Dynamic media access control multiplexing

Abstract

Various exemplary embodiments disclose a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium for supporting dynamic MAC multiplexing. According to an exemplary embodiment, a terminal device in a communication network is configured to receive an indication from a network device that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type, determine whether a medium access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the DRB, and perform a multiplexing or de-multiplexing operation on a MAC PDU associated with the DRB in response to the MAC CE being multiplexed with the data in the DRB.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium that can support dynamic media access control (MAC) multiplexing functionality. Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication networks, the services and application scenarios supported by the networks are becoming increasingly diverse. The wireless access technology of sixth-generation (6G) communication systems is expected to support extreme communication requirements in terms of latency, reliability, and / or throughput. For example, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has proposed that IMT-2030 systems should support six application scenarios: immersive communication, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication, hyperscale communication, ubiquitous connectivity, artificial intelligence and communication convergence, and sensing and communication convergence. Among these, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (HRLLC) extends the ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) of IMT-2020 (5G), covering specific use cases with expectedly more stringent requirements for reliability and latency, such as communication in wireless factories under the Industry 4.0 framework, aiming to achieve full automation, control, and operation. For instance, the general requirement for URLLC in 5G systems is a reliability level of five nines within a 1ms latency in the user plane, while HRLLC in 6G systems needs to have a reliability of up to seven nines within a 0.1ms latency.

[0003] Therefore, how to meet these requirements and adapt to the new use cases of 6G has become a research hotspot and development direction in the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Overall, the various example embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution that can be used to improve the performance of MAC layer operations in wireless communication.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for a terminal device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, the at least one memory and the instructions being configured to use the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least: receive from a network device an indication that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; determine whether a media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and, in response to the multiplexing of the MAC CE with data in the data radio bearer (DRB), perform a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB).

[0006] According to a second aspect of this application, an apparatus for a network device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, the at least one memory and the instructions being configured to use the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least: send an indication to a terminal device that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; determine whether a media access control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and, in response to the multiplexing of the MAC CE with data in the data radio bearer (DRB), perform a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB).

[0007] According to a third aspect of this application, a method for communication is provided, implemented at a terminal device, comprising: receiving from a network device an indication that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; determining whether a media access control control element (MACCE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and, in response to the multiplexing of the MACCE with data in the data radio bearer (DRB), performing a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB).

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of this application, a method for communication is provided, implemented at a network device, comprising: sending an indication to a terminal device that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; determining whether a media access control control element (MACCE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and, in response to the multiplexing of the MACCE with data in the data radio bearer (DRB), performing a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB).

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of this application, an apparatus is provided, comprising: components for receiving from a network device an indication that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; components for determining whether a media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and components for performing a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB) in response to the multiplexing of data in the data radio bearer (DRB) by the MAC CE.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of this application, an apparatus is provided, comprising: components for sending an indication to a terminal device that a data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; components for determining whether a media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and components for performing multiplexing or demultiplexing operations on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB) in response to the multiplexing of data in the data radio bearer (DRB) by the MAC CE.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect of this application, a computer program product is provided, comprising (computer-executable) program instructions that, when executed (or run) by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to the aforementioned third or fourth aspect.

[0012] The computer program product may include or be embodied in a computer-readable (storage) medium, on which computer-executable computer program instructions and / or programs that can be directly loaded into the internal memory of a computer or its processor are stored. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is shown in which a communication system in which an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating a user plane protocol layer architecture to which embodiments of this disclosure may be applied;

[0015] Figure 3A This shows an example format of a MAC PDU for the MAC layer;

[0016] Figure 3B This shows another example format of the MAC PDU at the MAC layer;

[0017] Figures 4-5 This diagram illustrates a flow chart of MAC multiplexing according to an example embodiment.

[0018] Figures 6-7 A flowchart of a method for MAC multiplexing according to an exemplary embodiment is shown;

[0019] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a communication system according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0020] The same or substantially the same elements, operations, and steps shown in the various figures may be indicated by the same reference numerals. For clarity, not every element, operation, or step is shown in every figure. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present application should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein, but can be implemented in various other forms; these exemplary embodiments are provided only for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present application. It should also be understood that the accompanying drawings are given by way of example only and are not intended to limit the precise form of the embodiments or to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] In the following description, various exemplary embodiments will be illustrated using radio access architectures based on Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-A (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5GNR), 5G-A, or beyond 5G (e.g., 6G) as examples, but the exemplary embodiments are not limited to such architectures. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments can also be applied to other types of communication networks by appropriately adjusting parameters and processes.

[0023] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to any suitable entity or device capable of providing a cell or coverage area through which terminal devices can access the network or receive services. Network devices are often referred to as base stations. The term "base station" as used herein may refer to a Node B (or NB), an evolved Node B (or eNodeB or eNB), or a gNB or ng eNB. A base station can be embodied as a macro base station, a relay node, or a low-power node such as a pico or femtobase. A base station may consist of several distributed network units such as a baseband unit (BBU), one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) or remote radio units (RRUs). In some architectures, the BBU may be divided into a central unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs). The number and functionality of these distributed units depend on the chosen discrete RAN architecture.

