Configuring and reporting status reports

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to solutions for configuring and reporting status reports. A method includes receiving configuration information for determining a plurality of report thresholds for remaining time from a second device; and transmitting a status report including a plurality of entries to the second device, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of report thresholds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically, to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for configuring and reporting status reports. Background Technology

[0002] Version 18 introduced Delay Status Reporting (DSR). DSR provides the next-generation NodeB (gNB) with information about the amount of data in the User Equipment (UE) buffer, and whether the associated remaining time in the UE buffer (i.e., the remaining time available for scheduling, which may be referred to as Remaining Time (RT)) is below a certain threshold. The gNB can use this information to perform delay-aware scheduling. In subsequent versions, it has been agreed to enhance the DSR mechanism, such as by increasing the granularity of DSR reporting. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: receive configuration information from a second apparatus for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and transmit to the second apparatus a status report comprising a plurality of entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: transmit configuration information to a first apparatus for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and receive from the first apparatus a status report comprising a plurality of entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving configuration information from a second device for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and transmitting to the second device a status report comprising a plurality of entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting configuration information to a first device for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and receiving from the first device a status report comprising a plurality of entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for receiving configuration information from a second apparatus for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and components for transmitting a status report comprising a plurality of entries to the second apparatus, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: components for transmitting configuration information to a first apparatus for determining a plurality of reporting thresholds for remaining time; and components for receiving a status report from the first apparatus comprising a plurality of entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to a third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 The signaling flow of communications according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figures 3A to 3CAn example MAC CE structure according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0019] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0022] 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 pertains.

[0023] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment needs to include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed that its influence on such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether explicitly described or not) is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0024] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording (where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0026] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the “responding to A” action does not mean that the action is performed immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” and / or “containing” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only implementations (such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuits only); and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware; and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and (c) Multiple hardware circuits and / or multiple processors, such as multiple microprocessors or a portion thereof, are required for operation of software (e.g., firmware), but the software may not exist when it is not required for operation.

[0029] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0030] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, 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), sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the aforementioned systems.

[0031] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (or NB), evolved Node B (or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), repeater, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low-power node (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds), non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, spacecraft network equipment, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE toward a parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node behaves similarly to a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0032] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0033] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication.

[0034] In the goals of version 19, scheduling enhancements for Extended Reality (XR) have been agreed upon, as follows: For uplink (UL), enhancements using delay / deadline information are specified to support UL scheduling for high XR capacity while meeting delay requirements / avoiding protocol data units (PDUs) that are too late. Furthermore, the complexity of implementing Logical Channel Priority (LCP) needs to be considered when evaluating the solution.

[0035] As discussed above, it has been agreed that DSR mechanisms can be enhanced by increasing the granularity of DSR reporting. Some proposals are shown below.

[0036] One proposed solution is to group data based on PDU sets, and another is to group data based on importance levels. However, these solutions have the following drawback: when data belonging to one PDU set or having a specific importance level takes precedence over data belonging to another PDU set or having another importance level, the UE only provides valuable information at the gNB scheduler. However, this requires grouping-level prioritization within the logical channel (LCH), which is undesirable.

[0037] Another proposed solution is to add more thresholds and still group data based on these thresholds, i.e., as data buckets between thresholds. However, reporting the entire buffer size may not be optimal because, according to the Media Access Control (MAC) standard, data can only trigger a DSR if it wasn't previously reported in the DSR. Therefore, reporting the entire buffer size in the DSR prevents the DSR from being triggered later when the remaining time of previously reported data becomes less than the trigger threshold. The key point is that the network will have very coarse information about data with remaining time higher than the highest reporting threshold, and deriving remaining time information based on previous reports can lead to large errors.

[0038] Regarding DSR, using the maximum value among the reporting thresholds as the trigger threshold seems like the simplest and most obvious solution. However, using a lower reporting threshold allows DSR to be triggered later and only when truly needed. It will also allow reporting of data with more time remaining than the trigger threshold, thus avoiding triggering too frequently when new data remains below the trigger threshold.

[0039] To date, there are no details regarding the relationship between triggering and reporting thresholds, or about the exact DSR with multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer sizes. Example Environment

[0040] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. The service area provided by the second device 120 is referred to as a cell. Furthermore, the second device 120 may provide one or more cells, for example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, cell 102 is provided by the second device 120.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be included in the terminal device / apparatus, and the second device 120 may be included in the network device / apparatus serving the terminal device / apparatus.

