Buffer status reporting

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to BSR equipment, method and device and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least: any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report a buffer status of an LCG, where an LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE for reporting the buffer status of the LCG; and transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on the configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for buffer status reports (BSRs). Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has launched a study on XR (such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), etc.) enhancements for new radio (NR). With the development of XR, BSRs may need to be further enhanced to adapt to XR service characteristics, such as periodicity, multi-stream, jitter, latency, reliability, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BSRs.

[0004] In a first aspect, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: obtain a configuration for at least a first type of buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group (LCG), where the logical channel group identifier (LCG ID) refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the logical channel identifier (LCID) of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0005] In a second aspect, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: obtain a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first group of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second group of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0006] In a third aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and determine a buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and determine a buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configurations.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least: any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the logical channel group identifier (LCG ID) refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least: only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and means for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least: any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and means for determining a buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0016] In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth aspect.

[0017] When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example, and their advantages will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 An example environment is illustrated in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0020] Figure 2 A signaling diagram is shown illustrating an example of a process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example method of BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example method of BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example method of BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown illustrating an example method of BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0026] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0028] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0030] In the present disclosure, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that, whether or not explicitly described, the combination of such a feature, structure, or characteristic with other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases (where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or") refer to at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0033] As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, performing a step "in response to A" does not mean that the step is performed immediately after A occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0034] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes" and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0035] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0036] (a) A pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation with only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0037] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0038] (i) A combination of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0039] (ii) Any portion of (one or more) hardware processors (including (one or more) digital signal processors), software, and (one or more) memories with software that work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or a server)

[0040] to perform various functions), and

[0041] (c) (One or more) hardware circuits and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a portion of (one or more) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may be absent when not needed for operation.

[0042] The definition of the circuitry is suitable for all uses of the term in this application (including in any claims). As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of only hardware circuits or processors (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0043] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC), etc. In addition, the communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generational communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communication, there will of course also be future types of communication technologies and systems that can utilize the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above systems.

[0044] As used herein, the terms "network device", "radio network device" and / or "radio access network device" refer to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), remote radio head (RRH), relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, low-power node (such as femto, pico), non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device), low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terms and technologies applied. In some example embodiments, a low Earth orbit (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In some other example embodiments, a part of the radio access network device or all of the radio access network device can be carried on an airborne or spaceborne NTN vehicle.

[0045] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated processing chain environment), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. A terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0046] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource", or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a spatial domain resource, a code domain resource, or any other resource enabling communication, etc. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0047] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As Figure 1 shown, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. In the following, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a UE.

[0048] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. In the following, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB or an eNB. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120.

[0049] It should be understood that Figure 1The number of network devices and terminal devices shown is given for illustrative purposes and does not represent any limitation. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0051] Communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or to be developed in the future.

[0052] As described above, the BSR may need to be further enhanced to adapt to XR service characteristics, especially the low latency requirement.

[0053] Multiple BSR formats have been defined in the specification. For example, the BSR format may refer to short BSR and short truncated BSR MAC, long BSR and long truncated BSR, and extended short BSR and extended short truncated BSR MAC CE. Basically, the BSR may indicate the buffer data volume associated with one or more LCGIDs. The buffer data volume may be indicated by a buffer size associated with a specific buffer size table.

[0054] For the short BSR and short truncated BSR, only the BSR of one LCG is reported (with a fixed length of 8 bits), and the BSR includes an LCG ID field with a length of 3 bits and a buffer size field with a length of 5 bits.

[0055] The long BSR / long truncated BSR is capable of reporting the BSRs of one or more LCGs. The LCG ID may have a 3-bit field and is capable of reporting up to 8 LCGs.

[0056] For XR technology, it has been discussed whether one or more new BSR tables (i.e., buffer size tables) with finer granularity need to be added for XR, and whether to include the reporting of latency information in the BSR.

