Delayed state reporting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to delayed status reporting (DSR). In one aspect, a terminal device determines criteria for one or more data units. One or more data units are buffered and not submitted to a lower layer in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). Further, the terminal device triggers a DSR based on the criterion, the DSR comprising an amount of data for the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units. In this manner, the efficiency of DSR reporting may be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for Delay Status Reporting (DSR). Background Art

[0002] There is a continuous evolution in communication technology to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Each generation has its own technical challenges in terms of handling the different situations and processes required to connect and serve devices connected to wireless networks. In order to meet the demand for increased wireless data services since the deployment of the fourth generation (4G) communication system, efforts have been made to develop improved fifth generation (5G), pre-5G or 5G advanced communication systems. The new communication system can support various types of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] With the development of communication technology, several technologies have been proposed. For example, the DSR process is used to provide the delay status of the logical channel group (LCG) to the serving network device. The DSR reports the amount of buffered data with a remaining time below a threshold. The delay status reported in the DSR includes the shortest remaining time of the buffered data. However, there are still some unresolved issues in the DSR process, which will be studied in the near future. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution related to DSR.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the terminal device to at least: determine criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered and not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP; and trigger a delay status report DSR based on the criteria, the DSR comprising a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the network device to at least: determine criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units are buffered at a terminal device and are not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and send the criteria to the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises determining, at a terminal device, criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered and not submitted to a lower layer in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP); and triggering a Delay Status Report (DSR) based on the criteria, the DSR comprising a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes determining, at a network device, a criterion for one or more data units, the one or more data units are buffered at a terminal device and are not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criterion being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and sending the criterion to the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for: determining, at a terminal device, criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered and not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP; and triggering a delay status report DSR based on the criteria, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided. The device includes components for the following operations: determining a criterion for one or more data units at a network device, the one or more data units are buffered at a terminal device and are not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criterion being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and sending the criterion to the terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute a method according to at least any one of the third and fourth aspects above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer program is provided, the computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a device causes the device to at least perform a method according to any one of the third and fourth aspects above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises a determining circuit system configured to determine criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units are buffered and not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP; and a triggering circuit system configured to trigger a delay status report DSR based on the criteria, the DSR comprising a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a determining circuit system configured to determine a criterion for one or more data units, the one or more data units are buffered at a terminal device and are not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criterion being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR comprising a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and a sending circuit system configured to send the criterion to the terminal device.

[0015] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to determine the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1A illustrates an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 1B illustrates an example DSR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 illustrates a signaling flow between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0021] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0022] Figure 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Figure 6A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described to illustrate and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways except the way described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0027] In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and "an example embodiment" indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, those skilled in the art believe that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The term used herein is used to describe a particular embodiment, rather than being intended to limit an exemplary embodiment. As used herein, unless the context clearly states otherwise, the singular "one", "an" and "the" also include plural forms. It is further understood that the term "includes", "comprising", "having", "having", "including" and / or "comprising" specifies the existence of the features, elements and / or components etc. when used herein, but does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or their combinations. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar wording (wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or") refer to at least any one element in these elements, or at least any two or more elements in these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0031] (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0032] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0033] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0034] (ii) hardware processor(s) with software, including any portion of digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable the device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and

[0035] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0036] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0037] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, sixth generation (6G) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned systems.

[0038] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device can access the communication network and receive services from the communication network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), infrastructure equipment for V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, a transmission reception point (TRP), a reception point (RP), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femto BS, a pico BS), etc.

[0039] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, commercially operated equipment, and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “end device”, “station”, “STA”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0040] In the context of the Release 18 (Rel-18) Extended Reality (XR) discussion, the following agreement was reached regarding discarding:

[0041]

[0042] As agreed, if protocol data unit (PDU) set dropping is configured, the calculation of the amount of data to be reported in the DSR will take into account the size of all remaining PDUs in the PDU set (if any PDU in the PDU set has a remaining time below a threshold).

