Network-initiated protocol data unit set processing mode switching

Abstract

The application relates to apparatus and components including apparatuses, systems, and methods for switching protocol data unit set processing modes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular to network initiated protocol data unit aggregation processing mode switching. Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specifications (TS) define standards for wireless networks. These TSs describe various aspects related to signaling extended reality (XR) services in the overall system including wireless networks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Figure 1 A network environment according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0004] Figure 2 User equipment according to some embodiments is shown.

[0005] Figure 3 A medium access control-control element is shown according to some embodiments.

[0006] Figure 4 A signaling diagram according to some embodiments is shown.

[0007] Figure 5 An operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0008] Figure 6 Another operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 7 Another operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0010] Figure 8 User equipment according to some embodiments is shown.

[0011] Fig. 9 A base station according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, and technologies are described for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments can be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the descriptions of various embodiments due to unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrases "A / B" and "A or B" refer to (A), (B), or (A and B); and the phrase "based on A" refers to "based at least in part on A", for example, it can be "based only on A" or it can be "based in part on A".

[0013] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0014] The term "circuit" as used herein refers to the part of the hardware component configured to provide the described function or includes the hardware component.Hardware components may include electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated or group) or memories (shared, dedicated or group), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs or programmable systems on chip (SoCs)) or digital signal processors (DSPs).In some embodiments, circuits may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functions.The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for performing the function of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system).In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a circuit of a specific type.

[0015] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes).

[0016] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is a part of, or includes a circuit that enables information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, and a network interface card.

[0017] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities that can allow a user to access network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with the following and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment or reconfigurable mobile device. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0018] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing resources or networked resources.

[0019] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time, a processor / CPU usage rate, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage rate, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, a throughput, a memory usage rate, a storage, a network, a database, and an application or a unit of workload. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage, or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, device, or system. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that can be accessed by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0020] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for transferring data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" or any other similar term representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. In addition, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for sending and receiving information.

[0021] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0022] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0023] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, or virtualized network function.

[0024] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0025] Figure 1 A network environment 100 according to some embodiments is illustrated. The network environment 100 may include a user equipment (UE) 104 communicatively coupled to a base station 108 of a radio access network (RAN). The UE 104 and the base station 108 may communicate over an air interface compatible with 3GPP TS, such as those defining interfaces for fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) systems or higher systems. The base station 108 may provide user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 104.

[0026] In some embodiments, UE 104 and base station 108 may establish data radio bearers (DRBs) to support data transmission over the wireless link between the two nodes. In one example, these DRBs may be used for traffic from extended reality (XR) applications, which include large amounts of data conveying real and virtual images and audio for presentation to a user.

[0027] The network environment 100 may also include a core network 112. For example, the core network 112 may include a 5th generation core network (5GC) or a newer generation core network. The core network 112 may be coupled to the base station 108 via an optical fiber or a wireless backhaul. The core network 112 may provide functions for the UE 104 via the base station 108. These functions may include managing subscriber profile information, subscriber location, service authentication, or handover functions for voice and data sessions.

[0028] The core network 112 may include a user plane function (UPF) 116 that provides routing and forwarding of user plane packets between the base station 108 and the external data network 120. The BS 108 may receive uplink packets from the UE 104 via a DRB and may send these uplink packets to the UPF 116 via a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) tunnel. The UPF 116 may remove the packet headers and forward the packets to the external data network 120. The UPF 116 may map downlink packets from the external data network to a specific quality of service (QoS) flow belonging to a specific protocol data unit (PDU) session before forwarding to the BS 108. The BS 108 may map the traffic to the appropriate DRB for delivery to the UE 104.

[0029] Figure 2 Aspects of the UE 104 are shown in more detail according to some embodiments. The UE 104 may include an application layer 204 that generates application traffic to be sent to another device through the network environment 100. In some embodiments, the application layer 204 may have an XR application that generates XR traffic. However, embodiments are not limited to XR use cases.

[0030] For XR and other services, the application layer 204 may generate PDU sets, where each PDU set includes one or more packets. The packets (also referred to as PDUs) may be Internet Protocol (IP) packets or non-IP packets. As shown, PDU set #1 may include packets #1 to #5, while PDU set #2 includes packets #6 and #7. Each PDU set may be mapped to a different QoS flow.