[0024] As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) means any entity or device capable of wireless communication with or with network devices. Examples of terminal devices may include mobile phones, mobile terminals, mobile stations, subscriber stations, portable subscriber stations, access terminals, computers, wearable devices, vehicular communication devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, device-to-device (D2D) communication devices, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication devices, sensors, etc. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, user terminal, mobile terminal, mobile station, or wireless device.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in which an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. (See reference...) Figure 1The communication system 100 may include network components such as a user equipment (UE) device 110, a radio access network (RAN) 120, and a core network (CN) 130. Through the RAN 120 and CN 130, the communication system 100 can be configured to establish a connection or communication between the UE 110 and a data network (DN) (not shown), thereby providing communication services to the UE 110. The RAN 120 may include one or more base stations (only one is shown in the figure). The UE device 110 may camp on a cell served by a base station and wirelessly communicate with the base station via a radio interface 122 on uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) channels. The base station may connect to the CN 130 via a network interface (e.g., an NG interface).

[0026] In some embodiments, the UE device 110 and the base station may be part of a cellular communication network such as a 5G NR network, in which the UE device 110 may be implemented as an NR-enabled UE device 110, the RAN 120 may be implemented as a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN), the base station may be implemented as a next-generation node B (gNB), and the CN 130 may be implemented as a 5G core network (5GC). It is understood that the above network systems are merely examples and not limitations. Given the development of communication technologies, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to future communication technologies and systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) communication systems.

[0027] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a radio protocol stack, such as that used for radio interface 122. As shown, the user plane radio protocol stack includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol Layer (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol Layer (PDCP), Radio Link Control Layer (RLC), Media Access Control Layer (MAC), and Physical Layer (PHY). On the transmitting side, the SDAP layer is responsible for mapping Quality of Service (QoS) streams to Data Radio Bearers (DRBs). The PDCP layer primarily handles IP header compression and encryption of received data. The RLC layer provides transmission, segmentation / concatenation / reassembly, and other processing for upper-layer protocol data units. The MAC layer can multiplex data from one or more logical channels (referred to as RLC Protocol Data Units (RLC PDUs) or MAC Service Data Units (MAC SDUs), add the necessary MAC layer control elements (MAC CEs) and perform possible padding to form the final MAC Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) (also known as a Transport Block (TB)). The PHY layer is responsible for modulating, encoding, and other processing the received TBs before transmitting the data. On the receiving side, data packets are transmitted sequentially from the lower layer to the higher layer to complete the receiving operation. The MAC layer can demultiplex the MAC CE and MAC SDU from the TB of the PHY layer.

[0028] Figure 3A The figure illustrates a format for a MAC PDU at the MAC layer. A MAC PDU can include multiple MAC sub-PDUs, each containing a subheader and a payload. The subheader may include, for example, a Logical Channel Identifier (LCID), and the payload may include, for example, a MAC CE or a MAC SDU. That is, the MAC CE and data payload are multiplexed within the MAC PDU. Specifically, for downlink MAC PDUs, the MAC sub-PDU with the MAC CE is placed before the MAC sub-PDU with the MAC SDU and padding. For uplink MAC PDUs, the MAC sub-PDU with the MAC CE is placed after the MAC sub-PDU with the MAC SDU and before padding. Furthermore, the logical channels of the data and MAC CE within a MAC PDU may have their own priorities, and the multiplexing of MAC CEs and MAC SDUs within a MAC PDU will follow the priority order of the logical channels.

[0029] MAC CEs are primarily used to exchange MAC layer control information between UE 110 and network device 120 to coordinate various parameter adjustments and resource allocation during communication. Multiple MAC CEs can exist on both the downlink and uplink. MAC CEs are identified by the LCID field in their subheaders and can include various types for transmitting different MAC layer control information to achieve specific functions, such as MAC CEs for power headroom reports (PHR), buffer status reports (BSR), configured grant confirmations, and timing advance commands (TACs).

[0030] Figure 3B This diagram illustrates another format of the MAC PDU for the MAC layer, applicable to the transparent MAC layer. In this format, the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) undergoes transparent processing at the MAC layer to reduce data processing latency, thus facilitating the achievement of ultra-high latency requirements in systems such as 6G. As shown in the figure, the MAC PDU includes only a MAC SDU from a single logical channel, with a size aligned to a TB. Due to the transparent processing method at the MAC layer, this MAC PDU structure cannot support features such as... Figure 3A The multiplexing function of the MAC layer is shown.

[0031] As described above, a communication network system has multiple MAC CEs on both the uplink and downlink. For example, terminal device UE110 sends an uplink MAC CE to network device 120, and network device 120 sends a downlink MAC CE to terminal device 110. Each MAC CE has its own specific function, which is crucial for the operation of the network system. By effectively applying MAC CEs, network operators can optimize resource allocation, improve network performance, and ensure the communication quality and energy efficiency of UE110. For instance, TACMAC CE is used by UE110 to adjust timing advance (TA) during uplink transmission. Incorrect TA may cause uplink interference or even lead to data decoding failure.

[0032] On the other hand, since transparent DRB transmission does not allow MAC CEs to be multiplexed in MAC PDUs, when one or more critical MAC CEs are triggered, additional scheduling and allocation are required to transmit these critical MAC CEs. This necessitates additional downlink control signaling for downlink resource allocation or uplink authorization. However, since downlink signaling overhead is typically high, system performance is limited by the corresponding downlink capacity. Therefore, the solution of scheduling resources to transmit MAC CEs using more downlink control signaling is not the preferred option.

[0033] For uplink MAC CE, if it cannot be multiplexed in MAC PDU and transmitted to network device 120, a direct method is for UE 110 to trigger a scheduling request (SR) to network device 120 to request uplink resources for MAC CE transmission, but this method will introduce additional uplink latency.

[0034] Therefore, it is necessary to propose more flexible and efficient solutions to adapt to the new use cases of 6G systems, such as using transparent DRB to reduce latency while effectively transmitting critical MAC CE.