[0043] In addition, the following is given in the MAC Operation Change Request (CR) under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) email review:

[0044]

[0045] It has been observed that for the trigger currently agreed and given in the MAC CR, it checks whether the minimum value of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer (as described in Section 7.3 of Technical Specification (TS) 38.323) in all PDUs in the LCG is below the remainingTimeThreshold, regardless of whether the data has been sent. Since the PDCP SDUs are kept in the buffer until the PDCP discard timer expires (i.e., they are not discarded after being submitted to the lower layers if retransmission is required upon handover (HO), continuous triggering of DSR for data that has already been sent is problematic because the report will signal that there is no amount of data according to what is specified in the PDCP.

[0046] Furthermore, in the current triggering mechanism, the UE triggers a DSR as long as the minimum remaining time is below a threshold and no pending DSR is triggered. Therefore, the UE can continue to trigger a DSR even if it is cancelled after a transmission, because as long as the data is not sent, it will sit in the buffer. In other words, any data that triggered a DSR that was not sent with the DSR can continue to trigger a new DSR.

[0047] The condition "if no DSR has been triggered for the LCG since the last transmission of the DSR MAC CE" does not prevent the UE from triggering and reporting the same data with a remaining time below the threshold, because the triggered DSR is cancelled after the MAC PDU including the DSR is sent. The same data may then trigger another DSR, which will not provide new information unless there is new data with a remaining time below the threshold.

[0048] The following example Table 1 gives an example DSR trigger based on the current DSR trigger mechanism.

[0049] Table 1: Example DSR trigger

[0050]

[0051] As shown in Table 1, the threshold for reporting (eg, called remainingTimeThreshold) is assumed to be 4. The number of PDUs reported refers to the amount of data of those PDUs. Whenever a DSR is sent, the trigger is cancelled after the transmission of the DSR.

[0052] - at t=0, 5 PDUs with a remaining time of 4, 4 PDUs with a remaining time of 6, and 2 PDUs with a remaining time of 9 are buffered;

[0053] - At t=1, DSR is triggered and sent to signal 5 PDUs, no PDUs are sent due to lack of space (other logical channels (LCH) are occupied

[0054] Transport block);

[0055] - At t=2, another DSR is triggered and 2 PDUs are sent (marked as T),

[0056] And DSR sends notification 3 PDUs;

[0057] - At t=3, another DSR is triggered, one PDU is sent, and the DSR signals 6 PDUs;

[0058] - At t=4, another DSR is triggered and 5 PDUs are discarded (marked as D),

[0059] One PDU is sent and DSR signals 3 PDUs;

[0060] - At t=5, another DSR is triggered, 2 PDUs are sent, and the DSR signals 2 PDUs.

[0061] It can be seen that DSR at t=2, t=4 and t=5 is useless and may increase uplink overhead.

[0062] Therefore, there is no effective method to trigger DSR so far. Therefore, optimizing the DSR triggering mechanism remains an important issue to be solved.

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a scheme for DSR, more specifically for DSR triggering, is provided. Through the scheme, a terminal device determines criteria for one or more data units. One or more data units are buffered and not submitted to the lower layer in PDCP. In addition, the terminal device triggers a DSR based on the criteria, and the DSR includes the data amount of the one or more data units and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0064] By taking into account one or more data units that are buffered and not submitted to lower layers in PDCP, it allows the signaling overhead at the terminal device to be efficiently reduced. In this way, the power utilization of the terminal device can be improved.

[0065] Hereinafter, the principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1A , FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0066] Environment 100 (which may be part of a communication network) includes terminal device 110 and network device 120 that communicate with each other. The communication between terminal device 110 and network device 120 may be direct or indirect. For example, terminal device 110 and network device 120 may communicate with each other. Figure 1A The device may communicate with one or more additional devices not shown.

[0067] To transmit data and / or control information, the terminal device 110 may perform communication with the network device 120. A link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 is called a downlink (DL), and a link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 is called an uplink (UL).