[0057] Therefore, in addition to XR services, it is not clear when there are (one or more) other logical channels (LCHs) (e.g., signaling radio bearers (SRBs) or other services) configured for the UE, and how the LCHs with or without (one or more) new BSR tables work together. In addition, with the newly added (one or more) BSR tables, it may also be necessary to define the representation of buffer data.

[0058] The solution of the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for the BSR (especially for XR). In this solution, as an option, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE. This configuration may be obtained in the same message or different messages. This configuration may be pre-configured for the terminal device 110. This configuration may at least define that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported. In other words, the buffer status of any given LCG among multiple LCGs can use any one of the BSR formats in the BSR format to report the buffer status on this LCG. The LCID of the BSR MAC CE may indicate the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG. In one embodiment, the LCID may exist in the BSR MAC CE.

[0059] As another option, the terminal device 110 may obtain the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE. This configuration may be obtained in the same message or different messages. This configuration may be pre-configured for the terminal device 110. This configuration may at least define that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the first group of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the second group of LCGs.

[0060] Based on this configuration, the terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device 120.

[0061] In this way, a mechanism for coexistence of LCH / LCG configured with a conventional BSR buffer size table associated with a conventional type of BSR MAC CE and a new BSR buffer size table associated with a new type of BSR MAC CE is provided.

[0062] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Now refer Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, the signaling diagram 200 involves a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. For the purpose of discussion, reference Figure 1 is made to describe the signaling diagram 200.

[0064] It is assumed that multiple types of BSR MAC CE can be used for buffer status reporting, namely a first type of BSR MAC CE (which may be referred to as a conventional BSR MAC CE) and a second type of BSR MAC CE (which may be referred to as a new BSR MAC CE). The type of BSR MAC CE can be indicated by the LCID of the BSR MAC CE. For example, there are 64 LCIDs. LCIDs 0 - 31 can be used to indicate from which LCH the buffer data is reported, and LCIDs 32 - 64 can be used to indicate the type of BSR MAC CE. The LCID here can also refer to the extended logical channel ID (eLCID).

[0065] The first type of BSR MAC CE can be associated with (one or more) conventional buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE can be associated with (one or more) new buffer size tables or with both (one or more) conventional buffer size tables and (one or more) new buffer size tables, which can follow a similar format that includes an LCGID to indicate which LCH / (which or which) LCGs are being reported.

[0066] The terminal device 110 can obtain BSR configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the terminal device 110 can receive (202) BSR configurations from the network device 120 via, for example, high - layer signaling (e.g., via RRC signaling). It should be understood that the configuration can be predefined in the specification, which means that the terminal device 110 can know the BSR configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE without explicit signaling from the network device 120.

[0067] Then, the terminal device 110 may send (204) at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device 120 based on the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0068] Between steps 202 and 204, the terminal device may determine, based on the configuration, which type of BSR MAC CE or both types of BSR MAC CE to apply to report the buffer status of a given LCG. For example, according to the configuration, the buffer status of a specific LCG may be reported only with a specific type of BSR MAC CE. As another example, if, according to the configuration, both BSR MAC CEs are available for reporting the buffer status of a specific LCG, the configuration may provide rules for selecting which BCR MAC CE to use, as will be described later.

[0069] The BSR configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE may define which type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of which LCG. The configuration of which BSR MAC CE to use may also be for a logical channel (LCH), where the LCH is configured to the LCG. Thus, the terminal device 110 may figure out which type of BSR MAC CE to use to report the buffer status of which LCG. Based on this configuration, the behavior of the terminal device 110 can be further discussed as follows.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the BSR configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE may at least define that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported. The LCID of the sub-header of the BSR MAC CE may indicate the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0071] In this case, the first LCG ID used in the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second LCG ID used in the second type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with the same LCG of the same group containing one or more LCHs, or may point to the same LCG of the same group containing one or more LCHs. For example, the LCG ID 1 used in the first type of BSR MAC CE and the LCG ID 1 used in the second type of BSR MAC CE point to the same LCG. That is, the first LCG ID and the second LCG ID may have the same index.

