MAC PDU transmission and reception methods and communication equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a MAC PDU sending method, a receiving method, and a communication device. The method is based on a flexible connection of an end-to-end wireless link and implements a unified numbering of bearers at the MAC layer. When sending or receiving a MAC PDU, the MAC layer sends the data packet to the correct protocol sublayer function according to the unified number.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a MAC PDU transmission method, a reception method, and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] In 6G, the SBA RAN (Service Based Architecture Radio Access Network) scheme was proposed. In the SBA RAN scheme, a single UE (User Equipment) can simultaneously have multiple L3UP (Layer 3 User Plane), SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol), and RLC (Radio Link Control) protocol functionalities. For example, URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications) uses one L3UP / SDAP / PDCP / RLC protocol functionality, and eMBB (Enhance Mobile Broadband) uses another. Therefore, how to send data packets to the correct protocol sublayer functionality at the AS (Access Stratum) layer is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a MAC PDU sending method, a receiving method, and a communication device to solve the problem of how to send data packets to the correct protocol sublayer functional body.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention is implemented as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for transmitting a MAC PDU, comprising:

[0006] The MAC layer receives MAC SDUs from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers;

[0007] The MAC layer constructs a MAC PDU based on the bearer ID of each bearer and the corresponding MAC SDU;

[0008] The MAC layer sends the MAC PDU to the physical layer.

[0009] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following field: bearer ID field;

[0010] and / or

[0011] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field;

[0012] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0013] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0014] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0015] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field;

[0016] and / or

[0017] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field;

[0018] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0019] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0020] The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs;

[0021] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0022] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0023] Optionally, the bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for receiving a MAC PDU, comprising:

[0025] The MAC layer receives MAC PDUs from the physical layer;

[0026] The MAC layer parses the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined based on the bearer ID. The bearer ID is a uniformly assigned ID for all established bearers.

[0027] The MAC layer sends each MAC SDU to the upper layer based on the routing information of each MAC SDU.

[0028] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following field: bearer ID field;

[0029] and / or

[0030] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field;

[0031] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0032] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0033] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0034] Optionally, determining the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer ID includes:

[0035] The MAC layer obtains the bearer ID in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU and the MACSDU carried in the MAC PDU;

[0036] The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer.

[0037] The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MACSDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0038] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field;

[0039] and / or

[0040] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field;

[0041] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0042] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0043] The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs;

[0044] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0045] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0046] Optionally, determining the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer ID includes:

[0047] The MAC layer determines whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU based on the first field in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU.

[0048] If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the MAC layer obtains the MAC SDU carried by the MAC PDU based on the third field in the MAC sub-header, and obtains the bearer ID based on the second field in the MAC sub-header;

[0049] The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer.

[0050] The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MACSDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0051] Optionally, the bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0052] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication device, including:

[0053] A receiving module is configured to receive a MAC SDU from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers;

[0054] The assembly module is used to assemble a MAC PDU based on the bearer ID and the corresponding MAC SDU of each bearer;

[0055] The sending module is used to send the MAC PDU to the physical layer.

[0056] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication device, comprising:

[0057] The receiving module is used to receive MAC PDUs from the physical layer.

[0058] The parsing module is used to parse the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined according to the bearer ID; wherein, the bearer ID is an ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers.

[0059] The sending module is used to send each MAC SDU to the upper layer based on the routing information of each MAC SDU.

[0060] Fifthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication device, including: a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the MAC PDU transmission method described in the first aspect, or when the program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the MAC PDU reception method described in the second aspect.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the MAC PDU transmission method described in the first aspect, or, when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the MAC PDU transmission method described in the second aspect.

[0062] In this embodiment of the invention, based on the flexible connection of the end-to-end wireless link, a unified numbering of the bearer is implemented at the MAC layer. When the MAC layer sends or receives a MAC PDU, it sends the data packet to the correct protocol sublayer function according to the unified number. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0064] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AS layer protocol stack functionality in 6G;

[0065] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the topology of an end-to-end wireless link;

[0066] Figure 3-1 This is a schematic diagram of a MAC subheader with R / F / LCID / L fields, where the L field is 8 bits.

[0067] Figure 3-2 This is a schematic diagram of a MAC subheader with R / F / LCID / L fields, where the L field is 16 bits.