[0068] Although the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 are Figure 1A The communication environment 100 is described in detail, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to any other suitable communication devices that communicate with each other. That is, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to Figure 1A In this regard, it should be noted that although Figure 1A In the figure, the terminal device is schematically depicted as a mobile phone and the network device 120 is schematically depicted as a base station, but it should be understood that these depictions are exemplary in nature without any limitation. In other embodiments, the first device 110 and the network device 120 can be any other communication device, such as any other wireless communication device.

[0069] It should be understood that Figure 1A The specific number of various communication devices and the specific number of various communication links shown are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of communication devices and any suitable number of communication links for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be understood that various wireless and wired communications (if necessary) may exist between all communication devices.

[0070] Communications in environment 100 may follow any suitable communications standard or protocol already in existence or to be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) guidelines, and employ any suitable communications technology, including, for example, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Machine Type Communications (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technologies.

[0071] Figure 1B An example DSR MAC CE associated with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The DSR MAC CE is identified by a MAC subheader with a specified extended logical channel identifier (eLCID). If PDU-SetDiscard is configured, the buffer size field may indicate the total size of all PDUs that are in the same PDU set as the PDU that triggers the DSR for the corresponding logical channel group and have a remaining time below the remainingTimeThreshold when the MAC PDU containing the DSR MAC CE is assembled. The buffer size field may indicate the total size of all PDUs that have a remaining time below the remaining time threshold in multiple PDU sets including the PDU set that triggers the DSR. In this case, if any data of the PDU set that triggers the DSR has a remaining time below the remainingTimeThreshold, the entire PDU set may be reflected in the buffer size calculation. Other data that does not belong to the PDU set and has a remaining time below the remainingTimeThreshold may be reflected in the buffer size calculation. The total size is calculated according to the data amount calculation procedure in TS 38.322 and TS 38.323 and is indicated in bytes.

[0072] Figure 2 FIG2 illustrates a signaling flow 200 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to FIG200. Figure 1A The signaling flow 200 is described.

[0073] like Figure 2As shown, the terminal device 110 determines (205) criteria for one or more data units. One or more data units may be buffered and not submitted to lower layers in the PDCP. One or more data units may be located in an LCG. The data units in the one or more data units may include a service data unit (SDU) or a PDU. The one or more data units may include at least one SDU and / or at least one PDU.

[0074] This criterion can be used to trigger a DSR. The terminal device 110 can determine whether the criterion is met, and then, based on this, decide whether to trigger a DSR. The DSR may include the amount of data of one or more data units and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units. The remaining time may be associated with the data unit discard. For example, the remaining time may include the shortest remaining time of one or more remaining times of one or more data units. As another example, the remaining time may include the remaining time of any data unit in the one or more data units. Each of the one or more data units may have its own remaining time based on its PDCP discard timer. The remaining time of a data unit in one or more data units may include the duration before the data unit is discarded when the associated PDCP discard timer of the data unit expires. In the previous example, the shortest remaining time determined based on all one or more remaining times of all one or more data units may be reported in the DSR.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include a remaining time below a threshold. In this case, if the remaining time associated with one or more data units that have not been submitted to the lower layer is below the threshold, the DSR may be triggered. For example, the threshold may be predefined. As another example, the threshold may be configured by the network device. In this case, the threshold may be determined by the network device 120 and sent to the terminal device 110. For example, a data unit in one or more data units having a remaining time below the threshold may be referred to as a delay critical data unit when its associated PDCP discard timer expires.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include determining that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and the at least one data unit is not reflected in the data volume calculation of the previously reported DSR. In this case, it is necessary to check whether there are any new data units with a remaining time that becomes below the threshold and is not indicated in the previous DSR (e.g., the previous DSR reported in the last transmission of the DSR MAC CE). Based on the criterion, if the remaining time of the new data unit becomes below the threshold and the new data unit is not reflected in the data volume calculation of the previous DSR, the DSR may be triggered.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the criterion may be predefined, for example, in a specification. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the criterion according to the specification. In some other example embodiments, the network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 using the criterion. In this case, Figure 2 As shown, the network device 110 may determine (210) the criterion and send (215) the criterion to the terminal device 110. In this case, the terminal device 110 may determine the criterion by receiving the criterion from the network device 120. This may also be considered as the determination of the criterion by the terminal device 110.

