Radio access network (RAN) enhancements for uplink protocol data unit (PDU) sets

Abstract

A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) includes establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the UE and a network node. The method further includes transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) corresponding to a DRB of the one or more DRBs based at least in part on a mapping of one or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows to each DRB of the one or more DRBs, each QoS flow of the one or more QoS flows being associated with one PDU set type of the group of PDU set types or a subset of PDU set types of the group of PDU set types.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 497,887, filed on October 30, 2023, entitled "RADIO ACCESS NETWORK (RAN) ENHANCEMENTS FOR UPLINK PROTOCOL DATA UNIT (PDU) SETS", which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 422,304, filed on November 3, 2022, entitled "RADIO ACCESS NETWORK (RAN) ENHANCEMENTS FOR UPLINK PROTOCOL DATA UNIT (PDU) SETS". The disclosures of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to radio access network (RAN) enhancements for uplink protocol data unit (PDU) sets. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ a multiple access technology capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single - carrier frequency division multiple access (SC - FDMA) systems, time - division synchronous code division multiple access (TD - SCDMA) systems, and long - term evolution (LTE). LTE / Advanced LTE is an enhanced set of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Narrowband (NB) Internet of Things (IoT) and enhanced machine - type communication (eMTC) are enhanced sets of LTE for machine - type communication.

[0005] A wireless communication network may include multiple base stations (BSs), which may support communication of multiple user equipments (UEs). The user equipment (UE) may communicate with the base station (BS) via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail, the BS may be referred to as a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, a transmission and reception point (TRP), a New Radio (NR) BS, a 5G Node B, etc.

[0006] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipments to communicate at the urban, national, regional, and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (which may also be referred to as 5G) is an enhanced set of the LTE mobile standard released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better integrate with other open standards by improving spectral efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing services, utilizing new spectrums, and using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with Cyclic Prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL), and CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also referred to as Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), as well as supporting beamforming, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation, so as to better support mobile broadband Internet access.

[0007] A set of protocol data units (PDUs) may be specified for wireless services such as extended reality (XR) services. The set of PDUs is a collection of PDUs that can be delivered to a receiver as an integrated unit. For example, the set of PDUs may be associated with a video frame or a slice within a video frame. In some examples, all PDUs in the same set of PDUs share common Quality of Service (QoS) attributes, such as, for example, the PDU set delay budget (PSDB) or the PDU set error rate (PSER). The set of PDUs may have different decoding criteria (e.g., the PDU set content criteria (PSCC)), which may depend on the specific implementation of a given application. The set of PDUs may be a downlink set of PDUs or an uplink set of PDUs. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In some aspects of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The method includes establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the UE and a network node. The method further includes: sending a protocol data unit (PDU) corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0009] Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus. The apparatus includes components for establishing one or more DRBs between the UE and a network node. The apparatus further includes: components for sending a PDU corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0010] In some other aspects of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon is disclosed. The program code is for establishing one or more DRBs between the UE and a network node. The program code is executed by one or more processors and includes program code for sending a PDU corresponding to a DRB among one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0011] Some other aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus. The apparatus has one or more memories, one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, and instructions stored in the one or more memories. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are operative to cause the apparatus to establish one or more DRBs between the UE and a network node. Execution of the instructions also causes the apparatus to send a PDU corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0012] In some other aspects of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication at a network node is disclosed. The method includes establishing one or more DRBs between the network node and a UE. The method further includes receiving a set of PDUs corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in a PDU set type group.

[0013] Some other aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus. The apparatus includes means for establishing one or more DRBs between a network node and a UE. The apparatus further includes means for receiving a set of PDUs corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in a PDU set type group.

[0014] In some other aspects of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon is disclosed. The program code is for establishing one or more DRBs between a network node and a UE. The program code is executed by a processor and includes program code for receiving a set of PDUs corresponding to a DRB among one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in a PDU set type group.

[0015] Some other aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus. The apparatus has one or more memories, one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, and instructions stored in the one or more memories. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are operative to cause the apparatus to establish one or more DRBs between a network node and a UE. Execution of the instructions also causes the apparatus to receive a set of PDUs corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, at least partially based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in a PDU set type group.

[0016] Each aspect generally includes methods, apparatuses, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and processing systems as substantially described with reference to the figures and the specification and as illustrated in the figures and the specification.

[0017] The features and technical advantages of examples in accordance with the present disclosure have been outlined above rather broadly in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described. The concepts and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the disclosed concepts, both as to their organization and method of operation, as well as the associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures provided is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not a definition of the limits of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] For a more detailed understanding of the features of the present disclosure, reference may be made to the aspects, some of which are illustrated in the figures. It should be noted, however, that the figures merely illustrate certain aspects of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as the description may admit other equivalent aspects. The same reference numerals in different figures may identify the same or similar elements.

[0019] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a wireless communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of communication between a base station and a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C , Figure 4D and Figure 4E are block diagrams illustrating examples of different architectures for processing different sets of protocol data units (PDUs) at a UE in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4F is a block diagram illustrating an example of a conventional architecture for processing different sets of protocol data units (PDUs) at a UE.

[0024] Figure 5is a block diagram illustrating an example of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device having an architecture that supports a set of protocol data units (PDUs) with different quality of service (QoS) attributes according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed by a wireless communication device according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device that supports receiving a PDU group associated with one or more sets of PDUs according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process performed by a network node according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0029] The various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings, those skilled in the art should recognize that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure, whether implemented independently of any other aspect of the present disclosure or implemented in combination with any other aspect. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such apparatus or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality in addition to or as a supplement to the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0030] Certain aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0031] It should be noted that while aspects may be described using terms typically associated with 5G and later wireless technologies, aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in communication systems based on other generations, such as and including 3G, 4G technologies, and / or 6G technologies.

[0032] A set of protocol data units (PDUs) may be specified for a wireless service such as an extended reality (XR) service. The set of PDUs is a collection of PDUs that can be delivered to a receiver as an integrated unit. For example, the set of PDUs may be associated with a video frame or a slice within a video frame. In some examples, all PDUs in the same set of PDUs share a common quality of service (QoS) attribute, such as, for example, a PDU set delay budget (PSDB) or a PDU set error rate (PSER).

[0033] However, in some examples, one or more QoS attributes may be different between sets of PDUs. In some such examples, the sets of PDUs may have different decoding criteria (e.g., a PDU set content criterion (PSCC)), which may depend on the specific implementation of a given application. In a service data flow, there may be different types of data, such as video frame data or audio data. Different decoding criteria may be specified for different types of data. For example, some sets of PDUs may be associated with an all-or-nothing decoding criterion, where if the receiver fails to decode a PDU in the set of PDUs, the set of PDUs may be obsolete. As another example, some other sets of PDUs may be associated with a decoding criterion that is valid until the first occurrence of a loss, where all received PDUs are valid until the first occurrence of a loss. In yet another example, some other sets of PDUs may be associated with an application layer forward error correction (AL-FEC) decoding criterion, where the PDUs in the set of PDUs are encoded using AL-FEC. In some cases, based on the FEC redundancy ratio, only a subset of the PDUs in the set of PDUs may be used to decode the set of PDUs.

