Method, apparatus and computer program

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus comprising means for transmitting to an application information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and transmitting the matched one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a method, apparatus, system and computer program and particularly, but not exclusively, to adapting data packet generation at an application. Background Art

[0002] A communication system may be viewed as a facility that enables a communication session between two or more entities (such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes) by providing a bearer between the various entities involved in the communication path. A communication system may be provided, for example, by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, data communications for bearer communications (such as voice, audio files or streams, video audio files or streams, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia audio files or streams, and / or content data, etc.). Non-limiting examples of the services provided include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, and access to data network systems (such as the Internet).

[0003] In a wireless communication system, at least a portion of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless communication systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs), satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local / short-range networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Some wireless systems may be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular communication systems.

[0004] A user may access a communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. The user's communication device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or user device. The communication device is provided with appropriate signal receiving and transmission means to enable communication, for example, to enable access to a communication network or to communicate directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station (e.g., a base station of a cell) and send and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] Communication systems and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification that lists what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how it should be achieved. The communication protocols and / or parameters that will be used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the invention

[0006] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for performing the following operations: sending information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application to an application; receiving one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0007] The component may be configured to determine a preferred arrival time window and period based on the radio resource configuration information and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0008] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0009] The component may be configured to receive radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0010] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0011] The component may be configured to receive information from an application indicating the application's capability for adapting data packet generation, wherein sending information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period to the application is performed in response to receiving the information indicating the application's capability for adapting data packet generation.

[0012] Receiving one or more data packets may include receiving one or more data packets matching a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0013] The component may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0014] According to one aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising components for performing the following operations: receiving information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment from a user equipment; determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined service generation mode.

[0015] The means may be configured to send information indicating a capability for adapting generation of data packets to the user equipment, wherein receiving the information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or periodicity is based on the indicated capability information.

[0016] According to one aspect, a system is provided, comprising a user device and an application, wherein: the user device comprises a component for sending to the application information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; the application comprises a computer program code for determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period, and sending the one or more data packets to the user device based on the determined service generation mode; and the user device comprises a component for sending the one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0017] The user equipment may comprise means for determining a preferred arrival time window and period based on radio resource configuration information for the apparatus and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0018] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information for the device and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0019] The user equipment may comprise means for receiving radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of the radio network.

[0020] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0021] The application may comprise means for sending information to the user equipment indicating capabilities of the application for adapting generation of data packets; and the user equipment may comprise means for determining a preferred arrival time window and / or periodicity based on the indicated capabilities.

[0022] The application may include computer program code for sending one or more data packets to a user equipment during a downlink time slot of a time division duplex cycle, and the user equipment may include components for sending one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network in an uplink time slot of the time division duplex cycle following the downlink time slot.

[0023] The application may be implemented in one of the following: a user device; or a device external to the user device.

[0024] The user equipment component may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the user equipment.

[0025] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: send information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application to an application; receive one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and send matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0026] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to determine a preferred arrival time window and period based on the radio resource configuration information and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0027] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0028] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to: receive radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0029] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0030] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to: receive information from an application indicating the application's ability to adapt data packet generation, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the device to: in response to receiving the information indicating the application's ability to adapt data packet generation, send information to the application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0031] Receiving one or more data packets may include receiving one or more data packets matching a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0032] According to one aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment from a user equipment; determine a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and send one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined service generation mode.

[0033] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the apparatus to: send information indicating capabilities for adapting data packet generation to the user equipment, wherein receiving the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or periodicity is based on the indicated capability information.

[0034] According to one aspect, a system is provided, which includes a user device and an application, wherein: the user device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the user device to at least: send information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application to the application; the application includes a computer program code, the computer program code being used to cause the application to: determine a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period, and send one or more data packets to the user device based on the determined service generation mode; and the at least one memory and the at least one processor can be configured to cause the user device to: send one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0035] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the user equipment to determine a preferred arrival time window and period based on radio resource configuration information for the apparatus and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0036] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information for the device and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0037] The at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the user equipment to: receive radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of the radio network.