[0078] Then, after determining the criteria, such as Figure 2 As shown, the terminal device 110 triggers 220 the DSR based on the criteria. For example, if the criteria are met, the terminal device 110 may trigger the DSR.

[0079] In some example embodiments, before triggering the DSR, the terminal device 110 may construct a transmission block including at least one data unit. If at least one data unit with a remaining time below a threshold is left after the transmission block is constructed, the one or more data units used by the criterion may be determined as the at least one data unit left after the transmission block is constructed. That is, the at least one data unit left after the transmission block is constructed may be reflected in the data amount calculation of the DSR. In other words, the terminal device 110 may exclude at least one data unit included in the transmission block from the one or more data units used to determine the triggering of the DSR.

[0080] In some example embodiments, if the discarding of one or more data units occurs frequently (e.g., for XR), it is also worth considering potential discarding in the case where the data unit may be discarded before the next possible transmission opportunity (e.g., due to a time division duplex (TDD) configuration). Therefore, the terminal device 110 may consider the potential discarding and the next possible UL transmission opportunity when determining the data amount value in the DSR.

[0081] As a more specific example, for example, the data volume calculation in the process in the current relevant specification can be modified as follows:

[0082] 5.6 Data volume calculation

[0083] For the purpose of MAC buffer status reporting, the sending PDCP entity shall consider

[0084] The following is the PDCP data volume:

[0085] - a PDCP SDU for which no PDCP data PDU has been constructed, and

[0086] Considering the TDD configuration, it has

[0087] There is a remaining time that is not less than the time until the next uplink transmission opportunity;

[0088] - PDCP data PDUs which have not been submitted to lower layers and which have no remaining time before the PDCP discard timer expires, taking into account the TDD configuration

[0089] Less than the time until the next uplink transmission opportunity;

[0090] -PDCP control PDU;

[0091] - for AM DRBs, the PDCP SDUs to be retransmitted according to clauses 5.1.2 and 5.13;

[0092] - For AM DRBs, the PDCP data PDUs to be retransmitted according to clause 5.5.

[0093] For the purpose of MAC Delay Status, the transmitting PDCP entity shall take into account the following actions:

[0094] Amount of critical PDCP data for delay:

[0095] - If pdu-SetDiscard is configured:

[0096] - a PDCP SDU, which belongs to a Delay Critical PDU Set, if the remaining time of any PDCP SDU in the PDU Set before the expiry of the PDCP discard timer is below the remainingTimeThreshold, no PDCP data PDU for the PDCP SDU has been constructed;

[0097] - PDCP data PDUs, which contain PDCP SDUs belonging to the Delay Critical PDU Set and have not yet been submitted to lower layers;

[0098] -otherwise:

[0099] - Delay critical PDCP SDUs for which a PDCP data PDU has not been constructed for a PDCP SDU having a remaining time below remainingTimeThreshold before expiry of the PDCP discard timer;

[0100] -PDCP Data PDU, which contains delay critical PDCP SDU and has not yet been submitted to lower layers. ]

[0101] In some example embodiments, if there are available resources for the DSR (e.g., based on a UL grant), the terminal device 110 may send the DSR to the network device. For example, if there is no UL grant for the DSR transmission, a scheduling request (SR) may be triggered. Accordingly, the network device 120 may receive the DSR from the terminal device 110. After the DSR is sent, the trigger may be cancelled after the transmission of the DSR.

[0102] The following example Table 2 gives an example DSR trigger based on the above trigger criteria.

