Communication methods, devices, storage media, chip systems and software products

Abstract

The communication method, apparatus, storage medium, chip system, and program product provided in this application relate to the field of communication technology. The method includes: an RLC transmitter sending and buffering data packets to an RLC receiver, and prohibiting retransmission of the buffered data packets when the duration of a first timer is less than or equal to a first threshold, wherein the first timer limits the retransmission time of the buffered data packets. The method also includes receiving first information sent by the RLC receiver, the first information indicating a successfully transmitted data packet. If the first information does not acknowledge successful transmission of the buffered target data packet, and the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to a second threshold, the target data packet is retransmitted. This method can reduce unnecessary retransmissions of data packets, reduce waste of wireless communication resources, and thereby improve the utilization rate of wireless communication resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, storage medium, chip system, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] Extended Reality (XR) creates virtual environments that allow users to interact with them through specific devices, providing a rich user experience. XR can include Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Currently, XR data is primarily transmitted using Protocol Data Unit sets (PDU sets). However, during XR data transmission, there is an issue of unnecessary packet retransmission, leading to wasted wireless transmission resources.

[0003] Therefore, how to improve the utilization rate of wireless transmission resources is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, chip system, and program product, which are applied in the field of communication technology to improve the utilization rate of wireless transmission resources.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to an RLC transmitter, the method comprising:

[0006] Send and buffer data packets to the RLC receiver;

[0007] If the duration of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, retransmission of the buffered data packet is prohibited. The first timer is used to limit the retransmission time of the buffered data packet.

[0008] Receive the first information sent by the RLC receiver, the first information being used to indicate a data packet that was successfully transmitted;

[0009] If the first information does not confirm the successful transmission of the cached target data packet, and the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, the target data packet is retransmitted.

[0010] Optional, also includes:

[0011] If any of the data packets triggers automatic retransmission, the first timer is started.

[0012] Optionally, the cache stores containers that include the cached data packets; the first information is used to indicate containers in the cache that have been successfully transmitted, and the data packets contained in the containers are the same as those in the transport block.

[0013] Optionally, the first information includes a first field, which is used to indicate the container where the transmission was successful.

[0014] Optionally, the first field includes an identifier of the container whose transmission was successful.

[0015] Optionally, the identifier of the successfully transmitted container is related to the identifier of the data packet included in the successfully transmitted container.

[0016] Optionally, the identifier of the data packet is a sequence number, and the identifier of the successfully transmitted container is the average of the sequence numbers of the data packets included in the successfully transmitted container.

[0017] Optional, also includes:

[0018] If the first information does not confirm the successful transmission of the target container, the data packet in the target container includes the target data packet.

[0019] Optional, also includes:

[0020] The container for the successful transfer is disbanded in the cache.

[0021] Optional, also includes:

[0022] The second information is reported to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the sending end, which indicates that the data packets in the container that were successfully transmitted have been successfully transmitted.

[0023] Optionally, the retransmission of the target data packet includes:

[0024] Retransmit the data packets included in the target container.

[0025] Optional, also includes:

[0026] Receive the third information sent by the RLC receiver, the third information including a data packet identifier and a reception status identifier;

[0027] If the reception status is confirmed, the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier is disbanded according to the data packet identifier.

[0028] Optional, also includes:

[0029] If the reception status is marked as non-acknowledgment, the data packets included in the target container are retransmitted according to the data packet identifier, where the target container is the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier.

[0030] Optional, also includes:

[0031] If the second timer at the RLC receiver times out, a fourth message is sent to the RLC receiver. The fourth message is used to instruct the second timer to be reset. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first message.

[0032] Optionally, the fourth information is also used to indicate that the RLC transmitter is about to send a data packet for the target service.

[0033] Optionally, the RLC transmitter includes one of the first timers.

[0034] Optionally, the first timer corresponds to the data packet of the target service.

[0035] Optional, also includes:

[0036] The system receives a fifth message sent by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, the fifth message being used to instruct the configuration of the first timer.

[0037] Optional, also includes:

[0038] The sixth information sent by the RRC layer is received, and the sixth information is used to indicate the first threshold.

[0039] Optional, also includes:

[0040] The seventh information sent by the RRC layer is received, and the seventh information is used to indicate the second threshold.

[0041] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to an RLC receiver, the method comprising:

[0042] Receive data packets sent by the RLC transmitter;

[0043] When the second timer is running, a first message is sent to the RLC sender based on the received data packet. The first message is used to indicate a container that has been successfully transmitted. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first message.

[0044] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer execution instructions, and the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to perform the method described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0045] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0046] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product including a computer program, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0047] Sixthly, this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected via a circuit. The at least one processor is used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the methods described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect. The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, pins, or circuits, etc.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself (e.g., read-only memory, random access memory, etc.).

[0049] The communication method, apparatus, storage medium, chip system, and program product provided in this application embodiment send and buffer data packets from an RLC transmitter to an RLC receiver, and prohibit the retransmission of buffered data packets when the duration of a first timer is less than or equal to a first threshold. The RLC receiver receives first information indicating a successfully transmitted data packet. If the first information does not contain a successful transmission confirmation of the target data packet in the buffer, and the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold but less than or equal to a second threshold, the target data packet is retransmitted. In this method, when the duration of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, the RLC transmitter may not have determined all successfully transmitted data packets due to the slow feedback speed of existing status reports. If these successfully transmitted data packets trigger automatic retransmission, it will cause unnecessary retransmissions. In this case, the first timer restricts the retransmission of all data packets in the RLC transmitter's transmit buffer. Then, the RLC transmitter receives the first information sent by the RLC receiver based on the received data packets to determine which data packets in the buffer are successfully transmitted. If the first message does not acknowledge the successful transmission of the cached target data packet, the RLC transmitter can determine that the target data packet is a failed transmission packet. If the duration of the first timer is greater than a first threshold and less than or equal to a second threshold, the RLC transmitter only retransmits the target data packet, without retransmitting successfully transmitted data packets. This allows the RLC transmitter to accurately retransmit failed target data packets, reducing the retransmission of successfully transmitted data packets and thus reducing unnecessary retransmissions, thereby improving the utilization rate of wireless communication resources. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system.

[0051] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a data packet transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating another data packet transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0059] In the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and purpose. For example, "first chip" and "second chip" are used only to distinguish different chips and do not limit their order of execution. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0060] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0061] In this application embodiment, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, a--c, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 may include at least one network device (such as...) Figure 1 110a, 110b, and 110c in the model may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 1 (120a-120g in the middle).

[0063] In this system, network devices and terminal devices can communicate via a wireless link. When the network device acts as a communication transmitter, the terminal device can act as a communication receiver; conversely, when the network device acts as a communication receiver, the terminal device can act as a communication transmitter. This application embodiment does not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system. Furthermore, it should be understood that... Figure 1 This is merely an illustration; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices. This application does not limit the scope of such inclusions. Figure 1 It is not shown in the middle.

