Method and apparatus for cancelling delayed status report in wireless communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from a Base Station (BS), the RRC message configuring a remaining time threshold for a Delayed Status Report (DSR), identifying a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) associated with the DSR based on the remaining time threshold, and transmitting the PDCP SDUs associated with the DSR based on the PDCP SDUs associated with the DSR. An amount of PDCP data to be indicated to at least one media access control (MAC) entity is determined and a DSR MAC control element (CE) is transmitted to the BS based on the amount of PDCP data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the operation of user equipment (UE) and base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for canceling delay status reports for data. Background Technology

[0002] Fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology defines wide frequency bands, enabling high transmission rates and new services. It can be implemented not only in "sub-6GHz" bands such as 3.5GHz, but also in "above 6GHz" bands, including 28GHz and 39GHz, known as millimeter waves (mmWave). Furthermore, 6G mobile communication technology (referred to as "super 5G systems") is being considered for implementation in terahertz bands (e.g., the 95GHz to 3THz band) to achieve transmission rates 50 times faster than 5G and ultra-low latency one-tenth that of 5G.

[0003] In the early stages of 5G mobile communication technology development, to support services and meet performance requirements related to enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), standardization has been ongoing for the following technologies: beamforming and massive MIMO for reducing radio wave path loss and increasing radio wave transmission distance in millimeter waves; support parameter sets for dynamic operation (e.g., operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for efficient utilization of millimeter wave resources and time slot formats; initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadband; definition and operation of BWP (bandwidth portion); new channel coding methods such as LDPC (low-density parity-check) codes for large-volume data transmission and polar codes for highly reliable transmission of control information; L2 preprocessing; and network slicing for providing dedicated networks for specific services.

[0004] Currently, regarding the services supported by 5G mobile communication technology, discussions are underway regarding improvements and performance enhancements to the initial 5G mobile communication technology. Physical layer standardization has been completed for technologies such as: V2X (vehicle-to-everything) for assisting autonomous vehicle driving decisions based on information transmitted by the vehicle regarding its location and status, and for improving user convenience; NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) aimed at enabling system operation to comply with various regulatory requirements in unlicensed frequency bands; NR UE power saving; non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) for direct satellite communication between UEs to ensure coverage in areas where communication with terrestrial networks is not possible; and positioning.

[0005] Furthermore, in terms of air interface architecture / protocols, standardization is continuously advancing for technologies such as: Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to support new services through interoperability and integration with other industries; IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) to provide nodes for network service area extension by supporting wireless backhaul and access links in an integrated manner; mobility enhancements including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Stack) handover; and two-step random access (two-step RACH for NR) to simplify the random access process. Meanwhile, in terms of system architecture / services, standardization is also ongoing for technologies such as: 5G baseline architectures (e.g., service-based architectures or service-based interfaces) for combining Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies; and mobile edge computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE location.

[0006] With the commercialization of 5G mobile communication systems, an exponential increase in connected devices will be added to communication networks, thus necessitating enhanced functionality and performance of 5G mobile communication systems as well as integrated operation of connected devices. To this end, new research is planned related to the following technologies: Extended Reality (XR) for efficient support of AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), etc.; 5G performance improvements and complexity reduction through the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML); AI service support; Metaverse service support; and drone communication.

[0007] Furthermore, this development of 5G mobile communication systems will not only lay the foundation for the development of technologies such as: new waveforms for providing coverage in the terahertz band of 6G mobile communication technology; multi-antenna transmission technologies such as full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, and massive MIMO; metamaterial-based lenses and antennas for improving coverage of terahertz band signals; high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technologies using OAM (orbital angular momentum); and RIS (reconfigurable smart surfaces), but will also lay the foundation for the development of technologies such as: full-duplex technologies for improving the frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technology and improving system networks; AI-based communication technologies for achieving system optimization by leveraging satellites and AI (artificial intelligence) from the design stage and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions; and next-generation distributed computing technologies for achieving services with complexity exceeding the operational capabilities of UEs by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources. Summary of the Invention

[0008] [Technical Solution]

[0009] In order for base stations (BS) to efficiently allocate uplink (UL) resources, there is an increasing need for user equipment (UE) to report various information to the BS, as mobile communication systems evolve.

[0010] Other aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the embodiments presented in this disclosure.

[0011] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes: receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from a base station (BS), the RRC message configuring a remaining time threshold for a Delay Status Report (DSR); identifying a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) associated with the DSR based on the remaining time threshold; determining a PDCP data volume to be indicated to at least one Media Access Control (MAC) entity based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR; and sending a DSR MAC Control Element (CE) to the BS based on the PDCP data volume.

[0012] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The UE includes a transceiver and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to: receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from a base station (BS) via the transceiver, the RRC message configuring a remaining time threshold for a Delay State Report (DSR); identify a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) associated with the DSR based on the remaining time threshold; determine, based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR, a PDCP data volume to be indicated to at least one Media Access Control (MAC) entity; and, based on the PDCP data volume, transmit a DSR MAC Control Element (CE) to the BS via the transceiver.

[0013] The technical features of this disclosure intended to be implemented in various embodiments are not limited to those described above, and other unstated technical features will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art in light of the following description.

[0014] Before proceeding with the following detailed description, it may be advantageous to define certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “comprising” and “including” and their derivatives mean including but not limited to; the term “or” is inclusive, referring to and / or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated with” and their derivatives may mean including, being included, interconnected with, containing, being contained, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, able to communicate with, cooperate with, intertwined, juxtaposed, adjacent, bound to or bound with, having, having the properties of, etc.; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of at least two of hardware, firmware or software. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether local or remote.

[0015] Furthermore, the various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each computer program being formed by computer-readable program code and contained in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof suitable for implementation in suitable computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium accessible by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of storage. "Non-transitory" computer-readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes media that can permanently store data, as well as media that can store data and subsequently rewrite it, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable storage devices.

[0016] Definitions of certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, and those skilled in the art will understand that, in many cases (if not most), these definitions apply to the prior and future use of the words and phrases so defined. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 The structure of an NR system according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 2A wireless protocol architecture in an NR system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 3 The amount of data corresponding to the remaining time of data in the UE buffer for each Delay Status Report (DSR) - Logical Channel (LCH) (DSR-LCH) according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 4 The remaining time reference time according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 5 The present disclosure illustrates a PDCP discard operation for a plurality of PDUs in a PDU set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 The present disclosure illustrates an RRC signaling procedure performed by a gNB and a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to configure whether the UE supports DSR and DSR-related information; Figure 7 The structure of the BS according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown; and Figure 8 The structure of a UE according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following discussion Figures 1 to 8 The various embodiments described in this patent document to illustrate the principles of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0019] Throughout this disclosure, the expression "at least one of a, b, or c" indicates only a; only b; only c; both a and b; both a and c; both b and c; all of a, b, and c; or variations thereof.

[0020] Throughout the specification, layers can also be referred to as entities.

[0021] In the following description, embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same reference numerals denote the same parts in the drawings. Furthermore, no detailed description is provided that may obscure the well-known functions and configurations of the present disclosure.

[0022] In the following description of embodiments of this disclosure, descriptions of techniques well-known in the art and not directly related to this disclosure are omitted. By omitting unnecessary descriptions, the essence of this disclosure can be avoided from being obscured, and the essence of this disclosure can be clearly conveyed.

[0023] For the same reason, some elements in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or shown schematically. Furthermore, the size of each element does not exactly correspond to its actual size. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0024] The advantages and features of this disclosure and its implementation methods can be more readily understood through the following detailed description of embodiments and accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure exhaustive and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

[0025] It will be understood that each block in a flowchart representation, and combinations of blocks in a flowchart representation, can be implemented by computer program instructions. Computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate means for performing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-executable or computer-readable storage medium that can direct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-executable or computer-readable storage medium can produce an article of art including instruction means for performing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.

[0026] Furthermore, each block represented in the flowchart can represent a module, segment, or section of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for performing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in a block may occur out of order. For example, depending on the functions involved, two blocks shown consecutively may actually execute substantially simultaneously, or these blocks may sometimes execute in reverse order.

[0027] As used in embodiments of this disclosure, the term "...unit" refers to a software or hardware component that performs a specific task, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). However, the term "...unit" is not intended to be limited to software or hardware. "...unit" can be configured in an addressable storage medium or can be configured to operate one or more processors. Therefore, according to embodiments of this disclosure, as an example, "...unit" can include components (such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components), processes, functions, attributes, flows, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided in elements and "...units" can be combined into a smaller number of elements and "...units," or can be further separated into additional elements and "...units." Furthermore, elements and "...units" can be implemented to operate one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a device or secure multimedia card.

[0028] In the following text, a base station is an entity that allocates resources to terminals and can be at least one of a Node B, a base station (BS), an evolved Node B (eNode B), a next-generation Node B (gNB, gNode B), a radio access unit, a BS controller, or a node on a network. A terminal can include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a 5G UE, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, or a multimedia system capable of performing communication functions. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to other communication systems with similar technical backgrounds or channel types. Moreover, embodiments of this disclosure can be adapted to other communication systems by modification, as determined by those skilled in the art, without explicitly departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to systems including fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication technologies developed after LTE-A systems, and hereinafter, 5G can refer to concepts including LTE, LTE-A, and other similar services according to related technologies. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can be adapted to other communication systems by modification, as determined by those skilled in the art, without explicitly departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0029] In the following description, for ease of explanation, terms used to identify access nodes, to indicate network entities or network functions (NFs), to indicate messages, to indicate interfaces between network entities, and to indicate various identifying information are illustrated. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms indicating objects with equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0030] For ease of description, this disclosure uses some terms and names defined in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard and / or 3GPP New Radio (NR). However, this disclosure is not limited to these terms and names and can be equally applied to systems conforming to other standards.

