Ue behavior related to PSI-based packet drop

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to techniques for changing protocol data unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) upon activation or deactivation of a PDU set importance (PSI)-based discard mechanism, particularly in the event that an indication to activate / deactivate the PSI-based discard mechanism is received when a PDU set has been partially processed. In some scenarios, a PSI-based drop mechanism may be applied to the remaining PDUs in the partially processed set of PDUs. In other scenarios, the PSI-based drop mechanism may not be applied until the next PDU set. In some scenarios, a decision of whether to apply the PSI-based discard mechanism to the remaining PDUs in the partially processed set of PDUs may be based on additional conditions, such as processing progress involving the set of PDUs, importance of the set of PDUs, other configuration details of a data radio bearer (DRB), buffer size, etc.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to systems, apparatus, and methods for handling packet dropping in wireless communication systems based on packet importance.

[0002] Related technical descriptions

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment or UE) now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these functionalities. Furthermore, many different wireless communication technologies and standards exist. Some examples of wireless communication standards include LTE, LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, and IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi). ™ ),Bluetooth ™ wait.

[0004] The ever-increasing range of features and functions introduced into wireless communication devices necessitates continuous improvements to both wireless communication and the devices themselves. Specifically, as wireless networks are expected to handle increasingly more traffic, it is crucial to ensure that the network architecture is designed to process this traffic effectively and efficiently. Therefore, improvements are expected in this area. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This paper presents implementation schemes for apparatus, systems, and methods for handling packet dropping in wireless communication systems based on packet importance.

[0006] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs); receiving from a wireless communication network an instruction to activate a PDU Set Importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; processing the remaining PDUs in the first set of PDUs without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism; and, after processing the remaining PDUs in the first set of PDUs, processing PDUs in a second set of PDUs according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism. Such a method may be performed by a UE device or one or more of its components, such as the cellular radio components of the UE device.

[0007] In some scenarios, the method may further include: after processing the second PDU set, processing a subset of PDUs in the third PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism; receiving an instruction from the wireless communication network to deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism; and processing the remaining PDUs in the third PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0008] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first PDU set; receiving an instruction to activate a PSI-based discarding mechanism; determining whether a specified condition criterion is met; in response to determining that the specified condition criterion is met, processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism; and in response to determining that the specified condition criterion is not yet met, processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0009] In some scenarios, the method may further include: after processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, processing the PDUs in the second PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism, regardless of whether the specified condition criteria are met.

[0010] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met may include: determining whether the remaining time before the discard timer for the PDU set expires meets a specific threshold.

[0011] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met may include: determining whether a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set that have already been processed meet a specific threshold.

[0012] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met may include: determining whether the first PDU set is identified as an important PDU set.

[0013] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met may include: determining whether the buffer size of the logical channel (LCH) or LCH group (LCG) carrying the first PDU set is below a specific threshold.

[0014] In some scenarios, the PSI-based discarding mechanism may include using a first discard timer value for a set of PDUs that are indicated as important by the PSI, and using a different second discard timer value for a set of PDUs that are indicated as unimportant by the PSI.

[0015] In some scenarios, this PSI-based discarding mechanism may include discarding sets of PDUs that are indicated by PSI as unimportant without attempting to send them.

[0016] In some scenarios, processing a PDU may include loading the PDU into a transmit buffer.

[0017] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first protocol data unit (PDU) set; receiving from a wireless communication network an instruction to activate a PDU set importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; and processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0018] In some scenarios, the PSI-based discarding mechanism may include: in response to determining that a PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important, discarding PDUs in the first PDU set that were queued in the transmit buffer before receiving the indication; and for PDUs that were queued in the buffer after receiving the indication, using a first discarding timer value for PDU sets that were indicated as important by the associated PSI, and using a different second discarding timer value for PDU sets that were indicated as unimportant by the associated PSI.

[0019] In some scenarios, the PSI-based discarding mechanism may include: discarding PDUs in the first PDU set in response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important; and for PDUs in a second PDU set that arrives after the first PDU set, using a first discard timer value if the second PDU set is indicated as important by the corresponding PSI, and using a different second discard timer value if the second PDU set is indicated as unimportant by the corresponding PSI.

[0020] In some scenarios, the PSI-based discarding mechanism may include: in response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important, and further in response to determining that the remaining time on the discard timer associated with the first PDU is less than a specific threshold, discarding the first PDU in the first PDU set, wherein the threshold is greater than zero.

[0021] In some scenarios, this particular threshold can constitute the difference between a default drop timer value that is not associated with the PSI-based drop mechanism and a drop timer value corresponding to an unimportant PSU according to the PSI-based drop mechanism.

[0022] In some scenarios, the method may further include: in response to determining that a PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is important, when processing PDUs in the first PDU set that are queued after receiving the indication that the PSI-based discarding mechanism is activated, using a discard timer value specified for the important PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0023] In some scenarios, the method may further include: in response to determining that a PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is important, when processing the first PDU set which is queued after receiving the indication that the PSI-based discarding mechanism is activated, using a discard timer value not associated with the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0024] The device may include one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the aforementioned methods.

[0025] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a wireless communication device to perform the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0026] It should be noted that the technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used in a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to radio access network elements (such as base stations), core network elements, access points, cellular phones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned flight controllers, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, and various other computing devices.

[0027] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0028] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 Example (and simplified) wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0030] Figure 2 An example base station communicating with an example wireless user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0031] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0032] Figure 4 Example block diagrams of base stations according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0033] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of network elements according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0034] Figure 6 Examples of two PDU sets according to some implementation schemes are shown;

[0035] Figure 7 An example time flow according to some implementation schemes is shown, in which signaling based on a PSI packet dropping mechanism is received while the UE is processing a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs);

[0036] Figure 8A flowchart is shown of a method for activating a drop mechanism based on PDU set importance (PSI) via inter-set behavior, according to some implementation schemes;

[0037] Figure 9 A flowchart is shown for a method, according to some implementations, for activating a PSI-based drop mechanism via PDU inter-set behavior;

[0038] Figure 10 A flowchart is shown, according to some implementations, of a method for activating a PSI-based drop mechanism via in-set PDU behavior; and

[0039] Figure 11 A flowchart is shown, illustrating a method for activating a PSI-based drop mechanism via PDU set-based behavior according to some implementation schemes; and

[0040] Figure 12 A flowchart is shown of a method for activating a PSI-based drop mechanism using conditional behavior criteria, according to some implementation schemes.

