Apparatus and method of communication

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to devices and methods of communication. In one aspect, a base station receives first information related to FEC for a QoS flow from a first device via CP signaling. The base station receives data in the QoS flow from the second device; and determining second information related to the FEC from the header of the data in the QoS flow. Based on the first information and the second information, the base station performs a packet drop operation with respect to the QoS flow. In this manner, a packet drop operation may be performed based on FEC-related information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to devices and methods for communication for packet management. Background Technology

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

[0003] Currently, forward error correction (FEC) has been proposed for media applications such as extended reality (XR) or cloud gaming (CG). This means that an error rate of X% within a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set can be tolerated. In other words, if more than (1-X%) of packets within a PDU set have been successfully delivered to the UE, the base station can discard the remaining packets within the PDU set. However, the management of the packets to which FEC is applied is still unclear and requires further development. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure relates to methods, apparatus, and systems that support packet management. Communication devices can facilitate packet management based on first information related to FEC for QoS flows via the control plane (CP) and / or second information related to FEC via the user plane (UP).

[0005] In one aspect, some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include: receiving, at a base station and via CP signaling, first information related to FEC for a QoS flow from a first device; receiving data in the QoS flow from a second device; determining second information related to FEC from the header of the data in the QoS flow; and performing a packet dropping operation for the QoS flow based on the first and second information.

[0006] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first information may include a mapping between the value of Protocol Data Unit Set Importance (PSI) and the value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and the second information may include the value of the PSI of the first PDU set in the QoS flow.

[0007] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, performing the packet dropping operation may include: determining a first value from the mapping that corresponds to the value of the PSI of the first PDU set; and performing a packet dropping operation on packets within the first PDU set based on the first value of the ratio.

[0008] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: not performing a packet discarding operation on the first PDU set based on a value that determines there is no ratio corresponding to the PSI value of the first PDU set; or not performing a data discarding operation on the first PDU set based on a value that determines the header includes an indication that the FEC for the first PDU set has not been applied.

[0009] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first information may include a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the protocol data unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and the second information may include an indication of whether the FEC for a set of packets is applied.

[0010] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, performing a packet drop operation may include: performing the packet drop operation on a set of packets based on a value of a determined FEC applied to the set of packets.

[0011] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first information may include an identifier of the QoS flow, and the second information may include: information on the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC for a set of packets is applied.

[0012] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the information about the ratio may include: a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC. In these implementations, performing the packet drop operation may include: performing the packet drop operation on a set of packets based on the value of the ratio, depending on whether an FEC is determined to be applied to that set of packets.

[0013] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the ratio information may include the type of the groups in a set of groups, which indicates whether the groups were added for FEC. In these implementations, performing a group discard operation may include: deriving a value of the ratio from the type of the groups in the set of groups based on determining that FEC is applied for the set of groups; and performing a group discard operation for the set of groups based on the value of the ratio.

[0014] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the second information may also include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied.

[0015] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, information about a group of groups may include at least one of the following: the start and end positions of the group of groups; the start position and length of the group of groups; or a group identifier associated with the group of groups.

[0016] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: receiving instructions from the first apparatus for examining the head.

[0017] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: not performing a packet dropping operation for a set of packets based on the determination that FEC for a set of packets has not been applied.

[0018] In another aspect, some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include: determining first information at a first apparatus related to FEC for QoS flows; and sending the first information to a base station via CP signaling.

[0019] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, determining the first information may include receiving the first information from a third device.

[0020] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first information may include a mapping between the value of the PSI and the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC.

[0021] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first information may include a value for the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in a PDU set associated with the FEC.

[0022] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: sending an identifier of the QoS flow to a second device, and an indication for checking second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS flow.

[0023] In another aspect, some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include: receiving, at a second apparatus and from a first apparatus, an identifier of a QoS stream and an indication for checking second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS stream; marking the second information in the header of the data by checking the second information in the data of the QoS stream; and sending the data of the QoS stream to a base station.

[0024] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the second information may include an indication of whether FEC for a group of groups is applied.

[0025] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the second information may include: information on the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC for a set of packets has been applied.

[0026] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the information about the ratio may include: a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, or the information about the ratio may include the type of a packet in a set of packets, the type indicating whether the packet was added for the FEC.

[0027] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the second information may also include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied.

[0028] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the information of a group of groups may include at least one of the following: the start position and end position of the group of groups; the start position and length of the group of groups; or a group identifier associated with the group of groups. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1A An example of a wireless communication system supporting packet management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 1B Another example of a wireless communication system supporting packet management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0031] Figure 2 An example of a process supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 3 Another example of a process supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 This illustrates yet another example of a process that supports group management according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 5 An example of a device that supports group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown that supports a method for group management according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 7 A flowchart is shown that supports another method for group management according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 8 A flowchart is shown for yet another method of group management supported according to aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art to understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0039] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0040] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment," "example embodiment," "embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s). Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that, whether explicitly described or not, in conjunction with other embodiments, it is within their knowledge to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic. The term "embodiment" may be used interchangeably with "implementation."

[0041] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of implementation, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing” are used herein, the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components is specified, but the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof is not excluded.

[0043] In the context of this disclosure, the term "first device" refers to a device that performs access and mobility management functions, the term "second device" refers to a device that performs user plane functions, and the term "third device" refers to a device that performs policy control functions.

[0044] In the context of this disclosure, the term "FEC ratio" can refer to the ratio of erroneous packets in an FEC-tolerable PDU set, or the ratio of successfully delivered packets in an FEC-required PDU set. The ratio of successfully delivered packets in an FEC-required PDU set can also be referred to as the PDU set content ratio. The term "FEC ratio" may be used interchangeably with "the ratio of tolerable erroneous packets or successfully delivered packets in a PDU set associated with an FEC," "ratio," or any other suitable name.

[0045] In the context of this disclosure, the term "packet" may be used interchangeably with "PDU" or "data packet". The term "QoS flow" may be used interchangeably with "data flow".

[0046] As is well known, XR, including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), as well as CG, are important media applications. At the media layer, a frame or video slice can only be decoded if all or a certain number of packets carrying the frame / video slice are successfully delivered. QoS information for PDU sets and PDU sets has been defined specifically for XR services.

[0047] A PDU set refers to one or more PDUs that carry a single information unit generated at the application layer (e.g., multiple frames or video slices used for XR services). All PDUs in a PDU set are transmitted in the same QoS stream. PDU set QoS information can also be referred to as PDU set information. PDU set information includes the PDU set sequence number, an indication of the last PDU in the PDU set, the PDU sequence numbers within the PDU set, the PDU set size (in bytes), and the PSI.