[0072] The LCID of the BSR MAC CE can indicate which type of BSR MAC CE is used, and the reported LCG does not necessarily require additional indication to indicate which buffer size table is used. This allows the buffer sizes of the same LCG to be reported via the first type of BSR MAC CE and / or the second type of BSR MAC CE, where the LCID of the BSR MAC CE informs which buffer size table is used.

[0073] In addition, the first type of BSR MAC CE can be associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE can be associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0074] In some examples, the buffer sizes reported for different LCGs in one type of BSR MAC CE can be associated with different buffer size tables. Which (one or more) buffer size tables apply to which LCG or LCH can be configured by the network.

[0075] As an option, the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables may not overlap. As another option, the first set of one or more buffer size tables may have a full range of buffer sizes, and thus the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables may at least partially overlap. Compared with the granularity of the first set of one or more buffer size tables, the second set of one or more buffer size tables can provide a finer granularity for a specific range of buffer sizes.

[0076] In this case, the (one or more) buffer size tables associated with each BSR MAC CE sent are indicated by one LCID in the first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID in the second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0077] The terminal device 110 can determine which buffer size table is used based on the following rules. The rules can be included in the configuration.

[0078] As an option, the buffer size table selected for an LCH or LCG is, for example, in the case of a certain type of BSR MAC CE, a table that provides the minimum difference between the buffer data amount and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index, as this difference can vary due to quantization. That is, due to the different quantization of different types of BSR MAC CE (or buffer size tables associated with different types of BSR MAC CE), the difference in the actual buffer data for different types of BSR MAC CE can vary. For example, assume that a first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to indicate buffer state x, and the actual buffer state at the reported LCG / LCH is y. Further assume that a second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to indicate buffer state z, where z is closer to y than x. In this case, the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer state of the LCG / LCG.

[0079] As another option, if the buffer size of the (one or more) LCH / (one or more) LCG to be reported falls outside the range of the buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE, the terminal device 110 can fallback to the buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, and vice versa. That is, the terminal device 110 can determine to use the buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE instead of the buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0080] As described above, traditionally, the long BSR / long truncated BSR is able to report the BSR of one or more LCGs. The LCG ID can have a 3-bit field and is able to report up to 8 LCGs. For the long BSR, when all reported LCH / LCGs use the same buffer size table, the BSR MAC CE corresponding to that buffer size table is used. Similarly, for the new type of BSR MAC CE, the LCG ID can be used to indicate which LCGs are reported, and the buffer state for each LCG can be reported based on the (one or more) new buffer size tables (e.g., one or more traditional BSR buffer size tables associated with the traditional type of BSR MAC CE and / or one or more new BSR buffer size tables associated with the new type of BSR MAC CE).

[0081] If not all reported LCH / LCGs use the same buffer size table, as many BSR MAC CEs as the buffer size tables required to report the LCH / LCGs with buffer data (i.e., non-zero) are triggered, and each LCH / LCG is reported in the BSR where its LCID matches the required buffer size table.

[0082] Alternatively, a single BSR MAC CE can be used to report different LCH / LCGs applying different buffer size tables. Which buffer size table applies to which LCH / LCG can be configured by the network device 120. Based on this configuration, the network device 120 knows which buffer size table will be used for which LCH / LCG in the BSR MAC CE.

[0083] In other words, the non-zero buffer size for an LCH / LCG with buffer data can only be reported once. If a zero buffer size is indicated or there is no buffer size for the LCGID in all BSR MAC CEs (via the LCGID bit mapping), the network device 120 can know that no data is buffered for the LCH / LCG.

[0084] Due to the described table selection rule(s), more accurate buffer sizes of the (one or more) LCH / (one or more) LCGs can be reported with a minimum quantization error.

