Transport layer enhancement

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, UEs and methods for transport layer enhancement. In one aspect, a first apparatus obtains at least one FEC ratio and information about a PSI for a QoS flow. The first device then provides the ID of the QoS flow, information on the at least one FEC ratio, and information on the first mapping of the PSI value with the transport layer flag value to the second device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication, and more specifically, to apparatus and methods for transport layer enhancement. Background Technology

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

[0003] Extended reality (XR) (which includes augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), as well as cloud gaming (CG)) is an important media application for 5G. In the media layer, a frame or video slice can only be decoded if all or a certain number of packets carrying the frame or video slice are successfully transmitted.

[0004] For XR and media traffic, the concept of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sets is introduced. A PDU set may include one or more PDUs, which carry the payload of an information unit generated at the application layer. For example, for XR services, this information unit may be a frame or video slice used for the XR service. All PDUs in the PDU set are transmitted within the same Quality of Service (QoS) stream. For XR and media traffic, it is necessary to investigate whether and how to utilize PDU set information for transport layer marking via the N3 or N9 interface in the transport network (i.e., to enable differential processing of PDU sets within the QoS stream). Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure relates to apparatus, UE, and method for transport layer enhancement. Using this apparatus, UE, and method, transport layer enhancement can be implemented.

[0006] Some implementations of the first device described herein may include at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured such that the first device: acquires at least one forward error correction (FEC) ratio and information regarding the importance value of a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) for a Quality of Service (QoS) flow; and provides the second device with: an identifier (ID) for the QoS flow, information regarding the at least one FEC ratio, and information regarding a first mapping between the PDU set importance value and a transport layer tag value.

[0007] In some implementations, the first mapping includes one of the following: a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the second transport layer tag value; a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value; or a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the default transport layer tag value.

[0008] In some implementations, the first device is also configured to provide the second device with information about a second mapping of at least one PDU set importance value to at least one FEC ratio.

[0009] In some implementations, the first device is also configured to obtain information about the second mapping from the third device.

[0010] In some implementations, the first device is pre-configured with information about the second mapping.

[0011] In some implementations, each transport layer tag value in the transport layer tag value includes a differential service code point (DSCP) value or a stream tag.

[0012] In some implementations, the first device is configured to: obtain information about the importance value of the PDU set and at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow from the third device.

[0013] In some implementations, the first device is pre-configured with information about the importance value of the PDU set and at least one FEC ratio for QoS flows.

[0014] In some implementations, the first device is configured to: obtain information from the second device regarding the importance value of the PDU set used for the QoS flow and the ID of the QoS flow.

[0015] In some implementations, the first device is also configured to send an indication and the ID of the QoS flow to the second device, the indication specifying that information regarding the importance value of the PDU set used for the QoS flow will be provided to the first device.

[0016] Some implementations of the second device described herein may include at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured such that the second device: receives from the first device: an ID of a QoS flow, information regarding at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow, and information regarding a first mapping between PDU set importance values ​​and transport layer tag values ​​for the QoS flow; and determines one of the transport layer tag values ​​of downlink PDUs in the PDU set for use in the QoS flow based on: information regarding the PDU set, information regarding at least one FEC ratio, and information regarding the first mapping.

[0017] In some implementations, the first mapping includes one of the following: a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the second transport layer tag value; a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value; or a mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the default transport layer tag value.

[0018] In some implementations, the second device is further configured to receive from the first device information about a second mapping of at least one PDU set importance value to at least one FEC ratio.

[0019] In some implementations, the second device is also configured to: determine whether FEC is applied to the downlink PDU based on information about the PDU set and information about the second mapping, before determining one of the transport layer tag values ​​for the downlink PDU.

[0020] In some implementations, each transport layer tag value in the transport layer tag value includes a DSCP value or a stream tag.

[0021] In some implementations, the second device is further configured to: determine a ratio of the amount of data transmitted in the PDU set to the size of the PDU set; determine a first transport layer tag value for the downlink PDU based on the difference between the determined ratio being less than 1 and a first FEC ratio for the PDU set, based on information about the PDU set and information about the first mapping; and determine a second transport layer tag value for the downlink PDU based on the determined ratio being greater than the difference, based on information about the PDU set and information about the first mapping.

[0022] In some implementations, the second transport layer flag value is equal to one of the following: the difference between the first transport layer flag value and a predetermined value, or the default transport layer flag value.

[0023] Some implementations of the first apparatus described herein may include at least one memory and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured such that the first apparatus: determines whether a first radio access network (RAN) node serving a UE supports PDU set-based processing; and based on the determination that the first RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, sends a first indication to the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flow.

[0024] In some implementations, the first device is further configured to: send a second indication to the UE based on determining that a first RAN node does not support PDU set-based processing and a second RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, the second indication indicating deactivation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flow, the second RAN node serving the UE prior to handover.

[0025] In some implementations, the first device is configured to send a first indication to the UE by determining that a first RAN node supports PDU-based processing and a second RAN node does not support PDU-based processing, the second RAN node serving the UE prior to handover.

[0026] Some implementations of the UE described herein may include a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive a first indication via the transceiver from a first device or a first RAN node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows; and initiate uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows based on the first indication and a protocol description for QoS flows.

[0027] In some implementations, the processor is also configured to: receive a second indication from a first device or a first RAN node via a transceiver, the second indication indicating deactivation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows; and, based on the second indication and a protocol description for QoS flows, stop uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows.

[0028] In some implementations, the first instruction includes the uplink PDU set processing configuration from the first RAN node.

[0029] Some implementations of the method described herein may include: acquiring at least one FEC ratio and information about the importance value of the PDU set for the QoS flow at a first device; and providing the second device with: the ID of the QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping between the PDU set importance value and the transport layer tag value.

[0030] Some implementations of the method described herein may include: receiving from the first device at the second device the following: an ID of the QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow, information about a first mapping between a PDU set importance value and a transport layer tag value for the QoS flow; and determining one of the transport layer tag values ​​of the downlink PDUs in the PDU set for the QoS flow based on the following: information about the PDU set, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about the first mapping.

[0031] Some implementations of the method described herein may include: determining at a first device whether a first RAN node serving a UE supports PDU set-based processing; and, based on the determination that the first RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, sending a first indication to the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows.

[0032] Some implementations of the methods described herein may include: receiving a first indication at the UE from a first device or a first RAN node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flow; and initiating uplink PDU set identification for QoS flow based on the first indication and a protocol description for QoS flow.

[0033] It should be understood that the summary portion of this invention is not intended to identify key or essential features of the implementation of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Examples of wireless communication systems supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated respectively;

[0035] Figure 2 A signaling diagram is illustrated, which illustrates an example process supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 3 Examples of transport layer markings according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated;

[0037] Figure 4 and Figure 5 Signaling diagrams are illustrated, which illustrate example processes supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Signaling diagrams are illustrated, which illustrate example processes supporting uplink (UL) PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 7 Examples of devices supporting transport layer enhancement or UL PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated;

[0040] Figure 8 Examples of processors supporting transport layer enhancements or UL PDU set identification according to other aspects of this disclosure are illustrated; and

[0041] Figure 9 and Figure 10 Flowcharts illustrating methods for supporting transport layer enhancements according to other aspects of this disclosure are shown respectively; and

[0042] Figure 11 and Figure 12 Flowcharts illustrating methods for supporting UL PDU set identification according to other aspects of this disclosure are shown respectively. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some implementations. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0044] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0045] References to “an implementation,” “example implementation,” “implementation,” “some implementations,” etc., in this disclosure indicate that the implementation(s) described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every implementation necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same implementation(s). Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an implementation, it is assumed that its influence on such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other implementations (whether explicitly described or not) is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0046] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of implementation, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0047] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing a particular implementation only and is not intended to limit the example implementation. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “having,” “containing,” and / or “comprising” specify the presence of the stated feature, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0048] The aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of wireless communication systems.