[0031] These PDU sets may be provided to a transmitter 208 of the UE 104. The transmitter 208 may be configured to execute a communication protocol stack (e.g., Figure 8The communication protocol stack 836 of the network environment 100 is used to facilitate communication via the network environment 100. The transmitter 208 can implement layer 2 (L2) and layer 1 (L1) functions. At the L2 level, the transmitter 208 may include a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. At the L1 level, the transmitter 208 may include a physical (PHY) layer. In short, the SDAP layer can manage QoS flow processing between QoS flows and DRBs. The PDCP layer can manage robust header (de) compression and security between DRBs and RLC channels. The RLC layer can manage (re) segmentation and error correction through automatic repeat requests (ARQ) between logical channels and RLC channels. The MAC layer can manage scheduling / priority processing, (de) multiplexing, and hybrid automatic repeat requests (HARQ) processes between logical channels and transport channels. And the PHY layer can manage the processing of physical data and control channels.

[0032] After receiving uplink traffic, UPF 116 may identify a PDU set based on a PDU set sequence number (SN), a start / end PDU of the PDU set, a PDU SN within the PDU set, or the number of PDUs within the PDU set.

[0033] A QoS flow may be identified using a QoS flow identifier (ID), and each PDU set within a QoS flow may be identified using a PDU set SN. Each QoS flow may be used to deliver one or more PDU sets.

[0034] UPF 116 may also identify information related to each PDU set. For example, a PDU set may have a PDU set importance that allows certain PDU sets to be processed with higher priority. For another example, a PDU set may have a PDU set dependency that provides a set of interdependencies between PDU sets.

[0035] UPF 116 may obtain information about the PDU set through non-access stratum (NAS) signaling with UE 104. UPF 116 may provide this information to the RAN (eg, base station 108).

[0036] A plurality of QoS parameters may be defined in the network environment 100 for QoS processing based on PDU sets. The QoS parameters may include a PDU set delay budget (PSDB), which may be set to provide an upper limit on the time that a PDU set may be delayed between the UE 104 and the network node. In some embodiments, if a PDU set is not received within the PSDB, it may be discarded. In other embodiments, it may still be used. The QoS parameters may include a PDU set error rate (PSER), which defines an upper limit on the non-congestion related PDU set loss rate. The QoS parameters may include an indication of whether all PDUs are required to use the PDUs set by the application layer at the receiver. The QoS parameters may include a PDU set priority indicating the priority of scheduling resources between QoS flows.

[0037] In various embodiments, the UE 104 may be configured to operate in a best user experience PDU set processing mode (referred to herein as "mode 1") or a resource saving PDU set processing mode (referred to herein as "mode 2"). When in mode 1, the transmitter 208 may strive to deliver all packets of the PDU set in order to achieve the best quality of experience for the user. Operation in this mode prioritizes user experience over the use of radio resources and device power.

[0038] When in mode 2, the transmitter 208 may try to deliver a threshold number of packets (e.g., M packets) in a PDU set. The threshold number may be the minimum number of packets required for the PDU set to be considered successfully received. When delivering the threshold number of packets, the transmitter 208 may intentionally discard the remaining pending packets in the PDU set in order to save radio resources or device power.

[0039] The transmitter 208 may intentionally discard packets in mode 2 in one or more of the following examples. In the first example, the transmitter 208 may discard packets of the PDU set after M packets are successfully delivered. The transmitter 208 may rely on an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) fed back from the receiver to determine that the M packets are successfully delivered. In the second example, the transmitter 208 may discard packets of the PDU set after submitting the M packets to the lower layer. For example, the transmitter 208 may discard packets after the PDCP layer delivers the M packets of the PDU set to the RLC layer, the MAC layer, or the PHY layer. In the third example, the transmitter 208 may discard packets of the PDU set after all necessary packets of the PDU set are successfully delivered. The necessary packets may be a subset of the threshold M packets, or may be independently defined based thereon. The transmitter 208 may rely on an ACK / NACK fed back from the receiver to determine that the necessary packets are successfully delivered. In the fourth example, the transmitter 208 may discard packets of the PDU set after all necessary packets are submitted to the lower layer. For example, the transmitter 208 may discard the packets after the PDCP layer delivers the necessary packets of the PDU set to the RLC layer, the MAC layer, or the PHY layer. In a fifth example, if the time elapsed since the first packet of the PDU set arrived has reached a threshold time, the transmitter 208 may discard the packets of the PDU set. This may be controlled by a timer that is started when the first packet of the PDU set by the layer of the transmitter 208 (e.g., the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, or the PHY layer) is first received. In a sixth example, if the remaining time until the PSDB expires is less than a threshold time, the transmitter 208 may discard the packets of the PDU set.

[0040] Mode 2 operation may be useful in instances where a streaming service can tolerate the loss of some packets (or a certain number of packets) from a PDU set with little impairment to the experience of users consuming the service (e.g., users of XR services).