[0085] In some other example embodiments, the BSR configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and for the second type of BSR MAC CE can at least define that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the second set of LCGs. The LCG sets can be non-overlapping. The LCID of the sub-header of the BSR MAC CE can indicate the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0086] In this case, the LCGID used in the first type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., traditional BSR MAC CE) and the LCGID used in the second type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., new BSR MAC CE) are configured separately, such that separate LCGIDs are used for the LCH / LCGs applying the traditional buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE and the LCH / LCGs applying the new buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0087] Therefore, the LCH / LCGs configured to apply the new buffer size table only use the new BSR MAC CE format with the new LCID. The new BSR MAC CE can only support the new buffer size table, which can also cover the traditional buffer size range, or can support both the traditional buffer size table and the new buffer size table, or can only support the new buffer size table different from the traditional buffer size table.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each BSR MAC CE can be indicated by one LCID among a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID among a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0089] Compared with the case where any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG, in this option of a separate LCG ID pool, the number of different LCGs available for use with the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE can be larger. This can provide, for example, a separate LCG for each LCH.

[0090] In this case, the terminal device 110 can determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, for example, based on the LCG for which the buffer status is to be reported. The network can know, based on this configuration, which LCGs are associated with which type of BSR MAC CE.

[0091] When the same LCH is configured as part of two LCG IDs, the BSR can be reported twice, for example, using the traditional BSR MAC CE format and the new BSR MAC CE format. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 can be left to select which buffer size table presents a smaller quantization error and accordingly select the corresponding type of BSR MAC CE.

[0092] Alternatively or optionally, for example, the configuration can further define that the terminal device 110 can use the traditional BSR MAC CE (i.e., the first type) for the LCH / LCG only when no delay information reporting is configured for the LCH / LCG. Or, the network device 120 can configure the terminal device 110 to use the traditional BSR MAC CE for the LCH / LCG only when no delay information reporting is configured for the LCH / LCG. Otherwise, the new BSR MAC CE will be used.

[0093] In one embodiment, the delay information defines the delay or latency requirement for the data buffered in the LCG / LCH. In one embodiment, the delay information is included in the transmitted BSR MAC CE.

[0094] After receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE, as Figure 2As shown, the network device 120 may determine (206) the buffer status of the relevant LCG / LCH at the terminal device 110 based on the configuration of the BSR for at least the BSR MAC CE of the first type and the BSR MAC CE of the second type.

[0095] For example, the network device 120 may determine a buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE in at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE. Then, the network device 120 may determine the buffer status of the relevant LCG / LCH at the terminal device 110 based on the buffer size indicated in the received BSR MAC CE and the determined buffer size table.

[0096] In some example embodiments, an example of the buffer size table associated with the BSR MAC CE of the second type (e.g., the new BSR MAC CE) may be listed as follows. It should be understood that the buffer size table associated with the BSR MAC CE of the second type may not be limited to the examples listed below.

[0097]

[0098] In addition, the BSR MAC CE format of the BSR MAC CE of the second type (e.g., the new BSR MAC CE) may be configured with an LCID and an LCGID bit mapping in the sub-header, so that the buffer size index for one or more LCGs (whose bits are set to 1 in the bit mapping) can be reported. Optionally, the BSR MAC CE format of the BSR MAC CE of the second type may also have a field for the remaining time information of the reported one or more LCGs, and this field is configured to report the remaining time information. The buffer size index may be mapped to different buffer size tables.

[0099] As described above, the solution of the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for the coexistence of LCH / LCG configured with one or more traditional buffer size tables and one or more new buffer size tables. At the same time, a mechanism for falling back to one or more traditional buffer size tables for LCH / LCG configured with one or more new buffer size tables is also implemented.

[0100] In the case where a separate LCGID pool can support more LCGIDs, that is, only the BSR MAC CE of the first type can be used to report the buffer status of the first group of LCGs, and only the BSR MAC CE of the second type can be used to report the buffer status of the second group of LCGs. More fine-grained buffer size reporting can be supported, for example, a separate LCG for each LCH.

