Method and apparatus for buffer status reporting

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for buffering status report (BSR). In accordance with an embodiment of the present application, a user equipment (UE) includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, a configuration for enabling an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR) function from a network; and transmitting, via the transceiver, the EBSR to the network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate generally to wireless communication techniques, and in particular, to methods and apparatus for buffer status reporting (BSR). Background Art

[0002] Extended reality (XR), including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), as well as cloud gaming (CG) bring a new promising category of connected devices, applications and services. As a potential work area of ​​3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release 18, application and service awareness in the radio access network (RAN) is one of the key features to improve the user experience of XR services. Currently, the details of the BSR associated with the PDU set (e.g., frame) of XR services have not been discussed. Summary of the invention

[0003] Some embodiments of the present application also provide a user equipment (UE). The UE includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: receive a first configuration for enabling an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR) function from a network via the transceiver; and transmit the EBSR to the network via the transceiver.

[0004] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of: a first field including a buffer size (BS) index, wherein the buffer size indicated by the one BS index of the first field represents an amount of uplink (UL) data used for transmission in one or more logical channel groups (LCGs) or in one or more logical channels (LCHs); or a second field including two or more BS indexes, wherein the sum of the buffer sizes indicated by the two or more BS indexes of the second field represents the amount of UL data used for transmission in the one or more LCGs or in the one or more LCHs; or a third field indicating the presence of the second field of the one or more LCGs or the one or more LCHs.

[0005] In some embodiments, the one BS index is included in a first BS table, wherein each BS index of the two or more BS indexes is included in one BS table or two or more BS tables.

[0006] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive a second configuration from the network via the transceiver, and wherein the second configuration indicates at least one of the following: a first group of LCGs or a first group of LCHs of the first field in the EBSR can be used; or a second group of LCGs or a second group of LCHs of the second field in the EBSR can be used.

[0007] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to: select at least one of the first field and the second field in the EBSR to be used for LCG or LCH; and transmit an indication to the network via the transceiver to indicate that at least one of the first field and the second field in the EBSR is used for the LCG or the LCH.

[0008] In some embodiments, in order to select at least one of the first field and the second field, the processor of the UE is configured to: determine whether the difference between the UL data amount and the buffer size indicated by the one BS index is greater than or equal to a threshold; select the second field to be used in the EBSR in response to determining that the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold; and select the first field to be used in the EBSR in response to determining that the difference is less than the threshold.

[0009] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive, via the transceiver, from the network a third configuration related to one or more BS tables for LCG or LCH, and wherein the BS index included in the EBSR is selected from the one or more BS tables.

[0010] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive at least one of the following from the network via the transceiver: a deactivation command to stop using a BS table within the one or more BS tables for the LCG or the LCH; or an activation command to use the BS table for the LCG or the LCH.

[0011] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to: suspend the functionality of the EBSR (for the LCG or the LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately or after a first duration after receiving the deactivation command; or resume the functionality of the EBSR (for the LCG or the LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately or after a second duration after receiving the activation command.

[0012] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, to the network one of: an acknowledgement of the deactivation command; and an acknowledgement of the activation command.

[0013] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command is received in one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE); and downlink control information (DCI).

[0014] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command includes one of: at least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCG; at least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCH; and a bitmap corresponding to the one or more BS tables, used to indicate that the BS table is deactivated or activated for the LCG or the LCH.

[0015] In some embodiments, a MAC sub-protocol data unit (PDU) including the EBSR indicates table information of a BS table for the EBSR, and wherein the table information of the BS table is indicated by at least one of: an LCID field in a sub-header of the MAC sub-PDU; or a field different from the LCID field in the sub-header.

[0016] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive, from the network via the transceiver, a fourth configuration related to a mapping relationship between a value in the LCID field and the table information of the BS table.

[0017] In some embodiments, the mapping relationship between the value in the LCID field and the table information of the BS table is predefined by a specification.

[0018] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to: set the value of the fourth field in the EBSR to a specific value; and set the value of the fifth field in the EBSR to indicate the UL data amount, wherein the value of the fourth field is included in the BS table of the LCG or LCH.

[0019] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of: one or more delay information (DI) fields including delay information associated with one or more protocol data unit (PDU) sets; or one or more BS fields including one or more BS indexes associated with the delay information.

[0020] In some embodiments, the one or more buffer sizes indicated by the one or more BS indices represent: the total amount of data available for transmission in the one or more PDU sets corresponding to the delay information; or the total amount of data available for transmission in the LCH; or the total amount of data available for transmission in all LCHs across the LCG.

[0021] In some embodiments, the delay information includes at least one of: a remaining PDU set delay budget; a PDU set buffer delay; a PDU set delay budget offset; or a first timing of receiving PDUs within the one or more PDU sets from an upper layer of the UE.

[0022] In some embodiments, the delay information includes first delay information associated with a first arriving PDU or a last arriving PDU of a PDU set within the one or more PDU sets.

[0023] In some embodiments, the remaining PDU set delay budget corresponds to a PDU set with a minimum delay budget within the one or more PDU sets; the PDU set buffer delay corresponds to a PDU set with a maximum buffer delay within the one or more PDU sets; or the first timing corresponds to a PDU set with an earliest arrival timing within the one or more PDU sets.

[0024] In some embodiments, the delay information includes second delay information corresponding to a PDU set having a highest priority logical channel within the one or more PDU sets, and wherein the highest priority logical channel is allowed to report the second delay information in the LCG or in the MAC entity of the UE or in the UE.

[0025] In some embodiments, the delay information includes at least one of: third delay information corresponding to a PDU set within the one or more PDU sets in the LCH with or without data available for transmission; or fourth delay information corresponding to a PDU set within the one or more PDU sets in the LCG with or without data available for transmission.

[0026] In some embodiments, the one or more DI fields and the one or more BS fields of the LCH or LCG are interleaved in the EBSR to form one or more pairs of DI fields and BS fields.

[0027] In some embodiments, the one or more DI fields within the one or more pairs of the LCH or the LCG are sorted in: ascending order based on the remaining PDU set delay budget; descending order based on the PDU set buffer delay; ascending order based on the arrival timing at the access layer (AS) layer of the UE of the first arriving PDU; or ascending order based on the arrival timing at the AS layer of the UE of the last arriving PDU.

[0028] In some embodiments, in response to the allocated uplink (UL) resources being insufficient to accommodate the one or more pairs for one or more LCHs or one or more LCGs in the EBSR, the processor of the UE is configured to: prioritize the one or more pairs in descending order of priority of the one or more LCHs; prioritize the one or more pairs in descending order of the highest priority logical channel in each of the one or more LCGs; or prioritize the one or more pairs in increasing or decreasing order of the value of the delay information when the one or more pairs have equal logical channel priorities, wherein the allocated UL resources include a portion of the prioritized one or more pairs.

[0029] Some embodiments of the present application also provide a network node (e.g., a base station). The network node includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: transmit a first configuration for enabling an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR) function to a user equipment (UE) via the transceiver; and receive the EBSR from the UE via the transceiver.

[0030] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of: a first field including one BS index, wherein the buffer size of the first field indicated by the one BS index represents an amount of uplink (UL) data for transmission in one or more logical channel groups (LCGs) or in one or more logical channels (LCHs); or a second field including two or more BS indexes, wherein the sum of the buffer sizes indicated by the two or more BS indexes of the second field represents an amount of UL data for transmission in the one or more LCGs or in the one or more LCHs; or a third field indicating the presence of the second field of the one or more LCGs or the one or more LCHs.

[0031] In some embodiments, the one BS index is included in a first BS table, wherein each BS index of the two or more BS indexes is included in one BS table or two or more BS tables.

[0032] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node is configured to transmit a second configuration to the UE via the transceiver, and wherein the second configuration indicates at least one of the following: a first group of LCGs or a first group of LCHs of the first field in the EBSR can be used; or a second group of LCGs or a second group of LCHs of the second field in the EBSR can be used.

[0033] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, a third configuration related to one or more BS tables for LCG or LCH to the UE, and wherein the BS index included in the EBSR is selected from the one or more BS tables.

[0034] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node is configured to transmit at least one of the following to the UE via the transceiver: a deactivation command to stop using a BS table within the one or more BS tables for the LCG or the LCH; or an activation command to use the BS table for the LCG or the LCH.

[0035] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node is configured to receive from the UE via the transceiver one of: an acknowledgement of the deactivation command; and an acknowledgement of the activation command.

[0036] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command is transmitted in one of: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE); and downlink control information (DCI).

[0037] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command includes one of: at least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCG; at least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCH; and a bitmap corresponding to the one or more BS tables, used to indicate that the BS table is deactivated or activated for the LCG or the LCH.

[0038] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a UE. The method includes: receiving a configuration for enabling a function of an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR) from a network; and transmitting the EBSR to the network.

[0039] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a network node (eg, a base station). The method includes: transmitting a configuration for enabling enhanced buffer status reporting (EBSR) functionality to a user equipment (UE); and receiving the EBSR from the UE.

[0040] Some embodiments of the present application also provide an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; a receiving circuit system; a transmitting circuit system; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the receiving circuit system, and the transmitting circuit system, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to implement any one of the above methods performed by a UE or a network node (e.g., a base station).

[0041] The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present application illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0043] Figure 1A A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0044] Figure 1B An exemplary diagram illustrating a PDU set delay budget for XR services according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0045] Figure 2 An exemplary flow chart for transmitting an EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0046] Figure 3 Another exemplary flow chart for receiving an EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0047] Figures 4 to 18 An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0048] Fig.19 An exemplary block diagram illustrating an apparatus for delaying status reporting according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0049] Fig. 20 Another exemplary block diagram illustrating an apparatus for delaying status reporting according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0051] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) LTE and Advanced LTE, 3GPP 5G NR, Advanced 5G, 6G, etc.). It is considered that, with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present application may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0052] Figure 1A A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application. Figure 1A , the wireless communication system 100 includes at least one base station 101 and at least one UE 102. Specifically, for illustrative purposes, the wireless communication system 100 includes one BS 101 and two UEs 102 (eg, UE 102a and UE 102b). Figure 1A A specific number of BSs 101 and UEs 102 are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of BSs 101 and UEs 102 may be included in wireless communication system 100 .