[0034] In some examples, one or more PDUs in a PDU set may be discarded by a user equipment (UE) or a radio access network (RAN). In some such examples, one or more PDUs may be discarded when a delay budget has been exhausted. Alternatively, if an associated layer 2 timer has expired, the one or more PDUs may be discarded. The layer 2 timer may be a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) discard timer, a radio link control (RLC) reordering timer, an RLC discard timer, or a PDCP reordering time. In some other examples, a PDU may be discarded based on decoding criteria (e.g., content criteria) associated with a PDU set being satisfied or if the decoding criteria are no longer satisfied. In some such examples, if a receiver fails to decode a PDU in a PDU set, the decoding criteria may no longer be satisfied, and the decoding criteria are: an all-or-nothing decoding criteria, or a decoding criteria that is valid until the first occurrence of a loss. In other such examples, if one or more PDUs in a PDU set have been successfully decoded, the decoding criteria may have been satisfied such that additional PDUs in the PDU set are no longer required.

[0035] As discussed, a PDU set may be a downlink PDU set or an uplink PDU set. Both the uplink PDU set and the downlink PDU set may include PDU sets with different QoS attributes. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing an architecture at a UE that supports PDU sets with different QoS attributes. In some examples, one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) may be established between the UE and a network node. Additionally, one or more quality of service (QoS) flows may be mapped to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows is associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in a PDU set type group. The UE may send one or more PDUs associated with one or more PDU sets. Each PDU set may be associated with a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow.

[0036] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, the techniques described (such as establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between a UE and a network node and sending PDUs corresponding to a DRB in one or more of the DRBs at least in part based on a mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs) may provide an architecture at the UE that supports PDU sets with different QoS attributes.

[0037] Figure 1FIG. 100 is a diagram of a network 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. Network 100 may be a 5G or NR network, or some other wireless network such as an LTE network. Wireless network 100 may include multiple BSs 110 (shown as BS110a, BS110b, BS110c, and BS 110d) and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UE), and may also be referred to as a base station, NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B, access point, transmit and receive point (TRP), network node, network entity, etc. A base station may be implemented as an aggregated base station, a disaggregated base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, etc. A base station may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively, in a disaggregated base station architecture, and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non RT) RIC.

[0038] Each BS may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, depending on the context in which the term is used, the term “cell” may refer to the coverage area of a BS and / or the BS subsystem serving that coverage area.

[0039] A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be called a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In the Figure 1 example shown in FIG. 100, BS110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB,” “base station,” “NR BS,” “gNB,” “AP,” “Node B,” “5G NB,” “TRP,” and “cell” may be used interchangeably.

[0040] In some aspects, the cell need not be stationary, and the geographical area of the cell can move according to the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs can use any suitable transmission network and be interconnected with each other and / or interconnected to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, etc.).

[0041] The wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive the transmission of data from an upstream station (such as a BS or a UE) and transmit the transmission of the data to a downstream station (such as a UE or a BS). A relay station can also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In Figure 1 the example shown, the relay station 110d can communicate with the macro BS 110a and the UE 120d to facilitate communication between the BS 110a and the UE 120d. A relay station can also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay base station, a relay, etc.

[0042] The wireless network 100 can be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (such as macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.). These different types of BSs can have different transmission power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro BS can have a high transmission power level (such as 5 watts to 40 watts), while pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs can have lower transmission power levels (such as 0.1 watts to 2 watts).

[0043] For example, the BSs 110 (shown as BS110a, BS110b, BS110c, and BS110d) and the core network 130 can exchange communications via a backhaul link 132 (such as S1, etc.). The base stations 110 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (such as through the core network 130) via other backhaul links (such as X2, etc.).

[0044] The core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC), which can include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME can be a control node that processes signaling between the UE 120 and the EPC. All user IP packets can be passed through the S-GW, which itself can be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW can be connected to the IP services of the network operator. The operator's IP services can include the Internet, intranet, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and packet switched (PS) streaming media services.

[0045] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, IP connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. One or more of the base stations 110 or access node controllers (ANCs) may interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1, S2, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the UE 120. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity or base station 110 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and access network controllers) or consolidated into a single network device (e.g., base station 110).

[0046] UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet device, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, a superbook, a medical device or instrument, a biometric sensor / device, a wearable device (smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), an in-vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, an industrial manufacturing apparatus, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless medium or a wired medium.

[0047] One or more UEs 120 may establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session for a network slice. In some cases, the UE 120 may select a network slice based on an application or a subscribed service. By having different network slices for different applications or subscribed services, the UE 120 may improve its resource utilization in the wireless network 100 while also meeting the performance specifications of the various applications of the UE 120. In some cases, the network slice used by the UE 120 may be served by an AMF ( Figure 1 not shown) associated with one or both of the base station 110 or the core network 130. Additionally, session management for the network slice may be performed by an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0048] The UE 120 may include a PDU aggregation module 140. For simplicity, only one UE 120d is shown as including the PDU aggregation module 140. The PDU aggregation module 140 may implement one or more steps of the process 700 referred to Figure 7 above.

[0049] Some UEs may be considered as Machine-Type Communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC) UEs. For example, MTC and eMTC UEs include robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc. that can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide a connection to or from a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices and / or may be implemented as NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) devices. Some UEs may be considered Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included within a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as a processor component, a memory component, etc.

[0050] Generally speaking, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless network may support a specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies. The RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, etc. The frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, etc. Each frequency in a given geographical area may support a single RAT to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, an NR or 5G RAT network may be deployed.

[0051] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., communicate with each other without using the base station 110 as an intermediate device). For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, etc.), mesh networks, and so on. In such cases, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein that are performed by the base station 110. For example, the base station 110 may configure UE 120 via Downlink Control Information (DCI), Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), or via system information (e.g., System Information Block (SIB)).

[0052] As indicated above, Figure 1 is provided merely as an example. Other examples may be different from the examples described with respect to Figure 1 the examples described.

[0053] Figure 2FIG. 200 shows a block diagram of a design 200 of a base station 110 and a UE 120, where the base station can be one of the base stations in Figure 1 and the UE can be one of the UEs in Figure 1 . The base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a to 234t, and the UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a to 252r, where generally T≥1 and R≥1.

[0054] At the base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from a data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for each UE at least in part based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from each UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE at least in part based on the MCSs selected for each UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Reducing the MCS results in lower throughput but increased transmission reliability. The transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource allocation information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRSs)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSSs) and secondary synchronization signals (SSSs)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols when applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 may process the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from the modulators 232a to 232t may be transmitted via the T antennas 234a to 234t, respectively. According to various aspects described in more detail below, position coding may be utilized to generate synchronization signals to convey additional information.