[0101] In the case of supporting a common LCGID pool, that is, any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the terminal device 110 may be allowed to use one or more traditional buffer size tables, where the LCID in the sub-header of the BSR MAC CE indicates the use of the new BSR MAC CE without other additional signaling.

[0102] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 of a BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 300 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described with reference to

[0103] At 310, the terminal device 110 obtains a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0104] At 320, the terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on the configuration.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each sent BSR MAC CE is indicated by one LCID in the first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID in the second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used for reporting the buffer status of the LCG, and this determination is based on the difference between the amount of buffer data on the LCG and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index for a given type of BSR MAC CE.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the BSR MAC CE that provides the minimum difference between the amount of buffer data and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index is determined to be the one to be used for reporting the buffer status.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine that the amount of buffer data on the LCG falls outside the range of one or more buffer size tables available for use with a second type of BSR MAC CE; and determine to report the buffer status of the LCG by using a first type of BSR MAC CE.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine that a first buffer size table is applicable for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs; and use the BSR MAC CE type associated with the buffer size table corresponding to the first buffer size table to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine that different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats are required for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes; and use multiple BSR MAC CEs to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the number of multiple BSR MAC CEs corresponds to the number of different buffer size tables required for reporting the buffer status of one or more LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and each BSR MAC CE includes an LCID corresponding to the required buffer size table of the reported LCG.

[0114] In some example embodiments, multiple BSR MAC CEs are sent by using different buffer size tables for reporting the buffer status of one or more LCGs.

[0115] In some example embodiments, when delay information reporting is configured for the LCG or for the logical channels within the LCG, the terminal device 110 may avoid using a first type of BSR MAC CE to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0116] Figure 4A flowchart of an example method 400 of a BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Describe method 400.

[0117] At 410, the terminal device 110 obtains a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0118] At 420, the terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on the configuration.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the second set of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table in the first set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each sent BSR MAC CE is indicated by an LCID in a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by an LCID in a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the number of different LCGs available for the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE is greater than the number in the case where any one type of BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG, where each LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates a different buffer size table used in the BSR MAC CE.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the LCG for which the buffer status is to be reported.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a logical channel LCH for which a buffer status is to be reported, which is associated with an LCG that requires a first type of BSR MAC CE and an LCG that requires a second type of BSR MAC CE; and send two types of BSR MAC CEs to the network device to report the buffer status of the LCH.

[0125] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 of a BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 500 may be implemented at the network device 120 as shown in Figure 1 shown. For purposes of discussion, method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1 described.

[0126] At 510, the network device 120 receives at least one type of BSR MAC CE from the terminal device 110.

[0127] At 520, the network device 120 determines the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may determine a buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE; and determine the buffer status based at least on the buffer size table.

[0131] In some example embodiments, based on the determination of the reception of buffer states of multiple LCGs using multiple BSR MAC CEs, network device 120 may determine different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats required to report the buffer states of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes.

[0132] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 of a BSR according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 600 may be implemented at network device 120 as shown. For purposes of discussion, method 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1 as shown. Figure 1 Method 600 will be described.

[0133] At 610, network device 120 receives at least one type of BSR MAC CE from terminal device 110.

[0134] At 620, network device 120 determines the buffer state of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer state of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer state of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer state of the LCG.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables, where the second set of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table in the first set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0136] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may determine the buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE; and determine the buffer state based at least on the buffer size table.

[0137] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may use two types of BSR MAC CEs to receive the buffer states of logical channel LCH associated with LCGs that require the first type of BSR MAC CE and LCGs that require the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0138] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 300 (e.g., implemented at terminal device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and components for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each BSR MAC CE sent is indicated by one LCID from the first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID from the second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the difference between the amount of buffer data on the LCG and the amount of data that can be reported in the case of a given type of BSR MAC CE.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the BSR MAC CE that provides the smallest difference between the amount of buffer data and the amount of data that can be reported is determined to be used to report the buffer status.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining that the amount of buffer data on the LCG falls outside the range of one or more buffer size tables available for a second type of BSR MAC CE; and means for determining to report the buffer status of the LCG by using a first type of BSR MAC CE.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining that a first buffer size table is applicable for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs; and means for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs by using a BSR MAC CE type associated with the buffer size table corresponding to the first buffer size table.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining that different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats are required for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes; and means for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs by using multiple BSR MAC CEs.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the number of multiple BSR MAC CEs corresponds to the number of different buffer size tables required for reporting the buffer status of one or more LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and each BSR MAC CE includes an LCID corresponding to the required buffer size table of the reported LCG.