[0053] The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, LTE networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0054] BS 101 may also be referred to as an NG-RAN node, a RAN node, an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a Node B, an enhanced Node B (eNB), a gNB, a home Node B, a relay node or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. BS 101 is typically part of a radio access network that may include a controller communicatively coupled to BS 101.

[0055] According to some embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may include a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a vehicle-mounted computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), or the like. According to some other embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network.

[0056] According to some other embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, UE 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0057] Figure 1A Both UE 102a and UE 102b in the embodiment of the present invention can transmit information to BS 101 and receive control information from BS 101, for example via an LTE or NR Uu interface.

[0058] As defined in 3GPP TR23.700-60, a new Quality of Service (QoS) parameter associated with a PDU set is the PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB), which defines an upper limit on the time that a PDU set can be delayed between the N6 termination point at the UE and the UPF. The PSDB applies to DL PDU sets received by the UPF over the N6 interface and UL PDU sets sent by the UE. For a specific 5QI, the value of the PSDB is the same in UL and DL. In the case of 3GPP connections, the PSDB is used to support the configuration of scheduling and link layer functions (such as the setting of scheduling priority weights and HARQ target operating points).

[0059] According to 3GPP TR23.700-60, the 5G access network PDU set delay budget (5G-AN PSDB) is determined by subtracting the static value of the core network PDU set delay budget (CN PSDB), which represents the delay between any N6 terminal point at the UPF (for any UPF that may be selected for a PDU session) and the 5G-AN from a given PSDB.

[0060] As defined in 3GPP TS38.323, regarding the service data unit (SDU) discard operation, when the discard timer expires for the PDCP SDU or the successful delivery of the PDCP SDU is confirmed by the PDCP status report, the transmitting PDCP entity shall discard the PDCP SDU and the corresponding PDCP data PDU. If the corresponding PDCP data PDU has been submitted to the lower layer, the discard is indicated to the lower layer. For signaling radio bearers (SRBs), when the upper layer requests PDCP SDU discard, the PDCP entity shall discard all stored PDCP SDUs and PDCP PDUs.

[0061] As defined in 3GPP TR23.501, the packet delay budget (PDB) defines an upper limit on the time that a packet can be delayed between the UE and the N6 terminal point at the UPF. The PDB is applicable to DL packets received by the UPF over the N6 interface and UL packets sent by the UE. For a specific 5QI, the value of the PDB is the same in UL and DL. In the case of 3GPP access, the PDB is used to support the configuration of scheduling and link layer functions (such as the setting of scheduling priority weights and HARQ target operating points). The 5G access network packet delay budget (5G-AN PDB) is determined by subtracting the static value of the core network packet delay budget (CN PDB), which represents the delay between any N6 terminal point at the UPF and the 5G-AN from a given PDB.

[0062] In general, XR (including AR and VR), and CG bring a new promising class of connected devices, applications and services. A UE with XR services can be referred to as an XR device. XR-specific capacity improvements are a key feature. For example, mechanisms that provide more efficient resource allocation and scheduling for XR service characteristics (such as periodicity, multiple streams, jitter, latency, reliability, etc.) need to be studied. Typically, an issue that may affect system capacity is that the network allocates resources due to buffer size values ​​associated with buffer sizes with large granularity.

[0063] As defined in 3GPP TS38.321, one legacy buffer size table contains buffer size levels (in bytes) for a 5-bit buffer size field, i.e., Table 6.1.3.1-1, and another legacy buffer size table contains buffer size levels (in bytes) for an 8-bit buffer size field, i.e., Table 6.1.3.1-2. For example, in a 5-bit buffer size field, BS index 0 represents a buffer size value of 0, BS index 8 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 102, BS index 9 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 142, BS index 29 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 107669, BS index 30 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 150000, and so on. In the 8-bit buffer size field, BS index 134 represents a buffer size value of 45709, BS index 135 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 48676, BS index 146 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 97221, BS index 251 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 71724679, BS index 252 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 76380419, BS index 253 represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 81338368, and so on.

[0064] For example, assuming an old buffer size table using a buffer size level (in bytes) including an 8-bit buffer size field, if the maximum value of I size is 46261 bytes and the maximum value of P size is 30840 bytes, then the buffer size index needs to be set to 135, which represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 48676 bytes. However, the I size quantization error between 46261 bytes and 48676 bytes is 2415 bytes. That is, 2415 bytes of buffer size are wasted. If the maximum value of I size is 92521 bytes and the maximum value of P size is 61681 bytes, then the buffer size index needs to be set to 146, which represents a buffer size value less than or equal to 97221 bytes. However, the I size quantization error between 92521 bytes and 97221 bytes is 4700 bytes. That is, 4700 bytes of buffer size are wasted.

[0065] As can be seen, the current buffer size reporting granularity is large and cannot reflect the accurate buffer status in the BSR. It brings thousands of uncertainties, especially when the buffer size value exceeds 20000 bytes. This results in allocating too many resources for UL transmission of XR services.

[0066] Another issue that may affect system capacity is that the network does not know the exact buffering delay for uplink (UL) PDU set scheduling optimization due to mismatched configuration grants (CGs) and is unaware of BSR transmissions due to UL jitter in arrival time at the UE. Typically, the network determines the PDB duration from the expected PDU set periodic arrival time or BSR reception timing. However, due to the mismatch between the CG and early arriving XR bursts, the network does not know the delay time of the data or BSR transmission. Therefore, the network is unable to determine the buffering delay time and implement a good scheduling strategy to avoid exceeding the PDU set delay budget. A specific example is in Figure 1B Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 1B An exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a PDU set delay budget for XR services according to some embodiments of the present application is provided. Figure 1B In the embodiment of the present invention, the PDU set in the PDU set arrival period may arrive at the PDCP layer of the UE with jitter. Figure 1B , in which the first PDU set in the first PDU set arrival period arrives with negative arrival jitter, and the second PDU set in the second PDU set arrival period arrives with positive arrival jitter. Therefore, in the time domain, there is a buffering delay between the arrival timing of the PDU set in the first PDU set arrival period and the timing of the UL grant (e.g., "the first UL grant (of the transmitted data or BSR of the (first PDU of the PDU set)") of the MAC layer of the UE. In the time domain, there is a delay between the arrival timing of the PDU set in the second PDU set arrival period and the timing of the UL grant (e.g., "the third UL grant (of the transmitted data or BSR of the (first PDU of the PDU set)") of the PDU set.

[0068] Since the first PDU set in the first PDU set arrival period arrives earlier in the time domain, the "PDU set DB (delay budget)" of the first PDU set in the first PDU set arrival period is different from the original or initial "PDU set DB" of the first PDU set transmitted on the first UL grant (of data or BSR for transmission of the PDU set), such as Figure 1B Similarly, since the second PDU set in the second PDU set arrival period arrives later in the time domain, in the time domain, the "PDU set DB" ( Figure 1B ) is also associated with the original or initial "PDU set DB" ( Figure 1B (not shown) are different.

[0069] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application design a mechanism for delay status reporting associated with a PDU set for UL transmission of an XR service.

[0070] More specifically, some embodiments of the present application introduce a mechanism for reducing the quantization error of the buffer size (BS) and improving the BSR granularity of the XR device to achieve capacity enhancement. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit an EBSR including a BS index combination to indicate the amount of UL data for transmission in the LCG or LCH by the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to two BS identifiers in the same BS table or different BS tables. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit a BSR including a BS index selected from a BS table configured by the network for the LCG or LCH. In some embodiments, the UE may use another field in the MAC subheader of the new LCID or BSR to indicate a new BS table for the BSR, and the mapping between the LCID and the BS table may be configured by the network or predefined by the specification. In some embodiments, the UE may use a BS index of a specific value (e.g., 255) to indicate another field of the actual BS index in the new BS table containing one LCG or LCH. In some embodiments, the UE may include a table information field and a BS field for one LCG or LCH, wherein the BS index in the BS field is in a table identified by the table information.

[0071] Some embodiments of the present application introduce a mechanism for helping the network determine the available or remaining or remaining delay budget corresponding to a PDU set (e.g., a frame) in an EBSR. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the buffer size and delay information (DI) in the EBSR to the network. The DI may correspond to the first or last PDU in the PDU set with the earliest arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU in the PDU set with the highest delay budget or the lowest delay budget or the PDU in the PDU set with the highest priority logical channel in the LCG with or without data available for transmission (or the LCH with or without data available for transmission). In some embodiments, the BS identifies the total amount of data available for the PDU set corresponding to the "delay" field corresponding to the LCG or the total amount of data available for all LCHs across the LCG. In some embodiments, if more than one pair of DI fields and BS fields are used for LCH or LCG, the "delay" field is included in ascending order based on the delay budget or in descending order based on the delay or in ascending order based on the arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU. For example, the BS field of the LCG or LCH corresponding to the DI field of the LCG or LCH may be interleaved. For example, the BS field corresponding to the DI field may not be interleaved, the BS fields of all LCGs or all LCHs may be included together, and the DI fields of all LCGs or all LCHs may be included together. In some embodiments, if the UL grant is insufficient to include all EBSRs of all LCHs or all LCGs, the UE may prioritize the EBSRs including the pair of BS fields and the DI field in descending order of (highest) logical channel priority and optionally in descending order of delay (or in ascending order of remaining delay budget or in ascending order of arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU). In some embodiments, if the UL grant is insufficient to include all EBSRs of all LCHs or all LCGs, the UE may prioritize the BS fields of the EBSRs in descending order of (highest) logical channel priority, and then prioritize the DI fields of the EBSRs in descending order of (highest) logical channel priority. In some embodiments, if the UL grant is insufficient to include all EBSRs for all LCHs or all LCGs, the UE may prioritize the DI field of the EBSR in descending order of (highest) logical channel priority, and then prioritize the BS field of the EBSR in descending order of (highest) logical channel priority. More details will be described in the following text in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be clear to those skilled in the art that the terms "one / the first", "one / the second" and "one / the third" are only used for clear description and should not be regarded as any substantial limitation, such as sequence limitation.

[0072] Figure 2An exemplary flow chart for transmitting an EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 2 The exemplary method 200 in may be performed by a UE (eg Figure 1A Although described with respect to a UE, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Figure 2 A similar approach to the one used in this paper.

