Data processing based on PDU set configuration

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to data processing based on protocol data unit (PDU) set configuration. In one aspect of the solution of the present disclosure, a user equipment receives a configuration from a network device, and the configuration is associated with a set of PDUs of a data radio bearer (DRB). The user equipment receives a PDU in the PDU set from an upper layer of the user equipment. Based on whether PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment starts a drop timer associated with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU). The PDCP SDU corresponds to the PDU. In this manner, it is determined which discard timer may be started and when the discard timer is to be started. Therefore, the communication performance is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to data processing based on protocol data unit (PDU) set configuration. BACKGROUND

[0002] A wireless communication system can include one or more network communication devices, such as base stations, which can also be referred to as eNodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), or other suitable terminology. Each network communication device, such as a base station, can support wireless communication for one or more user communication devices, which can also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terminology. The wireless communication system can support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system, for example, time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers). In addition, the wireless communication system can support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, and other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).

[0003] Extended Reality (XR), including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), as well as Cloud Gaming (CG), provides a new promising category of connected devices, applications, and services. XR applications typically require high throughput and low latency, and have large packet sizes, variable data packet sizes, and arrival jitter. However, there are still some issues to be solved in terms of packet processing. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems that support data processing based on PDU set configuration.

[0005] Some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein can include receiving, via a transceiver, a configuration from a network device, the configuration being associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) set of a data radio bearer (DRB); receiving, from an upper layer of a user equipment, a PDU of the PDU set; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment. In this way, it is determined which discard timer can be initiated and when to initiate the discard timer. Thus, communication performance is improved.

[0006] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting a discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level; or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default PSI level, based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0007] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting a discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level; or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default PSI level, based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0008] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting a discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level; or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default PSI level, based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0009] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include considering the PDU as a PDU set based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0010] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include considering a PSI of the PDU as a default PSI based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0011] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting a discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level; or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default PSI level, based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0012] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting a discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level; or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default PSI level, based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0013] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that the configuration associated with the PDU set of the DRB is a first configuration, starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include receiving a second configuration from the network device, the second configuration indicating which discard timer should be started for the PDCP SDU if the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU is not identified or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, and starting the discard timer indicated according to the second configuration based on determining that the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU is not identified by the user device or the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is not a complete PDU set.

[0014] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU can include starting a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU based on determining that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, where a PSI level of the second discard timer is a PSI level of the PDU set of the PDU.

[0015] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include determining whether the PDCP SDU is starting data of a first PDU set or whether the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is a complete PDU set, starting a second discard timer based on determining that the PDCP SDU is starting data of the first PDU set or the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is a complete PDU set, a PSI level corresponding to the second discard timer is a PSI of the first PDU set of the PDU, or starting the second discard timer until a first PDU of a second PDU set is identified based on determining that the PDCP SDU is not starting data of the first PDU set or the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is not a complete PDU set.

[0016] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that the discard timer expires, and the user device further determines whether the PDCP SDU is starting data of the PDU set based on determining that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, discarding all PDCP SDUs in the PDU set based on determining that the PDCP SDU is starting data of the PDU set, where the PDCP SDU corresponds to the PDU in the PDU set.

[0017] Some implementations of the methods and apparatuses described in this document can include that the discard timer expires, and the user device further discards the PDCP SDU and the PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU based on determining that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified and based on determining that not all information of the PDU set of the PDU in the PDU set is identified.

[0018] Some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document can include expiring the discard timer, the user device further determining that PDU set information for the PDU is identified based on the determining, and discarding one or more PDCP SDUs for which the PDU set information is identified and one or more PDUs corresponding to the one or more PDCP SDUs based on determining that not all of the PDU set information for the PDU in the PDU set is identified.

[0019] Some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document can include expiring the discard timer, and the user device further receiving an indication from the network device to discard the PDU set; determining whether a PDCP SDU is starting data for the PDU set based on determining that PDU set information for the PDU is identified; discarding the PDCP SDU in the PDU set based on determining that the PDCP SDU is starting data for the PDU set, where the PDCP SDU corresponds to a PDU in the PDU set; and discarding the PDCP SDU and one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set based on determining that the PDCP SDU is not starting data for the PDU set, where PDU set information for the one or more PDCP SDUs is identified.

[0020] Some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document can include the user device further transmitting, to the network device, a first report of a remaining discard time based on determining that PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, the first report including a shortest value of discard times for one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set.

[0021] Some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document can include the user device further transmitting, to the network device, a report indicating that PDU set information is not identified based on determining that PDU set information for the PDU is not identified.

[0022] In some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document, the PDU set information can include at least one of: a sequence number of the PDU set; an indication of an ending PDU of the PDU set; a sequence number of a PDU within the PDU set; a size of the PDU set in bytes; or a PDU set importance (PSI) level of the PDU set.

[0023] In some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document, the discard timer can include one of: a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PDU set importance (PSI) level, or a second discard timer that corresponds to the PSI level.

[0024] In some implementations of the methods and devices described in this document, the second discard timer can be one discard timer of a plurality of discard timers, and the plurality of discard timers correspond to one PSI.

[0025] In some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein, the first discard timer can be associated with a previous PDCP SDU of the PDCP SDU.

[0026] In some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein, the UE not identifying PDU set information for all PDUs in the PDU set of the PDCP SDU can include the PDU set information for a starting data in the PDU set not being identified, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU not being a complete PDU set.

[0027] In some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein, the PDU set information for a first PDU in a second PDU set can be identified by the user equipment; the PDCP SDU can be a starting data of the second PDU set; the discard timer can be a first discard timer, the PDU set is a first PDU set, and the second PDU set follows the first PDU set; the second PDU set is a complete PDU set; the first PDU set is not a complete PDU set; or any combination of two or more of the above items.

[0028] Some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein can also include determining to map a quality of service (QoS) flow from a first data radio bearer (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a protocol data unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on determining that PDU set information for a first PDU of a PDU set of the PDU is identified by the user equipment. In this way, rules for routing PDUs to different DRBs are defined. Thus, communication performance is improved.

[0029] Some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein can include routing the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB based on determining that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment; or routing the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB based on determining that the PDU set of the PDU is not a complete PDU set of the user equipment; or routing the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB based on determining that the PDU set information for the first PDU of the PDU set of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment.

[0030] Some implementations of the method and apparatus described herein can include routing the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB until the first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the user equipment or the PDU set of the PDU is a complete PDU set.

[0031] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein can include generating an end marker control PDU based on determining that PDU set information of a first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the user equipment, generating an end marker control PDU based on determining that the PDU set of the PDU is a complete PDU set, or generating an end marker control PDU based on determining that PDU set information of the PDU of the QoS flow is identified by the user equipment.

[0032] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein can include transmitting an end marker on the first DRB after completing data transmission on the first DRB.