[0041] Embodiments of the present disclosure describe dynamically switching between two PDU aggregation processing modes in order to achieve a desired balance between resource efficiency and user experience.

[0042] In some embodiments, the transmitter 208 may be configured with a default or initial setting of the PDU set processing mode. For example, the default or initial setting may be preconfigured by the 3GPP TS or otherwise predefined. In some embodiments, there may be more than one type of PDU set to be communicated on the DRB. In these embodiments, a default / initial setting may be provided for each of a plurality of different types of PDU sets. For example, a first type of PDU set may have a first priority or importance level, and a second type of PDU set may have a second priority or importance level lower than the first priority or importance level. In this example, the default / initial setting for the first type of PDU set may be mode 1, and the default / initial setting for the second type of PDU set may be mode 2. Although the embodiments described herein refer to PDU sets as type 1 or type 2, various embodiments may include several different types based on the importance level or some other characteristic of the PDU set.

[0043] If no default / initial setting of the PDU aggregation processing mode is provided, the transmitter 208 may default to operating in Mode 1 .

[0044] In some embodiments, the base station 108 may pre-configure the PDU set processing mode for the DRB at the UE 104. Additionally / alternatively, the base station 108 may configure a mode for switching between PDU set processing modes for the DRB. Configuration information defining the default / initial settings or mode switching may be provided in a new field in an information element (IE) of an RRC message. For example, a PDCP-Configuration IE of an RRC configuration message may provide the default / initial settings or mode switching information. In other embodiments, other IEs or messages may be used.

[0045] While the above embodiments describe configuration based on default / initial settings and mode switching of DRBs, other embodiments may additionally / alternatively configure these parameters for each QoS flow.

[0046] In some embodiments, PDU aggregation processing mode switching may be an implementation specific option of the transmitter 208. In this case, configuration of this parameter may not be necessary.

[0047] In some embodiments, the switching of the PDU set processing mode may be initiated by the network. For example, the base station 108 may instruct the UE 104 to switch the operating mode of the DRB in a dynamic manner. The base station 108 may decide to transmit the instruction based on the detection of a trigger condition. The trigger condition may be based on one or more events that are predefined (e.g., by 3GPP TS) or defined as part of a network-specific implementation. The trigger event may be related to the RAN load state, interference state, channel state, location of the UE 104, or mobility of the UE 104. For example, if the base station 108 determines that the RAN is heavily loaded (e.g., the load exceeds a threshold), the base station 108 may seek to reduce the overall network traffic by switching the UE 104 from mode 1 to mode 2. On the other hand, if the base station 108 determines that there is a lot of interference or that the channel has a quality below a desired threshold, the base station 108 may instruct the UE 104 to switch from mode 2 to mode 1.

[0048] The instruction for performing a PDU set processing mode switch for at least one DRB may be sent via an RRC reconfiguration message or a downlink MAC control element (CE). The instruction may be applied to certain types of PDU sets. For example, if one DRB is used to convey both type 1 and type 2 PDU sets, the PDU set processing mode may be switched only for type 1, only for type 2, or for both type 1 and type 2.

[0049] Upon receiving the instruction, UE 104 may switch the PDU aggregation processing mode in the affected DRB as instructed.

[0050] Figure 3 A MAC CE 300 that can be used to communicate a switching instruction for a PDU set processing mode according to some embodiments is shown. In this embodiment, the MAC CE 300 may include a bitmap, where each bit represents a DRB. The value of a particular bit may correspond to whether the corresponding DRB should operate in mode 1 or mode 2.

[0051] In another embodiment, the MAC CE may convey a switching instruction by including one or more DRB identifiers (IDs). Upon receiving the switching instruction, the UE 104 may determine that it will perform a PDU aggregate processing mode switch with respect to each of the DRBs associated with the IDs in the MAC CE.

[0052] Although these embodiments describe signaling for switching the processing mode of all PDU sets for a given DRB, other embodiments may use similar signaling to switch only PDU sets of a specific type. In addition, similar signaling may be used to switch all PDU sets (or a subset thereof) associated with a specific QoS flow.

[0053] In some embodiments, the switching of the PDU set processing mode may be initiated by the UE 104. This may occur by the UE 104 making a suggestion / request for switching and waiting for a resulting instruction from the network, or by actively switching with or without a notification of the switch being sent to the network. As used herein, actively switching means that the UE 104 switches without receiving an explicit instruction from the base station.

[0054] Figure 4 A signaling diagram 400 for UE-initiated mode switching according to some embodiments is provided.