[0031] Figure 1 The structure of an NR system according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 The wireless communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs) (e.g., gNB 100, ng-eNB 110, ng-eNB 120, and gNB 130), access and mobility management functions (AMF) 140, user plane functions (UPF) 150, etc. However, the wireless communication system is not limited to... Figure 1 The configuration can include more or fewer elements than those shown.

[0033] According to embodiments of this disclosure, UE (or terminal) 160 can access an external network via BS 100, 110, 120 and 130 and UPF 150.

[0034] refer to Figure 1 BS 100, 110, 120, and 130 are access nodes of the cellular network and can provide radio access to UEs accessing the network. For example, in order to serve user services, BS 100, 110, 120, and 130 can collect status information of UE 160 (such as buffer status, available transmit power status, or channel status), and can perform scheduling based on the collected information to support the connection between UE 160 and the core network (CN; specifically, the CN of NR is referred to as 5GC).

[0035] refer to Figure 1 The gNB 100 or 130 can control multiple cells and can use adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) to determine the modulation scheme and channel coding rate based on the channel state of the UE 160.

[0036] The CN is the entity that performs mobility management functions and various control functions related to the UE, and can connect to BS100, 110, 120, and 130. Furthermore, the 5GC can interoperate with legacy LTE systems.

[0037] Wireless communication systems can be configured with a user plane (UP) associated with actual user data transmission and a control plane (CP) associated with connection management. Figure 1The gNB 100 and gNB 130 can use the UP and CP associated technologies defined in NR technology, and although the ng-eNB 110 and ng-eNB 120 are connected to 5GC, the ng-eNB 110 and ng-eNB 120 can use the UP and CP associated technologies defined in LTE technology.

[0038] AMF 140 can be an entity that performs mobility management functions and various control functions related to UE 160, and can be connected to multiple BS 100, 110, 120 and 130.

[0039] UPF 150 can be a gateway providing data transmission. Although in Figure 1 Not shown, but NR wireless communication systems may include Session Management Function (SMF). SMF can manage packet data network connections, such as Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions provided to UE 160.

[0040] Figure 2 A wireless protocol architecture in an NR system according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 The radio protocol architecture of the NR system may include Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layers 200 and 290 for UE and eNB / gNB respectively, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layers 210 and 280, Radio Link Control (RLC) layers 220 and 270, Media Access Control (MAC) layers 230 and 260, and Physical (PHY) layers 240 and 250.

[0042] SDAP layers 200 and 290 may each perform the following operations: transmit user data and perform mapping between Quality of Service (QoS) flows and Data Specific Radio Bearers (DRBs) for both uplink (UL) and downlink (DL); tag QoS flow identifiers (IDs) in both UL and DL; and perform mapping between reflected QoS flows and DRBs for UL SDAP PDUs. The SDAP configuration corresponding to each DRB can be provided from the upper Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. However, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

[0043] PDCP layers 210 and 280 can each perform operations such as Internet Protocol (IP) header compression and decompression. Furthermore, PDCP layers 210 and 280 can each provide in-order or out-of-order delivery functions; reordering functions; duplicate detection functions; retransmission functions; and encryption and decryption functions. However, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

[0044] RLC layers 220 and 270 can each reconfigure the PDCP PDU to an appropriate size. Furthermore, RLC layers 220 and 270 can each provide in-order or out-of-order delivery functionality; Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) functionality; concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly functionality; resegmentation functionality; duplicate detection functionality; and error detection functionality. However, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

[0045] MAC layers 230 and 260 can each connect to multiple RLC layer entities configured for a UE, and can each perform operations of multiplexing RLC PDUs into MAC PDUs and demultiplexing RLC PDUs from MAC PDUs. Furthermore, MAC layers 230 and 260 can each provide mapping functions; scheduling information reporting functions; hybrid ARQ (HARQ) functions; priority processing functions between logical channels; priority processing functions between UEs; multimedia broadcast / multicast service (MBMS) service identification functions; transmission format selection functions; and padding functions. However, this disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

[0046] PHY layers 240 and 250 can each perform the following operations: channel-code upper-layer data and modulate it into Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and transmit the OFDM symbols via a wireless channel; or demodulate OFDM symbols received via a wireless channel, decode the OFDM symbols, and transmit them to the upper layer. Furthermore, the physical layer can use HARQ for additional error correction, and the receiver can use one bit to send information about whether it has received a packet sent by the transmitter. This one-bit information can be called a HARQ Acknowledgment (ACK) / Negative Acknowledgment (NACK) message.

[0047] In LTE systems, DL HARQ ACK / NACK information regarding UL data transmission can be transmitted on the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH) physical channel. In NR systems, when asynchronous HARQ is applied, the NR system can determine whether to request a retransmission or a new transmission based on UE scheduling information on the Physical Dedicated Control Channel (PDCCH), which serves as the channel for transmitting DL / UL resource allocations. UL HARQ ACK / NACK information regarding DL data transmission can be transmitted on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) physical channel. Typically, the PUCCH is transmitted in the UL of the primary cell (PCe11), as described below; however, when supported by the UE, the BS may allow the UE to additionally transmit the PUCCH on a secondary cell (SCell), referred to as the PUCCH SCell.

[0048] Despite Figure 2Not shown, but the RRC layer can exist above the PDCP layer of the UE and eNB / gNB respectively, and the RRC layer can send or receive configuration control messages related to access and measurement to control radio resources.

[0049] The PHY layer can be configured with one or more frequencies / carriers, and the technique of configuring and using multiple frequencies simultaneously is called carrier aggregation (CA). Compared to using only one carrier for communication between the UE (or terminal) and the BS (eNB or gNB), CA technology uses an additional primary carrier and one or more subcarriers, allowing the data transmission volume to increase to the same amount as the number of subcarriers. In LTE / NR systems, the cell in the BS that uses the primary carrier is called the primary cell or PCell, and the cell in the BS that uses subcarriers is called the secondary cell or SCell.

[0050] In next-generation / 5G (NR) wireless communication systems, to help the BS (Base Station) allocate resources more efficiently, the UE (User Equipment) needs to report buffer status to the BS. The Buffer Status Report (BSR) indicates the amount of UL (Ultra-Low) data stored in the UE's buffer and can be used for reporting. According to the NR system specifications, the UE can select the time period index that includes the amount of buffer UL data to be reported from the range of UL data amounts defined for each time period in the buffer size table, and can include that time period index in the BSR.

[0051] In an NR system, a BSR (Block Response Scheduler) can be executed based on MAC layer signaling between the UE and the BS. For example, when a BSR is triggered at a specific transmission time, the UE can include a BSR MAC control element (MAC CE) in its MAC PDU and send a MAC PDU to the BS. Here, the BSR MAC CE can indicate the amount of packets remaining in the UE's transmit buffer, in units of logical channel groups (LCGs), after configuring the MAC PDU. The BS can estimate the amount of UL data currently remaining in the UE's buffer using the received BSR. In an NR system, the UE can manage the transmit buffer for UL data to be sent to the BS for each of the eight LCGs.

[0052] Extended Reality (XR) UL data can have an effective delay budget, such as the remaining time as the remaining effective delay budget. Based on the time when UL data is generated in the application layer, the corresponding UL data can only be used as valid data if it arrives at the UL server within the preset remaining time. If the UL data does not arrive at the UL server within the preset remaining time, the corresponding data may lose its application value. The UE buffer size reported in the BSR can be designed to report the total amount of UL data stored in the UE's buffer. However, the BS may not be able to identify how much of the total UL data is closer to the delay budget, such as how much data has a short remaining time. If the BS identifies the remaining time of the UL data in the UE's buffer and the amount of UL data corresponding to each of the remaining time, the BS can reflect this in the allocation of UL resources, allowing data with relatively short remaining data to be sent first.

[0053] Therefore, more UL data can be sent before the remaining time expires, thereby increasing cell capacity. On the other hand, in the case of a specific UL data with a very short remaining time, the time from the BSR to actual transmission can be equal to or longer than the remaining time. In this case, data may be sent after its application value has been lost, or even discarded before the transmission time. Therefore, it may be impossible to load valid data onto the allocated UL resources, potentially leading to resource waste. If the information reported to the BS includes the remaining time that meets a predefined specific remaining time reference (upper or lower limit), or the remaining time and data volume, the BS can use this information to allocate UL resources to the UE more efficiently.

[0054] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method is provided to report to a BS the remaining time and / or the amount of multiple data corresponding to the remaining time of UL data stored in the UE's transmission buffer, and to have the BS use the report in UL scheduling.