[0042] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some exemplary embodiments are depicted in which the first device 110 operates as a terminal device and the second device 120 operates as a network device. However, in some exemplary embodiments, the operations described in connection with the terminal device can be implemented at the network device or other devices, and the operations described in connection with the network device can be implemented at the terminal device or other devices.

[0043] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0044] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices may be located in cell 102, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in communication environment 100. It should be noted that although shown as a network device, the second device 120 may be another device besides a network device. Although shown as a terminal device, the first device 110 may be another device besides a terminal device.

[0045] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to: cellular communication protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, and sixth generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Working principles and example signaling for communication

[0046] This disclosure relates to solutions for configuring and reporting DSR reporting thresholds. Using example embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration and reporting of status reports can be made more feasible. Furthermore, network devices can obtain more comprehensive information about the buffer status at the UE, and therefore can perform more appropriate scheduling.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 Discuss the details. Figure 2 Signaling flow 200 of communications according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 (For example, by using a first device 110 and a second device 120) Signaling flow 200 is discussed, wherein the first device 110 can be used as a terminal device and the second device 120 can be used as a network device.

[0048] It should be understood that the operations at the first device 110 and the second device 120 should be coordinated. In other words, the second device 120 and the first device 110 should have a common understanding regarding configuration, parameters, etc. Such a common understanding can be achieved through any suitable interaction between the second device 120 and the first device 110 or by both the second device 120 and the first device 110 applying the same rules, strategies, etc.

[0049] In the following description, although some operations are presented from the perspective of the first device 110, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the second device 120. Similarly, although some operations are presented from the perspective of the second device 120, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the first device 110. For the sake of brevity, some identical or similar content has been omitted here.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, in operation, the second device 120 transmits (220-1) configuration information to the first device 110, and the first device 110 receives (220-2) the configuration information accordingly, wherein the configuration information is used to determine multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time.

[0051] In some example implementations, configuration information can be configured for logical channel groups (LCGs) or user equipment. That is, a reporting threshold can be configured for each UE or for each LCG.

[0052] Based on the configuration information, the first device 110 transmits a status report (260-1) to the second device 120, and the second device 120 receives the status report (260-2) accordingly. As an example implementation, the first device 110 may trigger a status report based on a DSR triggering such as conventional behavior (i.e., the minimum remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discardTimer in the LCG buffer for the amount of data that has not yet been transmitted in any MAC PDU and has not yet been reported as DSR MAC CE) or by any other new DSR triggering that may be introduced in future versions of the 3GPP specification (e.g., triggering a DSR before a Measurement Gaps (MG) or SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) with scheduling constraints).

[0053] According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, the status report includes multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on multiple reporting thresholds. In some example embodiments, the status report may be included in a MAC CE. The remaining time range may sometimes also be referred to as the remaining time interval.

[0054] Further details regarding the configuration information will be discussed below. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate: firstly, a trigger threshold (remainingTimeThreshold) for the remaining time of status reporting, and secondly, multiple reporting thresholds.

[0055] In some example embodiments, the second information may indicate multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between a reporting threshold and a trigger threshold among multiple reporting thresholds.

[0056] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second information may indicate multiple remaining time values ​​for multiple reporting thresholds.

[0057] For better understanding, more example implementations regarding configuration information will be discussed below.

[0058] In some example implementations, the threshold(s) used to report multiple pairs of remaining time and corresponding buffer sizes (also referred to as "multiple reporting thresholds") and the threshold used for DSR triggering are configured separately.

[0059] In one example embodiment, the reporting threshold can be configured relative to a remaining time threshold (also referred to as the "trigger threshold") used for DSR triggering. In such an example embodiment, the reporting threshold can be represented as an offset above or below the DSR trigger threshold(s).

[0060] In one example embodiment, a reporting threshold can be configured to the first device 110 by signaling a list of N values. In one example embodiment, the reporting threshold can be determined by adding the remaining time threshold to the values ​​in the list. For example, if the configured list includes the following values: -5ms, 0ms, and 10ms, it means that the reporting threshold is set to: ·reportingThreshold#1=remainingTimeThreshold-5ms, ·reportingThreshold#2=remainingTimeThreshold+0ms, and ·reportingThreshold#3=remainingTimeThreshold+10ms.

[0061] In another example embodiment, the reporting threshold can be configured independently of the DSR trigger threshold. For example, the first device 110 can receive a configuration that includes the following: • The DSR trigger threshold (remainingTimeThreshold) for the remaining time, and • A list of DSR reporting thresholds for the remaining time.