[0103] Table 2: Example DSR trigger

[0104]

[0105] As shown in Table 2, the threshold for reporting (eg, referred to as remainingTimeThreshold) may be assumed to be 4. The number of PDUs reported may refer to the amount of data of those PDUs.

[0106] - at t=0, 5 PDUs with a remaining time of 4, 4 PDUs with a remaining time of 6, and 2 PDUs with a remaining time of 9 are buffered;

[0107] - at t=1, DSR is triggered and sent to signal 5 PDUs,

[0108] No PDU is sent due to lack of space (other LCHs occupy the transport block);

[0109] - At t=2, no new DSR is triggered because all 5 remaining PDUs before building the transport block (alternatively, 3 remaining PDUs left after building the TB)

[0110] All have been reported in previous DSRs;

[0111] - at t=3, since a new PDU with a remaining time exceeding the threshold appears, a new DSR is triggered, one PDU is sent, and the DSR signals 6 PDUs;

[0112] - At t=4, no new DSR is triggered, one PDU is sent, and five PDUs are discarded;

[0113] - At t=5, no new DSR is triggered and two PDUs are sent.

[0114] It can be seen that with the proposed criterion, no useless DSR is sent, and it ensures that new data with a remaining time below the threshold can also trigger a DSR.

[0115] As a more specific example, for example, in the process in the current relevant specification, the DSR trigger based on the above criteria can be modified as follows:

[0116] 5.4.X Latency Status Report

[0117] The Delay Status Report (DSR) procedure is used to provide the delay status of an LCG to the serving gNB. The delay status of an LCG includes its minimum remaining time and the amount of data associated with the reported remaining time (specified in Section 6.1.3.x).

[0118] RRC controls DSR operation by configuring the following parameters:

[0119] -LCG-DSR-Config: Enables configuration of delay status reporting for LCG;

[0120] -remainingTimeThreshold: a threshold value regarding the remaining time of UL data for triggering DSR.

[0121] If LCG is enabled for delay status reporting, the MAC entity shall

[0122] 1> If the minimum value of the PDCP discard timer in all PDCP SDUs / PDUs in the LCG that have not been submitted to the lower layers in the PDCP (as in TS 38.323[4]

[0123] (as described in Section 7.3 of ) is less than remainingTimeThreshold; and

[0124] 1> if a new PDCP SDU / PDU that has not been submitted to the LCG of the lower layers in PDCP becomes below the remainingTimeThreshold and has not been indicated in the last transmission of the DSR MAC CE; and

[0125] 1> If DSR has not been triggered for the LCG since the last transmission of the DSR MAC CE:

[0126] 3> Trigger DSR for LCG.

[0127] Editor's note: Whether to include the case where a DSR is triggered but canceled (e.g. due to PDU discard) is subject to further discussion

[0128] Editor's note: Other aspects of DSR operation need to be specified, such as how to send the DSR MACCE after the DSR is triggered, the conditions for canceling the DSR, etc.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. For example, when a MAC PDU with a DSR MAC CE is sent, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. For example, if the DSR is included in a MAC data unit, such as included in a MAC PDU, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. As another example, if resources are available to send one or more data units, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. If one or more data units with (multiple) remaining times below a threshold are included in a MAC data unit, such as included in a MAC PDU, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. In this case, there is no need to check whether there is enough space, because a DSR reporting a data amount of 0 is useless. The remaining space can then be used for other purposes, for example, for reporting a buffer status report (BSR).

[0130] In addition, if all one or more data units with (multiple) remaining times below a threshold are discarded before a MAC data unit including a DSR is assembled (e.g., due to a long delay between triggering and obtaining a UL grant for sending it), the triggering of the DSR may be canceled. In other words, if one or more data units are discarded before the DSR can be sent, the triggering of the DSR may be canceled.