[0055] At the UE 120, antennas 252a through 252r may receive downlink signals from the base station 110 and / or other base stations and may provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMOD) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, down-convert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. The MIMO detector 256 may obtain the received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide the detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280. The channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing.

[0056] On the uplink, at the UE 120, the transmit processor 264 may receive data from the data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reporting including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.) from the controller / processor 280 and process the data and control information. The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by the TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the base station 110, the uplink signals from the UE 120 and other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 254, detected by the MIMO detector 236 (if applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the core network 130 via the communication unit 244. The core network 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0057] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / orFigure 2 Any other component of may perform one or more techniques associated with supporting a set of PDUs, as described in more detail elsewhere. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other component of may execute or direct, for example, Figure 7 the operations of the processes and / or other processes as described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and program code for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. The scheduler 246 may schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0058] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G New Radio (NR) system) may be arranged in various ways with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, mobility elements of the network, radio access network (RAN) nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment (such as a base station (BS), or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit and receive point (TRP), or a cell, etc.) may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as a stand-alone BS or a monolithic BS) or a disaggregated base station.

[0059] An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units (such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit (e.g., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU)).

[0060] Base station type operations or network designs can consider the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station can be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN, such as a network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations and virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which can achieve flexibility in network design. Various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0061] In some cases, different types of devices that support different types of applications and / or services can coexist in a cell. Examples of different types of devices include UE handsets, customer premises equipment (CPE), vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. Examples of different types of applications include ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) applications, massive machine type communication (mMTC) applications, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) applications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications, etc. Additionally, in some cases, a single device can support different applications or services simultaneously.

[0062] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an exemplary disaggregated base station 300 architecture is shown. The disaggregated base station 300 architecture can include one or more central units (CUs) 310, which can communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 325 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non RT) RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both). The CU 310 can communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 330 via a corresponding midhaul link (such as an F1 interface). The DU 330 can communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 340 via a corresponding fronthaul link. The RU 340 can communicate with a corresponding UE 120 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some specific implementations, the UE 120 can be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0063] Each of these units (e.g., CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and the near RT RIC 325, non-RTRIC 315, and SMO framework 305) can include one or more interfaces, or can be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or the associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interfaces of these units can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, these units can include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units can include a wireless interface that can include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, to one or more of the other units over a wireless transmission medium.

[0064] In some aspects, CU 310 can host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), or service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 310. CU 310 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., central unit - user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (e.g., central unit - control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, CU 310 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 310 can be implemented to communicate with DU 330 for network control and signaling.

[0065] The DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least partially depending on a functional split (such as the functional split defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). In some aspects, the DU 330 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330 or with control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0066] Lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 340. In some deployments, the RUs 340 controlled by the DU 330 may correspond to logical nodes that host RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) or both at least partially based on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RUs 340 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 120. In some embodiments, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of communicating with the control plane and user plane of the RUs 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 330 and CU 310 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0067] The SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as the Open Cloud (O-cloud) 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, the CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and the Near RT RIC 325. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 311, via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 340 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 can also include a Non-RT RIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305.

[0068] The Non-RT RIC 315 can be configured to include a logical function that can enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflow including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the Near RT RIC 325. The Non-RT RIC 315 can be coupled to or communicate with the Near RT RIC 325 (such as via the A1 interface). The Near RT RIC 325 can be configured to include a logical function that can enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions on an interface (such as via the E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, and the O-eNB 311 to the Near RT RIC 325.

[0069] In some specific implementations, to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the Near RT RIC 325, the Non-RT RIC 315 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information can be utilized by the Near RT RIC 325 and can be received at the SMO framework 305 or the Non-RT RIC 315 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 315 or the Near RT RIC 325 can be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 315 can monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ an AI / ML model to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 305 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of a RAN management policy (such as an A1 policy).

[0070] The communication protocol stack can be implemented by a device operating in a wireless communication system such as a 5G system, a 6G system, or a future wireless communication system. The communication protocol stack includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. In various examples, these layers of the protocol stack can be implemented as separate software modules, parts of a processor or ASIC, parts of non-collocated devices connected by a communication link, or various combinations thereof.

[0071] As discussed, a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) can be specified for a wireless service such as an Extended Reality (XR) service. The PDU set is a collection of PDUs that can be delivered to a receiver as an integrated unit. For example, the PDU set can be associated with a video frame or a slice within a video frame. In some examples, all PDUs in the same PDU set share common Quality of Service (QoS) attributes such as, for example, a PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB) or a PDU Set Error Rate (PSER).

[0072] In some examples, the PDU set can have different decoding criteria (e.g., a PDU Set Content Criterion (PSCC)), which can depend on the specific implementation of a given application. For example, some PDU sets can be associated with an all-or-nothing decoding criterion, where if a receiver fails to decode the PDUs in the PDU set, the PDU set may be obsolete. As another example, some other PDU sets can be associated with a decoding criterion where all received PDUs are valid until the first occurrence of a loss. In yet another example, some other PDU sets can be associated with an Application Layer Forward Error Correction (AL-FEC) decoding criterion, where the PDUs in the PDU set are encoded using AL-FEC. In some cases, based on the FEC redundancy ratio, only a subset of the PDUs in the PDU set can be used to decode the PDU set.

[0073] In some examples, one or more PDUs may be discarded by a User Equipment (UE) or a Radio Access Network (RAN). In some such examples, a PDU may be discarded when a delay budget has been exhausted. Alternatively, a PDU may be discarded if an associated Layer 2 timer has expired. The Layer 2 timer may be a PDCP discard timer, an RLC reordering timer, an RLC discard timer, or a PDCP reordering time. In some other examples, a PDU may be discarded based on decoding criteria (e.g., content criteria) associated with a set of PDUs being satisfied or if the decoding criteria are no longer satisfied. In some such examples, if a receiver fails to decode a PDU in a set of PDUs, the decoding criteria may no longer be satisfied, and the decoding criteria are: an all-or-nothing decoding criterion, or a decoding criterion that is valid until the first occurrence of a loss. In other such examples, if one or more PDUs in a set of PDUs have been successfully decoded, the decoding criteria may have been satisfied such that additional PDUs in the set of PDUs are no longer required.

[0074] In some examples, a set of PDUs may be a downlink set of PDUs or an uplink set of PDUs. Aspects of the present disclosure relate to supporting one or more uplink sets of PDUs at a UE. An uplink set of PDUs may share one or more characteristics with a downlink set of PDUs. In some examples, a packet filter used for downlink PDU set marking may be used for uplink packet filtering. For example, uplink packet filtering may match a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) or Secure RTP (SRTP) header and payload. Additionally, each uplink set of PDUs may be associated with one or more QoS attributes, such as one or both of a PSDB or a PSER. The PSDB may be an upper bound on the delay between the time the last PDU in an uplink set of PDUs is received at the SDAP service access point of the UE and the time the uplink set of PDUs is successfully received at a receiver (e.g., a network node). The PSER may be an upper bound on the ratio of the number of uplink sets of PDUs that are not successfully decoded (e.g., received) to the total number of uplink sets of PDUs transmitted within a measurement window.