[0049] Figure 1A An example of a wireless communication system 100A supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100A may include one or more network entities 102 (also referred to as network devices (NEs)), one or more terminal devices or UEs 104, a core network 106, and a data network (DN) 108. The wireless communication system 100A may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an advanced LTE (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system 100A may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100A can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0050] One or more network entities 102 may be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100A. One or more network entities of network entities 102 described herein may be, include, or may be referred to as network nodes, base stations, network elements, radio access networks (RAN), base transceivers, access points, NodeBs, eNodeBs (eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), or other suitable terms. In the following, some implementations of this disclosure will use RAN nodes as examples of network entities 102. Therefore, network entity 102 may be used interchangeably with RAN node 102. For example, RAN node 102 may include a first RAN node 102-1 and a second RAN node 102-2.

[0051] Network entity 102 and UE 104 can communicate via communication link 110, which can be a wireless connection or a wired connection. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, send signaling) through the Uu interface.

[0052] Network entity 102 may provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which it may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals associated with the services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) based on one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, network entity 102 may be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 112 may be associated with different network entities 102. The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0053] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed throughout the geographical area of ​​the wireless communication system 100A. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, remote unit, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. Alternatively or additionally, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, UE 104 may be stationary within the wireless communication system 100A. In some other implementations, UE 104 may be mobile within the wireless communication system 100A.

[0054] One or more UEs 104 can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are illustrated in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, UE 104 is capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as network entity 102, other UEs 104, or network devices (e.g., core network 106, data network 108, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or another network device). Alternatively or additionally, UE 104 may support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104, which may act as relays in the wireless communication system 100.

[0055] UE 104 can also support direct wireless communication with other UE 104s via communication link 114. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0056] Network entity 102 may support communication with core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, network entity 102 may interface with core network 106 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Network entities 102 may communicate with each other via backhaul links 116 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, network entities 102 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between network entities 102). In some other implementations, network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via core network 106). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include sub-components, such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transport entities, which may be referred to as wireless heads, smart wireless heads, or transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0057] In some implementations, network entity 102 can be configured as a discrete architecture, which can be configured to utilize protocol stacks physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 102, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, network entity 102 may include one or more of the following: a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (e.g., a near-real-time RIC, a non-real-time RIC), a service management and orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0058] An RU can also be referred to as a radio head, intelligent radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmit-receive point (TRP). One or more components of network entity 102 in a discrete RAN architecture can be co-located, or one or more components of network entity 102 can be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 in a discrete RAN architecture can be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0059] The functional splitting among CU, DU, and RU can be flexible and depends on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof) are performed at the CU, DU, or RU, and can support different functions. For example, protocol stack functional splitting can be adopted between CU and DU, allowing the CU to support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and the DU to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host higher protocol layer (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) functions and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU can be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and these DUs or RUs can host lower protocol layer functions, such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., Physical Layer (PHY)) or L2 (e.g., Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer) functions and signaling, and each can be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

[0060] Alternatively or concurrently, functional splitting of the protocol stack can be employed between the DU and RU, such that the DU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and the RU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU can support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs). In some implementations, functional splitting between the CU and DU, or between the DU and RU, can be within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions for the protocol layer can be performed by one of the CU, DU, or RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, DU, or RU).

[0061] The CU can be further functionally broken down into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. The CU can be connected to one or more DUs via midhaul communication links (e.g., F1, F1c, F1-u), and the DUs can be connected to one or more RUs via fronthaul communication links (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interfaces). In some implementations, the midhaul or fronthaul communication links can be implemented based on interfaces (e.g., channels) between layers of a protocol stack, which are supported by corresponding network entities 102 communicating via such communication links.

[0062] Core network 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and user plane entities that route or interconnect packets to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by one or more network entities 102 associated with core network 106.

[0063] Core network 106 can communicate with data network 108 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Data network 108 may include application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with application server 118. UE 104 may establish a session with core network 106 (e.g., Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, etc.) via network entity 102. Core network 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route traffic (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between UE 104 and application server 118. A PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between UE 104 and core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of core network 106).

[0064] In the wireless communication system 100A, network entity 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of the wireless communication system 100A (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different resource structures. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). Network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures based on one or more sets of parameters.

[0065] One or more parameter sets can be supported in the wireless communication system 100A, and the parameter sets may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix. The first parameter set (e.g., =0) can be associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first set of parameters associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) is (e.g., ...). =0) can utilize one time slot per subframe. The second parameter set (e.g., =1) can be associated with the second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix. The third parameter set (e.g., =2) can be associated with the third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix or extended cyclic prefix. The fourth parameter set (e.g., =3) can be associated with the fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix. The fifth parameter set (e.g., =4) can be associated with the fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix.

[0066] Time intervals for resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also known as radio frames). Each frame can have a duration, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include multiple subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration, for example, 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have the same duration.

[0067] Alternatively or concurrently, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more parameter sets supported in the wireless communication system 100A. For example, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parameter sets (i.e., ...) associated with corresponding subcarrier intervals of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz. =0、 =1、 =2、 =3、 =4) A single time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe can be used. Each time slot can include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots used for a subframe can depend on the parameter set. For a normal cyclic prefix, a time slot can include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., for a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot can include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame for both normal and extended cyclic prefixes can depend on the parameter set. It should be understood that the first parameter set (e.g., 15 kHz) associated with the first parameter set (e.g., =0) can be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0068] In the wireless communication system 100A, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system 100A can support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency ranges specified as FR1 (410 MHz – 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz – 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz – 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz – 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz – 300 GHz). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can perform wireless communication on one or more operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, as well as other devices or apparatuses, for cellular communication traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, as well as other devices or apparatuses, for short-range, high-data-rate capabilities.

[0069] FR1 can be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least three parameter sets). For example, FR1 can be associated with the first parameter set (e.g., ...). =0), which includes a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; the second parameter set (e.g., =1), which includes a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third parameter set (e.g., =2), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz. FR2 can be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least two parameter sets). For example, FR2 can be associated with the following: a third parameter set (e.g., =2), which includes a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth parameter set (e.g., =3), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz.

[0070] Figure 1B An example of a wireless communication system 100B supporting transport layer enhancement according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Specifically, Figure 1B The diagram shows... Figure 1A The network entities or network functions (NFs) in the core network 106 shown.

[0071] like Figure 1BAs shown, the core network 106 may include at least the following functions: access and session management function (SMF) 120, user plane function (UPF) 130, policy control function (PCF) 140, network exposure function (NEF) 150, application function (AF) 160, and access and mobility management function (AMF) 170.