[0131] As a more specific example, for example, the data volume calculation in the process in the current relevant specification can be modified as follows:

[0132] When the MAC PDU containing the buffer status reaches (and includes) the last event that triggered a DSR before the MAC PDU assembly, all (multiple) DSRs triggered before the MAC PDU assembly should be canceled.

[0133] All (multiple) triggered DSRs are canceled if no data with a remaining time below the threshold is left in the buffer, if all data with a remaining time below the remainingTimeThreshold has been included in the MAC PDU, or if all data with a remaining time below the remainingTimeThreshold is discarded before the MAC PDU including the DSR can be assembled.

[0134] Alternatively or additionally, after determining the criteria, if the terminal device 110 determines that one or more data units have been reflected in the data amount calculation of a previously reported DSR, the terminal device 110 may not trigger the DSR.

[0135] According to reference Figure 2Some embodiments of the present invention allow for efficient reduction of signaling overhead at the terminal device by excluding one or more data units (e.g., PDCP SDU / PDU) that have been submitted to the lower layer when checking the shortest / minimum remaining time of all data units in the MAC layer for DSR triggering. In this way, the efficiency of DSR reporting can be improved.

[0136] Figure 3 300 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1A The method 300 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 .

[0137] At block 310, the terminal device 110 determines criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered and not submitted to lower layers in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDCP. At block 320, the terminal device 110 triggers a Delay Status Report DSR based on the criteria, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0138] In some example embodiments, one or more data units may be located in a logical channel group LCG.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the remaining time may include one of: a shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or a remaining time of any data unit among the one or more data units.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include a remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units being below a threshold. In some example embodiments, the threshold may be predefined or received from network device 120 .

[0141] In some example embodiments, the remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units may include a duration before the data unit is discarded upon expiration of its associated PDCP discard timer.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include determining that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and the at least one data unit is not reflected in a data volume calculation of a previously reported DSR. In some example embodiments, the threshold may be predefined or received from network device 120.

[0143] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also prevent triggering of a DSR based on determining that one or more data units have been reflected in a data volume calculation of a previously reported DSR.

[0144] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also construct a transport block; determine at least one data unit to be left after constructing the transport block; and determine one or more data units as the at least one data unit left after constructing the transport block.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also cancel the triggering of the DSR based on determining at least one of the following: the DSR is included in the media access control MAC data unit; one or more data units are discarded before the MAC data unit including the DSR is assembled; or resources are available to send one or more data units.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also construct a transmission block including at least one data unit; and exclude at least one data unit included in the transmission block from one or more data units used to determine the triggering of the DSR.

[0147] In some example embodiments, a data unit of the one or more data units may include at least one of: a service data unit, SDU; or a protocol data unit, PDU.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the criteria are predefined or received from network device 120 .

[0149] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also send a DSR to network device 120 .

[0150] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also determine whether a criterion is satisfied, and to trigger the DSR, the terminal device 110 may trigger the DSR based on determining that the criterion is satisfied.

[0151] Figure 4 A flowchart 400 of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1A Method 400 is described from the perspective of network device 120 .

[0152] At block 410, the network device 120 determines criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units are buffered at the terminal device 110 and are not submitted to the lower layer in the packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR including the data amount of the one or more data units and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units. At block 420, the network device 120 sends the criteria to the terminal device 110.

[0153] In some example embodiments, one or more data units may be located in a logical channel group LCG.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the remaining time may include one of: a shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or a remaining time of any data unit among the one or more data units.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include a remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units being below a threshold. In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also determine a threshold; and send the threshold to terminal device 110.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units may include a duration before the data unit is discarded upon expiration of its associated PDCP discard timer.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the criterion may include: determining that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and at least one data unit is not reflected in a data volume calculation of a previously reported DSR. In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also determine a threshold; and send the threshold to terminal device 110.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the data unit of the one or more data units comprises at least one of: a service data unit, SDU; or a protocol data unit, PDU.