[0035] Based on the inventors' above analysis and research, some aspects of this disclosure provide a method for achieving dynamic MAC multiplexing. The basic principle of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is that network devices can configure a type of DRB called a "Hybrid Data Radio Bearer" (hereinafter referred to as Hybrid DRB). As used in this specification, the term "Hybrid DRB" indicates that it can simultaneously support transparent MAC layer operations (e.g., no multiplexing) and multiplexing operations (e.g., multiplexing of MAC SDU and MAC CE), and can dynamically switch between transparent and multiplexing operations. According to embodiments of this disclosure, in most cases, the DRB can be transmitted in a transparent processing mode without MAC layer multiplexing. MAC PDU multiplexing is only required at the MAC layer when critical MAC CEs are expected to be exchanged between the terminal device and the network device. By configuring a "Hybrid DRB," embodiments of this disclosure can transmit critical MAC CEs in a timely and efficient manner through multiplexing within the MAC PDU, while maintaining the advantages of transparent MAC layer transmission, achieving low-latency communication.

[0036] The following will refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The present disclosure provides a detailed description of exemplary embodiments, illustrating flowcharts of MAC layer operations for both uplink and downlink, primarily demonstrating the configuration of hybrid DRBs and the MAC multiplexing process. In some implementations, Figures 4-5 The operations shown can be performed by nodes, devices, and network functions in a communication network (e.g., a 6G network), as described in the reference above. Figure 1 The UE 110 and the wireless access network device 120 described herein shall perform the following actions. The UE 110 may represent any terminal device in a wireless communication system, and the network device 120 may serve as the network side serving the UE 110. They may communicate signaling and data via a bidirectional link. In some example embodiments, the UE 110 and the network device 120 may include multiple components, modules, or elements that are implemented to perform the dynamic MAC multiplexing-related operations described above and below, and may be implemented in various ways, including but not limited to software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, for performing the various operations.

[0037] First refer to Figure 4 At operation 405, network device 120 sends an indication to UE 110 that the data radio bearer DRB is of mixed DRB type.

[0038] As described above, based on embodiments of this disclosure, three types of DRBs can be supported in a communication network system: transparent DRB, hybrid DRB, and traditional DRB. Traditional DRB always supports multiplexing of MAC CE and MAC SDU from one or more logical channels within the MAC PDU; transparent DRB supports transparent processing at the MAC layer (and possibly also at the RLC layer), but does not support MAC multiplexing; hybrid DRB is flexible, supporting both transparent MAC layer processing (e.g., no multiplexing) and multiplexing functions, and can dynamically switch between transparent transmission of MAC SDU and multiplexing with MAC CE.

[0039] In some embodiments, network device 120 may determine the appropriate DRB type for a service based on factors such as the QoS requirements of the service, the type of service served, and system load. For example, network device 120 may determine the QoS flow to be mapped to a specific type of DRB based on parameters (e.g., latency, bit error rate, etc.) of the service QoS flow received from core network 130, the service type, and the overall load of the cell it serves.

[0040] For example, when a QoS flow or its corresponding DRB has low latency requirements and the system load is high, network device 120 can configure the DRB as a hybrid DRB to achieve both low latency and timely and efficient transmission of MAC CEs without additional scheduling and SR transmissions for the uplink. In another example, when the DRB has low latency requirements and the system load level is low or moderate, network device 120 can configure the DRB as a transparent DRB to prioritize low latency. Critical MAC CEs can be transmitted through additional dynamic or semi-static scheduling.

[0041] In some embodiments, when network device 120 determines that it is configuring a hybrid DRB for UE 110, it can send an indication to UE 110 indicating that the DRB type is a hybrid DRB via specific signaling. For example, the hybrid DRB indication can be sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, system messages, etc., such as via an RRCReconfiguration message for RRC reconfiguration of UE 110. In some embodiments, this message may include identification information of a specific DRB to indicate a hybrid DRB. In addition, the message may also include information such as RLC layer configuration or MAC layer configuration for the hybrid DRB.

[0042] In operation 410, network device 120 sends configuration information of multiplexing conditions to UE 110, instructing MAC CE to multiplex in the MAC layer, so that UE 110 can determine whether to perform multiplexing operation when uplink MAC CE needs to be transmitted. This configuration information can be sent, for example, through signaling such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) or Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Alternatively, or additionally, the multiplexing conditions can be predefined at UE 110, thus saving signaling overhead. For example, the configuration information of the multiplexing conditions can be determined in a protocol-predefined manner and pre-stored in the local cache of UE 110. That is to say, operation 410 is optional, and this disclosure does not specifically limit the order of operations 410 and 405.

[0043] In some embodiments, the multiplexing condition may indicate at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB type; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold.

[0044] Specifically, in one example, a list containing one or more MAC CEs can be configured by network device 120 or predefined at UE 110, and only MAC CEs in this list can trigger the multiplexing function. For example, the list may include MAC CEs with a MAC CE setting indicator, which may be, for example, MAC CE name (e.g., TA MAC CE, BSR MAC CE), MAC CE LCID, or other indication information used to identify the uplink MAC CE. Alternatively or additionally, the list may include a reference MAC CE, which is only allowed to be multiplexed in the MACPDU if the priority of the triggered MAC CE is higher than that of the reference MAC CE. Based on this, some key MAC CEs can be defined in the list, so that when these MAC CEs are triggered, UE 110 can determine to perform efficient transmission through multiplexing.