[0072] In some implementations, the AMF 170 can communicate with the UE 104, RAN node 102, and SMF 120 via the N1, N2, and N11 interfaces, respectively.

[0073] In some implementations, the SMF 120 can communicate with the UPF 130 and PCF 140 via the N4 and N7 interfaces, respectively.

[0074] In some implementations, UPF 130 can communicate with RAN node 102 and DN 108 via the N3 interface and N6 interface, respectively. In some implementations, UPF 130 may include a PDU Session Anchor Point (PSA) UPF.

[0075] In some implementations, the core network 106 may include more than one UPF. In such implementations, one UPF can communicate with another UPF via the N9 interface.

[0076] In some implementations, the NEF 150 can communicate with the PCF 140 and AF 160 via the N30 and N33 interfaces, respectively.

[0077] As mentioned above, in order to enable differential processing of PDU sets within a QoS flow, it is necessary to investigate whether and how to utilize PDU set QoS information for transport layer marking via the N3 or N9 interface in the transport network. For example, PDU set information may include at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, indication of the last PDU in the PDU set, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size (in bytes), PDU set importance (PSI), or indication of the end of a data burst.

[0078] Furthermore, Forward Error Correction (FEC) can be applied at the application layer for XR traffic. If FEC is applied to XR traffic, this means that X% of errors in the PDU set can be tolerated, where X% is defined as the FEC ratio. That is, if more than (1-X%) of packets have been successfully delivered from the RAN node to the UE, the RAN node can discard the remaining PDUs in the PDU set. Therefore, the PSA UPF can perform transport layer labeling on the remaining PDUs with lower priority by pre-considering FEC. The question is how the PSA UPF performs transport layer labeling based on FEC.

[0079] In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides a solution supporting transport layer enhancement. In one aspect of this solution, a first device acquires at least one FEC ratio and information regarding a PSI value for a QoS flow. The first device then provides a second device with: an identifier (ID) for the QoS flow, information regarding the at least one FEC ratio, and information regarding a first mapping between the PSI value and a transport layer tag value. In this manner, the second device can perform transport layer tagging based on the FEC.

[0080] In the following text, the principles of this disclosure will be referred to Figures 2 to 12 To describe.

[0081] Figure 2 A signaling diagram is illustrated, which illustrates an example process 200 supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 200 may involve a first means and a second means. In some implementations, the first means may perform... Figure 1B The SMF 120 in the middle. Alternatively, the first device can perform, in addition to Figure 1B In addition to the SMF 120, other network functions are included. In some implementations, the second device can perform... Figure 1B UPF 130. Alternatively, the second device can perform other functions besides... Figure 1B Other network functions besides UPF130. For the purposes of discussion, procedure 200 will refer to Figure 1B To describe. Process 200 may involve Figure 1B The SMF 120 and UPF 130 are mentioned.

[0082] like Figure 2 As shown, the SMF 120 acquires at least one FEC ratio and information about the PSI value used for QoS flows.

[0083] In this disclosure, the FEC ratio can be used interchangeably with the difference between 1 and the PDU set context ratio. It is assumed that the PDU set is useful to the receiver only if Y% of the bits in the PDU set are delivered correctly. Y is the PDU set context ratio.

[0084] In some implementations, the SMF 120 can obtain information about the PSI value and at least one FEC ratio for QoS flows from the PCF 140. This will be discussed later. Figure 4 To describe.

[0085] Alternatively, in some implementations, the SMF 120 can obtain information about the PSI value used for the QoS flow and the QoS flow ID from the UPF 130. This will be discussed later. Figure 5 To describe.

[0086] Alternatively, in some implementations, the SMF 120 may be pre-configured with information about the PSI value and at least one FEC ratio for QoS flows. In such implementations, the SMF 120 may be pre-configured with a PSI value and at least one FEC ratio having a flow description. The flow description may be a set of packet filters, such as an IP packet filter set or an Ethernet packet filter set. The packet filter set may include at least one of the following: direction, source IP address and destination IP address, protocol, source port and destination port. Alternatively, the flow description may be an application identifier (i.e., AppID). For example, the PCF 140 may provide the SMF 120 with a set of packet filters or an AppID as a flow description in a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule. The SMF 120 checks the corresponding PSI value and FEC ratio based on the set of packet filters or the AppID.

[0087] In some implementations, information about PSI values ​​may include a specific PSI value or a range of PSI values.

[0088] Alternatively, information about the PSI value may include the number of bits representing the PSI value. In some implementations, the number of bits can be in the range of 2 to 8. For example, if the number of bits is equal to 2, this means that the PSI value can be 0, 1, 2, and 3. It should be understood that the number of bits can be equal to any suitable value, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0089] In some implementations, FEC can be applied to all PDUs in the data stream. In such implementations, a single FEC ratio can be applied to the entire set of PDUs in the data stream. Therefore, the SMF 120 can obtain information about a single FEC ratio and the PSI value used for the PDU set.

[0090] Alternatively, in some implementations, FEC may not be applied to all PDUs in the data stream. In such implementations, FEC may be applied to some PDUs in the PDU set of the data stream. In such implementations, SMF 120 may additionally obtain information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. SMF 120 may then provide information about the second mapping to UPF 130, which will be described in detail later. Based on the information about the PDU set and the information about the second mapping, UPF 130 may determine whether FEC is applied to downlink PDUs in the PDU set. For example, if the PSI value used for the PDU set is not included in the information about the second mapping, UPF 130 may determine that FEC is not applied to the PDU set with that PSI.

[0091] Consider an example. In this example, the data stream may include four different types of PDU sets. The first type of PDU set, the second type of PDU set, the third type of PDU set, and the fourth type of PDU set may be associated with different PSI values, such as PSI#0, PSI#1, PSI#2, and PSI#3.

[0092] Since I-frames are more important than P-frames and B-frames, FEC can be applied to the first type of PDU set with PSI#0 and the second type of PDU set with PSI#1, and FEC can be applied to the third type of PDU set with PSI#2 and the fourth type of PDU set with PSI#3.

[0093] In this example, SMF 120 can also obtain information about a second mapping of PSI#0 and PSI#1 with at least one FEC ratio. SMF 120 can then provide UPF 130 with this second mapping information. If a single FEC ratio is applied to a first type of PDU set with PSI#0 and a second type of PDU set with PSI#1, the information about the second mapping can be in the form of (PSI list and FEC ratio), where the PSI list includes PSI#0 and PSI#1. If different FEC ratios are applied to a first type of PDU set with PSI#0 and a second type of PDU set with PSI#1, then each of PSI#0 and PSI#1 can be associated with one FEC ratio in the FEC ratios. For example, the information about the second mapping can be in the form of (FEC ratio #0 for PSI#0, FEC ratio #1 for PSI#1). Since PSI#2 and PSI#3 are not included in the information about the second mapping, UPF 130 can determine that FEC is not applied to the third type of PDU set with PSI#2 and the fourth type of PDU set with PSI#3.

[0094] Alternatively, in some implementations, FEC can be applied to all PDUs of the data stream, and different FEC ratios can be applied to the set of PDUs in the data stream. In such implementations, the SMF 120 can also obtain information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio.