[0055] A UE may trigger a BSR in the cell group corresponding to the met condition if at least one of the following conditions is met:

[0056] -Condition 1-1: When new UL data appears in a logical channel (LCH) included in the LCG, and the priority of that LCH is higher than the priority of other LCHs containing UL data. Here, it can be considered that the triggered regular BSR is triggered by the LCH in which new UL data appears; -Condition 1-2: When new UL data appears in an LCH included in an LCG, and prior to the appearance of the new UL data, all LCHs included in all LCGs did not have UL data. Here, it can be assumed that the triggered regular BSR is triggered by an LCH in which new UL data appears; and / or -Condition 1-3: When the retxBSR-Timer expires, UL data exists in at least one LCH, and that LCH is included in the LCG. Here, it can be assumed that the triggered regular BSR is triggered by the LCH with the highest priority among at least one LCH containing UL data.

[0057] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a regular BSR has been triggered and the logicalChannelSR-DelayTimer of the LCH that triggered the regular BSR is not running, the UE may trigger a scheduling request (SR) corresponding to the LCH for a regular BSR when at least one of the following conditions is met: -Condition 2-1: When there is no uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) resource available for initial transmission or new transmission; -Condition 2-2: The corresponding MAC entity configuration has authorized settings, and the LCH of the regular BSR is set to false regarding logicalChannelSR-Mask; and / or - Condition 2-3: Although UL-SCH resources are available for initial transmission, UL-SCH resources cannot be used for LCH that triggers a regular BSR due to Logical Channel Priority Ordering (LCP) mapping restrictions.

[0058] Here, logicalChannelSR-Mask can be a parameter used to control SR triggering when configuration authorization is configured.

[0059] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can report the remaining time status of UL data in the transmission buffer to the BS via a specific MAC CE. For example, the MAC CE may be referred to as a Delay Status Report (DSR) MAC CE.

[0060] According to embodiments of this disclosure, referring to the DSR, the BS can configure at least one of the following information about a specific MAC entity (or cell group) of the UE via an RRC message.

[0061] - For each of the LCH / LCGs, it can be configured whether to report the remaining time. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the LCH / LCG that reports the remaining time can be referred to as Delay Status Report (DSR) - Logical Channel Group (LCG) (DSR-LCG) / Delay Status Report (DSR) - Logical Channel (LCH) (DSR-LCH). For example, when a particular LCG is configured as a DSR-LCG, all LCHs included in the LCG can be considered as DSR-LCHs. For example, an LCG that includes one or more DSR-LCHs can be considered as a DSR-LCG. For example, an LCG / LCH configured with DSR reporting a remaining time reference or DSR triggering a remaining time reference can be considered as a DSR-LCG / DSR-LCH.

[0062] - A DSR reporting remaining time reference can be configured. The reference can be an upper remaining time limit, a lower remaining time limit, or both. For example, when an upper remaining time limit is configured, the UE can report the remaining time and / or buffer size of UL data with a remaining time equal to or less than the configured upper remaining time limit. Similarly, when a lower remaining time limit is configured, the UE can report the remaining time and / or buffer size of UL data with a remaining time equal to or greater than the configured lower remaining time limit. Furthermore, when both upper and lower remaining time limits are configured, the UE can report the remaining time and / or buffer size of UL data with a remaining time equal to or greater than the lower limit and equal to or less than the upper limit. One or more remaining time references can be configured for each LCH, each LCG, each MAC entity, or each UE. For instance, when no DSR reporting remaining time reference is configured, the DSR trigger remaining time reference can be considered the DSR reporting remaining time reference. For example, when multiple DSR reporting remaining time references or multiple DSR triggering remaining time references are set, a DSR can be triggered for each of the DSR triggering remaining time references, or a DSR with UL data that satisfies the reference can be reported for each of the DSR reporting remaining time references or the DSR triggering remaining time references.

[0063] - An upper limit can be configured for the number of remaining time fields. For example, an upper limit can be configured for the number of pairs of remaining time fields and buffer size fields for each remaining time. This upper limit can be configured for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MACCE. When an upper limit is configured for the number of remaining time fields, for each remaining time, the DSR can include several remaining time fields, or several pairs of remaining time fields and buffer size fields, where the number of remaining time fields or pairs of remaining time fields and buffer size fields is less than or equal to the maximum upper limit configured by the BS for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MACCE.

[0064] - A DSR trigger remaining time reference can be configured. For example, the DSR trigger remaining time reference can be an upper limit, a lower limit, or both. The DSR trigger remaining time reference can be configured for each LCH, each LCG, each MAC entity, or each UE. For example, when the DSR trigger remaining time reference is not configured individually, it can be determined by applying the corresponding LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group / UE's DSR reporting remaining time reference unchanged or by introducing a specific offset. This offset can be predetermined or configured by the BS via RRC. For example, one or more DSR trigger remaining time references can be provided for each LCG.

[0065] According to embodiments of this disclosure, all values / fields / variables / parameters associated with the remaining time can be represented as integers with a specific time unit. The integer can represent absolute time or relative time based on a specific time. For example, the time unit can be one or a combination of units such as microseconds, milliseconds, seconds, symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.

[0066] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a predefined remaining time schedule can be provided in the rules, and each index / code point included in the table can indicate a specific remaining time period. Different indexes / code points in the remaining time schedule can indicate different remaining time periods that do not overlap with each other. The maximum remaining time included in the table can be equal to the maximum value of the discardTimer configured in the PDCP-Config of the 3GPP standard specification TS 38.331 rule, or it can be a value with a corresponding maximum value and a specific offset. The last index / code point in the table can indicate all time periods equal to or greater than the maximum remaining time. For example, when the remaining time schedule includes several indexes / code points, and the number of such indexes / code points is equal to 2k or less than or equal to 2k but greater than 2k-1, the remaining time field or minimum remaining time field of the DSR can have a length of k bits.

[0067] According to embodiments of this disclosure, all values / fields / variables / parameters associated with the remaining time can be represented as a specific index / code point of the remaining time schedule. For example, when the value indicated by the remaining time field of the DSR or the upper or lower limit of the remaining time configured by the BS is t, this can represent the index / code point t of the remaining time schedule.

[0068] Figure 3 The amount of UL data corresponding to the remaining time of UL data in the buffer of the UE for each dsr-lch is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can report the remaining time status of the UL data in the corresponding LCG buffer via DSR for each dsr-lcg.

[0070] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the index / code point of the remaining time schedule is indicated by the remaining time field, the minimum classification period of the remaining time reported via DSR can be the period indicated by each index / code point, and when an integer with a specific time unit is indicated, the minimum classification period can be that time unit.

[0071] According to embodiments of this disclosure, after configuring a MAC PDU including DSR MAC CE, the remaining time reported via DSR, the buffer size for each remaining time, or the delay critical buffer size can be used to report UL data that exists in a specific LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group buffer and excludes UL data already included in the MAC PDU.

[0072] DSR MAC CE may include one or more of the following information.

[0073] 1) LCH or LCG indicator

[0074] 2) Specific bits in the LCG / LCH ID field or bitmap can indicate the corresponding LCG / LCH. For example, the LCG / LCH indicator can be used to indicate the presence or absence of the remaining time field corresponding to DSR MAC CE, or the minimum remaining time field, or the (minimum) remaining time field and the buffer size field for the corresponding remaining time, or the delay critical buffer size field.

[0075] 1) Remaining Time Field

[0076] 2) When a BS that only configures the remaining time reference for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group does not configure an upper limit on the number of remaining time fields: 3) For each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group, the UE can report the remaining time of UL data that satisfies the remaining time reference in the UL data within one or more dsr-lch buffers. For example, when UL data corresponding to the buffer exists, the UE can add a corresponding remaining time field for the minimum classification period of the remaining time to indicate the corresponding remaining time period. Reference Figure 3For example, when the BS configures 4 as the upper limit of the remaining time for LCH 1 and LCH 2, and the UE reports the remaining time for each LCG, the two remaining time fields can correspond to LCG 0 (including LCH 1 and LCH 2), and can respectively indicate remaining time 3 (reflecting BS1-3 for LCH 1 and BS2-3 for LCH 2) and remaining time 4 (reflecting BS2-4 for LCH 2).

[0077] 2) When the BS configures an upper limit on the number of all remaining time references and remaining time fields for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MAC CE: 3) For each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group, the UE can report the remaining time of UL data that satisfies the remaining time reference in the UL data within the corresponding (one or more) DSR-LCH buffers. For example, when UL data corresponding to the buffer exists, the UE can add a corresponding remaining time field for the minimum classification period of the remaining time to indicate the corresponding remaining time period. For example, the number of remaining time fields for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group can be up to an upper limit or (upper limit - 1) of the number of remaining time fields for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MAC CE, which is configured by the BS. For example, remaining time fields can be added in ascending order, starting with the remaining time field with the shortest remaining time. Reference Figure 3 When BS is configured with 4 as the upper limit of the remaining time for LCH1 and LCH2, and with 1 as the upper limit of the number of remaining time fields for LCG0, a remaining time field can correspond to LCG0 and can indicate the remaining time 3 (reflecting BS1-3 for LCH1 and BS2-3 for LCH2).

[0078] 2) When the BS does not configure a remaining time reference for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MAC CE, but only configures an upper limit on the number of remaining time fields: 3) For each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group, the UE can indicate the remaining time of the UL data in the corresponding (one or more) DSR-LCH buffers. Here, when the corresponding UL data exists, the UE can add a corresponding remaining time field for the minimum classification period to indicate the corresponding remaining time period. For example, the number of remaining time fields for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group can be up to the maximum number of remaining time fields configured by the BS for each LCH, each LCG, or the entire DSR MAC CE, or (maximum - 1). For example, remaining time fields can be added in ascending order of remaining time, starting with the field with the shortest remaining time. (See reference) Figure 3 For example, when the BS configures 1 as the upper limit of the number of remaining time fields for LCG 0, and the UE reports the remaining time for each LCG, a remaining time field can correspond to LCG 0 and can indicate the remaining time 3 (reflecting BS1-3 for LCH 1 and BS2-3 for LCH 2).

