Sequence number for related PDUs

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to solutions for sequence numbers of related protocol data units (PDUs). In the solutions, a first network device generates a first packet by appending a first header to a PDU and sends the first packet to a second network device. The first header includes a sequence number identifying a set of related PDUs from at least one application data flow, and the PDU is one of the set of related PDUs. The first network device then sends the first packet to the second network device. The second device generates a second packet by appending a second header including the sequence number to the first packet, and sends the second packet to a third network device. Further, the third network device performs at least an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for serial numbers of associated protocol data units (PDUs). Background Technology

[0002] A communication network can be viewed as a facility that enables communication between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices with access to a data network. Mobile or wireless communication networks are an example of communication networks.

[0003] Such communication networks operate according to standards, such as those issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Examples of such standards include the so-called fifth-generation (5G) standard, the sixth-generation (6G) standard, or other standards issued by 3GPP. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In general, the example embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for serial numbers of related PDUs.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first network device is provided. The first network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to at least: generate a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is one of the PDUs in the related PDU set; and transmit the first packet to a second network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second network device is provided. The second network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: receive from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; generate a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes a sequence number; and transmit the second packet to a third network device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a third network device is provided. The third network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third network device to at least: receive a second packet from a second network device having a second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; and perform an operation on at least the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a first network device is provided. The method includes: generating a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is one of the PDUs in the related PDU set; and sending the first packet to a second network device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method implemented at a second network device is provided. The method includes: receiving from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a set of related Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; generating a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and sending the second packet to a third network device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method implemented at a second network device is provided. The method includes: receiving from the second network device a second packet having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a set of related protocol data units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; and performing an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for generating a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is one of the PDUs in the related PDU set; and components for transmitting the first packet to a second network device.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for receiving from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a set of related Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; means for generating a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and means for transmitting the second packet to a third network device.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a second packet having a second header from a second network device, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a set of related protocol data units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs of the related PDU set; and components for performing an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform a method according to at least any one of the fourth to sixth aspects described above.

[0015] In the eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided, including instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method according to at least any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a first network device is provided. The first network device includes: a generation circuitry configured to generate a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is one of the PDUs in the related PDU set; and a transmission circuitry configured to transmit the first packet to a second network device.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a second network device is provided. The second network device includes: a receiving circuitry configured to receive from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; a generating circuitry configured to generate a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and a transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the second packet to a third network device.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a third network device is provided. The third network device includes: a receiving circuitry configured to receive from a second network device a second packet having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; and an execution circuitry configured to perform an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0019] It should be understood that the overview section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 An example communication network that can implement embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 Signaling flows between multiple devices according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a multimodal flow in an example extended reality (XR) application is shown;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating an application-tagged multimodal dataset (MMDS) according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 5 An example format of a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 6 An example format of the General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 7 Example signaling flows between multiple devices according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0028] Figure 8 An example scenario is shown where packets of a multimodal stream are dropped;

[0029] Figure 9 An example scenario of jointly discarding packets of multimodal streams according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 10A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 12 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a third network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 13 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; and

[0034] Figure 14 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. 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. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0037] 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.

[0038] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiments may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it should be understood that, whether explicitly described or not, implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0039] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0040] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “possessing,” “covering,” and / or “encompassing,” as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least one of the stated elements, or at least any two or more of the stated elements, or at least all of the stated elements.

[0041] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) The combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware and (ii) Any part of the hardware processor and software (including digital signal processors), software and memory, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions. (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or parts thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not exist when they are not required to operate.

[0042] This definition of "circuit system" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term "circuit system" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0043] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems, which this disclosure can embody. It should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to only the systems described above.

[0044] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header (RH), Remote Radio Header (RRH), relay, low-power nodes (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds), etc., depending on the terminology and technology used.

[0045] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that may be capable of wireless communication. As an example and not a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0046] Multimodal (also referred to herein as multimodal, multimodal, or similar terms) services, such as XR, are communication services consisting of multiple data streams. These multiple data streams are related to each other and are constrained by application coordination. Data streams from the same multimodal service can transmit different types of data and can originate from different sources (e.g., a single UE, a single device, or multiple devices connected to that single UE, or multiple UEs).

[0047] For example, an example multimodal communication service may include the following modalities: audio; video; information sensed by sensors, such as the detection of brightness, temperature, ambient humidity, device status reports, position or angle reports; and tactile data indicating sensing and feedback when a surface is touched (e.g., pressure, texture, vibration, temperature), or kinesthetic sensations (e.g., gravity, tension, positional senses).