[0095] Consider an example. In this example, the data stream may include four different types of PDU sets. The first type of PDU set, the second type of PDU set, the third type of PDU set, and the fourth type of PDU set may be associated with different PSI values, such as PSI#0, PSI#1, PSI#2, and PSI#3.

[0096] In this example, FEC can be applied to a first type of PDU set with PSI#0, a second type of PDU set with PSI#1, a third type of PDU set with PSI#2, and a fourth type of PDU set with PSI#3. Different FEC ratios can be applied to the four types of PDU sets. In this example, the SMF 120 can also obtain information about a second mapping between PSI#0, PSI#1, PSI#2, and PSI#3 and the fourth FEC ratio. For example, the information about the second mapping can be in the form of (FEC ratio #0 for PSI#0, FEC ratio #1 for PSI#1, FEC ratio #2 for PSI#2, FEC ratio #3 for PSI#3).

[0097] In some implementations, the SMF 120 can obtain information about the second mapping from the PCF 140. Alternatively, the SMF 120 can be pre-configured with information about the second mapping.

[0098] Continue to refer to Figure 2 The SMF 120 provides the UPF 130 with the following 220 items: the identifier (ID) of the QoS flow (also known as the QoS flow ID or QFI), information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about the first mapping between the PSI value and the transport layer label (TLM) value.

[0099] In some implementations, information about at least one FEC ratio may include at least one value of the FEC ratio. For example, if the FEC ratio is equal to x%, then information about the FEC ratio may be x%, where x is in the range of 0 to 100.

[0100] Alternatively, in some implementations, information regarding at least one FEC ratio may include at least one required transmission ratio for at least one PDU set. At least one required transmission ratio is associated with at least one FEC ratio. For example, if the FEC ratio is equal to x%, then the required transmission ratio associated with the FEC ratio is equal to or greater than (1-x%), where x is in the range of 0 to 100.

[0101] In some implementations, the first mapping may include one of the following: • The mapping between the first PSI value and the first TLM value (represented by TLM#1) and the second TLM value (represented by TLM#2), this is referred to as Option 1 of the first mapping. • The mapping between the first PSI value and the first TLM value, referred to as option 2 of the first mapping, or • The mapping of the first PSI value to the first TLM value and the default TLM value is referred to as option 3 of the first mapping.

[0102] In some implementations, each TLM value in the TLM value set includes a Differential Service Code Point (DSCP) value or a flow label. For example, the DSCP value is used in IPv4 to indicate the QoS priority of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) packets, and this DSCP value uses only 6 out of 8 bits. For Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), the flow label is used instead of the DSCP value to indicate the QoS priority of IPv6 packets, and this flow label has 20 bits.

[0103] As mentioned above, in some implementations, FEC can be applied to all PDUs of the data stream. In such implementations, the first mapping may include one of the following: option 1 of the first mapping, option 2 of the first mapping, or option 3 of the first mapping.

[0104] As described above, in some implementations, FEC may not be applied to all PDUs in a data stream, or FEC may be applied to all PDUs in a data stream, but different FEC ratios may be applied to a set of PDUs in the data stream. In such implementations, in addition to information about a first mapping between PSI values ​​and TLM values, SMF 120 may also provide UPF 130 with information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. Based on the information about the PDU set and the information about the second mapping, UPF 130 can determine whether FEC is applied to downlink PDUs in the PDU set. For example, if the PSI value used for the PDU set is not included in the information about the second mapping, then UPF 130 can determine that FEC is not applied to the PDU set with that PSI.

[0105] Consider an example. In this example, FEC is applied to the PDU set with PSI#0 and PSI#1, and FEC is not applied to the PDU set with PSI#2 and PSI#3.

[0106] If option 1 of the first mapping is applied, the SMF 120 can provide the UPF 130 with information about the first mapping between the PSI value and the TLM value. For example, the information about the first mapping can be in the following form: (PSI#0, TLM#0-A, TLM#0-B), (PSI#1, TLM#1-A, TLM#1-B), (PSI#2, TLM#2), (PSI#3, TLM#3). In this way, the UPF 130 can determine that the FEC is applied to the PDU with PSI#0 and PSI#1 based on the two associated TLM values.

[0107] If option 2 of the first mapping is applied, the SMF 120 can provide the UPF 130 with both information about the first mapping and information about a second mapping of at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. For example, the information about the second mapping can be in the form of (PSI#0, PSI#1, FEC ratio; or FEC ratio #0 for PSI#0, FEC ratio #1 for PSI#1), and (PSI#0, TLM#0), (PSI#1, TLM#1), (PSI#2, TLM#2), (PSI#3, TLM#3). In this way, the UPF 130 can determine that FEC is applied to the PDU with PSI#0 and PSI#1.

[0108] If option 3 of the first mapping is applied, the SMF 120 can provide the UPF 130 with both information about the first mapping and information about a second mapping involving at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. For example, the information about the second mapping can be in the form of: (PSI#0, PSI#1, FEC ratio; or FEC ratio #0 for PSI#0, FEC ratio #1 for PSI#1), and (PSI#0, TLM#0), (PSI#1, TLM#1), (PSI#2, TLM#2), (PSI#3, TLM#3), default TLM value. In this way, the UPF 130 can determine that FEC is applied to the PDU with PSI#0 and PSI#1.

[0109] In some implementations, to introduce some redundancy based on the FEC ratio provided by AF 160, PCF 140 / SMF120 can provide a new FEC ratio to SMF 120 / UPF 130 that is slightly smaller than the FEC ratio provided by AF 160 / PCF 140. For example, if the FEC ratio provided by AF 160 is 20%, then SMF 120 can provide an FEC ratio of 15% to UPF 130. Conversely, if SMF 120 provides an FEC ratio of 20%, then UPF 130 can treat the FEC ratio as 15% for robustness.

[0110] Continue to refer to Figure 2 Upon receiving QFI, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping between PSI values ​​and TLM values, UPF 130 determines one of the TLM values ​​of downlink (DL) PDUs in the PDU set used for QoS flow based on the following: information about the PDU set, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about the first mapping.

[0111] In some implementations, information about a PDU set is also referred to as PDU set information. For example, PDU set information may include at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, indication of the last PDU in the PDU set, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size (in bytes), and indication of the end of a PSI or data burst.

[0112] In some implementations, SMF 120 can instruct UPF 130 to perform PDU set marking and can provide UPF 130 with a protocol description. The protocol description can indicate the headers used by the service data stream, extended headers (e.g., Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) headers or Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) headers), and payload type (e.g., H.264). Based on information provided by AF160 or by the local policy of PCF 140, the protocol description can be received in PCC rules.

[0113] In some implementations, the UPF 130 can determine or identify PDU set information using the protocol description included in the Packet Detection Rules (PDR) provided by the SMF 120 and the received RTP / SRTP header, or using implementation-specific components. In this way, the UPF 130 can know in advance the size of the PDU set (in bytes) for the PDU set.

[0114] In some implementations, UPF 130 can determine the amount of data in the PDUs that have been sent within the PDU set. The amount of data in the PDUs that have been sent within the PDU set is also referred to as the amount of data sent within the PDU set. The size of the PDU set is also referred to as the size of the PDU set.

