Split bearer enhancements for dual connectivity

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for split bearer enhancements during dual connectivity operation, such as in 5G NR systems and higher versions (e.g., NextG, 6G, etc.). A base station may establish a split bearer for a UE operating in dual connectivity and connected to the base station and one or more corresponding base stations, including establishing a ratio of split of data to be delivered to the UE via the base station and the one or more corresponding base stations. The base station may transmit a first portion of the data destined for the UE to the UE based on the split ratio, and transmit a second portion of the data destined for the UE to one or more corresponding base stations. The base station may adjust a ratio of partitioning based on one or more partitioning bearer quality reports received from the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to means, systems and methods for segmented bearer enhancement during dual connectivity operation, for example in cellular systems such as 5G New Radio (NR) systems and higher versions (e.g., 6G and / or NextG)).

[0002] Related technical descriptions The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones, wearable devices or accessories, and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and can operate complex and sophisticated applications that utilize these functions.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is currently the technology of choice for most wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed internet access to their subscriber base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and first standardized in 2008. Since then, with the exponential growth in the use of wireless communication systems, the demand from wireless network operators to support higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users has also increased. Therefore, research into new radio access technologies began in 2015, and in 2017, the first version of 5G New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0004] 5G-NR (also known as NR for short) offers higher capacity for higher density mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication between devices, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. Furthermore, NR allows for more flexible UE scheduling compared to current LTE. Therefore, ongoing development of 5G-NR is underway to leverage the potentially higher throughput at higher frequencies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The implementation scheme relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to apparatus, systems, and methods for segmented bearer enhancement during dual connectivity operation, for example in cellular systems such as ultra-5G NR systems (e.g., systems such as NextG, 6G, etc.).

[0006] For example, in some implementations, a base station may be configured to establish a segmented bearer for a UE operating in dual connectivity mode and connected to at least two cell groups (CGs) supported by a base station (acting as a managed base station) and one or more corresponding base stations. The establishment of the segmented bearer may include a segmentation ratio of data to be delivered to the UE via the managed base station and data to be delivered to the UE via one or more corresponding base stations. Additionally, the base station may be configured to transmit a first portion of the data to the UE via a connection to the UE based on the segmentation ratio, and to transmit a second portion of the data to the UE via a connection to one or more corresponding base stations. Furthermore, the base station may be configured to adjust the segmentation ratio at least in part based on one or more segmented bearer quality reports received from the UE. The segmentation ratio may be based on one or more of packet counts, byte counts, and / or throughput.

[0007] As another example, in some implementations, the UE can be configured to establish a segmented bearer with a managed base station and one or more corresponding base stations. The establishment of the segmented bearer may include a segmentation ratio of data to be delivered to the UE via the managed base station and data to be delivered to the UE via one or more corresponding base stations. Additionally, the UE can be configured to receive a first portion of the data via a connection to the managed base station and a second portion of the data via a connection to one or more corresponding base stations, based on the segmentation ratio. Furthermore, the UE can send one or more segmented bearer quality reports to the managed base station. These segmented bearer quality reports can be sent continuously, periodically, and / or non-periodically (e.g., event-driven) based on predetermined or pre-specified threshold conditions.

[0008] The technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to any of the following computing devices: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial vehicle controllers (UACs), UTM servers, base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and various other computing devices.

[0009] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0010] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1AExample wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0011] Figure 1B Examples of base stations and access points communicating with user equipment (UE) devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0012] Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base stations according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0013] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of servers according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0014] Figure 4 Example block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0015] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0016] Figure 6A Examples of 5G network architectures according to some implementation schemes are illustrated, which combine both 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to 5GCN.

[0017] Figure 6B Examples of 5G network architectures according to some implementation schemes are illustrated, which combine dual 3GPP access to 5GCN (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) and non-3GPP access.

[0018] Figure 7 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0019] Figure 8A , Figure 8B and Figure 8C This illustrates a current specific implementation of segmented bearers in biconnectivity.

[0020] Figure 9 Examples of UEs that provide segmented bearer quality reports according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0021] Figure 10 Examples of signaling for segmented bearers according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0022] Figure 11 An example of segmented bearer PDCP retransmission across cell groups is illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0023] Figure 12 and Figure 13 Examples of methods for providing performance feedback of segmented bearers in bi-connectivity are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0024] While the features described herein may be readily modified and alternatively adapted, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0025] acronym Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most frequently used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below: • 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project • UE: User Equipment • RF: Radio Frequency • DL: Downlink • UL: Uplink • LTE: Long Term Evolution • NR: New Radio • 5GS: 5G system • 5GMM: 5GS Mobility Management • 5GC / 5GCN: 5G core network • IE: Information Elements • CE: Control Element • MAC: Media Access Control • MCG: Main Cell Group • PCG: Primary Cell Group (MCG) • SCG: Secondary Community Group • CSI: Channel State Information • RRC: Radio Resource Control the term The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: memory media—Any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media, which may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0026] carrier medium —Memory media as described above, and physical transmission media, such as buses, networks and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals or digital signals).

[0027] Programmable hardware components —This includes a variety of hardware devices, which comprise multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements can also be referred to as “configurable logic units.”

[0028] Computer system (or computer) —Any of any type of computing or processing system, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0029] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") —Any type of computer system device that is mobile or portable and performs wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone).™ Based on Android ™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0030] base station The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0031] Processing element (or processor) —Refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing the functions in a device (such as user equipment or cellular network equipment). Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), programmable hardware elements such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and any combination thereof.

[0032] Channel —A medium used to transmit information from a transmitter (sender) to a receiver. It should be noted that, because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0033] frequency bandThe term “band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0034] Wi-Fi The term "Wi-Fi" (or WiFi) has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks or RATs, which are provided by and through wireless LAN (WLAN) access points to provide connectivity to the Internet. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0035] 3GPP Access —Refers to access technologies specified by 3GPP standards (e.g., radio access technologies). These access technologies include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. Generally speaking, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0036] Non-3GPP access — This refers to any access not specified by 3GPP standards (e.g., radio access technologies). These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP access can be divided into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted": trusted non-3GPP access can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP access interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities such as Evolved Packet Data Gateways and / or 5G NR Gateways. Generally speaking, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0037] automatic— This refers to the action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform the action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatic" contrasts with an action performed or specified manually by the user (where the user provides input to directly perform the action). An automatic process may be initiated by user-provided input, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzing the fields of the form and filling it out without any user input of answers to specify the fields. As indicated above, users can invoke autofill for forms but do not participate in the actual filling of the forms (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields, but the forms are automatically filled out), although users can choose to undo or modify the autofilled forms for accuracy or to perform certain optimizations. This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0038] About —This refers to a value that is nearly correct or precise. For example, "approximately" could mean a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some implementations, "approximately" could mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold could be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application.