[0075] In some examples, an uplink set of PDUs may include one or more information elements. The one or more information elements may include a PDU set identifier (e.g., a sequence number), a boundary indication of the uplink set of PDUs (e.g., the start and end of the PDU set), or traffic parameters (e.g., periodicity). Additionally, the one or more information elements may include one or more optional elements, such as the PDU set size or the number of PDUs in the PDU set represented as bytes, the importance of the PDU set, or whether in-order delivery of PDUs in the PDU set is specified.

[0076] In some examples, the importance of a PDU set is associated with each PDU set rather than with a QoS flow. That is, each PDU set can be assigned its own importance level. However, regardless of the importance level, each PDU set having the same QoS flow ID (QFI) can be associated with the same QoS flow. Additionally, in some examples, a PSDB and a PSER can be configured for a QoS flow. The PSDB can be shared by all PDU sets associated with the QoS flow. In contrast, the PSER can be measured based on a set of PDU sets transmitted within a time window. Thus, if the UE selectively discards PDU sets, the PSER of PDU sets with high importance can be lower than the PSER of other PDU sets while the overall error rate still meets the PSER. Therefore, the importance of a PDU set can be independent of the PSDB associated with that PDU set. Additionally, the importance of a PDU set can be related to the differential reliability (e.g., error / loss rate) of decoding the PDU set. In some examples, PDU sets associated with high importance can be more protected than other PDU sets. For example, high-importance PDU sets can be selectively replicated. Additionally or alternatively, during uplink congestion, high-importance PDU sets can be preferentially scheduled to reduce the likelihood that PDUs in the high-importance PDU sets are discarded due to a delay greater than the PSDB.

[0077] Aspects of the present disclosure can discuss sub-QoS flows and QoS flows. A sub-QoS flow can be associated with PDUs having the same importance level or PDUs associated with the same PDU set type. A QoS flow can be a regular QoS flow. Each QoS flow can be associated with a set of sub-QoS flows.

[0078] Figure 4A Example 400 illustrates an example architecture for processing PDU sets at UE 120 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4A Example 400, two PDU set types (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) can be associated with the same QoS flow (QoS flow 1). Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to two PDU set types. Additional PDU set types can be associated with the QoS flow. The QoS flow can be mapped to a data radio bearer (DRB) (DRB 1), and the DRB can be associated with a radio link control (RLC) entity (RLC 1). Additionally, the RLC entity can be associated with a logical channel (LCH) (LCH 1). The RLC entity can also be referred to as the RLC layer.

[0079] Figure 4B Example 410 illustrates an example architecture for processing PDU sets at UE 120 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4BIn Example 410, two PDU set types (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) can be associated with the same QoS flow (QoS flow 1). This QoS flow can be mapped to a DRB (DRB 1), and the DRB can be associated with two radio link control (RLC) entities (RLC 1 and RLC 2). Additionally, each RLC entity can be associated with an LCH (LCH 1 and LCH 2). Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to two RLC entities. Additional RLC entities can be associated with the DRB.

[0080] Figure 4C Example 420 illustrates an architecture for processing PDU sets at UE 120 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4C In Example 420, two PDU set types (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) can be associated with the same QoS flow (QoS flow 1). The QoS flow can be mapped to two different DRBs (DRB 1 and DRB 2). Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to two DRBs. Additional DRB entities can be associated with the QoS flow. Each DRB can be associated with a different radio link control (RLC) entity (RLC 1 and RLC 2). Additionally, each RLC entity can be associated with an LCH (LCH 1 and LCH 2).

[0081] Figure 4D Example 430 illustrates an architecture for processing PDU sets at UE 120 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4D In Example 430, each PDU set type (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) can be associated with a different QoS flow (QoS flow 1 and QoS flow 2). The QoS flows can be mapped to the same DRB (DRB 1). The DRB can be associated with a single radio link control (RLC) entity (RLC 1). Additionally, the RLC entity can be associated with an LCH (LCH 1).

[0082] Figure 4E Example 440 illustrates an architecture for processing PDU sets at UE 120 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4E In Example 440, each PDU set type (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) can be associated with a different QoS flow (QoS flow 1 and QoS flow 2). The QoS flows can be mapped to the same DRB (DRB 1). The DRB can be associated with two radio link control (RLC) entities (RLC 1 and RLC 2). Additionally, each RLC entity can be associated with an LCH (LCH 1 and LCH 2).

[0083] Figure 4FExample 450 illustrates a conventional architecture for processing a set of PDUs at UE 120. In Figure 4F Example 450 of, each PDU set type (PDU set type 1 and PDU set type 2) may be associated with a different QoS flow (QoS flow 1 and QoS flow 2). The QoS flows may be mapped to different DRBs (DRB 1 and DRB 2). Each DRB may be associated with a different radio link control (RLC) entity (RLC 1 and RLC 2). Additionally, each RLC entity may be associated with an LCH (LCH 1 and LCH 2).

[0084] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C , Figure 4D and Figure 4E Examples illustrate different architectures for processing different PDU sets according to various aspects of the present disclosure. If multiple PDU set types are multiplexed into a common QoS flow, the multiple PDU set types may share the same QoS attributes, such as the same PSDB, PSER, prioritisedBitRate (PBR), bucketSizeDuration (BSD), and maximum data burst volume (MDBV). If multiple types of PDU set types are multiplexed into different QoS flows (see Figure 4D and Figure 4E ), then each QoS flow may be associated with its own QoS attributes, even if each PDU set type is associated with the same traffic flow.

[0085] Different enhancements may be specified for different architectures. For example, referring to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The architecture examples 400 and 410 described may use the PDU set type field in the SDAP header associated with the PDU. In some examples, when a PDU arrives at the SDAP service access point (SAP), the UE may identify the sub-QoS flow or QoS flow associated with the PDU based on the SDAP header.

[0086] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. As Figure 5As shown in the example of, the SDAP header 500 may include a PDU set type field 502 that indicates the type of PDU set associated with the PDU. In some examples, if the PDU set type is included with the data packet, the UE may include the PDU set type in the PDU set type field 502 of the SDAP header 500 associated with the PDU. Additionally or alternatively, a PDU set type indicator (PSTI) field 504 may be included in the header to indicate the presence of a value indicating the PDU set type in the PDU set type field 502. Alternatively, if the data packet does not include the PDU set type, the UE may include a QoS flow ID (QFI) in the QFI field 506 of the SDAP header 500. The SDAP header 500 may also include a D / C bit 510. The D / C bit 510 may indicate whether the PDU is a data PDU or a control PDU. The SDAP header 500 may also include one or more data fields 512.

[0087] As respectively referenced Figure 4A and Figure 4D in the examples 400 and 430 described, the DRB may be served by a common RLC entity and a common LCH. In reference Figure 4A to the example 400 described, different sub-QoS flows may be served by a common RLC entity and a common LCH. In reference Figure 4D to the example 430 described, different QoS flows may be served by a common RLC entity and a common LCH. Although different sub-QoS flows or different QoS flows may be served by a common RLC entity and a common LCH, the PDUs may be processed differently based on one or more parameters associated with the corresponding PDU type (e.g., PDU set). In reference Figure 4A and Figure 4D to the examples 400 and 430 described, each PDU may be associated with a PDU type. The UE may identify the PDU type based on the PDU set type or the QFI included in the SDAP header of the PDU.