[0045] In one example, the multiplexing condition may indicate a timer, allowing the MAC CE to be multiplexed in the MAC PDU associated with the hybrid DRB only if the time elapsed after the MAC CE was triggered exceeds a predetermined time period indicated by the timer (or, the timer expires). Based on this, the hybrid DRB is preferentially used for transparent transmission to achieve low latency. In one embodiment, the network device 120 may further configure the value of the predetermined time period to ensure that uplink MAC CEs can be effectively sent and received. In one embodiment, the predetermined time period may be predefined at the UE 110, thus saving signaling overhead. For example, the value of the predetermined time period can be determined and pre-stored in the UE 110's local cache through protocol predefinition.

[0046] In operation 415, when an uplink MAC CE is triggered and UE 110 obtains uplink resource allocation for the hybrid DRB, UE 110 can determine whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the hybrid DRB. For example, based on configured or predefined multiplexing conditions, UE 110 can determine whether the triggered MAC CE meets the multiplexing conditions.

[0047] For example, the reuse condition may indicate a list of MAC CEs. UE 110 can determine that the reuse condition is met if the triggered MAC CE matches the MAC CE name or LCID indicated by the list, or if the priority of the triggered MAC CE (e.g., the priority defined according to TS 38.321) is higher than the priority of the reference MAC CE. Otherwise, UE 110 can determine that the reuse condition is not met.

[0048] For example, the multiplexing condition can indicate a timer. For instance, UE 110 is configured with two or more DRBs, one with low latency requirements and another for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services. Network device 120 can configure the DRB with low latency requirements as a hybrid DRB in operation 405. In operation 410, network device 120 can configure a timer-based multiplexing condition for the hybrid DRB. When certain critical uplink MAC CEs are triggered, the MAC entity of UE 110 can first decide to multiplex the MAC CE with the DRB used for eMBB services. However, if the eMBB service has not been scheduled for a long time, and the timer-based MAC CE multiplexing condition is met, UE 110 can decide to multiplex the MAC CE with user plane data carried by the hybrid DRB.

[0049] In some implementations, the multiplexing condition may include a combination of MAC CE list conditions and timer conditions. UE 110 determines that the multiplexing condition is met only if both conditions are satisfied simultaneously. For example, after an uplink MAC CE is triggered, UE 110 first determines whether the triggered MAC CE meets the MAC CE list conditions, i.e., it matches the MAC CE name or LCID indicated in the list, or the priority of the triggered MAC CE is higher than the priority of the reference MAC CE. When the MAC CE list conditions are met, the timer will be started. When the time after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds the predetermined time period indicated by the timer, UE 110 can determine that the multiplexing condition has been met.

[0050] Then, in operation 420, based on whether the multiplexing condition is met, UE 110 can send a notification to network device 120 regarding whether the MAC layer will perform a multiplexing operation (i.e., whether the data MAC SDU in the uplink MAC PDU associated with the hybrid DRB is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE), so that network device 120 can synchronously know the operation of UE 110's MAC layer.

[0051] In some embodiments, UE 110 can implicitly or explicitly notify the network device whether the uplink MAC CE is multiplexed with the MAC SDU through some predefined configuration messages. For example, the notification can be sent via a specific reference signal or uplink control information (UCI). The specific reference signal may include, for example, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), a preamble, etc., transmitted along with the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) that transmits the MAC PDU. The uplink control information may be transmitted, for example, via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) associated with the PUSCH.

[0052] For example, when the multiplexing conditions are met, UE 110 can generate a MACPDU that carries the multiplexed MAC CE and MAC SDU, and generate a DMRS or SRS sequence with a specific configuration associated with the PUSCH that transmits the MAC PDU to notify network device 120; or, it can explicitly notify network device 120 of the multiplexing of uplink MAC CE and DRB data through a one-byte indicator in the PUCCH.

[0053] In response to receiving a notification from UE 110, in operation 425, network device 120 may synchronously know whether the uplink MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the hybrid DRB.

[0054] If the multiplexing conditions are met, on the UE 110 side, in operation 430, UE 110 can perform a multiplexing operation on the MAC PDU associated with the hybrid DRB, that is, multiplexing the triggered MAC CE with uplink data in the MAC layer. Then, in operation 435, the generated MAC PDU is transmitted to the physical PHY layer, optionally transmitting the UCI, and the relevant data is sent via PUSCH. On the network device 120 side, after receiving the data sent from UE 110, in operation 440, network device 120 can perform a demultiplexing operation on the MAC PDU in the MAC layer and obtain the information indicated by the uplink MAC CE by parsing.

[0055] Although in order to make the purpose clear, Figure 4 Operation steps 420 and 435 are described separately, but this is only an example and not a limitation. Based on the previous description, it can be understood that operations 420 and 435 can also be performed simultaneously.

[0056] Continue to refer to Figure 4 If the multiplexing condition is not met, UE 110 will not perform multiplexing operations. For example, UE 110 can request uplink resources for transmitting an uplink MAC CE from network device 120 in a conventional manner to send the MAC CE. Simultaneously, in operation 450, the MAC layer entity of UE 110 can perform transparent processing on upper-layer data, such as RLC PDUs, directly transmitting the RLCPDU as a MAC PDU to the physical channel to implement the physical layer signal transmission in operation 455. In the transparent processing performed by the MAC layer entity, the MAC layer entity does not add a sub-header to the RLC PDU, nor does it perform logical channel multiplexing, thereby achieving low latency when performing transparent processing on hybrid DRBs. On the network device 120 side, based on the notification received from UE 110 that multiplexing is not performed, in operation 460, network device 120 can also perform transparent operations on the data in the received MAC PDU at the MAC layer and directly transmit it to the upper layer, such as the RLC layer.