[0039] concurrent —This refers to parallel execution or implementation, in which tasks, processes, or programs are executed in a manner that is at least partially overlapping. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, in which tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism”, in which tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0040] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression that generally means "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently powered on. Generally, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0041] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0042] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Communication system Figure 1A A simplified example wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1A The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0043] As shown in the figure, an exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A that communicates with one or more wireless devices (such as user equipment 106A, 106B, etc. to 106N) and accessory devices (such as user equipment 107A, 107B) via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 and 107 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0044] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106N and UEs 107A and 107B.

[0045] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UEs 106 / 107 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as LTE, LTE-A Advanced, 5G New Radio (5G NR), NextG, 6G, etc. It should be noted that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE context, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". It should also be noted that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR, NextG, and / or 6G context, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0046] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UEs 106 / 107 with various telecommunications capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0047] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B, ..., 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0048] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as the "serving cell" for UE 106 / 107 illustrated in Figure 1, each UE 106 / 107 can also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-102N and / or any other base station), which can be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells can also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Such cells can include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing service area size. For example, base stations 102A-102B illustrated in Figure 1 may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a pico cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0049] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR), NextG, and / or 6G base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR / NextG and / or 6G core (NRC) network. Furthermore, the gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR, 6G, and / or NextG may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0050] It should be noted that UE 106 / 107 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, etc.), UE 106 / 107 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 / 107 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0051] It should be noted that accessory devices 107A / 107B may include cellular communication capabilities and therefore can communicate directly with cellular base station 102A via cellular RAT. However, since accessory devices 107A / 107B may be limited in one or more of the following aspects: communication, output power, and / or battery. Therefore, in some instances, accessory devices 107A / 107B may selectively utilize UE 106A / 106B as a proxy for communication purposes with base station 102A and thus with network 100. In other words, accessory devices 107A / 107B may selectively use the cellular communication capabilities of their companion devices (e.g., UE 106A / 106B) for cellular communication. The limitations on the communication capabilities of accessory devices 107A / 107B may be permanent, for example, due to limitations in output power or supported RAT, or temporary, for example, due to various conditions such as current battery status, inability to access the network, or poor reception.

[0052] Figure 1BExamples of user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) and accessory equipment (or user equipment) 107 (e.g., one of devices 107A or 107B) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112, and communicating with each other, are illustrated according to some embodiments. UE 106 / 107 can be devices with cellular and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as mobile phones, wearable devices, handheld devices, computers or tablets, or virtually any type of wireless device. Accessory equipment 107 can be a wearable device such as a smartwatch. Accessory equipment 107 can include cellular communication capabilities and is capable of communicating directly with base station 102, as shown. When accessory equipment 107 is configured to communicate directly with the base station, it can be said that the accessory equipment is in "autonomous mode". Furthermore, accessory device 107 may also be able to communicate with another device (e.g., UE 106) (referred to as a proxy device, intermediate device, or companion device) using a short-range communication protocol; for example, according to some embodiments, accessory device 107 may be “paired” with UE 106, which may include establishing a communication channel and / or trusted communication relationship with UE 106. In some cases, accessory device 107 may use the cellular functionality of the proxy device to transmit cellular voice and / or data with base station 102. In other words, accessory device 107 may provide voice and / or data packets intended for base station 102 to UE 106 via a short-range link, and UE 106 may use its cellular functionality to send (or relay) the voice and / or data to the base station on behalf of accessory device 107. Similarly, voice and / or data packets sent by the base station and intended for accessory device 107 may be received by the cellular functionality of UE 106 and then relayed to accessory device via a short-range link. As described above, UE 106 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, or any other type of handheld device, media player, computer, laptop, or virtually any type of wireless device. It should be noted that when accessory device 107 is configured to communicate indirectly with base station 102 using the cellular functionality of an intermediary or proxy device, the accessory device can be said to be in "relay mode".

[0053] UE 106 / 107 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 / 107 may execute any method implementation of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 / 107 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion thereof.

[0054] UE 106 / 107 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, LTE / LTE-Advanced, 5G NR, or NextG / 6G using a single shared radio component, and / or LTE, LTE-Advanced, 5G NR, or NextG / 6G using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processors, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 / 107 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among various wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0055] In some implementations, UE 106 / 107 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 / 107 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 / 107 may include shared radio components for communication using any of 5G NR / 6G / NextG, and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0056] Figure 2 Block diagram of a base station Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base station 102 according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 204, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250), or into other circuitry or devices.

[0057] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in the text.

[0058] Network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0059] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) / 6G / NextG base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR / 6G / NextG core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR / NextG / 6G cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR / 6G / NextG may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0060] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio component 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 6G / NextG, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0061] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE or 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to LTE / 5G NR and a 6G / NextG radio component for performing communication according to 6G / NextG. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE / 5G NR base station and a 6G / NextG base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of the multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, 6G / NextG and Wi-Fi, etc.).

[0062] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0063] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 204 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0064] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 230 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio component 230. Therefore, radio component 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230.

[0065] Figure 3 Server block diagram Figure 3 Example block diagrams of server 104 according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 3 The server shown is merely one example of a possible server. As illustrated, server 104 may include processor 344 capable of executing program instructions for server 104. Processor 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 344 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read-only memory (ROM) 354) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0066] Server 104 can be configured to provide access to network functions to multiple devices, such as base station 102, UE device 106 and / or UTM 108, for example, as further described herein.

[0067] In some implementations, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) radio access network and / or a 6G or NextG radio access network. In some implementations, server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or connected to an NR core (NRC) network.

[0068] As further described herein, server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. Processor 344 of server 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of other components 354, 364, and / or 374, processor 344 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0069] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 344 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 344. Therefore, processor 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 344. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 344.

[0070] Figure 4 : UE block diagram Figure 4 Simplified block diagrams of communication devices 106 / 107 according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to the implementation, communication device 106 / 107 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a wearable device, a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), and / or a combination of devices, as well as other devices. As shown, communication device 106 / 107 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 400 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 400 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of communication device 106.