[0088] In some examples, one or more parameters associated with a PDU type may include a set of retransmission timers. The PDU retransmission count may be based on the set of retransmission timers. In some examples, the set of retransmission timers may increase the PDU retransmission count within an associated delay budget. The reliability of the PDU may increase based on the increase in the number of retransmissions allowed for the PDU. The set of retransmission timers may include one or more retransmission elements, such as maxRetxThreshold, pollPDU, pollByte, t-PollRetransmit. In some examples, pollPDU and pollByte may be defined separately for each PDU set type. maxRetxThreshold represents a threshold for the maximum number of retransmissions. The UE counts the PDUs associated with a particular PDU type when determining whether the number of PDUs is greater than or less than the threshold (e.g., maxRetxThreshold). In some examples, one or more parameters associated with a PDU type may include a poll bit indicating that the PDU is an acknowledged mode (AM) PDU, where the transmitter is polling (e.g., requesting) the status of a previously transmitted PDU from a receiving entity. In some such examples, the poll bit may be enhanced to indicate the PDU set type associated with the poll. The PDU set type may correspond to one or both of a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow. In some examples, one or more parameters associated with a PDU type may indicate whether the UE is allowed to retransmit an RLC PDU associated with one or both of a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow before receiving the reception status of the RLC PDU from the receiver. The retransmission indication may be configured via signaling received from a network node.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more parameters associated with a PDU type may indicate whether out-of-order scheduling (OOOS) is allowed for that PDU type. The one or more parameters may also indicate a delay threshold associated with the PDU type. In such examples, the PDU type may be associated with one or both of a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow. In some such examples, if a PDU configured for OOOS is queued after one or more other PDUs of lower importance (e.g., priority), the UE may prioritize the transmission of that PDU.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, one or more parameters associated with a PDU type may indicate that a PDCP PDU can be replicated. In such examples, the PDU type may be associated with one or both of a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow. If replication is configured, the UE may establish additional RLC entities and additional LCHs (e.g., replicated RLC entities and replicated LCHs) for the replicated PDCP PDUs. The RLC may replicate PDUs associated with a sub-QoS flow or a QoS flow for which replication is configured. Additionally, the RLC may send the replicated PDUs to the replicated RLC entities for transmission to the receiver.

[0091] As shown in examples 410 and 440 respectively with reference to Figure 4B and Figure 4E the UE determines which one of the two or more RLC entities to use based on identifying the PDU set type associated with the PDU. In some examples, such as example 410 with reference to Figure 4B the PDU set type may be based on a PDU set type field included in the SDAP header associated with the PDU. In some other examples, such as example 440 with reference to Figure 4E the PDU set type may be determined based on the QFI included in the SDAP header associated with the PDU.

[0092] As shown in examples 410, 420 and 440 respectively with reference to Figure 4B 、 Figure 4C and Figure 4E a DRB may be associated with two or more RLC entities. In some examples, each RLC entity may be associated with a unique LCH. In some other examples, for each sub-QoS flow or QoS flow, the network node may indicate the mapping between each RLC entity and the LCH. In such examples, multiple RLC entities may be mapped to the same LCH. In some examples, each RLC entity may be associated with a unique set of parameters and timers. As an example, a separate RLC-Config may be specified for each RLC entity. In some examples, the UE may determine which one of the two or more RLC entities to use based on identifying the PDU set type (e.g., sub-QoS flow or QoS flow) associated with the PDU.

[0093] In some examples, such as respectively with reference to Figure 4B 、 Figure 4C and Figure 4EIn the example 410, 420, and 440 described above, a network node can configure each LCH with a unique set of parameters and timers. The set of parameters can include traffic regulation parameters such as prioritisedBitRate (PBR) and bucketSizeDuration (BSD). For a corresponding logical channel prioritization (LCP) process, each LCH can maintain multiple tokens in an associated bucket (e.g., B j ). Additionally, in some examples, for each LCH, the network node can configure different parameters to assign different transmission attributes to sets of PDUs with different importance levels. These parameters can include allowedServingCells, allowedSCS-List, allowedCG-List, allowedPHY-PriorityIndex, and mpr-PowerBoost-FR2. In some such examples, PDUs with high importance levels can use uplink grants only on more reliable cells (e.g., FR1 cells). In other such examples, all PDUs can use frequency range two (FR2) cells; however, PDUs with high importance levels can use a power boost offset. In some other examples, only PDUs with high importance levels can use configured grants or uplink grants with a high PHY layer priority. In some examples, when the UE receives an uplink grant, the parameters in the logicalChannelConfig information element (IE) for each LCH can be used to perform a regular LCP process.

[0094] In some examples, such as the example 410 and 440 respectively referred to Figure 4B and Figure 4E above, two or more LCHs can be configured for a DRB. In such examples, each LCH can be associated with a unique set of parameters and timers defined in the logicalChannelConfig IE. Additionally, in such examples, prioritizedBitRate (PBR) and bucketSizeDuration (BSD) can be shared among all LCHs associated with the same QoS flow. Furthermore, the network node can provide the UE with the association between two or more LCHs and a traffic flow. In some such examples, for all LCHs associated with traffic flow j, the UE can maintain a single quantity of tokens in bucket B j . When a QoS flow is established, the parameter B j can be initialized to zero. Additionally, when the UE performs a new uplink transmission, the parameter B j can be incremented by (prioritized bit rate (PBR) × min(T, bucket size duration (BSD))), where T is the time since the last parameter B jThe amount of time elapsed since the update was initiated.

[0095] In some examples, when the UE receives an uplink grant, the UE may select data from different LCHs to multiplex into the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources. In some such examples, for parameter B j , if traffic flow j is greater than zero, data from all LCHs associated with that traffic flow may be considered for multiplexing. In other such examples, if the PUSCH does not have enough resources to accommodate all the data from the LCHs associated with traffic flow j, the UE selects a subset of LCHs. This selection may be based on a descending order of importance levels associated with the LCH subset or based on the LCH priorities configured by the network node for the LCH subset. If two LCHs have the same priority or importance, the LCH with data having a smaller delay budget may be selected first. After the data from the selected LCHs is multiplexed into the PUSCH resources, the UE may decrement parameter B j by the total amount of data that is scheduled from the selected LCHs associated with traffic flow j.

[0096] In some examples, such as example 420 described in reference Figure 4C , PDUs within a QoS flow may be partitioned between different DRBs. In such examples, the SDAP layer may identify PDUs within the QoS flow having different PDU set types and then map the identified PDUs to different DRBs. The mapping rule between the PDU set type and the DRB may be configured by the network node in an information element such as SDAP-Config. In some examples, multiple PDU set types may be mapped to the same DRB.