[0033] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein can include determining to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB can include receiving a reconfiguration message from the network device to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB, and determining to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB based on the reconfiguration message.

[0034] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first DRB can be unconfigured with PDU set processing, and the second DRB can be configured with PDU set processing.

[0035] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first PDU can be a starting data in the PDU set, or the PDU set of the first PDU is a complete PDU set. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1A FIG. illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports sensing data exchange in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1B FIG. illustrates an example of a data radio bearer (DRB) reconfigured with protocol data unit (PDU) set processing parameters in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 2 FIG. illustrates a flow diagram of a method that supports PDU set configuration based data processing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 3 FIG. illustrates an example of a PDU set identification trigger procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 4 FIG. illustrates an example of a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) discard timer configuration of a DRB in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 5 FIG. illustrates an example that can identify PDU set information in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 6 A diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method that supports data processing based on PDU set configuration in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 7 A diagram illustrates an example of a quality of service (QoS) flow DRB remapping procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 8 A diagram illustrates an example of a device that supports data processing based on PDU set configuration in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 9 A diagram illustrates an example of a processor that supports data processing based on PDU set configuration in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and help the skilled person to understand and implement the present disclosure, without imposing any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0047] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0048] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, “an embodiment”, and the like, mean that a (multiple) described embodiment can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment can not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, these phrases are not necessarily referring to the same (multiple) embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0049] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” and the like can be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated terms.

[0050] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes" and / or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components etc. but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of " and "one or more of " and similar phrases, where a list of two or more elements is preceded by "at least one of" or "one or more of," means at least one of any one of the elements and also that at least one of any two or more of the elements and at least one of all of the elements in the list.

[0051] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as 5G New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Further, the communication between user devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed in accordance with any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other protocols that are currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development in communications, there will also be future types of communication technology and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied. It should not be viewed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure only to the above-described systems.

[0052] As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication network via which user equipment can access the communication network and receive services therefrom. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., a NodeB (NodeB or NB), a radio access network (RAN) node, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), an infrastructure equipment for V2X (vehicle-to-anything) communication, a transmission reception point (TRP), a reception point (RP), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, etc., depending on the terminology used and the technology applied. The network device can also refer to a network function (NF) in a core network, e.g., a SMF, an AMF, a PCF, a UPF, or a device with the same functionality in future network architectures, etc.

[0053] As used herein, the term “user equipment (UE)” generally refers to any terminal device that is capable of wireless communication. By way of example, but not limitation, a user equipment can also be referred to as a communication device, terminal device, end user device, subscriber station (SS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). A user equipment can include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable user equipment, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture user equipment such as a digital camera, a game user equipment, a music storage and playback appliance, a vehicle-mounted wireless user equipment, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (e.g., a remote surgery device), an industrial device (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automation processing chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. In the following description, the terms “user equipment,” “communication device,” “terminal,” “user device,” and “UE” can be used interchangeably.

[0054] As used herein, the term “PDU set” refers to one or more PDUs carrying a payload of one information unit generated at the application level (e.g., frame(s) or video slice(s) for XR service, etc.).

[0055] As used herein, the term“PDU set information” can refer to information of a PDU, and the PDU set information can include: a PDU set sequence number, an indication of an ending PDU of the PDU set, a PDU sequence number within the PDU set, a PDU set size in bytes, a PDU set importance (PSI). The PSI identifies a relative importance of the PDU set compared to other PDU sets within the same QoS flow.

[0056] Figure 1A FIG. illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100A that supports data processing based on PDU set configuration in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100A can include one or more network entities 102 (also referred to as network equipment (NE)), one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communications system 100A can support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100A can be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100A can be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100A can be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100A can support radio access technologies other than 5G. Further, the wireless communications system 100A can support technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0057] The one or more network entities 102 can be dispersed throughout the geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100A. One or more of the network entities 102 described herein can be, or include, or can be referred to as, a network node, a base station, a network element, a radio access network (RAN), a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. The network entities 102 and the UEs 104 can communicate via communication links 110, which can be wireless or wired connections. For example, the network entities 102 and the UEs 104 can perform wireless communications (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

[0058] The network entity 102 can provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which the network entity 102 supports service (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) to one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, the network entity 102 and UEs 104 can support wireless communication of signals for service (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) in accordance with one or more wireless access technologies. In some implementations, the network entity 102 can be mobile, such as a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies can overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 112 can be associated with different network entities 102. Information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0059] The one or more UEs 104 can be dispersed throughout the geographic region of the wireless communication system 100A. A UE 104 can include or can be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, remote unit, handset, subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, a UE 104 can be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 104 can be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, a UE 104 can be stationary, or mobile.

[0060] The one or more UEs 104 can be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are illustrated in FIG. 1. A UE 104 can be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as the network entity 102, other UEs 104, or network devices (e.g., the core network 106, the packet data network 108, a relay device, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or another network device), as illustrated in FIG. 1. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 104 can support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104 that can act as relays in the wireless communication system 100A.

[0061] The UEs 104 can be configured to connect directly to one another via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 110. In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes a licensed spectrum (e.g., a spectrum owned by a mobile network operator). In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., a spectrum not owned by a mobile network operator). In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes a licensed spectrum (e.g., a spectrum owned by a mobile network operator). In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., a spectrum not owned by a mobile network operator). In some implementations, the D2D communication link 110 can be a cellular D2D communication link 110 that utilizes a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. The D2D communication link 110 can be used for direct exchange of data between UEs 104 (e.g., utilizing a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication paradigm).

[0062] The network entities 102 can support communication with the core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, the network entities 102 can interface with the core network 106 through one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an SI, N2, N3, or another network interface). The network entities 102 can communicate with one another over backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, the network entities 102 can communicate directly with one another (e.g., between network entities 102). In some other implementations, the network entities 102 can communicate with or indirectly through (e.g., via the core network 106) one another. In some implementations, one or more of the network entities 102 can include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which can be an example of an access node controller (ANC). The ANC can communicate with one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which can be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, or a transmission reception point (TRP).

[0063] In some implementations, the network entities 102 can be configured in a disaggregated architecture, which can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 102, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, the network entities 102 can include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (e.g., a near real-time RIC (near-RT RIC), a non-real-time RIC (non-RT RIC)), a service management and orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0064] A RU can also be referred to as a radio head, intelligent radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmission reception point (TRP). In a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the network entity 102 can be collocated, or one or more components of the network entity 102 can be located at distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 of a disaggregated RAN architecture can be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CUs (VCUs), virtual DUs (VDUs), virtual RUs (VRUs)).

[0065] The functional split between the CU, the DU, and the RU can be flexible and can support different functions depending on the functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof) performed at the CU, the DU, or the RU. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack can be employed between the CU and the DU such that the CU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host upper layer protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3), layer 2 (L2)) functions and signaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)). The CU can be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and the one or more DUs or RUs can host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (LI) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functions and signaling, and each can be controlled at least in part by the CU 160.