[0071] For example, communication devices 106 / 107 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 420 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), display 460 (which may be integrated with or external to communication devices 106 / 107), and wireless communication circuitry 430. Wireless communication circuitry 430 may include cellular modems 434 such as those for 6G / NextG, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, etc., and short-to-mid-range wireless communication logic components 436 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication devices 106 / 107 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0072] Wireless communication circuitry 430 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435a, 435b, and 435c (e.g., 435a to 435c) as shown. Wireless communication circuitry 430 may include local area network (LAN) logic component 432, cellular modem 434, and / or short-range communication logic component 436. LAN logic component 432 may be used to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform LAN communications, such as Wi-Fi communications over an 802.11 network, and / or other WLAN communications. Short-range communication logic component 436 may be used to enable UE device 106 / 107 to perform communications according to a short-range RAT, such as Bluetooth or UWB communications. In some scenarios, cellular modem 434 may be a low-power cellular modem capable of performing cellular communications according to one or more cellular communication technologies.

[0073] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular modem 434 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE / 5G NR and a second receive chain for 6G / NextG). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular modem 434 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as 5G NR or LTE, and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components (e.g., a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 6G / NextG)).

[0074] The communication devices 106 / 107 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 460 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0075] The communication device 106 / 107 may further include one or more smart cards 445 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 445. It should be noted that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functions, such as one or more UICC cards 445, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 / 107 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that can be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106 / 107, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Therefore, a SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or SIM 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some implementations (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more SIMs within the SIM can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such implementations, a single SIM within the SIM can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in memory and executed by the processor. In some implementations, UE106 / 107 may include, as needed, a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality). For example, UE 106 / 107 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also envisioned.

[0076] As described above, in some implementations, UE 106 / 107 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 / 107 allows UE 106 / 107 to support two different phone numbers and allows UE 106 / 107 to communicate on two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and the second SIM 410 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other specific implementations and RATs are also possible. In some implementations, when UE 106 / 107 includes two SIMs, UE 106 / 107 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality allows UE 106 / 107 to connect to two networks simultaneously (and use two different RATs), or allows maintaining two connections simultaneously on the same or different networks supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs. DSDA functionality may also allow UE 106 / 107 to receive voice calls or data traffic simultaneously on either phone number. In some implementations, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls can be received using LTE-based Voice (VoLTE), NR-based Voice (VoNR), and / or IP-based Voice (VoIP) technologies. In some implementations, UE 106 / 107 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality allows either of the two SIMs in UE 106 / 107 to standby for voice calls and / or data connections. In DSDS, when a call / data connection is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some implementations, DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that performs multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0077] As shown in the figure, the SOC 400 may include a processor 402 and display circuitry 404. The processor executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuitry performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 460. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read-only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410); and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices, such as the display circuitry 404, short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector I / F 420, and / or display 460. The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0078] As noted above, communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. Communication device 106 can be configured to perform methods for segmented bearer enhancement during bi-connectivity operation, as further described herein.

[0079] As described herein, communication devices 106 / 107 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to communicate a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), the processor 402 of communication devices 106 / 107 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460, the processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0080] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 402. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 402.

[0081] Furthermore, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 430 and the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 430, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Similarly, the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429.

[0082] Figure 5 Block diagram of cellular communication circuit Figure 5 Simplified block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the implementation, the cellular communication circuit 530 (which may be the cellular modem circuit 434) may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 / 107 described above. As mentioned above, among other devices, the communication device 106 / 107 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, a wearable device, and / or a combination of devices.

[0083] Cellular communication circuitry 530 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 535a to 535c (which may be...) Figure 4 Antennas 435a to 435c). In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains for various RATs (including and / or (e.g., communicatively ground; directly or indirectly) coupled to dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for 5G / LTE and a second receive chain for 6G / NextG). For example, as Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A or 5G NR), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR / 6G / NextG).

[0084] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and memory 516 communicating with processors 512. Modem 510 may communicate with radio frequency (RF) front end 530. RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 530 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 532 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 535a.

[0085] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 communicating with processor 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 535b.

[0086] In some implementations, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 535c. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0087] In some implementations, the cellular communication circuit 530 may be configured to perform methods for segmented bearer enhancement during bi-connectivity operation, as further described herein.

[0088] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for UL data used in time-division multiplexing NSA NR operation, as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 535a to 535c.

[0089] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0090] As described herein, modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing, for example, the segmented bearer enhancements during dual connectivity operation in 5G NR systems and higher versions (e.g., NextG, 6G, etc.), as well as various other technologies described herein. For example, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 535a-c.

[0091] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0092] Figure 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 7 5G Core Network Architecture – Interoperability with Wi-Fi In some implementations, access to the 5G core network (CN) can be made via (or through) cellular connections / interfaces (e.g., via 3GPP communication architectures / protocols) and non-cellular connections / interfaces (e.g., non-3GPP access architectures / protocols such as Wi-Fi connections). Figure 6AAn example of a 5G network architecture according to some implementation schemes is illustrated, which combines both 3GPP (e.g., cellular) and non-3GPP (e.g., non-cellular) access to the 5G CN. As shown, a user equipment device (e.g., such as UE 106) can access the 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, such as gNB 604, which can be base station 102) and an access point (such as AP 612). AP 612 may include a connection to the Internet 600 and a connection to a non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 603 network entity. N3IWF may include a connection to the core access and mobility management function (AMF) 605 of the 5G CN. AMF 605 may include an instance of 5G mobility management (5G MM) function associated with UE 106 / 107. In addition, the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) may also have a connection to AMF 605. Therefore, the 5G CN can support unified authentication on both connections and allow simultaneous registration for UE 106 / 107 accessing via both gNB 604 and AP 612. As shown, AMF 605 can communicate with Location Management Function (LMF) 609 via a network interface such as the NL interface. LMF 609 can receive measurement and assistance information from the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) and UE (e.g., UE 106) via AMF 605. LMF 609 can be a server (e.g., server 104) and / or a functional entity performing on a server. Furthermore, based on the measurement and / or assistance information received from the RAN and UE, LMF can determine the UE's location. Additionally, AMF 605 may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 620, Short Message Service Function (SMSF) 622, Application Function (AF) 624, Unified Data Management (UDM) 626, Policy Control Function (PCF) 628, and / or Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 630). It should be noted that these functional entities can also be supported by the 5G CN's Session Management Functions (SMF) 606a and SMF 606b. AMF 605 can connect to (or communicate with) SMF 606a. Furthermore, gNB 604 can communicate with (or connect to) User Plane Function (UPF) 608a, which can also communicate with SMF 606a. Similarly, N3IWF 603 can communicate with UPF 608b, which can also communicate with SMF 606b. Both UPFs can communicate with data networks (e.g., DN 610a and 610b) and / or the Internet 600 and the Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem / IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem (IMS) Core Network 610.