[0055] The signaling diagram 400 may include: At 404, the UE 104 detects a trigger condition that desires to switch from the current PDU aggregation processing mode. The trigger condition may be based on an event detected by the UE 104. The detected event may represent a changed condition that a different PDU aggregation processing mode may better handle. For example, if the underlying event indicates excessive use of platform or network resources, the system may be best served by switching to Mode 2, which prioritizes resource conservation. On the other hand, if the underlying event indicates a potentially impaired quality of experience, the system may be best served by switching to Mode 1, which prioritizes delivery of services with the highest quality of experience. For example, if UE 104 detects one or more of the following conditions, it may seek to switch to Mode 2: its battery charge drops below a threshold level; its mobility exceeds a threshold level; one or more observed channel metrics (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR)) drops below a corresponding threshold level; the observed interference level exceeds a threshold level; or the location of UE 104 is within a certain area (e.g., cell edge). In some embodiments, one or more of these conditions may alternatively prompt a switch to Mode 1.

[0056] After detecting the trigger condition, the signaling diagram 400 may include the UE 104 transmitting a suggestion / request for a mode switch at 408. The suggestion / request for a PDU set processing mode switch may be for at least one DRB (or QoS flow) or a type of PDU set within a DRB / QoS flow. The suggestion may be sent on a MAC CE or an RRC message. For example, the UE 104 may transmit the suggestion / request to the base station 108 in the UE assistance information (UAI) provided in the UE assistance information (UEAssistanceInformation) message. Unless otherwise described herein, the UEAssistanceInformation message may be similar to the message described in 3GPP TS38.331v17.1.0 (2022-07-19). The suggestion / request may include one or more of the following: a target DRB (or QoS flow) for the suggestion / request; a target type of the PDU set for the suggestion / request; a target operating mode; and a reason for the PDU set processing switch.

[0057] The signaling diagram 400 may include the base station 108 determining whether to grant the suggestion / request at 412. In some embodiments, the determination of whether it is granted may be based on additional conditions that may be detected by the base station 108. These additional considerations may be similar to the triggering conditions discussed above with respect to network-initiated processing mode switching.

[0058] The signaling diagram 400 may also include the base station 108 transmitting a response message at 416 to indicate whether the suggestion / request is granted. In the case where the suggestion / request is granted, the response message 416 may be an RRC message or a MAC CE with a switching instruction similar to that discussed above with respect to the network-initiated processing mode switch. In this case, the signaling diagram 400 may also include: at 420, the UE 104 switches the PDU set processing mode for the DRB / QoS flow / PDU set type indicated in the response message.

[0059] In some embodiments, the UE 104 may be pre-configured to autonomously switch the PDU aggregation processing mode of the DRB / QoS flow / PDU aggregation type when certain conditions are met.

[0060] Figure 5 An operational flow / algorithm structure 500 for UE-initiated mode switching based on detection of a preconfigured condition according to some embodiments is provided. The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may be performed by a UE (such as UE 104, UE 800) or a component thereof (eg, processor 804).

[0061] The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may include, at 504, receiving configuration information. The configuration information may be received from a base station and may provide an initial PDU aggregate processing mode for at least one DRB / QoS flow / PDU aggregate type. The configuration information may additionally / alternatively configure one or more trigger conditions (with appropriate threshold levels) and an associated switch from a first PDU aggregate processing mode to a second PDU aggregate processing mode. These trigger conditions may be based on the above with respect to Figure 4 The events discussed are similar to events that can be detected by a UE.

[0062] The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may also include determining whether a trigger condition is satisfied at 508. As described above, the trigger condition may be satisfied when the UE detects one or more events configured at 504. If the trigger condition is not detected, the UE may continue to monitor the configured events.

[0063] If a trigger condition is detected at 508, the operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may proceed to perform a mode switch at 512. The mode switch, which may be associated with a particular detected trigger condition as configured at 504, may switch the operation to PDU Set Processing Mode 1 or PDU Set Processing Mode 2 for some or all of the PDU sets for a particular DRB or QoS flow to better address the underlying event.

[0064] In some embodiments, the operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may also include: at 516, transmitting a notification of the mode switch to the base station. The notification may be sent as an uplink MAC CE. The MAC CE may include Figure 3 , where each bit (having a value of "0" or "1") indicates whether the UE has switched the PDU aggregation processing mode for the DRB / QoS flow / PDU aggregation type. In other embodiments, the notification may include an identifier associated with the DRB / QoS flow / PDU aggregation type for which the operating mode has been switched.

[0065] Figure 6 600 according to some embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may be performed by a base station (such as base station 108, base station 900) or a component thereof (eg, processor 904).

[0066] The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may include: at 604, establishing a DRB with the UE. A DRB may be established for the transmission of a set of PDUs for an application service flow. For example, this may be used for streaming services such as XR services. In some embodiments, multiple DRBs may be established for a set of PDUs for an application service flow.