[0057] Although in order to make the purpose clear, Figure 4 Operation steps 420 and 455 are described separately, but this is only an example and not a limitation. Based on the previous description, it can be understood that operations 420 and 455 can also be performed simultaneously.

[0058] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating MAC layer operations for the downlink is shown. Figure 5 Some of the operating steps shown are similar to Figure 4 If they are the same or similar, they will be briefly described below.

[0059] At operation 505, network device 120 sends an indication to UE 110 that the data radio bearer DRB is of a hybrid DRB type, which can be used to transmit downlink user plane data.

[0060] In some embodiments, network device 120 may determine the appropriate DRB type for the service based on factors such as the QoS requirements of the service for UE 110, the type of service served, and system load, such as the hybrid DRB, transparent DRB, or traditional DRB described above. In one example, network device 120 determines the QoS flow to be mapped to a specific type of DRB based on parameters (e.g., latency), service type, and the overall load of the cell it serves, received from core network 130.

[0061] For example, when a QoS flow or its corresponding DRB has low latency requirements and the system load is high, network device 120 can configure the DRB as a hybrid DRB to achieve both low latency and timely and efficient transmission of MAC CE without additional scheduling.

[0062] In some embodiments, when network device 120 determines that a hybrid DRB is configured for UE 110, it can send an indication to UE 110 indicating that the DRB type is a hybrid DRB via specific signaling. For example, the hybrid DRB indication can be sent via Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, system messages, etc. In some embodiments, the message may include identification information of a specific DRB to indicate that the configured DRB is a hybrid DRB type. In addition, the message may also include information such as the RLC layer configuration for the hybrid DRB or the MAC layer configuration for the hybrid DRB.

[0063] In operation 510, when a downlink MAC CE is triggered and downlink resources are allocated for the hybrid DRB, network device 120 can determine whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the hybrid DRB. For example, based on predefined multiplexing conditions, network device 120 can determine whether the triggered MAC CE meets the multiplexing conditions.

[0064] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned multiplexing conditions may indicate at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB type; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold. That is, the criteria used by network device 120 to determine whether downlink MAC CEs are multiplexed are basically the same as the criteria used by UE 110 to determine whether uplink MAC CEs are multiplexed.

[0065] It is understandable that since network device 120 is responsible for scheduling network resources and understands the system load, it can more flexibly determine whether to perform multiplexing of downlink MAC CE with hybrid DRB. In other words, the predefined multiplexing conditions at network device 120 can also consider other factors such as network load, and are not limited to judging whether the triggered MAC CE belongs to the predefined MAC CE list, or whether the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds the set time period threshold.

[0066] Then, in operation 515, based on whether the multiplexing condition is met, network device 120 can send a notification to UE 110 regarding whether the MAC layer will perform a multiplexing operation (i.e., whether the data MAC SDU in the downlink MAC PDU associated with the hybrid DRB is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE), so that UE 110 can synchronously know the operation of the MAC layer of network device 120.

[0067] In some embodiments, network device 120 may implicitly or explicitly notify UE 110 whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with the MAC SDU through some predefined configuration messages. For example, the notification may be sent via a specific downlink reference signal or downlink control information (DCI). The specific reference signal may include, for example, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted along with the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The downlink control information may be transmitted, for example, by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with the PDSCH.

[0068] For example, when the multiplexing conditions are met, network device 120 may generate a MAC PDU that carries the multiplexed MAC CE and MAC SDU, and generate a DMRS or CSI-RS sequence with a specific configuration associated with the PDSCH that transmits the MAC PDU to notify UE 110; or, it may explicitly notify UE 110 of the multiplexing of downlink MAC CE and data through a one-byte indicator in the PDCCH.

[0069] In response to receiving a notification from network device 120, during operation 520, UE 110 can simultaneously know whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the hybrid DRB.

[0070] When the multiplexing conditions are met, on the network device 120 side, in operation 525, the network device 120 can perform a multiplexing operation on the MAC PDU associated with the hybrid DRB, that is, multiplexing the triggered MAC CE with downlink user plane data in the MAC layer. Then, in operation 530, the generated MAC PDU is transmitted to the physical PHY layer, optionally transmitting DCI, and the relevant data is sent via PDSCH. On the UE 110 side, after receiving data sent from the network device 120, in operation 535, based on parsing the DCI, the UE 110 can know that MAC CE multiplexing has been performed. Accordingly, it can perform a demultiplexing operation on the MAC PDU in the MAC layer and obtain the information indicated by the downlink MAC CE through parsing. It is understood that... Figure 5 Operation steps 515 and 530 are described separately, but this is only an example and not a limitation. Based on the preceding description, it can be understood that operations 515 and 530 can also be performed simultaneously, for example, by sending related messages through the same signal.

[0071] On the other hand, if the multiplexing condition is not met, network device 120 will not perform multiplexing operations. For example, network device 120 can allocate downlink resources for transmitting a downlink MAC CE to send that MAC CE. Meanwhile, in operation 540, the MAC layer entity of network device 120 can perform transparent processing on upper-layer data, such as RLC PDUs, directly transmitting the RLC PDU as a MAC PDU to the physical channel to implement the physical layer signal transmission in operation 545. In the transparent processing performed by the MAC layer entity, the MAC layer entity does not add sub-headers to the RLC PDUs, nor does it perform logical channel multiplexing, thereby achieving low latency when performing transparent processing on hybrid DRBs. On the UE 110 side, based on the notification received from network device 120 that multiplexing is not performed, in operation 550, UE 110 can also perform transparent operations on the data in the received MAC PDU at the MAC layer, directly transmitting the received MAC PDU as a MAC SDU to the upper layer, such as the RLC layer.