[0079] 1) Minimum Remaining Time Field: For each LCH, each LCG, or the entire MAC entity / cell group, the UE can add a remaining time field for a remaining time period. This remaining time period includes the remaining time of the UL data with the shortest remaining time in the UL data within the corresponding (one or more) DSR-LCH buffers, and can indicate this remaining time period. This remaining time period can be referred to as the minimum remaining time field. For example, when the BS is configured with a remaining time reference, the minimum remaining time field can only be added if the corresponding remaining time period meets the remaining time reference configured by the BS. Reference Figure 3 For example, when the base station configures 4 as the upper limit of the number of remaining time fields for LCG 0, and the UE reports the remaining time for each LCG, LCG 0 can have a minimum remaining time field, and that field can indicate the remaining time of 3.

[0080] 1) Minimum Remaining Time Buffer Size Field: When one or more remaining time fields corresponding to a specific LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group exist, or when a minimum remaining time field corresponding to a specific LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group exists, a (minimum) remaining time buffer size field may be included for each remaining time or each minimum remaining time field. This field indicates the amount of UL data, which has remaining time included in the remaining time period indicated by the field, and is included in the corresponding LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group buffer. Reference Figure 3For example, when the remaining time limit configured by the BS for LCG 0 is 4, and the UE reports the remaining time for each LCG, two remaining time fields can correspond to LCG 0, and these fields can indicate remaining time 3 and remaining time 4 respectively.

[0081] For example, a buffer size field for each remaining time can be added, corresponding to the remaining time field indicating remaining time 3. Here, this field could indicate BS1-3 + BS2-3, which is the buffer size corresponding to remaining time 3. Similarly, a buffer size field for each remaining time can be added, corresponding to the remaining time field indicating remaining time 4. Here, this field could indicate BS2-4, where BS2-4 is the buffer size corresponding to remaining time 4.

[0082] 1) Delay Critical Buffer Size Field: When the BS configures a remaining time reference for each LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group, it may include a delay critical buffer size field. This field indicates the amount of UL data in the corresponding (one or more) dsr-lch buffers that has remaining time satisfying the remaining time reference configured by the BS. The number of delay critical buffer size fields for each LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group can vary depending on the remaining time reference configured by the BS. For example, when the BS configures Reference 1 with a remaining time upper limit of 1 and Reference 2 with an upper limit of 2 and a lower limit of 2 for a specific LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group, the two delay critical buffer size fields can correspond to the corresponding LCH / LCG / MAC entity / cell group.

[0083] For example, the first delay key buffer size field can indicate the amount of UL data with remaining time satisfying reference 1, and the second delay key buffer size field can indicate the amount of UL data with remaining time satisfying reference 2. For example, the BS can configure a list in which remaining time references are formed as multiple integers. Here, when the integers are arranged in ascending order, two adjacent values ​​can be considered as a remaining time reference, and can be considered as a lower and upper bound of a remaining time reference. Furthermore, the minimum value can be considered as the upper bound of a specific remaining time reference, and a specific remaining time reference can be a remaining time reference with only an upper bound.

[0084] For example, when the BS configures the remaining time reference as [x1, x2, x3] (e.g., x1 < x2 < x3), the UE can interpret that the BS has configured three remaining time references, which are: 1) x1 as the upper limit of the remaining time reference; 2) x1 as the lower limit and x2 as the upper limit of the remaining time reference; and 3) x2 as the lower limit and x3 as the upper limit of the remaining time reference.

[0085] In this disclosure, the remaining time reference can instruct the DSR to report the remaining time reference or trigger the remaining time reference, which is configured by the BS via RRC.

[0086] For example, the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field or the delay-critical buffer size field can indicate the index of its corresponding buffer size range in the buffer size table, where corresponding indexes for predefined buffer size ranges are defined. This buffer size table can be one of the following: a long buffer size (BS) table for an 8-bit buffer size field defined in the NR system, a short BS table for a 5-bit buffer size field, and one or more new BS tables that may be defined subsequently. When candidate BS tables are provided in plural, a BS table indicator indicating which BS table the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field or the delay-critical buffer size field refers to can be included in the DSR MAC CE for the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field or the delay-critical buffer size field, or for each LCH, or each LCG, or each MAC entity / cell group.

[0087] Figure 4 A reference time for the remaining time according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0088] According to embodiments of this disclosure, Figure 4 The remaining time reference time is shown as indicated by the remaining time field or minimum remaining time field of the DSR MAC CE, or applied by the delay critical buffer size field. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the remaining time reference time can be interpreted as indicating which time the corresponding remaining time is referenced.

[0089] refer to Figure 4 Typically, a UE can send a MACPDU or transport block (TB) including a DSR MAC CE to the BS on PUSCH resources allocated by the BS. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the PUSCH resource can be a specific PUSCH resource allocated to the UE via dynamic scheduling by the BS. Alternatively, multiple periodic PUSCH resources can be allocated to the UE via configuration authorization. The remaining time reference time indicated by the remaining time field or minimum remaining time field of the DSR MAC CE, or applied by the delay critical buffer size field, can be determined based on one of the following options.

[0090] - The start time of the first symbol of the PUSCH resource used for the initial transfer of a MAC PDU or TB, including DSR MAC CE. 400

[0091] - The end time of the last symbol of the PUSCH resource used for the initial transmission of a MAC PDU or TB, including DSR MAC CE.

[0092] - The start time of the time slot for the PUSCH resource, including the initial transmission of the MAC PDU or TB, is 420. This MAC PDU or TB includes DSR MAC CE.

[0093] - The end time 430 of the slot for the PUSCH resource used for the initial transmission of the MAC PDU or TB, including DSR MAC CE.

[0094] According to embodiments of this disclosure, PUSCH resources can be resources allocated by the BS through dynamic scheduling via dynamic authorization or resources allocated via configuration authorization.

[0095] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the DSR may have one or more reference time fields added thereto, indicating a reference time for the remaining time. For example, the reference time field may be a field indicating a reference time at which the remaining time value indicated by the DSR's remaining time field or the UL data indicated by the DSR's delay critical buffer size field is calculated. For example, the reference time field may indicate absolute time or relative time based on a specific time. For example, the reference time field may be represented as a unit or combination of frames, subframes, time slots, and symbols. For example, the reference time field may indicate complete Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time, or a specific bit position / number of bits, or a specific position / number of least significant bits (LSBs), or a specific position / number of most significant bits (MSBs).

[0096] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the remaining time field of the DSR may be a field that does not indicate the absolute remaining time but indicates the relative difference compared to a specific remaining time upper limit configured by the BS. For example, the relative difference may be a value obtained by subtracting the remaining time from the remaining time upper limit, or it may be a value that indicates how many times smaller or larger the remaining time upper limit is compared with the remaining time, or a value that indicates a ratio.

[0097] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the remaining time of UL data in the dsr-lch buffer at a specific time can be equal to the remaining time value of the UL data's PDCP discardTimer, or it can be equal to the value obtained by applying a specific offset to the remaining time value of the PDCP discardTimer based on the corresponding time. The offset can be predefined, or it can be configured by the BS via RRC.

[0098] According to embodiments of this disclosure, at a specific reference time, the remaining time of a specific PDU included in a specific PDU set can be regarded as / configured / reconfigured as: the remaining time of the PDU with the smallest remaining time among all PDUs included in the PDU set at that specific reference time, the remaining time of the PDU generated first in the application, or the remaining time of the PDU that first arrives at the PDCP layer.

[0099] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the QoS flow of a PDU set is configured with PDU set integration processing information (PSIHI) or the DRB / PDCP entity / QoS flow of the PDU set is configured with PDU set-based discarding (e.g., pdu-SetDiscard), at a specific reference time, the remaining time of a specific PDU included in a specific PDU set can be regarded as / configured / reconfigured as: the remaining time of the PDU with the smallest remaining time among all PDUs included in the PDU set at that specific reference time, the remaining time of the PDU generated first in the application, or the remaining time of the PDU that first arrives at the PDCP layer.

[0100] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a PDU set is configured with a PDU set-level PDCP discardTimer, at a specific reference time, the remaining time of a specific PDU included in a specific PDU set can be regarded as / configured / reconfigured to the remaining time of the PDU set-level PDCP discardTimer of that PDU set based on the corresponding time, or regarded as / configured / reconfigured to a value obtained by applying a specific offset configured by the BS to the remaining time.

[0101] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when calculating the remaining time for all PDUs included in a specific PDU set at a specific time, the remaining time can be calculated as the remaining PDU set delay budget (PSDB) or remaining access network (AN) PSDB for the corresponding PDU set, or it can be calculated as a value obtained by applying a specific offset to the corresponding remaining time value. The offset can be predefined or can be configured by the BS via RRC.

[0102] For example, the PSDB for a specific QoS flow can be defined as follows.