[0115] In some implementations, UPF 130 can also determine the ratio of the amount of data sent to the PDU set to the PDU set size. If the ratio of the amount of data sent to the PDU set to the PDU set size is less than the difference between 1 and the FEC ratio used for the PDU set, then UPF 130 can determine a first TLM value for the DL PDU based on the PSI used for the PDU set and information about the first mapping. In other words, if the ratio of the amount of data sent to the PDU set to the PDU set size is less than (1 - FEC ratio), then UPF 130 marks the DL PDU with a TLM value #1 (e.g., DSCP value #1 for an IPv4 DL PDU, or flow label #1 for an IPv6 DL PDU) based on the PSI used for the PDU set and information about the first mapping.

[0116] On the other hand, if the ratio of the amount of data sent by the PDU set to the PDU set size is greater than the difference between 1 and the FEC ratio used for the PDU set, then UPF 130 can determine a second TLM value for the DL PDU based on the PSI used for the PDU set and information about the first mapping. In other words, if the ratio of the amount of data sent by the PDU set to the PDU set size is equal to or greater than (1-FEC ratio), then UPF 130 marks the DL PDU with a TLM value #2 (e.g., DSCP value #1 for an IPv4 DL PDU, or flow label #1 for an IPv6 DL PDU) based on the PSI used for the PDU set and information about the first mapping.

[0117] Figure 3 Examples of transport layer markings according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Figure 3 In the example, for PDU set #1, the FEC ratio is set to 20%. This means that RAN node 102 needs to successfully deliver at least 80% of the bits in PDU set #1 to UE 104. Then, the application layer of UE 104 can successfully recover the transmitted PDU set. If the PDU set size is 100 bytes, at least 80 bytes should be sent to the RAN node. If the data volume of PDUs #0-7 is greater than 80%, but the data volume of PDUs #0-6 is less than 80%, then UPF 130 can mark PDU #7 as TLM #1. Otherwise, if the transmitted data volume of the PDU set begins to exceed (1-FEC ratio), the following three options exist.

[0118] Option 1: UPF 130 marks the DL PDU with TLM#2 based on the PSI used for PDU set #1.

[0119] Option 2: If SMF 120 does not provide TLM#2, then UPF 130 will mark the DL PDU with (TLM#1 - predetermined value) based on the PSI used for PDU set #1. The predetermined value is also called the fixed value. For example, the fixed value can be 1 or other values.

[0120] Option 3: If the SMF 120 does not provide TLM#2, the UPF 130 will mark the DL PDU with a default TLM value. For example, the default TLM value could be the lowest TLM value (i.e., 0). The default TLM value can be provided by the SMF 120 or predefined.

[0121] Furthermore, it is assumed that SMF 120 also provides the FEC ratio to RAN node 102. If RAN node 102 confirms that at least (1-x%) of the PDUs in a PDU set have been successfully delivered to UE 104, RAN node 102 can instruct UPF 130 to discard the PDU set by providing the PDU set SN (e.g., a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol-User Plane (GTP-U) header via uplink (UL) packets or UL dummy packets).

[0122] It should be noted that if SMF 120 provides (1-FEC ratio), then UPF 130 needs to check whether the ratio of the amount of data sent in the PDU set to the size of the PDU set is less than the value directly provided by SMF 120.

[0123] As described above, in some implementations, the SMF 120 can obtain information about the PSI values ​​and at least one FEC ratio for QoS flows from the PCF 140. Additionally, the SMF 120 can obtain information from the PCF 140 about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. This will refer to... Figure 4 To describe.

[0124] Figure 4 A signaling diagram is illustrated, which illustrates an example process 400 supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 400 can be considered as an example implementation of process 200. For the purposes of discussion, process 400 will be referred to... Figure 1B To describe. Process 400 may involve Figure 1B The SMF 120, UPF 130, PCF 140, NEF 150, and AF 160 are among them.

[0125] like Figure 4 As shown, AF 160 provides NEF 150 with a flow description, at least one FEC ratio, and information about the PSI value. For example, AF 160 can send an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF 150. This message may include the UE address, flow description, at least one FEC ratio, and information about the PSI value.

[0126] Additionally, AF 160 can provide NEF 150 with information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. For example, AF 160 can send an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS_Create request message to NEF 150. This message can include information about the second mapping.

[0127] Then, NEF 150 provides PCF 140 with a 420-bit flow description, at least one FEC ratio, and information about the PSI value. For example, NEF 150 can send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request to PCF 140. This message may include a flow description, at least one FEC ratio, and information about the PSI value.

[0128] Additionally, the NEF150 can provide the PCF140 with information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. For example, the NEF150 can send an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request to the PCF140. This message can include information about the second mapping.

[0129] Then, PCF 140 provides SMF 120 with a 430 flow description, at least one FEC ratio, and information about the PSI value. For example, PCF 140 can include these parameters in a PCC rule and provide them to SMF 120.

[0130] Additionally, PCF 140 can also provide SMF 120 with information about a second mapping between at least one PSI value and at least one FEC ratio. For example, PCF 140 can include information about the second mapping in the PCC rule and provide it to SMF 120.

[0131] Actions 220 and 230 are similar to those in process 200. For the sake of brevity, the details of these actions have been omitted.

[0132] As mentioned above, in some implementations, the SMF 120 can obtain information about the PSI value and at least one FEC ratio for QoS flows from the UPF 130. This will refer to... Figure 5 To describe.

[0133] Figure 5 A signaling diagram is illustrated, which illustrates an example process 500 supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 500 can be considered as another example implementation of process 200. For the purposes of discussion, process 500 will be referenced... Figure 1B To describe. Process 500 may involve Figure 1B The SMF 120 and UPF 130 are mentioned.

[0134] like Figure 5 As shown, SMF 120 sends a 510 indication and the ID of the QoS flow (i.e., QFI) to UPF 130. The indication specifies that information about the PSI value used for the QoS flow will be provided to SMF 120.

[0135] In some implementations, PCF 140 can provide PDU set QoS parameters (such as PSDB, PSER, PSIHI) and FEC ratios in the PCC rules for associated flow descriptions. Based on the PDU set QoS parameters, SMF 120 instructs UPF 130 to report information about PSI values. SMF 120 can provide the duration for UPF 130 to monitor PSI values.

[0136] Upon receiving a QFI and indication, the UPF 130 provides the SMF 120 with the QFI and PSI values. For example, after monitoring for a period of time (e.g., based on the duration provided by the SMF 120), the UPF 130 provides the SMF 120 with the QFI and information about the PSI values.

[0137] In some implementations, the PSI can be replaced by one of the following: frame type, media type, or PDU SN within the PDU set. For example, in Figure 4 In this process, AF 160 can provide the frame type / media type associated with the stream description in action 410. PCF 140 can provide the frame type / media type associated with the stream description in action 430. Alternatively, SMF 120 can be pre-configured with information about the mapping between frame type / media type and stream description. Furthermore, AF 160 can indicate that the first (i.e., initial) PDU in the PDU set can be more important than other PDUs. Alternatively, SMF 120 can be pre-configured with information. In this way, SMF 120 can provide UPF 130 with at least one PDU SN and its corresponding TLM value within the PDU set. For example, PDU SN=1 within the PDU set maps to TLM#1. Other PDU SNs within the PDU set map to TLM#2 or a default TLM value or (TLM#1 - a predetermined value), as explained relative to action 230.

