transmission of the second packet set. These means may be one or more components of apparatus 802 configured to perform the functions described by these means. As previously described, apparatus 802 may include TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359. As such, in one configuration, these components may be the TX Processor 368, RX Processor 356, and Controller / Processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by these components.

[0129] Figure 9 900 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an apparatus 902. Apparatus 902 may be a base station, a component of a base station, or may implement base station functionality. In some aspects, apparatus 802 may include a baseband unit 904. Baseband unit 904 may communicate with UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver 922. Baseband unit 904 may include computer-readable media / memory. Baseband unit 904 is responsible for overall processing, including executing software stored on computer-readable media / memory. This software, when executed by baseband unit 904, enables baseband unit 904 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable media / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 904 when executing the software. Baseband unit 904 also includes a receiving component 930, a communication manager 932, and a transmitting component 934. Communication manager 932 includes one or more of the components shown. Components within communication manager 932 may be stored in computer-readable media / memory and / or configured as hardware within baseband unit 904. The baseband unit 904 may be a component of the base station 310 and may include the memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316 , the RX processor 370 , and the controller / processor 375 .

[0130] The communication manager 932 includes a split PDCP packet scheduling component 940 configured to schedule transmit data at a PDCP level by splitting the transmit data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, sequentially sending the transmit data as the first packet set to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, sequentially sending the transmit data as the second packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier starting from an offset relative to the first packet set, sending the first packet set via the first carrier, sending the second packet set via the second carrier, and receiving an ACK signal indicating successful sending of the second packet set, for example, as described with respect to 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 702, and 708.

[0131] The apparatus may include executing Figure 5 、 6 and 7 additional components for each box of the algorithm in the flowchart. In this way, Figure 5 、 6 Each block in the flowcharts of FIG5 and FIG6 can be performed by a component, and the apparatus may include one or more of these components. A component may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the recited process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to implement the recited process or algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0132] As shown, apparatus 902 may include various components configured for different functions. In one configuration, apparatus 902, and in particular baseband unit 904, includes means for scheduling transmit data at the PDCP level by splitting transmit data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between a first carrier and a second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, as well as means for transmitting the first packet set via the first carrier and the second packet set via the second carrier. Apparatus 902 includes means for sequentially transmitting transmit data as a first packet set to a first RLC level associated with the first carrier, means for sequentially transmitting transmit data as a second packet set starting at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, and means for receiving an ACK signal indicating successful transmission of the second packet set. These means may be one or more components of apparatus 902 configured to perform the functions described by these means. As previously described, apparatus 902 may include TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and controller / processor 375. As such, in one configuration, these components may be the TX Processor 316, RX Processor 370, and Controller / Processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by these components.

[0133] The apparatus may be a transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier including a first carrier and a second carrier, and may be configured to schedule transmission data at the PDCP level by splitting transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and to transmit the first packet set via the first carrier and the second packet set via the second carrier. Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may be a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set. Each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same size or different sizes, and each of the first packet set and the second packet set may have the same service type or different service types. Therefore, the first packet set and the second packet set may have any size. The first packet set and the second packet set may be used for any packet type.

[0134] In some aspects, a first carrier may be used for a first radio access technology (RAT), and a second carrier may be used for a second RAT. The first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT or different RATs. In one aspect, the first RAT and the second RAT may be the same RAT or different RATs. For example, the first RAT may be 5G New Radio (NR), and the second RAT may be 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE). The first RAT and the second RAT may be of any RAT type. In another aspect, the first carrier and the second carrier may be part of the same frequency range or different frequency ranges. Thus, the first carrier and the second carrier may be carriers of any frequency range. For example, the first carrier may be a 5G NR first frequency range (FR1) carrier, and the second carrier may be a 5G NR second frequency range (FR2) carrier. In another aspect, one of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a terrestrial link, and the other of the first carrier and the second carrier may be a non-terrestrial link. Here, the relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier may be based on the difference between the first scheduling delay of the first carrier and the second scheduling delay of the second carrier, and the first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay may be determined based on the worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively. Here, the second scheduling delay of the second carrier may be greater than the first scheduling delay of the first carrier. The transmitter may be configured to sequentially send transmit data as a first packet set to a first radio link control (RLC) level associated with the first carrier, and sequentially send transmit data as a second packet set starting from an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier, wherein the offset may be determined based on the relative scheduling delay. The scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier may be determined based on at least one of load, scheduling, or resource constraints of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