[0048] Recently, research has been proposed on whether and how to enhance PDU set-related information (e.g., 5G QoS identifier (5QI), alternative QoS, FEC) and PDU set information (including CP and / or UP information provided by application functions (AF) or application servers (AS)) and the corresponding PDU set QoS processing enhancements.

[0049] As mentioned above, if FEC is applied to media applications, it means that X% of errors in the PDU set can be tolerated. That is, if more than (1-X%) of packets in the PDU set have been successfully delivered to the UE, the base station can discard the remaining packets in the PDU set.

[0050] In some scenarios, FEC may not be applied to all PDU sets in a data stream. For example, an application server may apply FEC to a PDU set with a specific PSI to ensure correct transmission and reception. However, it is unclear how the base station knows whether FEC is applied to a particular PDU set.

[0051] In some scenarios, different PSIs (i.e., different PDU sets) may have different FEC ratios. For example, an application server might provide more redundant coded packets to ensure higher reliability for a PDU set. However, it is unclear what FEC ratio is applied to a specific PDU set.

[0052] In some scenarios, FEC may not be applied at the PDU set level, but rather as a group of packets. In this case, the base station may need to know the start and end positions of the group of packets to which FEC has been applied. However, it is unclear how the base station knows the scope of the FEC operation and when to perform a packet drop operation.

[0053] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication solution for packet management. In one aspect, a base station receives first information related to FEC for a QoS flow from a first device via CP signaling. The base station receives data in the QoS flow from a second device, and determines second information related to FEC from the header of the data in the QoS flow. Based on the first and second information, the base station performs a packet drop operation for the QoS flow. In this manner, the packet drop operation can be performed based on FEC-related information.

[0054] In another aspect, the first device determines first information related to FEC for QoS flows and sends the first information to the base station via CP signaling. In this way, FEC-related information can be transmitted via CP, and packet management based on FEC-related information can be facilitated.

[0055] In another aspect, the second device receives from the first device an identifier of the QoS stream and an indication of second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS stream. The second device marks the second information in the header of the data by examining it, and then sends the data of the QoS stream to the base station. In this way, FEC-related information can be transmitted via UP, and packet management based on FEC-related information can be facilitated.

[0056] The aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of wireless communication systems.

[0057] Figure 1A An example of a wireless communication system 100A supporting packet management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100A may include one or more network entities 102 (also referred to as network devices (NEs)), one or more terminal devices or UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communication system 100A may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100A may support radio access technologies beyond 5G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100A can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0058] One or more network entities 102 may be distributed across a geographical area to form a wireless communication system 100A. The network entities 102 described herein may be, include, or may be referred to as network nodes, base stations, network elements, radio access networks (RAN), base transceiver stations, access points, NodeBs, eNodeBs (eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), or other suitable terms. Network entities 102 and UE 104 may communicate via communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, network entities 102 and UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, send signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0059] Network entity 102 can provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which it can support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support wireless communication of signals associated with services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) based on one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, network entity 102 can be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 112 can be associated with different network entities 102. The information and signals described herein can be represented using a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned in the description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0060] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed within a geographical area of ​​the wireless communication system 100A. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, remote unit, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. Alternatively, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, UE 104 may be stationary within the wireless communication system 100A. In some other implementations, UE 104 may be mobile within the wireless communication system 100A.

[0061] One or more UEs 104 can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, UEs 104 can be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as network entities 102, other UEs 104, or network devices (e.g., core network 106, packet data network 108, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or another network device). Alternatively or additionally, UEs 104 can support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104, which can act as relays in the wireless communication system 100.

[0062] UE 104 can also support direct wireless communication with other UE 104s via communication link 114. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, communication link 114 may be referred to as a side link. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0063] Network entity 102 may support communication with core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, network entity 102 may interface with core network 106 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Network entities 102 may communicate with each other via backhaul links 116 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, network entities 102 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between network entities 102). In some other implementations, network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via core network 106). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include sub-components, such as access network entities, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transport entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0064] In some implementations, network entity 102 can be configured as a demultiplexing architecture, which can be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed across two or more network entities 102, such as an Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) network, an Open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a Virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a Cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, network entity 102 may include one or more of the following: a Central Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), a Radio Unit (RU), a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) (e.g., a Near-RT RIC, a Non-RT RIC), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0065] An RU can also be referred to as a radio head, intelligent radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmit-receive point (TRP). One or more components of network entity 102 in a decomposed RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of network entity 102 may be located in different locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 in a decomposed RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0066] The functional division among CU, DU, and RU can be flexible and can support different functions depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof) are performed at the CU, DU, or RU. For example, the functional division of the protocol stack can be adopted between the CU and DU, such that the CU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack, while the DU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host upper-layer protocol layer (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) functions and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU can connect to one or more DUs or RUs, and one or more DUs or RUs can host lower-layer protocol layer functions and signaling, such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., Physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC) layer), and each can be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

[0067] Alternatively, or alternatively, the functional division of the protocol stack can be adopted between DU and RU, such that DU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack, while RU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. DU can support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs). In some implementations, the functional division between CU and DU or between DU and RU can be within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions for the protocol layer can be performed by one of CU, DU, or RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of CU, DU, or RU).

[0068] The CU can be further functionally divided into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. The CU can connect to one or more DUs via mid-range communication links (e.g., F1, F1c, F1-u), while the DUs can connect to one or more RUs via front-end communication links (e.g., open front-end (FH) interfaces). In some implementations, the mid-range or front-end communication links can be implemented based on interfaces (e.g., channels) between layers of a protocol stack, supported by corresponding network entities 102 communicating via such communication links.

[0069] Core network 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core network (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and UP entities that route or interconnect packets to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a UP function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by one or more network entities 102 associated with core network 106.

[0070] Core network 106 can communicate with packet data network 108 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Packet data network 108 may include application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with application server 118. UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, etc.) with core network 106 via network entity 102. Core network 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route traffic (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between UE 104 and application server 118. A PDU session may be one example of a logical connection between UE 104 and core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of core network 106).

[0071] In wireless communication system 100A, network entity 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different resource structures. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). Network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures based on one or more digital technologies.

[0072] The wireless communication system 100A may support one or more digital technologies, and the digital technologies may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix. The first digital technology (e.g., μ =0) can be associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first digital technique (e.g., ...) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) is... μ =0) can utilize one time slot per subframe. Second digital technologies (e.g., μ =1) can be associated with the second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. The third digital technology (e.g., μ =2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth digital technology (e.g., μ =3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth digital technology (e.g., μ =4) can be associated with the fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix.

[0073] The time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also called radio frames). Each frame can have a duration, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include multiple subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration, for example, 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have the same duration.