[0041] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0042] acronym

[0043] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most frequently used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below:

[0044] •BS: Base Station

[0045] •DRB: Data Radio Bearer

[0046] •LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0047] •NR: New Radio

[0048] •PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0049] •PSI: Importance of PDU sets

[0050] •PSIHI: PDU set integrity processing indicator

[0051] •RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0052] •RF: Radio Frequency

[0053] •RX: Receive

[0054] •TRP: Transmitter / Receiver Point

[0055] •TX: Send

[0056] •UE: User Equipment

[0057] •XR: Extended Reality

[0058] the term

[0059] The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in this disclosure:

[0060] Memory medium—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0061] Carrier medium—such as memory media as described above, and physical transmission medium, such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals).

[0062] Computer system (or computer) — any of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0063] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™ Based on Android ™ Telephones), tablet computers (e.g., iPads) ™ Samsung Galaxy ™ ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ Wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or a combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0064] A wireless device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0065] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0066] Base station (BS) — The term “base station” has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0067] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device (e.g., a user equipment device or a cellular network device). A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry (such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)), programmable hardware components (such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)), and any combination of the above.

[0068] Wi-Fi—The term “Wi-Fi” has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by and provides connectivity to the Internet through wireless LAN (WLAN) access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi.” Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0069] "Configured as"—Various components can be described as being "configured as" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured as" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured as" can be a broad expression generally meaning a structure that "has" a "circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Generally, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured as" can include hardware circuitry.

[0070] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions shall be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C., 112(6).

[0071] Figure 1 and Figure 2 —Example Communication System

[0072] Figure 1 Example (and simplified) wireless communication systems that can implement various aspects of this disclosure according to some embodiments are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described is merely one example of a possible system, and this implementation can be carried out in any system of various types as needed.

[0073] As shown in the figure, this example wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user equipments 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N, via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE) or UE device. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0074] Base station 102 may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software for enabling wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106N. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". In some implementations, base station 102 may include 3GPP 6th generation (6G) radio access network (RAN) node functionality. Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various other possibilities). Therefore, base station 102 may facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, in relation to the UE, sometimes the base station may be considered to represent the network, taking into account both the UE's uplink and downlink communication. Therefore, a UE that communicates with one or more base stations in the network can also be understood as a UE that communicates with the network.

[0075] It should be noted that, at least in some 3GPP contexts, base station functionality can be split among, for example, any or all of a Centralized Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), and Radio Unit (RU). At least according to some implementations, in such network deployment contexts, the illustrated base station 102 may support any or all of the functionality of a CU, DU, or RU. In some cases, base station 102 may be configured to act as an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor (e.g., including IAB donor CU and / or IAB donor DU functionality). In some cases, base station 102 may be configured to act as an IAB node (e.g., including IAB mobile terminal (MT) and IAB-DU functionality). Other specific implementations are also possible.

[0076] Base station 102 and user equipment can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) (also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as LTE, LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, etc.). In some implementations, at least some 3GPP 6G-based communication technologies can be used for communication via the transmission medium.

[0077] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus provide, as one or more cell networks, continuous or near-continuous overlapping services to UE 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0078] It should be noted that UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standards or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standards. In some implementations, UE 106 may be configured to perform techniques for handling communication congestion in a wireless communication system based on packet importance, such as those described herein. UE 106 may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to use WLAN, Bluetooth, etc. ™ It can communicate with one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0079] Figure 2An example user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. UE 106 can be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, wearable device, computer or tablet computer, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned aerial controller (UAC), automotive, or virtually any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 can perform any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), integrated circuits, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) perform any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein or any portion of any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein. UE 106 can be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 can be configured to use LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. ™ It can communicate using two or more of GNSS. In some implementations, the UE 106 may be able to operate as a 3GPP 6G radio device, or may potentially be able to perform at least some 3GPP 6G-based communication technologies. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0080] UE 106 may include one or more antennas communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication standards. Shared radio components may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas (e.g., for a multiple-input multiple-output or "MIMO" antenna system) for performing wireless communication. Generally, radio components may include any combination of baseband processors, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, radio components may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0081] In some implementations, UE 106 may include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional radio signals (e.g., beams). Similarly, BS 102 may also include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional radio signals (e.g., beams). To receive and / or transmit such directional signals, the antennas of UE 106 and / or BS 102 may be configured to apply different “weights” to different antennas. The process of applying these different weights may be referred to as “pre-decoding”.

[0082] In some implementations, UE 106 may include independent transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or NR, and components for communication using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. ™ Each component communicates with an independent radio unit. Other configurations are also possible.

[0083] Figure 3 —Block diagram of an example UE device

[0084] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example UE 106 according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, UE 106 may include a system-on-chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for various purposes. Some or all of the various illustrated components (and / or other device components not illustrated, e.g., in variants and alternative arrangements) may be “communically coupled” or “operationally coupled”, terms which may be used herein to refer to components that can communicate directly or indirectly when the device is in operation.

[0085] As shown in the figure, SOC 300 may include display circuitry 304 and one or more processors 302. The display circuitry performs graphics processing and provides display signals to a display 360, while the processors execute program instructions for UE 106. SOC 300 may also include sensor circuitry 370, which may include components for sensing or measuring any of a variety of possible characteristics or parameters of UE 106. For example, sensor circuitry 370 may include motion sensing circuitry configured to detect motion of UE 106, for example, using a gyroscope, accelerometer, and / or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. Alternatively, sensor circuitry 370 may include one or more temperature sensing components, for example, for measuring the temperature of each of one or more antenna panels and / or other components of UE 106. As needed, any of a variety of other possible types of sensor circuitry may also or alternatively be included in UE 106. Processor 302 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or into other circuitry or devices, such as display circuitry 304, wireless communication circuitry (radio component) 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0086] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to computer systems, docking stations, charging stations, etc.), display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, Bluetooth). ™(e.g., Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). In some implementations, UE 106 may be able to operate as a 3GPP 6G wireless device, or may potentially be able to perform at least some 3GPP 6G-based communication technologies. UE device 106 may include or be coupled to at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., exemplified by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communication with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, UE device 106 may use antenna 335 to perform wireless communication via wireless communication circuitry 330. The communication circuitry may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration. As indicated above, in some implementations, the UE may be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0087] UE 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing UE 106 to perform techniques for handling communication congestion in a wireless communication system based on packet importance, as described further herein. The processor 302 of UE device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown, processor 302 may be coupled to and / or interoperable with other components to perform techniques for handling communication congestion in a wireless communication system based on packet importance, according to various embodiments disclosed herein. Processor 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on UE 106.