[0068] Figure 3-3 A schematic diagram of a MAC subheader with an R / LCID field;

[0069] Figure 4-1 A schematic diagram of a DL MACPDU;

[0070] Figure 4-2 A schematic diagram of a UL MACPDU;

[0071] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of the method for sending a MAC PDU according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0072] Figure 6-1 、 Figure 6-2 and Figure 6-3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a MAC PDU according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0073] Figure 7-1 、 Figure 7-2 and Figure 7-3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a MAC PDU according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0074] Figure 8 It is a schematic flowchart of the method for receiving a MAC PDU according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0075] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0076] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0078] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, rather than all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without making creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0079] First, the technical content related to the embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[0080] For the design goal of the Lite Network for the next-generation mobile communication, it is proposed to introduce the User Plane (UP) function for data processing at L3 (Layer 3). The UP function (denoted as L3UP) is introduced in L3 of the AS (Access Stratum). In 3G / 4G / 5G systems, at L3 in the AS layer (at the terminal side, for the network side it is the RRC protocol layer), there is only the Control Plane (CP), that is, only the RRC protocol layer (or sub-layer), and the RRC protocol layer completes the radio resource control function.

[0081] The L2 packet processing function of the AS layer has been redesigned. The new L2 packet processing function mainly takes into account the characteristics of the upper layer service data and combines the channel characteristics of the lower layer air interface to form QoS (Quality of Service) indicators and operations that take into account both air interface and service characteristics.

[0082] For L3 at the AS layer, in addition to the traditional Radio Resource Control (RRC, L3's CP) functions, a new L3 UP function is added to process data packets. For example... Figure 1 As shown.

[0083] The L3 UP (User Plane) of the AS layer has the function of sending IP (Internet Protocol) packets once or more. With the introduction of the L3 UP function, the existing data processing functions of L2 need to be redefined.

[0084] The introduction of L3 UP brings a new way of data processing at the AS layer, enabling seamless and lossless forward transfer of data when the user moves.

[0085] Figure 2 A 6G flexible protocol stack scheme is presented. In this scheme, there are multiple correspondences between different protocol sublayers, and multiple functional units of the same protocol sublayer can coexist. In this invention, all links connecting to MAC protocol sublayer functional units can be uniformly numbered, and then the process is sequentially traversed to the L3 protocol stack sublayer functional unit position. All traversed protocol sublayer functional units and their connections constitute an end-to-end radio link. The end-to-end radio link ID is the value of the uniform number of the link connecting the MAC protocol sublayer functional units, such as... Figure 2 The identified links 0 to n are MAC addresses.

[0086] The concept of the MAC PDU involved in this invention will be explained below.

[0087] A MAC PDU consists of one or more MAC sub-PDUs. Each MAC sub-PDU consists of one of the following:

[0088] Only the MAC subheader (including padding);

[0089] MAC header and MAC SDU (Media Access Control Service Data Unit);

[0090] MAC header and MAC CE (Media Access Control Control Element);

[0091] MAC header and padding.

[0092] The size of the MAC SDU varies.

[0093] Each MAC subheader corresponds to MAC SDU, MAC CE, or padding.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 3-1 , Figure 3-2 and Figure 3-3 Except for MAC CEs used for fixed-size MACs, padding, and MAC SDUs containing UL CCCHs, MAC subheaders consist of four header fields: R / F / LCID / L. MAC subheaders used for fixed-size MAC CEs, padding, and MAC SDUs containing UL CCCHs consist of two header fields: R / LCID.

[0095] The MAC CE is grouped together. For example... Figure 4-1 As shown, the DL MAC sub-PDU with MAC CE is placed before any MAC sub-PDU with MACSDU and the MAC sub-PDU with padding. Figure 4-2 As shown, the UL MAC sub-PDU with MAC CE is placed after all MAC sub-PDUs with MAC SDUs and before the MAC sub-PDUs with padding in the MAC PDU. The padding size can be zero.

[0096] Each MAC entity can transmit a maximum of one MAC PDU per TB (transfer block).