[0149] In some example embodiments, multiple BSR MAC CEs are sent by using different buffer size tables for reporting the buffer status of one or more LCGs.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for avoiding using a first type of BSR MAC CE to report the buffer status of the LCG when delay information reporting is configured for the LCG or for a logical channel within the LCG.

[0151] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., implemented at terminal device 110) may include means for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in circuitry or a software module.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and components for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the second set of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table from the first set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one LCID from the first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID from the second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the number of different LCGs that can be used for the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE is greater than the number in the case where any one type of BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG, where each LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates a different buffer size table used in the BSR MAC CE.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the LCG for which the buffer status is to be reported.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components associated with a logical channel LCH for which a buffer status is to be reported, an LCG that requires a first type of BSR MAC CE, and an LCG that requires a second type of BSR MAC CE; and components for sending two types of BSR MAC CEs to a network device for reporting the buffer status of the LCH.

[0159] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., implemented at network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and components for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0161] In some example embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining a buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among the at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE; and components for determining the buffer status based at least on the buffer size table.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining, based on a determination of the buffer status of a plurality of LCGs utilizing a plurality of BSR MAC CEs, a different buffer size table associated with different BSR MAC CE formats required to report the buffer status of the plurality of LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes.

[0165] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 600 (e.g., implemented at network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or a software module.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and components for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining that only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables, where the second set of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table from the first set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining, based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE, the buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among the at least one type of BSR MAC CE; and components for determining the buffer status based at least on the buffer size table.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving, using two types of BSR MAC CEs, the buffer status of a logical channel LCH associated with an LCG that requires the first type of BSR MAC CE and an LCG that requires the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0170] Figure 7is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 can be provided to implement a communication device, for example, such as Figure 1 shown as the first terminal device 110 or the second terminal device 120. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

[0171] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 740 can include at least one antenna.

[0172] The processor 710 can be of any type suitable for a local technical network and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 700 can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is subordinate in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0173] The memory 720 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), an optical disc, a laser disc, and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0174] The computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions of the program 730 can include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 730 can be stored in a memory (such as ROM 724). The processor 710 can perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0175] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by the program 730 such that the device 700 can execute any process of the present disclosure discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 6 Example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage devices accessible to the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 722 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0177] Figure 8 An example of a computer-readable medium 800 in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk is shown. The computer-readable medium 800 has the program 730 stored thereon.

[0178] Generally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0179] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions for execution in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the above methods, such as the instructions included in the program modules. Generally, the program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or split as needed among the program modules. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0180] The program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0181] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0182] The computer-readable media can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage media will include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0183] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless expressly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless expressly stated otherwise, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0184] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the above-described specific features or acts. Rather, the above-described specific features or acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: obtain configurations for at least a first type of buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: any one of the BSR MAC CE types in the BSR MAC CE type can be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group (LCG), where the logical channel group identifier (LCGID) refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the logical channel identifier (LCID) of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the buffer size table associated with each sent BSR MAC CE is indicated by an LCID from a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by an LCID from a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device is further caused to: determine the type of the BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the difference between the buffer data volume on the LCG and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index in the case of a given type of BSR MAC CE.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the BSR MAC CE providing the minimum difference between the buffer data volume and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index is determined to be used to report the buffer status.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device is further caused to: determine that the buffer data volume on the LCG falls outside the range of one or more buffer size tables that can be used with the second type of BSR MAC CE; and determine to report the buffer status of the LCG by using the first type of BSR MAC CE.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the device is further caused to: Determine that the first buffer size table is applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs; and Report the buffer status of the multiple LCGs by using the type of the BSR MAC CE associated with the buffer size table corresponding to the first buffer size table.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the apparatus is caused to: Determine that different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats are required for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes; and Report the buffer status of the multiple LCGs by using multiple BSR MAC CEs.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the number of the multiple BSR MAC CEs corresponds to the number of different buffer size tables required for reporting the buffer status of the one or more LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and wherein each BSR MAC CE includes an LCID corresponding to the required buffer size table of the reported LCG.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the multiple BSR MAC CEs are sent by using different buffer size tables for reporting the buffer status of the one or more LCGs.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: When delay information reporting is configured for an LCG or for a logical channel within the LCG, avoid using the first type of BSR MAC CE to report the buffer status of the LCG.