[0038] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0039] The application may include computer program code for sending information to a user device indicating the application's capabilities for adapting data packet generation; and the at least one memory and at least one processor may be configured to cause the user device to: determine a preferred arrival time window and / or period based on the indicated capabilities.

[0040] The application may include computer program code for sending one or more data packets to a user equipment during a downlink time slot of a time division duplex cycle, and the at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the user equipment to: send one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network in an uplink time slot of the time division duplex cycle following the downlink time slot.

[0041] The application may be implemented in one of the following: a user device; or a device external to the user device.

[0042] According to one aspect, a method is provided, comprising: sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0043] The method may include determining a preferred arrival time window and period based on the radio resource configuration information and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0044] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0045] The method may include receiving radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of the radio network.

[0046] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0047] The method may comprise receiving information from an application indicating the application's capability for adapting data packet generation, wherein sending information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period to the application is performed in response to receiving the information indicating the application's capability for adapting data packet generation.

[0048] Receiving one or more data packets may include receiving one or more data packets matching a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0049] According to one aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment from a user equipment; determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined service generation mode.

[0050] The method may comprise sending information indicating a capability for adapting generation of data packets to the user equipment, wherein receiving information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or periodicity is based on the indicated capability information.

[0051] According to one aspect, a method is provided, comprising: sending information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application from a user device to an application; determining, by the application, a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; sending one or more data packets from the application to the user device based on the determined service generation mode; and sending one or more data packets from the user device to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0052] The method may include determining, by the user equipment, a preferred arrival time window and period based on radio resource configuration information for the apparatus and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0053] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information for the device and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0054] The method may include receiving, by the user equipment, radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of the radio network.

[0055] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0056] The method may comprise: sending information from an application to a user equipment indicating capabilities of the application for adapting generation of data packets; and determining, by the user equipment, a preferred arrival time window and / or period based on the indicated capabilities.

[0057] The method may comprise sending one or more data packets from an application to a user equipment during a downlink timeslot of a time division duplex cycle, and sending one or more data packets from the user equipment to one or more access nodes of a radio network in an uplink timeslot of the time division duplex cycle following the downlink timeslot.

[0058] The application may be implemented in one of the following: a user device; or a device external to the user device.

[0059] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following operations: sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0060] The program instructions may be used to cause the apparatus to perform: determining a preferred arrival time window and period based on radio resource configuration information and a processing time for the apparatus to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0061] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0062] The program instructions may be configured to cause the apparatus to perform: receiving radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0063] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0064] The program instructions can be used to cause the device to execute: receiving information from an application indicating the application's ability to adapt data packet generation, wherein in response to receiving the information indicating the application's ability to adapt data packet generation, executing sending information to the application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0065] Receiving one or more data packets may include receiving one or more data packets matching a preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0066] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the following operations: receiving information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment from a user equipment; determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined service generation mode.

[0067] The program instructions may be used to cause the apparatus to execute: sending information indicating a capability for adapting data packet generation to a user equipment, wherein receiving information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or periodicity is based on the indicated capability information.

[0068] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing a user device and an application to at least perform: sending information from the user device to the application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; determining, by the application, a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; sending one or more data packets from the application to the user device based on the determined service generation mode; and sending one or more data packets from the user device to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0069] The program instructions may be used to cause the user equipment to perform: determining, by the user equipment, a preferred arrival time window and period based on radio resource configuration information for the device and a processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0070] Information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period may include at least one of: an absolute time window and / or period; a time window and / or period relative to a current burst arrival time and / or period; or radio resource configuration information and processing time for the device to prepare one or more data packets for transmission.

[0071] The program instructions may be used to cause the user equipment to execute: receiving, by the user equipment, radio resource configuration information from one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0072] The radio resource configuration information may include at least one of: time division duplex configuration; or permitted resource information of uplink configuration.