[0062] In the following sections, example implementations regarding the remaining time range will be discussed.

[0063] In some example embodiments, one of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among multiple reporting thresholds, and each of the other multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold besides the minimum reporting threshold. In this case, in some example embodiments, the buffer size #n (n = [1…N], where N is the number of reporting thresholds) may indicate the amount of data with associated remaining time falling within the range of [threshold #n-1, threshold #n], where threshold #0 = 0.

[0064] As an example embodiment, when a DSR is triggered, the first device 110 can calculate the buffer size value to be reported in the DSR for each LCG as follows: • Buffer size #1 is the amount of data associated with the remaining time within the remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold #1]. • Buffer size #2 is the amount of data within the remaining time range (reportingThreshold #1, reportingThreshold #2) associated with it; • Buffer size #3 is the amount of data within the remaining time range (reportingThreshold#1, reportingThreshold#3) associated with it.

[0065] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, each of the plurality of remaining time ranges is a remaining time range between zero and one of a plurality of reporting thresholds. In this case, in some example embodiments, the buffer size #n may indicate the amount of data with remaining time below threshold #n (i.e., (0, threshold #n]), based on which the second device 120 may derive the buffer size falling into the remaining time range.

[0066] As an example embodiment, when a DSR is triggered, the first device 110 can calculate the buffer size value to be reported in the DSR for each LCG as follows: • Buffer size #1 is the amount of data associated with the remaining time within the remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold #1]. • Buffer size #2 is the amount of data associated with the remaining time within the remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold #2]. • Buffer size #3 is the amount of data associated with the remaining time within the remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold #3].

[0067] The following section will discuss example implementations regarding the definition of remaining time and how to determine the buffer size value.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the remaining time may be determined based on at least one timer used to determine when a data unit is discarded.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range can be determined by taking into account the data unit corresponding to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) (240), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0070] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range can be determined (240) by taking into account the data units corresponding to the PDCP SDUs of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data units of the PDCP SDUs for the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the data unit includes at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

[0072] According to some example embodiments of this disclosure, a PDU set can be considered. Specifically, similar to the definition of delayed critical data, when pdu-SetDiscard is configured, the minimum remaining time for the entire PDU set is considered to be the remaining time for the PDU within that set.

[0073] Specifically, in some embodiments, when determining the buffer size value for the remaining time range, if pdu-SetDiscard is not configured, the associated data unit for the remaining time within the remaining time range may include: • PDCP SDU, for which PDCP data PDU has not yet been constructed and its remaining time before the discardTimer expires is within the remaining time range. • PDCP data PDU, which contains PDCP SDU, whose remaining time before the discardTimer expires is within the remaining time range and has not yet been submitted to the lower layer. • The RLC SDU and SDU portions correspond to the PDCP PDU. The remaining time of the PDCP PDU is within the remaining time range before the discardTimer expires. • RLC data PDU, which awaits initial transmission and contains RLC SDU or RLCSDU segments corresponding to the PDCP PDU, with the remaining time of the PDCP PDU within the remaining time range before the discardTimer expires.

[0074] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, when determining the buffer size value for the remaining time range, if pdu-SetDiscard is configured, the associated data unit for the remaining time within the remaining time range may include: • A PDCP SDU set of PDUs, wherein at least one PDCP SDU has a remaining time within the remaining time range. • PDCP data PDU, which contains a set of PDCP SDUs, wherein at least one PDCP SDU has the remaining time within the remaining time range. • RLC SDU and SDU portions, corresponding to PDCP PDUs of the PDU set, wherein at least one PDCP SDU has a remaining time within the remaining time range. • RLC data PDU, which awaits initial transmission and contains an RLC SDU or RLC SDU portion corresponding to a PDCP PDU of the PDU set, wherein at least one PDCP SDU has remaining time within the remaining time range.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a buffer size value by considering at least one of the following, which corresponds to the remaining time range associated with a minimum reporting threshold or a maximum reporting threshold: at least one control protocol data unit (PDU) or at least one data unit to be retransmitted.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the following data units may be reported in a buffer size value associated with the minimum remaining time range (i.e., remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold#1)): PDCP control PDU; for acknowledged mode (AM) data radio bearer (DRB), PDCP SDU and PDCP data PDU awaiting retransmission; and for RLCAM, RLC data PDU awaiting retransmission.