[0073] exist Figure 2 In the exemplary method 200 of , in operation 201, the UE receives a configuration for enabling a function of EBSR from a network. In operation 202, the UE transmits the EBSR to the network.

[0074] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of the following:

[0075] (1) A field containing a BS index (e.g. Figure 6 or Figure 7 ). This field is simply labeled as "first field". The buffer size of the first field indicated by one BS index represents the amount of UL data used for transmission in one or more LCGs or in one or more LCHs. In some embodiments, one BS index is included in a BS table. Each of two or more BS indexes is included in one BS table or two or more BS tables. For example, one BS table and each of the two or more BS tables may include a one-to-one mapping relationship between multiple BS indexes and multiple buffer sizes.

[0076] (2) A field containing two or more BS indexes (e.g. Figures 4 to 7 ). This field is simply labeled as the “second field”. The sum of the buffer sizes indicated by two or more BS indices of the second field represents the amount of UL data to be transmitted in one or more LCGs or in one or more LCHs.

[0077] (3) A field indicating the presence of a second field of one or more LCGs or one or more LCHs (e.g., Figure 7 The “index combination i(IC i )” field). This field is simply labeled “Third Field”.

[0078] In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one of the first field and the second field in the EBSR to be used for LCG or LCH, and transmit an indication in the EBSR indicating that at least one of the first field and the second field is used for LCG or LCH to the network. In an embodiment, the UE may determine whether the difference between the UL data amount and the buffer size indicated by one BS index is greater than or equal to a threshold. The UE may select the second field to be used in the EBSR in response to determining that the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold. The UE may select the first field to be used in the EBSR in response to determining that the difference is less than the threshold.

[0079] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a configuration from the network indicating at least one of:

[0080] (4) A set of LCGs or a set of LCHs using the first field in the EBSR; or

[0081] (5) Another set of LCGs or another set of LCHs may be used in the second field in the EBSR.

[0082] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a configuration related to one or more BS tables of the LCG or LCH from the network. The BS index included in the EBSR may be selected from the one or more BS tables. For example, each of the one or more BS tables may include a one-to-one mapping relationship between multiple BS indices and multiple buffer sizes.

[0083] In an embodiment, the UE may receive at least one of the following from the network:

[0084] (1) A deactivation command to stop using a BS table in one or more BS tables for an LCG or LCH. In some embodiments, the UE may suspend the function of EBSR (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately or after a duration period after receiving the deactivation command. In an embodiment, the UE may transmit a confirmation of the deactivation command to the network.

[0085] (2) Activation command using the BS table of LCG or LCH. In some embodiments, the UE may restore the EBSR function (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately or after a sustained period of time after receiving the activation command. In an embodiment, the UE may transmit an acknowledgment of the activation command. Specific examples are in Figure 8 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0086] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command is received in a MAC CE or a DCI. In some embodiments, the deactivation command and the activation command may be received in the same message.

[0087] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command includes one of:

[0088] (1) At least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCG;

[0089] (2) at least one of the table information of the BS table or the ID of the LCH; and

[0090] (3) A bitmap corresponding to one or more BS tables, used to indicate whether the BS table is deactivated or activated for an LCG or LCH. Fig. 9 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0091] In some embodiments, the MAC sub-PDU including the EBSR indicates table information of a BS table for the EBSR. For example, the BS table may include a one-to-one mapping relationship between multiple BS indexes and multiple buffer sizes. The table information of the BS table may be indicated by at least one of the following:

[0092] (1) the LCID field in the subheader of the MAC sub-PDU; or

[0093] (2) A field different from the LCID field in the subheader of the MAC sub-PDU. A specific example is Fig.10 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0094] In some embodiments, the UE may receive configuration related to the mapping relationship between the value in the LCID field and the table information of the BS table from the network. In an embodiment, the mapping relationship between the value in the LCID field and the table information of the BS table may be predefined by a specification or protocol.

[0095] In some embodiments, the UE may set the value of a field in the EBSR (simply labeled "the fourth field") to a specific value, and may set the value of another field in the EBSR (e.g., after or before the fourth field) to indicate the amount of UL data. For example, the value of the fourth field may be included in the BS table of the LCG or LCH. A specific example is in Fig.11A Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0096] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of the following:

[0097] (1) one or more delay information (DI) fields containing delay information associated with one or more protocol data unit (PDU) sets; or

[0098] (2) One or more BS fields, which contain one or more BS indices associated with the delay information. Figures 12A to 12C In an embodiment, one or more buffer sizes indicated by one or more BS indices represent:

[0099] 1) the total amount of data available for transmission in one or more PDU sets corresponding to the delay information; or

[0100] 2) the total amount of data available for transmission in the LCH; or

[0101] 3) The total amount of data available for all LCH transmissions across the LCG.

[0102] In some embodiments, the delay information includes at least one of the following:

[0103] (1) Remaining PDU set delay budget: In an embodiment, the remaining PDU set delay budget corresponds to a PDU set with a minimum delay budget among the one or more PDU sets.

[0104] (2) PDU set buffering delay: In an embodiment, the PDU set buffering delay corresponds to a PDU set with a maximum buffering delay among one or more PDU sets.

[0105] (3)PDU set delay budget offset.

[0106] (4) The timing of receiving the PDUs in one or more PDU sets from the upper layer of the UE. In an embodiment, the timing corresponds to a PDU set with the earliest arrival timing in the one or more PDU sets.

[0107] In some embodiments, the delay information includes delay information associated with a first arriving PDU or a last arriving PDU of a PDU set within the one or more PDU sets.

[0108] In some embodiments, the delay information includes delay information corresponding to a PDU set with a highest priority logical channel within one or more PDU sets. For example, the highest priority logical channel is allowed to report this delay information in the LCG or in the MAC entity of the UE or in the UE.

[0109] In some embodiments, the delay information includes at least one of the following:

[0110] (1) delay information corresponding to a PDU set within one or more PDU sets in the LCH having or not having data available for transmission; or

[0111] (2) Delay information corresponding to a PDU set within one or more PDU sets in the LCG that has or does not have data available for transmission.

[0112] In some embodiments, one or more DI fields and one or more BS fields of an LCH or LCG are interleaved in an EBSR to form one or more pairs of DI fields and BS fields. Fig.14 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0113] In some embodiments, one or more DI fields within one or more pairs of LCHs or LCGs are ordered as follows:

[0114] (1) In ascending order based on the remaining PDU set delay budget;

[0115] (2) In descending order based on the PDU set buffering delay;

[0116] (3) In ascending order based on the arrival timing of the first arriving PDU at the UE's AS layer; or

[0117] (4) In ascending order based on the arrival timing at the AS layer of the UE of the last arriving PDU.

[0118] In some embodiments, in response to the allocated UL resources being insufficient to accommodate one or more pairs for one or more LCHs or one or more LCGs in the EBSR, the UE may:

[0119] (1) prioritizing one or more pairs in descending order of priority of one or more LCHs;

[0120] (2) prioritizing the one or more pairs in descending order of the highest priority logical channel in each of the one or more LCGs; or

[0121] (3) In the case where one or more pairs have equal logical channel priorities, the one or more pairs are prioritized in increasing or decreasing order of the value of the delay information. For example, the allocated UL resources include a portion of the one or more prioritized pairs.

[0122] Figure 3 Another exemplary flow chart for receiving an EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 3 The exemplary method 300 in may be performed by a network node (eg, a base station (eg, Figure 1A Although described with respect to a network node, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Figure 3 A similar method is used. Figure 3 In the exemplary method 300 of , in operation 301, the network node transmits a configuration for enabling a function of EBSR to a UE. In operation 302, the network node receives an EBSR from the UE.

[0123] In some embodiments, the EBSR includes at least one of the following:

[0124] (1) A field containing one BS index (simply labeled as "first field"). The buffer size of the first field indicated by one BS index indicates the amount of UL data to be transmitted in one or more LCGs or in one or more LCHs. In some embodiments, one BS index is included in the BS table. Each BS index of two or more BS indexes is included in one BS table or two or more BS tables.

[0125] (2) A field including two or more BS indexes (simply labeled as "second field"). The sum of buffer sizes indicated by the two or more BS indexes of the second field represents the amount of UL data for transmission in one or more LCGs or in one or more LCHs.

[0126] (3) A field indicating the presence of the second field of one or more LCGs or one or more LCHs (simply labeled as "third field").

[0127] In some embodiments, the network node may transmit a configuration to the UE indicating at least one of:

[0128] (1) A set of LCGs or a set of LCHs using the first field in the EBSR; or

[0129] (2) Another set of LCGs or another set of LCHs may be used in the second field in the EBSR.

[0130] In some embodiments, the network node may transmit a configuration related to one or more BS tables of the LCG or LCH to the UE. For example, the BS index included in the EBSR is selected from the one or more BS tables.

[0131] In some embodiments, the network node may transmit to the UE at least one of:

[0132] (1) Stop using a BS table in one or more BS tables for a deactivation command for an LCG or LCH. In an embodiment, the network node may receive a confirmation of the deactivation command from the UE.

[0133] (2) Activation command using BS table of LCG or LCH In an embodiment, the network node may receive a confirmation of the activation command from the UE.

[0134] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command is transmitted in a MAC CE or a DCI.

[0135] In some embodiments, at least one of the deactivation command or the activation command includes one of:

[0136] (1) At least one of table information of a BS table or LCG information (e.g., ID of an LCG);

[0137] (2) at least one of table information of a BS table or LCH information (e.g., an ID of an LCH); and

[0138] (3) A bitmap corresponding to one or more BS tables, used to indicate whether the BS table is deactivated or activated for an LCG or LCH.

[0139] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the sequence of operations in the exemplary flowcharts 200 and 300 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary flowcharts 200 and 300 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Figure 2 and 3 The details described in the exemplary flow chart can be applied to the exemplary flow chart. Figure 1A , 1B and all embodiments from 4 to 20.

[0140] Figures 4 to 18 An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0141] In some embodiments of the present application, the buffer size of the LCG or LCH using the buffer size index combination is reported to the network. Specifically, in order to reduce the quantization error between the actual buffer size and the reported buffer size based on the legacy BSR format, the UE may transmit an EBSR including a BS index combination to indicate the amount of UL data used for transmission in the LCG or in the LCH by the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to the two identifiers so as to help the network accurately determine the UL available data for transmission at the UE.