[0066] Additionally or alternatively, a functional split of a protocol stack can be employed between the DU and the RU such that the DU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU can support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs). In some implementations, the functional split between the CU and the DU or between the DU and the RU can be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions of a protocol layer can be performed by one of the CU, the DU, or the RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, the DU, or the RU).

[0067] A CU can be further functionally split into a CU control plane (CU-CP) and a CU user plane (CU-UP) function. A CU can be connected to one or more DUs via a midhaul communication link (e.g., Fl, Fl-c, Fl-u), and a DU can be connected to one or more RUs via a front-haul communication link (e.g., a front-haul (FH) interface). In some implementations, a midhaul or front-haul communication link can be implemented according to an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 102 communicating via such a communication link.

[0068] The core network 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connection, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC), which can include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnections to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more network entities 102 associated with the core network 106.

[0069] The core network 106 can communicate with a packet data network 108 through one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via SI, N2, N3, or another network interface). The packet data network 108 can include an application server 118. In some implementations, the one or more UEs 104 can communicate with the application server 118 through the core network 106. A UE 104 can establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, etc.) with the core network 106 via a network entity 102. The core network 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route traffic (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between the UE 104 and the application server 118. A PDU session can be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the core network 106).

[0070] In wireless communications system 100A, network entity 102 and UE 104 can perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications) using resources (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) of wireless communications system 100A. In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different resource structures. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). Network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0071] One or more numerologies can be supported in wireless communications system 100A, and a numerology can include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., 0) can be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, a first numerology (e.g., 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., 1) can be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., 2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., 3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., 4) can be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. μ μ A first numerology (e.g., 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., 1) can be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., 2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., 3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., 4) can be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. μ μ A first numerology (e.g., 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., 1) can be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., 2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., 3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., 4) can be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. μ μ A first numerology (e.g., 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., 1) can be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., 2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., 3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., 4) can be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0072] Time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized as frames, each frame having a duration of, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include multiple subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration of, for example, 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have a same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have a same duration.

[0073] ​​​Additionally or alternatively, time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized as slots, for example. Each slot can include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of symbols in a slot can depend on the numerology used. For example, a first numerology, a second numerology, a third numerology, a fourth numerology, and a fifth numerology (i.e., μ = 0, μ = 1, μ = 2, μ = 3, μ = 4) can utilize one slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot can include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots of a subframe can depend on the numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot can include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot can include 12 symbols. For both the normal cyclic prefix and the extended cyclic prefix, the relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame can depend on the numerology. It will be understood that reference to the first numerology (e.g., μ = 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0074] In the wireless communications system 100A, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be split into various classes, bands, frequency channels, and so forth. For example, the wireless communications system 100A can support one or more operating bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 can perform wireless communications over one or more operating bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by the network entity 102 and the UE 104, and other devices or apparatuses, for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by the network entity 102 and the UE 104, and other devices or apparatuses, for short range, high data rate capabilities.

[0075] FR1 can be associated with one or more numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 can be associated with: a first numerology (e.g., μ = 0) including a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., μ = 1) including a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., μ = 2) including a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 can be associated with one or more numerologies (e.g., at least two numerologies). For example, FR2 can be associated with: the third numerology (e.g., μ = 2) including a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., μ = 3) including a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0076] Figure 1B FIG. illustrates an example of a DRB reconfigured with PDU Set handling parameters (e.g., PDU Set discard indicator, PSI discard timer(s), PDU Set delay reporting configuration) according to aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the user equipment can receive an RRC reconfiguration of a DRB after receiving packet 1, e.g., with discard timer based on PDU Set importance, PDU Set discard indicator. PDU Set information for packet 1, packet 2, packet 3, and packet 4 is not identified by the UE, and PDU Set information for packet 5 and packet 6 is identified by the UE. Figure 1B

[0077] If the UE is configured or reconfigured from not supporting data’s PDU Set handling to support data’s PDU Set handling (e.g., PDU Set discard based on discard timer, PDU Set delay reporting), and if there is data (e.g., packet 1, 2, 3, 4) that does not have PDU Set information identified by the UE (the UE can not identify PDU Set information without a trigger from the AS or NAS layer or without being provided by the APP layer). In one example, after the UE is handed over from a source NG-RAN that does not support PDU Set handling to a target NG-RAN that supports PDU Set handling, the UE is reconfigured a DRB from no PDU Set handling to having PDU Set handling. In another example, the UE is reconfigured a DRB from no PDU Set handling to having PDU Set handling in a serving cell according to NG-RAN policy. In another example, the UE is configured or reconfigured with a DRB to support PDU Set handling for a QoS flow, but PDU Set information is not identified by the UE, e.g., the UE is unable or has not started to identify PDU Set information.

[0078] ​Thus, there are some issues on how to perform discard operation and delay reporting procedure. Discard operation should be defined, e.g., considering which discard timer to use for data without PDU set information identified by the UE, and how to perform discard based on PDU set discard indication, how to send delay report based on remaining discard timer.

[0079] In view of the above discussion, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a PDU set based data handling solution. In one aspect of the solution of the present disclosure, a user equipment receives a configuration from a network equipment, and the configuration is associated with a PDU set of a DRB. The user equipment receives a PDU in the PDU set from an upper layer of the user equipment. Based on whether PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment starts a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU). The SDU corresponds to the PDU. In another aspect of the solution of the present disclosure, the user equipment determines to map a QoS flow from a first DRB to a second DRB. Based on determining that PDU set information of a first PDU of the PDU set of the PDU is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment routes the PDU set of the QoS flow to the second DRB. In this way, it is determined which discard timer can be started and when to start the discard timer, and rules for routing the PDU to different DRBs. Thus, the communication performance is improved. Reference will be made to the following detailed description of the solution of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The principles and implementation of embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to FIG. 11.

[0080] Figure 2 A flow diagram illustrating a method 200 that supports PDU set based data handling in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The operations of method 200 can be implemented by a device described herein or its components. For example, the operations of method 200 can be performed by a user equipment 104 as shown. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device can perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware. Figure 1A The principles and implementation of embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to FIG. 11.

[0081] At 205, the user equipment receives a configuration from a network equipment, the configuration being associated with a PDU set of a DRB. In other words, the user equipment receives a configuration for configuring PDU set based handling of the DRB. For example, the user equipment can receive an RRC reconfiguration for configuring the DRB from having no PDU set handling to having PDU set handling. The PDU set based handling can be associated with parameters of a regular discard timer configuration, a discard timer configuration based on PDU set importance, a PDU set discard indicator, or a PDU set delay reporting configuration.