[0064] The network device provided in this application embodiment can be a device that communicates with a terminal device. This network device can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device. For example, it can be a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation Node B (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, an access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN or open RAN), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or a satellite base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. Alternatively, the network device can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station. For example, it can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module. Access network equipment can be satellite base stations (such as...) Figure 1 (110a in the text), or it can be a macro base station (such as...) Figure 1 (110b in the original text) The access network equipment can also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as...) Figure 1 The 110c in the document can also refer to a relay node or donor node, etc. This application does not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the access network equipment. Furthermore, the 5G system can also be referred to as a new radio (NR) system.

[0065] The network in which the network device resides possesses strong computing capabilities. These capabilities can be provided by computing nodes within the network or can be inherent to the network device itself. When the computing capabilities are provided by computing nodes within the network, the network device can connect to one or more computing nodes in the network. It distributes task data received from the terminal device to the computing nodes, enabling the nodes to process the task data. These computing nodes can be, for example, multi-access edge computing (MEC), distributed cloud nodes, quantum computing nodes, or computing hosts. Within a computing node, one or more computing units can be included to achieve concurrent processing of task data. These computing units can be, for example, central processing units (CPUs) or graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0066] In a network architecture, network devices may include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, RAN devices including CU nodes and DU nodes, or RAN devices including control plane CU nodes (CU-CP nodes), user plane CU nodes (CU-UP nodes), and DU nodes.

[0067] Network equipment provides services to cells. Terminal devices communicate with cells through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the network equipment. The cell can belong to a macro base station (e.g., macro eNB or macro gNB) or to a base station corresponding to a small cell. Small cells can include: metrocell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0068] Alternatively, the aforementioned devices and computing nodes that communicate with the terminal device can be regarded as a whole as the network device involved in this application.

[0069] The terminal device in this application embodiment can also be referred to as: user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device, etc. The terminal can be widely used for communication in various scenarios. These scenarios include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, or smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone (e.g., Figure 1 Mobile phones (120a, 120d, 120f), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as...) Figure 1 Computers (120g), wearable devices, vehicles (such as...) Figure 1 As shown in 120b), drones, helicopters, and aircraft (such as...) Figure 1 120c), ships, robots, robotic arms, or smart home devices (such as Figure 1 The application does not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal. (e.g., printer 120e).

[0070] By way of example and not limitation, in this application, the terminal device can be a terminal device in an XR system. XR technology, as a key area for future human-computer interaction and digital content presentation, integrates cutting-edge technologies such as VR, AR, and Mixed Reality (MR). Its main technical feature is the seamless connection between the digital and physical worlds through a highly immersive experience, enabling deep interaction between users and virtual environments and real scenes. Exemplarily, the terminal device in the embodiments of this application can be an XR device. An XR device is a type of intelligent terminal designed specifically for immersive experiences. By integrating display, sensing, computing, and communication technologies, it overlays virtual content or augmented information onto the user's field of vision or constructs a completely virtual interactive space. XR devices include, but are not limited to, head-mounted displays, smart glasses, handheld interactive devices, and holographic projection devices. XR devices widely support cloud interaction, acquiring high-precision models, dynamic scene data, or artificial intelligence (AI) inference services in real time via the network, thereby breaking through local computing power limitations and promoting the implementation of complex applications such as metaverse and remote collaboration.

[0071] Currently, in XR scenarios, there is a need for XR data transmission between terminals and network devices. Both terminals and network devices can act as XR data senders and receivers. When the terminal acts as the XR data sender, the network device acts as the XR data receiver, and the terminal sends XR data to the network device via uplink transmission; when the network device acts as the XR data sender, the terminal acts as the XR data receiver, and the network device sends XR data to the terminal via downlink transmission.

[0072] Since XR services typically involve the transmission of large amounts of data such as high-definition video and 3D models, this data is often organized in the form of PDU sets during encoding and transmission. Specifically, when the XR application at the sending end generates high-definition video streams, real-time model data, or other related content, this XR data is first encapsulated by the application layer and then passed to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer at the sending end. The PDCP layer at the sending end encapsulates the XR data into Service Data Units (SDUs), i.e., PDCP SDUs, through encapsulation, encryption, and header compression, and then sends the PDCP SDUs to the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer at the sending end.

[0073] After receiving a PDCP SDU, the RLC layer at the transmitting end further processes the data according to a pre-configured transmission mode. This mode may include Acknowledged Mode (AM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), or Transparent Mode (TM). In Acknowledged Mode, for example, when the data length exceeds the RLC layer's processing capacity, the RLC layer performs segmentation on the PDCP SDU. Segmentation ensures the data adapts to the transmission characteristics of the wireless link. Each segmented data block is appended with a sequence number and control information, forming an RLC PDU for accurate reassembly and verification at the receiving end. Finally, these RLC PDUs are sent sequentially to the physical layer via the Media Access Control (Media Access Control) layer's scheduling mechanism, and then transmitted to the receiving end via the wireless channel.

[0074] After receiving an RLC PDU from the sender, the receiver's RLC layer performs a reassembly operation on the received RLC PDU. Through sequence number verification, the RLC layer ensures that the received data blocks are complete and in order. For Acknowledgment Mode (AM), the RLC layer also generates a status report based on the reception status and sends it back to the sender to trigger necessary retransmission mechanisms, thus ensuring data reliability. The reassembled RLC SDU is submitted to the receiver's PDCP layer, which decapsulates, decrypts, and decompresses the headers of these data packets to recover the original XR data. This data is ultimately delivered to the upper-layer application for rendering or interactive processing, presenting a realistic XR scene to the user.

[0075] Automatic retransmission (AR) refers to a mechanism where the transmitter retransmits previously sent data based on specific triggering conditions, without relying on status reports from the receiver. AR typically works well for RLC SDUs with short or long drop timers enabled. However, this mechanism has the drawback of wasting radio resources and potentially triggering unnecessary retransmissions. Common conditions that trigger AR include: the remaining transmission time of the RLC PDU is below the Automatic Transmission Threshold (ATP), the number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) retransmissions exceeds a preset threshold, and there are idle resources on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0076] In XR data transmission, the automatic retransmission mechanism leads to significant resource waste, especially in PDU set transmission scenarios. In XR services, the arrival intervals of data packets within a PDU set are extremely short, resulting in a large number of packets meeting the automatic retransmission criteria within a short period. However, currently, the interval between the receiver's status reports to the sender indicating whether data packets have been successfully transmitted is relatively long, making it difficult to promptly inform the sender which packets have been successfully transmitted. Consequently, the sender automatically retransmits a large number of data packets that meet the automatic retransmission criteria within a short time. If these automatically retransmitted packets are actually successfully transmitted, it constitutes unnecessary retransmission, resulting in a waste of unlimited resources.

[0077] Furthermore, because the network prioritizes retransmitted data packets, a significant amount of uplink resources are consumed by these retransmitted packets. This leads to delays in the transmission of new data packets. If the new data packet also belongs to a PDU set, the transmission delay may also trigger automatic retransmission, further exacerbating network congestion and wasting resources.

[0078] Furthermore, when attempting to improve the existing automatic repeater mechanism using a feedback mechanism (i.e., automatic repeater with polling), the existing status report feedback contains excessive information, and the timeliness of the feedback is constrained by the status report prohibition timer (t-StatusProhibit). A status report can only be sent when t-StatusProhibit times out. This lagging feedback mechanism prevents the effective utilization of transmission resources, further exacerbating resource waste.