[0142] In an embodiment, the UE transmits an EBSR format indicating a BS index combination and one LCG to the network according to configuration by the network. This embodiment may include the following operations (A) to (C).

[0143] In operation (A), if the UE reports its ability to support EBSR, the network transmits the configuration regarding the use of the EBSR format to the UE, for example, through an RRC message or MACCE. The configuration may include one of the following:

[0144] (1) An indicator that enables the UE to use the EBSR format. For example, a true value indicates that the EBSR format including the BS index combination is enabled for use with the UE's LCG or LCH or for the UE, while a false value indicates that the EBSR format including the BS index combination is disabled and not used for the UE's LCG or LCH or not used for the UE.

[0145] (2) Quantization threshold, which is used to determine whether to use the BS index combination.

[0146] In operation (B), the UE determines a BS index combination including at least two BS indexes in the BS table as an index combination to indicate the amount of UL data to be transmitted in the LCG by the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to the two identifiers. Figure 4 and 5 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0147] In operation (C), the UE transmits the EBSR to the network.

[0148] For example, Figure 4 and 5 An exemplary MAC PDU related to an EBSR including a BS index combination according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 4 A short EBSR format or a short truncated EBSR format is shown indicating 2 BS indices of the LCG. Figure 5 A long EBSR format or a long truncated EBSR format showing two BS indices indicating an LCG. A new LCID in the MAC subheader may be assigned to identify the Figure 4 or Figure 5 EBSR-related MAC CE in.

[0149] like Figure 4 and 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , a MAC CE containing enhanced buffer status for one LCG or all LCGs contains at least one of the following fields:

[0150] (1) LCG ID (Logical Channel Group ID): This field identifies the logical channel group whose buffer status is being reported.

[0151] The LCG ID field may be 3 bits in length.

[0152] (2)LCG i : For the Long BSR or EBSR format and the Preemptive BSR or EBSR format, this field indicates the presence of the Buffer Size field and / or Part Size field of LCG i. i The field is set to 1 to indicate that the buffer size field and / or partial buffer size field of LCG i is reported. i The field is set to 0 to indicate that the buffer size field and / or partial buffer size field of LCG i is not reported. For the long truncated BSR format, this field indicates whether LCG i has available data. LCG i A field set to 1 indicates that LCG i has available data.

[0153] LCG i A field set to 0 indicates that LCG i has no data available.

[0154] (3) Partial Buffer Size: If the LCG is configured to use the BS index combination after the MAC PDU has been established (i.e., after the logical channel prioritization procedure, which may result in the value of the Partial Buffer Size field being 0), then this field identifies the partial data amount available for all LCHs across the LCG according to the data amount calculation procedure in 3GPP TS38.322[3] and TS38.323[4].

[0155] 1) If the LCG is configured to use BS index combining after the MAC PDU has been established, the sum of the partial buffer size fields identifies the total amount of data available across all logical channels of the LCG according to the data volume calculation procedures in TS38.322 [3] and TS38.323 [4]. The amount of data is indicated in bytes. The size of the RLC header and MAC subheader is not considered in the buffer size calculation.

[0156] 2) The length of the partial buffer size field for the short EBSR format and the short truncated EBSR format is 5 bits. The length of this field for the long EBSR format and the long truncated EBSR format is 8 bits. The values ​​of the 5-bit and 8-bit partial buffer size fields may be shown in Tables 6.1.3.1-1 and 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP TS 38.321, respectively.

[0157] 3) For the long BSR format and the long truncated BSR format, the partial buffer size field is based on the LCG i Included in ascending order. For the long truncated BSR format, the number of partial buffer size fields included may be maximized while not exceeding the total number of padding bits.

[0158] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , for an LCG, the BS index combination includes partial buffer size 1 and partial buffer size 2. The sum corresponding to partial buffer size 1 and partial buffer size 2 indicates the amount of UL data to be transmitted in the LCG. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 4 , for an LCG, the BS index combination includes two partial buffer sizes, such as “partial buffer size 1-1” and “partial buffer size 1-2” for LCG0 and “partial buffer size m-1” and “partial buffer size m-2” for LCG2.

[0159] For example, in a specific example, when EBSR is triggered for the LCH in LCG0, the UL data amount of LCG0 calculated based on TS38.322 and TS38.323 is 46261 bytes, indicating that "index=135" less than or equal to 48676 buffer size value needs to be allocated as the buffer size. 48676-46261=2415. That is, the quantization error between the actual buffer size 46261 and the reported buffer size 48676 is 2415 bytes. Figure 5 Take the example of the embodiment ( Figure 4 In the same manner), "index = 134" and "index = 85" can be used for "partial buffer size 1-1" and "partial buffer size 1-2" of LCG0, respectively. Specifically, as shown in Table 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP Ts38.321, "index = 134" represents a buffer size value of 45709, and "index = 64" represents a buffer size value of 560. 45709+560=46269. 46269-46261=8. As can be seen, a buffer size value of 46269 can be allocated for LCG0 using the BS index combination. The quantization error between the actual buffer size 46261 and the reported buffer size 46269 is only 8 bytes, which significantly reduces the quantization error between the actual buffer size and the reported buffer size, i.e., from 2415 bytes to 8 bytes.

[0160] Figure 4 and 5 Embodiments of the BS index combination in may help the network to accurately determine the UL available data for transmission at the UE and reduce the quantization error between the actual buffer size and the reported buffer size.

[0161] In another embodiment, according to configuration by the network, the UE uses the legacy buffer status for some LCGs or some LCHs and uses the enhanced buffer status for some LCGs or some LCHs. This embodiment may include the following operations (a) and (b).

[0162] In operation (a), the network may configure the UE to use one EBSR per LCG or a portion of an LCH for the UE. For example, the indicator values ​​of LCG0 and LCG2 may be set to true. For example, the indicator values ​​of LCH0 and LCH2 may be set to true.

[0163] In operation (b), the UE determines a BS index combination including at least two BS indexes in the BS table as an index combination to indicate the amount of UL data to be transmitted in the LCG or LCH for which the use of EBSR by the network is allowed by the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to the two identifiers. Figure 6 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0164] Figure 6 An exemplary MAC PDU related to an EBSR including a BS index combination according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 6 The EBSR format for LCG0 and LCG 2 and the BSR format for LCG 1 are shown. A new LCID in the MAC subheader can be assigned to identify Figure 6 EBSR-related MAC CE in. Figure 6The MAC CE in includes the enhanced buffer state and the old buffer state, and includes Figure 4 and 5 fields similar to the fields in LCG ID, LCG i field and some buffer size fields. In addition, Figure 6 The MAC CE in further includes:

[0165] (1) Buffer Size (BS): If the LCG is not configured to use a BS index combination after the MAC PDU has been established (i.e., after the logical channel prioritization procedure, which may result in the value of the BS field being 0), then this field identifies the total amount of data available for all LCHs across the LCG according to the data volume calculation procedure in 3GPP TS 38.322 [3] and TS 38.323 [4]. The amount of data is indicated in bytes. The size of the RLC header and MAC subheader is not considered in the buffer size calculation. The length of this field for the short BSR format and the short truncated BSR format is 5 bits. The length of this field for the long BSR format and the long truncated BSR format is 8 bits. The values ​​of the 5-bit and 8-bit BS fields may be shown in Tables 6.1.3.1-1 and 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP TS 38.321, respectively. For the long BSR format and the long truncated BSR format, the BS field is based on the LCG. i Included in ascending order. For the long truncated BSR format, the number of BS fields included is maximized while not exceeding the total number of padding bits.

[0166] For example, in a specific example, when EBSR is triggered for LCH in LCG0 and LCG2, the UL data amount of LCG0 and LCG2 calculated based on TS38.322 and TS38.323 is 46261 bytes, i.e., the sum of "partial buffer size 1-1" and "partial buffer size 1-2" of LCG0 and the sum of "partial buffer size m-1" and "partial buffer size m-2" of LCG2. Figure 4 and 5 , Figure 6 The BS index combination of LCG0 and LCG2 in can reduce the quantization error between the actual buffer size and the reported buffer size. BSR is triggered for LCH in LCG1. The "partial buffer size 2" of LCG1 can be calculated based on Table 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP TS38.321. For example, "index = 134" representing a buffer size value of 45709 can be used for "buffer size 2" of LCG1.

[0167] In another embodiment, the UE selects a BS index in one BS table and a BS index in another BS table as an index combination to indicate the amount of UL data in one LCG or LCH by the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to the two identifiers. Figure 4 In the embodiment of , the partial buffer size 1 and the partial buffer size 2 of the LCG may refer to two different BS tables, such as Tables 6.1.3.1-1 and 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP TS38.321. Figure 5 and 6 In the embodiment of FIG. 5 , “partial buffer size 1-1” and “partial buffer size 1-2” of LCG0 may refer to two different BS tables, and “partial buffer size m-1” and “partial buffer size m-2” of LCG2 may refer to two different BS tables. Therefore, the sum of the buffer sizes corresponding to the indexes of the two partial buffer sizes may be calculated based on the two different BS tables.

[0168] In yet another embodiment, even if LCG or LCH is allowed to use EBSR via RRC messages, the UE can still dynamically select the enhanced buffer state and buffer state for LCG or LCH. The UE can indicate which one to select for LCG or LCH in the EBSR. A specific example is Figure 7 In this embodiment, the UE may determine whether to use EBSR or BSR for LCG or LCH based on one of the following:

[0169] (1) Depends on the UE implementation; or

[0170] (2) If the old BSR format introduces a quantization error greater than or equal to the quantization threshold, then the protocol (or specification)

[0171] Predefined in or configured by RRC signaling.

[0172] For example, the quantization threshold is 200 bytes. When EBSR is triggered for LCH in LCG0 and LCG1, the calculated UL data amount of LCG0 is 46261 bytes, and the calculated UL data amount of LCG1 is 45609 bytes. According to the quantization threshold, the quantization error between 46261 bytes and the most recent buffer size value of 45709 represented by BS index 134 is greater than the quantization threshold (i.e., 200 bytes), and thus EBSR is selected for LCG0. The quantization error between 45609 bytes and the most recent buffer size value of 45709 represented by BS index 134 is less than the quantization threshold and thus BSR is selected for LCG1.