[0088] In some implementations, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include a separate controller dedicated to controlling communication for various corresponding RAT standards. For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 352, a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE and / or NR controller) 354, and Bluetooth. ™Controller 356, and in at least some embodiments, one or more of these controllers or all of these controllers may be implemented as corresponding integrated circuits (referred to as ICs or chips), which communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (more specifically, with the processor 302). Although three separate controllers are shown within the wireless communication circuitry 330, other embodiments with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs may be implemented in the UE device 106.

[0089] In addition, implementations are envisioned in which the controller can perform functionality associated with a variety of radio access technologies. For example, according to some implementations, in addition to hardware and / or software components for performing cellular communications, the cellular controller 354 may also include hardware and / or software components for performing one or more activities associated with Wi-Fi, such as Wi-Fi preamble detection, and / or the generation and transmission of Wi-Fi physical layer preamble signals.

[0090] Figure 4 —Block diagram of an example base station

[0091] Figure 4 A block diagram of an example base station 102 according to some implementation schemes is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 404, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0092] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described herein. Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0093] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transmit and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. In some implementations, base station 102 may be capable of operating as a 3GPP 6G radio access network node, or may potentially be capable of performing at least some 3GPP 6G-based communication technologies.

[0094] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and may include multiple antennas. Antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, 5G NR SAT, LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0095] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, 5G NR SAT and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, etc.).

[0096] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement and / or support specific implementations of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), base station 102 may be designed as an access point (AP), in which case network port 470 may be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks; for example, it may include at least one Ethernet port, and radio component 430 may be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0097] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 404.

[0098] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 430 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430.

[0099] Figure 5 —Example block diagram of a network element

[0100] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of network element 500 according to some implementations are shown. According to some implementations, network element 500 may implement one or more logical functions / entities of a cellular core network, such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Access and Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), etc. In some implementations, network element 500 may be able to operate as a 3GPP 6G network node, or may potentially be able to perform at least some 3GPP 6G-based communication technologies. It should be noted that... Figure 5Network element 500 is merely one example of a possible network element 500. As shown, core network element 500 may include processor 504 capable of executing program instructions for core network element 500. Processor 504 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 540, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 504 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 560 and read-only memory (ROM) 550) or to other circuitry or devices.

[0101] Network element 500 may include at least one network port 570. Network port 570 may be configured to couple to one or more radio access network elements and / or other cellular network entities and / or devices. Network element 500 may communicate with radio access network elements (e.g., eNB / gNB, etc.) and / or other network entities / devices via any of a variety of communication protocols and / or interfaces.

[0102] As further described herein, network element 500 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 504 of the core network element 500 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the specific implementations of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 504 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof.

[0103] Figure 6 and Figure 7 - PSI-based packet dropping

[0104] Some communication services (such as XR) can operate on sets of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) that include multiple packets (e.g., IP packets). As defined in 3GPP TS 23.501, a PDU set can be defined as one or more PDUs carrying the payload of a single information unit generated at the application layer, such as frames, video slices, etc., for a specific service (such as XR services). A PDU set can be associated with the following information: PDU set sequence number; an indication of the last PDU in the PDU set; PDU sequence numbers within the PDU set; PDU set size (in bytes); and / or PDU set importance (PSI), which identifies the relative importance of the PDU set compared to other PDU sets within the same Quality of Service (QoS) stream. In some scenarios, this information may be carried in the header (or subheader) of the PDU set. In some scenarios, parts of this information (e.g., information related to the entire PDU set, such as the PDU set sequence number, PSI, etc.) can be carried in the header of the PDU set, while other parts (e.g., information related to a specific packet, such as the PDU sequence number within the PDU set) can be carried in the header of the corresponding packet. Other configurations are also envisioned. The PDU set information identifying the PDU set can be implemented in any of a variety of ways and can be implemented differently in different UEs.

[0105] Figure 6 Examples of two PDU sets according to some implementation schemes are shown. As shown, the first PDU set 601 includes packets 610-614. Packets 610-614 of the first PDU set 601 carry a payload of an information element generated at the application layer, such as a first XR frame. The second PDU set 602 includes packets 620-621, which carry another information element generated at the application layer, such as a second XR frame. PDU sets 601 and 602 can be transmitted by a UE (such as UE 106) to, for example, a base station (such as BS 102).

[0106] In some scenarios, PSI can be used for PDU-level packet drop, for example, in the presence of congestion. For example, the network (e.g., via BS 102) can instruct UE 106 via dedicated signaling to apply a PSI-based drop mechanism (e.g., for XR services and / or other applicable services).

[0107] The UE can classify a PDU set into an "important PDU set" or an "unimportant PDU set" based on the PSI of the PDU set. For example, a PDU set with a PSI that meets (or exceeds) a threshold can be considered an important PDU set, while a PDU set with a PSI that does not meet (or does not exceed) the threshold can be considered an unimportant PDU set. In some scenarios, the UE may default to not distinguishing between high-importance and low-importance PDU sets, as indicated in the PSI. However, in some scenarios, the network may transmit dedicated signals to instruct the UE to initiate / activate a PSI-based drop mechanism, for example, in response to the detection of uplink (UL) congestion deemed severe. Such PSI-based drop mechanisms can take various forms.