[0103] - PDU set delay budget (PSDB) defines the upper limit of the delay that the PDU set may experience during transmission between the N6 terminal point at the UE and UPF. That is, the duration between the reception time of the first PDU (at the N6 terminal point for DL ​​or at the UE for UL) and the time when all PDUs in the PDU set are successfully received (at the UE for DL ​​or at the N6 terminal point for UL).

[0104] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the AN PSDB of a specific QoS flow can be calculated as a value obtained by subtracting the CN PDB of the corresponding QoS flow from the PSDB of the corresponding QoS flow.

[0105] Figure 5 The present disclosure illustrates the operation of the UE with respect to the PDU set when the PDU set includes multiple PDUs and the multiple PDUs arrive at the UE's PDCP layer at different times.

[0106] refer to Figure 5 When a specific PDU set 570 includes multiple PDUs 571, 572, and 573, these multiple PDUs 571, 572, and 573 arrive at the UE's PDCP layer from the upper layer at different times 500, 520, and 530. For example, each of the multiple PDUs in the specific PDU set can arrive at the PDCP layer in the form of a PDCP SDU. For example, when a new PDCP SDU appears, the PDCP entity can run a discardTimer dedicated to that PDCP SDU. For example, the duration of the discardTimer for a specific PDCP SDU from start to expiration can be determined by the discardTimer setting value for each DRB / QoS flow. Therefore, multiple PDCP SDUs, each including multiple PDUs of the specific PDU set, can have the same discardTimer setting value. If multiple PDUs 561, 562, and 563 from a specific PDU set arrive at the PDCP entity at different times, even if their corresponding PDCP SDUs have the same discardTimer setting, the expiration time of each discardTimer may be different.

[0107] For example, the BS can configure the UE to perform PDCP SDU discarding operations on a set-by-set basis due to the expiration of the PDCP discardTimer via an RRC message. For example, the BS can indicate the discarding operation on a set-by-set basis by configuring pdu-SetDiscard or configuring pdu-SetDiscard as "True".

[0108] For example, when the discardTimer of a specific PDCP SDU of the UE expires, the corresponding PDCP entity can perform the following operations.

[0109] - When a PDU corresponding to a PDCP SDU is included in a specific PDU set, the PDCP SDU and PDCP data PDU corresponding to all PDUs in the PDU set can be discarded. For example, refer to Figure 5Compared to other PDUs (PDU X-2 and PDU X-3), when the discardTimer of PDU X-1 in PDU set X expires first, at point 540 of the expiration of PDU X-1's discardTimer, the PDCP SDUs and PDCP data PDUs corresponding to all PDUs (PDU X-1, PDU X-2, and PDU X-3) in PDU set X can be discarded. For example, a discard operation on a PDU set basis can only be performed when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow corresponding to the PDU set. For example, a discard operation on a PDU set basis can only be performed when pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the PDCP entity / DRB. For example, a discard operation on a PDU set basis can only be performed when pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow and PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow corresponding to the PDU set.

[0110] - If the PDCP data PDU to be discarded has already been transmitted to a lower layer (e.g., the RLC layer), the discard of the PDCP data PDU can also be indicated to the lower layer.

[0111] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the DSR MAC CE triggering condition may be at least one of the following conditions.

[0112] Condition 3-1: A DSR MAC CE can be triggered when UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference appears in a specific DSR-lcg / DSR-lch, and UL data satisfying the corresponding reference does not exist in a MAC entity or cell group, or in an LCG that includes a DSR-lcg / DSR-lch. For example, the appearance of UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference could refer to the appearance of new UL data satisfying the reference, or the reduction of the remaining time of UL data existing in the buffer to satisfy the reference. For example, a condition-triggered DSR can be referred to as a regular DSR. For example, the priority of an LCG can be determined as the priority of the highest-priority LCH among the LCHs included in the corresponding LCG.

[0113] Condition 3-2: A DSR MAC CE can be triggered when UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference appears in a specific dsr-lcg / dsr-lch, and the LCH / LCG priority of the UL data is higher than the LCH / LCG priority of another UL data (that other UL data satisfies the reference) corresponding to the LCG of the MAC entity or cell group. For example, the appearance of UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference could refer to the appearance of new UL data satisfying the reference, or the reduction of the remaining time of existing UL data to satisfy the reference. For example, a condition-triggered DSR can be called a regular DSR.

[0114] Condition 3-3: A DSR MAC CE can be triggered when UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference appears in a specific DSR-lcg / DSR-lch, and the remaining time of the UL data is less than the remaining time of another UL data (that other UL data satisfies the reference) of the MAC entity or cell group or the LCG corresponding to the DSR-lcg / DSR-lch. The appearance of UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference can refer to the appearance of new UL data satisfying the reference, or the reduction of the remaining time of existing UL data to satisfy the reference. For example, a condition-triggered DSR can be referred to as a regular DSR.

[0115] Conditions 3-4: When a DSR retransmission timer (e.g., retxDSR-Timer) is configured and this timer expires, a DSR MAC CE can be triggered if UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference exists in at least one dsr-lcg / dsr-lch. For example, retxDSR-Timer can be a timer different from retxBSR-Timer (BSR retransmission timer). For example, retxDSR-Timer can be the same timer as retxBSR-Timer (BSR retransmission timer). For example, the retxDSR-Timer size can be configured by the BS for each MAC entity / cell group / LCG via RRC. For example, a DSR triggered due to the expiration of retxDSR-Timer can be considered as triggering the highest priority LCH / LCG from a dsr-lcg / dsr-lch containing UL data satisfying the DSR trigger remaining time reference when that timer expires. Once the available UL-SCH resources have been logically prioritized (LCP), and the UL-SCH resources include the DSR, MAC, CE, and corresponding sub-headers, the timer can be started / restarted. For example, a DSR triggered by timer expiration can be called a regular DSR.

[0116] - Condition 3-5: A DSR MAC CE can be triggered when a periodic DSR timer (e.g., periodicDSR-Timer) is configured and that timer expires. For example, the timer can be a different timer than the periodicBSR-Timer (periodic BSR timer). For example, the timer can be the same timer as the periodicBSR-Timer (periodic BSR timer). For example, the timer can be started / restarted when available UL-SCH resources pass through the LCP, and the UL-SCH resources include a DSR MAC CE and the corresponding sub-header (not a truncated DSR). For example, the periodicDSR-Timer size can be configured by the BS for each MAC entity / cell group / LCG via RRC. For example, when the timer size is configured to infinity, the timer may not expire, and therefore, DSR triggering due to timer expiration may not occur.

[0117] - Condition 3-6: When padding bits appear as a result of an LCP for a specific UL-SCH, a padding DSR can be triggered in lieu of padding bits if the UL data satisfying the DSR triggering remaining time reference exists in at least one dsr-lcg / dsr-lch, or if the length of the padding bits is equal to or greater than the total length of the DSR MAC CE and the corresponding subheading. For example, in a padding DSR transmitted using padding bits, when the length of the padding bits cannot contain reports about all dsr-lcgs (including the amount of UL data greater than 0 that satisfies the remaining time reference (buffer size)), a truncated DSR can instruct the DSR MAC CE to include only reports about some dsr-lcgs that can be included in the padding bits. For example, a truncated DSR / truncated long DSR / truncated short DSR can be assigned a specific LCID / eLCID different from the DSR / long DSR / short DSR.

[0118] Condition 3-7: A DSR can be triggered when the remaining time of the UL data with the shortest remaining time in a specific DSR-lcg's UL data meets the DSR trigger remaining time reference configured by the BS for the corresponding DSR-lcg. For example, the DSR trigger remaining time reference can be an upper limit of the remaining time, and meeting the remaining time reference can mean that the remaining time is less than or equal to the upper limit of the remaining time. For example, the DSR trigger remaining time reference can include a lower limit of the remaining time or both the lower and upper limits of the remaining time.

[0119] -Condition 3-8: DSR can be triggered when there is UL data in a specific DSR-lcg that has a remaining time that satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference corresponding to the corresponding DSR-lcg.

[0120] For example, in conditions 3-1 to 3-8, the presence / appearance of UL data that satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference in a specific dsr-lcg / dsr-lch can refer to at least one of the following options.

[0121] - Option 1: This can indicate a situation where, for the corresponding LCG / LCH, the remaining time satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference, and there is a PDU in the PDCP / RLC buffer that is not included in the PDU set.

[0122] Option 2: This can indicate a situation where the remaining time of the first / first arriving PDU in a specific PDU set of the corresponding LCG / LCH satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference, and a segment / PDU of at least one PDU in the PDU set exists in the PDCP / RLC buffer. For example, the case where one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the corresponding PDCP entity of the UE can also be included in Option 2. For example, Option 2 can be valid only for cases where PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set, or where pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow in the corresponding PDU set.

[0123] Option 3: This can indicate a situation where the remaining time of the first / first arriving PDU of a specific PDU set for the corresponding LCG / LCH satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference, and the PDU set includes one or more PDU / PDU segments that have not yet reached the PDCP layer from the upper layer or exist in the PDCP / RLC buffer. For example, a case where the PDCP / RLC buffer does not have PDU / PDU segments included in the PDU set but has PDU / PDU segments that have not yet reached the PDCP layer from the upper layer can also be included in Option 3. For example, Option 3 can be valid only for cases where PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set, or where pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow in the corresponding PDU set.