[0048] From a network perspective, each modality can generate one or more application-layer traffic flows that need to be transmitted across the network with specific Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. In Rel-18, 5GS policy control is enhanced by allowing Application Functions (AFs) to provide a Multimodal Service ID (MMSID) for each data flow belonging to a multimodal service. The MMSID is an explicit indication of the data flow's association with the multimodal service.

[0049] Data from different communication modalities in multimodal applications can be carried as separate real-time streams. Some (or all) of these streams may need to be presented to the user synchronously. Therefore, it is beneficial to deliver such streams over the network with reasonably similar latency. Furthermore, similar to the case of a single QoS stream, where the loss of certain PDUs (e.g., I-frames of video) can have a greater impact on the user experience due to their dependence on other PDUs from the same QoS stream, there may be interdependencies between PDUs from different QoS streams within the same multimodal application. Therefore, the loss of a PDU in one stream can negatively impact the overall end-user experience due to its effect on PDUs from other QoS streams. Moreover, due to their interdependencies, capacity and power savings can be achieved by leveraging the joint processing of multimodal streams within the Radio Access Network (RAN).

[0050] In the Rel-18 SA2 implementation for XR, the only parameter defined for multimodal applications is the MMSID, which can be used by the Policy Control Function (PCF) to set appropriate QoS parameters for multimodal flows at the QoS flow granularity. Based on the Rel-18 3GPP specification, the MMSID is only available in the PCF, and potentially it can be provided to the RAN. However, the granularity of the MMSID, at the QoS flow level, is too coarse for the PDU-level joint processing of multimodal flows as described above.

[0051] While the introduction of PDU set-related QoS parameters (such as PDU set delay budget (PSDB) and PDU set error rate (PSER)) has addressed issues within a single QoS flow, there is no similar solution for the joint processing of multiple QoS flows at the PDU level within the RAN. This is why the motivation for further enhancements to support multimodal services is being discussed in 3GPP Rel-19 XR WI.

[0052] That is, interdependent Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from different multimodal streams may need to be processed jointly. However, there are no PDU-level parameters for multimodal streams that can be utilized in the RAN to process such PDUs. A solution for jointly processing PDUs from different streams in the RAN has not yet been provided.

[0053] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a solution is provided for providing sequence numbers for associated PDUs. Using this solution, a first network device generates a first packet by appending a first header to the PDU. The first header includes a sequence number identifying a set of associated PDUs from at least one application data stream, and the PDU is one of the PDUs in that set. Such a sequence number may be referred to herein as a Multimodal Dataset Sequence Number (MMDSSN). The first packet is then transmitted by the first network device to a second network device.

[0054] After receiving the first packet, the second network device generates a second packet by appending a second header including the sequence number to the first packet, and sends the second packet to the third network device. After receiving the second packet, the third network device (e.g., a base station) can perform at least one operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0055] By leveraging sequence numbers that specify PDU-level dependencies between different data streams of a single multimodal application, an efficient and reliable mechanism can be implemented for the joint processing of packets from different multimodal streams. For example, a gNB can use an MMDSSN to jointly process packets from different QoS streams for a better user experience and resource efficiency.

[0056] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to... Figure 1 It illustrates an example communication network 100 that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include a first network device 110, a second network device 120, and a third network device 130. Figure 1 The devices shown include corresponding network functions. For example, the first network device 120 includes an application function (AF), and the second network device 120 includes a user plane function (UPF). The third network device 130 includes a base station, such as a gNB. Note that the term "device or entity including network function" refers to the device / entity that performs the network function itself or at least a portion of the functionality of that network function.

[0058] It should be understood that, such as Figure 1 The specific numbers of various devices and communication links shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of communication devices and any suitable number of communication links for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that various wireless and wired communications (if desired) may exist between all communication devices.

[0059] Communications in Network 100 may follow any suitable communication standard or protocol, whether existing or to be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (NR), 6G, Wi-Fi, and Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communication technology, including, for example, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee and Machine Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technology.

[0060] Figure 2 Signaling flows between multiple devices according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe signaling flow 200.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, the first network device 110 generates (210) a first packet 205 by appending a first header to the PDU. The first header includes a sequence number identifying a set of associated PDUs from at least one application data stream. The PDU is one PDU in the associated PDU set. In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set may be associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application, such as a haptic modality, a gesture modality, and a video / audio modality. The first network device 110 can execute the multimodal application. In other words, the first network device 110 includes the corresponding application functionality.