[0077] According to some example embodiments of this disclosure, information regarding the remaining time and buffer size of multiple pairs can be reported in the DSR MAC CE. Possible formats for the DSR MAC CE will be discussed below.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the MAC CE may include a fixed number of entries. In some example embodiments, the number of entries included in the status report may be the same as the number of reporting thresholds included in a plurality of reporting thresholds; that is, the fixed number of buffer sizes and / or remaining time may be based on configuration information, i.e., depending on the configured number of thresholds. In this case, if the buffer size of the remaining time range between a reporting threshold and the previous adjacent reporting threshold is zero, the first device 110 may set a first field to zero or the previous buffer size value, wherein the first field indicates the buffer size value and / or the remaining time associated with the remaining time range.

[0079] Specifically, when the MAC CE has a fixed number of entries, for the BS, if no data falls within the threshold range, the buffer size index needs to be indicated as zero (i.e., buffer size value = 0). For such entries, in some example embodiments, the remaining time information can be omitted because there is no data and therefore no remaining time. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the remaining time can be indicated as equal to one of the reporting thresholds corresponding to the remaining time range. For example, the data volume corresponds to [reportingThreshold#1, reportingThreshold#2], so the buffer size value #2 = 0 is reported. Furthermore, for this entry, in some example embodiments, the remaining time information can be omitted. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the remaining time equal to reportingThreshold#1 or reportingThreshold#2 can be indicated.

[0080] Alternatively, for BS, if no data falls within a threshold range (#n), the same buffer size index can be reported for different entries (i.e., threshold ranges #n and #n-1). As an example, if the amount of data within (threshold #2, threshold #3] is 0, then the buffer size values ​​for (threshold #1, threshold #2] and (threshold #2, threshold #3] are the same.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the remaining time information may indicate the minimum remaining time for data whose remaining time falls within a range. In other example embodiments, such as when the MAC CE has a fixed number of entries, only one remaining time for the minimum remaining time is reported in the DSR. Since the second device 120 knows the corresponding remaining time range from the location of the buffer size, there is no remaining time information for (multiple) other ranges.

[0082] In some example implementations, the first field may be less than eight bits long. As an example, fewer bits (e.g., 6 bits) can be used to report the buffer size because the amount of data in each remaining time range may be less than the amount of data reported in the BSR for the entire LCG.

[0083] For better understanding, refer to Figures 3A to 3C Example MACCE was discussed. Figures 3A to 3C Example MAC CE structures 300A to 300C according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0084] In the example MAC CE structure 300A, the DSR consists of N buffer size values ​​(i.e., a fixed number of entries) for each LCG. The i-th buffer size value corresponds to the i-th remaining time range, where the first remaining time range is (0, reportingThreshold#1], and the i-th remaining time range (i = [2...N]) is (reportingThreshold#i-1, reportingThreshold#i). Specifically, buffer size 1 corresponds to the first remaining time range for the first LGG that reports DSR information; buffer size n1 corresponds to the last remaining time range for the first LGG that reports DSR information (where n1 is the number of reporting thresholds configured for the first LCG); buffer size n1+1 corresponds to the first remaining time range for the second LGG that reports DSR information; and so on. Figure 3A In the example, if there is no data to report within the corresponding remaining time range (i.e., the buffer size value = 0), it is still necessary to signal the buffer size value.

[0085] As discussed above, in some cases, fewer bits can be used to report the buffer size value. Now refer to Figure 3B .exist Figure 3B In the example, 6 bits can be used instead of 8 bits to report the buffer size value.

[0086] Further reference Figure 3C .exist Figure 3C In the example, multiple buffer sizes and remaining time pairs are reported. For example... Figure 3C As shown, the DSR consists of N pairs of buffer sizes and remaining time for each LCG. The i-th pair of buffer sizes and remaining time corresponds to the i-th remaining time range, where the first remaining time range is (0, reportingThreshold#1], and the i-th remaining time range (i = [2...N]) is (reportingThreshold#i-1, reportingThreshold#i).

[0087] exist Figure 3C In addition, the UE also reports the exact value of the remaining time for the corresponding remaining time range, namely, the time of the first symbol transmitted on the first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) including the DSRMAC CE, the shortest remaining time value of the PDCPdiscardTimer (or pdu-SetDiscard) running in all PDCP SDUs that are buffered for LCG but have not yet been transmitted in any MAC PDU, and the remaining time associated with the shortest remaining time value (based on the above principle) is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0088] exist Figure 3C In this context, buffer size 1 and remaining time 1 correspond to the first remaining time range for the first LCG that reports DSR information; buffer size N1 and remaining time N1 correspond to the last remaining time range for the first LCG that reports DSR information (N1 = the number of reporting thresholds configured for the first LCG); buffer size N1+1 and remaining time N1+1 correspond to the first remaining time range for the second LCG that reports DSR information; and so on.