[0108] As a first example, the UE can apply different drop timer values ​​to important PDU sets and unimportant PDU sets. These drop timer values ​​specify a time limit for sending the corresponding PDU. Specifically, when a PDU arrives, the drop timer can start counting down from the specified drop timer value. If the timer expires before the UE successfully sends the PDU, the UE can discard the PDU. When a PSI-based drop mechanism is not applied, the UE can utilize a default drop timer value (which is not associated with a PSI-based drop mechanism). However, when a PSI-based drop mechanism is applied, the UE can apply a first drop timer value to each PDU in the important PDU set and a different second drop timer value to each PDU in the unimportant PDU set. For example, the second drop timer value can be shorter than the first drop timer value, so that fewer resources are allocated to attempting to send unimportant PDUs. In various scenarios, the first drop timer value (associated with the important PDU set) can be equal to, longer than, or shorter than the default drop timer value. In some scenarios, when the timer associated with one PDU in the PDU set expires, the entire PDU set can be discarded.

[0109] For example, a UE can continue to send important PDU sets as usual, but can directly (e.g., automatically or immediately, without attempting to send) discard unimportant PDU sets. In some scenarios, if UL congestion becomes less severe, the network can transmit a dedicated signal to instruct the UE to terminate / deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0110] Dedicated signaling from the network for activating / deactivating the PSI-based drop mechanism can be carried in RRC messages, PDCP control PDUs, MAC CEs, or other appropriate messaging mechanisms. In some scenarios, the signaling can be applied to Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) to enable / deactivate the PSI-based drop mechanism for all PDU sets on the DRB. In some scenarios, the signaling can be applied to QoS flows to enable / deactivate the PSI-based drop mechanism for all PDU sets on the QoS flow. In these scenarios, the network can determine or select which DRB or QoS flow should activate / deactivate the PSI-based drop mechanism based on, for example, the associated QoS flow priority level. For example, the network may activate the PSI-based drop mechanism for a DRB corresponding to a lower-priority QoS flow, but not for a DRB corresponding to a higher-priority QoS flow. In some scenarios, the signaling can be applied to all PDU sets processed by the UE (e.g., all DRBs and / or all QoS flows processed by the UE). In some scenarios, the signaling for activating / deactivating the PSI-based drop mechanism can constitute a single bit, or as a single bit per DRB. In other scenarios, different signaling arrangements can be used.

[0111] In some scenarios, the UE may receive signaling indicating that a PSI-based packet dropping mechanism should be activated or deactivated while the UE is processing a PDU set (e.g., at least one packet in the PDU set has been processed, while at least one other packet in the same PDU set has not yet arrived at the transmit buffer). Figure 7 An example of this type is shown.

[0112] like Figure 7 As shown, a UE (such as UE 106) can be configured to transmit a set 702 of UL PDUs consisting of multiple packets 710-715. The arrival times of packets 710-715 at the transmit buffer (e.g., L2 buffer) of UE 106 are shown as T0-T5, progressing from left to right. PSI UE 106 can receive signaling from base stations such as BS 102 instructing the UE to activate or deactivate a PSI-based discarding mechanism. It can be noted that T PSI The packets fall between T2 and T3, which means that packets 710, 711, and 712 have arrived at the transmit buffer, but packets 713, 714, and 715 have not yet arrived at the transmit buffer.

[0113] In other scenarios, T0-T5 can alternatively represent the time when UE 106 sends the corresponding packet, or the time when it completes the processing of the corresponding packet.

[0114] exist Figure 7In the scenario where UE 106 receives an indication to activate / deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism after partially processing PDU set 702, the UE can be configured to react to the indication in any of a variety of ways, for example, as discussed in any of the examples below.

[0115] Furthermore, in some scenarios, the communication flow corresponding to the DRB may have a requirement based on a PDU Set Integrity Handling Indication (PSIHI), which indicates whether the application layer needs (e.g., requests, demands) every PDU in the current PDU set on the communication flow. If the PSIHI indicates that the application layer does indeed need every PDU in the current PDU set, the UE can be configured to discard the entire PDU set on the DRB when one of its PDUs is lost / dropped. If the PSIHI alternatively indicates that the application layer does not need every PDU in the current PDU set, the UE can be configured to attempt to send subsequent packets of the PDU set on the DRB after one of its PDUs is lost / dropped.

[0116] Figure 8 and Figure 9 -PDU Inter-group Behavior Switching

[0117] In some cases, when the UE has begun processing some (but not all) of the PDUs in the PDU set on the DRB, the UE may receive an indication to activate / enable the DRB's PSI-based drop mechanism. In some scenarios, the UE can activate the PSI-based drop mechanism inter-set. In this scenario, the UE may not apply the PSI-based drop mechanism to the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set (e.g., not process network indications). Instead, the UE can begin applying the PSI-based drop mechanism to the next PDU set.

[0118] For example, if the PSI-based drop mechanism includes using different drop timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets, the UE can still use the default drop timer value for the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set, regardless of the importance of the PDU set. However, for the next PDU set, the UE can determine the drop timer value based on the importance of the PDU set.

[0119] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes directly discarding unimportant PDU sets, the UE may not directly discard the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set, even if it is an unimportant PDU set. However, for the next PDU set, if the next PDU set is considered unimportant, the UE may directly discard all PDUs.

[0120] Figure 8A flowchart is shown of a method, consistent with the foregoing disclosure, for activating a PSI-based discard mechanism via PDU inter-set behavior, according to some embodiments. This method may be performed by a UE (such as UE 106) or by one or more of its components (such as processor 302 and / or wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., by the baseband processor of wireless communication circuitry 330 or cellular controller 354)). It should be understood that... Figure 8 The methods may include additional elements besides those shown.

[0121] like Figure 8 As shown, at 802, UE 106 can process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set. Specifically, UE 106 may have already processed (e.g., at least to the point of placing them into the transmit buffer) some, but not all, of the PDUs in the first PDU set. UE 106 may have already processed a subset of PDUs without a PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0122] At 804, UE 106 may receive an indication to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism. For example, this indication may be included in dedicated signaling from the wireless communication network with which UE 106 is communicating. This signaling may be sent by a base station of the network, such as base station 102. The signaling may be carried in an RRC message, a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or other appropriate signal.