[0138] Figure 6A A signaling diagram is illustrated, illustrating an example process 600A supporting uplink (UL) PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 600A may involve a first device and a third device. In some implementations, the first device may perform... Figure 1B The SMF 120 in the middle. Alternatively, the first device can perform, in addition to Figure 1B Other network functions besides the SMF 120. In some implementations, a third device can perform... Figure 1B The AMF 170 in the middle. Alternatively, the third device can perform, in addition to Figure 1B Other network functions besides AMF 170. For discussion purposes, process 600A will refer to Figure 1BTo describe. Process 600A may involve Figure 1B UE 104, SMF 120 and AMF 170, and Figure 1A The first RAN node in the system is 102-1.

[0139] Typically, process 600A involves a NAS solution for activating or deactivating UL PDU set identification at UE 104.

[0140] Specifically, UE 104 provides SMF 120 with a 610 PDU-based processing support indicator. PDU-based processing is also known as PDU set processing.

[0141] In some implementations, UE 104 can UE 5GSM core network capabilities The UE 104 provides a PDU set-based processing support indicator, which is included in the PDU session establishment / modification request. Alternatively, the UE 104 may provide the PDU set-based processing support indicator in the Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) during the PDU session establishment / modification process.

[0142] If UE 104 supports PDU set processing, SMF 120 provides UE 104 with a 620 protocol description and QFI in a NAS SM message.

[0143] For example, the protocol description can be included in the QoS rules used for UE 104. The protocol description can be included in the packet filter set within the QoS rules; however, it is not used for packet filtering but rather to assist in UL PDU set identification. The NAS layer of UE 104 forwards the protocol description and QFI to the AS layer of UE 104.

[0144] Optionally, the first RAN node can provide the SMF 120 with a 630A processing support indicator based on a PDU set.

[0145] For example, during the establishment / modification of a PDU session, the first RAN node 102-1 can provide the SMF 120 with a processing support indicator based on the PDU set in the N2 SM information.

[0146] SMF 120 determines whether the serving RAN node (e.g., first RAN node 102-1) of 640A UE 104 supports PDU-based processing.

[0147] For example, SMF 120 can determine whether the first RAN node 102-1 supports PDU-based processing based on the presence / absence of a PDU-based processing support indicator from the first RAN node 102-1 during PDU session establishment / modification.

[0148] If the first RAN node 102-1 supports PDU set-based processing, the SMF 120 sends a 650A first indication to the UE 104, which indicates the activation of UL PDU set identification for QoS flows identified by QFI.

[0149] For example, during the PDU session establishment / modification process, SMF 120 provides UE 104 with a QFI and a first indication, which specifies the activation of UL PDU set identification. Actions 650A and 620 can be combined into a single action for the PDU session establishment / modification process. That is, SMF 120 provides a QFI, a protocol description, and a first indication, which specifies the activation of UL PDU set identification.

[0150] Upon receiving a first indication specifying the activation of the UL PDU set identification, the NAS layer of UE 104 forwards the first indication to the AS layer of UE 104.

[0151] Upon receiving a first indication to activate UL PDU set identification, the AS layer of UE 104 initiates 660A UL PDU set identification based on the first indication and the protocol description for the corresponding QoS flow.

[0152] Figure 6B A signaling diagram is illustrated, which illustrates an example process 600B supporting UL PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure. Process 600B may involve a first device and a third device. In some implementations, the first device may perform... Figure 1B The SMF 120 in the middle. Alternatively, the first device can perform, in addition to Figure 1B Other network functions besides the SMF 120. In some implementations, a third device can perform... Figure 1B The AMF 170 in the middle. Alternatively, the third device can perform, in addition to Figure 1B Other network functions besides AMF 170. For the purposes of discussion, Procedure 600B will refer to Figure 1B To describe. Process 600B may involve Figure 1B UE 104, SMF 120 and AMF 170, and Figure 1A The first RAN node 102-1 and the second RAN node 102-2 in the system.

[0153] Process 600B is similar to process 600A. The difference between process 600B and process 600A is that process 600B may involve a switching process.

[0154] Specifically, for the Xn handover process, the first RAN node 102-1 can provide the SMF 120 with a 630B processing support indicator based on the PDU set in the path handover request. For the N2 handover process, the first RAN node 102-1 can provide the SMF 120 with a 630B processing support indicator based on the PDU set in the handover request response.

[0155] SMF 120 determines whether the source RAN node (such as the second RAN node 102-2) and the target RAN node (such as the first RAN node 102-1) of UE 104 differ in supporting PDU-based processing. It should be understood that action 640B can be considered as... Figure 6A Example implementation of action 640A.

[0156] If the second RAN node 102-2 and the first RAN node 102-1 differ in their support for PDU-based processing, then the SMF 120 executes action 650B or action 650C. There are two possible use cases: (1) from a non-supported source RAN node to a supported target RAN node, or (2) from a supported target RAN node to a non-supported target RAN node.

[0157] If the first RAN node 102-1 (i.e., the target RAN node) supports PDU set-based processing and the second RAN node 102-2 (i.e., the source RAN node) does not support PDU set-based processing, then the SMF 120 sends a 650B first indication to the UE 104, which indicates the activation of UL PDU set identification for QoS flows identified by QFI. For example, the UE 104 moves from a non-supported source RAN node to a supported target RAN node (i.e., use case (1)).

[0158] If the first RAN node 102-1 (i.e., the target RAN node) does not support PDU set-based processing and the second RAN node 102-2 (i.e., the source RAN node) does support PDU set-based processing, then the SMF 120 sends a 650C second indication to the UE 104, which indicates the deactivation of UL PDU set identification for QoS flows identified by QFI. For example, the UE 104 moves from a supported source RAN node to a non-supported target RAN node (i.e., use case (2)).

[0159] Upon receiving the QFI and either the first or second indication, the NAS layer of UE 104 forwards these parameters to the AS layer of UE 104.

[0160] Upon receiving a first indication to activate UL PDU set identification, the AS layer of UE 104 initiates 660B UL PDU set identification based on the first indication and the protocol description for the corresponding QoS flow.

[0161] On the other hand, upon receiving a second instruction indicating that UL PDU set identification should be deactivated, the AS layer of UE 104 stops 660B UL PDU set identification based on the second instruction for the corresponding QoS flow.

[0162] In some implementations, an AS solution for activating or deactivating UL PDU set identification at UE 104 can be adopted. In such implementations, UE 104 may receive a first indication from a first RAN node 102-1 serving UE 104. The first indication includes a UL PDU set processing configuration from the first RAN node 102-1. The UL PDU set processing configuration can be viewed as an implicit indication used to activate or deactivate UL PDU set identification. For example, the first RAN node 102-1 may configure UE 104 to discard PDU sets based on PSI. Furthermore, the first RAN node 102-1 may request UE 104 to report the remaining latency of the PDU set and the associated data volume, such as a Delay Status Report (DSR).