[0073] The program instructions may be used to cause the user equipment and the application to execute: sending information indicating the application's capability for adapting data packet generation from the application to the user equipment; and determining, by the user equipment, a preferred arrival time window and / or period based on the indicated capability.

[0074] The program instructions can be used to cause the user equipment and the application to execute: during a downlink time slot of a time division duplex cycle, one or more data packets are sent from the application to the user equipment, and in an uplink time slot of the time division duplex cycle following the downlink time slot, one or more data packets are sent from the user equipment to one or more access nodes of the radio network.

[0075] The application may be implemented in one of the following: a user device; or a device external to the user device.

[0076] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0077] In the above, many different embodiments have been described. It should be understood that further embodiments can be provided by combining any two or more of the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0079] Figure 1 shows a representation of a network system according to some example embodiments;

[0080] Figure 2 showing a representation of a control device according to some example embodiments;

[0081] Figure 3 showing representations of apparatus according to some example embodiments;

[0082] Figure 4 Methods according to some examples are shown;

[0083] Figure 5 Methods according to some examples are shown;

[0084] Figure 6 Methods according to some examples are shown; and

[0085] Figure 7 An example buffering delay comparison with and without traffic adaptation is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] In the following, certain embodiments will be described with reference to a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and a mobile communication system serving such a mobile communication device. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 Certain general principles of wireless communication systems, their access systems, and mobile communication devices are briefly described to help understand the technology on which the examples are based.

[0087] Figure 1 A schematic representation of a 5G system (5GS) is shown. The 5GS may include a terminal or user equipment (UE), a 5G radio access network (5G RAN) or a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), a 5G core network (5GC), one or more application functions (AFs), and one or more data networks (DNs).

[0088] 5G-RAN may include one or more gNodeBs (gNBs) or one or more gNodeB (gNB) distributed unit (DU) functions connected to one or more gNodeB (gNB) centralized unit (CU) functions. 5GC may include the following entities: Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF); Network Open Function; Network Repository Function (NRF); Policy Control Function (PCF); Unified Data Management (UDM); Application Function (AF); Authentication Server Function (AUSF); Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); and Session Management Function (SMF).

[0089] Figure 2 The diagram shows the control Figure 1An example of a control device 200 for the functions of a 5G RAN or 5GC shown above. The control device may include at least one random access memory (RAM) 211a, at least one read-only memory (ROM) 211b, at least one processor 212, 213, and an input / output interface 214. At least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to the RAM 211a and the ROM 211b. At least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute a suitable software code 215. The software code 215 may, for example, allow one or more steps to be executed to perform one or more of the proposed aspects. The software code 215 may be stored in the ROM 211b. The control device 200 may be interconnected with another control device 200 that controls another function of the 5G RAN or 5GC. In some embodiments, each function of the 5G RAN or 5GC includes a control device 200. In an alternative embodiment, two or more functions of the 5G RAN or 5GC may share a control device.

[0090] Figure 3 An example of a terminal or user equipment (UE) 300 is shown, such as in Figure 1 The terminal shown above. Terminal 300 can be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include user equipment, mobile stations (MS) or mobile devices (such as mobile phones or so-called "smart phones"), computers provided with wireless interface cards or other wireless interface facilities (e.g., USB dongles), mobile communication devices, personal data assistants (PDAs) or tablets provided with wireless communication functions, machine type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) type communication devices, or any combination of these or similar devices. Terminal 300 can, for example, provide data communication for bearer communication. The communication can be one or more of voice, audio file or stream transmission, video file or stream transmission, email (email), text message, multimedia file or stream transmission, data, machine data, UE control data, etc.

[0091] The terminal 300 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 307 via suitable means for receiving, and may transmit signals via suitable means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 3 In the mobile device, the transceiver arrangement is schematically indicated by block 306. The transceiver arrangement 306 may be provided, for example, by means of a radio part and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

[0092] The terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301, at least one memory (e.g., at least one ROM 302a and / or at least one RAM 302b), and other possible components 303, to be used in software and hardware assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including controlling access to and communication with access systems and other communication devices. The at least one processor 301 is coupled to at least one memory (at least one RAM 302b and / or ROM 302a). The at least one processor 301 may be configured to execute suitable software code 308. The software code 308 may, for example, allow execution of one or more of the proposed aspects. The software code 308 may be stored in at least one ROM 302a.