[0123] At 806, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying a PSI-based discarding mechanism. For example, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in essentially the same way as the previously processed subset of PDUs.

[0124] At point 808, after processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, UE 106 may process the PDUs in the second PDU set according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 may activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism after completing the processing of the first PDU set, but before starting the processing of the second PDU set.

[0125] Similarly, in some cases, when the UE has begun processing some (but not all) of the PDUs in the PDU set on the DRB, the UE may receive an instruction to deactivate / disable the PSI-based drop mechanism for that DRB. In some scenarios, the UE can deactivate the PSI-based drop mechanism inter-set. In such scenarios, the UE can continue to use the PSI-based drop mechanism for the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set and can deactivate the PSI-based drop mechanism before processing the next PDU set.

[0126] For example, if a PSI-based discarding mechanism includes using different discard timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets, the UE can still use the discard timer value corresponding to the importance level of the PDU set when processing the remainder of the current PDU set. However, for the next PDU set, the UE can apply the default discard timer value, regardless of the importance of the PDU set.

[0127] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes directly discarding unimportant PDU sets, then if the current PDU set is an unimportant PDU set, the UE can directly discard the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set. However, for the next PDU set, even if the next PDU set is considered unimportant, the UE may not directly discard all PDUs.

[0128] Figure 9 A flowchart is shown of a method, consistent with the foregoing disclosure, for activating a PSI-based discard mechanism via PDU inter-aggregate behavior, according to some embodiments. This method may be performed by a UE (such as UE 106) or by one or more of its components (such as processor 302 and / or wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., by the baseband processor of wireless communication circuitry 330 or cellular controller 354)). It should be understood that... Figure 9 The methods may include additional elements besides those shown.

[0129] like Figure 9 As shown, at 902, UE 106 can process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set. Specifically, UE 106 may have already processed (e.g., at least to the point of placing them into the transmit buffer) some, but not all, of the PDUs in the first PDU set. UE 106 may have already processed the subset of PDUs according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism (such as any mechanism disclosed herein).

[0130] At 904, UE 106 may receive an indication to deactivate the PSI-based discard mechanism. For example, this indication may be included in dedicated signaling from the wireless communication network with which UE 106 is communicating. This signaling may be sent by a base station of the network, such as base station 102. The signaling may be carried in an RRC message, a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or other appropriate signal.

[0131] At 906, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism. For example, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in substantially the same way as the previously processed subset of PDUs.

[0132] At 908, after processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, UE 106 can process the PDUs in the second PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 can deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism after completing the processing of the first PDU set, but before starting the processing of the second PDU set.

[0133] In addition to activation / deactivation based on PSI-based drop mechanism, in some scenarios, when the UE is processing a PDU set, the same inter-PDU set behavior can be applied when the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) is reconfigured (e.g., when the drop timer value is reconfigured via RRC). For example, the UE can start applying the new configuration at the beginning of the next PDU set.

[0134] It can be observed that an example means of establishing the disclosed PDU set behavior could be to define a rule that requires that the discard timer value of each PDU in the PDU set should be the same, and that even if the UE receives an instruction to change the PDCP discard timer value applicable to the DRB, it cannot change it in the middle of the PDU set (e.g., where the instruction can be received as an activation / deactivation signaling for the PSI-based discard mechanism, or as an RRC reconfiguration to change the discard timer value of the DRB).

[0135] Figure 10 and Figure 11 - PDU set behavior switching

[0136] In some cases, when the UE has already started processing some (but not all) of the PDUs in the DRB's PDU set, the UE can activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism within the PDU set when it receives an instruction to activate / enable the DRB's PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, the UE can directly apply the PSI-based discarding mechanism to the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set, even if the mechanism has not yet been applied to earlier PDUs in the same PDU set.

[0137] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes using different discarding timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets, the UE can directly use the discarding timer value corresponding to the importance level of the PDU set for the remaining PDUs in the PDU set, even if different discarding timer values ​​have been used for earlier PDUs in the same PDU set.

[0138] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes directly discarding unimportant PDU sets, then if the PDU set is unimportant, the UE can directly discard the remaining PDUs in that set. The UE can also directly discard earlier PDUs from the same PDU set, even if their discard timers are still running. For instance, if the DRB is also configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / discarded (based on PSIHI).

[0139] Figure 10 A flowchart is shown of a method, consistent with the foregoing disclosure, for activating a PSI-based discard mechanism via PDU set-based behavior, according to some embodiments. This method may be performed by a UE (such as UE 106) or by one or more of its components (such as processor 302 and / or wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., by the baseband processor of wireless communication circuitry 330 or cellular controller 354)). It should be understood that... Figure 10 The methods may include additional elements besides those shown.

[0140] like Figure 10 As shown, at position 1002, UE 106 can process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set. Specifically, UE 106 may have already processed (e.g., at least to the point of placing them into the transmit buffer) some, but not all, of the PDUs in the first PDU set. UE 106 may have already processed a subset of PDUs without a PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0141] At 1004, UE 106 may receive an indication to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism. For example, this indication may be included in dedicated signaling from the wireless communication network with which UE 106 is communicating. This signaling may be sent by a base station of the network, such as base station 102. The signaling may be carried in an RRC message, a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or other appropriate signal.

[0142] At 1006, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 can activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism before processing additional PDUs in the first PDU set.

[0143] Similarly, in some cases, when the UE has begun processing some (but not all) of the PDUs in the PDU set on the DRB, the UE may receive an indication to deactivate / disable the DRB's PSI-based discarding mechanism. In some scenarios, the UE may avoid applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism to the remaining PDUs in the PDU set, even if such a mechanism has already been applied to earlier PDUs in the same PDU set. The UE may alternatively apply default behavior when processing the remaining PDUs in the PDU set, such as utilizing a default discarding timer value.

[0144] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes using different discarding timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets, the UE can alternatively use the default discarding timer value for the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set, even if different discarding timer values ​​have already been used for earlier PDUs in the same PDU set.