[0093] Figure 6B An example of a 5G network architecture according to some implementation schemes is illustrated, which combines both dual 3GPP (e.g., LTE and 5G NR) and non-3GPP access to the 5GCN. As shown, user equipment (e.g., such as UE106) can access the 5G CN through both a radio access network (RAN, such as gNB 604 or eNB 602, which can be base station 102) and an access point (such as AP 612). AP 612 may include a connection to the Internet 600 and a connection to the N3IWF 603 network entity. N3IWF may include a connection to the AMF 605 of the 5G CN. AMF 605 may include an instance of 5G MM functionality associated with UE 106 / 107. In addition, the RAN (e.g., gNB 604) may also have a connection to AMF 605. Therefore, the 5G CN can support unified authentication on both connections and allow simultaneous registration for UEs 106 / 107 accessing via both gNB 604 and AP 612. Additionally, the 5G CN can support dual registration for UEs on both legacy networks (e.g., LTE via eNB 602) and 5G networks (e.g., via gNB 604). As shown in the figure, eNB 602 can have connections to Mobility Management Entity (MME) 642 and Service Gateway (SGW) 644. MME 642 can have connections to both SGW 644 and AMF 605. Furthermore, SGW 644 can have connections to both SMF 606a and UPF 608a. As shown in the figure, AMF 605 can communicate with LMF 609 via a network interface (such as NL) as described above and may include one or more functional entities associated with the 5G CN (e.g., NSSF 620, SMSF 622, AF 624, UDM 626, PCF 628, and / or AUSF 630). It should be noted that UDM 626 may also include Home Subscriber Server (HSS) functionality, and PCF may also include Policy and Charging Rules (PCRF) functionality. It should also be noted that these functional entities may also be supported by SMF 606a and SMF 606b of the 5G CN. AMF 606 can connect to (or communicate with) SMF 606a. Furthermore, gNB 604 can communicate with (or connect to) UPF 608a, which can also communicate with SMF 606a. Similarly, N3IWF 603 can communicate with UPF 608b, which in turn can communicate with SMF 606b. Both UPFs can communicate with data networks (e.g., DN 610a and 610b) and / or the Internet 600 and IMS core network 610.

[0094] It should be noted that, in various implementations, one or more of the network entities described above can be configured to perform methods for segmented bearer enhancement during bi-connectivity operations, such as those further described herein.

[0095] Figure 7 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs (e.g., such as UE 106) according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Figure 7 The baseband processor architecture 700 described herein can be implemented on one or more radio components (e.g., radio components 429 and / or 430) or modems (e.g., modems 510 and / or 520) as described above. As shown, the non-access stratum (NAS) 710 may include a 5G NAS 720 and a traditional NAS 750. The traditional NAS 750 may include a communication connection with a traditional access stratum (AS) 770. The 5G NAS 720 may include communication connections with a 5G AS 740, a non-3GPP AS 730, and a Wi-Fi AS 732. The 5G NAS 720 may include functional entities associated with both access strata. Therefore, the 5G NAS 720 may include multiple 5G MM entities 726 and 728 and 5G session management (SM) entities 722 and 724. The traditional NAS 750 may include functional entities such as Short Message Service (SMS) entity 752, Evolved Packet System (EPS) Session Management (ESM) entity 754, Session Management (SM) entity 756, EPS Mobility Management (EMM) entity 758, and Mobility Management (MM) / GPRS Mobility Management (GMM) entity 760. Additionally, the traditional AS 770 may include functional entities such as LTE AS 772, UMTS AS 774, and / or GSM / GPRS AS 776.

[0096] Therefore, the baseband processor architecture 700 allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access) networks. It's important to note that, as shown in the figure, the 5G MM can maintain separate connection management and registration management state machines for each connection. Furthermore, a device (e.g., UE 106) can register to a single PLMN (e.g., a 5G CN) using both 5G cellular and non-cellular access. Additionally, a device can be connected in one access and idle in another, or vice versa. Finally, for both accesses, there may be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, deregistration, identification, authentication, etc.).

[0097] It should be noted that, in various implementations, one or more of the functional entities of the 5G NAS and / or 5G AS described above may be configured to perform methods for segmented bearer enhancement during dual connectivity operation, for example, in 5G NR systems and higher versions (e.g., NextG, 6G, etc.), as further described herein.

[0098] Segmentation bearing enhancement during bi-connectivity operation In the current implementation, during the establishment of a dual-connectivity split bearer, the base station hosting the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity needs to split the data stream at the PDCP layer. Therefore, the first part of the data stream goes to the base station's Local Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second part is forwarded via the Xn interface to the corresponding base station hosting another cell group, and then fed into the corresponding base station's RLC layer. At the UE, both streams are received via the primary (or main) cell group (MCG / PCG) RLC and the secondary cell group (SCG) RLC. The two streams are combined at the PDCP layer, and the UE performs PDCP reordering to ensure that packets are delivered sequentially to higher layers. It should be noted that the hosting base station can be either a PCG or an SCG. Similarly, the corresponding base station can be either a PCG or an SCG. In other words, either the PCG or the SCG can determine which bearer to split and become the host of the split bearer.