[0097] The MAC subheader consists of the following fields:

[0098] LCID: Logical Channel ID field identifier, corresponding to the logical channel instance of the MAC SDU or the type of MAC CE or padding. Each MAC subheader has one LCID field. The LCID field is 6 bits in size;

[0099] L: Length field, indicating the length (in bytes) of the corresponding MAC SDU or variable-size MAC CE. Each MAC subheader has one L field, except for MAC subheaders corresponding to fixed-size MAC CEs, padded MAC SDUs, and MAC SDUs containing UL CCCHs. The size of the L field is indicated by the F field;

[0100] F: Format field, indicating the size of the length field. Each MAC subheader has an F field, except for MAC subheaders corresponding to fixed-size MACCE, padding, and MAC SDUs containing UL CCCH. The F field is 1 bit in size. A value of 0 indicates an 8-bit length field. A value of 1 indicates a 16-bit length field.

[0101] R: Reserved bit, set to "0".

[0102] The MAC header is octal aligned.

[0103] To solve the problem of how to send data packets to the correct protocol sublayer function, such as Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a method for sending a MAC PDU, including:

[0104] Step 51: The MAC layer receives a MAC SDU from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers;

[0105] The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers; that is, signaling bearers and data bearers are uniformly numbered, and a bearer ID is uniformly assigned to the bearer when it is established. For example, the bearer ID can be uniformly recorded as: Bearer ID = 0, 1, 2, ...

[0106] In this embodiment of the invention, when each bearer is established, the following information can be configured for that bearer:

[0107] Bearer ID;

[0108] The types of bearers include signaling bearers (SB, signaling bearers directly connected to RRC-MAC), SRB (Signaling Radio Bearer, signaling radio bearers; for compatibility, these are existing signaling radio bearers in the system, such as SRB0 / 1 / 2 / 3, etc.), DRB (Data Radio Bearer, data radio bearers; for compatibility, these are existing data radio bearers in the system, such as DRB0 / 1, ..., 63, etc.), and data bearers (DB, data bearers directly connected to SDAP-MAC or L3UP-MAC), for a total of four types.

[0109] It carries the protocol layer functions that need to be established, including each protocol sublayer function traversed in the path and the protocol sublayer function that is finally connected;

[0110] The QoS (Quality of Service) requirements (QoS parameters) that the data packets carried must meet at the MAC layer include, for example, the number of retransmissions, the recommended MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) level, whether transmission failure (after multiple retransmissions) is allowed, whether each data packet needs to be sent concurrently by multiple processes, the HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest) or HARQ process mode (synchronous or asynchronous) used for each data packet, and / or whether preemption is allowed.

[0111] In this embodiment of the invention, the bearer can also be referred to as a link, a channel, or a channel carrying a MAC SDU, etc.

[0112] Step 52: The MAC layer constructs a MACPDU based on the bearer ID and the corresponding MAC SDU of each bearer;

[0113] Step 53: The MAC layer sends the MAC PDU to the physical layer.

[0114] In this embodiment of the invention, based on the flexible connection of the end-to-end wireless link, a unified numbering of the bearer is implemented at the MAC layer. When the MAC layer sends or receives a MAC PDU, it sends the data packet to the correct protocol sublayer function according to the unified number.

[0115] In this embodiment of the invention, the format of the MAC PDU needs to be defined in order to realize multi-path data packet transmission according to the end-to-end wireless link.

[0116] In some embodiments of the present invention, the format of an existing MAC PDU can be extended to carry a bearer ID, thereby ensuring compatibility with the existing MAC PDU format.

[0117] Please refer to Figure 6-1 For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a bearer ID field and a reserved bit (R field). The bearer ID field indicates the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer.

[0118] Figure 6-2 and Figure 6-3 For MAC PDUs of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field (L field), format field (F field), and reserved bits (R field);

[0119] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0120] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0121] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0122] The above MAC PDU format is an extension of the existing MAC PDU format without changing the existing MAC PDU format. The overall format of the MAC PDU remains unchanged, except that the LCID (Locality Identifier) ​​field is redefined and replaced with Bearer ID.

[0123] In this embodiment of the invention, optionally, the type of the bearer ID includes one or more of the following: LC (Logical Channel), DRB (Data Radio Bearer), SRB (Signaling Radio Bearer), RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer (SB), SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, or L3UP-MAP direct-connected bearer (DB).

[0124] When the type is LC, it indicates that the bearer is a 5G-existing bearer form, such as LCH (Logical Channel) - RB (Radio Bearer). When the type is SB or DB, it is a bearer with direct RRC-MAC connection, or direct SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol)-MAC connection, or direct L3UP-MAC connection.