[0173] Figure 7 Another exemplary MAC PDU related to an EBSR including a BS index combination according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figure 7The EBSR format for LCG0 and the BSR format for LCG 1 are shown. A new LCID in the MAC subheader can be assigned to identify Figure 7 EBSR-related MAC CE in. Figure 7 The MAC CE in the embodiment includes the enhanced buffer status and the buffer status, and includes Figure 6 fields similar to the fields in LCG ID, LCG i field, partial buffer size field and BS field. In addition, Figure 7 The MAC CE in further includes:

[0174] (1) Index combination i(IC i ): For the long EBSR format or the preemptive EBSR format, this field indicates the presence of the partial buffer size field of LCG i. For example, IC i This field is set to 1 to indicate that the partial buffer size field of LCG i is reported. i The field is set to 0 to indicate that the BS field of LCG i is used.

[0175] For example, if Figure 7 , in a specific example, the IC0 field is set to 1 to indicate that the partial buffer size field of LCG0 is used. The IC1 field is set to 0 to indicate that the buffer size field of LCG1 is used. The sum of the "partial buffer size 1-1" and "partial buffer size 1-2" of LCG0 can be calculated as the UL data amount of LCG0. The "buffer size 2" of LCG1 can be calculated as the UL data amount of LCG1.

[0176] In an additional embodiment, the UE may transmit an EBSR format indicating a BS index combination and one LCG to the network. Figures 4 to 7 The embodiment of is also applicable to this embodiment, except that LCG is replaced by LCH. For example, Figure 4 The "LCG ID" field in is replaced by the "LCID" field to identify the logical channel whose buffer status is being reported. Figures 5 to 7 "LCG i " field is composed of "LCH i " field to indicate the presence of the BS field and / or the portion size field of LCH i. This portion buffer size field identifies the portion of data available for LCH i. Therefore, Figure 7 "IC i " field indicates the presence of the partial BS field of LCH i.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present application, the BS of the LCG or LCH according to the BS table configured by RRC signaling is reported to the network. In particular, in order to reduce the quantization error between the actual buffer size and the reported buffer size based on the legacy BSR format, the UE may transmit a BSR including a BS index selected from a table configured by the network for the UE (e.g., for LCG or LCH) to help the network accurately determine the UL available data for transmission at the UE.

[0178] In an embodiment, the UE transmits a BSR including a BS index selected from a BS table of an LCG configured by the network. This embodiment may include the following operations (1) to (3).

[0179] In operation (1), the network configures a BS table identified by a BS table index of a BSR for an LCG. For example, one BS table corresponding to the BS table index may be designed according to a service characteristic including a bit rate, a frame rate, and / or a group of pictures (GOP) size. Therefore, more new BS tables may be introduced in TS 38.321, such as buffer size table 6.1.3.1-2 or buffer size table 6.1.3.1-1 in 3GPP TS 38.321. The network receives at least one of the service characteristics from a UE or a core network and configures a BS table index for the BSR of LCG0 according to the characteristics of the service carried on the LCH in the LCG.

[0180] In operation (2), when a BSR is triggered for an LCH in an LCG, the UE selects a BS index in a configuration table of the LCG.

[0181] In operation (3), the network reconfigures the BS table identified by the BS table index of the BSR for the LCG. For example, if the service characteristics change, such as the frame rate changes from 60fps to 30fps, or the rate changes from 10Mps to 20Mps, the network may transmit an RRC message instructing the UE to release the configured BS table of the LCG. After receiving the confirmation message, the network configures the BS table of the LCG to the UE. This process may synchronize the BS table between the network and the UE to change the BS table, but it brings about a BSR interruption caused by the RRC procedure for a certain time.

[0182] In another embodiment, to reduce the reconfiguration delay for changing the BS table, the network may configure the UE with a list of BS tables for one LCG. When the UE is enabled to use the first BS table of an LCG, for example according to configuration by an RRC message, and if a BS table change is required, the network may send a MAC CE or downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH to change the BS table index for one LCG. A specific example is Figure 8 and 9 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0183] Figure 8 An exemplary MAC PDU for changing the BS table of an LCG or LCH according to some embodiments of the present application is described. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the MAC CE containing the BS table includes at least one of the following fields:

[0184] (1) LCG ID or LCID: This field identifies the logical channel group or LCH to which the BS table is associated. The length of the LCG ID or LCID field can be 3 bits.

[0185] (2) Table Index: This field identifies the index of the BS table.

[0186] Figure 8 Some embodiments of the invention involve a 2-step BS table change procedure. Figure 8 In some embodiments, a network node (e.g., a gNB) transmits a MAC CE of a deactivation command to stop using the BS table for the LCG. The deactivation command may include an index to the BS table (i.e., a table index field) and / or an LCG ID, such as Figure 8 After the UE receives the deactivation command, the UE may send an acknowledgement to the gNB. For example, the LCID field with the new LCID in the MAC subheader or another field in the MAC CE may be used to indicate the deactivation of the BS table indicated by the BS Table Index field of the LCG.

[0187] exist Figure 8 In some embodiments, after the UE receives the command, the UE may send an acknowledgment of the deactivation command to the gNB and may suspend the BSR procedure (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately or after a certain time after receiving the command. For example, the acknowledgment may include the LCG ID. The acknowledgment may be a HARQ-ACK.

[0188] exist Figure 8 In some embodiments, after the gNB receives the confirmation of the deactivation command, the gNB may send an activation command MAC CE to the UE. The activation command may include another BS table index and LCG ID, such as Figure 8 . For example, the LCID field with the new LCID in the MAC subheader or another field in the MAC CE may be used to indicate activation of the BS table indicated by the BS Table Index field of the LCG. After the UE receives the activation command, the UE may send an acknowledgment to the gNB and may resume the BSR procedure (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately after receiving the activation command or after a certain duration.

[0189] Figure 8Some embodiments of the invention involve a 1-step deactivation and activation BS table procedure. Figure 8 In some embodiments, the deactivation command and the activation command may be received by the UE in the same message. Figure 8 In some embodiments, a network node (e.g., a gNB) transmits a MAC CE of a modification command to stop using a BS table (e.g., a first BS table) and start using another BS table (e.g., a second BS table) for the LCG or LCH. Figure 8 The table index field in the MAC CE of contains the index of the second BS table. Figure 8 In some embodiments, after the UE receives the modification command, the UE may suspend the BSR procedure of the first BS table (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) immediately after receiving the modification command or after a certain duration. The UE may resume the BSR procedure (for the LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) based on the second BS table immediately after receiving the modification command or after a certain duration.

[0190] Fig. 9 An exemplary MAC PDU for deactivation and activation of a BS table for an LCG or LCH according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , the MAC CE containing the BS table includes at least one of the following fields:

[0191] (1) LCG ID or LCID: This field identifies the logical channel group or LCH to which the BS table is associated. The length of the LCG ID or LCID field can be 3 bits.

[0192] (2)T i : This field indicates the activation or deactivation status of BS table i, and "i" is the ascending order of BS table ID among the BS tables allowed for BSR for LCG or LCH. i The field is set to 1 to indicate that the state of table i should be activated. i The field is set to 0 to indicate that the state of table i should be deactivated.

[0193] Fig. 9 The embodiment also refers to a 1-step deactivation and activation BS table procedure. Fig. 9 In some embodiments, a network node (e.g., a gNB) transmits a MAC CE of a modification command to stop using a BS table (e.g., a first BS table, e.g., Table 0) and start using another BS table (e.g., a second BS table, e.g., Table 1) for LCG or LCH. Fig. 9 T in MAC CE iThe field contains a bitmap indicating which BS table is activated for LCG or LCH. For example, T2 is set to 0 to indicate that table 2 is deactivated for LCG or LCH. T1 is set to 1 to indicate that table 1 is activated for LCG or LCH. T0 is set to 0 to indicate that table 0 is deactivated for LCG or LCH. That is, the bitmap is 010 to indicate that table 1 is activated for LCG or LCH.

[0194] exist Fig. 9 In some embodiments, after the UE receives a modification command with a bitmap, the UE may suspend the BSR procedure (for LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) of the first BS table (e.g., Table 0) immediately after receiving the modification command or after a certain duration. The UE may resume the BSR procedure (for LCG or LCH using the BS table indicated by the command) based on the second BS table (e.g., Table 1) immediately after receiving the modification command or after a certain duration.

[0195] In some embodiments of the present application, the UE uses a predefined new LCID in the MAC subheader of the BSR to indicate that a new BS table is used for the BSR. This property of this embodiment is one new table for all BSRs.

[0196] Some embodiments introduce one or more new BS tables, for example with an 8-bit buffer size or a 5-bit buffer size. A new LCID from the reserved LCID values ​​may be assigned to identify the new BS table. The new BS table may be designed taking into account a traffic characteristic including at least one of a bit rate, a frame rate, and / or a GOP size.

[0197] In some embodiments, the mapping between the LCID and the new BS table is configured by the protocol, such as in a table. For example, the new BS table may be similar to the buffer size level (in bytes) of the 5-bit buffer size field defined in Tables 6.1.3.1-1 and 6.1.3.1-2 in 3GPP TS38.321 or the buffer size level (in bytes) of the 8-bit buffer size field. For example, an LCID from a reserved code point or index value "35 to 44" may be assigned to identify the new BS table. In a specific instance, a code point or index value "36" may be assigned to identify a new BS table, such as an enhanced BSR of BS table A; in another specific instance, a code point or index value "37" may be assigned to identify a new BS table, such as an enhanced BSR of BS table B; or the like.

[0198] In an embodiment, when the UE selects BS Table A or BS Table B for the BSR, the UE may include a mapped LCID in the BSR MAC CE corresponding to the MAC subheader. The BSR MAC format may be the same as the legacy BSR MAC format.

[0199] In some further embodiments of the present application, the mapping between LCID and BS table is configured by the network, for example in an RRC message or MAC CE.