[0124] Option 4: This indicates a situation where the remaining time of the first / first arriving PDU in a specific PDU set of the corresponding LCG / LCH satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference, and all PDUs included in the PDU set have arrived at the PDCP layer from the upper layer, or one or more PDU / PDU segments exist in the PDCP / RLC buffer. For example, Option 4 may only be valid in the following cases: when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set, or when pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow in the corresponding PDU set.

[0125] - Option 5: The BS can configure the validity of at least one of the options 1 through 4 via RRC messages.

[0126] For example, to prevent excessive DSRs from being over-triggered, the UE can apply at least one of the following options.

[0127] - The UL data of an LCG / LCH / MAC entity that has triggered a pending DSR and has not been cancelled can be configured not to trigger a further DSR. For example, when the DSR trigger remaining time reference for an LCG / LCH / MAC entity that includes UL data for triggering a new DSR includes a remaining time cap, and this cap is less than that of other LCG / LCH / MAC entities that have already triggered DSRs, the UL data can trigger a DSR. For example, an SR configuration for DSRs can be configured for each LCG, and when a DSR is triggered by a specific LCG, the SR of that LCG can be triggered.

[0128] - For example, when other PDUs included in the same PDU set have already triggered a DSR that has not yet been canceled, it can be driven to prevent the PDU from triggering another DSR.

[0129] Even when there are multiple pending and uncancelled DSRs, a MAC PDU can include at most one DSRMAC CE.

[0130] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a particular UL authorization includes all available pending data but cannot include the DSRMAC CE and corresponding subheadings, all triggered DSRs can be cancelled. For example, when a particular UL authorization includes all pending data to be reported by the DSR (e.g., all pending data to be reported by the Delay Critical Buffer Size field / (Minimum) Remaining Time Buffer Size field) but cannot include the DSR MAC CE and corresponding subheadings, all triggered DSRs can be cancelled. For example, when the DSR MAC CE is included in a particular MAC PDU, and the buffer / remaining time status of all DSR triggering events occurring before the assembly of the corresponding MAC PDU (including the buffer / remaining time status of the last DSR triggering event) is reported by the DSR, all DSRs triggered before the assembly of the corresponding MAC PDU can be cancelled. For example, when UL data (PDU / PDU set) with remaining time that satisfies the corresponding trigger remaining time reference does not exist in a specific dsr-lch / dsr-lcg / MAC entity / cell group (or when the delay-critical UL data size of dsr-lch / dsr-lcg / MAC entity / cell group is 0), if the pending and not yet canceled DSRs after triggering exist in dsr-lch / dsr-lcg / MAC entity / cell group, then all DSRs can be canceled.

[0131] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a remaining time of 0 for UL data (PDU / PDU set) can be considered as not satisfying all remaining time references. For example, in cases where the DSR trigger remaining time reference for a particular DSR-lcg only includes the upper limit of remaining time, even if the DSR trigger remaining time reference does not include the lower limit of remaining time, it can be considered that only UL data (e.g., PDU / PDU set) with a remaining time less than or equal to the upper limit and greater than 0 satisfies the DSR trigger remaining time reference.

[0132] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a DSR MAC CE is included in a specific MAC PDU, and the buffer status of all BSR triggering events occurring before the assembly of the corresponding MAC PDU (including the buffer status of the last BSR triggering event) is reported by the DSR, all BSRs triggered before the assembly of the corresponding MAC PDU can be cancelled. This may mean that, since the size of all available data in the buffer is reported by the DSR, no additional BSRs need to be sent.

[0133] According to embodiments of this disclosure, in order to trigger a DSR or configure a delay critical buffer size field and / or (minimum) remaining time buffer size field reported by the DSR, the UE's MAC layer may request the amount of UL data that satisfies a specific remaining time reference and is included in the buffer of each respective layer from the UE's RLC layer and PDCP layer.

[0134] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the buffer size of each LCH / LCG, indicated by the Delay Critical Buffer Size field or the (Minimum) Remaining Time Buffer Size field reported by the DSR, can indicate the sum of UL data in all RLC and PDCP buffers corresponding to the LCH / LCG, satisfying the corresponding remaining time reference and excluding UL data included in the MAC PDU (including the DSR). For example, the buffer size indicated by the Delay Critical Buffer Size field or the (Minimum) Remaining Time Buffer Size field reported by the DSR can indicate the amount of data present in the RLC and PDCP buffers after the MAC PDU assembly including the DSR MAC CE.

[0135] For example, when calculating the buffer size for each LCH / LCG as indicated by the Delay Critical Buffer Size field or the (Minimum) Remaining Time Buffer Size field reported by the DSR, if at least one PDU in a particular PDU set has arrived at the PDCP layer from the upper layer, the remaining time of the first / first PDU in the PDU set to arrive at the PDCP layer satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer. PDUs in the PDU set that have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer can also be included in the buffer size.

[0136] For example, when calculating the buffer size for each LCH / LCG as indicated by the Delay Critical Buffer Size field or the (Minimum) Remaining Time Buffer Size field reported by DSR, if at least one PDU in a particular PDU set has arrived at the PDCP layer from the upper layer, the remaining time of the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not arrived at the PDCP layer. PDUs in the PDU set that have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer can also be included in the buffer size only if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the PDU set.

[0137] For example, when determining the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field for each LCH / LCG, if there exists a PDU set that includes PDUs that arrive at the PDCP layer first and have remaining times that satisfy the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer, then the remaining time of the PDU set may not be reported.

[0138] For example, when determining the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field for each LCH / LCG, if there exists a PDU set that includes PDUs that arrive at the PDCP layer first and have remaining time that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer, then the remaining time of the PDU set may not be reported only if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the PDU set.

[0139] For example, when determining the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field for each LCH / LCG, if there exists a PDU set that includes PDUs that arrive at the PDCP layer first and have remaining time that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer, the remaining time of the PDU set can be reported.

[0140] For example, when determining the (minimum) remaining time buffer size field for each LCH / LCG, if there exists a PDU set that includes PDUs that arrive at the PDCP layer first and have remaining time that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, and one or more PDUs in the PDU set have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer, then the remaining time of the PDU set can be reported only if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the PDU set.

[0141] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the PDCP / RLC / MAC layer of the UE can identify the size of the entire PDU set and whether PSIHI is configured for a specific PDU set for a specific QoS flow based on the UE's implementation.

[0142] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE's MAC / RLC layer can receive an indication from the PDCP layer of the total PDU set size or whether a PSIHI is configured for a specific PDU set for a specific QoS flow.

[0143] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE's MAC layer can request a certain amount of UL data that satisfies a specific remaining time reference from the RLC layer. When the RLC layer determines the amount of UL data that satisfies the specific remaining time reference, it can include at least one of a plurality of UL data. For example, a set of PDUs / PDUs included in the following UL data can be considered as a set of PDUs / PDUs present in the RLC buffer. For example, in this disclosure, the corresponding remaining time reference can instruct the DSR to trigger the remaining time reference or the DSR to report the remaining time reference.

[0144] - RLC SDUs and RLC SDU segments that are not yet included in the RLC data PDUs and satisfy the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to an RLC SDU / SDU segment is included in a specific PDU set, the RLC SDU / SDU segment can only be included in the UL data volume of the RLC layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0145] - RLC data PDUs that are in the initial transmission queue and satisfy the remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to an RLC data PDU is included in a specific PDU set, the RLC data PDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the RLC layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0146] - In RLC Acknowledgment Mode (AM), RLC data PDUs that are in the RLC retransmission queue and satisfy the remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to an RLC data PDU is included in a specific PDU set, the RLC data PDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the RLC layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0147] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method / scheme for determining whether a specific RLC SDU / SDU segment / data PDU meets a specific remaining time reference can be determined through the internal implementation of the UE.

[0148] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the determination of whether a particular RLC SDU / SDU segment / data PDU meets a particular remaining time reference can be determined by an indication from the corresponding PDCP entity.

[0149] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the determination of whether a specific RLC SDU / SDU segment / data PDU meets a specific remaining time reference can be made by determining whether the remaining time of the PDCP discardTimer of the RLC SDU / SDU segment / data PDU meets the specific remaining time reference. For example, the determination of the remaining time of the PDCP discardTimer of the RLC SDU / SDU segment / data PDU can be made by the internal implementation of the UE.

[0150] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE's MAC layer can request a certain amount of UL data that satisfies a specific remaining time reference from the PDCP layer. Here, when the PDCP layer determines the amount of UL data that satisfies the specific remaining time reference, it may include at least one of the following UL data. For example, the set of PDUs / PDUs included in the following UL data can be regarded as a set of PDUs / PDUs existing in the PDCP buffer.

[0151] - PDCP SDUs that have not yet constituted PDCP data PDUs and satisfy the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to a PDCPSDU is included in a specific PDU set, the PDCP SDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the PDCP layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0152] - PDCP data PDUs that have not yet been transmitted to the lower layer (MAC or RLC) and satisfy the remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to a PDCP data PDU is included in a specific PDU set, the PDCP data PDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the PDCP layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed if PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0153] - PDCP SDUs in the retransmission queue caused by PDCP entity reconstruction in the AM DRB that satisfy the remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to a PDCP SDU is included in a specific PDU set, the PDCP SDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the PDCP layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first arriving PDU in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0154] - PDCP SDUs in the retransmission queue due to PDCP data recovery in the AM DRB that satisfy the remaining time reference. For example, when a PDU corresponding to a PDCP data PDU is included in a specific PDU set, the PDCP data PDU can only be included in the UL data volume of the PDCP layer that satisfies the remaining time reference if the remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first arriving PDU in the PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0155] - The remaining time of the PDCP SDU corresponding to the first / first PDU to arrive at the PDCP layer in a specific PDU set satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. One or more PDUs in that PDU set that have not yet arrived at the PDCP layer can also be included in the UL data volume of the PDCP layer that satisfies the remaining time reference. For example, this operation can only be performed when PSIHI is configured for the QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set or pdu-SetDiscard is configured for the corresponding PDCP entity / DRB / QoS flow of the corresponding PDU set.