[0093] The processor, storage device and other related control devices may be provided on a suitable circuit board, circuit and / or in a chipset. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 304. Optionally, the device may have a user interface, such as a keyboard 305, a touch screen or touch pad, a combination thereof, etc. Depending on the type of device, one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may be optionally provided.

[0094] In some examples, one or more applications may be run on a user equipment (UE). Packets generated by the applications may be sent to the UE for transmission to the network, and packets received by the UE from the network may be sent to the applications.

[0095] Applications may generate periodic traffic flows, i.e., applications may generate packets or bursts of packets, or packets / data streams periodically (e.g., every 2 or 5 or 10 ms). Some applications may have extremely strict latency requirements on end-to-end network latency, e.g., 2 ms. Some applications may be very strict, i.e., the latency of each burst needs to be constant, while other applications can tolerate jitter as long as the burst arrives before the end-to-end latency bound. Examples include, but are not limited to, applications used in industrial automation, and consumer applications such as audio, video, gaming, XR, or tactile communications.

[0096] According to 3GPP Rel-17, periodic delay-critical flows can be supported for IP and Ethernet via a generic time-sensitive communication (TSC) mechanism. In some cases, the application function (AF) can provide quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as maximum delay, for TSC QoS flows / traffic flows directly to 5GS. In addition, for periodic service flows, the AF can provide the period, burst size, and in some examples, the burst arrival time for the 5GS ingress (UE or UPF, depending on the flow direction). Therefore, in some examples, the sender transmission time may not be provided by the network, but can be determined by the application itself.

[0097] A critical part of the end-to-end network is the 5G RAN. The RAN may introduce a significant portion of the end-to-end delay for traffic flows and may also be a bottleneck from a capacity perspective. Even though simple prioritization and oversubscription may work in other parts of the network, in the RAN, dedicated resources (e.g., uplink (UL) configured grant (CG) resources) may be reserved for periodic delay-critical flows, especially considering traffic with both latency requirements and reliability requirements.

[0098] When time division duplexing (TDD) is used on a specific 5G NR radio band, radio transmissions in the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) alternate in a repeating cycle. While the cycle time and the duration of the uplink and downlink transmission slots therein can be flexibly adjusted, at least some parts of the cycle may be statically reserved for specific directions. This may not even happen at the granularity of a single cell or a single gNB to avoid interference, but may be common for larger areas. For example, a constrained TDD mode of operation may have a DL:UL ratio of, say, 4:1, and may not allow the operator to change this ratio at all, depending on, for example, regulatory / constraint requirements.

[0099] Therefore, in practice, the direction of the TDD cycle and time slot may not be adjusted based on the individual service flows according to their burst arrival times, but the burst arrival times of the individual flows may need to be adjusted to the direction of the TDD cycle and time slot in order to achieve improved or optimal performance.

[0100] Some proposed solutions target application adaptation of downstream scheduling to enable 5GS to meet truly low latency (e.g., 2 ms) requirements. However, while the focus may be on downstream scheduling, any optimization of upstream scheduling may not be excluded if similar enhancements to downstream scheduling are applied.

[0101] Therefore, improvements or optimizations to upstream scheduling may be needed. Some examples can address these issues.

[0102] refer to Figure 4 , which illustrates methods according to some examples.

[0103] At 400, a method includes sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application.

[0104] At 402, the method includes receiving the one or more data packets from the application based on information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0105] At 404, the method includes sending the matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on the radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0106] At 406, a method includes receiving, from a user equipment, information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment.

[0107] At 408, the method includes determining a traffic generation pattern for generating the one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0108] At 410, the method includes sending the one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined traffic generation pattern.