[0125] In other embodiments of the present invention, the format of the MAC PDU can be reconstructed to carry the bearer ID.

[0126] Please refer to Figure 7-1 For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field (D / C field), a second field (bearer ID / MAC CE ID field), and a reserved bit (R field);

[0127] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0128] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0129] Please refer to Figure 7-2and Figure 7-3 For MAC PDUs of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field (D / C field), second field (bearer ID / MAC CE ID field), third field (SDU Num field), length field (L field), and format field (F field);

[0130] The first field (D / C field) is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU.

[0131] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0132] The third field (SDU Num field) is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs; it corresponds to the number of L fields.

[0133] The length field (L field) is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU; each L field corresponds to the length of one MAC SDU.

[0134] The format field (F field) is used to indicate the size of the length field. It takes the value 0 or 1, indicating two possible length values ​​for the L field, such as 8 bits and 16 bits; or 16 bits and 24 bits; or 16 bits and 32 bits, etc. Specific combinations can be defined according to the length of the service data packet.

[0135] In this embodiment of the invention, optionally, the type of the bearer ID includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0136] The MAC CE ID identifies the type of MAC CE.

[0137] Please refer to Figure 8 This invention also provides a method for receiving a MAC PDU, comprising:

[0138] Step 81: The MAC layer receives the MAC PDU from the physical layer;

[0139] Step 82: The MAC layer parses the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined based on the bearer ID; wherein, the bearer ID is an ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers;

[0140] The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers; that is, signaling bearers and data bearers are uniformly numbered, and a bearer ID is uniformly assigned to the bearer when it is established. For example, the bearer ID can be uniformly recorded as: Bearer ID = 0, 1, 2, ...

[0141] Step 83: The MAC layer sends each MAC SDU to the upper layer according to the routing information of each MAC SDU.

[0142] In this embodiment of the invention, based on the flexible connection of the end-to-end wireless link, a unified numbering of the bearer is implemented at the MAC layer. When the MAC layer sends or receives a MAC PDU, it sends the data packet to the correct protocol sublayer function according to the unified number.

[0143] In this embodiment of the invention, the format of the MAC PDU needs to be defined in order to realize multi-path data packet transmission according to the end-to-end wireless link.

[0144] In some embodiments of the present invention, the format of an existing MAC PDU can be extended to carry a bearer ID, thereby ensuring compatibility with the existing MAC PDU format.

[0145] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following field: bearer ID field;

[0146] and / or

[0147] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field;

[0148] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0149] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0150] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0151] Optionally, the bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0152] Based on the above MAC PDU format, the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU, determined according to the bearer ID, includes:

[0153] Step 82a1: The MAC layer obtains the bearer ID in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU and the MAC SDU carried in the MAC PDU;

[0154] Step 82a2: The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer;

[0155] Step 82a3: The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0156] In other embodiments of the present invention, the format of the MAC PDU can be reconstructed to carry the bearer ID.

[0157] Optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field;

[0158] and / or

[0159] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field;

[0160] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0161] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0162] The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs;

[0163] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0164] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0165] Based on the above MAC PDU format, the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU, determined according to the bearer ID, includes:

[0166] Step 82b1: The MAC layer determines whether the MACPDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU based on the first field in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU;

[0167] Step 82b2: If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the MAC layer obtains the MAC SDU carried by the MAC PDU according to the third field in the MAC sub-header, and obtains the bearer ID according to the second field in the MAC sub-header;

[0168] Step 82b3: The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer.

[0169] Step 82b4: The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0170] Please refer to Figure 9 This invention also provides a communication device 90, comprising:

[0171] The receiving module 91 is configured to receive MAC SDUs from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers;

[0172] The assembly module 92 is used to assemble a MAC PDU based on the bearer ID and the corresponding MAC SDU of each bearer;

[0173] The sending module 93 is used to send the MAC PDU to the physical layer.

[0174] In some embodiments, optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following field: bearer ID field;

[0175] and / or

[0176] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field;

[0177] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0178] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0179] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0180] In other embodiments, optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field.