[0097] In some examples, in-order delivery may be specified for a QoS flow. In some such examples, a new protocol layer above the SDAP layer may be used at the receiver. This new protocol layer may reorder the data packet before it is delivered to the application layer because different PDUs in the traffic flow are served by different DRBs and may arrive at the receiver out of order. This reordering process may be based on a common reordering function (e.g., the reordering function for PDCP) or may be based on the PDU set sequence number as a reordering index.

[0098] In some examples, the PDU session QoS attributes may be configured at the UE. In some such examples, the UE may request QoS rules for uplink flows. In such examples, the UE may request QoS-based rules for the PDU session via the Policy Control Function (PCF). The PCF may determine the PSDB, PSER, and PSCC, and then provide the PSDB, PSER, and PSCC to the Session Management Function (SMF). Then, the SMF may configure enhanced QoS rules in the UE and the 5G-RAN.

[0099] In some examples, the UE provides information about the PDU session configured at the UE to the SMF. This information may be provided to the SMF via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling. Then, the SMF may provide this information to the RAN. In some other examples, the UE directly provides information about the configured PDU session to the RAN. For example, this information may be included in an RRC message (e.g., UE assistance information).

[0100] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device 600 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the example wireless communication device providing an architecture that supports PDU sessions with different QoS attributes. The wireless communication device 600 may be an example of aspects of the UE 120 as described with reference to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The wireless communication device 600 may include a receiver 610, a communication manager 605, a transmitter 620, a Data Radio Bearer (DRB) component 630, and a PDU component 640 that may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses). In some examples, the wireless communication device 600 is configured to perform operations including the operations of process 700 described below with reference to Figure 7 .

[0101] In some examples, the wireless communication device 600 may include a chip, chipset, package, or device that includes at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a 5G modem or other cellular modem). In some examples, the communication manager 605 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, at least some components of the communication manager 605 are at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory. For example, portions of one or more of these components of the communication manager 605 may be implemented as non-transitory code that can be executed by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding components.

[0102] The receiver 610 can receive one or more reference signals (e.g., periodically configured channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), aperiodically configured CSI-RS, or multi-beam specific reference signals), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSB)), control information, and data information (such as in the form of packets) from one or more other wireless communication devices via various channels including control channels (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or physical sidelink control channel PSCCH) and data channels (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). The other wireless communication devices can include, but are not limited to, the base station 110 as described in reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 as described, and the CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 as described in reference Figure 3 as described.

[0103] The received information can be passed to other components of the wireless communication device 600. The receiver 610 can be an example of aspects of the receive processor 256 as described in reference Figure 2 The receiver 610 can include a set of radio frequency (RF) chains coupled to or otherwise utilizing an antenna assembly (e.g., the antenna assembly can be an example of aspects of the antenna 252 as described in reference Figure 2 as described).

[0104] The transmitter 620 can transmit signals generated by the communication manager 605 or other components of the wireless communication device 600. In some examples, the transmitter 620 can be co-located with the receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 620 can be an example of aspects of the transmit processor 266 as described in reference Figure 2 The transmitter 620 can be coupled to or otherwise utilize an antenna assembly (e.g., the antenna assembly can be an example of aspects of the antenna 252 as described in reference Figure 2 as described), and the antenna assembly can be antenna elements shared with the receiver 610. In some examples, the transmitter 620 is configured to transmit control information in the PUCCH, PSCCH, or PDCCH and data in the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), PSSCH, or PDSCH.

[0105] The communication manager 605 can be as described in reference Figure 2Examples of aspects of the controller / processor 259. The communication manager 605 may include a DRB component 630 and a PDU component 640. In some examples, working in conjunction with one or both of the receiver 610 and the transmitter 620, the DRB component 630 may establish one or more DRBs between the UE and the network node. Additionally, working in conjunction with the DRB component 630 and the transmitter 620, the PDU component 640 may send PDUs corresponding to the DRBs among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on the mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0106] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 700 performed by the UE 120 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The example process 700 is an example of processing a PDU set. As Figure 7 shown, the process 700 begins at block 702 by establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the UE and the network node. At block 704, the process 700 sends protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to the DRBs among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on the mapping of one or more QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

[0107] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device 800 that supports receiving a PDU group associated with one or more PDU sets. The wireless communication device 800 may be a base station 110 as described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 or an example of the CU 310, DU 330, or RU 340 as described with reference to Figure 3 The wireless communication device 800 may include a receiver 810, a communication manager 815, a DRB component 830, a PDU component 840, and a transmitter 820 that may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses). In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 is configured to perform operations including the operations of a process 900 described below with reference to Figure 9

[0108] In some examples, the wireless communication device 800 may include a chip, a system-on-chip (SOC), a chipset, a package, or a device including at least one processor and at least one modem (e.g., a 5G modem or other cellular modem). In some examples, the communication manager 815 or its sub-components may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, at least some components of the communication manager 815 are at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory. For example, portions of one or more of these components of the communication manager 815 may be implemented as non-transitory code capable of being executed by a processor to perform the functions or operations of the corresponding components.

[0109] The receiver 810 may receive one or more reference signals (e.g., periodically configured CSI-RS, aperiodically configured CSI-RS, or multi-beam specific reference signals), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)), control information, or data information (such as in the form of packets) from one or more other wireless communication devices via various channels including a control channel (e.g., PUCCH or PSCCH) and a data channel (e.g., PUSCH or PSSCH). The other wireless communication devices may include, but are not limited to, the UE 120 described in reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 and the wireless communication device 402 described in reference to FIGS. 4, Figure 5 B, Figure 5 and C.

[0110] The received information may be passed to other components of the wireless communication device 800. The receiver 810 may be an example of aspects of the receiving processor 238 described in reference Figure 2 . The receiver 810 may include a set of radio frequency (RF) chains coupled to or otherwise utilizing an antenna array (e.g., the antenna array may be an example of aspects of the antenna 234 described in reference Figure 2 ).

[0111] The transmitter 820 may transmit signals generated by the communication manager 815 or other components of the wireless communication device 800. In some examples, the transmitter 820 may be co-located with the receiver 810 in a transceiver. The transmitter 820 may be an example of aspects of the transmitting processor 220 described in reference Figure 2 . The transmitter 820 may be coupled to or otherwise utilize an antenna array (e.g., the antenna array may be an example of aspects of the antenna 234), which may be antenna elements shared with the receiver 810. In some examples, the transmitter 820 is configured to transmit control information in a PDCCH or PSCCH and data in a PDSCH or PSSCH.

[0112] The communication manager 815 may be an example of aspects of the controller / processor 240 described in the reference. The communication manager 815 includes a DRB component 830 and a PDU component 840. In some examples, operating in conjunction with one or both of the transmitter 820 and the receiver 810, the DRB component 830 establishes one or more DRBs between the network node and the UE. Additionally, operating in conjunction with the receiver 810, the PDU component receives a PDU set corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on a mapping of QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a PDU set type subgroup in the PDU set type group. Figure 2

[0113] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 900 performed by a network node in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The example process 900 is an example of receiving a PDU set associated with one or more PDU set types. As shown in Figure 9 , process 900 begins at block 902, where one or more DRBs are established between the network node and the UE. At block 904, process 900 receives a PDU set corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on a mapping of QoS flows to each of the one or more DRBs. Each of the one or more QoS flows may be associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a PDU set type subgroup in the PDU set type group.