[0109] At 412, a method includes sending, from a user device to an application, information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application.

[0110] At 414, the method includes determining, by the application, a traffic generation pattern for generating the one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period.

[0111] At 416, the method includes sending the one or more data packets from the application to the user equipment based on the determined traffic generation pattern.

[0112] At 418, the method includes sending the one or more data packets from the user equipment to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on the radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0113] Therefore, some examples may provide a UE-based solution to efficiently handle UL transmission scheduling. More particularly, some examples may enable applications on the UE side to adapt UL traffic flow generation behavior to achieve an improved or optimal end-user experience.

[0114] Some examples may assume that UL CG resources have been allocated and that the initial allocation is based on information received from the network - for example, burst arrival time (BAT) information from the Time Sensitive Communication Time Synchronization Function (TSCTSF). In addition, some examples may also assume that the UE is aware of the adaptation capabilities and / or constraints on the application side.

[0115] refer to Figure 5 , which illustrates methods according to some examples. Figure 5In the example, the UE can compare the allocated UL CG resources and burst arrival time / period information at the AS (access stratum) layer.

[0116] At step 500, the UE obtains information indicating a UL traffic flow period and packet arrival time from an application; and also obtains UL resource allocation information from a RAN.

[0117] The UE can obtain the burst arrival time and / or period information from the application layer or from the network side. For example, the UE can determine the burst arrival time and / or period information at the radio protocol layer - for example, based on the delivered application packet, the radio protocol layer will know such information; or from the device side TSN converter (DS-TT).

[0118] At step 502, the UE determines whether there is a mismatch between application data packet generation and UL resource allocation, resulting in unacceptable buffering delay (eg, buffering delay is above a threshold).

[0119] This determination may be performed at a radio protocol layer (eg, a physical layer (PHY) or another AS (Access Stratum) layer). The UE may compare the timing and period information of the CG resources and the UL traffic flow arrival time / period.

[0120] That is, the UE may compare the actual UL resource timing with the expected arrival time of packets from the application or application layer within the burst.

[0121] Based on the comparison, the UE may determine whether a mismatch exists, resulting in an unacceptably large buffering delay (eg, a buffering delay greater than a threshold).

[0122] At step 504, if it is determined at 502 that the buffering delay is acceptable (eg, the delay is below a threshold), then no indication is sent to the application or application layer.

[0123] At step 506, if it is determined at 502 that the buffering delay is unacceptable (eg, the delay is above a threshold), then:

[0124] UE determines the burst arrival time window (e.g., absolute time or relative time compared to the delivered packets) and

[0125] / or period;

[0126] · The UE sends a notification to the application layer with the determined burst arrival time window and / or period; and

[0127] The application layer adjusts the traffic generation based on the notification.

[0128] The notification can be used to adjust the service generation at the application. The notification can include, for example, an offset compared to the burst arrival time and / or a new period and / or a burst arrival time window. The notification can be in the format of an absolute burst arrival time and / or period. The notification can be sent from the PHY or another AS layer and can be sent to the application via an upper layer. In some examples, the threshold can be a UE internal parameter. In other examples, the UE can derive the threshold from a QoS parameter or receive the threshold from a network entity.

[0129] The application may receive this notification and may adjust traffic generation accordingly to match the allocated resources.

[0130] refer to Figure 6 , which illustrates methods according to some examples. Figure 6 In the example of , the UE may report information for adjusting service / packet generation to the application layer. The application may adjust the service / packet generation mode based on the received information.

[0131] At step 600, the UE receives information indicating adaptation capabilities at the application layer from the application. The information may, for example, indicate that the application is capable of adjusting or adapting application service generation / delivery. The UE may also receive resource allocation information from the RAN.

[0132] At step 602, the UE determines a preferred BAW (burst arrival time window) and / or period for UL traffic / packets from the application. The UE may determine the preferred BAW and / or period based on radio resource information (e.g., TDD configuration, PHY resource configuration, etc.) and UE (and DS-TT, if present) processing time (in the case of UL, the time for the user equipment to process packets received from the application to prepare the packets for transmission over the air interface, which in some examples may be referred to as UE-DS-TT dwell time).