[0082] At 210, the user equipment receives a PDU in a PDU set from an upper layer of the user equipment. The PDU in the PDU set can or can not be identified with PDU set information. For example, after receiving a PDU set QoS parameter or a PDU set handling indicator or a PDU set indicator associated with a particular QoS flow from a session management function (SMF), the NAS layer of the UE informs the APP layer of the UE to provide the PDU set information of the packets of the related QoS flow to the AS layer of the UE. If the SMF provides updated QoS parameters associated with a particular QoS flow without a PDU set QoS parameter or a PDU set handling indicator or a PDU set indicator, the NAS layer of the UE informs the APP layer of the UE to stop providing the PDU set information of the packets of the related QoS flow to the AS layer of the UE.

[0083] Figure 3 An example of a PDU set identification triggering procedure 300 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The procedure 300 is described as follows:

[0084] At 311, the NAS layer of the UE 302 receives a regular discard timer configuration for a DRB from the network (i.e., the CN 303), e.g., through an RRC reconfiguration message. At 313, the APP layer of the UE 301 receives a PDCP SDU from an upper layer (the NAS layer of the UE 302). At 315, the APP layer of the UE 301 provides the packets to the AS layer of the UE 303 without PDU set information. After receiving the PDCP SDU from the upper layer, the transmitting PDCP entity of the DRB shall start the discard timer associated with this PDCP SDU (if configured). When the discard timer of the PDCP SDU expires, the transmitting PDCP entity shall discard the PDCP SDU and the corresponding PDCP data PDUs. At 317, the NAS layer of the UE 302 receives a PDCP discard timer configuration for the DRB from the CN 303, e.g., through an RRC reconfiguration message. At 319, the APP layer of the UE 301 receives a PDCP SDU from the NAS layer of the UE 302. At 315, the APP layer of the UE 301 provides the packets PDU set information to the AS layer of the UE 303.

[0085] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) set of a DRB includes at least one of: a PDU set discard indicator, a first discard timer, one or more second discard timers, a PDU set delay report. If the PDU set discard indicator is configured, the UE can discard the entire PDU set if one discard timer associated with a PDU in the PDU set expires. If the PDU set delay report is configured, the UE can report the remaining discard time of the DRB to the NW. One second discard timer can correspond to one or more PSI.

[0086] In one example, the PDCP configuration can include a PDU set discard indication. In another example, the PDCP configuration can include at least one or more PSI discard timers, e.g., each timer corresponding to at least one PSI level. In another example, the PDCP discard timer configuration can include at least one discard timer (e.g., a regular discard timer) that does not correspond to a PSI level and one or more PSI discard timers. Figure 4 FIG. illustrates an example of PDCP discard timer configuration for a DRB, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, there is a regular discard timer; a PSI-1 discard timer for data below or equal to a PSI value; a PSI-2 discard timer for data above the PSI value. The PSI-1 discard timer can have two separate discard timers: a PSI-1 discard timer 1 used in UL congestion mode and a PSI-1 discard timer 2 used in UL no congestion mode. The PSI-2 discard timer can have two separate discard timers: a PSI-2 discard timer 1 for UL congestion mode and a PSI-2 discard timer 2 for UL no congestion mode. For the PSI-1 discard timer, if the PSI-1 discard timer 1 is not introduced in UL congestion mode, the regular discard timer can be considered as the default PSI discard timer used in UL congestion mode. For the PSI-2 discard timer, if the PSI-2 discard timer 1 is not introduced in UL congestion mode, the regular discard timer can be considered as the default PSI discard timer used in UL congestion mode. Figure 4

[0087] Referring again to Figure 2 , at 215, the user equipment starts the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU based on whether the PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment. The PDCP SDU corresponds to the PDU. In other words, the discard timer of the PDU is determined based on whether the PDU set information is identified and which PSI is identified.

[0088] For example, Figure 5 Packets 1 and 2 in Figure 3 As shown, when the RRC reconfiguration message is received in 315, the user equipment continues running the PDCP discard timer (e.g., the regular discard timer) for the PDCP SDU. The PDCP discard timer is the stored configuration received prior to receiving the RRC reconfiguration. Further, Figure 5 Packets 3 and 4 in

[0089] ​In some embodiments, a PDU Set: one or more PDUs carrying the payload of one information unit generated at the application level (e.g., frame(s) or video slice(s) of an XR service, etc.), as defined in TS 23.501 [3]. The PDU Set information includes at least one of (e.g., 1), 5), 1) + 5), 1) + 3) + 5), or 1) + 2) + 3) + 5) ) : 1) PDU Set Sequence Number; 2) indication of the end PDU of the PDU Set; 3) PDU Sequence Number within the PDU Set; 4) PDU Set size in bytes; 5) PDU Set Importance (PSI) identifying the relative importance of the PDU Set compared to other PDU Sets within the same QoS Flow.

[0090] In some embodiments, the discard timer can include a first discard timer or a second discard timer. The first discard timer does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance (PSI) level, and the second discard timer corresponds to a PSI level. The first discard timer can be a regular discard timer. The second discard timer can be a PSI discard timer (e.g., a discard timer corresponding to at least a PSI). The first discard timer can be a stored configuration received prior to receiving the RRC reconfiguration.

[0091] In some embodiments, to start a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, if the PDU Set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can start a first discard timer or a second discard timer corresponding to a default PSI level. For example, if the PDU Set information of the PDCP SDU(s) is not identified by the UE, the UE can start a default discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU. The default timer can be a regular discard timer or a specific PSI-based discard timer corresponding to a specific PSI, e.g., a PSI-1 discard timer. The default timer can be a first discard timer or a default PSI discard timer corresponding to a default PSI, e.g., PSI-1.

[0092] In some embodiments, to start a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, if the PDU Set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can consider the PDU as a PDU Set.

[0093] In some embodiments, to start a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, if the PDU Set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can consider the PSI of the PDU as a default or specific PSI, e.g., PSI-1.

[0094] In some embodiments, to start a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, the user equipment can start a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PSI level, or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default or a specific PSI level, if the PDU set of PDUs is not a complete PDU set. The PDU set of PDUs is not a complete PDU set means that not all PDU set information of the PDUs in the PDU set is identified.

[0095] Alternatively, the second discard timer can be one of a plurality of discard timers, and the plurality of discard timers corresponds to one PSI. For example, according to the NW indication, a specific discard timer with a larger or smaller value, which indicates which of the two discard timers corresponding to one PSI (e.g., PSI-1) (e.g., PSI-1-1 discard timer with a larger value and PSI-1-2 discard timer with a smaller value) the UE uses. For example, if the NW indicates that the UE is in the UL non-congestion mode, the UE starts the PSI-1-1 discard timer, while if the NW indicates that the UE is in the UL congestion mode, the UE starts the PSI-1-2 discard timer.