[0062] For multimodal applications, one or more data streams can exist for a single modality. For transport, application data streams are mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream, and PDUs are encapsulated in packets. In an example embodiment, each data stream can be mapped to a QoS stream. In an example embodiment, multiple data streams can be mapped to a single QoS stream. Using this embodiment, a Radio Access Network (RAN) node can map multiple data streams within a single QoS stream to different Data Radio Bearers (DRBs).

[0063] The PDUs in this related PDU set can come from different modalities and are interdependent with each other. In some example embodiments, the first network device 110 can identify multiple related PDU sets from at least one application data stream. The application can define different ways of interdepending on PDUs across streams.

[0064] In some example embodiments, multimodal PDUs within a certain time period can be determined to be related to each other. The first network device 110 can identify that a set of PDUs is related by determining that the related PDUs are within the same time window. For example, PDUs from a haptic feedback stream that occur T milliseconds before and after a PDU from a video stream can be determined to be related to the video PDU.

[0065] In some embodiments, a specific aspect of a flow can be determined to be associated with another flow. There may be explicit event-based relationships between PDUs in one flow and PDUs in another flow. In this case, the first network device 110 can determine that a first PDU is associated with a first event in a first flow and a second PDU is associated with a second event in a second flow, wherein the second event is associated with the first event. Based on this determination, the first network device 110 can determine that the first PDU and the second PDU are in the same set of associated PDUs. In another example embodiment, there may be a first set of PDUs associated with the first event and a second set of PDUs associated with the second event. Based on this determination, the first network device 110 can determine that the first set of PDUs and the second set of PDUs are in the same set of associated PDUs. A set of PDUs identified as related to each other may include PDUs from at least one of the data flows of the multimodal application.

[0066] For example, when a user’s haptic feedback or gesture from the corresponding stream is followed by an event shown in the video stream, the PDUs associated with that event from the video stream depend on the earlier PDUs associated with that haptic feedback or gesture.

[0067] When the first network device 110 encapsulates the associated PDU set into a packet set for transmission, it can insert a first header with the same sequence number (i.e., the same MMDSSN) for each packet in the set. This sequence number is used to identify the associated PDU set and thus the packets corresponding to it. In doing so, the MMDSSN is introduced by the application to identify interdependent PDU sets from different modalities of the same multimodal application. For each PDU belonging to the same interdependent set across a multimodal flow, the MMDSSN is placed in the first header.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the application may use the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) to send data, and the first header may be an RTP header. In this RTP header, the sequence number may be indicated in at least one extended header field. The extended header used to indicate the MMDSSN in the RTP header will be discussed below. Figure 5 To describe in more detail.

[0069] Then, the first network device 110 sends (220) the first packet 205 to the second network device. The second network device 120 may include a UPF. The second network device 120 receives (230) the first packet having the first header. It then generates (240) a second packet 215 by appending a second header to the first packet 205, wherein the second header includes the sequence number.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the second network device can determine the sequence number from the first header and insert the sequence number into the second header. In some example embodiments, the second header is a GTP-U header. In this GTP-U header, the sequence number may be indicated in at least one extended header field. The extended header used to indicate the MMDSSN in the GTP-U header will be discussed below. Figure 6 To describe in more detail.

[0071] The second network device 120 sends (250) the second packet 215 to the third network device 130. The third network device 130 may include a base station. The third network device 130 receives (260) the second packet 215 having the second header from the second network device 120. Based on the sequence number, the third network device 130 performs at least (270) an operation on the second packet.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the operation may include joint processing of a set of packets associated with the relevant PDU set, wherein the set of packets includes the second packet 215. For example, the operation may include joint admission control of the set of packets, joint dropping of the set of packets, joint logical channel prioritization associated with the set of packets, joint scheduling of transmissions of the set of packets, or synchronous delivery of the set of packets, or any combination thereof. In some example embodiments, the third network device 130 may drop other packets in the set of packets based on the detection of the loss of at least one packet in the set.

[0073] In some embodiments, during a handover (HO) from a third network device 130 to a fourth network device, the third network device 130 may send the user equipment (UE) context information of the terminal device to the fourth network device, wherein the UE context includes the MMDSSN. For example, for a set of related packets whose transmission is incomplete, the MMDSSN of that set may be included in the UE context sent to the target gNB, so that the target gNB knows which packets belong to the same multimodal dataset.