13. An apparatus, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Obtain configurations for at least a first type of buffer status report BSR media access control MAC control element CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: Only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first group of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second group of LCGs, and The logical channel identifier LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; And Send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first group of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second group of one or more buffer size tables.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the second group of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table in the first group of one or more buffer size tables.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one LCID from a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one LCID from a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the number of different LCGs that can be used for the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE is greater than the number in the case where any one type of BSR MAC CE in the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG, and each LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates a different buffer size table used in the BSR MAC CE.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: Determine the type of the BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the LCG for which the buffer status is to be reported.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: Determine that a logical channel LCH for which the buffer status is to be reported is associated with an LCG that requires the first type of BSR MAC CE and an LCG that requires the second type of BSR MAC CE; and Send two types of BSR MAC CEs to the network device for reporting the buffer status of the LCH.

20. An apparatus, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Receive at least one type of buffer status report BSR media access control MAC control element CE from a terminal device; And Determine the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Any one type of BSR MAC CE in the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group LCG, where the logical channel group identifier LCGID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and The logical channel identifier LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the first set of one or more buffer size tables and the second set of one or more buffer size tables do not overlap.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine a buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among the at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE; and determine the buffer status based at least on the buffer size table.

24. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats required to report the buffer status of the plurality of LCGs reporting non-zero buffer sizes based on the determination of the received buffer status of the plurality of LCGs using a plurality of BSR MAC CEs.

25. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one type of buffer status report BSR media access control MAC control element CE from a terminal device; and and determine the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining at least: only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the logical channel identifier LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and the second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables, wherein the second set of one or more buffer size tables includes at least one buffer size table in the first set of one or more buffer size tables.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine a buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE among the at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE; and Determine the buffer status based at least on the buffer size table.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the apparatus is caused to: Receive the buffer status of the logical channel LCH associated with the LCG that requires the first type of BSR MAC CE and the LCG that requires the second type of BSR MAC CE by using two types of BSR MAC CEs.

29. A method, comprising: Obtain the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and The LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; And Send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on the configuration.

30. A method, comprising: Obtain the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the first group of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the second group of LCGs, and The LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; And Send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on the configuration.

31. A method, comprising: Receive at least one type of BSR MAC CE from the terminal device; And Determine the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and The LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

32. A method, comprising: Receive at least one type of BSR MAC CE from the terminal device; And Determine the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Only the BSR MAC CE of the first type can be used to report the buffer status of the first set of LCGs, and only the BSR MAC CE of the second type can be used to report the buffer status of the second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

33. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

34. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: only the BSR MAC CE of the first type can be used to report the buffer status of the first set of LCGs, and only the BSR MAC CE of the second type can be used to report the buffer status of the second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for sending at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

35. An apparatus, comprising: means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and means for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations at least defining: any one of the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

36. An apparatus, comprising: means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device; and A component for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on the at least one type of BSR MAC CE and the configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration at least defining: Only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of the second set of LCGs, and The LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

37. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to claim 29, the method according to claim 30, the method according to claim 31, or the method according to claim 32.

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