[0145] For example, if the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes directly discarding the set of unimportant PDUs, then if the PDU set is unimportant, the UE may not directly discard the remaining PDUs in that set. However, if the DRB is also configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / discarded (based on PSIHI), then the UE may still directly discard the remaining PDUs in the set, for example, because earlier PDUs may have already been discarded.

[0146] Figure 11 A flowchart is shown of a method, consistent with the foregoing disclosure, for activating a PSI-based discard mechanism via PDU-set in-house behavior, according to some embodiments. This method may be performed by a UE (such as UE 106) or by one or more of its components (such as processor 302 and / or wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., by the baseband processor of wireless communication circuitry 330 or cellular controller 354)). It should be understood that... Figure 11 The methods may include additional elements besides those shown.

[0147] like Figure 11 As shown, at 1102, UE 106 can process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set. Specifically, UE 106 may have already processed (e.g., at least to the point of placing them into the transmit buffer) some, but not all, of the PDUs in the first PDU set. UE 106 may have already processed the subset of PDUs according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism (such as any mechanism disclosed herein).

[0148] At 1104, UE 106 may receive an indication to deactivate the PSI-based discard mechanism. For example, this indication may be included in dedicated signaling from the wireless communication network with which UE 106 is communicating. This signaling may be sent by a base station of the network, such as base station 102. The signaling may be carried in an RRC message, a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or other appropriate signal.

[0149] At 1106, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 can deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism before processing additional PDUs in the first PDU set.

[0150] In addition to activation / deactivation based on PSI-based drop mechanisms, in some scenarios, when the UE is in a PDU set, the same in-PDU set behavior can be applied when the PDCP is reconfigured. For example, the UE can immediately begin applying the new configuration in the current PDU set.

[0151] Figure 12 -Determining UE Behavior under Conditions

[0152] In some scenarios, PDU inter-set behavior and PDU intra-set behavior can be used respectively based on various conditions.

[0153] As a first example, when the UE is processing a PDU set, if the UE receives an instruction to activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism, inter-PDU set behavior can be applied. However, when the UE receives an instruction to deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism while processing a PDU set, intra-PDU set behavior can be applied. The reverse arrangement is also possible, where when the UE is processing a PDU set, if the UE receives an instruction to activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism, intra-PDU set behavior can be applied; however, when the UE receives an instruction to deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism while processing a PDU set, inter-PDU set behavior can be applied.

[0154] As a second example, the UE can apply inter-set PDU behavior or intra-set PDU behavior based on the remaining time until the entire PDU set's discard timer expires. For example, if the remaining time is less than a predetermined threshold, the UE can immediately apply a PSI-based discard mechanism based on the intra-set PDU behavior. Because there is almost no remaining time before the current PDU set is discarded due to failure to meet the PDU set discard timer, the risk of damage or inefficiency caused by immediately applying a PSI-based discard mechanism is relatively small.

[0155] As a third example, the UE can apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior based on whether a predetermined threshold is met for a subset (number, percentage, fraction, etc.) of the PDUs in the current PDU set that have already been sent (or processed, discarded, etc.). For example, if most of the PDUs in the current PDU set have been sent, the UE can apply inter-set behavior to avoid the risk of discarding an almost complete PDU set according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism. Conversely, if a relevant portion of the PDUs in the current PDU set has been discarded, the UE can apply a PSI-based discarding mechanism to the remaining PDUs in the same PDU set according to intra-set behavior, for example, because successful communication of the PDU set has been degraded.

[0156] As a fourth example, the UE can apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior based on whether the current PDU set is considered important or unimportant. For instance, if the current PDU set is identified as an important PDU set, the UE can apply an inter-set PDU behavior to use the default discard timer for the remainder of the current PDU set. However, if the current PDU set is identified as an unimportant PDU set, the UE can apply an intra-set PDU behavior to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism for the remainder of the current PDU set.

[0157] As a fifth example, the UE can apply inter-set PDU behavior or intra-set PDU behavior based on whether the corresponding DRB is also configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / dropped (e.g., based on PSIHI). For example, if the UE is configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / dropped, the UE can apply inter-set PDU behavior to delay the application of the PSI-based discard mechanism until the next PDU set to avoid excessive discarding. However, if the UE is not configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / dropped, the UE can apply intra-set PDU behavior.

[0158] As a sixth example, the UE can apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior based on whether the total buffer size of one or more logical channels (LCHs) or LCH groups (LCGs) meets a predetermined threshold. For example, if the buffer size has exceeded the predetermined threshold, the UE can directly discard PDUs in the PDU set according to the intra-set PDU behavior to immediately alleviate congestion. However, if the total buffer size of one or more applicable LCHs or LCGs does not meet the predetermined threshold, the UE can apply inter-set PDU behavior.

[0159] As a seventh example, the UE can apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior based on explicit indications in the configuration of the corresponding DRB. For example, a base station (such as base station 102) can use parameters in the DRB configuration message to explicitly instruct the UE to apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior when activating a PSI-based discard mechanism on that DRB.

[0160] It should be understood that any appropriate combination of factors can be used based on the foregoing examples. For example, the UE can determine whether to apply inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior based on a combination of the remaining time until the PDU set discard timer expires and whether the DRB is also configured to discard the entire PDU set when at least one PDU is lost / discarded. For example, the threshold to be compared with the remaining time can be adjusted based on the DRB being configured to discard the entire PDU set. Other combinations are also envisioned.

[0161] Figure 12A flowchart illustrating a method, consistent with the foregoing disclosure, for activating a PSI-based discarding mechanism using conditional behavior criteria, according to some embodiments, is shown. This method may be performed by a UE (such as UE 106) or by one or more of its components (such as processor 302 and / or wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., by the baseband processor of wireless communication circuitry 330 or cellular controller 354)). It should be understood that... Figure 12 The methods may include additional elements besides those shown.

[0162] like Figure 12 As shown, at 1202, UE 106 can process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set. Specifically, UE 106 may have already processed (e.g., at least to the point of being placed in the transmit buffer) some, but not all, of the PDUs in the first PDU set. UE 106 may have already processed the subset of PDUs without a PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0163] At 1204, UE 106 may receive an indication to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism. For example, this indication may be included in dedicated signaling from the wireless communication network with which UE 106 is communicating. This signaling may be sent by a base station of the network, such as base station 102. The signaling may be carried in an RRC message, a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or other appropriate signal.