[0074] Alternatively or concurrently, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more digital technologies supported in the wireless communication system 100A. For example, a first digital technology, a second digital technology, a third digital technology, a fourth digital technology, and a fifth digital technology (i.e., ...) associated with corresponding subcarrier intervals of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz. μ =0、 μ =1、 μ =2、 μ =3、 μ =4) One time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe can be used, respectively. Each time slot can include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots in a subframe can depend on the digital technique. For a normal cyclic prefix, a time slot can include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., for a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot can include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame for both normal and extended cyclic prefixes can depend on the digital technique. It should be understood that for the first digital technique (e.g., quantity) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz), μ The reference of =0 can be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0075] In the wireless communication system 100A, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system 100A can support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can perform wireless communication on one or more operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, as well as other devices or apparatuses, for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, as well as other devices or apparatuses, for short-range, high-data-rate capabilities.

[0076] FR1 can be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least three digital technologies). For example, FR1 can be associated with the following: a first digital technology (e.g., μ =0), which includes a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; second digital technology (e.g., μ =1), which includes a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; third digital technology (e.g., μ =2), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz. FR2 can be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least two digital technologies). For example, FR2 can be associated with a third digital technology (e.g., μ =2), which includes a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; fourth digital technology (e.g., μ =3), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz.

[0077] Figure 1B Another example of a wireless communication system 100B supporting packet management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Specifically, Figure 1B As shown Figure 1A Network entities or network functions (NFs) in the core network 106 shown.

[0078] like Figure 1B As shown, the core network 106 may include at least the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 120, Session Management Function (SMF) 130, Policy Control Function (PCF) 140, Network Exposure Function (NEF) 150, Application Function (AF) 160, and UP Function (UPF) 170.

[0079] In the UP, base station (BS) 102 can communicate with data network (DN) 180 via UPF 170. For example, BS 102 can communicate with UPF 170 via N3 interface, while UPF 170 can communicate with DN 180 via N6 interface.

[0080] In the CP, UE 104 and BS 102 can communicate with AMF 120 via interfaces N1 and N2, respectively. In some embodiments, SMF 130 can communicate with AMF 120 and UPF 170 via interfaces N11 and N4, respectively. In some embodiments, SMF 130 can communicate with PCF 140 via interface N7. In some embodiments, PCF 140 can communicate with AF 160 via NEF 150. For example, PCF 140 can communicate with NEF 150 via interface N5, while NEF 150 can communicate with AF 160 via interface N33. In some alternative embodiments, PCF 140 can communicate directly with AF 160.

[0081] In some scenarios, the application server (not shown) in DN 180 may not apply FEC to all PDU sets in the data stream. In this case, the base station may need to know whether FEC is applied to a specific PDU set. In some scenarios, different PDU sets may have different FEC ratios. In this case, the base station may need to know which FEC ratio is applied to a specific PDU set. In some scenarios, FEC may not be applied at the PDU set level, but rather as a group of packets. In this case, the base station may need to know the start and end of the group of packets to which FEC is applied.

[0082] In view of this, embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions for communication for packet management. These solutions will be combined below. Figures 2 to 4 Described.

[0083] Figure 2 An example of a process 200 supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, process 200 will refer to Figure 1B Described. For example, process 200 may involve, for example, Figure 1B The BS 102, SMF 130, and UPF 170 shown are examples. It should be understood that... Figure 2 The steps and their order described are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In this embodiment, it is assumed that FEC is applied only to a set of PDUs with a specific PSI(s). UPF 170 may be a PDU Session Anchor (PSA) UPF.

[0084] like Figure 2 As shown, SMF 130 can determine 210 first information related to FEC for QoS flows. In this embodiment, the first information includes a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values ​​(i.e., a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values).

[0085] In some embodiments, different PSI values ​​may correspond to different FEC ratio values. For example, PSI value #1 corresponds to FEC ratio value X%, PSI value #2 corresponds to FEC ratio value Y%, PSI value #3 corresponds to FEC ratio value Z%, etc. In some embodiments, different PSI values ​​may correspond to the same FEC ratio value. For example, PSI values ​​#1, #2, #3, ..., #N correspond to FEC ratio value X%.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first information may be provided by AF 160. (See reference) Figure 2AF 160 can send 211 first information to NEF 150. In some embodiments, AF 160 can provide NEF 150 with a flow description of the AF session and a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values. For example, AF 160 can send an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF 150, which includes the UE address, flow description (e.g., flow description information or external application identifier), PSI list, and (multiple) FEC ratios. It should be understood that any other suitable message is also possible.

[0087] In some embodiments, the flow description may be a set of packet filters, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) packet filter set or an Ethernet packet filter set. The packet filter set may include direction, source IP address and destination IP address, protocol, source port and destination port, etc. In some embodiments, the possible values ​​of a PSI in the PSI list may be specific values. In some embodiments, the possible values ​​of a PSI in the PSI list may be a range of possible values. In some embodiments, the possible values ​​of a PSI in the PSI list may be complete bits used to represent a PSI. For example, 4 bits or 8 bits may be used to represent a PSI.

[0088] Continue to refer to Figure 2 After authorization, NEF 150 may send 212 first information to PCF 140. In some embodiments, NEF 150 may authorize a request from AF 160 for an AF session with the desired QoS, and may apply policies to control the total amount of QoS authorized for AF 160. If authorization is not granted, NEF 150 may reply to AF 160 with a result value indicating authorization failure. If authorization is granted, NEF 150 may provide PCF 140 with a flow description and a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values. For example, NEF 150 may send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message to PCF 140, which includes a flow description and a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0089] Alternatively, in the case of a trusted AF, AF 160 can directly provide the PCF 140 with a flow description and a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values, without the involvement of NEF 150.

[0090] Continue to refer to Figure 2PCF 140 can provide SMF 130 with a traffic description and a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values. In some embodiments, PCF 140 can include these parameters in a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule and provide the PCC rule to SMF 130. In this way, SMF 130 can receive the mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values ​​(i.e., the first information).

[0091] In some alternative embodiments, the first information may be pre-configured for SMF 130. In this case, SMF 130 can check the pre-configured information 214. In some embodiments, SMF 130 may be pre-configured with a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values ​​having a specific flow description. In some embodiments, the flow description may be a set of packet filters or an application identifier (i.e., AppID). In some embodiments, PCF 140 may provide the set of packet filters or AppID as the flow description to SMF 130 in a PCC rule. SMF 130 can check the corresponding mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values ​​based on the set of packet filters or AppID provided by PCF 140.