[0099] For example, Figure 8A , Figure 8B and Figure 8C This illustrates a current specific implementation of segmented bearers in biconnectivity. For example... Figure 8A As shown, the PCG (e.g., a managed base station) can receive data from the core network and determine to segment the data using a segmented bearer. Therefore, the PCG can forward a portion of the data to the SCG (e.g., the corresponding base station) via the Xn interface, and the UE can receive data from both the PCG and SCG (e.g., via the RLC layer) and perform reordering to deliver the data sequentially to higher layers. Figure 8B As shown, the SCG (e.g., the managed base station) can receive data from the core network and determine to segment the data using a segmented bearer. Therefore, the SCG can forward a portion of the data to the PCG (e.g., the corresponding base station) via the Xn interface, and the UE can receive data from both the PCG and the SCG (e.g., via the RLC layer) and perform reordering to deliver the data sequentially to higher layers. Figure 8C Examples are shown for use Figure 8A and Figure 8BThe signaling for establishing the segmented bearer is described in the figure. Therefore, as shown, the UE can have dual connectivity established with both the hosting base station and the corresponding base station 810. The hosting base station can receive downlink data from the network 812 and perform PDCP segmentation of the data at 814. Thus, a portion of the data can be sent from the hosting base station to the UE (e.g., DL PDCP PDU 1 at 816). Additionally, the hosting base station can forward PDCP data (e.g., DL PDCP PDU 2 at 818a, DL PDCP PDU 3 at 820a, and DL PDCP PDU 4 at 822a) to the corresponding base station. As shown, the initial transmission of DL PDCP PDU 2 (e.g., 818b) may not be delivered to the UE. Therefore, the corresponding base station can retry the transmission of DL PDCP PDU 2 (e.g., 818c), which may delay the delivery of DL PDCP PDU 3 (e.g., 820b) and DL PDCP PDU 4 (e.g., 822b). The UE can receive data and perform PDCP reordering at 824, and perform sequential delivery at 826.

[0100] It should be noted that determining the segmentation of bearers is challenging and is currently only aided by the Xn flow control mechanism, which uses downlink data delivery status reports from the corresponding base station to the hosting base station. Based on these reports, the hosting base station then decides how much data to forward to the corresponding base station to optimally utilize the additional bandwidth, while avoiding overshooting the amount of data to be forwarded, as this could lead to congestion at the corresponding base station and additional latency due to more persistent PDCP reordering at the UE side. Furthermore, it can be difficult for the hosting base station to forward too much data if the corresponding base station connection experiences a rapid performance degradation (e.g., due to temporary congestion or load conditions at the corresponding base station). Additionally, Layer 3 (L3) measurements reported by UEs in the cell group are relatively slow and cannot address temporary issues such as load conditions.

[0101] Therefore, improvements are expected.

[0102] The implementation schemes described herein provide systems, methods, and mechanisms for segmented bearer enhancement during dual connectivity operations, including systems, methods, and mechanisms for segmented bearer quality reporting and segmented bearer PDCP retransmission across cell groups. For example, a UE can directly provide transient support information about the link quality of the corresponding base station to the hosting base station, for instance, via SCG quality information reporting during PCG segmented bearer establishment or PCG quality information reporting during SCG segmented bearer establishment. This scheme allows direct UE feedback to the hosting base station and can be more efficient (and faster) than the Xn flow control algorithm, and can avoid unnecessary data forwarding to the corresponding base station (and / or multiple corresponding base stations) when the links of the corresponding base station (and / or multiple corresponding base stations) are contended in the air. Additionally, this scheme avoids congestion and longer packet delays caused by PDCP reordering at the UE side. As another example, the UE can directly report PDCP reordering information to the hosting base station for PDCP retransmission. The managed base station RLC entity and one or more corresponding base station RLC entities can operate in Unacknowledged Mode (UM), while the managed base station's PDCP entity can retain (e.g., hold) the PDCP PDU until it receives a PDCP acknowledgment from the UE. Additionally, the function at the managed PDCP entity used for bearer segmentation operations can determine whether lost packets should be retransmitted via the managed base station or the corresponding base station. This scheme allows for the opportunity to retransmit lost packets via different cell groups. In this scheme, instead of sending an RLC Acknowledged Mode (AM) status report to the managed base station, the UE can transmit a PDCP status report and other RLC AM status reports to the corresponding base stations. The PDCP status report can indicate which PDCP sequence number (SN) is preventing reordering and / or which SNs are lost. The managed base station knows whether a particular SN was transmitted by the managed base station or by one of the corresponding base stations and can decide to retransmit the particular SN via another link instead of attempting multiple RLC retransmissions on a poorly functioning link.

[0103] In some cases, segmented bearer quality reports can help the managed base station (whether it is a primary cell group (PCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG)) immediately adjust the segmentation between the managed base station and the corresponding base station (e.g., the amount of data forwarded to one or more corresponding base stations). For example, a segmented bearer quality report can be a Layer 1 (L1) measurement and / or Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) report for the corresponding base station (e.g., another cell group). Such segmented bearer quality reports can be continuously reported by the UE to the managed base station, enabling the managed base station to monitor the link quality of the corresponding base station. As another example, a segmented bearer quality report can be a block error rate (BLER) report transmitted from the UE to the managed base station via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. BLER reports can include BLER statistics from before and / or after Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ). The UE can report BLER statistics directly to the managed base station, and / or the UE can report BLER events based on network-configured thresholds. As another example, a segmented bearer quality report can include PDCP segmentation ratio anomalies. The managed base station can transmit PDCP auxiliary information via PDCP control PDUs and / or RRC signaling. PDCP auxiliary information may include a segmentation ratio based on packet counts, byte counts, and / or throughput, and may be transmitted by the managed base station, the corresponding base station, or both. The UE can observe the segmentation ratio (e.g., based on packet counts, byte counts, and / or throughput received from the managed base station and the corresponding base station) and report anomalies (e.g., specified deviations from the indicated segmentation ratio) to the managed base station as a segmentation bearer quality report. As another example, the UE can report reordering information (e.g., which PDCP SN is preventing reordering, which SNs are lost, etc.) as a segmentation bearer quality report. As noted above, the managed base station knows which SNs are being transmitted by the managed base station or the corresponding base station and can adjust its segmentation / forwarding based on the segmentation bearer quality report. As an additional example, the UE can report packet / byte count and / or throughput statistics for each cell group (e.g., the managed base station and the corresponding base station) as a segmentation bearer quality report. In addition, the UE can indicate a preferred segmentation ratio as a segmented bearer quality report based on the UE's in-band internal state (e.g., battery or thermal state) via PDCP control signaling.