[0074] refer to Figure 3The illustration 300 shows a schematic diagram of a multimodal data stream in an example XR application. In this example, three multimodal streams are presented: a haptic feedback stream, a gesture information stream, and an audio / video stream. In this example, there is one stream for each modality, and the modal streams are mapped to QoS streams for transmission. Figure 3 The sequence of packets used for these flows is shown. It should be understood that in some other examples, multiple data flows of different modalities may exist, and / or multiple data flows of different modalities may be mapped into a single QoS flow.

[0075] Once packets are received from all flows, the application can have internal logic to align those flows. However, without any synchronization or joint processing in the RAN, this alignment may not be possible because the RAN may not be able to identify and deliver relevant packets synchronously. Furthermore, if a packet from a high-priority flow is lost, the RAN may unnecessarily send dependent packets from another flow at the expense of over-the-air resources. This situation becomes even more complex when jitter introduces a random component into the packet arrival time. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the dependencies of PDUs from different QoS flows in the RAN to optimize resources and enhance the user experience.

[0076] For example, Figure 3 Each stream in the RAN has its own periodicity (e.g., 16.67 ms for video / audio in this non-limiting example). Therefore, without additional information from the application, it is impossible to link packets from one stream to another. For example, it may not be clear to the RAN which video / audio packet 310 is linked to, such as whether it is linked to video / audio packet 320 or video / audio packet 330. Consequently, devices in the RAN may not be able to prioritize / de-prioritize haptic packets for timely delivery.

[0077] According to embodiments of this application, an MMDSSN is introduced to identify related PDUs from different data streams. To enable packet-level joint processing, related PDUs are identified by the application and assigned the same MMDSSN.

[0078] The first step in the joint processing of multimodal flows by an application is for the application to label interdependent packets across the multimodal flows. This labeling can be indicated by the value of the MMDSSN, and therefore the relevant PDU sets and corresponding IP packets are labeled with the same MMDSSN value. (Reference) Figure 4 The diagram 400 illustrates a multimodal dataset labeled by an application according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0079] like Figure 4As shown, three multimodal streams are presented: a haptic feedback stream, a gesture information stream, and an audio / video stream. Relevant PDU sets from different streams are identified as shown in reference numeral 410. PDUs in this set are labeled with serial number MMDSSN#1. Another relevant PDU set from different streams is identified as shown in reference numeral 420. PDUs in this set are labeled with serial number MMDSSN#2. More relevant PDU sets can be identified and labeled with the same MMDSSN. In this example, PDUs within the time window associated with the video / audio PDU are identified as relevant PDUs. Other methods for identifying relevant PDUs can be used, such as combining... Figure 2 As described.

[0080] For transmission, the AF can generate packets for sending PDUs by appending a first header including the MMDSSN corresponding to the PDU. 3GPP introduced RTP headers to send PDUs from applications to the 5G network. In this case, the first header can be an RTP header. The application can append the same MMDSSN to the RTP headers of each PDU from a relevant PDU set across QoS flows. This RTP packet is then carried as an IP service to the 5GS UPF.

[0081] The extended header fields in the RTP header can be used to carry the MMDSSN. (See reference) Figure 5 This illustrates an example format 500 of an RTP header according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0082] like Figure 5 As shown, field 510 is used to indicate whether an extended header field exists in the RTP header. When field 510 indicates that an extended header field exists, field 520 indicates the type of that extended header field, which in this case is an extended header field used to indicate the MMDSSN. Furthermore, field 530 indicates the length of the MMDSSN. Figure 5 In the example, the MMDSSN has a length of 2 bytes (i.e., 16 bits). Additionally, field 540 carries the value of the MMDSSN used for this packet.

[0083] Upon receiving a packet with the first header as described above, the UPF generates a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number. For the downlink direction, when an RTP packet is received, the UPF may append a GTP-U header to the packet, which is then sent to the RAN. In this case, the second header may be a GTP-U header. Once an IP packet is received in the UPF, the UPF may extract the MMDSSN and include the MMDSSN in the GTP-U header of that packet.

[0084] The extended header fields in the GTP-U header can be used to carry the MMDSSN. (See reference) Figure 6 This illustrates an example format 600 of the GTP-U header according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0085] like Figure 6 As shown, field 610 is used to indicate the presence of extended header fields in the GTP-U header. When field 610 indicates the presence of extended header fields, at least one type of extended header field can be present in the GTP-U header. In this example, field 620 indicates that the following extended header fields 630 and 640 are fields used to indicate the MMDSSN. Field 630 indicates the length of the MMDSSN. Field 640 carries the value of the MMDSSN for this packet. The GTP-U header may include other types of extended header fields. Figure 6 In the example, field 650, which shows "Next Extended Header Type = 0", indicates that there are no further extended header fields.