[0181] and / or

[0182] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field;

[0183] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0184] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0185] The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs;

[0186] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0187] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0188] Optionally, the bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0189] Please refer to Figure 10 This invention also provides a communication device 100, comprising:

[0190] Receiver module 101 is used to receive MAC PDU from the physical layer;

[0191] The parsing module 102 is used to parse the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined according to the bearer ID. The bearer ID is a uniformly assigned ID for all established bearers.

[0192] The sending module 103 is used to send each MAC SDU to the upper layer according to the routing information of each MAC SDU.

[0193] In some embodiments, optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following field: bearer ID field;

[0194] and / or

[0195] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field;

[0196] The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer;

[0197] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0198] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0199] Optionally, the parsing module includes:

[0200] The first obtaining submodule is used to obtain the bearer ID in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU and the MAC SDU carried in the MAC PDU;

[0201] The first determining submodule is used to determine, based on the stored information of each bearer, the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the endpoint protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer;

[0202] The second determining submodule is used to determine the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0203] In other embodiments, optionally, for a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field.

[0204] and / or

[0205] For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field;

[0206] The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU;

[0207] The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field.

[0208] The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs;

[0209] The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU;

[0210] The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

[0211] Optionally, the parsing module includes:

[0212] The third determining submodule is used to determine whether the MACPDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU based on the first field in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU.

[0213] The second obtaining submodule is used to obtain the MAC SDU carried by the MAC PDU according to the third field in the MAC subheading if the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, and to obtain the bearer ID according to the second field in the MAC subheading;

[0214] The fourth determination submodule is used to determine, based on the stored information of each bearer, the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the endpoint protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer;

[0215] The fifth determining submodule is used to determine the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

[0216] Optionally, the bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

[0217] Please refer to Figure 11 The present invention also provides a communication device 110, including a processor 111, a memory 112, and a computer program stored in the memory 112 and executable on the processor 111. When the computer program is executed by the processor 111, it implements the various processes of the above-described MAC PDU sending method or MAC PDU receiving method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0218] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the various processes of the above-described MAC PDU sending method or MAC PDU receiving method embodiments, achieving the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here. The computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0219] The solutions described in the above embodiments have the following advantages:

[0220] 1. It breaks through the limitation of inflexible selection between layers in the 5G protocol stack, and realizes flexible scaling of protocol stack functions;

[0221] 2. By combining RRC signaling configuration with in-band carrying, the overhead is almost zero while ensuring flexibility (the Router ID must be carried in the PDU).

[0222] 3. By using a unified MAC PDU for routing functionality at the MAC layer, zero impact on the physical layer is achieved;

[0223] 4. It laid the foundation for the protocol stack solution of SBA RAN;

[0224] 5. It lays the foundation for the definition of wireless slicing---Through this protocol stack scheme, different slices serving the same UE can have the same or different protocol stack functions;

[0225] 6. It laid the foundation for customizing AS layer protocol stack functions according to different service needs in 6G;

[0226] 7. It provides a protocol stack solution for configuring AI models or algorithms for endogenous AI and for interacting with the data required during model training.

[0227] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0228] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0229] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU), characterized in that, include: The MAC layer receives a Media Access Control Service Unit (MAC SDU) from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers; the MAC layer assembles a MAC PDU based on the bearer ID of each bearer and the corresponding MAC SDU; The MAC layer sends the MAC PDU to the physical layer; The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers. When each bearer is established, the following information is configured for it: bearer ID; bearer type, including RRC-MAC direct-connection signaling bearers, SRB, DRB, SDAP-MAC direct-connection, or L3UP-MAC direct-connection data bearers; protocol layer functions that the bearer needs to establish, including each protocol sublayer function traversed in the path and the final connected protocol sublayer function; and the quality of service requirements that the data packets of the bearer must meet at the MAC layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field; and / or For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field; The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer; The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU; The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field; and / or For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field; The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a Media Access Control Unit (MAC CE) or a MAC SDU. The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MACSDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field. The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs; The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU; The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bearer ID types include combinations of one or more of the following: Logical Channel (LC), Data Radio Bearer (DRB), Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB), Radio Resource Control-Media Access Control (RRC-MAC) direct-connected bearer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol-Media Access Control (SDAP-MAC) direct-connected bearer, and Layer 3 User Plane-Media Access Control (L3UP-MAC) direct-connected bearer.