[0159] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also receive a DSR from terminal device 110 , the DSR including a data amount of one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0160] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing method 300 (e.g., terminal device 110) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for determining criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered and not submitted to lower layers in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP; and means for triggering a delay status report DSR based on the criteria, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the one or more data units are located in a logical channel group LCG.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the remaining time comprises one of: a shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or a remaining time of any data unit among the one or more data units.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the criterion comprises a remaining time of a data unit of the one or more data units being below a threshold. In some example embodiments, the threshold is predefined or received from a network device.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the remaining time of a data unit of the one or more data units comprises a duration before the data unit associated with the remaining time is discarded upon expiration of a PDCP discard timer.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the criterion includes determining that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and the at least one data unit is not reflected in a data volume calculation of a previously reported DSR. In some example embodiments, the threshold is predefined or received from a network device.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for preventing triggering of the DSR based on determining that one or more data units have been reflected in a data amount calculation of a previously reported DSR.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for constructing a transport block; means for determining that at least one data unit is left behind after constructing the transport block; and means for determining one or more data units as the at least one data unit left behind after constructing the transport block.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for cancelling the triggering of the DSR based on determining at least one of: the DSR is included in a media access control MAC data unit; one or more data units are discarded before the MAC data unit including the DSR is assembled; or resources are available for sending the one or more data units.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for constructing a transport block comprising at least one data unit; and means for excluding at least one data unit included in the transport block from one or more data units used to determine triggering of the DSR.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the data unit of the one or more data units comprises at least one of: a service data unit, SDU; or a protocol data unit, PDU.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the criteria are predefined or received from a network device.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending the DSR to the network device.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining whether a criterion is satisfied, and the means for triggering the DSR comprises means for triggering the DSR based on determining that the criterion is satisfied.

[0175] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps of some embodiments of method 300. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0176] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for determining criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered at a terminal device and not submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine triggering of a delay status report DSR at the terminal device, the DSR including a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and a component for sending the criteria to the terminal device.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the one or more data units are located in a logical channel group LCG.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the remaining time comprises one of: a shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or a remaining time of any data unit among the one or more data units.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the criterion includes a remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units being below a threshold. In some example embodiments, the remaining time of a data unit in the one or more data units includes a duration before the data unit is discarded upon expiration of its associated PDCP discard timer. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining a threshold; and means for sending the threshold to the terminal device.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the criterion includes: determining that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and at least one data unit is not reflected in a data volume calculation of a previously reported DSR. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for determining a threshold; and a component for sending the threshold to the terminal device.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the data unit of the one or more data units comprises at least one of: a service data unit, SDU; or a protocol data unit, PDU.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining the criteria; and means for sending the criteria to the terminal device.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving a DSR from the terminal device, the DSR comprising a data amount of the one or more data units and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

[0185] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps of some embodiments of method 400. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0186] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1A The terminal device 110 or the network device 120 is shown. As shown in the figure, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510.

[0187] The communication module 540 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0188] Processor 510 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0189] The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0190] Computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by associated processor 510. Program 530 may be stored in ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

[0191] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of program 530, so that device 500 can execute reference Figure 2 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0193] Figure 6 5 shows a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium 600 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium 600 has a program 530 stored thereon. It should be noted that although the computer readable medium 600 is Figure 6 Although depicted in the form of a CD or DVD, computer readable medium 600 may be in any other form suitable for carrying or storing program 530.