[0092] Continue to refer to Figure 2 The SMF 130 can send a mapping between the 220 PSI value and the FEC ratio value to the BS 102. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can send the mapping between the PSI value and the FEC ratio value to the BS 102, as well as the QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) of the QoS flow and the PDU setting QoS parameters in the QoS profile. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can also send an indication to the BS 102 for inspecting the header of the data in the QoS flow (e.g., inspecting the PDU setting information in the header). This indication is used to request the BS 102 to obtain the PSI value of the data from the header. In some embodiments, the header can be a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header. It should be understood that the header can be in any other suitable form, and this disclosure is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can send these parameters to the BS 102 via the AMF 120 in an N2SM message. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0093] refer to Figure 2 BS 102 can receive 230 data (i.e., downlink data) from the QoS stream from UPF 170. BS 102 can determine 240 second information related to FEC based on the header of the received data. In this embodiment, the second information includes the PSI value of the PDU set (also referred to herein as the first PDU set) in the QoS stream for convenience.

[0094] In some embodiments, BS 102 may check the PSI value of the first PDU set in the header based on an indication used to inspect the header sent from SMF 130. In some embodiments, BS 102 may check the PSI value of the first PDU set in the header based on predefined rules.

[0095] Continue to refer to Figure 2 BS 102 can perform a 250 packet drop operation on a QoS flow based on the mapping between the received PSI value and the FEC ratio value (i.e., first information) and the checked PSI value (i.e., second information). In some embodiments, BS 102 can compare the checked PSI value with the received mapping to determine the FEC ratio value (also referred to herein as the first value for convenience), and perform a packet drop operation on packets within a first PDU set based on the determined FEC ratio value. For example, BS 102 can find that the PSI value of the currently received PDU set is value #1 from the header. Then, BS 102 can check the mapping to obtain the FEC ratio for that PDU set, for example, X% (the proportion of tolerable error packets in the PDU set). If BS 102 confirms that (1-X%) of the PDUs in the PDU set have been successfully delivered to the UE, then BS 102 can drop the remaining X% of the PDUs in the PDU set. If the FEC ratio is the percentage of packets successfully delivered in a PDU set, for example, Y%, then if Y% of packets in a set have been successfully delivered to the UE, then BS 102 can discard the remaining (1-Y%) packets.

[0096] Since the FEC ratio value is linked to the PSI value, FEC is applied to each PDU set. In some embodiments, BS102 can find the start and end positions of the PDU packets to which FEC is applied by using PDU set information such as the PDU sequence number within the PDU set, the indication of the last PDU in the PDU set, and the size of the PDU set (in bytes)

[0097] If the PDU set associated with the PSI value is provided with an FEC ratio value, it is assumed that the FEC operation has been performed. In some embodiments, if there is no ratio value in the mapping corresponding to the PSI value of the first PDU set, BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation for the first PDU set.

[0098] In some embodiments, if the header includes an indication that FEC for the first PDU set has not been applied, BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation for the first PDU set. For example, if an FEC ratio corresponding to a certain PSI value is provided, but FEC operation is not applied to that PSI value, SMF 130 may send a command to UPF 170 to check the indication, and UPF 170 may mark the indication in the header of the data in the QoS flow.

[0099] In some embodiments, when PCF 140 provides a PCC rule with a mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values, the PCC rule can be bound to a QoS flow, and no other PCC rule is bound to that QoS flow.

[0100] Through process 200, the group management solution can be implemented based on the mapping between PSI values ​​and FEC ratio values, and FEC enhancement can be promoted.

[0101] Figure 3 Another example of a process 300 supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, process 300 will refer to Figure 1B Described. For example, process 300 may involve, for example, Figure 1B The BS 102, SMF 130, and UPF 170 shown are examples. It should be understood that... Figure 3 The steps and their order described are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the FEC ratio value is the same for different PDU sets of the same data stream. UPF 170 may be a PSA UPF.

[0102] like Figure 3 As shown, SMF 130 can determine first information related to FEC for QoS flows. In this embodiment, the first information includes the FEC ratio value.

[0103] In some embodiments, this first information may be provided by AF 160. (See reference) Figure 3 AF 160 can send 311 first information to NEF 150. In some embodiments, AF 160 can provide NEF 150 with a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication (or command) for checking FEC-related second information in the data of the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the flow description can be a set of packet filters, such as an IP packet filter set or an Ethernet packet filter set. The packet filter set may include direction, source IP address and destination IP address, protocol, source port and destination port, etc.

[0104] For example, AF 160 can send an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF 150, which includes a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of secondary information in the data used to check the QoS flow. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be acceptable.

[0105] In some embodiments, the second information may include an indication of whether FEC for a set of groups has been applied. In other words, the second information may include an FEC status indicator, i.e., whether FEC has been applied. For example, if FEC has been applied, the FEC status indicator may be set to a predetermined value (e.g., 1). If FEC has not been applied, the FEC status indicator may be set to another predetermined value (e.g., 0).

[0106] In some embodiments, the second information may further include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include the start and end positions of the set of groups. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include the start position and length of the set of groups. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include a group identifier (ID) associated with the set of groups. In this way, the scope of the groups to which the FEC is applied can be identified.

[0107] Continue to refer to Figure 3 After authorization, NEF 150 may send 312 first information to PCF 140. In some embodiments, NEF 150 may authorize a request from AF 160 for an AF session with the desired QoS, and may apply policies to control the total amount of QoS authorized for AF 160. If authorization is not granted, NEF 150 may reply to AF 160 with a result value indicating authorization failure. If authorization is granted, NEF 150 may provide PCF 140 with a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of second information in the data for checking the QoS flow. For example, NEF 150 may send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message to PCF 140, which includes a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of second information in the data for checking the QoS flow. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0108] Alternatively, in the case of a trusted AF, AF 160 can directly provide PCF 140 with a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of secondary information in the data for inspecting QoS flows, without the involvement of NEF 150.

[0109] Continue to refer to Figure 3 PCF 140 can provide SMF 130 with a flow description of the 313 AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of second information in the data used to inspect the QoS flow. In some embodiments, PCF 140 can include these parameters in a PCC rule and provide the PCC rule to SMF 130. In this way, SMF 130 can receive the FEC ratio value and an indication of second information in the data used to inspect the QoS flow.

[0110] In some alternative embodiments, SMF 130 may be pre-configured with an FEC ratio value and an indication of second information in the data for checking the QoS flow. In this case, SMF 130 can check the information pre-configured in 314. In some embodiments, the flow description may be a packet filter set or an application identifier (i.e., AppID). In some embodiments, PCF 140 may provide SMF 130 with a packet filter set or AppID as the flow description in the PCC rule. SMF 130 can check the corresponding FEC ratio value and, based on the packet filter set or AppID provided by PCF 140, check the indication of the second information.