[0072] Figure 5 Operation steps 515 and 545 are described separately, but this is only an example and not a limitation. Based on the previous description, it can be understood that operations 515 and 545 can also be performed simultaneously, for example, by sending related messages through the same signal.

[0073] The above has been approved. Figure 4 and Figure 5The steps for UE 110 and network device 120 to perform MAC layer-related operations in uplink and downlink scenarios are described respectively. Obviously, since the network system communicates in both uplink and downlink, the descriptions and related features in the uplink and downlink scenarios can be combined with each other.

[0074] According to the technical solution of the embodiments of this disclosure, by configuring a hybrid DRB, the multiplexing of data carried by dynamic MAC CE and DRB can be supported. This not only achieves low latency transparent transmission in the MAC layer, but also supports timely and effective transmission of critical MAC CE through multiplexing in MAC PDU.

[0075] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 for MAC multiplexing according to an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. Method 600 may be implemented, for example, in... Figure 1 The terminal devices shown are 110 locations. For discussion purposes, references will also be made to... Figures 4-5 Method 600 is described from the perspective of UE 110.

[0076] In step 610, UE 110 receives an indication from the network device that the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) is of a mixed DRB type. In step 620, UE 110 determines whether the Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB). In step 830, in response to the multiplexing of the MAC CE with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB), UE 110 performs a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on the Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) associated with the Data Radio Bearer (DRB).

[0077] In some examples, UE 110 determines whether the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) by: determining whether the MAC CE meets the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing with data in the DRB.

[0078] In some examples, the multiplexing condition indicates at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer DRB of mixed DRB types; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold.

[0079] In some examples, the list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs with a set MAC CE indicator, or MAC CEs with a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

[0080] In some examples, the multiplexing conditions are configured via a network device, for which the UE 110 may also perform the following: receive configuration information from the network device indicating the multiplexing conditions. Alternatively, the multiplexing conditions may be predefined at the terminal device.

[0081] In some examples, for the uplink, i.e., the DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU, UE 110 may also perform the following: send a notification to the network device regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE.

[0082] In some examples, notification of whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is sent via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

[0083] In some examples, for the downlink, i.e., the DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, the UE 110 may also perform the following: receive from the network device an indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE; and determine, based on the indication, whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with the data in the downlink DRB.

[0084] In some examples, the indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is received via a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

[0085] In some examples, regardless of whether it is for the uplink or downlink, UE 110 may also perform the following: in response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the data radio bearer DRB, perform transparent operation on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

[0086] Figure 7 A flowchart of an example method 700 for MAC multiplexing according to an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. Method 700 may be implemented, for example, in... Figure 1 At the network device (e.g., gNB) 120 shown, method 700 can be implemented in conjunction with the previously described method 600. Meanwhile, for the purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figures 4-5 Method 700 is described from the perspective of network device 120.

[0087] In step 710, network device 120 sends an indication to terminal device that the data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type. In step 720, network device 120 determines whether the media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB). In step 730, in response to the multiplexing of the MAC CE with data in the data radio bearer (DRB), network device 120 performs a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation on the media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB).

[0088] In some examples, determining whether a Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) includes determining whether a multiplexing condition is met for the MAC CE to be multiplexed with data in the DRB. In some examples, the determination condition for whether a MAC CE is multiplexed by the network device 120 is the same as that at the UE 110; in other examples, the determination conditions may not be entirely the same.

[0089] In some examples, the decision conditions of the terminal device are configured by the network device 120. For this purpose, the network device 120 may also perform the following: send configuration information of the multiplexing conditions to the terminal device to indicate multiplexing.

[0090] In some examples, the multiplexing condition indicates at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB type; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold.

[0091] In some examples, the list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs with a set MAC CE indicator, or MAC CEs with a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

[0092] In some examples, for the uplink, i.e., the DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU, the network device 120 may also perform: receiving from the terminal device a notification of whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE; and based on the notification, determining whether the uplink MAC CE satisfies the requirement of multiplexing with the data in the uplink DRB.

[0093] In some examples, notification of whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is received via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

[0094] In some examples, for the downlink, i.e., the DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, the network device 120 may also perform the following: send an indication to the terminal device whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE.

[0095] In some examples, the indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is transmitted via a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

[0096] In some examples, regardless of whether it is for the uplink or downlink, network device 120 may also perform the following: in response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the data radio bearer DRB, perform transparent operation on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

[0097] This application also provides an example embodiment of a communication device capable of performing the above-described method 600. This device can be implemented as a terminal device, such as UE 110, and is used to implement one or more corresponding functions in the embodiments of method 600, thereby achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments. In some example embodiments, the communication device includes means, components, or modules that perform the corresponding steps of method 600. These means, components, or modules can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the module can be implemented using a circuit system or a software module.

[0098] In some embodiments, the communication device may include: components for receiving an indication from a network device that the data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; components for determining whether a media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and components for performing multiplexing or demultiplexing operations on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB) in response to the multiplexing of data in the data radio bearer (DRB) by the MAC CE.

[0099] In some examples, the component used to determine whether the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) is configured to: determine whether the MAC CE meets the multiplexing condition for multiplexing with data in the DRB.

[0100] In some examples, the multiplexing condition indicates at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB type; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold.