[0164] At 1206, UE 106 may assess whether one or more conditional criteria have been met. Such criteria may include any conditional criteria disclosed herein. For example, UE 106 may determine whether the remaining time until the discard timer for the PDU set expires meets (or exceeds) a specific threshold. As another example, UE 106 may determine whether a portion (e.g., quantity, percentage, fraction, etc.) of the PDUs already processed in the first PDU set meets (or exceeds) a specific threshold. Yet another example, UE 106 may determine whether the first PDU set is identified as a significant PDU set. Other examples can be readily developed based on the various criteria disclosed above.

[0165] If the condition criteria are met at 1206, UE 106 can continue according to the inter-PDU set behavior. Specifically, at 1208, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism. For example, UE 106 can process the remaining PDUs in substantially the same way as the previously processed subset of PDUs. Furthermore, at 1210, UE 106 can process the PDUs in the second PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 can activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism after completing the processing of the first PDU set, but before starting the processing of the second PDU set.

[0166] If the condition criteria are not met at 1206, UE 106 may continue based on the behavior within the PDU set. Specifically, at 1212, UE 106 may process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism. Specifically, UE 106 may activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism before processing additional PDUs in the first PDU set.

[0167] It should be understood that by utilizing the various factors disclosed above, conditional criteria for the result of inverting element 1206 can be specified. For example, UE 106 can determine whether the number (or percentage, fraction, etc.) of PDUs in the first PDU set has met (or exceeded) a specific threshold. In this case, if the conditional criteria are met at 1206, UE 106 can proceed based on intra-PDU set behavior, and if the conditional criteria are not met at 1206, UE 106 can proceed based on inter-PDU set behavior. This is merely a function of how the conditional criteria are formulated, and it should be understood that the most relevant factor is that the UE can decide to activate the PSI-based drop mechanism based on one or more conditional criteria, either based on inter-PDU set behavior or intra-PDU set behavior.

[0168] Similarly, a nearly identical flowchart illustrates a scenario where UE 106 processes a subset of PDUs in a first PDU set according to a PSI-based discarding mechanism, and then receives an instruction to deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism. In such a scenario, UE 106 can determine whether one or more conditional criteria are met, and can activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism based on one or more conditional criteria, either according to inter-set or intra-set PDU behavior.

[0169] Drop mechanism based on hybrid PSI

[0170] As previously discussed, at least two options are available for a PSI-based drop mechanism. In the first option, the UE can apply different drop timer values ​​to the important PDU set and the unimportant PDU set. In the second option, the UE can continue sending the important PDU set as usual, but can directly drop the unimportant PDU set. Other options are also possible. In some scenarios, a PSI-based drop mechanism may include a combination of these options.

[0171] As a first example, when the UE is processing a set of PDUs, upon receiving an instruction to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism, the UE can utilize two different mechanism options to apply in-set PDU behavior. For example, the UE can directly discard any unimportant PDUs that have arrived and are queued in the buffer. However, for any PDUs arriving after the instruction, the UE may not directly discard the unimportant PDUs, but instead begin using different discard timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets, even if different discard timer values ​​have already been used for earlier PDUs in the same PDU set. This first example can be used in conjunction with any of the aforementioned scenarios for applying in-set PDU behavior.

[0172] In some scenarios of the first example, the UE can directly discard an unimportant PDU that arrived before the indication only if the "remaining time" of the unimportant PDU is below a predetermined threshold (the threshold is greater than zero). For example, if the remaining time of a PDU is less than the difference between the default discard timer value (e.g., the discard timer value used when a PSI-based discard mechanism is not applied) and the discard timer value corresponding to the unimportant PDU according to the PSI-based discard mechanism, then the PDU can be discarded such that if the discard timer value applied to the unimportant PDU has already been applied, the PDU would have already been discarded. Other thresholds are also envisioned.

[0173] As a second example, when the UE is processing a PDU set, upon receiving an indication to activate a PSI-based discard mechanism, if the current PDU set is indicated as an unimportant PDU set, the UE can directly discard the entire current PDU set. However, for subsequent PDU sets, the UE may not directly discard unimportant PDUs, but instead can begin using different discard timer values ​​for important and unimportant PDU sets. This second example can be used in conjunction with any of the aforementioned scenarios involving PDU set behavior.

[0174] As in the first example, and in some scenarios of the second example, the UE can directly discard unimportant PDUs that have arrived before the indication only when the "remaining time" of the unimportant PDU is below a threshold.

[0175] In some scenarios of the second example, if the current PDU set is an important PDU set, the UE can continue to use the default discard timer values ​​for the remaining PDUs in the current PDU set, as in inter-PDU set behavior. In other scenarios of the second example, if the current PDU set is an important PDU set, the UE can directly use the discard timer values ​​corresponding to the important PDUs according to the PSI-based discard mechanism, as in intra-PDU set behavior.

[0176] As a third example, when the UE is processing a set of PDUs, upon receiving an indication to activate the PSI-based discarding mechanism, the UE can determine whether to apply the first option or the second option based on whether PSI-based discarding is also configured for the corresponding DRB, or whether a second discarding timer value (in addition to the default discarding timer value) is configured. For example, in some scenarios, if PSI-based discarding is also configured, the UE can apply the second option to directly discard all unimportant PDU sets. This may be useful, for example, if it is difficult to ensure successful delivery of all PDUs during periods of high UL congestion. On the other hand, if PSI-based discarding is not configured, the UE can apply the first option to continue attempting to send the unimportant PDU sets using a shorter discarding timer. Alternatively, in some scenarios, if PSI-based discarding is configured, the UE can apply the first option, and if PSI-based discarding is not configured, the UE can apply the second option. Similarly, if a second discarding timer value is configured, the UE can apply the first option, and if a second discarding timer value is not configured, the UE can apply the second option. This third example can be used in conjunction with any of the foregoing examples that apply in-set or inter-set PDU behavior.