[0133] At step 604, the UE sends to the application layer information indicating the preferred BAW and / or period determined at step 602. This information may be sent from the UE AS layer to the NAS layer and finally to the application layer.

[0134] At step 606, the application layer determines a traffic / packet generation mode based on the information indicating the preferred BAW and / or period.

[0135] At step 608 , the application layer sends traffic / packets based on the mode determined at step 606 .

[0136] At step 609, the UE maps application data / traffic to the allocated UL resources.

[0137] At step 610, the UE transmits data to the RAN using the allocated UL resources.

[0138] In some examples, the UE AS layer can send information to the application, including PHY resource configuration (e.g., TDD configuration, UL resources, etc.) and UE processing time (e.g., UE-DS-TT dwell time). Based on the available PHY resource information and the reported UE processing time, the application can derive the optimal packet generation mode (time window and period) and send the flow packet accordingly.

[0139] Therefore, in some examples, the application layer can adjust the traffic / packet generation and transmission mode according to the information received from the UE. This can allow the buffering time for traffic / packets to be reduced.

[0140] For example, refer to Figure 7 , which shows an example buffering delay comparison with and without service adaptation. Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 5 , UL time slots 702a, 702b, 702c are followed by DL time slots 704a, 704b, where a TDD DL:UL ratio of 4:1 is assumed.

[0141] In a worst-case scenario, packets 700 may arrive at the UE from the application layer just after the scheduled UL timeslot 702a (e.g., at or near the beginning of DL timeslot 704a), and thus the packets are retained in the buffer until the next UL timeslot 702b in which they can be sent.

[0142] By adapting the packet generation and transmission patterns, the application layer can send the packet 700 to the UE so that it arrives just before the scheduled UL time slot 702b, thereby reducing the time the packet is retained in the buffer.

[0143] This can avoid any buffer capacity issues and there can be no or minimal queuing delays due to system load.In addition, scheduling delays can be reduced or ignored due to the arrival time of packets at the UE.

[0144] It should be noted that the methods disclosed above can also be applied to frequency division duplex (FDD) or other flexible duplex systems.

[0145] In some examples, a device is provided that includes components for performing the following operations: sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0146] In some examples, the device may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: send information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receive one or more data packets from the application based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and send matching one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

[0147] In some examples, an apparatus is provided that includes components for performing the following operations: receiving information from a user device indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user device; determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and sending one or more data packets to the user device based on the determined service generation mode.

[0148] In some examples, the apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive information from a user device indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user device; determine a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; and send one or more data packets to the user device based on the determined service generation mode.

[0149] In some examples, a system is provided that includes a user device and an application, wherein: the user device includes a component for sending information to the application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; the application includes a computer program code for determining a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period, and sending one or more data packets to the user device based on the determined service generation mode; and the user device includes a component for sending one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0150] In some examples, the system includes a user device and an application, wherein: the user device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the user device to at least: send to the application information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; the application includes a computer program code, the computer program code being used to cause the application to: determine, based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period, a service generation mode for generating one or more data packets, and, based on the determined service generation mode, send one or more data packets to the user device; and the at least one memory and the at least one processor may be configured to cause the user device to: send one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

[0151] It should be understood that a device such as a UE may include or be coupled to other units or modules used in transmission and / or reception or for transmission and / or reception, such as a radio part or a radio head. Although these devices have been described as one entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0152] It should be noted that while some embodiments have been described with respect to 5G networks, similar principles may be applied with respect to other networks and communication systems and / or standards. Thus, while certain embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system other than that illustrated and described herein.

[0153] It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0154] In general, various embodiments may be implemented by various means / components, for example, using hardware or dedicated circuits, processors, software, logic, memory, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented by various means / components (e.g., using hardware), while other aspects may be implemented using firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well known that the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented as non-limiting examples using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0155] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0156] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as analog and / or digital circuit implementation only);

[0157] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0158] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware; and

[0159] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor, software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and

[0160] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but where the software may not be present, for operation.