[0096] Additionally, the first discard timer can be associated with a previous PDCP SDU of the PDCP SDU. In one example, the UE starts a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, and the discard timer is the same as the discard timer associated with the previous PDCP SDU. For example, Figure 5 The discard timer of packet 3 is the same as the discard timer of packet 2.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, to start a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, the user equipment can start a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PSI level, or a second discard timer that corresponds to a default or a specific PSI level, if the PDU set information of PDUs is identified by the user equipment and the PDU set of PDUs is not complete. For example, in the case that the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU is identified by the UE and not all PDUs in the PDU set are identified, the user equipment can start a first discard timer corresponding to a default PSI level or a specific PSI-based discard timer. For example, in the case that the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment can start a first discard timer or a specific PSI-based discard timer. If the UE starts a specific PSI-based discard timer, the UE can immediately ignore the regular discard timer if an RRC message is received.

[0098] In some embodiments, for a complete PDU set, the PDU set information is identified at the beginning of the starting data of the PDU set.

[0099] Alternatively, the UE ignores the first discard timer until PDU set information for the PDCP SDU is identified or the PDU set for the PDCP SDU is a complete PDU set. Additionally, after the PDU set information for the first PDCP SDU is identified, the UE starts a PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU.

[0100] Further, the UE not identifying PDU set information for all PDUs in the PDU set for the PDCP SDU can include the PDU set information for the starting data in the PDU set not being identified or the PDU set for the PDCP SDU not being a complete PDU set.

[0101] In some embodiments, the user equipment can also ignore the first discard timer if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU of a second PDU set. For example, the UE ignores the first discard timer until a PDCP SDU of the second PDU set is received. The second PDU set is a complete PDU set.

[0102] In some embodiments, the user equipment can start a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level of a second PDU set if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU of the second PDU set. The second PDU set is associated with the PDCP SDU. For example, the UE starts a PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU from a time of receiving the PDCP SDU of the second PDU set and the PSI discard timer corresponds to a PSI of the PDCP SDU. The second PDU set is a complete PDU set.

[0103] In some embodiments, the PDU set information of the first PDCP SDU of the second PDU set can be identified by the user equipment. For example, the first PDCP SDU is the starting data of the PDU set, and the PDU set information of the first PDCP SDU is identified. In some embodiments, the PDCP SDU can be the starting data of the second PDU set. In some embodiments, the discard timer can be the first discard timer, the PDU set is the first PDU set, and the second PDU set is after the first PDU set. In some embodiments, the second PDU set is a complete PDU set. In some embodiments, the first PDU set is not a complete PDU set. In other words, the UE uses the PDU set information to identify the PDU from which it will start the PDU set discard timer for a complete PDU set. For example, the UE starts the PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU from the time the first PDCP SDU of the PDU set is received, the PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI in the PDCP SDU. In one example, the UE ignores the first discard timer until the first PDCP SDU of the PDU set is received. In another example, the UE starts the PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU from the time the first PDCP SDU of the PDU set is received, the PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of the PDCP SDU.

[0104] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the PDU set of the DRB is a first configuration, the user equipment can receive a second configuration from the network equipment in order to start the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, and the second configuration indicates which discard timer will be started for the PDCP SDU if the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU is not identified or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set. If the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU is not identified by the user equipment, or the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment can start the discard timer indicated according to the second configuration. In one example, the UE starts the discard timer according to the network indication. The network indicates the UE to start a particular PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU whose PDU set information is not identified by the UE or the first discard timer. Alternatively, the network indicates the UE to start a particular PSI discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU which is not the first PDCP SDU of the PDU set or the first discard timer, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set.

[0105] In some embodiments, to start the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, the user equipment can start a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU if the PDU set information of the PDU is identified. The PSI level of the second discard timer is the PSI level of the PDU set of the PDU. In one example, if the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU can be identified by the UE, the UE can start the PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of packet 4 in Figure 5 if the RRC message is received.

[0106] In some embodiments, the user equipment can determine whether the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the first PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the first PDU set, the user equipment can start the second discard timer, the PSI level corresponding to the second discard timer is the PSI of the first PDU set of the PDU. If the PDCP SDU is not the starting data of the first PDU set, the user equipment can not start the second discard timer until the first PDU of the second PDU set is identified. In the case that the UE identifies the PDU with the PDU set information, it should start the PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of packet 5 in Figure 5 if the RRC message is received.

[0107] In some embodiments, the user equipment can determine whether the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is the complete PDU set. If the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is the complete PDU set, the user equipment can start the second discard timer, the PSI level corresponding to the second discard timer is the PSI of the first PDU set of the PDU. If the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not the complete PDU set, the user equipment can not start the second discard timer until the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is the complete PDU set. In the case that the UE identifies the PDU with the PDU set information, it should start the PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of packet 5 in Figure 5 if the RRC message is received.

[0108] In some cases, if the discard timer expires, and if the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, the user equipment can further determine whether the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the PDU set or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is a complete PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the PDU set or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is a complete PDU set, the user equipment can discard all PDCP SDUs in the PDU set and the PDCP SDUs corresponding to the PDUs in the PDU set. In other words, the UE can discard the PDU with the PDU set information identified in the PDU set in the complete PDU set. For example, if the PDU set information of the SDU in the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is identified, the UE can discard all PDCP SDUs belonging to the PDU set and the corresponding PDCP PDUs if the PDU set discard indication is received in the RRC message.

[0109] In some embodiments, if the discard timer expires, and if the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, and not all information of the PDU set of the PDU in the PDU set is identified, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment can further discard the PDCP SDU and the PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU. In one example, the PDU set information of a portion of the SDUs of the PDU set is not identified, and the UE does not identify a complete PDU set, for example, Figure 7 Packet 3 in is identified as not the first data of the PDU set. When the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU expires, the UE (i.e., the transmitting PDCP entity) can discard the PDCP SDU and the corresponding PDCP data PDU. The PDU set discard indication can be received in the RRC message, and the discard timer can be the first discard timer or the PSI discard timer of the PDCP SDU.

[0110] In another example, the PDU set information of the SDU is not identified, and the UE considers the PDU as a PDU set if its PDU set is not identified. Then, if the PDU set discard indication is configured, the UE performs the PDU set discard, and the PDU set only includes the PDU, regardless of whether the PSI-based discard timer or the first discard timer is used.

[0111] If the UE identifies its PDU set and does not identify the entire PDU set of the PDU, the UE considers the PDU as a PDU set. Then, the UE performs PDU set discard and the PDU set includes only the PDU regardless of whether a PSI-based discard timer or a first discard timer is used. In one example, if packets 1, 2, 3, 4 are in a PDU set and PDU set information of packets 1, 2 is not identified, PDU set information of packets 3, 4 is identified, then packets 3, 4 are discarded individually based on expiry of the discard timer associated with each packet.