[0089] Since the (minimum) remaining time corresponding to a given remaining time range can be limited to that interval, fewer bits can be used to convey the remaining time information. In some example embodiments, for example, 4 bits can be used instead of 6 bits to signal the remaining time, and thus an additional 2 bits can be reserved for future use. For example, in the current DSR report, the granularity for reporting the remaining time is 1 ms, meaning that using 6 bits, the UE can signal the remaining time between 1 ms and 64 ms. Assuming four reporting thresholds (16 ms, 32 ms, 48 ​​ms, and 64 ms) are configured, only 4 bits can be used to signal the actual remaining time in each remaining time range, achieving the same granularity as conventional signaling.

[0090] Alternatively, a MAC CE with a variable number of entries (buffer size and / or remaining time) depending on the data availability of the entries can be used. In some example embodiments, if, for example, the corresponding buffer size value is equal to zero, reporting one or more pairs of buffer sizes and remaining time can be skipped. In this case, the remaining time range can be determined based on signaling the remaining time value (e.g., if 0 < remaining time m ≤ reportingThreshold#1, then the corresponding buffer size value (buffer size m) corresponds to the remaining time range (0, reportingThreshold#1]), and so on.

[0091] In some example embodiments, explicit indications may be introduced. Specifically, the first device 110 may only report entries with data available for transmission, wherein the extended ('E') bit indicates whether one or more entries for the LCG are present later.

[0092] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data, where the remaining time is within the corresponding remaining time range for that entry. If the buffer size is zero, the first device 110 may ignore the corresponding entry. In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a Logical Channel Group (LCG).

[0093] As an example implementation, the DSR may include an indication that a pair of buffer size and remaining time is the last pair of buffer size and remaining time signaled for the corresponding LCG. This can be done, for example, by using the R bit in the current DSR MAC CE format as an extension (E) bit (e.g., E=1 means there is an additional pair of buffer size and remaining time signaled for that LCG, and E=0 means this is the last pair of buffer size and remaining time signaled for that LCG). Alternatively, fewer bits (e.g., 7 bits) can be used to signal the buffer size information, and the first bit of the eight-bit byte carrying the buffer size information can be used as the E bit.

[0094] In some example implementations, implicit indications can be introduced. Specifically, the entry for the highest threshold is always reported, and other entries can be omitted if there is no data. Based on the reported remaining time value falling within the highest remaining time range, the network implicitly knows that it is the last entry for the LCG.

[0095] In some example embodiments, if the buffer size is zero and the entry associated with the buffer size is not the last entry for a Logical Channel Group (LCG), the first device 110 may omit the entry in the status report. Alternatively, if the entry is the last entry for a Logical Channel Group (LCG), the first device 110 may include the entry in the status report, regardless of whether the corresponding buffer size is zero.

[0096] As an example implementation, the first device always reports at least a buffer size and remaining time pair corresponding to the last remaining time range for the LCG, even if it is equal to zero. In this case, if there is no data to report for the last remaining time range, the UE can report buffer size = 0 and remaining time = reportingThreshold#N.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the buffer size for calculating and reporting a given remaining time range may also include low-importance data (such as data buffered in the absence of an associated running discardTimer) that precedes any data in the UE transport buffer that has an associated running discardTimer and is reported for the corresponding remaining time range.

[0098] In some example implementations, the DSR may not report the buffer size value corresponding to data with remaining time greater than the configured maximum reporting threshold. This is because, based on the traditional DSR triggering mechanism, a PDCP SDU whose drop timer becomes less than remainingTimeThreshold can only trigger the DSR if it was not previously reported in the DSR. Therefore, reporting any data with a PDCP drop timer value in the DSR can prevent the DSR from being triggered later when the remaining time of such data becomes less than the trigger threshold. Example Method

[0099] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The angle description method of the first device 110 in the middle is 400.

[0100] At box 410, the first device receives configuration information from the second device for determining multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time.