[0104] Figure 9An example of a UE providing a segmented bearer quality report according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. As shown, a managed base station (e.g., base station 102a) may have backhaul connections to one or more base stations (e.g., base stations 102b and 102n) (e.g., via the Xn interface). The backhaul connections may be wired or wireless (e.g., in at least some cases, via over-the-air connections, including satellite links, cellular links, and / or WiFi links). A UE (such as UE 106) may have one or more connections to one or more base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n, wherein at least one of the base stations acts as a primary cell group (PCG), and the other base stations act as one or more secondary cell groups (SCGs). In some cases, the managed base station (in this case, base station 102a) may decide to establish segmented bearer operations with one or more other base stations (e.g., base stations 102b and / or 102n). This decision can be based on network conditions as observed by base station 102a, a request for segmented bearer establishment from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions as observed by UE 106), and / or a command for segmented bearer establishment from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions as observed by UE 106). For example, managed base station 102a may select either base station 102b or 102n as the corresponding base station for segmented bearer establishment. As another example, managed base station 102a may select both base stations 102b and 102n as the corresponding base stations for segmented bearer establishment. As yet another example, managed base station 102a may select both base stations 102b and 102n, plus one or more additional base stations, as the corresponding base stations for segmented bearer establishment. Note that, as shown, base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n are each connected to each other via a single hop; however, in some cases, the connection between base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n may be a multi-hop connection supported by one or more intermediate entities (e.g., base stations, access points, etc.). Once the segmented bearer is established, UE 106 can begin receiving data from one or more of the managed base stations 102a and corresponding base stations 102b and 102n. The UE can then transmit a segmented bearer quality report 912 to the managed base station. For example, as described above, the segmented bearer quality report can help managed base station 102a adjust the segmentation (e.g., the amount of data forwarded to one or more corresponding base stations) between managed base station 102a and corresponding base stations 102b and 102n to optimize data delivery to UE 106 on the segmented bearer. In this way, UE 106 can proactively guide (e.g., via recommendation and / or command) traffic on the segmented bearer and avoid unnecessarily forwarding data on the segmented bearer to poorly performing corresponding base stations and avoid congestion caused by longer packet delays due to PDCP reordering at UE 106.

[0105] Figure 10 Examples of signaling for segmented bearers according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Among other things, Figure 10 The signaling shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure. In various implementations, some of the signaling shown may be executed concurrently in a different order than that shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be executed as needed. As shown in the figure, the signaling can follow the following flow.

[0106] At 1010, a UE (such as UE 106) may have dual connectivity established with a managed base station 102a and one or more corresponding base stations 102b-102n. Dual connectivity establishment may be initiated by UE 106 via a request and / or command, and / or may be initiated by the managed base station 102a. At 1012, the managed base station 102a (and / or one or more corresponding base stations 102b-102n) may (optionally) provide segmentation assistance information to UE 106, for example, via PDCP control PDU and / or RRC signaling. The PDCP assistance information may include a segmentation ratio based on packet count, byte count, and / or throughput. It should be noted that the segmentation ratio may be determined by the managed base station 102a, for example, based on observed network conditions, based on a request from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions observed by the UE), and / or based on a command from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions observed by the UE). Base station 102a can receive downlink data 1014 from the network and, at 1016, perform PDCP segmentation of the data, for example, based on a segmentation ratio determined at 1012 and / or 1010. Therefore, a portion of the data can be sent from the hosting base station 102a to UE 106 (e.g., DL PDCP PDU 1 at 1018). Additionally, the hosting base station 102a can forward PDCP data (e.g., DL PDCP PDU 2 at 1020a and DL PDCPPDU 3 at 1022a) to corresponding base stations 102b-102n, for example, via a backhaul connection, which can be wired or wireless (e.g., in at least some cases, a satellite link, a cellular link, and / or a WiFi link). As shown, the initial transmission of DL PDCP PDU 2 (e.g., 1020b) from one of the base stations 102b-n may not be delivered to UE 106. UE 106 can provide a segmented bearer quality report 1024 to base station 102a. The segmented bearer quality report 1024 may include the information described above. At 1026, based on the segmented bearer quality report, base station 102a may, for example, adjust the segmentation of the segmented bearer based on the segmented bearer quality report 1024. It should be noted that the segmented bearer quality report may be one or more segmented bearer quality reports transmitted by UE 106 in a periodic (e.g., continuous at predetermined time intervals) or non-periodic (e.g., based on the occurrence of one or more conditions) manner. Therefore, the hosting base station 102a may send DL PDCP PDU 4 (e.g., 1028) to UE 106 instead of forwarding it to one of the corresponding base stations 102b-102n.Additionally, DLPDCP PDU 2 can be retransmitted (e.g., 1020c), and DL PDCPPDU 3 can be sent from one of the corresponding base stations 102b-102n (e.g., 1022b), thereby avoiding the transmission delay of DL PDCP PDU 4. At 1028, UE 106 can perform PDCP reordering, and at 1030, it can perform in-order delivery.

[0107] Figure 11An example of cross-cell group segmented bearer PDCP retransmission is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. As shown, a managed base station (e.g., base station 102a) may have backhaul connections to one or more base stations (e.g., base stations 102b and 102n) (e.g., via the Xn interface). Managed base station 102a may include a PDCP entity (e.g., PDCP entity 1110) and an RLC entity (e.g., RLC entity 1112). The backhaul connection may be wired or wireless (e.g., in at least some cases, via an over-the-air connection, including a satellite link, a cellular link, and / or a WiFi link). A UE (such as UE 106) may have one or more connections to one or more base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n, wherein at least one of the base stations acts as a primary cell group (PCG), and the other base stations act as one or more secondary cell groups (SCGs). Each of the corresponding base stations 102b and 102n may include an RLC entity (e.g., RLC entities 1122b and 1122c). UE 106 may include a PDCP entity (e.g., PDCP entity 1130) and an RLC entity (e.g., RLC entity 1132). In some cases, the managed base station (in this case, base station 102a) may decide to establish a split bearer operation with one or more other base stations (e.g., base stations 102b and / or 102n). This decision may be based on network conditions as observed by base station 102a, a request for split bearer establishment from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions as observed by UE 106), and / or a command for split bearer establishment from UE 106 (e.g., based on network conditions as observed by UE 106). For example, managed base station 102a may select either base station 102b or 102n as the corresponding base station for split bearer establishment. As another example, managed base station 102a may select both base stations 102b and 102n as the corresponding base stations for split bearer establishment. As another example, managed base station 102a can select either base station 102b or 102n, as well as one or more additional base stations, as the corresponding base stations for segmented bearer establishment. It should be noted that, as shown in the figure, base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n are each connected to each other via a single hop; however, in some cases, the connection between base stations 102a, 102b, and 102n can be a multi-hop connection supported by one or more intermediate entities (e.g., base stations, access points, etc.).Once the segmented bearer is established, UE 106 can begin receiving data from one or more corresponding base stations, such as corresponding base stations 102b and 102n, via RLC connection 1142 between RLC entity 1112 (e.g., at the managed base station 102a) and 1132 (e.g., at UE 106), and via connections 1144b and 1144n between RLC entities 1122b (at the corresponding base station 102b) and 1122n (at the corresponding base station 102n) and 1132. Note that, as shown, base station 102a can forward data to base stations 102b and 102n via RLC connections 1140n and 1140b. The UE can then transmit a segmented bearer quality report 1146 to the managed base station. For example, as described above, the segmented bearer quality report may include a PDCP status report. The PDCP status report can indicate which PDCP sequence number (SN) is preventing reordering and / or which SNs are lost at UE 106. Base station 102a, acting as the hosting base station, knows whether a particular SN was transmitted by the hosting base station or by one of the corresponding base stations, and can decide to retransmit the particular SN via another link instead of attempting multiple RLC retransmissions on a poorly performing link. Therefore, based on the PDCP status report, segmented bearer services can be proactively guided, and unnecessary forwarding of data on segmented bearers to poorly performing corresponding base stations and congestion caused by longer packet delays due to PDCP reordering at UE 106 can be avoided.