5. A method for receiving a MAC PDU, characterized in that, include: The MAC layer receives MAC PDUs from the physical layer; The MAC layer parses the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined based on the bearer ID. The bearer ID is a uniformly assigned ID for all established bearers. The MAC layer sends each MAC SDU to the upper layer based on the routing information of each MAC SDU; The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers. When each bearer is established, the following information is configured for it: bearer ID; bearer type, including RRC-MAC direct-connection signaling bearers, SRB, DRB, SDAP-MAC direct-connection, or L3UP-MAC direct-connection data bearers; protocol layer functions that the bearer needs to establish, including each protocol sublayer function traversed in the path and the final connected protocol sublayer function; and the quality of service requirements that the data packets of the bearer must meet at the MAC layer.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field; and / or For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: bearer ID field, length field, and format field; The bearer ID field is used to indicate the bearer ID of the corresponding bearer; The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU; The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Determining the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer ID includes: The MAC layer obtains the bearer ID in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU and the MACSDU carried in the MAC PDU; The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer. The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, For a fixed-size MAC PDU, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: a first field and a second field; and / or For a MAC PDU of variable size, the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU includes the following fields: first field, second field, third field, length field, and format field; The first field is used to indicate whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU; The second field is either a bearer ID field or a MAC CE ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MACSDU, the second field is a bearer ID field. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE, the second field is a MAC CE ID field. The third field is used to indicate the number of MAC SDUs; The length field is used to indicate the length of the MAC SDU; The format field is used to indicate the size of the length field.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Determining the routing information for each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer ID includes: The MAC layer determines whether the MAC PDU carries a MAC CE or a MAC SDU based on the first field in the MAC subheader of the MAC PDU. If the first field indicates that the MAC PDU carries a MAC SDU, the MAC layer obtains the MAC SDU carried by the MAC PDU based on the third field in the MAC sub-header, and obtains the bearer ID based on the second field in the MAC sub-header; The MAC layer determines the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functional bodies that the target bearer goes through, and the destination protocol sublayer functional body of the target bearer based on the stored information of each bearer. The MAC layer determines the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU based on the bearer type of the target bearer corresponding to the bearer ID, the various protocol sublayer functions traversed by the target bearer, and the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer. The routing information includes: the bearer type of the target bearer, the identification ID of each protocol sublayer function traversed by the target bearer, and the identification ID of the destination protocol sublayer function of the target bearer.

10. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bearer ID type includes one or more of the following: LC, DRB, SRB, RRC-MAC direct-connected bearer, SDAP-MAC direct-connected bearer, and L3UP-MAC direct-connected bearer.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A receiving module is configured to receive a MAC SDU from each bearer connected to the MAC layer, wherein each bearer has a bearer ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers; The assembly module is used to assemble a MAC PDU based on the bearer ID and the corresponding MAC SDU of each bearer; The sending module is used to send the MAC PDU to the physical layer; The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers. When each bearer is established, the following information is configured for it: bearer ID; bearer type, including RRC-MAC direct-connection signaling bearers, SRB, DRB, SDAP-MAC direct-connection, or L3UP-MAC direct-connection data bearers; protocol layer functions that the bearer needs to establish, including each protocol sublayer function traversed in the path and the final connected protocol sublayer function; and the quality of service requirements that the data packets of the bearer must meet at the MAC layer.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The receiving module is used to receive MAC PDUs from the physical layer. The parsing module is used to parse the MAC PDU. If the MAC subheader of the parsed MAC PDU contains a bearer ID, the routing information of each MAC SDU in the MAC PDU is determined according to the bearer ID; wherein, the bearer ID is an ID uniformly assigned to all established bearers. The sending module is used to send each MAC SDU to the upper layer based on the routing information of each MAC SDU; The bearer includes signaling bearers and data bearers. When each bearer is established, the following information is configured for it: bearer ID; bearer type, including RRC-MAC direct-connection signaling bearers, SRB, DRB, SDAP-MAC direct-connection, or L3UP-MAC direct-connection data bearers; protocol layer functions that the bearer needs to establish, including each protocol sublayer function traversed in the path and the final connected protocol sublayer function; and the quality of service requirements that the data packets of the bearer must meet at the MAC layer.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of a method for transmitting a MAC PDU as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or, when executed by the processor, the program implements the steps of a method for receiving a MAC PDU as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 10.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the MAC PDU transmission method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the MAC PDU transmission method as described in any one of claims 5 to 10.

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