[0079] In view of this, this application provides a communication method in which the RLC transmitter buffers data packets in a transmission buffer when transmitting data packets to the RLC receiver. Furthermore, the RLC transmitter maintains a first timer to limit the automatic retransmission time of the buffered data packets. When the first timer starts and its duration is less than or equal to a first threshold, retransmission of buffered data packets is prohibited. When the first timer exceeds the first threshold but is less than or equal to a second threshold, data packets that failed to transmit in the buffer (i.e., data packets in the retransmission buffer that were not indicated as successfully transmitted in the first information) are retransmitted. This method can reduce the automatic retransmission of successfully transmitted data packets when the transmitter has not yet known which data packets were successfully transmitted, thereby reducing the number of data packets automatically retransmitted during this process, reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets, and thus improving the utilization rate of wireless transmission resources.

[0080] The communication method of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The execution subjects of the embodiments shown in this application are a receiving end device and a sending end device. If the receiving end device is a network device acting as a receiver, then the sending end device is a terminal acting as a sender; if the receiving end device is a terminal acting as a receiver, then the sending end device is a network device acting as a sender. The specific form and number of each device shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided in this application.

[0081] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be the terminal device itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device in implementing task processing methods, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device's functions. The network device in this application embodiment can be the network device itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing task processing methods, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device's functions. This application does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0082] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the method may include:

[0083] S201, The RLC transmitter sends and buffers data packets to the RLC receiver.

[0084] Correspondingly, the RLC receiver receives the data packets sent by the RLC sender.

[0085] The data packet can be an RLC SDU containing XR data, a block of an RLC SDU, an RLC PDU, etc. The following embodiments will be described using an RLC PDU as an example.

[0086] When an RLC transmitter sends an RLC PDU to an RLC receiver, it first sends the RLC PDU to the transmitter's Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. After receiving the RLC PDU from the transmitter, the transmitter's MAC layer multiplexes multiple RLC PDUs into a single MAC PDU. Then, the transmitter's MAC layer encapsulates the MAC PDU into a Transport Block (TB) and performs encoding, modulation, and other processing on the TB according to the physical layer's transmission capabilities and channel conditions. Finally, the TB is transmitted to the RLC receiver through the physical layer. Upon receiving the TB, the receiver's MAC layer demultiplexes the TB, extracts the RLC PDUs from the TB, and sends it to the RLC receiver.

[0087] In addition, when the RLC sender sends the RLC PDU to the MAC layer of the sender, the data packet of this transmission is buffered in the sender's send buffer. In the event that the RLC PDU fails to transmit due to factors such as the communication environment, the RLC sender can quickly retrieve the RLC PDU from the send buffer for automatic retransmission without having to reprocess and generate the RLC PDU, thus improving transmission efficiency.

[0088] S202, the RLC transmitter prohibits retransmission of buffered data packets when the first timer time is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0089] The first timer is used to limit the retransmission time of the buffered data packets.

[0090] The first timer is maintained in the RLC transmitter. After the first timer starts, if the time of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, automatic retransmission of any data packet in the transmit buffer of the RLC transmitter is prohibited.

[0091] Optionally, the first timer can be started when the RLC sender transmits a data packet to the RLC receiver. For example, the RLC sender starts the first timer when it sends the first data packet to the RLC receiver. Alternatively, the first timer can be started when any data packet in the data packets sent by the RLC sender triggers automatic retransmission. For example, after the RLC sender transmits and buffers data packets to the RLC receiver, when the first (or whichever can be determined according to actual needs, without restriction) data packet in the buffer triggers automatic retransmission, the RLC sender starts the first timer.

[0092] The first timer can be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured on the network side. When the sender is a terminal, the network device can pre-send the fifth information from the RRC layer to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to configure the first timer. When the sender is a network device, the network device configures the first timer according to the fifth information configured by the RRC layer.

[0093] The first threshold of the first timer can be determined based on the time when the data packet triggers automatic retransmission. The time difference between this first threshold and the start time of the first timer must be at least greater than the time when the first data packet in the buffer that triggers automatic retransmission triggers automatic retransmission. For example, the triggering of automatic retransmission is determined based on the Automatic Trigger Threshold (ATP), meaning that the data packet can only be automatically retransmitted when its remaining transmission time is less than or equal to the ATP. In this case, the triggering time of the first data packet in the buffer that triggers automatic retransmission can be determined based on the data packet's transmission time and the ATP. Then, based on this time and the start time of the first timer, any first threshold that meets the requirements can be determined. For example, this first threshold could be the Prohibit Automatic Retransmission Threshold (PAT).

[0094] Taking the first timer as an example, which starts when the first data packet in the sending buffer triggers automatic retransmission, the first threshold must be greater than the time when the first data packet in the buffer triggers automatic retransmission. Therefore, the first threshold can be determined according to actual needs.

[0095] Specifically, the first threshold conforming to the above principles can be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured on the network side. If the first threshold is pre-configured on the network side, it could be pre-configured to the sending end by the network's RRC layer. If the sending end is a terminal, the network device can pre-send a sixth message indicating the first threshold to the terminal, and the terminal determines the first threshold based on the received RRC configuration sixth message from the network device. If the sending end is a network device, the network device can receive the sixth message sent by the RRC layer to complete the configuration of the first threshold.

[0096] S203. The RLC receiver sends the first information to the RLC sender based on the received data packet.

[0097] Correspondingly, the RLC transmitter receives the first information sent by the RLC receiver.

[0098] The first information is used to indicate successfully transmitted data packets. For example, the first information may include the identifier of the successfully transmitted data packets, such as the sequence number (SN) of the successfully transmitted RLC PDU. Alternatively, the first information may be used to indicate a successfully transmitted TB, indirectly indicating that the data packets in the successfully transmitted TB are successfully transmitted data packets. For example, if a successfully transmitted TB includes RLC PDU 1, RLC PDU 2, and RLC PDU 3, then RLC PDU 1, RLC PDU 2, and RLC PDU 3 are all successfully transmitted RLC PDUs.

[0099] Specifically, the first information can be, for example, a status report fed back from the RLC receiver to the RLC sender, or any other form of feedback information, as long as the RLC receiver can feed back a successfully transmitted data packet to the RLC sender after it starts receiving data packets and before the first timer reaches the first threshold (for example, it can be a data packet included in the TB successfully decoded by the receiver's MAC layer). For example, the first information can be converted into a new status report relevant to this scenario, such as an enhanced status report.

[0100] Based on the first information, the RLC transmitter can determine which data packets in the transmitted data packets (i.e., the data packets in the transmit buffer) were successfully transmitted, thereby indirectly determining which data packets failed to transmit. For example, after receiving the first information, the RLC transmitter can determine which data packets in this transmission were successfully transmitted based on the successfully transmitted data packets indicated by the first information and all data packets buffered in the transmit buffer. If there are other data packets in the transmit buffer besides the successfully transmitted data packets, these other data packets are the target data packets, meaning that the first information did not confirm the successful transmission of the buffered target data packets. This indicates that the RLC transmitter has target data packets that failed to transmit in this transmission. To ensure the service quality of the corresponding service, the target data packets require retransmission to reduce the service quality degradation caused by packet loss.