[0067] In some embodiments, the base station may provide configuration information to the UE to configure the UE to operate in a first processing mode and a second processing mode. The first processing mode may correspond to a best user experience PDU set processing mode, in which the UE's transmitter will send all packets of the PDU set. The second processing mode may correspond to a resource saving PDU set processing mode, in which the transmitter will send a subset of packets of each PDU set.

[0068] The configuration information may provide one or more processing mode configurations. Unless explicitly indicated otherwise, the one or more processing mode configurations may include, for example, an initial configuration that the UE will use as a default configuration. The processing mode configuration may provide an association of each PDU set with a first processing mode or a second processing mode. For example, the configuration may provide that all PDU sets of a DRB / QoS flow are associated with a first PDU set processing mode or a second PDU set processing mode. For another example, the configuration may provide that some PDU sets are associated with a first PDU set processing mode (e.g., a type 1 PDU set), while other PDU sets (e.g., a type 2 PDU set) are associated with a second PDU set processing mode.

[0069] The configuration information may additionally / alternatively provide threshold information that the UE may use to determine the set of packets to be sent in the second processing mode for each PDU set. For example, the threshold information may provide an indication of the number of packets that need to be sent, or identify specific necessary packets that need to be sent.

[0070] The operational flow / algorithm structure 600 may also include, at 608, detecting a trigger condition. The trigger condition may be detected based on one or more events that the base station is capable of detecting. These events may be similar to those described elsewhere herein and may be based on, for example, RAN load conditions, interference conditions, or channel conditions. The trigger condition may be associated with one or more of these conditions becoming greater than (or less than) a corresponding threshold level.

[0071] The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may also include: at 612, sending a control signal to the UE. The control signal may include instructions for switching the UE from the first configuration to the second configuration. The control signal (which may be an RRC signal or a MAC CE as described elsewhere herein) may instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode to a second processing mode for at least some of the PDU sets of the DRB / QoS flow. In some embodiments, the switched configuration may not be a predefined configuration. Instead, the control signal may simply provide instructions to change the processing mode of at least one PDU set, thereby producing a switched configuration. In other embodiments, the switched configuration may be predefined, and the control signal may simply refer to the configuration to which the UE is to switch. In this case, the UE will update the processing modes for various PDU sets to match the predefined configuration.

[0072] Figure 7 An operational flow / algorithm structure 700 according to some embodiments is shown. The operational flow / algorithm structure 700 may be performed by a UE (such as UE 104, UE 800) or a component thereof (eg, processor 804).

[0073] The operation flow / algorithm structure 700 may include: at 704, establishing a DRB with the base station. A DRB may be established for the transmission of a set of PDUs for an application service flow. For example, this may be used for streaming services such as XR services. In some embodiments, multiple DRBs may be established for a set of PDUs for an application service flow.

[0074] In some embodiments, the UE may receive configuration information from the base station, the configuration information configuring the UE to operate in the first processing mode and the second processing mode. According to some embodiments, the configuration information may be similar to the above with respect to Figure 6 In some embodiments, the configuration information may additionally / alternatively provide information for configuring the trigger condition. The information may include one or more events associated with the trigger condition and corresponding threshold levels.

[0075] The operational flow / algorithm structure 700 may also include, at 708, detecting a trigger condition. The trigger condition may be detected based on one or more events that the UE is capable of detecting. These events may be similar to those described elsewhere herein and may be based on, for example, battery charge status, mobility status, channel metric status, interference level status, location status of the UE, or user input status (e.g., a request to switch to a lower resolution video). The trigger condition may be associated with one or more of these states becoming greater than (or less than) a corresponding threshold level.

[0076] When a trigger condition is detected at 708, the operation flow / algorithm structure 700 may include: at 712, sending a suggestion / request signal to the base station to request a transition to a new processing mode configuration and receiving a response control signal. The suggestion / request may include one or more DRB identifiers associated with the request, one or more PDU sets associated with the request, or a reason associated with the request. The control signal may include instructions for causing the UE to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration. The control signal (which may be an RRC signal or a MAC CE as described elsewhere herein) may instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode to a second processing mode for at least some of the PDU sets in the PDU set for the DRB / QoS flow. Similar to the above with respect to Figure 6 As discussed above, the switched configuration may be a predefined configuration or may be the result of changing a processing mode for at least one PDU set.

[0077] The operational flow / algorithm structure 700 may also include switching the processing mode configuration at 716. The UE may continue to process additional PDU sets of the application service flow based on the association of the PDU sets with the different mode as defined by the switched configuration.