[0112] In some embodiments, if the discard timer expires, if PDU set information of the PDU is identified, and not all PDU set information of the PDU in the PDU set is identified, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment can further discard one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set of the PDU whose PDU set information is identified, and one or more PDUs corresponding to the one or more PDCP SDUs. If PDU set information of the SDU is identified, the SDU can be a part of the PDU set or all data of the PDU set, and the discard timer is a first discard timer or a second discard timer of the PDCP SDU, and if the PDU set discard indication is received in an RRC message, the UE discards the PDCP SDUs belonging to the PDU set and the corresponding PDCP data PDUs.

[0113] In one example, if packets 1, 2, 3, 4 are in a PDU set and PDU set information of 1, 2, 3, 4 is identified, then packets 1, 2, 3, 4 are discarded together. In another example, if packets 1, 2, 3, 4 are in a PDU set and PDU set information of packets 1, 2 is not identified, PDU set information of packets 3, 4 is identified, then packets 3, 4 are discarded together.

[0114] In some embodiments, if the discard timer expires, and the user equipment can further receive an indication from the network equipment to discard the PDU set. If PDU set information of the PDU is identified, the user equipment can determine whether the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the PDU set, the user equipment can discard the PDCP SDU in the PDU set and the PDCP SDU corresponding to the PDU in the PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is not the starting data of the PDU set, the user equipment can discard the PDCP SDU and one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set, and PDU set information of the one or more PDCP SDUs is identified.

[0115] Alternatively, if the PDU set information of a PDU is not identified, the user equipment can also send a report of the remaining discard time to the network equipment. The report includes the shortest value of the discard time of one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set. For example, if the delay report is configured, the UE reports the remaining discard time of the buffered data to the NW. In one example, if the PDU set is not identified, the remaining discard time of the discard timer can be the shortest value of the PDU set of the LCG. Additionally, for a logical channel group (LCG) including logical channels (LCHs) of data, the UE can report the remaining discard time per LCG or per LCH. Additionally, if the PDU set information of a PDU is not identified, the UE considers the PDU as a PDU set.

[0116] In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of a PDU is not identified, the user equipment can also send a report to the network equipment. The report indicates that the PDU set information is not identified. For example, the UE can report to the NW that the PDU set information is not identified. Additionally, the report of “PDU set information not identified” can be set as a cause value. The report can be generated and reported for a DRB, a QoS flow, or an LCH.

[0117] In some embodiments, the report is sent via a UE assistance information (UAI) message or a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message.

[0118] Generally, the user equipment starts a default discard timer, or a discard timer specified by the NW associated with the packet, without identifying the PDU set information. If the PDU set information of a PDCP SDU is not identified, and the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU expires, the UE discards the PDCP SDU and the corresponding PDCP data PDU. If the PDU set information of a PDCP SDU is identified, and the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, and the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU expires, the UE discards the PDCP SDU and the corresponding PDCP data PDU. Further, the UE reports to the NW that the PDU set information of a DRB or a QoS flow is not identified.

[0119] Figure 6 A process flow diagram illustrating a method 600 that supports PDU set based data processing is shown. The operations of method 600 can be implemented by a device described herein or its components. For example, as shown, the operations of method 600 can be performed by the user equipment 104. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device can perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware. Figure 1A As shown, the operations of method 600 can be performed by the user equipment 104. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device can perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0120] At point 605, the user equipment determines that a QoS flow needs to be mapped from the first DRB to the second DRB. For example, the UE is reconfigured with a QoS flow mapped from the first DRB to the second DRB. Figure 7 An example of a QoS flow DRB remapping process according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Figure 7 As shown, if the UE switches from a source NG-RAN that does not support PDU set processing to a target NG-RAN that does support PDU set processing, some packets 1 and 2 without PDU set information may be buffered at the PDCP layer, or packets 3 and 4 without PDU set information may be received after the QoS flow to DRB mapping is modified. The UE is configured to have a first DRB mapped to a QoS flow, and the first DRB is configured without PDU set processing. The UE is reconfigured to have a second DRB mapped to a QoS flow, which was initially mapped to the first DRB without PDU set processing, and the second DRB is configured with PDU set processing. For example, the first DRB and the second DRB are mapped to the same QoS flow.

[0121] Refer again Figure 6 At point 610, if the PDU set information of the first PDU in the PDU set is identified by the user equipment, then the user equipment routes the PDU of the QoS flow to the second DRB. For example... Figure 7 As shown, packets 5 and 6 of the QoS flow with identified PDU set information are routed to the second DRB. The UE can route the data of the QoS flow to the second DRB starting from the initial data of the QoS flow, and the PDU set information of the initial data is identified. In one example, before the PDU set information of at least the initial data of the QoS flow is identified, the data of the QoS flow ( Figure 7 Groups 5 and 6 in the data stream were not routed to the second DRB. In another example, if the PDU set information of the initial data of the QoS flow is identified, the UE routes the initial data and subsequent data to the second DRB. In another example, the data of the QoS flow with identified PDU set information ( Figure 7 Groups 3 and 4 in the data and QoS flow data without identified PDU set information (in the data) Figure 7 Packets 1 and 2 in the DRB are routed to the first DRB.

[0122] In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can also route the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB. In some embodiments, the PDU set of the PDU is incomplete. For example, the data of the QoS flow without identified PDU set information ( Figure 7 Packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the data stream are routed to the first DRB. In another example, data from a QoS flow with identified PDU set information (Figure 7 Groups 3 and 4 in the data and QoS flow data without identified PDU set information (in the data) Figure 7 Packets 1 and 2 in the DRB are routed to the first DRB.

[0123] In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment may also route the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB. In some embodiments, if the PDU set of the PDU is not the complete PDU set of the user equipment, the user equipment may also route the PDU of the QoS flow to the first DRB. In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of the first PDU of the PDU set of the QoS flow's PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment may also route the PDU to the first DRB. For example, data of a QoS flow without identified PDU set information ( Figure 8 Packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the PDU are routed to the first DRB. That is, the user equipment routes the PDUs of the QoS flow to the first DRB until the PDU set of the PDUs is a complete PDU set.

[0124] In some embodiments, the UE may also route PDUs of the QoS flow to the first DRB until the first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the UE or the UE receives the PDUs in the complete PDU set. In one example, the UE continues to route data of the QoS flow to the first DRB, even though the PDU set information of the data is not identified until the PDU set information of the first data of the QoS flow is identified. For example, after the PDU set information of the initial data of the QoS flow is identified, the UE will no longer route data including the initial data and data arriving after the first data to the first DRB. Even if the PDU set information of subsequent data of the QoS flow is not identified, the UE will not route subsequent data to the first DRB.

[0125] In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of the first PDU in the PDU set is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can also generate an end-of-life control PDU. In some embodiments, if the PDU set of the PDUs is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment can also generate an end-of-life control PDU. In some embodiments, if the PDU set information of the PDUs of the QoS flow is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment can also generate an end-of-life control PDU. In one example, after the PDU set information of at least the data of the QoS flow is first identified, the UE can construct an end-of-life mark for the NW on the first DRB. It can be defined as follows:

[0126] In another example, the UE can construct the end marker on the first DRB after the PDU set information of the starting data of the PDU set of the QoS flow is first identified from the complete PDU set. In another example, the UE can construct the end marker on the first DRB after receiving the RRC reconfiguration. In another example, the UE can construct the end marker on the first DRB if a PDU is received in the complete PDU set.