[0101] Optionally, the transmission of the first message is not controlled by the reassembly timer and / or status report disable timer of the RLC receiver. That is, even if the reassembly timer and / or status report disable timer of the RLC receiver are in a state that does not allow the RLC receiver to send status reports, the RLC receiver can still send the first message to the RLC sender to satisfy the function of quickly confirming the successful transmission of data packets.

[0102] S204. If the RLC transmitter does not confirm the successful transmission of the cached target data packet in the first information, and the time of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, the target data packet shall be retransmitted.

[0103] The second threshold is greater than the first threshold. For example, it can be the time threshold corresponding to the timeout of the first timer, which can be called the overtime threshold (OT).

[0104] The second threshold can be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured on the network side. If the second threshold is pre-configured on the network side, it could be pre-configured to the sending end by the network's RRC layer. If the sending end is a terminal, the network device can pre-send a seventh message indicating the second threshold to the terminal, and the terminal determines the second threshold based on the received RRC configuration seventh message from the network device. If the sending end is a network device, the network device can receive the seventh message sent by the RRC layer to complete the configuration of the second threshold.

[0105] Since the RLC transmitter can receive the first information before the first timer reaches the first threshold, it can determine whether the target data packet (i.e., the data packet that failed to be transmitted) exists in the buffer based on the first information. If the target data packet exists in the buffer, the RLC transmitter can retransmit only the target data packet after the first timer exceeds the first threshold, without retransmitting the data packet that was successfully transmitted as indicated by the first information.

[0106] The method provided in this application involves an RLC transmitter sending and buffering data packets to an RLC receiver, and prohibiting retransmission of buffered data packets when the duration of a first timer is less than or equal to a first threshold. The RLC receiver receives first information indicating successful transmission of data packets. If the first information does not contain a successful transmission confirmation for the target data packet in the buffer, and the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold but less than or equal to a second threshold, the target data packet is retransmitted. In this method, when the duration of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, the RLC transmitter may not have determined all successfully transmitted data packets due to the slow feedback speed of existing status reports. If these successfully transmitted data packets trigger automatic retransmission, it will result in unnecessary retransmission. In this case, the first timer restricts the retransmission of all data packets in the RLC transmitter's transmission buffer. Then, the RLC transmitter receives the first information sent by the RLC receiver based on the received data packets to determine which data packets in the buffer are successfully transmitted. If the first information does not contain a successful transmission confirmation for the buffered target data packet, the RLC transmitter can determine that the target data packet is a failed transmission data packet. When the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, the RLC transmitter only retransmits the target data packet and does not need to retransmit the successfully transmitted data packet. This allows the RLC transmitter to accurately retransmit the target data packet that failed to be transmitted, reducing the retransmission of successfully transmitted data packets and thus reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets, thereby improving the utilization rate of wireless communication resources.

[0107] The following section will provide a detailed explanation using the TB (Transmission Transaction Block) that indicates successful transmission as the first piece of information, and the data packets in the TB that indirectly indicate successful transmission as successfully transmitted data packets.

[0108] In this implementation, the RLC sender's buffer can organize data packets using containers. That is, the buffer stores one or more containers, each containing a portion of the buffered data packets. For example, if the data packets in the RLC sender's buffer are RLC PDUs with SNs 1 to 12, and each container stores four RLC PDUs, then container 1 contains RLC PDUs with SNs 1, 2, 3, and 4; container 2 contains RLC PDUs with SNs 5, 6, 7, and 8; and container 3 contains RLC PDUs with SNs 9, 10, 11, and 12.

[0109] The containers stored in the buffer are determined based on the TB encapsulated by the MAC layer at the transmitting end. For example, when the RLC transmitter obtains a transmission opportunity from the MAC layer at the transmitting end, the MAC layer can send an indication message to the RLC layer to indicate the size of the TB. This indication message can be, for example, a UL grant. Based on the received UL grant, the RLC layer can determine the size of the container corresponding to the TB, and thus store the same data packets in the buffer that are the same as the data packets in the transport block in the container. Therefore, the containers stored in the buffer correspond one-to-one with the TBs. For example, containers 1, 2, and 3 in the previous example correspond to TB1, TB2, and TB3 encapsulated by the MAC layer, respectively. The SNs of the RLC PDUs (i.e., the MAC PDUs multiplexed by the MAC layer) included in TB1 are 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively; the SNs of the RLC PDUs included in TB2 are 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively; and the SNs of the RLC PDUs included in TB3 are 9, 10, 11, and 12, respectively.

[0110] Therefore, the RLC receiver can determine the successfully transmitted container from the RLC sender based on the TB successfully decoded by the receiver's MAC layer, and generate corresponding first information to indicate the successfully transmitted container in the RLC sender's buffer, thereby indirectly indicating the successfully transmitted data packet in the RLC sender's buffer.

[0111] Specifically, the first information may include a first field, which is used to indicate the container that was successfully transmitted. Alternatively, the first information may include a bitmap, which indicates the container that was successfully transmitted (for example, each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a container, and for the container that was successfully transmitted, the value in its bitmap can be 1, while the value in the bitmap of other containers is 0).

[0112] Taking the first field used to indicate a container that has been successfully transmitted as an example, the first field may include the identifier of the container that has been successfully transmitted, or the value of the first field may be the identifier of the container that has been successfully transmitted.

[0113] Optionally, the container identifier can be a pre-configured container number, such as the aforementioned container 1, container 2, container 3, etc., which corresponds to the TB number. Alternatively, the container identifier can be related to the identifier of the data packets included in the container (i.e., the identifier of a successfully transmitted container is related to the identifier of the data packets included in the successfully transmitted container).

[0114] When the identifier of a container is related to the identifiers of the data packets included in the container, the identifier of a successfully transmitted container can be obtained, for example, by calculating the identifiers of all data packets in that container. Taking an RLC PDU as the data packet and its identifier as the RLC PDU's SN as an example, the container's identifier can be obtained by averaging, hashing, or performing CRC checks on the SNs of the RLC PDUs included in the container. For example, using the averaging method to obtain the container identifier, for container 1 in the previous example, its identifier is (1+2+3+4) / 4=2.5, meaning the identifier of container 1 is 2.5. This identifier can be referred to as the Container Sequence Number (CSN).

[0115] Based on the above implementation, the first information sent by the RLC receiver to the RLC sender indicates the identifier of the successfully transmitted container. For example, if the first information includes the identifier of the successfully transmitted container, the RLC sender can decode the identifier from the first information. Then, it compares the identifier of the successfully transmitted container with the identifiers of containers stored in the buffer to determine whether all containers stored in the buffer have been successfully transmitted. If, after comparison, it is determined that the identifier of the successfully transmitted container indicated by the first information does not include the identifier of the target container in the buffer, then the target container can be determined to be a container that failed to transmit. That is, the data packets in the target container include the target data packets that failed to transmit. The target container needs to be retransmitted to avoid packet loss caused by the failure to transmit the target data packets in the target container, thereby affecting service quality.