[0114] Specific example embodiments are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0115] Clause 1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the UE and a network node; and transmitting protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to the DRBs among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, each of the one or more QoS flows being associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a PDU set type subgroup in the PDU set type group.

[0116] Clause 2. The method according to clause 1, wherein the PDU is associated with one of the one or more QoS flows.

[0117] ​Clause 3. The method according to clause 2, wherein the PDU set type and the PDU set type indicator are included in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header of the PDU based at least in part on a data packet associated with the PDU indicating the PDU set type.

[0118] Clause 4. The method according to clause 2, wherein a QoS flow ID (QFI) is included in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header of the PDU based at least in part on a data packet associated with the PDU failing to indicate the PDU set type.

[0119] Clause 5. The method according to clause 1, wherein the mapping indicates that the one or more QoS flows are associated with a common radio link control (RLC) entity and a common logical channel (LCH).

[0120] Clause 6. The method according to clause 5, the method further comprising: identifying the PDU set type associated with the PDU in the PDU set type group based at least in part on an indication of the PDU set type or the QoS flow ID (QFI) included in the SDAP header of the PDU, wherein at least one of the following is performed based at least in part on one or more parameters associated with the PDU set type: the PDU is transmitted or processed.

[0121] Clause 7. The method according to clause 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: a retransmission timer, an acknowledgement mode (AM) poll bit associated with the PDU set type, or a retransmission parameter that allows the PDU to be retransmitted before a status report is received from a receiver; and the method further comprises processing the PDU at the common RLC entity and the common LCH based at least in part on the one or more parameters.

[0122] Clause 8. The method according to clause 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include one or more of an out-of-order scheduling (OOOS) configuration and a corresponding delay threshold; and the method further comprises giving priority to the transmission of the PDU over other PDUs in a queue based at least in part on the OOOS configuration indicating that OOOS is allowed for the PDU.

[0123] Clause 9. The method according to clause 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include a duplicate PDU configuration; and the method further comprises: establishing a duplicate RLC entity and a duplicate LCH based at least in part on the duplicate PDU configuration being enabled; duplicating the PDU at the common RLC entity; and transmitting the duplicated PDU via the duplicate RLC entity.

[0124] Clause 10. The method according to Clause 1, wherein each DRB is mapped to two or more radio link control (RLC) entities.

[0125] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, the method further comprising: identifying, at least in part based on an indication of the one PDU set type or a QoS flow ID (QFI) included in the SDAP header of the PDU, the one PDU set type associated with the PDU in the PDU set type group; and processing the PDU using one of the two or more RLC entities, at least in part based on identifying the one PDU set type.

[0126] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 1, wherein: each QoS flow among the one or more QoS flows mapped to each DRB is mapped to a corresponding RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities; and each RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities is associated with a corresponding logical channel (LCH) of one or more logical channels (LCHs).

[0127] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 1, the method further comprising: receiving a message from the network node, the message mapping each RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities to a logical channel (LCH) for each QoS flow among the one or more QoS flows mapped to each DRB.

[0128] Clause 14. The method according to Clause 1, wherein each DRB is associated with a plurality of logical channels (LCHs).

[0129] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 14, wherein: for a traffic flow, the UE maintains a single variable that represents the number of bits preferentially used for data unit transmission; the single variable is associated with the plurality of LCHs; the single variable is initialized to zero; and when the UE performs a new uplink transmission, the single variable is incremented.

[0130] Clause 16. The method according to Clause 15, the method further comprising: multiplexing data from at least one of the plurality of LCHs onto physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources based on receiving an uplink grant; and decrementing the variable by the total amount of data multiplexed onto the PUSCH resources.

[0131] Clause 17. The method according to Clause 16, wherein the data is selected from the plurality of LCHs based on the variable being greater than zero.

[0132] Clause 18. The method according to clause 16, wherein: the data is at least partially from a subset of the plurality of LCHs based on the size of the PUSCH resource being less than the size of the data from the plurality of LCHs; the subset is selected based on: the descending order of the respective importance levels associated with each LCH of the plurality of LCHs; or the descending order of the respective LCH priorities associated with each LCH of the plurality of LCHs.

[0133] Clause 19. The method according to clause 18, wherein: at least partially based on a first LCH associated with a first delay budget having the same priority or the same importance as a second LCH from the plurality of LCHs, the subset includes the first LCH; and the first delay budget is less than a second delay budget associated with the second LCH.

[0134] Clause 20. The method according to clause 1, wherein: a first QoS flow among the one or more QoS flows is mapped to a first DRB and a second DRB among the one or more DRBs; and the PDU is mapped to one of the first DRB or the second DRB based on the PDU set type associated with the PDU.

[0135] Clause 21. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 20, the method further comprising requesting, via a Policy Control Function (PCF), a PDU set-based QoS rule for an uplink flow; and receiving, from a Session Management Function (SMF), an enhanced QoS rule based on the request for the PDU set-based QoS rule.

[0136] Clause 22. The method according to clause 21, wherein: the PCF determines one or more of a PDU set delay budget (PSDB), a PDU set error rate (PSER), or a PDU set content criterion (PSCC); and the SMF determines the enhanced QoS rule based on the PCF determining one or more of the PSDB, the PSER, or the PSCC.

[0137] Clause 23. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 22, the method further comprising sending a message indicating the PDU set type group to a Session Management Function (SMF).

[0138] Clause 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the message is sent via non-access stratum (NAS) signaling.

[0139] Clause 25. The method according to clause 24, wherein a Radio Access Network (RAN) identifies the PDU set type group based on sending the message to the SMF.

[0140] Clause 26. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 25, the method further comprising sending a message indicating information about the PDU set type group to a radio access network (RAN).

[0141] Clause 27. The method according to Clause 23, wherein the message is sent via a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0142] Clause 28. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions; the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, being operative to cause the apparatus to perform according to any one of Clauses 1 to 27.

[0143] Clause 29. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing any one of Clauses 1 to 27.

[0144] Clause 30. A computer program, the computer program comprising code for causing an apparatus to perform any one of Clauses 1 to 27.

[0145] Clause 31. A method for wireless communication at a network node, the method comprising: establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the network node and a user equipment (UE); and receiving, at least in part based on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, a protocol data unit (PDU) group corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs, each of the one or more QoS flows being associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a PDU set type subgroup in a PDU set type group.

[0146] Clause 32. The method according to Clause 31, wherein: the DRB corresponding to the PDU group is associated with a QoS flow designated for in-order delivery; the PDU group is reordered at a protocol layer before being delivered to an application layer at the network node; and the reordering is at least in part based on a reordering function for packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) or PDU set sequence numbers.