[0177] Further exemplary implementations are provided below.

[0178] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first protocol data unit (PDU) set; receiving from a wireless communication network an instruction to deactivate a PDU set importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism; and processing PDUs in a second PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism after processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set.

[0179] In some scenarios, the method may further include: processing a subset of PDUs in a third PDU set after processing a second PDU set without applying a PSI-based dropping mechanism; receiving an indication from the wireless communication network to activate the PSI-based dropping mechanism; and processing the remaining PDUs in the third PDU set according to the PSI-based dropping mechanism.

[0180] In some scenarios, the PSI-based discarding mechanism includes using a first discard timer value for PDU sets that are indicated as important by the PSI, and using a different second discard timer value for PDU sets that are indicated as unimportant by the PSI.

[0181] In some scenarios, this PSI-based dropping mechanism includes dropping sets of PDUs that are indicated by PSI as unimportant without attempting to send them.

[0182] In some scenarios, processing a PDU involves loading the PDU into a transmit buffer.

[0183] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first PDU set; receiving an instruction to deactivate a PSI-based discarding mechanism; determining whether a specified condition criterion is met; in response to determining that the specified condition criterion is met, processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism; and in response to determining that the specified condition criterion is not yet met, processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0184] In some scenarios, the method may further include: after processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, processing the PDUs in the second PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism, regardless of whether the specified condition criteria are met.

[0185] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met includes: determining whether the remaining time before the PDU set's discard timer expires meets a specific threshold.

[0186] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met includes: determining whether a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set that have already been processed meet a specific threshold.

[0187] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met includes: determining whether the first PDU set is identified as an important PDU set.

[0188] In some scenarios, determining whether the specified criteria are met includes: determining whether the buffer size of the logical channel (LCH) carrying the first PDU set is below a specific threshold.

[0189] The method may include: processing a subset of PDUs in a first protocol data unit (PDU) set; receiving from a wireless communication network an instruction to deactivate a PDU set importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; and processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

[0190] The device may include: one or more processors; and a memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps described in any of the foregoing further exemplary embodiments.

[0191] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a wireless communication device to perform the steps described in any of the foregoing further exemplary embodiments.

[0192] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and measures that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0193] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0194] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. In still other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0195] In some implementations, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if these program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system performs a method, such as any method implementation of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0196] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any method implementation (or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets) of the various method implementations described herein. The device may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0197] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method, the method comprising: Process a subset of PDUs in the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set; Receive an instruction from the wireless communication network to activate the PDU set importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; Process the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism; as well as After processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, the PDUs in the second PDU set are processed according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: After processing the second PDU set, a subset of PDUs in the third PDU set is processed according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism; Receive an instruction from the wireless communication network to deactivate the PSI-based discarding mechanism; as well as The remaining PDUs in the third PDU set are processed without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

3. A method, the method comprising: Process a subset of PDUs in the first PDU set; Receive an instruction to activate the PSI-based discard mechanism; Determine whether the specified criteria are met; In response to determining that the specified condition criteria are met, the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set are processed without applying the PSI-based discarding mechanism; as well as In response to determining that the specified condition criteria have not yet been met, the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set are processed according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: After processing the remaining PDUs in the first PDU set, the PDUs in the second PDU set are processed according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism, regardless of whether the specified condition criteria are met.

5. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein determining whether the specified condition criterion is met comprises: Determine whether the remaining time until the discard timer for the PDU set expires meets a specific threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein determining whether the specified condition criterion is met comprises: Determine whether a portion of the PDUs in the first PDU set that have already been processed meet a specific threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein determining whether the specified condition criterion is met comprises: Determine whether the first PDU set is identified as an important PDU set.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein determining whether the specified condition criterion is met comprises: Determine whether the buffer size of the logical channel (LCH) or LCH group (LCG) carrying the first PDU set is below a specific threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the PSI-based discarding mechanism comprises: A first discard timer value is used for PDU sets indicated as important by PSI, and a different second discard timer value is used for PDU sets indicated as unimportant by PSI.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the PSI-based discarding mechanism comprises: Discard sets of PDUs that are deemed unimportant by PSI without attempting to send them.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein processing the PDU includes loading the PDU into a transmit buffer.

12. A method, the method comprising: Process a subset of PDUs in the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set; Receive an instruction from the wireless communication network to activate the PDU set importance (PSI)-based discarding mechanism; as well as The remaining PDUs in the first PDU set are processed according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the PSI-based discarding mechanism comprises: In response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important, the PDUs in the first PDU set that were queued in the transmit buffer before the indication was received are discarded; as well as For PDUs queued in the buffer after receiving the instruction, a first discard timer value is used for the set of PDUs indicated as important by the associated PSI, and a different second discard timer value is used for the set of PDUs indicated as unimportant by the associated PSI.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the PSI-based discarding mechanism comprises: In response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important, the PDUs in the first PDU set are discarded; as well as For a PDU in a second PDU set that arrives after the first PDU set, if the second PDU set is indicated as important by the corresponding PSI, a first discard timer value is used; and if the second PDU set is indicated as unimportant by the corresponding PSI, a different second discard timer value is used.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the PSI-based discarding mechanism comprises: In response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is not important, and further in response to determining that the remaining time on the discard timer associated with the first PDU is less than a certain threshold, the first PDU in the first PDU set is discarded, wherein the threshold is greater than zero.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the specific threshold constitutes the difference between a default drop timer value not associated with the PSI-based drop mechanism and a drop timer value corresponding to an unimportant PSU according to the PSI-based drop mechanism.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, the method further comprising: In response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is important, when processing PDUs in the first PDU set that are queued after receiving the indication that the PSI-based discarding mechanism is activated, a discard timer value specified for the important PDU set according to the PSI-based discarding mechanism is used.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, the method further comprising: In response to determining that the PSI associated with the first PDU set indicates that the first PDU set is important, when processing PDUs in the first PDU set that are queued after receiving the indication that the PSI-based discarding mechanism is activated, a discard timer value not associated with the PSI-based discarding mechanism is used.

19. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising: One or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a wireless communication device to perform the steps according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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