[0116] In this implementation, since the RLC sender has determined which containers in the buffer are successfully transmitted and which are failed to be transmitted based on the first information, and the first timer of the RLC sender is less than the first threshold, all containers (i.e. all data packets) in the buffer are prohibited from automatic retransmission. Therefore, the RLC sender can disband the successfully transmitted containers in the buffer and delete the data packets included in the successfully transmitted containers. In this way, even if the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, there will be no successfully transmitted data packets in the buffer, thereby reducing unnecessary retransmission of data packets.

[0117] Optionally, after the RLC sender dismantles the successfully transmitted container in the buffer and deletes the data packets included in the successfully transmitted container, the RLC sender can also report a second message to the sender's PDCP layer to indicate that the data packets in the successfully transmitted container have been successfully transmitted, so that the sender's PDCP layer knows that the relevant data has been successfully transmitted, and can then perform subsequent data processing (such as releasing the corresponding data buffer, updating the data transmission status record, triggering a new data transmission process, etc.).

[0118] Subsequently, if the timeout period is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, and the buffer only contains the target container that failed to transmit, the RLC sender can retransmit the data packet. The RLC sender retransmits the target container, which achieves the purpose of retransmitting the data packet that failed to transmit, thereby reducing packet loss caused by data packet transmission failure and improving service quality.

[0119] The method provided in this application stores buffered data packets in the buffer of the RLC transmitter using containers corresponding to the TBs of the transmitted data packets, so that the containers storing data packets in the buffer correspond to one or more data packets that are the same as the TBs of the transmitted data packets. After the receiver completes the decoding of the successfully transmitted TB, the RLC receiver can determine the identifier of the corresponding container based on the data packet obtained from the decoded TB, and generate first information indicating the identifier of the successfully transmitted container. Compared with directly generating the corresponding first information based on the identifier of the successfully transmitted data packet, the amount of data in the first information or the number of first information packets generated can be reduced. This further reduces the wireless communication resources occupied by the first information when the RLC receiver sends the first information to the RLC transmitter, thereby further improving the utilization rate of wireless communication resources while reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets.

[0120] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the method may further include:

[0121] S301, The RLC receiver sends third information to the RLC transmitter.

[0122] Correspondingly, the RLC transmitter receives the third information sent by the RLC receiver.

[0123] The third piece of information includes a data packet identifier and a reception status identifier. This third piece of information can be, for example, a status report sent from an existing RLC receiver to an RLC sender, such as an RLC Status Protocol Data Unit (RLC STATUSPDU), or other information used to indicate whether the data packet was successfully transmitted.

[0124] Taking the existing status report as an example, the packet identifier can be, for example, the SN of the aforementioned RLCPDU, and the reception status identifier can be, for example, ACK or NACK. The status report can include reception status identifiers for one or more RLC PDUs. For example, if the status report includes three RLC PDUs with SN=1, SN=2, and SN=3, and the reception status identifiers of these three RLC PDUs are all ACK, then it indicates that these three RLC PDUs are all successfully transmitted packets; or, if the status report includes three RLC PDUs with SN=1, SN=2, and SN=3, and the reception status identifiers of these three RLC PDUs are all NACK, then it indicates that these three RLC PDUs are all failed transmission packets.

[0125] In other words, the RLC receiver can send the first information to the RLC sender, and it can also be compatible with the existing status report (i.e., the third information), meaning it can still send the third information to the RLC sender normally.

[0126] If the reception status is acknowledged (ACK), proceed to step S402; if the reception status is unacknowledged (NACK), proceed to step S403.

[0127] S302, the RLC transmitter disassembles the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier based on the data packet identifier.

[0128] In this case, the third information received by the RLC transmitter includes the identifiers of successfully transmitted data packets. Since the data packets corresponding to these identifiers are all successfully transmitted data packets, and these data packets are all transmitted through TB, when a TB is successfully transmitted, the data packets inside it are all successfully transmitted data packets. Therefore, other data packets in the same TB as these data packets are also successfully transmitted data packets.

[0129] Based on the data packet indicated by the third information, the RLC sender can determine that the TB containing the data packet is a successfully transmitted TB. This means that all data packets in that TB are successfully transmitted and do not require retransmission. Therefore, the RLC sender can delete all data packets in the TB containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier from the buffer. Furthermore, since the containers in the send buffer correspond one-to-one with TBs, the RLC sender can disband the container containing the data packet identifier and delete all data packets in that container. This ensures that when retransmitting data packets or containers in the buffer after the first timer expires (greater than the first threshold but less than or equal to the second threshold), the buffer will only contain data packets or containers that failed to transmit, thus reducing unnecessary retransmissions.

[0130] S303 and RLC transmitters retransmit data packets included in the target container based on the data packet identifier.

[0131] The target container is the container where the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier is located.

[0132] In this case, the third information received by the RLC transmitter includes the identifiers of the data packets that failed to be transmitted. Since the data packets corresponding to these identifiers are all data packets that failed to be transmitted, and these data packets are all transmitted through TB, when the TB is successfully transmitted, the data packets inside it are all data packets that failed to be transmitted. Therefore, other data packets in the same TB as these data packets are also data packets that failed to be transmitted.

[0133] Based on the data packet indicated by the third information, the RLC sender can determine that the TB containing the data packet is a failed TB. This means that all data packets in that TB are failed packets and need to be retransmitted. Furthermore, since each container in the send buffer corresponds one-to-one with a TB, the RLC sender can retransmit the data packets (i.e., failed packets) contained in the target container (i.e., the failed container) based on the data packet identifier, provided that the timeout period is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold. This does not require retransmitting data packets (i.e., successfully transmitted packets) contained in other containers in the buffer or other containers.

[0134] Specifically, the RLC sender can choose which containers or data packets included in those containers to retransmit. Alternatively, the RLC sender can disband all containers except those corresponding to the data packet identifier indicated by the third information (i.e., containers that were successfully transmitted) and delete all data packets in the other containers. This way, when retransmitting buffered data packets or containers after the first timer expires (when the time is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold), the buffer will only contain data packets or containers that failed to transmit, thereby reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets.

[0135] The method provided in this application embodiment receives existing status reports sent by an RLC receiver through an RLC transmitter, and determines which data packets are successfully transmitted and which containers in the buffer are corresponding to them based on the existing status reports, or determines which data packets are failed to transmit and which containers in the buffer are corresponding to them based on the existing status reports. Then, if the time of a subsequent first timer is greater than a first threshold and less than or equal to a second threshold, only the failed data packets or failed containers are retransmitted. This allows the method of this application to reduce unnecessary retransmissions based on the first information, while being compatible with existing status reports to reduce unnecessary retransmissions of data packets, thereby expanding the scope of application of the method and improving the utilization rate of wireless communication resources.

[0136] Optionally, the above communication method can be applied to the transmission scenario of data packets corresponding to all services, or it can be applied only to the transmission scenario of data packets corresponding to some services. For example, it can be applied only to the transmission scenario of a target service, such as XR services, which have transmission requirements such as low latency, high data transmission stability, and high synchronization. For example, if the sending end has a PDCP SDU configured with a discard timer or a discard timer for low-importance data, the sending end sends corresponding indication information to the receiving end to instruct the receiving end to transmit data packets using the above communication method.