[0147] Clause 33. The method according to Clause 32, wherein the protocol layer is higher than a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer.

[0148] Clause 34. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, the instructions being operative, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to perform any one of Clauses 31 to 33.

[0149] Clause 35. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing any one of Clauses 31 to 33.

[0150] Clause 36. A computer program, the computer program comprising code for causing an apparatus to perform any one of Clauses 31 to 33.

[0151] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure, or may be obtained from practice of the aspects.

[0152] As used, the term "component" is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. As used, a processor is implemented using hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0153] Some aspects are described in connection with thresholds. As used, depending on the context, meeting a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc.

[0154] It will be apparent that the described systems and / or methods may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specific control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit the aspects. Accordingly, the operations and performance of these systems and / or methods are described without reference to specific software code, it should be understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement these systems and / or methods at least in part based on these descriptions.

[0155] Although specific combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of the various aspects. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or not disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of the various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination having multiple of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0156] An element, act, or instruction used should not be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Further, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." Further, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more (e.g., related items, unrelated items, combinations of related and unrelated items, etc.) and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." If only intending to refer to a single item, the phrase "only one" or similar language will be used. Further, as used herein, the term "having" and the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "at least partially based on" unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprises: one or more processors; and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are operative to cause the apparatus to: establish one or more Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) between the UE and a network node; and transmit protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to the DRBs among the one or more DRBs at least in part based on a mapping of one or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, wherein each of the one or more QoS flows is associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the PDU is associated with one of the one or more QoS flows.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the PDU set type and a PDU set type indicator are included in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header of the PDU at least in part based on a data packet associated with the PDU indicating the PDU set type.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a QoS Flow ID (QFI) is included in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header of the PDU at least in part based on a data packet associated with the PDU failing to indicate the PDU set type.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping indicates that the one or more QoS flows are associated with a common Radio Link Control (RLC) entity and a common Logical Channel (LCH).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to identify the PDU set type in the PDU set type group associated with the PDU at least in part based on an indication of the PDU set type or the QoS Flow ID (QFI) included in the SDAP header of the PDU; and perform at least one of the following at least in part based on one or more parameters associated with the PDU set type: the PDU is transmitted or processed.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include one or more of the following: a retransmission timer, an Acknowledged Mode (AM) poll bit associated with the PDU set type, or a retransmission parameter that allows retransmission of the PDU before a status report is received from a receiver; and execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to process the PDU at the common RLC entity and the common LCH at least in part based on the one or more parameters.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include one or more of an Out-of-Order Scheduling (OOOS) configuration and a corresponding delay threshold; and The execution of the instruction also causes the device to prioritize the transmission of the PDU over other PDUs in the queue by at least partially enabling the OOOS for the PDU based on the OOOS configuration.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein: the one or more parameters include a duplicate PDU configuration; and the execution of the instruction also causes the device to: establish a duplicate RLC entity and a duplicate LCH at least partially based on the duplicate PDU configuration being enabled; duplicate the PDU at the common RLC entity; and transmit the duplicated PDU via the duplicate RLC entity.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein each DRB is mapped to two or more radio link control (RLC) entities.

11. The device according to claim 10, the execution of the instruction also causes the device to: identify the one PDU set type associated with the PDU in the PDU set type group at least partially based on the indication of the one PDU set type or the QoS flow ID (QFI) included in the SDAP header of the PDU; and process the PDU using one of the two or more RLC entities at least partially based on identifying the one PDU set type.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein: each QoS flow mapped to each DRB among the one or more QoS flows is mapped to a corresponding RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities; and each RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities is associated with a corresponding logical channel (LCH) of one or more logical channels (LCH).

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the execution of the instruction also causes the device to receive a message from the network node that maps each RLC entity among the one or more RLC entities to a logical channel (LCH) for each QoS flow mapped to each DRB among the one or more QoS flows.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein each DRB is associated with multiple logical channels (LCH).

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: for a traffic flow, the UE maintains a single variable that represents the number of bits preferentially used for data unit transmission; the single variable is associated with the multiple LCHs; the single variable is initialized to zero; and when the UE performs a new uplink transmission, the single variable is incremented.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the execution of the instruction also causes the device to: multiplex data from at least one of the multiple LCHs onto physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources based on receiving an uplink grant; and decrement the variable by the total amount of data multiplexed onto the PUSCH resources.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the data is selected from the multiple LCHs based on the variable being greater than zero.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The data is at least partially from a subset of the plurality of LCHs based on the size of the PUSCH resource being less than the size of the data from the plurality of LCHs; The subset is selected based on: descending order of the respective importance levels associated with each LCH of the plurality of LCHs; or descending order of the respective LCH priorities associated with each LCH of the plurality of LCHs.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein: at least partially based on a first LCH associated with a first delay budget having the same priority or the same importance as a second LCH from the plurality of LCHs, the subset includes the first LCH; and the first delay budget is less than a second delay budget associated with the second LCH.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: a first QoS flow among the one or more QoS flows is mapped to a first DRB and a second DRB among the one or more DRBs; and the PDU is mapped to one of the first DRB or the second DRB based on the PDU set type associated with the PDU.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to: request a PDU set-based QoS rule for an uplink flow via a Policy Control Function (PCF); and receive an enhanced QoS rule from a Session Management Function (SMF) based on the request for the PDU set-based QoS rule.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the PCF determines one or more of a PDU set delay budget (PSDB), a PDU set error rate (PSER), or a PDU set content criterion (PSCC); and the SMF determines the enhanced QoS rule based on the PCF determining one or more of the PSDB, the PSER, or the PSCC.

23. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the instructions further causes the UE to send a message indicating the PDU set type group to a Session Management Function (SMF).

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: the message is sent via non-access stratum (NAS) signaling; and a radio access network (RAN) identifies the PDU set type group based on sending the message to the SMF.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the instructions further causes the apparatus to send a message indicating information about the PDU set type group to a radio access network (RAN).

26. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprises: establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the UE and a network node; and Transmit protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to each of the one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) based at least in part on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, where each of the one or more QoS flows is associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: establish one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the network node and a user equipment (UE); and receive a set of protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs based at least in part on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, where each of the one or more QoS flows is associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein: the DRB corresponding to the set of PDUs is associated with a QoS flow designated for in-sequence delivery; the set of PDUs is reordered at a protocol layer before being delivered to an application layer at the network node; and the reordering is based at least in part on a reordering function for packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) or PDU set sequence numbers.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the protocol layer is higher than a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer.

30. A method for wireless communication at a network node, the method comprising: establishing one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) between the network node and a user equipment (UE); and receiving a set of protocol data units (PDUs) corresponding to a DRB among the one or more DRBs based at least in part on a mapping of one or more quality of service (QoS) flows to each of the one or more DRBs, where each of the one or more QoS flows is associated with one PDU set type in a PDU set type group or a subgroup of PDU set types in the PDU set type group.

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