[0078] In some embodiments, the operational flow / algorithm structure 700 may not include sending a suggestion / request signal and receiving a response control signal at 712. Instead, when a trigger condition is detected, the UE may proceed to switch the processing mode configuration at 716. In some examples, this may be followed by sending a notification signal to the base station to indicate the switch resulting in a new processing mode configuration.

[0079] Figure 8 An example UE 800 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 800 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., a microphone, a carbon dioxide sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a laser scanner, a fluid level sensor, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter, or an actuator), a video surveillance / monitoring device (e.g., a camera), a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), or an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0080] UE 800 may include a processor 804, an RF interface circuit 808, a memory / storage device 812, a user interface 816, a sensor 820, a driver circuit 822, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 824, an antenna structure 826, and a battery 828. The components of UE 800 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an integrated circuit, a discrete electronic device or other module, logical component, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Figure 8The block diagram of UE 800 is intended to show a high-level view of certain of the components of UE 800. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0081] Components of the UE 800 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 832, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., which allows various circuit components (on a common or different chip or chipset) to interact with each other.

[0082] The processor 804 may include processor circuits such as a baseband processor circuit (BB) 804A, a central processor unit circuit (CPU) 804B, and a graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 804C. The processor 804 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program codes, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage device 812) to cause the UE 800 to perform operations as described herein.

[0083] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 804A can access the communication protocol stack 836 in the memory / storage device 812 to communicate through a 3GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuit 804A can access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations can be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit 808.

[0084] The baseband processor circuit 804A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compatible network. In some embodiments, the waveforms used for NR may be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0085] The memory / storage device 812 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions (e.g., communication protocol stack 836) that can be executed by one or more processors in the processor 804 to enable the UE 800 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage device 812 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE 800. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage devices in the memory / storage device 812 may be located on the processor 804 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage devices 812 are located outside the processor 804, but can be accessed via a memory interface. The memory / storage device 812 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0086] The RF interface circuit 808 may include a transceiver circuit and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 800 to communicate with other devices through a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 808 may include various elements arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0087] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 826 and continue to filter and amplify the signal (using a low noise amplifier). The signal may be provided to the transceiver's receiver, which down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processor 804.

[0088] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 826.

[0089] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 808 may be configured to send / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0090] Antenna 826 may include antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and convert received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. Antenna 826 may have an antenna panel that is omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to achieve beamforming and multi-input / multi-output communications. Antenna 826 may include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. Antenna 826 may have one or more panels that are designed for a specific frequency band included in a band in FR1 or FR2.

[0091] The user interface circuit 816 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 800. The user interface 816 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, and in particular includes one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., reset button), physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touch pad, touch screen, microphone, scanner, headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuit may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, in particular including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators, such as light emitting diodes "LEDs") and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the UE 800.

[0092] Sensor 820 may include a device, module, or subsystem that is designed to detect events or changes in its environment and to communicate information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit including an accelerometer, gyroscope, or magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system or nanoelectromechanical system including a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, or magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.); a depth sensor; an ambient light sensor; an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; and the like.

[0093] The driver circuit 822 may include software elements and hardware elements for controlling a specific device embedded in the UE 800, attached to the UE 800, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 800. The driver circuit 822 may include a single driver, thereby allowing other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in the UE 800 or connected to the UE. For example, the driver circuit 822 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 820 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 820, a driver for obtaining an actuator position of an electromechanical component or controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0094] The PMIC 824 may manage the power provided to various components of the UE 800. Specifically, with respect to the processor 804, the PMIC 824 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0095] In some embodiments, the PMIC 824 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 800. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 800 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the UE 800 may then transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. are performed. The UE 800 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up again periodically to listen to the network and then powers off again. The UE 800 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for a time exceeding the paging interval (from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0096] The battery 828 can power the UE 800, but in some examples, the UE 800 can be installed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 828 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 828 can be a typical lead-acid automobile battery.

[0097] Fig. 9 An exemplary base station 900 according to some embodiments is shown. Base station 900 may be a base station or an AMF as described elsewhere herein. Base station 900 may include a processor 904, an RF interface circuit 908, a core network (CN) interface circuit 912, a memory / storage device circuit 916, and an antenna structure 926. When base station 900 is an AMF, RF interface circuit 908 and antenna structure 926 may not be included.

[0098] Components of base station 900 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 928 .

[0099] The processor 904, RF interface circuit 908, memory / storage circuit 916 (including communication protocol stack 910), antenna structure 926 and interconnect 928 may be similar to those of reference Figure 8 Like named elements are shown and described.