[0161] This definition of "circuitry" applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of merely one hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers (for example and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0162] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software (such as in a processor entity, which may be executed by a data processor of a mobile device) or hardware or a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets and / or macros) may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to perform an embodiment when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0163] Furthermore, in this regard, it should be noted that any box of the logic flow in the accompanying drawings may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on a physical medium such as a memory chip, or a storage block implemented within a processor, a magnetic medium (such as a hard disk or floppy disk), and an optical medium (such as, for example, a DVD and its data variants, a CD). Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0164] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0165] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0166] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present disclosure is set out by the independent claims. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims (if any) should be interpreted as examples that can be used to understand various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0167] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by way of non-limiting examples. However, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, various modifications and changes may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description. However, all these and similar modifications to the teachings of the present disclosure still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. In fact, there are further embodiments that include a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiments previously discussed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising components for performing the following operations: sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving, from said application, said one or more data packets based on said information indicating said preferred arrival time window and / or period; as well as Based on the radio resource configuration information received from the radio network, matching one or more data packets are sent to one or more access nodes of the radio network.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The components are also used for: The preferred arrival time window and period are determined based on the radio resource configuration information and a processing time for the device to prepare the one or more data packets for transmission.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period includes at least one of the following: Absolute time windows and / or periods; A time window and / or period relative to the current burst arrival time and / or period; or The radio resource configuration information and the processing time for the apparatus to prepare the one or more data packets for transmission.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The components are used for: The radio resource configuration information is received from the one or more access nodes of the radio network.

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The radio resource configuration information includes at least one of the following: Time Division Duplex configuration; or The permitted resource information of the uplink configuration.

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The components are used for: receiving, from the application, information indicating a capability of the application for adapting generation of data packets, Therein, in response to receiving the information indicating the capability of the application for adapting data packet generation, sending information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period to the application is performed.

7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Receiving the one or more data packets includes receiving one or more data packets matching the preferred arrival time window and / or period.

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The components include: at least one processor; and At least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

9. An apparatus comprising means for performing the following operations: receiving, from a user equipment, information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment; determining a traffic generation mode for generating said one or more data packets based on said information indicating said preferred arrival time window and / or period; as well as Based on the determined traffic generation mode, the one or more data packets are sent to the user equipment.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The components are used for: sending information indicating a capability for adapting data packet generation to the user equipment, Therein, receiving information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period is based on the indicated capability information.

11. A system comprising a user device and an application, wherein: The user equipment comprises means for sending to the application information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; The application comprises computer program code for determining a traffic generation mode for generating the one or more data packets based on information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period, and sending the one or more data packets to the user equipment based on the determined traffic generation mode; and The user equipment comprises means for sending the one or more data packets to one or more access nodes of a radio network.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The user equipment component comprises: at least one processor; and At least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause execution of the user equipment.

13. A method comprising: sending information to an application indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; receiving, from said application, said one or more data packets based on said information indicating said preferred arrival time window and / or period; as well as Based on the radio resource configuration information received from the radio network, matching one or more data packets are sent to one or more access nodes of the radio network.

14. A method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets at the user equipment; determining a traffic generation mode for generating said one or more data packets based on said information indicating said preferred arrival time window and / or period; as well as Based on the determined traffic generation mode, the one or more data packets are sent to the user equipment.

15. A method comprising: sending, from a user equipment to an application, information indicating a preferred arrival time window and / or period for receiving one or more data packets from the application; determining, by the application, a traffic generation mode for generating the one or more data packets based on the information indicating the preferred arrival time window and / or period; sending the one or more data packets from the application to the user equipment based on the determined traffic generation mode; as well as The one or more data packets are sent from the user equipment to one or more access nodes of the radio network based on radio resource configuration information received from the radio network.

Images