[0101] In some examples, the list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs with a set MAC CE indicator, or MAC CEs with a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

[0102] In some examples, the communication device may also include receiving configuration information from the network device that indicates the multiplexing conditions.

[0103] In some examples, the reuse conditions are predefined at the terminal device.

[0104] In some examples, the DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU, and the communication device may further include a component for sending a notification to the network device regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE.

[0105] In some examples, notification of whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is sent via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

[0106] In some examples, the DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, and the component for determining whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB is configured to: receive an indication from the network device as to whether data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE; and determine whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the downlink DRB based on the indication.

[0107] In some examples, the indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is received via a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

[0108] In some examples, the communication device may further include a component for performing transparent operations on the data in the MAC PDU in the MAC layer in response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the data radio bearer DRB.

[0109] This application also provides an example embodiment of a communication device capable of performing the above-described method 700. This device can be implemented as a network device, such as a gNB 120, and is used to implement one or more corresponding functions in the embodiments of method 700, thereby achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiments. In some example embodiments, the communication device includes means, components, or modules that include the corresponding steps of method 700. These means, components, or modules can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the module can be implemented using a circuit system or a software module.

[0110] In some embodiments, the communication device may include: components for sending an indication to a terminal device that the data radio bearer (DRB) is of a hybrid DRB type; components for determining whether a media access control control element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer (DRB); and components for performing multiplexing or demultiplexing operations on a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU) associated with the data radio bearer (DRB) in response to the multiplexing of data in the data radio bearer (DRB) by the MAC CE.

[0111] In some examples, the component used to determine whether the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) is configured to: determine whether the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) are met.

[0112] In some examples, the communication device may also include: sending configuration information to the terminal device indicating multiplexing conditions for multiplexing.

[0113] In some examples, the multiplexing condition indicates at least one of the following: a list of MAC CEs that can be multiplexed with data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB type; or the time elapsed after the MAC CE is triggered exceeds a set time period threshold.

[0114] In some examples, the list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs with a set MAC CE indicator, or MAC CEs with a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

[0115] In some examples, the DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU. Furthermore, the component determining whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB is configured to: receive a notification from the terminal device regarding whether data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE; and based on the notification, determine whether the uplink MAC CE satisfies the requirement of multiplexing with data in the uplink DRB.

[0116] In some examples, notification of whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is received via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

[0117] In some examples, the DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, and the communication device may further include a component for sending an indication to the terminal device as to whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE.

[0118] In some examples, the indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is transmitted via a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

[0119] In some examples, the communication device may further include a component for performing transparent operations on the data in the MAC PDU in the MAC layer in response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the data radio bearer DRB.

[0120] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating devices in a communication system 800 for implementing one or more example embodiments. Figure 8 As shown, the communication system 800 may include a terminal device 810 that may be implemented as the UE 110 discussed above and a network device 820 that may be implemented as the base station 120 discussed above.

[0121] refer to Figure 8Terminal device 810 may include one or more processors 811, one or more memories 812, and one or more transceivers 813 interconnected via one or more buses 814. The one or more buses 814 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic, optical, or other optical communication equipment with a series of lines. Each of the one or more transceivers 813 may include a receiver and a transmitter connected to one or more antennas 816. Terminal device 810 may wirelessly communicate with network device 820 via one or more antennas 816. The one or more memories 812 may include instructions 815. The one or more memories 812 and instructions 815 may be configured to, when executed by one or more processors 811, cause terminal device 810 to perform the processes and steps described above related to UE 110.

[0122] Network device 820 may include one or more processors 821, one or more memories 822, one or more transceivers 823, and one or more network interfaces 827 interconnected via one or more buses 824. The one or more buses 824 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics, optics, or a series of lines on other optical communication equipment. Each of the one or more transceivers 823 may include a receiver and a transmitter connected to one or more antennas 826. Network device 820 may wirelessly communicate with terminal device 810 via one or more antennas 826. The one or more transceivers 823 and one or more antennas 826 may be implemented as one or more remote radio heads (RRHs). The one or more RRHs may be juxtaposed or located in different locations. The one or more buses 824 may be partially implemented as optical cables to connect the RRHs to other components of network device 820. The one or more network interfaces 827 may be receiving circuitry, receivers, I / O interfaces, or other devices with network data receiving and transmitting capabilities, providing wired or wireless communication links through which network device 820 can communicate with other network devices, entities, components, or functions. One or more memories 822 may include instructions 825. One or more memories 822 and computer program code 825 may be configured to, when executed by one or more processors 821, cause network device 820 to perform the processes and steps related to base station 120 as described above.

[0123] The aforementioned one or more processors 811, 821 can be any suitable type for a local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: general-purpose processors, dedicated processors, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more processors in a processor-based multi-core processor architecture, and dedicated processors, such as processors developed based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The one or more processors 811, 821 may be configured to control other elements of the UE / network device and cooperate with them to implement the aforementioned processes.

[0124] One or more memories 812, 822 may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM) or cache. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-volatile" as used herein is a limitation concerning the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than tactile), and not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM or ROM). Furthermore, one or more memories 812, 822 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof.

[0125] It should be understood that the blocks in the figures can be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more blocks may be implemented using software and / or firmware, such as machine-executable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to or in place of machine-executable instructions, some or all of the blocks in the figures may be implemented at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. Examples, but not limited to, illustrative types of hardware logic components that may be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0126] Some exemplary embodiments also provide computer program code or instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a device or apparatus to perform the processes described above. The computer program code for performing the processes of the example embodiments can be written in any known or future-developed programming language, such as Java, C++, C, and Assembler. The computer program code can be provided to one or more processors or controllers of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by a processor or controller, it causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote computer or server.