[0111] Continue to refer to Figure 3 The SMF 130 can send the QoS flow's QFI and an indication of second information for inspecting the data in the QoS flow to the UPF 170. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can instruct the UPF 170 to perform PDU set information marking and can provide the UPF 170 with a protocol description indicating the headers used by the QoS flow, extended headers (e.g., Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) / Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)), and payload type (e.g., H.264). In some embodiments, the protocol description can be received based on information provided by the AF 160 or in PCC rules from the PCF's local policy.

[0112] refer to Figure 3When receiving an indication from SMF 130, UPF 170 can mark the second information 330 in the header of the received data by inspecting the second information of the received data in the QoS stream. In some embodiments, UPF 170 can perform PDU set identification and marking. UPF 170 can identify the PDU set information using the protocol description and the received RTP / SRTP header, or using implementation-specific components. For example, UPF 170 can obtain the PDU set information for each PDU (e.g., PDU set sequence number, indication of the end PDU of the PDU set, PDU sequence number in the PDU set, PDU set size (in bytes) or PSI), and mark the header with the PDU set information. That is, UPF 170 can know in advance the PDU set size (in bytes) used for the PDU set.

[0113] In some embodiments, UPF 170 can examine FEC-related information in the data transmitted from DN 180. If the FEC-related information indicates that an FEC operation has been applied to a PDU set, UPF 170 can set the FEC status indicator to a predetermined value (e.g., 1) in the PDU set information in the PDU set header. If the FEC-related information indicates that an FEC operation has not been applied to a PDU set, UPF 170 can set the FEC status indicator to another predetermined value (e.g., 0). In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates information about a set of packets to which FEC has been applied, UPF 170 can mark an FEC range indicator in the header of the data in the QoS flow.

[0114] In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates the start and end of a group of packets, the UPF 170 may mark the start and end of the packet in the header with bit indicators, respectively. In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates the start position and length of a group of packets, the UPF 170 may mark the start position and length of the group of packets in the header. In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates a group ID for each packet (meaning the application server can provide a group ID and the corresponding FEC ratio value), the UPF 170 may mark each packet with the corresponding group ID in the header. That is, FEC is applied to packets marked with group IDs. For example, FEC ratio X% is applied to PDUs marked with group #1, and FEC ratio Y% is applied to PDUs marked with group #2.

[0115] In some embodiments, if an FEC range indicator is provided, the FEC status indicator is optional.

[0116] Continue to refer to Figure 3SMF 130 can send a 340 FEC ratio value (i.e., first information) to BS 102. In some embodiments, SMF 130 can send the FEC ratio value, along with QFI and PDU set QoS parameters from the QoS profile, to BS 102. In some embodiments, SMF 130 can also send an indication to BS 102 for checking the header of data in the QoS flow (e.g., PDU set information in the header). This indication is used to request BS 102 to obtain second information from the header. In some embodiments, the header can be a GTP-U header or any other suitable header. In some embodiments, SMF 130 can send these parameters to BS 102 via AMF 120 in an N2 SM message. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0117] refer to Figure 3 BS 102 can receive data from the 350 QoS stream from UPF 170. BS 102 can determine 360 ​​second information from the header of the received data. In this embodiment, the second information may include at least one of the following: an indication indicating whether FEC is applied to a set of packets; or information about a set of packets to which FEC is applied.

[0118] In some embodiments, BS 102 may inspect the second information in the header of the received data based on an indication for inspecting the header sent from SMF 130. In some embodiments, BS 102 may inspect the second information in the header of the received data based on predefined rules.

[0119] Continue to refer to Figure 3 BS 102 can perform a 370 packet drop operation on a QoS flow based on the received FEC ratio value (i.e., first information) and the checked FEC status and / or FEC range indicator (i.e., second information). In some embodiments, if BS 102 determines that FEC is applied for a set of packets, BS 102 can perform a packet drop operation on a set of packets based on the received FEC ratio value. In some embodiments, if BS 102 determines that FEC is not applied for a set of packets, BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation on a set of packets.

[0120] Different FEC ratio values ​​can be applied to different sets of packets. In some embodiments, FEC can be applied to each PDU set. A PDU set may include one or more PDU sets. In some embodiments, BS 102 can be aware that FEC operation has been applied if the FEC status indicator of a currently received set of packets indicates that FEC has been applied to that set of packets (e.g., the FEC status indicator is set to 1). BS 102 can identify a set of packets by using the FEC range indicator in the PDU set information of the packets. Then, if the received FEC ratio value is the proportion of tolerable error packets in the PDU set, for example, X%, then if (1-X%) of packets in a set have been successfully delivered to the UE, BS 102 can discard the remaining X% of packets. If the received FEC ratio value is the proportion of successfully delivered packets in the PDU set, for example, Y%, then if Y% of packets in a set have been successfully delivered to the UE, BS 102 can discard the remaining (1-Y%) of packets.

[0121] In some embodiments, if the FEC status indicator of the currently received set of packets indicates that FEC for the set of packets has not been applied (e.g., the FEC status indicator is set to 0), then BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation for the set of packets.

[0122] In some embodiments, when the PCF 140 supplies a PCC rule with an FEC ratio value, the PCC rule can be bound to a QoS flow, and no other PCC rule is bound to that QoS flow.

[0123] Through process 300, group management solutions can be implemented based on FEC tags, and FEC enhancements can be facilitated.

[0124] Figure 4 Another example of a process 400 supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, process 400 will refer to Figure 1B Described. For example, process 400 may involve, for example, Figure 1B The BS 102, SMF 130, and UPF 170 shown are examples. It should be understood that... Figure 4 The steps and their order described are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In this embodiment, it is assumed that FEC may not be applied to all PDU sets of the data stream. UPF 170 may be a PSA UPF.

[0125] like Figure 4 As shown, SMF 130 can determine first information related to FEC for QoS flows. In this embodiment, the first information includes QFI.

[0126] refer to Figure 4 The AF 160 can provide the NEF 150 with a flow description of the 411 AF session, as well as indications (or commands) for inspecting the data related to FEC in the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the flow description can be a set of packet filters, such as an IP packet filter set or an Ethernet packet filter set. The packet filter set may include direction, source IP address and destination IP address, protocol, source port and destination port, etc.

[0127] For example, AF 160 can send an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF 150, which includes a flow description of the AF session, an FEC ratio value, and an indication of secondary information in the data used to check the QoS flow. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be acceptable.

[0128] In some embodiments, the second information may include: information about the FEC ratio, and an indication of whether FEC is applied to a set of groups. In some embodiments, the FEC ratio information may include the value of the FEC ratio. In some embodiments, the FEC ratio information may include the type of group in a set of groups. This type indicates whether the group is added for FEC purposes.