[0108] Figure 12 A block diagram illustrating an example of a method for providing performance feedback of segmented bearers in bi-connectivity, according to some implementation schemes. Among other devices, Figure 12 The method shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure. In various implementations, some of the method elements shown may be executed concurrently in a different order than shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed as needed. As shown in the figure, the method can operate as follows.

[0109] At 1202, a managed base station (such as base station 102a) can establish a segmented bearer for a UE (such as UE 106) operating in dual connectivity mode and connected to at least two cell groups (CGs) supported by the managed base station and one or more corresponding base stations (such as base stations 102b and 102n). The establishment of the segmented bearer may include a segmentation ratio of data to be delivered to the UE via the managed base station and data to be delivered to the UE via one or more corresponding base stations. In some cases, the managed base station may be a primary cell group (PCG). In some cases, the managed base station may be a secondary cell group.

[0110] At 1204, the managed base station can, based on the segmentation ratio, transmit a first portion of data to the UE via a connection with the UE, and a second portion of data to one or more corresponding base stations via a connection with one or more corresponding base stations, for example, via one or more corresponding base stations. The first portion of data can be transmitted to the UE via a radio link control (RLC) layer connection with the UE. The second portion of data can be transmitted to one or more corresponding base stations via an RLC layer connection with one or more corresponding base stations.

[0111] In some cases, the connection to one or more corresponding base stations may be and / or include a backhaul connection. The backhaul connection may be a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of both. The wireless connection may be one or more of a cellular link, a satellite link, and / or a WiFi link. In some cases, the backhaul connection may be via an Xn interface. In some cases, at least one connection to one or more corresponding base stations may include and / or may be a multi-hop link.

[0112] At 1206, the managed base station may adjust the segmentation ratio based at least in part on one or more segmented bearer quality reports received from the UE. The segmentation ratio may be based on one or more of packet counts, byte counts, and / or throughput. In some cases, segmented bearer quality reports may be received continuously, periodically, and / or aperiodically (e.g., event-driven) based on predetermined or pre-specified threshold conditions.

[0113] In some cases, segmented bearer quality reports can be received via a PDCP layer connection to the UE. Segmented bearer quality reports can be Layer 1 (L1) measurements performed at the UE against one or more corresponding base stations, Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reports for one or more corresponding base stations, and / or Block Error Rate (BLER) reports. BLER reports can include BLER statistics prior to Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), and / or BLER reports can include BLER statistics after HARQ. Segmented bearer quality reports can be received via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some cases, the segmentation ratio can be a PDCP segmentation ratio, and the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) can be an indication of an abnormal PDCP segmentation ratio. An abnormal PDCP segmentation ratio can include a specified deviation from the segmentation ratio. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) can be and / or can include reordering information. Reordering information may include one or more of the sequence numbers (SNs) of data packets that prevent reordering or the SNs of lost data packets. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) may include one or more of the packet count, byte count, or throughput statistics based on each cell group. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) may include and / or may be an indication of the UE's preferred segmentation ratio. The UE's preferred segmentation ratio may be based on the UE's battery state or thermal state. In such cases, the segmented bearer quality report may be received in-band via PDCP control signaling. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report may include and / or indicate a request and / or command to switch to the UE's preferred segmentation ratio.

[0114] In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report may include and / or may be a PDCP status report, and may be received from the UE's PDCP entity at the PDCP entity of the hosting base station. The PDCP status report may indicate one or more of the SNs of data packets that prevent reordering and / or the SNs of lost data packets. In such cases, the hosting base station may determine, based on the SNs of data packets that prevent reordering and / or the SNs of lost data packets, that at least one of one or more corresponding base stations transmitted data packets and / or lost data packets, and transmit the data packets and / or lost data packets to the UE over the connection with the UE.

[0115] In some cases, the managed base station may transmit segmentation assistance information to the UE, indicating at least the segmentation ratio. The segmentation assistance information may be transmitted via Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and / or via Radio Resource Control signaling.

[0116] Figure 13 A block diagram illustrating an example of a method for providing performance feedback of segmented bearers in bi-connectivity, according to some implementation schemes. Among other devices, Figure 13 The method shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices shown in the figure. In various implementations, some of the method elements shown may be executed concurrently in a different order than shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be executed as needed. As shown in the figure, the method can operate as follows.

[0117] At 1302, a UE operating in dual connectivity mode (such as UE 106) can establish a segmented bearer with a managed base station (such as base station 102a) and one or more corresponding base stations (such as base stations 102b and 102n). The establishment of the segmented bearer may include the segmentation ratio of data to be delivered to the UE via the managed base station and data to be delivered to the UE via one or more corresponding base stations. In some cases, the managed base station may be a primary cell group (PCG). In some cases, the managed base station may be a secondary cell group. The segmentation ratio may be based on one or more of packet counts, byte counts, and / or throughput.

[0118] At 1304, the UE can receive a first portion of data via a connection to a managed base station, and a second portion of data via a connection to one or more corresponding base stations, based on the segmentation ratio. The first portion of data can be received by the UE via a radio link control (RLC) layer connection to the managed base station. The second portion of data can be received via an RLC layer connection to one or more corresponding base stations.