[0101] At box 420, the first device transmits a status report to the second device, which includes multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value, the buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on multiple reporting thresholds.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates: first information about the trigger threshold for the remaining time for status reporting; and second information about multiple reporting thresholds.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the second information indicates one of the following: multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between a reporting threshold and a trigger threshold of multiple reporting thresholds, or multiple remaining time values ​​of multiple reporting thresholds.

[0104] In some example embodiments, one of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, and each of the other multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold other than the minimum reporting threshold.

[0105] In some example implementations, each of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and one of the multiple reporting thresholds.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer used to determine when a data unit is discarded.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the first device determines a buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range by considering at least one of the following: a data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range; or a data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCPSDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the data unit may include at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

[0109] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that the buffer size of the remaining time range between the reporting threshold and the previous adjacent reporting threshold is zero, the first device may set the first field to zero or the previous buffer size value, wherein the first field indicates the buffer size value of the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold.

[0110] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a second field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data within the corresponding remaining time range for the entry.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time for the data reported in the status report.

[0112] In some example embodiments, if the buffer size is determined to be zero, the first device may omit the entry corresponding to the buffer size value in the status report.

[0113] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

[0114] In some embodiments, if it is determined that the buffer size is zero and the entry associated with the buffer size is not the last entry for a Logical Channel Group (LCG), the first means may omit the entry in the status report; and if it is determined that the entry is the last entry for an LCG, the first means may include the entry in the status report.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum reporting threshold or the maximum reporting threshold can be determined by considering at least one of the following: at least one control protocol data unit (PDU), or at least one data unit to be retransmitted.

[0116] In some example implementations, the first field has a bit length of less than eight.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is configured for logical channel groups (LCGs) or user equipment.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the status report is included in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE).

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0120] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method of angle description 500.

[0121] At box 510, the second device transmits configuration information to the first device, which is used to determine multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time.

[0122] At box 520, the second device receives a status report from the first device that includes multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value, the buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on multiple reporting thresholds.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates: first information about the trigger threshold for the remaining time for status reporting; and second information about multiple reporting thresholds.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the second information indicates one of the following: multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between a reporting threshold and a trigger threshold for multiple reporting thresholds, or multiple remaining time values ​​for multiple reporting thresholds.

[0125] In some example embodiments, one of the remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, and each of the other remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold other than the minimum reporting threshold.

[0126] In some example implementations, each of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and one of the multiple reporting thresholds.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer used to determine when a data unit is discarded.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range is determined by considering at least one of the following: a data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range; or a data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the data unit may include at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

[0130] In some example embodiments, if a first field indicating the buffer size value of the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold is set to zero or a previous buffer size value, the second device may determine that the buffer size value of the remaining time range between the reporting threshold and the previous adjacent reporting threshold is zero.

[0131] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a second field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data having remaining time within the corresponding remaining time range for that entry.

[0132] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

[0133] In some example embodiments, if an entry is determined to be associated with the largest reporting threshold among a plurality of reporting thresholds, the second means may determine that the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

[0134] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum reporting threshold or the maximum reporting threshold can be determined by considering at least one of the following: at least one control protocol data unit (PDU), or at least one data unit to be retransmitted.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time for the data reported in the status report.

[0136] In some example implementations, the first field has a bit length of less than eight.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is configured for logical channel groups (LCGs) or user equipment.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the status report is included in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE).

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device. Example devices, equipment and media

[0140] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing any of the methods in method 400 (e.g., Figure 1 The first device 110 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 400. This component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving configuration information of a plurality of reporting thresholds for determining the remaining time from the second device; and a component for transmitting a status report comprising a plurality of entries to the second device, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among a plurality of remaining time ranges determined based on the plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates: first information about the trigger threshold for the remaining time for status reporting; and second information about multiple reporting thresholds.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the second information indicates one of the following: multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between a reporting threshold and a trigger threshold for multiple reporting thresholds, or multiple remaining time values ​​for multiple reporting thresholds.

[0144] In some example embodiments, one of the remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, and each of the other remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold other than the minimum reporting threshold.

[0145] In some example implementations, each of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and one of the multiple reporting thresholds.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer used to determine when a data unit is discarded.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for determining a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range by considering at least one of the following: a data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range; or a data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the data unit may include at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for setting a first field to zero or a previous buffer size value if the buffer size value for the remaining time range between the reporting threshold and a previous adjacent reporting threshold is determined to be zero, wherein the first field indicates the buffer size value for the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold.

[0150] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a second field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data within the corresponding remaining time range for the entry.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for omitting an entry corresponding to the buffer size value in a status report if the buffer size value is determined to be zero.