[0129] In some embodiments, the second information may further include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include the start and end positions of the set of groups. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include the start position and length of the set of groups. In some embodiments, the information about a set of groups may include a group ID associated with that set of groups. In this way, the range of groups to which the FEC is applied can be identified.

[0130] Continue to refer to Figure 4After authorization, NEF 150 can send a flow description of the AF session (412 AF sessions) and an indication for checking second information to PCF 140. In some embodiments, NEF 150 can authorize a request from AF 160 for an AF session with the desired QoS, and can apply policies to control the total amount of QoS authorized for AF 160. If authorization is not granted, NEF 150 can reply to AF 160 with a result value indicating authorization failure. If authorization is granted, NEF 150 can provide PCF 140 with a flow description of the AF session and an indication for checking second information. For example, NEF 150 can send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request message to PCF 140, which includes a flow description of the AF session and an indication for checking second information. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0131] Alternatively, in the case of a trusted AF, AF 160 can directly provide PCF 140 with a flow description of the AF session and an indication of secondary information in the data for checking the QoS flow, without the involvement of NEF 150.

[0132] Continue to refer to Figure 4 PCF 140 can provide SMF 130 with a flow description of the AF session and an indication of second information in the data used to check the QoS flow. In some embodiments, PCF 140 can include these parameters in a PCC rule and provide the PCC rule to SMF 130. In this way, SMF 130 can receive the flow description of the AF session and the indication of second information in the data used to check the QoS flow. SMF 130 can then determine the QFI.

[0133] In some alternative embodiments, SMF 130 may be pre-configured with a flow description for an AF session and an indication to check second information in the data of the QoS flow. In this case, SMF 130 can check the pre-configured information 414. In some embodiments, the flow description may be a set of packet filters or an application identifier (i.e., AppID). In some embodiments, PCF 140 may provide the SMF 130 with a set of packet filters or an AppID as a flow description in a PCC rule. SMF 130 can check the corresponding AF session flow description and the indication to check the second information based on the set of packet filters or the AppID provided by PCF 140.

[0134] Continue to refer to Figure 4The SMF 130 can send the QFI of a 420 QoS flow to the UPF 170, along with an indication of second information for inspecting the data in the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can instruct the UPF 170 to perform PDU set information marking and can provide the UPF 170 with a protocol description indicating the headers used by the QoS flow, extended headers (e.g., RTP / SRTP), and payload type (e.g., H.264). In some embodiments, the protocol description can be received in PCC rules based on information provided by the AF160 or by PCF local policies.

[0135] refer to Figure 4 When receiving an indication from SMF 130, UPF 170 can mark the second information in the header of the received data by inspecting the second information of the received data in the QoS stream. In some embodiments, UPF 170 can perform PDU set identification and marking. UPF 170 can use the protocol description and the received RTP / SRTP header, or use implementation-specific components to identify the PDU set information. For example, UPF 170 can obtain the PDU set information for each PDU (e.g., PDU set sequence number, indication of the end PDU of the PDU set, PDU sequence numbers within the PDU set, PDU set size (in bytes) or PSI), and mark the header with the PDU set information. That is, UPF 170 can know the size of the PDU set (in bytes) in advance.

[0136] In some embodiments, UPF 170 can examine FEC-related information in the data transmitted from DN 180. If the FEC-related information indicates that an FEC operation was applied to the PDU set, UPF 170 can set the FEC status indicator to a predetermined value (e.g., 1) in the PDU set information in the PDU set header. If the FEC-related information indicates that an FEC operation was not applied to the PDU set, UPF 170 can set the FEC status indicator to another predetermined value (e.g., 0).

[0137] In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates an FEC ratio value, the UPF 170 may mark that FEC ratio value in the data header. In some embodiments, the FEC-related information does not include an FEC ratio value and includes the type of a group within a set of groups. This type indicates whether the group was added for FEC. In this case, the UPF 170 may mark an indicator of the group type in the data header. For example, if the group was added for FEC, the UPF 170 may set the group indicator for that group to a predetermined value (e.g., 1). If the group was not added for FEC, the UPF 170 may set the group indicator for that group to another predetermined value (e.g., 0).

[0138] In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates information about a group of packets to which FEC is applied, the UPF 170 may mark an FEC range indicator in the header of the QoS flow data. In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates the start and end packets of a group of packets, the UPF 170 may mark bit indicators for the start and end packets respectively in the header. In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates the start position and length of a group of packets, the UPF 170 may mark the start position and length of the group of packets in the header. In some embodiments, if the FEC-related information indicates a group ID for each packet (meaning the application server can provide a group ID and the corresponding FEC ratio value), the UPF 170 may mark each packet with the corresponding group ID in the header. That is, FEC is applied to the packets marked with that group ID. For example, FEC ratio X% is applied to PDUs marked Group#1, and FEC ratio Y% is applied to PDUs marked Group#2.

[0139] In some embodiments, if an FEC range indicator is provided, the FEC status indicator is optional. In other words, if a group is tagged with a group ID, it indicates that FEC is applied to a group of groups associated with that group ID.

[0140] Continue to refer to Figure 4The SMF 130 can send the QFI and PDU set QoS parameters from the QoS profile to the BS 102. In some embodiments, the SMF 130 can also send an indication to the BS 102 for inspecting the header of data in the QoS flow (e.g., PDU set information in the header). This indication is used to request the BS 102 to obtain second information from the header. In some embodiments, the header can be a GTP-U header or any other suitable header. In one embodiment, the SMF 130 can send these parameters to the BS 102 via the AMF 120 in an N2 SM message. It should be understood that any other suitable message may also be feasible.

[0141] refer to Figure 4 BS 102 can receive data from the 450 QoS stream from UPF 170. BS 102 can determine 460 second information from the header of the received data. In this embodiment, the second information may include at least one of the following: information on the FEC ratio, an indication of whether FEC is applied to a group of packets, or information on a group of packets to which FEC is applied.

[0142] In some embodiments, BS 102 may inspect the second information in the header of the received data based on an indication for inspecting the header sent from SMF 130. In some embodiments, BS 102 may inspect the second information in the header of the received data based on predefined rules.

[0143] Continue to refer to Figure 4 BS 102 can perform a 470 packet drop operation on a QoS flow based on the received first information and the checked second information. In some embodiments, if BS 102 determines that FEC is applied for a set of packets, then BS 102 can know that a set of packets is applied together with an FEC operation using the FEC ratio indicated in the header.