[0100] The CN interface circuit 912 may provide connectivity to a core network (e.g., a 5GC using a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) compatible network interface protocol such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity may be provided to / from the base station 900 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 912 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 912 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0101] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0102] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. For another example, the circuit associated with the UE, base station, or network element described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the example section below.

[0103] Example

[0104] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0105] Embodiment 1 includes a method for operating a base station, the method comprising: detecting a trigger condition; and based on detecting the trigger condition, sending a control signal to a user equipment (UE), the control signal being used to instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode configuration to a second processing mode configuration, wherein: the first processing mode configuration provides a first association between each of a plurality of protocol data unit (PDU) sets of an application service flow and a first PDU set processing mode or a second PDU set processing mode, in which the UE's transmitter will send all packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer, and in which the transmitter will send a subset of packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer; and the second processing mode configuration provides a second association between each of the plurality of PDU sets and the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

[0106] Embodiment 2 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment of the present invention, and further includes: sending information for configuring the first processing mode configuration or the second processing mode configuration to the UE.

[0107] Embodiment 3 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment of the present invention, and also includes: sending an indication to the UE of a threshold value for defining the packet subsets of the respective PDU sets to be sent in the second PDU set processing mode.

[0108] Embodiment 4 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the first processing mode configuration is an initial configuration in which all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets are associated with the first PDU set processing mode.

[0109] Embodiment 5 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates all PDU sets in the multiple PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

[0110] Embodiment 6 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment of the present invention, wherein the multiple PDU sets include a first type of PDU set and a second type of PDU set, and the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates the first type of PDU set with the first PDU set processing mode, and associates the second type of PDU set with the second PDU set processing mode.

[0111] Embodiment 7 includes a method according to embodiment 6 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the first type is associated with a first priority or importance level, and the second type is associated with a second priority or importance level lower than the first priority or importance level.

[0112] Embodiment 8 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment herein, further comprising: detecting a trigger based on a network load status, an interference status, a channel quality, a location of the UE, or the mobility of the UE.

[0113] Embodiment 9 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the control signal includes a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message or a downlink medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

[0114] Embodiment 10 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiment of the present invention, and also includes: establishing multiple data radio bearers (DRBs) with the UE, wherein the control signal is used to instruct the UE to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for each DRB in the multiple DRBs.

[0115] Embodiment 11 includes a method according to embodiment 10 or some other embodiment of the present invention, wherein the control signal includes: a bitmap having multiple bits, the multiple bits corresponding to the multiple DRBs respectively, wherein the value of each bit in the multiple bits is used to indicate that the UE will use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for the corresponding DRB; or one or more identifiers, the one or more identifiers are associated with one or more DRBs for which the UE will switch the PDU set processing mode.

[0116] Embodiment 12 includes a method for operating a UE, the method comprising: receiving a control signal from a base station, the control signal being used to instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode configuration to a second processing mode configuration, wherein: the first processing mode configuration provides a first association between each of a plurality of protocol data unit (PDU) sets of an application service flow and a first PDU set processing mode or a second PDU set processing mode, in which, in the first PDU set processing mode, a transmitter of the UE will send all packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer, and in the second PDU set processing mode, the transmitter will send a subset of packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer; and the second processing mode configuration provides a second association between the each of the plurality of PDU sets and the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode; and switching to the second processing mode configuration.

[0117] Embodiment 13 includes the method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment herein, further comprising: receiving information for configuring the first processing mode configuration or the second processing mode configuration from a base station.

[0118] Embodiment 14 includes the method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment of the present invention, and also includes: receiving an indication of a threshold value of the packet subset to be sent in the second PDU set processing mode for defining the respective PDU sets from the base station.

[0119] Embodiment 15 includes a method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the first processing mode configuration is an initial configuration in which all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets are associated with the first PDU set processing mode.

[0120] Embodiment 16 includes a method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates all PDU sets in the multiple PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

[0121] Embodiment 17 includes a method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the multiple PDU sets include a first type of PDU set and a second type of PDU set, and the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates the first type of PDU set with the first PDU set processing mode, and associates the second type of PDU set with the second PDU set processing mode.

[0122] Embodiment 18 includes the method of embodiment 17 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the first type is associated with a first priority and the second type is associated with a second priority lower than the first priority.

[0123] Embodiment 19 includes the method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiment herein, further comprising: establishing multiple data radio bearers (DRBs) with the base station, wherein the control signal is used to instruct the UE to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for each of the multiple DRBs.