[0137] The sending end can send corresponding indication information to the receiving end each time it needs to send a data packet for the target service, instructing the receiving end to transmit the data packet using the aforementioned communication method. Alternatively, when the sending end needs to send a data packet for the target service, it can determine whether it needs to send the corresponding indication information to the receiving end based on whether the receiving end is using the aforementioned communication method. If the receiving end is not using the aforementioned communication method, the sending end needs to send the corresponding indication information to the receiving end; if the receiving end is already using the aforementioned communication method, the sending end does not need to send the corresponding indication information to the receiving end.

[0138] For example, a second timer can be configured on the RLC receiver to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first information. When the second timer is in the started state, the RLC receiver can generate the first information and send it to the RLC sender; when the second timer is in the timeout state, the RLC receiver is prohibited from generating the first information. This second timer allows control over whether the receiver uses the communication method described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0139] Figure 4This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the method may further include:

[0140] S401. If the second timer at the RLC receiver expires, the RLC receiver sends the eighth message to the RLC transmitter.

[0141] Correspondingly, the RLC transmitter receives the eighth message sent by the RLC receiver.

[0142] The eighth message is used to indicate that the second timer has timed out. For example, the eighth message may include a second field containing a flag bit. When the flag bit is at a first value, it indicates that the second timer has timed out. Alternatively, the eighth message itself may indicate that the second timer has timed out. The content of the eighth message may be a specific sequence, data, a specific value, etc. When the RLC transmitter receives the eighth message, it can determine that the second timer of the RLC receiver is in a timeout state.

[0143] S402. If the second timer at the RLC receiver expires, the RLC transmitter sends the fourth information to the RLC receiver.

[0144] Correspondingly, the RLC receiver receives the fourth information sent by the RLC transmitter.

[0145] The fourth piece of information is used to instruct the second timer to be reset.

[0146] For example, if the second timer at the RLC receiver times out, and the RLC transmitter needs to send data packets for the target service (e.g., the transmitter has a PDCP SDU configured with discardTimer or discardTimerForLowImportance), it can send fourth information to the RLC receiver so that the RLC receiver can reset the second timer. This allows the RLC receiver to generate and send the first information back to the RLC transmitter when the RLC transmitter subsequently sends data packets for the target service.

[0147] One possible implementation is that the fourth message is specific information used to trigger the RLC receiver to reset the second timer. When the RLC receiver receives the fourth message, it can trigger the operation to reset the second timer.

[0148] Another possible implementation is that the fourth information can also be used to indicate to the RLC sender that it is about to send a data packet for the target service. For example, the fourth information may include the identifier of the target service, or the data packet type of the target service, service summary, etc., to indicate to the RLC sender that it is about to send a data packet for the target service.

[0149] S403, RLC receiver resets the second timer.

[0150] After receiving the fourth information sent by the RLC sender, the RLC receiver can determine that the RLC sender is about to send a data packet for the target service. The RLC receiver needs to generate and send the first information back to the RLC sender during the data packet transmission process to reduce unnecessary retransmission of data packets.

[0151] Therefore, the RLC receiver can reset the second timer, switching it from the timeout state to the running state, so that the RLC receiver has the function of generating the first information.

[0152] The method provided in this application embodiment, when the second timer at the RLC receiver times out, sends an eighth message to the RLC transmitter to inform the RLC transmitter that it is currently unable to generate the first message. If, in this case, the RLC transmitter needs to send data packets of the target service to the RLC receiver, the RLC transmitter sends a fourth message to the RLC receiver instructing it to reset the second timer. This resets the second timer, enabling the RLC receiver to generate the first message. In subsequent transmissions of data packets of the target service, the receiver generates and feeds back the first message to the RLC transmitter, reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets. This allows the RLC receiver and RLC transmitter to switch to the communication method described in the foregoing embodiments according to service requirements, thereby reducing unnecessary retransmissions of data packets for the target service and improving the stability and quality of the target service.

[0153] The methods described in the above embodiments will be illustrated below using two examples: one in the RLC transmitter includes a first timer, and the other is a data packet corresponding to the target service.

[0154] Method 1: The RLC transmitter includes a first timer (i.e., each RLC transmitter corresponds to a first timer).

[0155] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a data packet transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the SNs corresponding to the RLC PDUs to be transmitted in the sending end RLC layer are 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, respectively. Among them, RLC PDUs with SN=1 and SN=2 are retransmission data packets, and the other RLC PDUs are initial transmission data packets.

[0156] The RLC layer buffer at the sending end includes containers 1, 2, and 3. Container 1 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 1, 2, 4, and 5; container 2 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 6, 7, 8, and 9; and container 3 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 10, 12, 13, and 14.

[0157] When the remaining transmission time of the RLC PDU with SN=4 is less than ATP, since the first timer of the RLC transmitter is not running at this time, the RLC PDU with SN=4 will send an automatic retransmission, triggering the RLC transmitter to start the first timer. Then, since the first timer is running, even if the RLC PDUs in container 2 and container 3 trigger automatic retransmission, the RLC transmitter will prohibit the retransmission of these RLC PDUs.

[0158] At this time, the RLC PDU with SN=4 is a retransmission data packet, and its transmission priority is higher than that of the initial data packet (SN=15, 16, 17, 18). Therefore, the RLC PDU with SN=4 (retransmission data packet) is transmitted in container 4. At this time, container 4 contains RLC PDUs with SN=4, 15, 16, 17.

[0159] Correspondingly, in the MAC layer, containers 1 through 4 correspond to TB1 through TB4, respectively. Assuming the RLC PDUs (i.e., MAC PDUs) with SNs of 6, 7, 8, and 9 in TB2 fail to transmit, the receiving MAC layer can only decode the RLC PDUs (i.e., MAC PDUs) in TB1, TB3, and TB4. The RLC PDUs corresponding to these three TBs are TB1=[4, 1, 2, 5], TB3=[10, 12, 13, 14], and TB4=[4, 15, 16, 17]. The RLC receiver can determine the identifier of the corresponding container based on the RLC PDUs in TB1, TB3, and TB4. Taking the container identifier as the average of the SNs of the RLC PDUs in the container as an example, the identifiers of TB1, TB3, and TB4 are TB1=3, TB3=12, and TB4=13, respectively.

[0160] The RLC receiver generates first information based on the received identifiers TB1, TB3, and TB4, i.e., the first information includes [3, 12, 13]. The RLC receiver immediately sends the first information to the RLC transmitter (the sending of the first information is not controlled by the RLC receiver's reassembly timer (t-Reassembly) and status report prohibition timer (t-StatusProhibit)).

[0161] After receiving the first information, the RLC transmitter can determine the identifier of each container in the buffer based on the SN of the RLC PDU included in each container. Based on the first information, it determines that containers 1, 3, and 4 in the buffer are successfully transmitted. The RLC transmitter then disbands containers 1, 3, and 4 from the buffer and deletes the RLCPDUs from them. Finally, it reports the successful transmission of RLC PDUs with SNs 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 to the transmitter's PDCP layer. At this point, the RLC transmitter's buffer only stores the RLC PDUs with SNs 6, 7, 8, and 9 corresponding to container 2.