[0200] In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE uses another field in the MAC subheader instead of the LCID field in the MAC subheader to indicate a specific BS table. The BS index in the BSR can be selected from the specific BS table. Fig.10 Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0201] Fig.10 An exemplary MAC PDU associated with an included BSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig.10 The MAC CE in contains the buffer status. Fig.10 The MAC CE in the MAC CE includes the LCID field, the LCG ID field and the BS field, which are Figures 6 to 8 The fields in either are similar. In addition, Fig.10 The MAC CE in the MAC subheader further includes a table index field in the MAC subheader to identify the index of the BS table. The new LCID in the MAC subheader can be assigned to Fig.10 The table index in the MAC subheader in .

[0202] In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE uses another field of the BS index with a specific value (e.g., 255) to indicate the actual BS index in the new BS table containing one LCG. Fig.11A Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0203] Fig.11A An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. For example, a new BS table with 8-bit BS may be defined. Fig.11A An example of an enhanced BSR MAC CE indicating a BS in the new BS table is shown. A new LCID in the MAC subheader may be assigned to identify the BS. Fig.11A EBSR MAC CE in. Fig.11A The MAC CE in includes a "buffer size" field, such as "buffer size 1-1", "buffer size 1-2" and "buffer size m", such as Fig.11A For example, if the value of the first field corresponding to LCG i (e.g., an 8-bit buffer size) is set to a specific value (e.g., 255), then there is a buffer size corresponding to LCG i at the second field (e.g., an 8-bit buffer size), which is shown in the new BS table. In some embodiments, Fig.11A The MAC CE shown in may further include an LCG ID, "Buffer Size 1-1" and "Buffer Size 1-2" to indicate the amount of data available for transmission of one LCG.

[0204] like Fig.11A As shown in FIG. 1 , in a specific embodiment, “Buffer Size 1-1” and “Buffer Size 1-2” are used together to indicate the amount of UL data used to be transmitted in LCG0. The value of the LCGi field indicates the presence of the Buffer Size 1-1 field of LCG i. For example, in “Buffer Size 1-1” of LCG0, the BS index is set to a specific value (e.g., 255) to indicate another field, namely “Buffer Size 1-2”, which contains the actual BS index in the new BS table of LCG0. For example, if the BS index of “Buffer Size 1-2” is set to 85 as shown in the new table. “Buffer Size m” is used to indicate the amount of UL data used to be transmitted in LCG2, which is the same as Figure 6 and 7 For example, the actual BS of LCG2 is indicated by the old table, such as Table 6.1.3.1-1 in 3GPP TS38.321 or BS index=134 in Table 6.1.3.1-1.

[0205] In some other embodiments of the present application, the UE uses another field of the BS index with a specific value (e.g., 255) to indicate the actual BS index in the new BS table containing one LCH. For example, the "LCG ID" field is replaced by the "LCID" field to identify the logical channel whose buffer status is being reported. The "LCG ID" field in FIG. 11 is replaced by the "LCID" field to identify the logical channel whose buffer status is being reported. i " field is composed of "LCH i " field to indicate the presence of the Buffer Size 1-1 field for LCH i.

[0206] In some other embodiments, the UE may include a field in the EBSR (simply labeled as the "fifth field") indicating information of the BS table, and may set the value of another field in the EBSR (for example, after or before the fourth field) to indicate the amount of UL data. The UE may optionally include a field in the EBSR (simply labeled as the "sixth field"), and the value of this field indicates the presence or absence of the fifth field (i.e., the table information field) of an LCG or an LCH in the EBSR. For example, the value of the sixth field may be included in the BS table of the LCG or LCH. If the EBSR includes enhanced buffer status and buffer status for different LCGs or LCHs, then the table information field and BS field considered as a whole and the old BS field are included in ascending order of LCG i. If the EBSR only includes enhanced buffer status for all LCGs or LCHs, then the table information field and BS field are considered as a whole, with ascending order of LCG i. A specific example is in Fig. 11B or Fig. 11C Described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0207] Fig. 11B and 11CAn exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. A new LCID in the MAC subheader may be assigned to identify the Fig. 11B or Fig. 11C EBSR-related MAC CE in. Fig. 11B and 11C The MAC CE in the embodiment includes the enhanced buffer status and the buffer status, and includes Fig.11A The fields in the LCG are similar i field and BS field (eg, buffer size 1 and buffer size m). Fig. 11B and 11C The MAC CE in the MAC address field contains:

[0208] (1) Table Information: This field indicates the index of the BS table for LCG i.

[0209] in addition, Fig. 11B The MAC CE shown in further includes at least one of the following fields:

[0210] (1) TB i : This field corresponds to the LCGi field. TB i The field is set to 1 to indicate that the table information field for LCG i exists. TB i The field is set to 0 to indicate that the table information field of LCG i does not exist, and the buffer size index of LCG i is in the legacy table, such as the 8-bit BS index table defined in 3GPP TS38.321.

[0211] For example, for Fig. 11B , TB0 corresponding to LCG0 is set to 1 to indicate that the table information field of LCG0 exists. "Table Information 1" indicates the index of the specific BS table for LCG0, and "Buffer Size 1" indicates the actual BS index in the specific BS table. Therefore, the amount of UL data for transmission in LCG0 can be determined based on both "Table Information 1" and "Buffer Size 1". TB2 corresponding to LCG2 is set to 0 to indicate that the table information field of LCG0 does not exist. Therefore, "Buffer Size m" is used to indicate the amount of UL data for transmission in LCG2, which is the same as Fig.11A The BS field in is the same.

[0212] For example, for Fig. 11C, "Table Information 1" indicates an index of a specific BS table for LCG0, and "Buffer Size 1" indicates an actual BS index in the specific BS table. Therefore, the amount of UL data for transmission in LCG0 can be determined based on both "Table Information 1" and "Buffer Size 1". "Table Information m" indicates an index of another specific BS table for LCG2, and "Buffer Size m" indicates an actual BS index in another specific BS table (which may be the same as or different from the specific BS table of LCG0). Therefore, the amount of UL data for transmission in LCG2 can be determined based on both "Table Information m" and "Buffer Size m".

[0213] Some other embodiments refer to Figures 11A to 11C In these embodiments, Figures 11A to 11C The LCG in the MAC CE in the embodiment of can be replaced by the LCH. For example, Figures 11A to 11C "LCG i " field is composed of "LCH i " field is replaced to indicate the presence of the BS field and / or table information field of LCH i. Therefore, Fig. 11B The "TBi" field in indicates the presence of the table information field of LCH i.

[0214] When used against LCG Figures 11A to 11C In some embodiments using the MAC PDU format shown in or a similar MAC PDU format for LCH, operations (X) and (Y) may be performed as follows.

[0215] In operation (X), if the UE reports its ability to support EBSR, the network transmits a configuration regarding the use of the EBSR format to the UE, for example, through an RRC message or MACCE. The configuration may include at least one of the following:

[0216] (1) An indicator that is used to enable the UE to use the EBSR format, for example, for one or more LCGs or for one or more LCHs or for the UE. For example, the true value of the indicator includes a specific value (e.g., Fig.11A In the embodiment of Fig. 11B and 11C In the embodiment of the present invention, the EBSR format is enabled for use with the LCG or LCH of the UE or for the UE, while the false value of the indicator indicates that the EBSR format is disabled and not used for the LCG or LCH of the UE or not for the UE.

[0217] (2) Quantization threshold, which is used to determine whether to use EBSR to include a specific value (e.g. Fig.11A In the embodiment of Fig. 11B and 11Cin the embodiment of FIG. 1 ).

[0218] In operation (Y), the UE determines a specific value (e.g., Fig.11A 255 in the embodiment) or table information (for example in Fig. 11B and 11C In the embodiment of the present invention, the table information field is used to indicate the table information with the BS index in the BS field to indicate the amount of UL data to be transmitted in the LCG or LCH. For example, even if the LCG or LCH is allowed to use the EBSR through the RRC message, the UE can still dynamically select the enhanced buffer state and buffer state of the LCG or LCH. The UE can indicate which one is selected for the LCG or LCH in the EBSR. In this embodiment, the UE can determine whether to use the EBSR or BSR for the LCG or LCH based on one of the following:

[0219] (3) Depends on the UE implementation; or

[0220] (4) If the old BSR format introduces a quantization error greater than or equal to the quantization threshold, then the protocol (or specification)

[0221] Predefined in or configured by RRC signaling.

[0222] In some embodiments, if at least one legacy buffer status is determined for the first LCH or first LCG and one enhanced buffer status is determined for the second LCH or second LCG, the UE uses the EBSR format only for all LCHs (or in all LCGs). In some further embodiments, the EBSR includes the legacy BS for the first LCH or first LCG and includes an enhanced buffer status with table information and BS fields for the second LCH or second LCG. In some other embodiments, the EBSR includes the legacy BS for the first LCH or first LCG and includes an enhanced buffer status with table information and BS fields for all LCHs or all LCGs. If the UL grant is not sufficient to include the EBS for an LCG or LCH, the entire EBS may not be included in the MAC PDU to be transmitted, even though part of the EBS may be included.

[0223] In some embodiments of the present application, the UE transmits delay information (DI) corresponding to a PDU set (e.g., a frame) to the network in the EBSR to help the network determine the available or remaining or remaining delay budget for the first arriving PDU or the last arriving PDU in the PDU set corresponding to the highest priority logical channel (with the highest delay or with the lowest delay budget or with the earliest arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU) in the LCG with or without data available for transmission (or with or without LCH with data available for transmission). For example, the DI may include one of the following:

[0224] (1) The delay corresponding to the first or last PDU in a PDU set;

[0225] (2) the remaining delay budget corresponding to the first or last PDU in the PDU set; or

[0226] (3) The arrival timing at the AS layer of the first or last PDU in a PDU set.

[0227] Figures 12A to 12C An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR of LCH according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated.

[0228] like Figures 12A to 12C As shown in FIG. 4 , a field in the MAC subheader is used to identify the EBSR, such as a new LCH ID or a new field with a value of 1. Figures 12A to 12C The MAC CE containing enhanced buffer status in may include:

[0229] (1) LCID: This field identifies the logical channel whose delay is being reported. The data definition available for transmission can be found in TS

[0230] 38322 and cited in TS38.323.