[0163] Upon receiving the UL PDU set processing configuration from the first RAN node 102-1, the AS layer of UE 104 initiates UL PDU set identification based on the protocol description provided by the NAS layer of UE 104. If the first RAN node 102-1 can provide UE 104 with the option to disable UL PDU set processing, then the AS layer of UE 104 stops UL PDU set identification based on the protocol description provided by the NAS layer of UE 104.

[0164] Figure 7 An example of a device 700 supporting transport layer enhancement or UL PDU set identification according to some implementations of this disclosure is illustrated. Device 700 may be an example of a first device, a second device, or a UE 104 as described herein. Device 700 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UE 104, or any combination thereof. Device 700 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a processor 702, a memory 704, a transceiver 706, and an optional I / O controller 708. These components may communicate electronically or be otherwise coupled (e.g., operative ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus).

[0165] Processor 702, memory 704, transceiver 706, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of components for performing aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. For example, processor 702, memory 704, transceiver 706, or various combinations thereof or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0166] In some implementations, processor 702, memory 704, transceiver 706, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., as a communication management circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, configured or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some implementations, processor 702 and memory 704 coupled to processor 702 may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in memory 704 are executed by processor 702).

[0167] For example, processor 702 can support wireless communication at device 700 according to examples disclosed herein. Processor 702 can be configured to support components for performing the following: acquiring at least one FEC ratio and information about the importance value of a PDU set for a QoS flow at a first device; and providing to a second device: the ID of the QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping between the PDU set importance value and the transport layer tag value.

[0168] Alternatively, in some examples, processor 702 may be configured to support components for performing the following: receiving from a first device at a second device: the ID of a QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow, and information about a first mapping between a PDU set importance value and a transport layer tag value for the QoS flow; and determining one of the transport layer tag values ​​of downlink PDUs in the PDU set for the QoS flow based on: information about the PDU set, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about the first mapping.

[0169] Alternatively, in some implementations, processor 702 may be configured to support components for performing the following: determining at a first device whether a first RAN node serving the UE supports PDU set-based processing; and based on the determination that the first RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, sending a first indication to the UE indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows.

[0170] Alternatively, in some implementations, processor 702 may be configured to support components for performing: receiving a first indication at the UE from a first device or a first RAN node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows; and initiating uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows based on the first indication and a protocol description for QoS flows.

[0171] Processor 702 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, processor 702 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 702. Processor 702 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 704) to cause device 700 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0172] Memory 704 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 704 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 702, cause device 700 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executed by processor 702, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, memory 704 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) or similar system that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0173] I / O controller 708 can manage input and output signals for device 700. I / O controller 708 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device M02. In some implementations, I / O controller 708 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 708 can utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. In some implementations, I / O controller 708 can be implemented as part of a processor (such as processor 706). In some implementations, a user can interact with device 700 via I / O controller 708 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 708.

[0174] In some implementations, device 700 may include a single antenna 710. However, in other implementations, device 700 may have more than one antenna 710 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. As described herein, transceiver 706 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 710, wired, or wireless links. For example, transceiver 706 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 706 may also include a modem for modulating packets to provide modulated packets to one or more antennas 710 for transmission and to demodulate packets received from one or more antennas 710. Transceiver 706 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or combinations thereof.

[0175] The transmission chain can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmission chain may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing it for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes (e.g., phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)). The transmission chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. The transmission chain may also include one or more antennas 710 for transmitting the amplified signal over the air or wireless medium.

[0176] A receiver chain can be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain may include one or more antennas 710 for receiving signals over the air or a wireless medium. The receiver chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and acquire transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. The receiver chain may include at least one decoder for decoding and processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0177] Figure 8 An example of a processor 800 supporting transport layer enhancement or UL PDU set identification according to other aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Processor 800 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 800 may include a controller 802 configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 800 may optionally include at least one memory 804. Additionally or alternatively, processor 800 may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 806. One or more of these components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operative ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0178] Processor 800 may be a processor chipset and includes a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, acquire, retrieve, send, output, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory native to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., processor 800), or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), etc.)).

[0179] Controller 802 can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of processor 800 (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, retrieving, sending, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) to enable processor 800 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. For example, controller 802 can operate as a control unit of processor 800, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of processor 800. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating operation timing.

[0180] Controller 802 may be configured to retrieve (e.g., fetch, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 804 and determine subsequent instructions(s) to be executed, enabling processor 800 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Controller 802 may be configured to track memory addresses of instructions associated with memory 804. Controller 802 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operations to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 802 may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of processor 800, enabling processor 800 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Alternatively or additionally, controller 802 may be configured to manage data flow within processor 800. Controller 802 may be configured to control data transfers between registers, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and other functional units of processor 800.

[0181] Memory 804 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory native to or included within processor 800, or other memory such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc.). In some implementations, memory 804 may be located inside or on the processor chipset (e.g., native to processor 800). In some other implementations, memory 804 may be located outside the processor chipset (e.g., remote from processor 800).

[0182] Memory 804 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 800, cause processor 800 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. Controller 802 and / or processor 800 may be configured to execute the computer-readable instructions stored in memory 804 to cause processor 800 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting transmit power priority ordering). For example, processor 800 and / or controller 802 may be coupled to or coupled to memory 804, and processor 800, controller 802, and memory 840 may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, processor 800 may include multiple processors, and memory 804 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be configured individually or collectively to perform the various functions described herein.

[0183] One or more ALU 806s can be configured to support various operations according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, one or more ALU 806s may reside inside or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 800). In some other implementations, one or more ALU 806s may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., processor 800). One or more ALU 806s can perform one or more computations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALU 806s can receive input operands and opcodes that determine the operation to be performed. One or more ALU 806s can be configured with various logic and arithmetic circuitry, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operations. Alternatively or concurrently, one or more ALU 806s may support logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, NOR, and NAND, enabling one or more ALU 806s to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0184] Processor 800 can support wireless communication according to the examples disclosed herein. Processor 800 can be configured to support components for performing the following: acquiring at least one FEC ratio and information about the importance value of a PDU set for a QoS flow at a first device; and providing to a second device: the ID of the QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping between the PDU set importance value and the transport layer tag value.

[0185] Alternatively, in some implementations, processor 800 may be configured to support components for performing the following: receiving from a first device at a second device: the ID of a QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow, and information about a first mapping between a PDU set importance value and a transport layer tag value for the QoS flow; and determining one of the transport layer tag values ​​of downlink PDUs in the PDU set for the QoS flow based on: information about the PDU set, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about the first mapping.

[0186] Alternatively, in some implementations, the processor 800 may be configured to support components for performing the following: determining at a first device whether a first RAN node serving the UE supports PDU set-based processing; and based on the determination that the first RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, sending a first indication to the UE indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows.

[0187] Alternatively, in some implementations, the processor 800 may be configured to support components for performing the following: receiving at the UE a first indication from a first device or a first RAN node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows; and initiating uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows based on the first indication and a protocol description for QoS flows.