[0135] The transmitter may also be configured to receive an acknowledgment (ACK) signal indicating successful transmission of the second packet set, and in response to receiving the ACK signal, sequentially transmit the transmit data as a second data set at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

[0136] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is illustrative of exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged. In addition, some blocks can be merged or omitted. The attached method claims provide the elements of each block in a sample order, but are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0137] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to implement the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the present claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but rather to the full extent consistent with the content expressed in the claims, wherein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but rather "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when..." and "while..." should be interpreted as "under the conditions", rather than implying a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when...") do not mean direct action in response to an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that an action will occur if a condition is met, but does not require a specific or direct time limit for the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" used herein means "as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be interpreted as being preferred over or advantageous over other aspects. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C, where any such combination may include one or more members or several members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," and the like may not be substitutes for the word "component." Thus, no claim element is to be construed as part-plus-function unless the element is explicitly recited using the phrase "means for..."

[0138] The following aspects are merely illustrative and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0139] Aspect 1 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory and configured to schedule transmission data at a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) level by splitting transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between a first carrier and a second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio, and transmitting the first packet set via a first carrier and transmitting the second packet set via a second carrier.

[0140] Aspect 2 is the apparatus according to aspect 1, wherein each of the first packet set and the second packet set is one of a consecutive packet set or a non-consecutive packet set.

[0141] Aspect 3 is the apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 and 2, wherein each of the first packet set and the second packet set has the same size.

[0142] Aspect 4 is the apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein at least one packet in the first set of packets and the second set of packets has a different size than another packet in the first set of packets and the second set of packets.

[0143] Aspect 5 is the apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein each of the first packet set and the second packet set has the same service type.

[0144] Aspect 6 is the apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein each of the first packet set and the second packet set has a different service type.

[0145] Aspect 7 is the apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the first carrier is used for a first RAT and the second carrier is used for a second RAT.

[0146] Aspect 8 is the apparatus of aspect 7, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are part of the same frequency range.

[0147] Aspect 9 is the apparatus of aspect 7, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are part of different frequency ranges.

[0148] Aspect 10 is the apparatus of aspect 7, wherein the first RAT and the second RAT are the same RAT.

[0149] Aspect 11 is the apparatus of aspect 7, wherein the first RAT and the second RAT are different RATs.

[0150] Aspect 12 is the apparatus of aspect 11, wherein the first carrier is a 5G NR FR1 carrier and the second carrier is a 5G NR FR2 carrier.

[0151] Aspect 13 is the apparatus according to aspect 11, wherein one of the first carrier and the second carrier is a terrestrial link, and the other of the first carrier and the second carrier is a non-terrestrial link.

[0152] Aspect 14 is an apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier is based on a difference between a first scheduling delay of the first carrier and a second scheduling delay of the second carrier.

[0153] Aspect 15 is the apparatus according to aspect 14, wherein the first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay are determined based on worst-case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

[0154] Aspect 16 is the apparatus according to aspect 15, wherein the second scheduling delay of the second carrier is greater than the first scheduling delay of the first carrier.

[0155] Aspect 17 is an apparatus according to aspect 16, wherein, to schedule transmit data, at least one processor coupled to the memory is configured to send the transmit data as a first packet set in sequence to a first RLC level associated with a first carrier, and to send the transmit data as a second packet set in sequence to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier starting from an offset relative to the first packet set, wherein the offset is determined based on the relative scheduling delay.

[0156] Aspect 18 is an apparatus according to aspect 17, wherein the at least one processor coupled to the memory is further configured to receive an ACK signal indicating successful transmission of the second packet set, wherein, in response to receiving the ACK signal, the transmit data is sequentially transmitted as the second packet set at an offset relative to the first packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

[0157] Aspect 19 is an apparatus according to any one of Aspects 1 to 18, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier is determined based on at least one of the load, scheduling or resource constraints of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

[0158] Aspect 20 is a wireless communication method for implementing any one of aspects 1 to 19.