[0119] At point 1306, the UE can send one or more segmented bearer quality reports to the managed base station. In some cases, segmented bearer quality reports can be sent periodically and / or non-periodically (e.g., event-driven) in a continuous manner based on predetermined or pre-specified threshold conditions.

[0120] In some cases, segmented bearer quality reports can be transmitted via a PDCP layer connection to a hosted base station. Segmented bearer quality reports can be Layer 1 (L1) measurements performed at the UE against one or more corresponding base stations, Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reports for one or more corresponding base stations, and / or Block Error Rate (BLER) reports. BLER reports can include BLER statistics prior to Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), and / or BLER reports can include BLER statistics after HARQ. In such cases, segmented bearer quality reports can be transmitted via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some cases, the segmentation ratio can be a PDCP segmentation ratio, and the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) can be an indication of an anomaly in the PDCP segmentation ratio. An anomaly in the PDCP segmentation ratio can include a specified deviation from the segmentation ratio. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) can be and / or can include reordering information. Reordering information may include one or more of the sequence numbers (SNs) of data packets that prevent reordering or the SNs of lost data packets. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) may include one or more of the packet count, byte count, or throughput statistics based on each cell group. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report (also and / or additionally) may include and / or may be an indication of the UE's preferred segmentation ratio. The UE's preferred segmentation ratio may be based on the UE's battery state or thermal state. In such cases, the segmented bearer quality report may be received in-band via PDCP control signaling. In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report may include and / or indicate a request and / or command to switch to the UE's preferred segmentation ratio.

[0121] In some cases, the segmented bearer quality report may include and / or may be a PDCP status report, and may be received from the UE's PDCP entity at the PDCP entity of the hosting base station. The PDCP status report may indicate one or more of the SNs of data packets that prevent reordering and / or the SNs of lost data packets. In such cases, the hosting base station may determine, based on the SNs of data packets that prevent reordering and / or the SNs of lost data packets, that at least one of one or more corresponding base stations transmitted data packets and / or lost data packets, and transmit the data packets and / or lost data packets to the UE over the connection with the UE.

[0122] In some cases, the UE may receive segmentation assistance information from the managed base station and / or one or more corresponding base stations, indicating at least the segmentation ratio. The segmentation assistance information may be transmitted via Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and / or via Radio Resource Control signaling.

[0123] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0124] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0125] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein.

[0126] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0127] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0128] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for providing performance feedback for segmented bearers in biconnectivity, the method comprising: A segmented bearer is established by a managed base station for user equipment (UE) connected to at least two cell groups (CGs) supported by the managed base station and one or more corresponding base stations. The segmented bearer includes a ratio of the segmentation of data to be delivered to the UE via the managed base station and data to be delivered to the UE via the one or more corresponding base stations. Based on the ratio of the segmentation, a first portion of the data is sent to the UE via a connection with the UE, and a second portion of the data is sent to the one or more corresponding base stations via a connection with the one or more corresponding base stations to transmit the data to the UE; as well as The ratio of the segmentation is adjusted at least in part based on one or more segmentation bearer quality reports received from the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The UE is transmitted segmentation assistance information that indicates at least the ratio of the segmentation, wherein the segmentation assistance information is transmitted via Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) or Radio Resource Control signaling.

3. The method according to claim 1, The ratio of the segmentation is based on one or more of the packet count, the number of bytes, or the throughput.

4. The method according to claim 1, The first portion of the data is transmitted to the UE via a radio link control (RLC) layer connection with the UE; and The second portion of the data is transmitted to the one or more corresponding base stations via a radio link control (RLC) layer connection with the one or more corresponding base stations.

5. The method according to claim 1, The connection to the one or more corresponding base stations includes a backhaul connection, wherein the backhaul connection includes one or more of a wired connection or a wireless connection.

6. The method according to claim 1, The connection to the one or more corresponding base stations includes at least a wireless backhaul connection, which includes one or more of the following: Cellular links; Satellite link; or WiFi link.

7. The method according to claim 1, At least one connection to one or more corresponding base stations includes a multi-hop link.

8. The method according to claim 1, The segmented bearer quality report is received via a connection to the Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layer of the UE.

9. The method according to claim 1, The segmented load-bearing quality report mentioned therein includes one or more of the following: Layer 1 (L1) measurements performed at the UE on the one or more corresponding base stations; Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reports for one or more corresponding base stations; or Block Error Rate (BLER) reports.

10. The method according to claim 1, The segmentation ratio is the Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) segmentation ratio, and the segmentation bearer quality report includes PDCP segmentation ratio anomalies. PDCP segmentation ratio anomalies include deviations from the specified segmentation ratio.

11. The method according to claim 1, The segmented load-bearing quality report mentioned therein includes reordering information.

12. The method according to claim 11, The reordering information includes one or more of the following: The sequence number (SN) of the data group that prevents reordering; or SN of the lost data packet.

13. The method according to claim 1, The segmented bearer quality report mentioned therein includes one or more of the following: packet count, byte count, or throughput statistics per cell group.

14. The method according to claim 1, The segmented bearer quality report includes an indication of the preferred segmentation ratio for the UE; The preferred UE segmentation ratio is based on the UE's battery state or thermal state; and The segmented bearer quality report mentioned above is received in-band via Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) control signaling.

15. The method according to claim 1, The segmented bearer quality report includes a request or command to switch to the UE's preferred segmentation ratio.

16. The method according to claim 1, The segmented bearer quality report mentioned above includes a Packet Data Protocol Control (PDCP) status report; and The segmented bearer quality report is received from the UE's PDCP entity at the PDCP entity of the managed base station.

17. The method according to claim 16, The PDCP status report indicates one or more of the following: The sequence number (SN) of the data group that prevents reordering; or SN of the lost data packet.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: It is determined that at least one of the one or more corresponding base stations sent the data packet or lost the data packet based on the SN of the data packet that prevents reordering or the SN of the lost data packet; as well as Sending the data packet or losing the data packet to the UE on the connection with the UE.

19. An apparatus comprising: Memory; and One or more processors, the processors communicating with the memory and configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A managed base station, the managed base station comprising: At least one antenna; At least one radio component, the at least one radio component communicating with the at least one antenna and configured to communicate according to at least one radio access technology (RAT); and One or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the at least one radio component and configured to cause the base station to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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