[0188] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a method 900 supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 900 can be implemented by the device or components thereof described herein. For example, operation of method 900 can be performed by the first means described herein. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or concurrently, the device can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0189] At 910, the method may include: acquiring at least one FEC ratio and information regarding the importance value of the PDU set used for the QoS flow at a first device. The operation at 910 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation at 910 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0190] At 920, the method may include providing the second device with: the ID of the QoS flow, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping between PDU set importance values ​​and transport layer tag values. The operation at 920 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation at 920 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0191] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a method 1000 supporting transport layer enhancements according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1000 can be implemented by the device or components thereof described herein. For example, operation of method 1000 can be performed by a second means described herein. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or concurrently, the device can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0192] At 1010, the method may include: receiving, at the second device, the following from the first device: an ID of the QoS flow, information regarding at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow, and information regarding a first mapping between PDU set importance values ​​and transport layer tag values ​​for the QoS flow. The operation of 1010 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 1010 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0193] At 1020, the method may include: determining a transport layer tag value among the transport layer tag values ​​of downlink PDUs in the PDU set for use within the QoS flow based on: information about the PDU set, information about at least one FEC ratio, and information about a first mapping. The operation of 1020 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 1020 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0194] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating a method 1100 for supporting UL PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1100 may be implemented by the device or components thereof described herein. For example, operation of method 1100 may be performed by a first means described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or additionally, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0195] At 1110, the method may include: determining at a first device whether a first RAN node serving the UE supports PDU-based processing. The operation of 1110 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 1110 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0196] At 1120, the method may include: based on determining that a first RAN node supports PDU set-based processing, sending a first indication to the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flows. The operation at 1120 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation at 1120 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0197] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a method 1200 supporting UL PDU set identification according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1200 may be implemented by the device or components thereof described herein. For example, operation of method 1200 may be performed by the UE 104 described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or additionally, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0198] At 1210, the method may include: receiving at the UE a first indication from a first device or a first RAN node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink PDU set identification for QoS flow. The operation of 1210 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 1210 may be derived from references... Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0199] At 1220, the method may include: initiating uplink PDU set identification for the QoS flow based on a first indication and a protocol description for the QoS flow. The operation at 1220 can be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation at 1220 may be derived from references. Figure 1A Or the device described in 1B can be used for execution.

[0200] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0201] The various illustrated boxes and components described in connection with this disclosure may be implemented or performed by the following: a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0202] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, these functions can be stored on or transmitted on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination of the foregoing. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the function are implemented at different physical locations.

[0203] Computer-readable media include non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer. For example, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, optical disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store required program code components in the form of instructions or data structures, and can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor.

[0204] As used herein, including in the claims, the article “a” preceding an element is not limited and is understood to mean “at least one” or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are used interchangeably. As used herein, including in the claims, the “or” used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefixed with phrases such as “at least one of…” or “one or more of…” or “one or two of…”) indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Additionally, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as “based on condition A” could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as “at least partially based on.” Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, “set” can include one or more elements.

[0205] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the first device: Obtain at least one forward error correction (FEC) ratio and information about the importance value of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set used for Quality of Service (QoS) flows; as well as The following items shall be provided to the second device: The identifier (ID) of the QoS flow. Information regarding the at least one FEC ratio, and Information regarding the first mapping between the importance values ​​of the PDU set and the transport layer tag values.

2. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first mapping comprises one of the following: Mapping of the importance value of the first PDU set to the first transport layer tag value and the second transport layer tag value The mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value, or The mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the default transport layer tag value.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: The second device is provided with information about a second mapping between at least one PDU set importance value and the at least one FEC ratio.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first device is further configured to: The information about the second mapping is obtained from the third device.

5. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the transport layer tag values ​​comprises a differential service code point (DSCP) value or a stream tag.

6. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is configured to: obtain from the third apparatus the information regarding the importance value of the PDU set and the at least one FEC ratio for the QoS flow.

7. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is configured to: obtain from the second apparatus the information regarding the importance value of the PDU set for the QoS flow and the ID of the QoS flow.

8. A second device, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the second device: Receive the following from the first device: The identifier (ID) of the Quality of Service (QoS) flow. Information regarding at least one forward error correction (FEC) ratio used for the QoS flow, and Information regarding the first mapping between the importance values ​​of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set and the transport layer tag values ​​used for the QoS flow; as well as One of the transport layer tag values ​​for the downlink PDUs in the PDU set within the QoS flow is determined based on the following: Information about the PDU set; The information regarding the at least one FEC ratio; and The information regarding the first mapping.

9. The second apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first mapping comprises one of the following: Mapping of the importance value of the first PDU set to the first transport layer tag value and the second transport layer tag value The mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value, or The mapping between the importance value of the first PDU set and the first transport layer tag value and the default transport layer tag value.

10. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the second device is further configured to: The first device receives information about a second mapping between at least one PDU set importance value and the at least one FEC ratio.

11. The second device according to claim 10, wherein the second device is further configured to: Before determining one of the transport layer tag values ​​for the downlink PDU, it is determined whether FEC is applied to the downlink PDU based on the information about the PDU set and the information about the second mapping.

12. The second apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the transport layer tag values ​​comprises a differential service code point (DSCP) value or a stream tag.

13. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the second device is further configured to: Determine the ratio of the amount of data sent to the size of the PDU set; Based on the difference between the determined ratio being less than 1 and the first FEC ratio used for the PDU set, and based on the information about the PDU set and the information about the first mapping, a first transport layer tag value for the downlink PDU is determined; as well as Based on the determination that the ratio is higher than the difference, and based on the information about the PDU set and the information about the first mapping, a second transport layer tag value for the downlink PDU is determined.

14. The second apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second transport layer flag value is equal to one of the following: The difference between the first transport layer flag value and the predetermined value, or Default transport layer tag value.

15. A first device, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, and configured such that the first device: Determine whether the first radio access network (RAN) node serving the user equipment (UE) supports processing based on the protocol data unit (PDU) set; as well as Based on the determination that the first RAN node supports the PDU set-based processing, a first indication is sent to the UE, the first indication indicating the activation of uplink PDU set identification for Quality of Service (QoS) flows.

16. The first device according to claim 15, wherein the first device is further configured to: Based on the determination that the first RAN node does not support the PDU-based processing and the second RAN node does support the PDU-based processing, a second indication is sent to the UE, the second indication indicating that the uplink PDU set identification for the QoS flow is deactivated, and the second RAN node serves the UE before the handover.

17. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first apparatus is configured to send the first instruction to the UE by: Based on the determination that the first RAN node supports the PDU-based processing and the second RAN node does not support the PDU-based processing, the first indication is sent to the UE, and the second RAN node serves the UE before the handover.

18. A user equipment (UE), comprising: processor; as well as A transceiver, the transceiver being coupled to the processor, The processor is configured as follows: The transceiver receives a first indication from a first device or a first radio access network (RAN) node serving the UE, the first indication indicating activation of uplink protocol data unit (PDU) set identification for quality of service (QoS) flow; as well as Based on the first indication and the protocol description for the QoS flow, the identification of the uplink PDU set for the QoS flow is initiated.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to: Receive a second indication from the first device or the first RAN node via the transceiver, the second indication indicating deactivation of the uplink PDU set identification for the QoS flow; and Based on the second indication and the protocol description for the QoS flow, the identification of the uplink PDU set for the QoS flow is stopped.

20. The UE of claim 18, wherein the first indication includes an uplink PDU set processing configuration from the first RAN node.

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