[0159] Aspect 21 is an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for implementing any one of aspects 1 to 19.

[0160] Aspect 22 is a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, wherein the code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any one of aspects 1 to 19.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a transmitter, the transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier comprising a first carrier and a second carrier, the apparatus comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor and the memory configured to: The transmission data is scheduled at a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio. Wherein, scheduling the sending data further includes: sending the transmit data as the first packet set in sequence to a first radio link control (RLC) level associated with the first carrier; and sending the transmit data sequentially as the second packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier starting at an offset relative to the first packet set, wherein the offset is determined based on the relative scheduling delay; and The first set of packets is sent via the first carrier, and the second set of packets is sent via the second carrier.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the first packet set and the second packet set is one of a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the first packet set and the second packet set has the same size.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein At least one packet in the first set of packets and the second set of packets has a different size than another packet in the first set of packets and the second set of packets.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the first packet set and the second packet set has the same traffic type.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the first packet set and the second packet set has a different traffic type.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first carrier is used for a first radio access technology, RAT, and the second carrier is used for a second RAT.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein The first carrier and the second carrier are part of the same frequency range.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein The first carrier and the second carrier are part of different frequency ranges.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein The first RAT and the second RAT are the same RAT.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein The first RAT and the second RAT are different RATs.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The first carrier is a 5G New Radio NR first frequency range FR1 carrier, and the second carrier is a 5G NR second frequency range FR2 carrier.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein One of the first carrier and the second carrier is a terrestrial link, and the other of the first carrier and the second carrier is a non-terrestrial link.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein The relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier is based on a difference between a first scheduling delay for the first carrier and a second scheduling delay for the second carrier.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein The first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay are determined based on worst case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein The second scheduling delay of the second carrier is greater than the first scheduling delay of the first carrier.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein The at least one processor coupled to the memory is further configured to: receive an acknowledgment ACK signal indicating successful transmission of the second set of packets, and In response to receiving the ACK signal, the transmit data is sequentially transmitted as the second packet set at the offset relative to the first packet set to the second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, in, The scheduling ratio between the first carrier and the second carrier is determined based on at least one of load, scheduling, or resource constraints of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

19. A method of wireless communication at a transmitter, the transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier comprising a first carrier and a second carrier, the method comprising: The transmission data is scheduled at a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) level by splitting the transmission data into a first packet set and a second packet set based on a relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier, and scheduling the first packet set and the second packet set on different links based on a scheduling ratio. Wherein, scheduling the sending data further includes: sending the transmit data as the first packet set in sequence to a first radio link control (RLC) level associated with the first carrier; and sending the transmit data sequentially as the second packet set to a second RLC level associated with the second carrier starting at an offset relative to the first packet set, wherein the offset is determined based on the relative scheduling delay; and The first set of packets is sent via the first carrier, and the second set of packets is sent via the second carrier.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein Each of the first packet set and the second packet set is one of a contiguous packet set or a non-contiguous packet set.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein The first carrier is used for a first radio access technology, RAT, and the second carrier is used for a second RAT.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein The relative scheduling delay between the first carrier and the second carrier is based on a difference between a first scheduling delay for the first carrier and a second scheduling delay for the second carrier.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The first scheduling delay and the second scheduling delay are determined based on worst case scheduling of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The second scheduling delay of the second carrier is greater than the first scheduling delay of the first carrier.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving an acknowledgment signal indicating successful transmission of the second set of packets, in, In response to receiving the ACK signal, the transmit data is sequentially transmitted as the second packet set at the offset relative to the first packet set to the second RLC level associated with the second carrier.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein The scheduling ratio between the first and second carriers is determined based on at least one of load, scheduling, or resource constraints of the first carrier and the second carrier, respectively.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication at a transmitter, the transmitter being connected to a receiver via a split carrier comprising a first carrier and a second carrier, the apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 19 to 26.

28. A computer readable medium storing computer executable code at a transmitter connected to a receiver via a split carrier comprising a first carrier and a second carrier, wherein the code is executed by one or more processors to cause the processors to perform the method of any one of claims 19 to 26.

Images