[0162] Next, if the timeout period is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold (i.e., when retransmission is possible), and if the RLC PDUs with SN=6, 7, 8, and 9 stored in the buffer trigger automatic retransmission (i.e., when the remaining transmission time is less than ATP), the RLC PDUs with SN=6, 7, 8, and 9 in the buffer (i.e., the RLC PDUs that failed to transmit previously) are retransmitted. This achieves the function of retransmitting only the RLC PDUs that failed to transmit, avoiding unnecessary retransmission of other successfully transmitted RLC PDUs in the buffer, and improving the utilization of communication resources.

[0163] Method 2: The first timer corresponds to the data packet of the target service (i.e., each data packet corresponds to a first timer).

[0164] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another data packet transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the SNs corresponding to the RLC PDUs to be transmitted in the sending end RLC layer are 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, respectively. Among them, RLC PDUs with SN=1 and SN=2 are retransmission data packets, and the other RLC PDUs are initial transmission data packets.

[0165] The RLC layer buffer at the sending end includes containers 1, 2, and 3. Container 1 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 1, 2, 4, and 5; container 2 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 6, 7, 8, and 9; and container 3 contains RLC PDUs with SNs of 10, 12, 13, and 14.

[0166] When the remaining transmission time of RLC PDUs (initial data packets) with SNs of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14 is less than the ATP, each of the above RLC PDUs starts its corresponding first timer. At this time, the duration of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, therefore, automatic retransmission is prohibited for these initial RLC PDUs.

[0167] Correspondingly, in the MAC layer, containers 1 through 3 correspond to TB1 through TB3, respectively. Assuming the transmission of RLC PDUs (i.e., MAC PDUs) with SNs of 6, 7, 8, and 9 in TB2 fails, the receiving MAC layer can only decode the RLC PDUs (i.e., MAC PDUs) in TB1 and TB3. The RLC PDUs corresponding to these two TBs are TB1=[4, 1, 2, 5] and TB3=[10, 12, 13, 14]. The RLC receiver can determine the identifier of the corresponding container based on the RLC PDUs in TB1 and TB3. Taking the container identifier as the average of the SNs of the RLCPDUs in the container as an example, the identifiers of TB1 and TB3 are TB1=3 and TB3=12, respectively.

[0168] The RLC receiver generates first information based on the received identifiers of TB1 and TB3, i.e., the first information includes [3, 12]. The RLC receiver immediately sends the first information to the RLC transmitter (the sending of the first information is not controlled by the RLC receiver's reassembly timer (t-Reassembly) and status report prohibition timer (t-StatusProhibit)).

[0169] After receiving the first information, the RLC transmitter can determine the identifier of each container in the buffer based on the SN of the RLC PDU included in each container. Based on the first information, it determines that containers 1 and 3 in the buffer are successfully transmitted. The RLC transmitter then disbands containers 1 and 3 from the buffer, deletes the RLC PDUs from containers 1 and 3, and reports the successful transmission of RLC PDUs with SNs 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, and 14 to the transmitter's PDCP layer. At this point, the RLC transmitter's buffer only stores the RLC PDUs with SNs 6, 7, 8, and 9 corresponding to container 2.

[0170] Next, when the time of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold (i.e., when retransmission is possible), since the RLC PDUs with SN=6, 7, 8, and 9 stored in the buffer have triggered automatic retransmission (i.e., when the first timer starts, their remaining transmission time is less than ATP), the RLC transmitter can retransmit the RLC PDUs with SN=6, 7, 8, and 9 in the buffer (i.e., the RLC PDUs that failed to transmit previously), thereby realizing the function of only retransmitting the RLC PDUs that failed to transmit, avoiding unnecessary retransmission of other successfully transmitted RLC PDUs in the buffer, and improving the utilization rate of communication resources.

[0171] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. It is understood that this communication device can correspondingly implement the operations or steps of the RLC transmitter in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device can be a terminal or a component configurable on a terminal, such as a chip or chip module; or the communication device can be a network device or a component configurable on a network device, such as a chip or chip module. Figure 7 As shown, the communication device may include: a transmitting module 11, a control module 12, and a receiving module 13.

[0172] The sending module 11 is used to send and buffer data packets to the RLC receiver.

[0173] The control module 12 is used to prohibit the retransmission of buffered data packets when the time of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold. The first timer is used to limit the retransmission time of the buffered data packets.

[0174] The receiving module 13 is used to receive the first information sent by the RLC receiver, which is used to indicate that the data packet was successfully transmitted.

[0175] The sending module 11 is also used to retransmit the target data packet if the first information does not confirm the successful transmission of the cached target data packet and the time of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0176] Optionally, the control module 12 is also used to start a first timer when any data packet triggers automatic retransmission.

[0177] Optionally, the cache stores containers containing cached data packets. The first information indicates a container in the cache that was successfully transmitted; the container contains the same data packets as those in the transport block.

[0178] Optionally, the first information includes a first field, which is used to indicate the container where the transfer was successful.

[0179] Optionally, the first field includes an identifier of the container that was successfully transferred.

[0180] Optionally, the identifier of a successfully transmitted container is related to the identifier of the data packets included in the successfully transmitted container.

[0181] Optionally, the data packet is identified by its sequence number, and the container that was successfully transmitted is identified by the average sequence number of the data packets included in the container that was successfully transmitted.

[0182] Optionally, if the first message does not confirm the successful transmission of the target container, the data packets in the target container include the target data packets.

[0183] Optionally, the control module 12 is also used to dissolve the container in the cache after successful transmission.

[0184] Optionally, the sending module 11 is also used to report second information to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the sending end, the second information being used to indicate that the data packets in the successfully transmitted container have been successfully transmitted.

[0185] Optionally, the sending module 11 is specifically used to retransmit the data packets included in the target container.

[0186] Optionally, the receiving module 13 is further configured to receive third information sent by the RLC receiver, the third information including a data packet identifier and a reception status identifier. The control module 12 is further configured to, when the reception status identifier indicates confirmed reception, dismantle the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier based on the data packet identifier.

[0187] Optionally, the sending module 11 is also used to retransmit the data packets included in the target container according to the data packet identifier when the receiving status is marked as non-acknowledgment of reception. The target container is the container where the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier is located.

[0188] Optionally, the sending module 11 is also configured to send a fourth message to the RLC receiver when the second timer at the RLC receiver times out. The fourth message is used to instruct the second timer to be reset. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first message.

[0189] Optionally, the fourth piece of information is also used to indicate to the RLC sender that it is about to send a data packet for the target service.

[0190] Optionally, the RLC transmitter includes a first timer.

[0191] Optionally, the first timer corresponds to the data packet of the target service.

[0192] Optionally, the receiving module 13 is also used to receive fifth information sent by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, the fifth information being used to indicate the configuration of the first timer.

[0193] Optionally, the receiving module 13 is also used to receive the sixth information sent by the RRC layer, which is used to indicate the first threshold.

[0194] Optionally, the receiving module 13 is also used to receive the seventh information sent by the RRC layer, which is used to indicate the second threshold.

[0195] The communication device provided in this embodiment can perform the actions of the RLC transmitter in the aforementioned method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described again here.