[0124] Embodiment 20 includes a method according to embodiment 19 or some other embodiment herein, wherein the control signal includes: a bitmap having multiple bits, the multiple bits corresponding to the multiple DRBs respectively, wherein the value of each bit in the multiple bits is used to indicate that the UE will use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for the corresponding DRB; or one or more identifiers, the one or more identifiers being associated with one or more DRBs for which the UE will switch the PDU set processing mode.

[0125] Embodiment 21 may include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0126] Embodiment 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 20 or any other method or process described herein.

[0127] Embodiment 23 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Embodiments 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0128] Embodiment 24 may include methods, techniques or processes described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, or parts or components thereof.

[0129] Embodiment 25 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20.

[0130] Embodiment 26 may include a signal as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, or a portion or component thereof.

[0131] Embodiment 27 may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0132] Embodiment 28 may include a signal encoded with data as described or associated with any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0133] Embodiment 29 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message as described or associated with any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0134] Embodiment 30 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20.

[0135] Embodiment 31 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20.

[0136] Embodiment 32 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0137] Embodiment 33 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0138] Embodiment 34 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0139] Embodiment 35 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0140] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0141] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for operating a base station, the method comprising: Detection trigger conditions; as well as Based on detecting the trigger condition, sending a control signal to a user equipment (UE), the control signal being used to instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode configuration to a second processing mode configuration, in: The first processing mode configuration provides a first association of each of a plurality of protocol data unit (PDU) sets of an application service flow with a first PDU set processing mode or a second PDU set processing mode, wherein a transmitter of the UE is to transmit all packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer, and wherein the transmitter is to transmit a subset of packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer; as well as The second processing mode configuration provides a second association of the respective PDU sets of the plurality of PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Information for configuring the first processing mode configuration or the second processing mode configuration is sent to the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: An indication of a threshold value defining the subset of packets of the respective PDU sets to be sent in the second PDU set processing mode is sent to the UE. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first processing mode configuration is an initial configuration in which all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets are associated with the first PDU set processing mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple PDU sets include a first type of PDU set and a second type of PDU set, and the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates the first type of PDU set with the first PDU set processing mode, and associates the second type of PDU set with the second PDU set processing mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first type is associated with a first priority or importance level, and the second type is associated with a second priority or importance level that is lower than the first priority or importance level.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The trigger is detected based on a network load status, an interference status, a channel quality, a location of the UE, or a mobility of the UE.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message or a downlink medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: establishing a plurality of data radio bearers (DRBs) with the UE, The control signal is used to instruct the UE to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for each DRB among the multiple DRBs.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the control signal comprises: a bitmap having a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits corresponding to the plurality of DRBs, respectively, wherein a value of each bit in the plurality of bits is used to indicate that the UE is to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for a corresponding DRB; or One or more identifiers, the one or more identifiers being associated with one or more DRBs for which the UE is to switch a PDU set processing mode.

12. One or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a user equipment (UE): receiving a control signal from a base station, the control signal being used to instruct the UE to switch from a first processing mode configuration to a second processing mode configuration, in: The first processing mode configuration provides a first association of each of a plurality of protocol data unit (PDU) sets of an application service flow with a first PDU set processing mode or a second PDU set processing mode, wherein a transmitter of the UE is to transmit all packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer, and wherein the transmitter is to transmit a subset of packets of the each PDU set on at least one radio bearer; as well as The second processing mode configuration provides a second association of each of the plurality of PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode; as well as Switch to the second processing mode configuration.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to: Information for configuring the first processing mode configuration or the second processing mode configuration is received from the base station.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to: An indication of a threshold value defining the subset of packets of the respective PDU sets to be sent in the second PDU set processing mode is received from the base station.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the first processing mode configuration is an initial configuration in which all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets are associated with the first PDU set processing mode.

16. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 12, wherein the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates all PDU sets in the plurality of PDU sets with the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode.

17. One or more computer-readable media according to claim 12, wherein the multiple PDU sets include a first type of PDU set and a second type of PDU set, and the second association provided by the second processing mode configuration associates the first type of PDU set with the first PDU set processing mode, and associates the second type of PDU set with the second PDU set processing mode.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the first type is associated with a first priority and the second type is associated with a second priority that is lower than the first priority.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to: establishing a plurality of data radio bearers (DRBs) with the base station, The control signal is used to instruct the UE to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for each DRB among the multiple DRBs.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the control signal comprises: a bitmap having a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits corresponding to the plurality of DRBs, respectively, wherein a value of each bit in the plurality of bits is used to indicate that the UE is to use the first PDU set processing mode or the second PDU set processing mode for a corresponding DRB; or One or more identifiers, the one or more identifiers being associated with one or more DRBs for which the UE is to switch a PDU set processing mode.

Images