[0231] (2) Buffer Size (BS): This field identifies the total amount of data available for the PDU set corresponding to the Delay Information field or the total amount of data available in one LCH after the MAC PDU has been established (i.e., after the logical channel prioritization procedure, which may result in the value of the BS field being 0) according to 3GPP TS38.322 and TS38.323. Fig. 12A and 12B different, Fig. 12C The MAC CE in the LCID field includes "buffer size 1" and "buffer size 2". The amount of UL data for transmission in the LCH indicated in the LCID field may be calculated based on these two buffer sizes, for example, the sum of "buffer size 1" and "buffer size 2".

[0232] (3) "Delay Information (DI)": This field indicates the delay information of the first or last received PDU in the PDU set corresponding to the first or last received PDU with the highest delay or with the lowest delay budget after the MAC PDU has been established or with the earliest arrival timing at the AS layer of the LCH (with or without data available for transmission).

[0233] 1) The DI field can be:

[0234] (a) a code index, e.g. 1 for 2 ms, 2 for 2.5 ms and 3 for 3 ms; or

[0235] (b) An absolute value (e.g., 1 ms, 1.5 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, or 3 ms). ms is milliseconds.

[0236] 2) This field is in Figures 12A to 12C , "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget", "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget 1", or "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget 2". Fig. 12A and 12C different, Fig. 12B The MAC CE in the LCID field includes "Remaining PDU set delay budget 1" and "Remaining PDU set delay budget 2". The remaining PDU set delay budget of the LCH indicated in the LCID field can be calculated based on these two delay budgets, for example, the sum of "Remaining PDU set delay budget 1" and "Remaining PDU set delay budget 2".

[0237] (2) Frame Identification (ID): This field is in Figures 12A to 12C This field indicates the frame corresponding to the enhanced buffer state. The frame ID can be:

[0238] 1) Frame Sequence Number (SN); or

[0239] 2) Code index, for example, 0 means the current frame is being transmitted, and 1 means the next frame is to be transmitted.

[0240] Figures 13A to 13C An exemplary MAC PDU associated with an EBSR of one or more LCHs according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Figures 13A to 13C As shown in either of , a field in the MAC subheader is used to identify the EBSR, such as a new LCH ID or a new field with a value of 1. Figures 13A to 13C A MAC CE including an enhanced buffer status in any of the above may include a DI field and a BS field, which are related to Figures 12A to 12C The fields in are the same. Figures 13A to 13C The DI field in any of is shown as "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget 1" or "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget m" or "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget n".

[0241] Figures 13A to 13C The MAC CE in any of the above may further include:

[0242] (1) LCHi: For the long EBSR format, this field indicates the presence of the DI field of LCH i. The LCHi field is set to 1 to indicate that the BS field and DI field of LCH i are reported. The LCHi field is set to 0 to indicate that the BS field and DI field of LCG i are not reported. For the long truncated EBSR format, this field indicates whether LCG i has available data and / or whether LCH i has available DI. The LCHi field is set to 0 to indicate that LCH i does not have available data and / or does not have available DI. For the long EBSR format and the long truncated EBSR format, Figures 13A to 13C An EBS with a DI field of one or more LCHs in any of the may be included in ascending order based on LCHi.

[0243] For example, if Fig.13A , LCH0 and LCH2 are set to 1 to indicate that two pairs of BS and DI fields corresponding to LCH0 and LCH2 are included in the MAC CE. For example, "buffer size 1" and "remaining PDU set delay budget 1" correspond to LCH0. That is, in Fig.13A In an embodiment of the present invention, the BS and DI fields of the LCH are interleaved.

[0244] Fig. 13B The MAC CE including the enhanced buffer status in may further include:

[0245] (1)D i : This field corresponds to the LCHi field in the MAC CE. i A value of 1 in this field indicates the presence of the DI (Delay Information) field of LCHi. i A value of 0 in this field indicates that the DI field of LCHi does not exist. i The fields are included in ascending order based on the LCHi field with the Di field set to 1.

[0246] For example, if Fig. 13B , LCH1, LCH3, LCH4, and LCH6 are set to 1 to indicate that "buffer size 1" to "buffer size m" are included in the MAC CE. D0 corresponding to LCG0 is set to 1 to indicate that the table information field of LCH0 does not exist. D1 corresponding to LCH1 is set to 1 to indicate that the DI (delay information) field of LCH1 exists, namely "remaining PDU set delay budget 1". D3 corresponding to LCH3 is set to 1 to indicate that the DI field of LCH3 exists, namely "remaining PDU set delay budget x" ( Fig. 13B D4 corresponding to LCH4 is set to 1 to indicate that the DI (Delay Information) field of LCH4 exists, namely "Remaining PDU Set Delay Budget n".

[0247] exist Fig. 13CIn the embodiment of the present invention, the value of the LCHi field indicates whether both the BS and DI (delay information) fields are present or not. If present, both the BS and DI fields corresponding to the LCHi are included in the ascending order of the LCHi. For example, if Fig. 13C , LCH1, LCH3, LCH4, and LCH6 are set to 1 to indicate that "buffer size 1" to "buffer size m" are included in the MAC CE. After "buffer size m" corresponding to LCH6, the DI fields corresponding to LCH1, LCH3, LCH4, and LCH6 (e.g., "remaining PDU set delay budget 1" corresponds to LCH1, and "remaining PDU set delay budget n" corresponds to LCH6) are included in the MAC CE in ascending order of LCHi.

[0248] Some other embodiments refer to Figures 13A to 13C In these embodiments, Figures 13A to 13C The LCH in the MAC CE in the embodiment of can be replaced by LCG. For example, Figures 13A to 13C "LCH i " field is composed of "LCG i " field to indicate the presence of the BS field and / or DI field of LCG i. Therefore, Fig. 13B The "D" in i " field indicates the presence of the DI field for LCG i. Therefore, "buffer size m" is used to indicate the amount of data available for transmission across all LCHs in the LCG.

[0249] Fig.14 An exemplary MAC PDU associated with an EBSR of one or more LCHs according to some embodiments of the present application is described. Fig.14 As shown in FIG. 4 , a field in the MAC subheader is used to identify the EBSR, such as a new LCH ID or a new field with a value of 1. Fig.14 The MAC CE containing the enhanced buffer status in may include an LCID field and a BS field, which are Figures 12A to 12C The fields in are the same. Fig.14 The MAC CE in may further include:

[0250] (1) Delay Information (DI): This field indicates the delay information of the first or last received PDU in each PDU set corresponding to the LCH (with or without data available for transmission) after the MAC PDU has been established. The DI field is included in ascending order based on the delay budget, in descending order based on the delay, or in ascending order based on the arrival timing at the AS layer of the first or last received PDU. In some embodiments, the DI field and the BS field corresponding to the DI field are interleaved. For example, if Fig.14As shown in FIG. 5 , buffer size 1, remaining PDU set delay budget 1, buffer size 2, and remaining PDU set delay budget 2 are interleaved.

[0251] Fig.15 An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR of an LCG according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig.15 An example of a pair of DI and BS fields for an LCG in a short EBSR or a short truncated EBSR is shown. Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 4 , a field in the MAC subheader is used to identify the EBSR, such as a new LCH ID or a new field with a value of 1. Fig.15 The MAC CE containing enhanced buffer status in may include:

[0252] (1) LCG ID: This field identifies the logical channel group whose EBSR is being reported.

[0253] (2) Buffer Size (BS): This field identifies the total amount of data available for the set of PDUs to be transmitted corresponding to the DI field or the total amount of data available for all LCHs across the LCG after the MAC PDU has been established (i.e., after the logical channel prioritization procedure, which may result in the value of the BS field being 0).

[0254] (3) Delay Information (DI): This field indicates the delay information of the first or last received PDU (having the highest delay or having the lowest delay budget or having the earliest arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU) in the PDU set corresponding to the highest priority logical channel (having or not having data available for transmission) in LCG i. For the long EBSR format and the long truncated EBSR format, the DI field is included in ascending order based on LCG i. For the long truncated BSR format, this field indicates whether LCG i has available data.

[0255] Fig.16 and 17 An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR of an LCG according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig.16 An example of a pair of DI and BS fields of one LCG in long truncated EBSR format is shown. Fig.17 An example of a pair of DI and BS fields for two or more LCGs in long EBSR format is shown. Fig.16 and 17 As shown in FIG. 4 , a field in the MAC subheader is used to identify the EBSR, such as a new LCH ID or a new field with a value of 1. Fig.16 and 17 The MAC CE containing the enhanced buffer status in may include a DI field and a BS field, which are Fig.15 The fields in are the same. Fig.16 and 17 The MAC CE in may further include:

[0256] (1)LCGi:

[0257] 1) For Fig.16 In the long truncated DR format, this field indicates whether LCG i has available data.

[0258] The LCGi field is set to 1 to indicate that LCG i has available data. The LCGi field is set to 0 to indicate that LCG i does not have available data.

[0259] 2) For Fig.17 In the long EBSR format of , this field indicates the presence of the DI field of LCG i. The LCGi field is set to 1 to indicate that the BS field and DI field of LCG i are reported. The LCGi field is set to 0 to indicate that the BS field and DI field of LCG i are not reported.

[0260] 3) For Fig.16 The long EBSR format in Fig.17 In the long truncated EBSR format, the DI field may be included in ascending order based on the LCGi field.

[0261] Fig.18 An exemplary MAC PDU related to EBSR of an LCG according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig.18 An example showing two pairs of DI and BS fields for one LCG in a long EBSR. Fig.18 The MAC CE containing the enhanced buffer status in Fig.16 and 17 The same LCGi fields as in Fig.15 The fields in the same BS field. Fig.18 The MAC CE containing enhanced buffer status in may include:

[0262] (1) Delay Information (DI): This field indicates the delay information corresponding to (the first or last received PDU in) the PDU set with the highest priority logical channel (with or without data available for transmission) in the LCG after the MAC PDU has been established.

[0263] 1) The DI field may be included in ascending order based on delay budget, in descending order based on delay, or in ascending order based on arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU.

[0264] 2) The DI field and the BS field corresponding to the DI field may be interleaved. Fig.18As shown in FIG. 5 , buffer size 1, remaining PDU set delay budget 1, buffer size 2, and remaining PDU set delay budget 2 are interleaved.