[0196] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. It is understood that this communication device can correspondingly implement the operations or steps of the RLC receiver in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device can be a terminal or a component configurable on a terminal, such as a chip or chip module; or the communication device can be a network device or a component configurable on a network device, such as a chip or chip module. Figure 8 As shown, the communication device may include a receiving module 21 and a transmitting module 22. In one possible implementation, it may also include a control module 23.

[0197] The receiving module 21 is used to receive data packets sent by the RLC transmitter.

[0198] The sending module 22 is used to send first information to the RLC sender based on the received data packet when the second timer is running. The first information is used to indicate the container where the transmission was successful. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first information.

[0199] Optionally, the transmission of the first message is not controlled by the reassembly timer and / or status report disable timer of the RLC receiver.

[0200] Optionally, the control module 23 is used to stop generating the first information if the second timer times out.

[0201] Optionally, the sending module 22 is also configured to send an eighth message to the RLC transmitter in the event of a second timer timeout. The eighth message is used to indicate that the second timer has timed out.

[0202] Optionally, the receiving module 21 is further configured to receive a fourth message sent by the RLC transmitter in the event of a second timer timeout. The fourth message indicates that the RLC transmitter is about to send a data packet for the target service. The control module 23 is further configured to reset the second timer.

[0203] The communication device provided in this embodiment can perform the actions of the RLC receiver in the aforementioned method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described again here.

[0204] Optionally, the communication device may further include at least one storage module, which may include data and / or instructions. Other modules in the communication device (such as receiving module, sending module, processing module, etc.) may read the data and / or instructions in the storage module to implement the corresponding method.

[0205] It should be noted that, in the above embodiments, the transmitting module can actually be a transmitter, and the receiving module can actually be a receiver, or the transmitting and receiving modules can be implemented through a transceiver, or through a communication port. The processing module can be implemented in software via a processing element, or in hardware. For example, the processing module can be at least one separately established processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip in the aforementioned device. Alternatively, it can be stored as program code in the memory of the aforementioned device, and its functions can be called and executed by a processing element of the aforementioned device. Furthermore, all or part of these modules can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element mentioned here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each of the above modules can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the processor element or through software instructions.

[0206] For example, these modules can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). As another example, when a module is implemented by a processing element calling program code, that processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling program code. Furthermore, these modules can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0207] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include at least one processor 901, a memory 902, and a transceiver 903. The processor 901, transceiver 903, and memory 902 communicate with each other via an internal connection. The memory 902 stores instructions, and the processor 901 executes the instructions stored in the memory 902 to control the transceiver 903 to send and / or receive information.

[0208] The communication device can be, for example, the network equipment mentioned above, or the terminal mentioned above.

[0209] It should be understood that the communication device can correspond to the terminal in the above method embodiments or the network device in the above method embodiments. It can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the terminal or network device in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 902 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 901. A portion of the memory 902 may also include non-volatile random access memory. The memory 902 can be a separate device or integrated into the processor 901. The processor 901 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 902, and when the processor 901 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 901 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments.

[0210] The transceiver 903 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 903 may further include an antenna, which may be one or more. The processor 901 and memory 902 may be integrated with the transceiver 903 on different chips. For example, the processor 901 and memory 902 may be integrated in a baseband chip, and the transceiver 903 may be integrated in a radio frequency chip. Alternatively, the processor 901 and memory 902 may be integrated with the transceiver 903 on the same chip. This application does not limit this.

[0211] Alternatively, the communication device may be a component configured in a terminal or network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0212] The transceiver 903 can also be a communication interface, such as an input interface and / or an output interface, circuitry, etc. The transceiver 903, processor 901, and memory 902 can all be integrated into the same chip, such as within a baseband chip.

[0213] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0214] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as execution by a hardware decoding processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0215] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memories described herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0216] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being used to run computer programs or instructions to implement the methods in the above embodiments.

[0217] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may include various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Specifically, the computer-readable storage medium stores program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed, the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0218] This application also provides a computer program product including executable instructions stored in a readable storage medium. At least one processor of a terminal or network device can read the executable instructions from the readable storage medium, and the at least one processor executes the executable instructions to cause the terminal or network device to implement the communication methods provided in the various embodiments described above.

[0219] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a Radio Link Control (RLC) transmitter, includes: Send and buffer data packets to the RLC receiver, wherein the buffer contains containers that include the buffered data packets; If the duration of the first timer is less than or equal to the first threshold, retransmission of the buffered data packets is prohibited. The first timer is used to limit the retransmission time of the buffered data packets. The system receives first information sent by the RLC receiver, the first information indicating a successfully transmitted data packet; the first information also indicates a successfully transmitted container in the buffer, the data packet contained in the container being the same as the data packet in the transport block. If the first information does not confirm the successful transmission of the cached target container, and the duration of the first timer is greater than the first threshold and less than or equal to the second threshold, the data packets in the target container shall be retransmitted.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: If any of the data packets triggers automatic retransmission, the first timer is started.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes a first field, which is used to indicate the container where the transmission was successful.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first field includes an identifier of the container from which the transmission was successfully completed.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The identifier of the container that was successfully transmitted is related to the identifier of the data packet included in the container that was successfully transmitted.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The data packet is identified by its sequence number, and the container that was successfully transmitted is identified by the average of the sequence numbers of the data packets included in the container.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The container for the successful transfer is disbanded in the cache.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: The second information is reported to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the sending end, which indicates that the data packets in the container that were successfully transmitted have been successfully transmitted.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive the third information sent by the RLC receiver, the third information including a data packet identifier and a reception status identifier; If the reception status is confirmed, the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier is disbanded according to the data packet identifier.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: If the reception status is marked as non-acknowledgment, the data packets included in the target container are retransmitted according to the data packet identifier, where the target container is the container containing the data packet corresponding to the data packet identifier.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: If the second timer at the RLC receiver times out, a fourth message is sent to the RLC receiver. The fourth message is used to instruct the second timer to be reset. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The fourth piece of information is also used to indicate that the RLC transmitter is about to send a data packet for the target service.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The RLC transmitter includes one of the first timers.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first timer corresponds to the data packet of the target service.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives a fifth message sent by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, the fifth message being used to instruct the configuration of the first timer.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Also includes: The sixth information sent by the RRC layer is received, and the sixth information is used to indicate the first threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, Also includes: The seventh information sent by the RRC layer is received, and the seventh information is used to indicate the second threshold.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to an RLC receiver, the method includes: Receive data packets sent by the RLC transmitter; When the second timer is running, a first message is sent to the RLC sender based on the received data packet. The first message is used to indicate a container that has been successfully transmitted. The second timer is used to control the duration for which the RLC receiver can generate the first message. The transmission of the first message is not controlled by the RLC receiver's reassembly timer and status report prohibition timer.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Also includes: If the second timer times out, the generation of the first information will stop.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, Also includes: If the second timer times out, an eighth message is sent to the RLC transmitter, the eighth message indicating that the second timer has timed out.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18-20, characterized in that, Also includes: If the second timer times out, the fourth information sent by the RLC transmitter is received, which indicates that the RLC transmitter is about to send a data packet of the target service. Reset the second timer.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

23. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

24. A chip system, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being configured to run a computer program or instructions to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

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