[0152] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: a component for omitting an entry in a status report if it is determined that the buffer size value is zero and the entry associated with the buffer size value is not the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG); and a component for including the entry in the status report if it is determined that the entry is the last entry for an LCG.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum reporting threshold or the maximum reporting threshold can be determined by considering at least one of the following: at least one control protocol data unit (PDU), or at least one data unit to be retransmitted.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time for the data reported in the status report.

[0156] In some example implementations, the first field has a bit length of less than eight.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is configured for logical channel groups (LCGs) or user equipment.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the status report is included in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE).

[0159] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0160] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing any of the methods in method 500 (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 120 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 500. This component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 The second device 120 in the middle.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for transmitting configuration information to the first device for determining multiple reporting thresholds for remaining time; and a component for receiving a status report from the first device comprising multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple reporting thresholds.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates: first information about the trigger threshold for the remaining time for status reporting; and second information about multiple reporting thresholds.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the second information indicates one of the following: multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between a reporting threshold and a trigger threshold for multiple reporting thresholds, or multiple remaining time values ​​for multiple reporting thresholds.

[0164] In some example embodiments, one of the remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, and each of the other remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold other than the minimum reporting threshold.

[0165] In some example implementations, each of the multiple remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and one of the multiple reporting thresholds.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer used to determine when a data unit is discarded.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range is determined by considering at least one of the following: a data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range; or a data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit for the PDCP SDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the data unit may include at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further includes a component for determining that the buffer size value for the remaining time range between the reporting threshold and the previous adjacent reporting threshold is zero if a first field indicating the buffer size value of the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold is set to zero or a previous buffer size value.

[0170] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a second field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data within the corresponding remaining time range for that entry.

[0171] In some example embodiments, each entry also includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

[0172] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further includes a component for determining that the entry is the last entry of a logical channel group (LCG) if the entry is associated with the largest of a plurality of reporting thresholds.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum reporting threshold or the maximum reporting threshold can be determined by considering at least one of the following: at least one control protocol data unit (PDU), or at least one data unit to be retransmitted.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time for the data reported in the status report.

[0175] In some example implementations, the first field has a bit length of less than eight.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is configured for logical channel groups (LCGs) or user equipment.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the status report is included in the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE).

[0178] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0179] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be provided to implement a communication device, for example, such as... Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown are illustrated. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0180] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0181] Processor 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0182] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to: read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to: random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not persist during power outages.

[0183] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 610. The instructions of program 630 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 630 may be stored in memory (e.g., ROM 624). Processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

[0184] Example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 630, enabling device 600 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 5 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0185] In some example embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible to device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0186] Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer-readable medium 700 has a program 630 stored thereon.

[0187] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0188] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those computer-executable instructions included in a program module that execute on a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. The functionality of the program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program module can execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0189] The program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0190] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0191] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0192] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential manner, or to perform all shown operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0193] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: Receive configuration information from the second device for determining multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time; as well as A status report comprising multiple entries is transmitted to the second device, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicates: First information regarding the trigger threshold for the remaining time of the status report; and Second information regarding the multiple reporting thresholds.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the second information indicates one of the following: Multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between the reporting threshold and the trigger threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, or The multiple remaining time values ​​of the multiple reporting thresholds.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein One of the plurality of remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the plurality of reporting thresholds, and Each of the other remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold besides the minimum reporting threshold.

5. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of remaining time ranges is a remaining time range between zero and one of the plurality of reporting thresholds.

6. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer for determining when a data unit is discarded.

7. The first apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first apparatus is further configured to: determine the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range by considering at least one of the following: A data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit of the PDCPSDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range, or A data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a protocol data unit set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding a data unit of a PDCPSDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

8. The first apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the data unit comprises at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, radio link control RLC SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

9. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of entries included in the status report is the same as the number of reporting thresholds included in the plurality of reporting thresholds, and the first apparatus is further configured such that: If the buffer size between the reporting threshold and the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold is determined to be zero, then the first field is set to zero or the previous buffer size value, wherein the first field indicates the buffer size value of the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold.

10. The first apparatus of claim 9, wherein the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data reported in the status report.

11. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein each entry further includes a second field indicating a minimum remaining time of data having remaining time within a corresponding remaining time range for the entry.

12. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the first device is further configured to: If the buffer size is determined to be zero, the entry corresponding to the buffer size value is omitted from the status report.