[0265] In some embodiments of the present application, if the UL grant is not sufficient to include all EBSRs for all LCGs, the UE may prioritize the EBSRs including a pair of buffer status information and delay status information in descending order of logical channel priority and optionally further in descending order of delay (or in ascending order of remaining delay budget or in ascending order of arrival timing at the first or last received AS layer of the PDU).

[0266] In some embodiments, there may be the following operations:

[0267]

[0268]

[0269] In some embodiments of the present application, for example, Figures 12A to 18 In any of the above, if the UL grant is not sufficient to include the EBSR of one LCG (or one LCH) but only the BS field or the DI field of the LCG (or one LCH), then the UE may include only the BS field or may include only the DI field or may include neither the BS field nor the DI field in different cases. In the case where the BS field or the DI field is not included in the EBSR, an indicator may be included in the EBSR to indicate that there are available values ​​for transmission in the BS field and / or the DI field of the LCG (or one LCH). If the value in the BS field of the LCG (or one LCH) is transmitted and the value in the DI field of the LCG (or one LCH) is not transmitted due to the UL grant size, then in an embodiment, the DI report (i.e., delay information) of the LCG (or one LCH) may be canceled for simplicity or may not be canceled for late transmission, or in another embodiment, the EBSR of the LCG (or one LCH) of both the buffer status and delay information may be canceled for simplicity or may not be canceled for late transmission, even if the value in the BS field of the LCG (or one LCH) has been transmitted. Otherwise, if the value in the DI field of the LCG (or one LCH) is transmitted due to the UL grant size and the value in the BS field of the LCG (or one LCH) is not transmitted, then in an embodiment, the buffer status report (i.e., buffer size) of the LCG (or one LCH) may be canceled for simplicity or may not be canceled for late transmission. In another embodiment, the EBSR of the LCG (or one LCH) of both buffer status and delay information may be canceled for simplicity or may not be canceled for late transmission, even if the value in the DI field of the LCG (or one LCH) has been transmitted.

[0270] In some embodiments of the present application, for example, Figures 12A to 18 In any of the above, if the UL grant is not sufficient to include the EBSRs of all LCGs, the UE may include the DI fields of all LCGs with logical channels containing data available for transmission or containing delay information available for transmission in the order of the BS fields of all LCGs with logical channels containing data available for transmission. For example, the UE may first include the BS with LCGs or LCHs containing logical channels available for transmission in the descending order of the highest priority logical channel (with or without data available for transmission) in each of these LCGs or LCHs, and then include the DI with LCGs or LCHs containing logical channels with available data or delay information for transmission in the descending order of the highest priority logical channel (with or without data available for transmission) in each of these LCGs or LCHs. In this case, the BS field of all LCGs or LCHs is considered to have a higher priority than the DI field of all LCGs or LCHs. In some cases, if the UL grant is insufficient to include the EBSRs for all LCGs, the UE may include the BS fields of all LCGs with logical channels containing data available for transmission or containing delay information available for transmission in the order of the DI fields of all LCGs with logical channels containing data available for transmission. In this case, the priority of DI is considered higher than the BS fields of all LCGs or all LCHs. In another case, the priority of BS and DI for one LCG or one LCH is determined based on the logical channel priority or the highest logical channel priority in the LCG. The UE may include the BS field or DI field of the LCGs or LCHs with logical channels available for transmission in each of these LCGs or LCHs following the descending order of the highest priority logical channel (with or without data available for transmission). For example, LCG 0 (or LCH 2) has only BS for transmission, LCG 2 (or LCH 2) has only DI for transmission, if the highest logical channel of LCG 0 (or LCH 0) is higher than the highest logical channel priority in LCG 2 (or logical channel priority of LCH 2) and the UL grant is sufficient to include only the BS or DI field, then the UE may choose to include the DI field of LCG 2. In any of the above cases, if the BS field or the DI field of the LCG (or LCH) is not included in the EBSR, then an indicator may be included in the EBSR to indicate that there are available values ​​in the BS field and / or DI field of the LCG (or LCH) for transmission.

[0271] Fig.19 An exemplary block diagram of an apparatus 800 for data discarding operation according to some embodiments of the present application is illustrated. Fig.19, the apparatus 800 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 802, at least one receiving circuit system 804, at least one transmitting circuit system 806, and at least one processor 808 coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 802, the receiving circuit system 804, and the transmitting circuit system 806. The at least one processor 808 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc. The apparatus 800 may be a network node (e.g., a base station) or a UE or the like configured to perform the method described above.

[0272] Although elements such as at least one processor 808, receive circuitry 804, and transmit circuitry 806 are described in the singular in this figure, the plural form is contemplated unless limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, receive circuitry 804 and transmit circuitry 806 may be combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments of the present application, apparatus 800 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0273] In some embodiments of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 802 may store thereon computer-executable instructions to enable a processor to implement the method described or illustrated above with respect to a UE or a network node (e.g., a base station). For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 808 interacts with the receiving circuit system 804 and the transmitting circuit system 806 to perform the steps described or illustrated above with respect to a UE or a network node (e.g., a base station).

[0274] Fig. 20 Another exemplary block diagram illustrating an apparatus 900 for data discarding operation according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 20 , the apparatus 900 (e.g., a BS or a UE) may include at least one processor 902 and at least one transceiver 904 coupled to the at least one processor 902. The transceiver 904 may include at least one separate receive circuit system 906 and transmit circuit system 908 or at least one integrated receive circuit system 906 and transmit circuit system 908. The at least one processor 902 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc.

[0275] According to some other embodiments of the present application, when the apparatus 900 is a UE, the processor 902 may be configured to: receive a configuration for enabling a function of EBSR from a network via the transceiver 904 ; and transmit the EBSR to the network via the transceiver 904 .

[0276] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the apparatus 900 is a network node (eg, a base station), the processor 902 is configured to: transmit a configuration for enabling a function of EBSR to a UE via the transceiver 904; and receive an EBSR from the UE via the transceiver 904.

[0277] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow charts, and modules may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit components, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (e.g., a discrete component circuit), a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device having a finite state machine capable of implementing the flow charts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

[0278] Although the present disclosure has been described with its specific embodiments, it is apparent that many substitutions, modifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added or substituted in other embodiments. Moreover, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, it will enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0279] In this file, the term "includes, including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements but also may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. The element starting with "a, an" or the like does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the element without more constraints. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. As used herein, the term "having" and the like are defined as "including". For example, the expression of "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of the words listed together with the expression. For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B or both A and B. The wording "first", "second" or the like is only used to clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit the substantive content of the present application.

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, from a network a first configuration for enabling a function of an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR); and The EBSR is transmitted to the network via the transceiver.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the EBSR comprises at least one of the following: a first field comprising one buffer size BS index, wherein the buffer size indicated by the one BS index of the first field represents an amount of uplink UL data for transmission in one or more logical channel groups LCG or in one or more logical channels LCH; or a second field comprising two or more BS indices, wherein a sum of buffer sizes indicated by the two or more BS indices of the second field represents the amount of UL data for transmission in the one or more LCGs or in the one or more LCHs; or A third field indicates the presence of the second field of the one or more LCGs or the one or more LCHs.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to: selecting at least one of the first field and the second field to be used for LCG or LCH in the EBSR; and An indication is transmitted to the network via the transceiver to indicate that the at least one of the first field and the second field in the EBSR is used for the LCG or the LCH.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to receive a third configuration related to one or more BS tables of LCG or LCH from the network via the transceiver, and wherein the BS index included in the EBSR is selected from the one or more BS tables.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to receive, via the transceiver, at least one of the following from the network: a deactivation command to stop using a BS table in the one or more BS tables for the LCG or the LCH; or The BS table is used for an activation command of the LCG or the LCH.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein a MAC sub-protocol data unit (PDU) including the EBSR indicates table information of a BS table for the EBSR, and wherein the table information of the BS table is indicated by at least one of: The LCID field in the subheader of the MAC sub-PDU; or A field different from the LCID field in the subheader.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to: Setting the value of the fourth field in the EBSR to a specific value; and A value of a fifth field in the EBSR is set to indicate an amount of UL data, wherein the value of the fourth field is included in a BS table of an LCG or LCH.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the EBSR comprises at least one of: one or more delay information DI fields comprising delay information associated with one or more protocol data unit PDU sets; or One or more BS fields comprising one or more BS indexes associated with the delay information.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the one or more buffer sizes indicated by the one or more BS indices represent: a total amount of data available for transmission in the one or more PDU sets corresponding to the delay information; or the total amount of data available for transmission in the LCH; or The total amount of data available for transmission across all LCHs across the LCG.

10. The UE according to any one of claims 8 and 9, wherein the delay information includes second delay information corresponding to a PDU set having a highest priority logical channel within the one or more PDU sets, and wherein the highest priority logical channel is allowed to report the second delay information in the LCG or in the MAC entity of the UE or in the UE.

11. The UE of claim 8, wherein the one or more DI fields and the one or more BS fields of an LCH or LCG are interleaved in the EBSR to form one or more pairs of a DI field and a BS field.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein the one or more DI fields within the one or more pairs of the LCH or the LCG are ordered as follows: Based on the ascending order of the remaining PDU set delay budget; In descending order based on the buffering delay of the PDU set; Based on the ascending order of arrival timing at the access plane AS layer of the UE of the first arriving PDU; or Based on the ascending order of the arrival timing at the AS layer of the UE of the last arriving PDU.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein in response to the allocated uplink (UL) resources being insufficient to accommodate the one or more pairs for one or more LCHs or one or more LCGs in the EBSR, the processor of the UE is configured to: prioritizing the one or more pairs in descending order of priority of the one or more LCHs; prioritizing the one or more pairs in decreasing order of the highest priority logical channel in each of the one or more LCGs; or In case the one or more pairs have equal logical channel priorities, prioritizing the one or more pairs in increasing order or decreasing order of the values ​​of the delay information, Wherein the allocated UL resources include a portion of the prioritized one or more pairs.

14. A network node, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: transmitting, via the transceiver, a first configuration for enabling a function of an enhanced buffer status report (EBSR) to a user equipment (UE); and The EBSR is received from the UE via the transceiver.

15. A method performed by a network node, comprising: transmitting a configuration for enabling enhanced buffer status reporting (EBSR) functionality to a user equipment (UE); and The EBSR is received from the UE.

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