[0127] In some embodiments, after completing the data transmission on the first DRB, the user equipment can also send an end marker on the DRB. For example, the UE can send the end marker to the NW on the first DRB after the PDU set of at least data of the QoS flow, the PSI, the data burst is first identified.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first DRB can not be configured with PDU set handling, and the second DRB can be configured with PDU set handling. In some embodiments, the first PDU can be the starting data in the PDU set, or the PDU set of the first PDU can be the complete PDU set.

[0129] In some embodiments, to determine to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB, the user equipment can also receive a reconfiguration message from the network device. The reconfiguration message is used to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB. Based on the reconfiguration message, the user equipment can determine to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB. For example, the QoS flow to DRB remapping function can be enabled via a special indication of the NW, or implicitly configured by mapping the QoS flow from a DRB without PDU set handling to a DRB with PDU set handling.

[0130] In summary, the user equipment routes packets of a QoS flow to a first DRB for transmission without PDU set information identified by the user equipment. The user equipment routes packets with PDU set information of the QoS flow from a starting packet with PDU set information identified by the user equipment to a second DRB. In addition, if the first packet with PDU set information is identified by the UE, the user equipment constructs an end marker control PDU and sends the end marker in the first DRB after completing the data transmission on the first DRB.

[0131] Figure 2An apparatus 800 that supports data processing based on PDU set configuration is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The apparatus 800 can be an example of a SMF 100 as described herein. The apparatus 800 can support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The apparatus 800 can include components for bi-directional communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a transceiver 806, and an optional I / O controller 808. These components can be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses). The processor 802, the memory 804, the transceiver 806, or various combinations thereof can be an example of a means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. For example, the processor 802, the memory 804, the transceiver 806, or various combinations thereof or components thereof can support a method for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0132] The processor 802, the memory 804, the transceiver 806, or various combinations thereof or components thereof can be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. For example, the processor 802, the memory 804, the transceiver 806, or various combinations thereof or components thereof can support a method for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0133] In some implementations, the processor 802, the memory 804, the transceiver 806, or various combinations thereof or components thereof can be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communication management circuitry). The hardware can include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, a processor 802 and memory 804 coupled with the processor 802 can be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., by the processor 802 executing instructions stored in memory 804).

[0134] For example, the processor 802 can support wireless communication at the apparatus 800 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The processor 802 can be configured to be operable to support means for receiving a configuration from a network device via a transceiver, the configuration being associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) set of a data radio bearer (DRB); receiving a PDU of the PDU set from an upper layer of a user equipment; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment. The processor 802 can be further configured to be operable to support means for Figure 6The processor 802 can be configured to be operable to support means for determining to map a quality of service (QoS) flow from a first data radio bearer (DRB) to a second DRB; and based on determining that a protocol data unit (PDU) set information of a first PDU of a PDU set of protocol data units (PDUs) of the QoS flow is identified by the user equipment, routing the PDUs to the second DRB. The processor 802 can be further configured to be operable to support means for Figure 9 The processor 802 can be configured to be operable to support means for determining to map a quality of service (QoS) flow from a first data radio bearer (DRB) to a second DRB; and based on determining that a protocol data unit (PDU) set information of a first PDU of a PDU set of protocol data units (PDUs) of the QoS flow is identified by the user equipment, routing the PDUs to the second DRB. The processor 802 can be further configured to be operable to support means for

[0135] The processor 802 can include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 802 can be configured to operate memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, a memory controller can be integrated into the processor 802. The processor 802 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 804) to cause the device 800 to perform various functions in accordance with this disclosure.

[0136] The memory 804 can include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The memory 804 can store computer-readable computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 802, cause the device 800 to perform various functions described herein. The code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code can not be directly executable by the processor 802 but can cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 804 can include a basic I / O system (BIOS), which can control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0137] The I / O controller 808 can manage input and output signals for the device 800. The I / O controller 808 can also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 800. In some implementations, the I / O controller 808 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some implementations, the I / O controller 808 can utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or other known operating systems. In some implementations, the I / O controller 808 can be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 806. In some implementations, the user can interact with the device 800 via the I / O controller 808 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 808.

[0138] In some implementations, the device 800 can include a single antenna 810. However, in some other implementations, the device 800 can have more than one antenna 810 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which are capable of concurrently sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 806 can communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 810, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 806 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 806 can also include a modem to modulate the packets and to demodulate packets received from one or more antennas 810. The transceiver 806 can include one or more transmitters chains, one or more receiver chains, or a combination thereof.

[0139] A transmit chain can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmit chain can include at least one modulator to modulate data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator can be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or a digital modulation scheme, like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmit chain can also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level for transmission over a wireless medium. The transmit chain can also include one or more antennas 810 to transmit the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0140] A receive chain can be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receive chain can include one or more antennas 810 to receive signals over the air or wireless medium. The receive chain can include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receive chain can include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation techniques applied during signal transmission. The receive chain can include at least one decoder to process the demodulated signal for receiving the transmitted data.

[0141] Figure 2An example of a processor 900 that supports PDU set configuration based data processing in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The processor 900 can be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples described herein. The processor 900 can include a controller 902 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples described herein. The processor 900 can optionally include at least one memory 904, such as a LI / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 900 can optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 906. One or more of these components can be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0142] The processor 900 can be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, obtain, retrieve, send, output, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) in accordance with examples described herein. The processor chipset can include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., processor 900)) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), etc.).

[0143] The controller 902 can be configured to manage and coordinate the various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, sending, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 900 to enable the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with examples described herein. For example, the controller 902 can operate as a control unit of the processor 900 to generate control signals for managing the operations of the various components of the processor 900. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating operational timing.

[0144] The controller 902 can be configured to retrieve (e.g., fetch, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 904 and determine subsequent instruction(s) to be executed to cause the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with the examples described herein. The controller 902 can be configured to track memory addresses of instructions associated with the memory 904. The controller 902 can be configured to decode instructions to determine operations to be performed and operands involved. For example, the controller 902 can be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 900 to cause the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 902 can be configured to manage data flow within the processor 900. The controller 902 can be configured to control data transfers between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and other functional units of the processor 900.

[0145] The memory 904 can include one or more caches (e.g., memory or other storage included locally with the processor 900 or otherwise, such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash, etc.). In some implementations, the memory 904 can reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., locally with the processor 900). In some other implementations, the memory 904 can reside outside of the processor chipset (e.g., remote from the processor 900).