[0194] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented using hardware, while other aspects may be implemented using firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0195] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 Any of the methods described in . Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0196] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code is implemented when executed by the processor or controller in the flow chart and / or the block diagram. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0197] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0198] Computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. Computer readable medium can include but is not limited to electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A more specific example of a computer readable storage medium will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term "non-transient" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0199] In addition, although the operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in order or performing all the operations shown to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0200] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Instead, the specific features or actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determining criteria for one or more data units that are buffered and not submitted to lower layers in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP); as well as Based on the criterion, a delay status report DSR is triggered, the DSR comprising: the data amount of the one or more data units, and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more data units are located in a logical channel group LCG.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the remaining time comprises one of the following: The shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or A remaining time of any data unit of the one or more data units.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the criteria include: A remaining time of a data unit of the one or more data units is below a threshold.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the remaining time of the data unit in the one or more data units comprises: The duration before which the data unit is discarded upon expiration of its associated PDCP discard timer.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the criteria include: It is determined that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having the remaining time below a threshold, and the at least one data unit is not reflected in a data amount calculation of a previously reported DSR.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Based on determining that the one or more data units have been reflected in a data amount calculation of a previously reported DSR, triggering of the DSR is prevented.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Constructing transport blocks; determining that at least one data unit is left behind after constructing the transport block; and The one or more data units are determined as the at least one data unit remaining after constructing the transport block.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The triggering of the DSR is cancelled based on determining at least one of: The DSR is included in a medium access control MAC data unit; The one or more data units are discarded before a MAC data unit including the DSR is assembled; or Resources may be used to send the one or more data units.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: constructing a transport block comprising at least one data unit; and The at least one data unit included in the transport block is excluded from the one or more data units used to determine the triggering of the DSR.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a data unit in the one or more data units comprises at least one of the following: Service Data Unit SDU; or Protocol Data Unit PDU.

12. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the criterion is predefined or received from a network device.

13. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 6, wherein the threshold is predefined or received from a network device.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The DSR is sent to a network device.

15. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, The terminal device is further configured to: determining whether the criteria are satisfied; and The terminal device is configured to trigger the DSR in the following manner: The DSR is triggered based on a determination that the criteria are satisfied.

16. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Determining criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered at a terminal device and not being submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR comprising: an amount of data of the one or more data units, and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; as well as The criteria are sent to the terminal device.

17. The network device according to claim 16, wherein the one or more data units are located in a logical channel group (LCG).

18. The network device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the remaining time comprises one of the following: the shortest remaining time among the one or more remaining times of the one or more data units; or A remaining time of any data unit of the one or more data units.

19. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the criteria include: A remaining time of a data unit of the one or more data units is below a threshold.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the remaining time of the data unit in the one or more data units comprises: The duration before which the data unit is discarded upon expiration of its associated PDCP discard timer.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the criteria include: It is determined that the one or more data units include at least one data unit having a remaining time below a threshold, and the at least one data unit is not reflected in a data amount calculation of a previously reported DSR.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein a data unit in the one or more data units comprises at least one of the following: Service Data Unit SDU; or Protocol Data Unit PDU.

23. The network device according to claim 19 or 21, wherein the network device is further configured to: determining the threshold; and The threshold is sent to the terminal device.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein the network device is further configured to: A DSR is received from the terminal device, the DSR comprising: The data volume of the one or more data units, and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

25. A method of communication, comprising: At a terminal device, determining criteria for one or more data units that are buffered and not submitted to lower layers in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP); as well as Based on the criterion, a delay status report DSR is triggered, the DSR comprising: the data amount of the one or more data units, and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

26. A method of communication, comprising: At a network device, determining criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered at a terminal device and not being submitted to a lower layer in a packet data convergence protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a delay status report DSR, the DSR comprising: an amount of data of the one or more data units, and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and The criteria are sent to the terminal device.

27. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Means for determining, at a terminal device, criteria for one or more data units that are buffered and not submitted to lower layers in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP); as well as Means for triggering a delay status report (DSR) based on the criteria, the DSR comprising: the data volume of the one or more data units, and the remaining time associated with the one or more data units.

28. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Means for determining, at a network device, criteria for one or more data units, the one or more data units being buffered at a terminal device and not submitted to a lower layer in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDCP, the criteria being used by the terminal device to determine a triggering of a Delay Status Report DSR, the DSR comprising: an amount of data of the one or more data units, and a remaining time associated with the one or more data units; and Means for sending said criteria to said terminal device.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 25 or 26.

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