13. The first apparatus of claim 11, wherein each entry further includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

14. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the first device is further configured to: If the buffer size is determined to be zero and the entry associated with that buffer size is not the last entry for a Logical Channel Group (LCG), then that entry is omitted from the status report; and If it is determined that the entry is the last entry for the LCG, then the entry is included in the status report.

15. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: The buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum or maximum reporting threshold is determined by considering at least one of the following: At least one Control Protocol Data Unit (PDU), or At least one data unit to be retransmitted.

16. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bit length of the first field is less than eight.

17. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information is configured for a logical channel group (LCG) or a user equipment.

18. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status report is included in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

19. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

20. A second means for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: Configuration information for determining multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time is transmitted to the first device; as well as The first device receives a status report comprising multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

21. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the configuration information indicates: First information regarding the trigger threshold for the remaining time of the status report; and Second information regarding the multiple reporting thresholds.

22. The second device according to claim 20, wherein the second information indicates one of the following: Multiple offsets, each offset corresponding to the difference between the reporting threshold and the trigger threshold among the multiple reporting thresholds, or The multiple remaining time values ​​of the multiple reporting thresholds.

23. The second apparatus according to claim 20, wherein One of the plurality of remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between zero and the minimum reporting threshold among the plurality of reporting thresholds, and Each of the other remaining time ranges is the remaining time range between the previous adjacent reporting threshold and another reporting threshold besides the minimum reporting threshold.

24. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of remaining time ranges is a remaining time range between zero and one of the plurality of reporting thresholds.

25. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the remaining time is determined based on at least one timer for determining when a data unit is discarded.

26. The second apparatus of claim 25, wherein the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range is determined by considering at least one of the following: A data unit corresponding to a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU), wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding the data unit of the PDCPSDU expires is within the corresponding remaining time range, or A data unit corresponding to a PDCP SDU of a protocol data unit set, wherein the remaining time before the timer for discarding a data unit of a PDCPSDU of the PDU set expires is within the corresponding remaining time range.

27. The second apparatus of claim 26, wherein the data unit comprises at least one of the following: PDCP data PDU, PDCP SDU, radio link control RLC SDU, RLC SDU portion or RLC data PDU.

28. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the number of entries included in the status report is the same as the number of reporting thresholds included in the plurality of reporting thresholds, and the second apparatus is further configured such that: If the first field indicating the buffer size value of the remaining time range associated with the reporting threshold is set to zero or the previous buffer size value, then the buffer size value of the remaining time range between the reporting threshold and the previous adjacent reporting threshold is determined to be zero.

29. The second apparatus of claim 28, wherein the status report includes a field indicating the minimum remaining time of the data reported in the status report.

30. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein each entry further includes a second field indicating a minimum remaining time of data having remaining time within a corresponding remaining time range for the entry.

31. The second apparatus of claim 30, wherein each entry further includes a third field indicating whether the entry is the last entry for a logical channel group (LCG).

32. The second device according to claim 30, wherein the second device is further configured to: If an entry is determined to be associated with the largest reporting threshold among the plurality of reporting thresholds, then the entry is determined to be the last entry for the Logical Channel Group (LCG).

33. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the buffer size value corresponding to the remaining time range associated with the minimum reporting threshold or the maximum reporting threshold is determined by considering at least one of the following: At least one Control Protocol Data Unit (PDU), or At least one data unit to be retransmitted.

34. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the bit length of the first field is less than eight.

35. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the configuration information is configured for a logical channel group (LCG) or a user equipment.

36. The second apparatus of claim 20, wherein the status report is included in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

37. The second device according to any one of claims 20 to 36, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

38. A method for communication, comprising: Receive configuration information from the second device for determining multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time; as well as A status report comprising multiple entries is transmitted to the second device, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

39. A method for communication, comprising: Configuration information for determining multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time is transmitted to the first device; as well as The first device receives a status report comprising multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

40. A first means for communication, comprising: A component for receiving configuration information from a second device, the configuration information being used to determine multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time; as well as A component for transmitting a status report comprising multiple entries to the second device, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

41. A second means for communication, comprising: A component for transmitting configuration information to a first device, the configuration information being used to determine multiple reporting thresholds for the remaining time; as well as A component for receiving status reports from the first device, comprising multiple entries, each entry including a first field indicating a buffer size value corresponding to a remaining time range among multiple remaining time ranges determined based on the multiple report thresholds.

42. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause a device to perform at least the method of claim 38 or the method of claim 39.

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