[0156] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a PDCP entity associated with at least two RLC entities notifies a MAC entity of the amount of PDCP data that satisfies a specific remaining time reference, the PDCP entity may operate as follows.

[0157] 1) In the case of radio bearer (RB), where PDCP replication is activated: 2) The PDCP entity can notify the MAC entity associated with the main RLC entity of its UL data volume, which satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference.

[0158] 2) The PDCP entity can notify the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity that the PDCP replication function is activated and excludes the primary RLC entity. The UL data volume excludes the PDCP control PDU from multiple UL data that satisfy the corresponding remaining time reference.

[0159] 2) The PDCP entity can notify the MAC entity that the amount of UL data that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference is 0. This MAC entity is associated with the RLC entity that has been deactivated for the PDCP replication function.

[0160] 1) In the case of RB or Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) bearer, where the PDCP replication function is deactivated: 2) When a separate secondary RLC entity is configured, and the total amount of PDCP data and RLC data (used for initial transmission in both the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity) for the corresponding remaining time reference is equal to or greater than a specific threshold configured by the BS: 3) A PDCP entity can notify two MAC entities associated with the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity of its PDCP data volume, provided that the PDCP data volume satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference. For example, a PDCP entity can notify a MAC entity associated with an RLC entity other than the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity that the PDCP data volume satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference is 0.

[0161] 2) When the PDCP entity is sent by a DAPS bearer: 3) Case where UL data switching is not requested: 4) The PDCP sending entity can notify the MAC entity associated with the source cell of its PDCP data volume, which satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference.

[0162] 3) Requesting UL data switching: 4) The PDCP sending entity can notify the MAC entity associated with the target cell of its PDCP data volume, which satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference.

[0163] 2) Other situations: 3) The PDCP sending entity can notify the MAC entity associated with the primary RLC entity of its PDCP data volume, which satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference.

[0164] 3) The PDCP sending entity can notify the MAC entity that the amount of PDCP data that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference is 0. This MAC entity is associated with an RLC entity other than the primary RLC entity.

[0165] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can indicate network congestion to the UE via PDCP control PDU, specific MAC CE, or specific RRC message.

[0166] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can instruct or trigger the UE to perform a drop operation based on PDU set importance (PSI) via PDCP control of PDU, specific MAC CE, or specific RRC message.

[0167] For example, a PSI-based drop operation can follow at least one of the following operations.

[0168] Option 1: The PDCP entity of a UE configured for one or more DRBs in the BS can apply a new PDCP discardTimer value configured in the BS to PDCP SDUs that have arrived or are about to arrive. Alternatively, the UE can configure an additional timer and a PDCP discardTimer, and the UE can operate to discard the PDCP SDU when the additional timer expires. For example, when the PSI of the PDU set corresponding to the PDCP SDU, or the PSI of the PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU to which the new PDCP discardTimer setting or the new timer has been applied, is not included in a particular PDU set, a new PDCP discardTimer / new timer can be applied based on the PSI of that PDU, corresponding to the PSI configured in the BS or each PSI interval. For example, the new PDCP discardTimer setting or new timer can be applied only to PDCP SDUs corresponding to a PDU set / PDU that has less importance than the PSI threshold configured in the BS (less importance means that the PSI value is equal to or less than the PSI threshold, or equal to or greater than the PSI threshold).

[0169] Option 2: The PDCP entity of a UE used for one or more DRBs configured in the BS can perform a drop operation on a set of PDUs / PDUs having a PSI smaller than the PSI threshold configured in the BS for each UE / DRB (a smaller PSI means that the PSI is equal to or less than the PSI threshold, or equal to or greater than the PSI threshold). For example, a drop operation can be performed on UL data present in the PDCP layer and / or RLC layer. For example, a drop operation can be performed on UL data that has already reached the PDCP layer. For example, a drop operation can be performed on UL data that is about to reach the PDCP layer.

[0170] For example, the BS can instruct the UE to suspend (or cancel) PSI-based discarding operations by sending a PDCP control PDU, a specific MAC CE, or a specific RRC message to the UE. For example, when the UE starts PSI-based discarding operations, the UE can run a specific timer configured by the BS, and when the timer expires, the UE can suspend (or cancel) the PSI-based discarding operations.

[0171] Due to PSI-based discard operations, the remaining time of the UL in the UE's buffer can be reduced compared to before. For example, in PSI-based discard operations, the remaining time of a PDU set / PDU can be configured based on a new PDCP discardTimer value or a new timer applied to the remaining time of a specific PDU set / PDU.

[0172] For example, when a UE performs a PSI-based drop operation or receives a network congestion indication from a BS, the UE may exclude or disregard a set of PDUs / PDUs in a DSR trigger / report / cancel related operation that has a PSI smaller than a specific PSI threshold configured by the BS (a smaller PSI means that the PSI is equal to or less than the PSI threshold, or equal to or greater than the PSI threshold).

[0173] For example, after a DSR MAC CE to be included in a specific UL authorization is configured, when new UL data that meets the corresponding remaining time reference appears in a specific dsr-lch / dsr-lcg or when UL data that meets the corresponding remaining time reference is discarded due to a PSI-based discard operation, the UE can update the information to be reported via the DSR MAC CE based on the new buffer state before sending the MAC PDU that includes the DSR MAC CE.

[0174] For example, when the UE's MAC entity receives a report from the RLC and PDCP entities corresponding to all dsr-lch / dsr-lcg of the MAC entity indicating that the (delay-critical) UL data / buffer size is 0, the MAC entity can cancel all pending and uncancelled DSRs.

[0175] For example, if the UL data / buffer size for each (delay-critical) LCH / LCG / MAC entity that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference changes (e.g., an increase or decrease in buffer size) compared to the buffer size that most recently reported via DSR MAC CE for each LCH / LCG / MAC entity that satisfies the corresponding remaining time reference, the UE's MAC entity may trigger DSR, and the buffer size is reported from the RLC and PDCP entities corresponding to the MAC entity's dsr-lch / dsr-lcg / cell group.

[0176] Figure 6 The RRC signaling procedure performed by gNB 610 and UE 600 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated in order to configure whether UE 600 supports DSR and DSR-related information.

[0177] refer to Figure 6In operation 620, gNB 610 can transmit / send a UECapabilityEnquiry message, which requests UE 600, in the RRC_CONNECTED state, to report its capabilities. gNB 610 may include a UE capability query for each of the Radio Access Technology (RAT) types in the UECapabilityEnquiry message. The UE capability query for each RAT type may include the requested frequency band information. Furthermore, when gNB 610 requests UE 600 to generate a UECapabilityInformation message via the UECapabilityEnquiry message, gNB 610 may include filtering information indicating conditions and limitations. Here, gNB 610 may instruct UE 600 via the filtering information whether UE 600 must report whether UE 600 supports DSR.

[0178] In operation 630, UE 600 can configure a UECapabilityInformation message corresponding to the UECapabilityEnquiry message and can report a response to the UECapabilityEnquiry message to gNB 610. Here, the UECapabilityInformation message may include a parameter / indicator indicating whether UE 600 supports DSR. For example, the parameter or indicator may be a 1-bit information. According to another embodiment of this disclosure, when the parameter or indicator is included, it may indicate DSR support, and when the parameter or indicator is not included, it may indicate DSR non-support.

[0179] The gNB 610 can determine whether the UE 600 supports DSR based on the received UECapabilityInformation message. When the gNB 610 determines that the UE 600 supports DSR, in operation 640, the gNB 610 can include and send the DSR-related configuration in the RRCReconfiguration message. The UE 600 can apply the DSR-related configuration included in the received RRC reconfiguration message. The DSR-related configuration can include all DSR-related configurations that the BS can configure for the UE as described in this disclosure.

[0180] Figure 7 The structure of a BS according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0181] refer to Figure 7The BS may include a transceiver 710, a controller 720, and a memory 730. According to the communication scheme described above for the BS, the transceiver 710, controller 720, and memory 730 can operate. Furthermore, network entities may also correspond to the structure of the BS. However, the components of the BS are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the BS may include more components than described above, or it may include fewer components than described above. For example, the BS may include a transceiver 710 and a controller 720. Furthermore, the transceiver 710, controller 720, and memory 730 may be implemented as a single chip.