[0127] Some example embodiments also provide a computer program product or computer-readable medium in which computer program code or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, cause a related communication device to perform the processing methods, steps, or functions described above. A computer-readable medium can be any tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. Machine-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0128] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order or sequence shown, or requiring all of the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0129] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

[0130] The following are some abbreviations or acronyms that may be used in this disclosure and its accompanying drawings:

[0131] DRB data radio bearer

[0132] MAC Media Access Control

[0133] MAC CE Media Access Control Control Element

[0134] NW Network

[0135] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0136] SDU Service Data Unit

[0137] TAC timed advance command

[0138] UE (User Equipment)

Claims

1. An apparatus for a terminal device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, the at least one memory and the instructions being configured to cause the device to execute at least the following using the at least one processor: An indication that the data received from the network device is a mixed DRB type radio bearer; Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB); as well as In response to the multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation is performed on the Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) associated with the DRB.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, Determining whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) includes: Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE meets the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing data with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The reuse condition indicates at least one of the following: A list of MAC CEs capable of multiplexing data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB types; or The time elapsed after the MAC CE was triggered exceeded the set time period threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs that have a set MAC CE indicator or MAC CEs that have a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to cause the device to perform at least the following using the at least one processor: Receive configuration information from the network device that indicates the multiplexing conditions.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The reuse conditions are predefined at the terminal device.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU, and the at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to utilize the at least one processor to cause the device to execute at least the following: Send a notification to the network device regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The notification regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is sent via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, and the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to use the at least one processor to enable the device to determine whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB in the following manner: Receive an indication from the network device as to whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE; as well as Based on the indication, it is determined whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with the data in the downlink DRB.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is received by a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to cause the device to perform at least the following using the at least one processor: In response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a transparent operation is performed on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

12. An apparatus for a network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, the at least one memory and the instructions being configured to cause the device to execute at least the following using the at least one processor: Send an indication to the terminal device that the data radio bearer DRB is of a mixed DRB type; Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB); as well as In response to the multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation is performed on the Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) associated with the DRB.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, Determining whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) includes: Determine whether the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing the Media Access Control (MAC) element CE with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) are met.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following using the at least one processor: Send configuration information of multiplexing conditions to the terminal device to indicate that multiplexing is to be performed.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, wherein, The reuse condition indicates at least one of the following: A list of MAC CEs capable of multiplexing data in a data radio bearer (DRB) of mixed DRB types; or The time elapsed after the MAC CE was triggered exceeded the set time period threshold.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The list of MAC CEs includes MAC CEs that have a set MAC CE indicator or MAC CEs that have a higher priority than the reference MAC CE.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein, The DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU, and the at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to use the at least one processor to enable the device to determine whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB in the following manner: The terminal device receives a notification regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE. as well as Based on the notification, determine whether the uplink MAC CE satisfies the requirement to reuse data in the uplink DRB.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, The notification regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE is received via a specific reference signal or uplink control information.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein, The DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, and the at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to utilize the at least one processor to cause the device to perform at least the following: Send an indication to the terminal device as to whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The indication of whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE is sent by a specific reference signal or downlink control information.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 20, wherein, The at least one memory and the instructions are further configured to cause the device to perform at least the following using the at least one processor: In response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a transparent operation is performed on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

22. A method for communication, implemented at a terminal device, comprising: An indication that the data received from the network device is a mixed DRB type radio bearer; Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB); as well as In response to the multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation is performed on the Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) associated with the DRB.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, Determining whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) includes: Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE meets the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing data with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB).

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein, The DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU. Furthermore, the method further includes sending a notification to the network device regarding whether the data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE. or, The DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU. Furthermore, determining whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB includes: receiving an indication from the network device regarding whether data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE; and determining, based on the indication, whether the downlink MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the downlink DRB.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24, further comprising: In response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a transparent operation is performed on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

26. A method for communication, implemented at a network device, comprising: Send an indication to the terminal device that the data radio bearer DRB is of a mixed DRB type; Determine whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB); as well as In response to the multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a multiplexing or demultiplexing operation is performed on the Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit (MAC PDU) associated with the DRB.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein, Determining whether the Media Access Control (MAC) CE is multiplexed with data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) includes: Determine whether the multiplexing conditions for multiplexing the Media Access Control (MAC) element CE with the data in the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) are met.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, wherein, The DRB is an uplink DRB, the MAC CE is an uplink MAC CE, and the MAC PDU is an uplink MAC PDU. Furthermore, determining whether the MAC CE is multiplexed with data in the data radio bearer DRB includes: receiving a notification from the terminal device regarding whether data in the uplink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the uplink MAC CE; and based on the notification, determining whether the uplink MAC CE satisfies the requirement of multiplexing with data in the uplink DRB. or, The DRB is a downlink DRB, the MAC CE is a downlink MAC CE, the MAC PDU is a downlink MAC PDU, and the method further includes: sending an indication to the terminal device as to whether the data in the downlink MAC PDU is multiplexed with the downlink MAC CE.

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, further comprising: In response to the non-multiplexing of data in the MAC CE and the DRB, a transparent operation is performed on the data in the MAC PDU at the MAC layer.

30. A device for communication, comprising components for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 29.

31. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 22 to 29.

32. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method as described in any one of claims 22 to 29.

Images