[0144] In some embodiments, if the FEC ratio value is included in the header, BS 102 can perform a packet drop operation on a set of packets based on the received FEC ratio value. In some embodiments, if the FEC ratio value is not included in the header, BS 102 can derive the FEC ratio value based on the type of packets in the set of packets. For example, BS 102 can determine the number of additional packets in the set of packets based on the packet type of each packet, and derive the FEC ratio value based on the ratio of the number of additional packets to the total number of packets in the set of packets. Based on the derived FEC ratio value, BS 102 can perform a packet drop operation on the set of packets.

[0145] In one embodiment, if BS 102 determines that FEC for a set of packets is not applied, BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation for the set of packets.

[0146] Even if FEC is applied to a PDU set, the FEC ratio can be different for different PDU sets. In some embodiments, if the FEC status indicator of a currently received set of packets indicates that FEC has been applied to that set of packets (e.g., the FEC status indicator is set to 1), the BS 102 can be aware that FEC operation has been applied. The BS 102 can identify a set of packets by using the FEC range indicator in the PDU set information of the packets. Then, if the checked or derived FEC ratio value is the ratio of tolerable error packets in the PDU set, for example, X%, then if (1-X%) of the packets in the set have been successfully delivered to the UE, the BS 102 can discard the remaining X% of the packets. If the checked or derived FEC ratio value is the ratio of successfully delivered packets in the PDU set, for example, Y%, then if Y% of the packets in the set have been successfully delivered to the UE, the BS 102 can discard the remaining (1-Y%) of the packets.

[0147] In some embodiments, if the FEC status indicator of the currently received set of packets indicates that FEC for the set of packets has not been applied (e.g., the FEC status indicator is set to 0), then BS 102 may not perform a packet drop operation for the set of packets.

[0148] Through process 400, group management solutions can be implemented based on FEC and FEC ratio marking, and FEC enhancement can be facilitated.

[0149] Figure 5 An example of a device 500 supporting packet management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 500 may be an example of a BS as described herein or an apparatus performing network functions (e.g., SMF or UPF). Device 500 may support wireless communication with one or more BS 102, UE 104, or any combination thereof. Device 500 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, and (optionally) I / O controller 508. These components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., bus).

[0150] Processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. For example, processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may support methods for performing one or more operations described herein.

[0151] In some implementations, processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuitry system). This hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, configured to or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described herein. In some implementations, processor 502 and memory 504 coupled to processor 502 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 504 are executed by processor 502).

[0152] For example, processor 502 may support wireless communication at device 500 according to examples disclosed herein. In some embodiments where device 500 is used to implement a BS (e.g., BS 102), processor 502 may be configured to support components for: receiving first information related to FEC for a QoS flow from a first means via CP signaling; determining second information related to FEC from the header of data in the QoS flow; and performing packet dropping operations for the QoS flow based on the first and second information.

[0153] In some embodiments where device 500 is used to implement the first apparatus (e.g., SMF 130), processor 502 may be configured to operate to support components for: determining FEC information related to QoS flows; and sending the first information to a base station via CP signaling.

[0154] In some examples where device 500 is used to implement a second device (e.g., UPF 170), processor 502 may be configured to operate to support components for: receiving an identifier of a QoS stream from a first device, and an indication for checking second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS stream; marking the second information in the header of the data by checking the second information in the data of the QoS stream; and sending the data of the QoS stream to a base station.

[0155] Processor 502 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, processor 502 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 502. Processor 502 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 504) to cause device 500 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0156] Memory 504 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause device 500 to perform the various functions described herein. This code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executed by processor 502, but may cause a computer (e.g., at compile and execution time) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, memory 504 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) or similar system that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0157] I / O controller 508 can manage input and output signals for device 500. I / O controller 508 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 500. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can be implemented as part of a processor (such as processor 506). In some implementations, a user can interact with device 500 via I / O controller 508 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 508.

[0158] In some implementations, device 500 may include a single antenna 510. However, in other implementations, device 500 may have more than one antenna 510 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays that may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Transceiver 506 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 510, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, transceiver 506 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 506 may also include a modem for modulating packets to provide modulated packets to one or more antennas 510 for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 510. Transceiver 506 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or combinations thereof.

[0159] The transmit chain can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmit chain may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes such as phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmit chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. The transmit chain may also include one or more antennas 510 for transmitting the amplified signal over the air or wireless medium.

[0160] The receiver chain can be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain may include one or more antennas 510 for receiving signals over the air or via a wireless medium. The receiver chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and acquire transmitted data by reversing the modulation techniques applied during signal transmission. The receiver chain may include at least one decoder for decoding and processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0161] Figure 6 A flowchart supporting a method 600 for group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 600 may be implemented by a device or component thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 600 may be performed by a BS 102 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the device to perform the function. Alternatively or concurrently, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the function.

[0162] At block 610, method 600 may include: receiving first information related to FEC for QoS flows from a first device (e.g., SMF 130) via CP signaling. The operation of 610 may be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 610 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0163] At block 620, method 600 may include receiving data from the QoS stream from a second device. The operation of 610 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 610 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0164] At box 630, method 600 may include: determining second information related to FEC from the header of data in the QoS stream. The operation of 630 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 630 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0165] At box 640, method 600 may include: performing a packet dropping operation for the QoS flow based on first information and second information. The operation at 640 may be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation at 640 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first information may include a mapping between the value of Protocol Data Unit Set Importance (PSI) and the value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and the second information may include the value of the PSI of the first PDU set in the QoS flow.

[0167] In some embodiments, performing a packet drop operation may include: determining a first value from the mapping that corresponds to the value of the PSI of the first PDU set; and performing the packet drop operation on packets within the first PDU set based on the first value of the ratio.

[0168] In some embodiments, method 600 may further include: not performing a packet discarding operation on the first PDU set based on determining that there is no value corresponding to the PSI value of the first PDU set; or not performing a data discarding operation on the first PDU set based on determining that the header includes an indication that FEC for the first PDU set has not been applied.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first information may include: a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the protocol data unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and the second information may include: an indication of whether the FEC is applied for a set of packets.

[0170] In some embodiments, performing a packet drop operation may include: performing a packet drop operation on a set of packets based on a value of a ratio determined to be applied for a set of packets.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first information may include an identifier of the QoS flow, and the second information may include: information on the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC for a set of packets is applied.

[0172] In some embodiments, the information about the ratio may include: the value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC. In these embodiments, performing a packet drop operation may include: performing a packet drop operation on a set of packets based on the value of the ratio, depending on whether an FEC has been applied to that set of packets.

[0173] In some embodiments, the information about the ratio may include the type of a group within a set of groups, which indicates whether the group was added for FEC. In these embodiments, performing a group drop operation may include: deriving the value of the ratio from the type of the group within the set of groups based on the determination that FEC was applied for the set of groups; and performing a group drop operation for the set of groups based on the value of the ratio.