[0146] The memory 904 can store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 900, cause the processor 900 to perform various functions described herein. The code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or another type of memory. The controller 902 and / or processor 900 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 904 to cause the processor 900 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 900 and / or controller 902 can be coupled with or to the memory 904, and the processor 900, controller 902, and memory 904 can be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 900 can include multiple processors, and the memory 904 can include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors can be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which can be individually or collectively configured to perform the various functions herein.

[0147] One or more ALUs 900 can be configured to support various operations in accordance with the examples described herein. In some implementations, one or more ALUs 900 can reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 900). In some other implementations, one or more ALUs 900 can reside outside of a processor chipset (e.g., processor 900). One or more ALUs 900 can perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 900 can receive input operands and an operation code that determines the operation to be performed. One or more ALUs 900 are configured with various logic and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Additionally or alternatively, one or more ALUs 900 can support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive OR (XOR), NOT OR (NOR), and NOT AND (NAND) so that one or more ALUs 900 can handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0148] According to examples disclosed herein, processor 900 can support wireless communications. Processor 900 can be configured or operable to support means for receiving, from a network device via a transceiver, a configuration associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) set of a data radio bearer (DRB); receiving, from an upper layer of a user device, a PDU of the PDU set; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) based on whether PDU set information of a first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the user device. The PDCP SDU corresponds to the PDU. Processor 902 can be further configured or operable to support means for Figure 6 other actions described in the Examples.

[0149] Processor 900 can be configured or operable to support means for determining to map a quality of service (QoS) flow from a first data radio bearer (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a protocol data unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on PDU set information of a first PDU of a PDU set of the PDU being identified by a user device. Processor 902 can be further configured or operable to support means for ​ other actions described in the Examples.

[0150] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods can be combined.

[0151] The various illustrative blocks and components described herein can be implemented with or performed by general purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, CPUs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0152] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions can also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0153] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

[0154] As used herein, including in the claims, the article "a" preceding a list of elements does not exclude the presence of more than one of the elements. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, the article "a" preceding one or more elements of a group does not exclude the presence of additional such elements. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, the term "based on" shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as "based on condition A" can be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "based on" shall be construed as meaning "based at least in part on." Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "set" shall mean one or more elements.

[0155] The description herein is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: processor; as well as The transceiver is coupled to the processor. The processor is configured as follows: The transceiver receives a configuration from the network device, the configuration being associated with the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set of the Data Radio Bearer (DRB); Receive PDUs from the upper layer of the user equipment; as well as Based on whether the PDU set information is identified by the user equipment, a discard timer associated with the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) is started, where the PDCP SDU corresponds to the PDU.

2. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein the PDU set information includes at least one of the following: The sequence number of the PDU set; The indication of the end PDU of the PDU set; The sequence number of the PDUs within the PDU set; The size of the PDU set, in bytes; or The PDU set importance level of the PDU set.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the discard timer comprises one of the following: The first discard timer does not correspond to the PSI level; or The second discard timer corresponding to the PSI level.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein activating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: Based on the determination that the PDU set information is not identified by the user equipment, one of the following is initiated: The first discard timer does not correspond to the PSI level; or The second discard timer corresponding to the default PSI level.

5. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein activating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: Based on the determination that the set of PDUs is not a complete set of PDUs, initiate one of the following: The first discard timer does not correspond to the PSI level; or The second discard timer corresponding to the default PSI level.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the fact that the PDU set information is determined not to be identified by the user equipment, the PDU is regarded as a PDU set.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that the PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the PSI of the PDU is regarded as the default PSI.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein activating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: Based on the UE determining that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified by the user equipment and that the PDU set of all PDUs in the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is incomplete, one of the following is initiated: The first discard timer does not correspond to the PDU set importance PSI level; or The second discard timer corresponding to the default PSI level.

9. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the PDU set information for which the UE does not identify all the PDUs in the PDU set of the PDCP SDU includes: The PDU set information of the starting data in the PDU set is not identified, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set.

10. The user equipment according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to: If the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU of the second PDU set, then the first discard timer is ignored; or If the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU of the second PDU set, then start the second discard timer corresponding to the PSI level of the second PDU set.

11. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein: The PDU set information of the first PDU in the second PDU set is identified by the user equipment, and the PDCPSDU is the starting data of the second PDU set; The discard timer is the first discard timer, the PDU set is the first PDU set, and the second PDU set follows the first PDU set; The second PDU set is a complete PDU set; or The first PDU set is not a complete PDU set.

12. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein activating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: Based on the determination that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU is started, wherein the PSI level of the second discard timer is the PSI level of the PDU set of the PDU.

13. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: Determine whether the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the first PDU set or whether the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is a complete PDU set; Based on determining that the PDCP SDU is the starting data of the first PDU set or that the PDCP PDU set is a complete PDU set, a second discard timer is started, and the PSI level corresponding to the second discard timer is the PSI of the first PDU set of the PDU; or The second discard timer is not started until the first PDU in the PDU set is identified, based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is not the starting data of the first PDU set or the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is not a complete PDU set.

14. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein if the discard timer expires, the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that the PDU set information of the PDU is identified, and based on the determination that all the information of the PDU set of the PDU that is not identified in the PDU set, or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set, one or more PDCP SDUs whose PDU set information is identified, and one or more PDUs corresponding to the one or more PDCP SDUs are discarded.

15. The user equipment according to claims 1 to 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that the PDU set information of the PDU is not identified, a report indicating that the PDU set information is not identified is sent to the network device.

16. A user equipment (UE), comprising: processor; as well as The transceiver is coupled to the processor. The processor is configured as follows: Determine whether to map the Quality of Service (QoS) flow from the first data radio bearer (DRB) to the second DRB; as well as The PDU set information of the first PDU, which is based on the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set of the QoS flow, is identified by the user equipment, and the PDU is routed to the second DRB.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that the PDU set information of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the PDU of the QoS flow is routed to the first DRB; or Based on the user equipment's determination that the PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the PDUs of the QoS flow are routed to the first DRB; or Based on the fact that the PDU set information of the first PDU in the PDU set of the PDU is determined not to be identified by the user equipment, the PDU of the QoS flow is routed to the first DRB.

18. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to: The PDUs of the QoS flow are routed to the first DRB until the first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the user equipment or the PDU set of the PDUs is a complete PDU set.

19. A method performed by a user equipment, comprising: The configuration is received from the network device via a transceiver and is associated with the set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of the Data Radio Bearer (DRB). Receive PDUs from the upper layer of the user equipment; as well as Based on whether the PDU set information is identified by the user equipment, a discard timer associated with the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) is started, where the SDU corresponds to the PDU.

20. A method performed by a user equipment, comprising: Determine whether to map the Quality of Service (QoS) flow from the first data radio bearer (DRB) to the second DRB; as well as The PDU set information of the first PDU in the protocol data unit (PDU) set that determines the QoS flow is identified by the user equipment, and the PDU is routed to the second DRB.

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