[0182] The transmitter and receiver of the BS can be collectively referred to as transceiver 710, and transceiver 710 can transmit signals to or receive signals from the UE, other BSs, or other network entities. Here, the transmitted or received signals may include control information and data. Transceiver 710 can transmit system information to the UE and can transmit synchronization signals or reference signals. For this purpose, transceiver 710 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the signal to be transmitted, and an RF receiver for low-noise amplification and down-converting the frequency of the received signal. However, this is merely an example of transceiver 710, and therefore the elements of transceiver 710 are not limited to RF transmitters and RF receivers. Transceiver 710 may include wired / wireless transceivers and may include various configurations for transmitting and receiving signals. Furthermore, transceiver 710 can receive signals via a communication channel (e.g., a wireless channel) and output such signals to controller 720, and can transmit signals output from controller 720 via a communication channel. In addition, transceiver 710 can receive communication signals and output them to the processor, and can transmit signals output from the processor to the UE, other BS or other network entities via wired / wireless networks.

[0183] The memory 730 can store programs and data required for the operation of the BS. Furthermore, the memory 730 can store control information or data included in signals received by the BS. The memory 730 can be implemented as a storage medium including read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk, optical disc (CD)-ROM, or digital versatile optical disc (DVD), or any combination thereof. Additionally, the memory 730 can store at least one of information transmitted or received via transceiver 710 or information generated by controller 720.

[0184] In this disclosure, controller 720 may be defined as a circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or at least one processor. The processor may include a communication processor (CP) for performing communication control, and an application processor (AP) for controlling upper layers such as applications. Controller 720 may control all operations of the BS according to embodiments of this disclosure. For example, controller 720 may control the signal flow between blocks to perform operations according to the flowchart described above.

[0185] Figure 8 The structure of a UE according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0186] refer to Figure 8 The UE may include a transceiver 810, a controller 820, and a memory 830. According to the communication scheme described above for the UE, the transceiver 810, controller 820, and memory 830 can operate. However, the components of the UE are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the UE may include more components than described above, or it may include fewer components than described above. For example, the UE may include a transceiver 810 and a controller 820. Furthermore, the transceiver 810, controller 820, and memory 830 may be implemented as a single chip.

[0187] The UE's transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as transceiver 810, and transceiver 810 can transmit signals to or receive signals from the BS, other UEs, or other network entities. Here, signals transmitted to or received from the BS can include control information and data. Transceiver 810 can receive system information from the BS and can receive synchronization signals or reference signals. For this purpose, transceiver 810 can include an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the signal to be transmitted, and an RF receiver for low-noise amplification and down-converting the frequency of the received signal. However, this is merely an example of transceiver 810, and therefore the components of transceiver 810 are not limited to RF transmitters and RF receivers. Transceiver 810 can include wired / wireless transceivers and can include various configurations for transmitting and receiving signals. Furthermore, transceiver 810 can receive signals via a wireless channel and output those signals to controller 820, and can also transmit signals output from controller 820 via a wireless channel. In addition, transceiver 810 can receive communication signals and output them to the processor, and can transmit signals output from the processor to network entities via wired / wireless networks.

[0188] The memory 830 can store programs and data required for the operation of the UE. Furthermore, the memory can store control information or data included in signals received by the UE. The memory 830 can be implemented as a storage medium including ROM, RAM, hard disk, CD-ROM, or DVD, or any combination thereof.

[0189] In this disclosure, controller 820 may be defined as a circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or at least one processor. The processor may include a communication control unit (CP) for performing communication control, and an application control unit (AP) for controlling upper layers such as applications. Controller 820 may control all operations of the business unit (BS) according to embodiments of this disclosure. For example, controller 820 may control the signal flow between blocks to perform operations according to the flowchart described above.

[0190] The method according to the embodiments of this disclosure as described in the claims or specification can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0191] When implemented as software, a computer-readable storage medium may be provided for storing one or more programs (e.g., software modules). The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executed by one or more processors in an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions that instruct the electronic device to perform the methods according to embodiments of this disclosure as claimed in the claims or specification.

[0192] The program (e.g., a software module or software) can be stored in non-volatile memory, including RAM or flash memory, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage devices, CD-ROM, DVD, another optical storage device, or magnetic tape. Alternatively, the program can be stored in a memory that includes some or all of the above storage media. Furthermore, multiple such memories may be included.

[0193] Furthermore, the program can be stored in an attachable storage device accessible via any or a combination of communication networks such as the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WLAN), or storage area network (SAN). Such a storage device can access the device executing embodiments of this disclosure via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network can access the device executing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0194] In the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure, the elements included in this disclosure are represented in a singular or plural form. However, for ease of description, a singular or plural form has been suitably chosen, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. Thus, elements represented in a plural form may also be configured as a single element, and elements represented in a singular form may also be configured as a plural element.

[0195] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in this description; however, it should be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0196] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can efficiently allocate UL resources based on information sent from the UE.

[0197] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to include such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Receive Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages from the base station (BS), wherein the RRC messages configure the remaining time threshold for the Delay Status Report (DSR). Identify the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) associated with DSR based on the remaining time threshold; Based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR, determine the amount of PDCP data to be indicated to at least one Media Access Control (MAC) entity; as well as Based on the PDCP data volume, a DSR MAC control element CE is sent to the BS.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The PDCP SDU associated with DSR is: The PDCP SDU whose remaining time until the discard timer expires is less than the remaining time threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The PDCP SDU associated with DSR is a PDCP SDU belonging to a PDU set, where the remaining time until the discard timer expires for another PDCP SDU in the PDU set is less than the remaining time threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The PDCP data volume is determined based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR for which a PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU) has not yet been constructed.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The PDCP data volume is determined based on the PDCP data PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR that has not yet been submitted to the lower layer.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When PDCP replication is activated: Indicate the amount of PDCP data to the MAC entity associated with the primary radio link control (RLC); Instruct the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity other than the primary RLC entity activated for the PDCP replication to exclude the amount of PDCP data from the PDCP control PDU; as well as Indicate the PDCP data volume to the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity that is deactivated for the PDCP replication.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When PDCP replication is deactivated: When a separate secondary RLC entity is configured and the PDCP data volume is equal to or greater than the total RLC data volume to be initially transmitted in the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity, a specific threshold configured by the BS is indicated to both the MAC entity associated with the primary RLC entity and the MAC entity associated with the separate secondary RLC entity, and the PDCP data volume is indicated as 0 to the MAC entity associated with all RLC entities other than the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity. If no separate auxiliary RLC entity is configured, or if the total amount of PDCP data and the amount of RLC data to be initially transmitted in the main RLC entity and the separate auxiliary RLC entity is less than a specific threshold configured by the BS, the PDCP data amount is indicated to the MAC entity associated with the main RLC entity, and the PDCP data amount is indicated to the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity other than the main RLC entity as 0.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Identify at least one of the RLC SDU segments or RLC SDUs associated with the DSR based on the indication of the PDCP entity; as well as The amount of RLC data to be indicated to the at least one MAC entity is determined based on at least one of the RLC SDU segments or RLC SDUs associated with the DSR. The RLC data volume is determined based on the RLC SDU and RLC SDU segments associated with the DSR that are not yet included in the RLC data PDU, and based on the RLC data PDU to be initially transmitted.

9. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: transceiver; as well as The controller is configured as follows: The transceiver receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the base station (BS), the RRC message configuring a remaining time threshold for the Delay Status Report (DSR). Based on the remaining time threshold, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) associated with DSR is identified. Based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR, determine the amount of PDCP data to be indicated to at least one Media Access Control (MAC) entity, and Based on the PDCP data volume, the DSR MAC control element CE is sent to the BS via the transceiver.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The PDCP SDU associated with DSR is: The PDCP SDU whose remaining time until the discard timer expires is less than the remaining time threshold.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The PDCP SDU associated with DSR is a PDCP SDU belonging to a PDU set, where the remaining time until the discard timer expires for another PDCP SDU in the PDU set is less than the remaining time threshold.

12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The PDCP data volume is determined based on the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR for which a PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU) has not yet been constructed, and based on the PDCP data PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU associated with the DSR that has not yet been submitted to the lower layer.

13. The UE of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to: When PDCP replication is activated: Indicate the amount of PDCP data to the MAC entity associated with the primary radio link control (RLC). Instruct the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity other than the primary RLC entity activated for PDCP replication to exclude the amount of PDCP data from the PDCP control PDU, and Indicate the PDCP data volume to the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity that is deactivated for the PDCP replication.

14. The UE of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to: When PDCP replication is deactivated: When a separate secondary RLC entity is configured and the PDCP data volume is equal to or greater than the total RLC data volume to be initially transmitted in the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity, a specific threshold configured by the BS is indicated to both the MAC entity associated with the primary RLC entity and the MAC entity associated with the separate secondary RLC entity, and the PDCP data volume is indicated as 0 to the MAC entity associated with all RLC entities other than the primary RLC entity and the separate secondary RLC entity. If no separate auxiliary RLC entity is configured, or if the total amount of PDCP data and the amount of RLC data to be initially transmitted in the main RLC entity and the separate auxiliary RLC entity is less than a specific threshold configured by the BS, the PDCP data amount is indicated to the MAC entity associated with the main RLC entity, and the PDCP data amount is indicated to the MAC entity associated with the RLC entity other than the main RLC entity as 0.

15. The UE of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to: Identify at least one of the RLC SDU segments or RLC SDUs associated with the DSR based on the indication of the PDCP entity; and The amount of RLC data to be indicated to the at least one MAC entity is determined based on at least one of the RLC SDU segments or RLC SDUs associated with the DSR. in, The RLC data volume is determined based on the RLC SDU and RLC SDU segments associated with the DSR that are not yet included in the RLC data PDU, and based on the RLC data PDU to be initially transmitted.

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