[0174] In some embodiments, the second information may further include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied.

[0175] In some embodiments, the information of a group of groups may include at least one of the following: the start and end positions of the group of groups; the start position and length of the group of groups; or a group identifier associated with the group of groups.

[0176] In some embodiments, method 600 may further include: receiving an instruction from the first device for examining the head.

[0177] In some embodiments, method 600 may further include: not performing a packet dropping operation for a set of packets based on the determination that FEC for a set of packets has not been applied.

[0178] Figure 7A flowchart of another method 800 supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 700 can be implemented by a device or component thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 700 can be performed by an SMF 130 as described herein. In some implementations, the device can execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the device to perform the function. Alternatively or additionally, the device can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the function.

[0179] At box 710, method 700 may include: determining first information related to FEC for QoS flow. The operation of 710 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 710 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0180] In some embodiments, determining the first information may include receiving the first information from a third device (e.g., PCF 140). In some embodiments, the first information may be pre-configured.

[0181] At box 720, method 700 may include: sending first information to the base station via CP signaling. The operation of 720 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 720 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0182] In some embodiments, the first information may include a mapping between the PSI value and the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first information may include: a value representing the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC.

[0184] In some embodiments, method 700 may further include: sending an identifier of the QoS flow to a second device (e.g., UPF 170) and an indication for checking second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS flow.

[0185] Figure 8 A flowchart is shown of yet another method 800 supporting group management according to aspects of this disclosure. Operation of method 800 may be implemented by a device or component thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 800 may be performed by a UPF 170 as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute an instruction set to control functional elements of the device to perform the function. Alternatively or concurrently, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the function.

[0186] At block 810, method 800 may include: receiving an identifier of a QoS stream from a first device, and an indication for checking second information related to FEC in the data of the QoS stream. Operation of 810 may be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 810 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0187] In block 820, method 800 may include: marking the second information in the header of the data by examining the second information in the data of the QoS stream. The operation of 820 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 820 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0188] In block 830, method 800 may include: sending data in a QoS stream to a base station. The operation of 830 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 830 may be performed by a device, as referenced... Figure 1A and 1B As stated above.

[0189] In some embodiments, the second information may include an indication of whether FEC for a group of groups is applied.

[0190] In some embodiments, the second information may include: information on the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC for a set of packets has been applied.

[0191] In some embodiments, the information about the ratio may include a value for the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the PDU set associated with the FEC, or the information about the ratio may include the type of a packet in a set of packets, the type of which indicates whether the packet was added for the FEC.

[0192] In some embodiments, the second information may further include information about a set of groups to which the FEC is applied.

[0193] In some embodiments, the information of a group of groups may include at least one of the following: the start and end positions of the group of groups; the start position and length of the group of groups; or a group identifier associated with the group of groups.

[0194] It should be understood that the operations in methods 600 to 800 correspond to the combination Figures 2 to 4 The operation described is so brief that other details will not be repeated here.

[0195] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are also possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0196] The various illustrative blocks and components disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0197] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0198] Computer-readable media include both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, optical disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

[0199] As used herein, including in the claims, the article “a” preceding an element is unrestricted and should be understood to refer to “at least one” or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, the use of “or” in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as “at least one of…” or “one or more of…” or “one or two of…”) indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as “based on condition A” without departing from the scope of this disclosure could be based on both condition A and condition B. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on.” Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, “set” can include one or more elements.

[0200] The description provided herein is intended to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: processor; as well as A transceiver, the transceiver being coupled to the processor, The processor is configured as follows: The transceiver receives first information related to forward error correction (FEC) for Quality of Service (QoS) flows from the first device via control plane (CP) signaling. Data in the QoS stream is received from the second device via the transceiver; Determine second information related to FEC from the header of the data in the QoS stream; as well as Based on the first information and the second information, a packet dropping operation is performed on the QoS flow.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the first information includes a mapping between the value of Protocol Data Unit Set Importance (PSI) and the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and The second information includes the PSI value of the first PDU set in the QoS flow.

3. The base station of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to perform the packet dropping operation by: Determine a first value from the mapping the ratio corresponding to the value of the PSI of the first PDU set; and Based on the first value of the ratio, the packet discarding operation is performed on packets within the first PDU set.

4. The base station according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination that there is no value corresponding to the ratio of the PSI value of the first PDU set, no packet discarding operation is performed for the first PDU set; or Based on the determination that the header includes an indication that the FEC for the first PDU set has not been applied, no data discarding operation is performed for the first PDU set.

5. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes: The value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and The second information includes an indication of whether the FEC for a group of groups is applied.

6. The base station of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to perform the packet dropping operation by: Based on the FEC determined to be applied to the set of groups, the group discard operation is performed on the set of groups based on the value of the ratio.

7. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes the identifier of the QoS flow, and The second information includes: Information on the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC is applied for a set of packets.

8. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the information of the ratio includes: The value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets associated with the PDU set of the FEC, and wherein the processor is configured to perform the packet dropping operation by: Based on the FEC determined to be applied to the set of groups, the group discard operation is performed on the set of groups based on the value of the ratio.

9. The base station according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the second information further includes information about the set of packets to which the FEC is applied.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the information in the group of packets includes at least one of the following: The start and end positions of the group; The starting position and length of the group; or Group identifier associated with the group.

11. The base station according to claim 6 or 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: If it is determined that the FEC used for the group of packets is not applied, no packet discarding operation is performed for the group of packets.

12. A first device, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the first device: Determine the first information relevant to forward error correction (FEC) for QoS flows; as well as The first information is sent to the base station via control plane (CP) signaling.

13. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first information includes a mapping between a value of Protocol Data Unit Set Importance (PSI) and a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC.

14. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first information includes a value of the ratio of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the protocol data unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC.

15. The first device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first device is further configured to: The identifier of the QoS stream and an indication for checking the data of the QoS stream related to FEC are sent to the second device.

16. A second device, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the second device: The first device receives an identifier of a Quality of Service (QoS) stream and an indication for checking the data of the QoS stream for information related to Forward Error Correction (FEC). By examining the second information in the data of the QoS stream, the second information is marked in the header of the data; as well as The data in the QoS stream is sent to the base station.

17. The second apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second information includes: An indication of whether the FEC is applied for a group of groups.

18. The second apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second information includes: Information on the proportion of tolerable error packets or successfully delivered packets in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set associated with the FEC, and an indication of whether the FEC is applied for a set of packets.

19. The second apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the second information further comprises: The FEC is applied to the information of the group of groups.

20. The second apparatus of claim 19, wherein the information in the group comprises at least one of the following: The start and end positions of the group; The starting position and length of the group; or Group identifier associated with the group.

Images