[0086] Once a GTP-U packet is received by a base station (e.g., gNB), the base station can extract and use the MMDSSN, and can also use the MMSID (possibly received via the control plane) for the joint processing of the multimodal stream.

[0087] It should be noted that RTP and GTP-U are used as example protocols for carrying MMDSSN information from applications to RAN nodes. Other protocols can also be used, although the header design may differ, they are simple and straightforward.

[0088] refer to Figure 7 It illustrates example signaling flows between multiple devices according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 Four devices or entities are shown. Application 701 refers to an application running on a device or apparatus, for example... Figure 1 The first network device is 110. Similarly, the core network (CN) UPF 702 may be, for example, a second network device 120, and the gNB 703 may be, for example, a third network device 130. Figure 7 It also shows Figure 7 CN PCF / Session Management Function (SMF) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 704.

[0089] like Figure 7As shown, application 701 provides MMSIDs for all interdependent QoS flows when initiating a connection with the 5GS. At 705, application 701 delivers multimodal information to PCF / SMF / AMF 704. This multimodal information includes MMSIDs that identify QoS flows belonging to application 701. At 710, when establishing a QoS flow between the RAN and CN, the MMSIDs are delivered to gNB 703, allowing gNB 703 to know which flows belong to the multimodal application. The PCF can communicate with the gNB via the SMF and AMF for QoS flow establishment.

[0090] For the transmission of application data, application 701 determines a set of interdependent multimodal datasets (MMDS) from different flows of multiple interdependent modalities of the application. At 715, application 701 adds the same unique MMDSSN to the RTP header for each data packet belonging to the same MMDS. At 720, RTP packets with MMDSSNs from application flows with the same MMSID are delivered to UPF 702 in the CN.

[0091] UPF 702 encapsulates these data packets in GTP-U. When encapsulating these data packets, UPF 702 includes the MMDSSN in the header of each GTP-U packet. At 725, UPF 702 obtains the MMDSSN from the RTP header of each data packet and inserts the MMDSSN into the GTP-U header of each packet. When an RTP packet with an MMDSSN extension is received, the UPF parses the MMDSSN information and inserts it into the GTP-U header, which is then sent to the RAN. At 730, UPF 702 delivers data packets with MMDSSNs via GTP-U from the application stream with the same MMSID. That is, GTP-U packets with headers containing MMDSSNs are delivered to gNB 703.

[0092] Finally, when gNB 703 receives these packets from UPF 702, based on the MMDSSN and other MMSID information, gNB will know which packets from different QoS flows or a single QoS flow belong to the same MMDS. At 735, gNB 703 performs joint processing of data packets containing the same MMDSSN value. For example, when considering admission control, packet dropping, and synchronization delivery (e.g., to the UE), gNB 703 can jointly process these packets, such as by combining... Figure 2 As described in 270.

[0093] As mentioned above, an example of using MMDSSN in the RAN could be the joint dropping of interdependent packets across flows when a packet from one of the flows (potentially with higher priority) is lost. In this case, sending packets from other interdependent flows with the same MMDSSN value to the UE might not be useful.

[0094] refer to Figure 8 This example scenario 800 illustrates the dropping of packets from a multimodal stream when the MMDSSN is not included in the packet. This example scenario involves packet dropping at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In this example, an application with three different streams is generating data packets (Service Data Units (SDUs)). These streams are... Figure 8 The components shown are media component #1 810, media component #2 820 and media component #3 830.

[0095] Figure 8 Each flow in the network has its own periodicity. However, when a packet from one flow is lost or dropped, the gNB has no way to identify interdependent packets from other flows. For example, when packet 805 from media component #1 810 is lost, the gNB cannot determine whether other packets (such as packets 815 and 825 from media component #2 820, or packet 835 from media component #3 830) are related to the lost packet 805. In this case, the gNB will send all interdependent packets. However, the interdependent packets of the lost packet may ultimately not be used by the UE's application, resulting in a waste of valuable air traffic resources.

[0096] In contrast, according to embodiments of this application, the unique value of the MMDSSN is shared by all interdependent packets from different application-level flows. Upon detecting the loss of a packet (potentially of high priority) from one of the flows, the gNB can discard all packets with the same MMDSSN value. This can conserve air resources by avoiding the transmission of packets that may not be useful to the application on the UE side.

[0097] refer to Figure 9 This illustrates an example scenario 900 of joint packet dropping according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. This example scenario involves packet dropping at the PDCP layer. Similar to... Figure 8 For example, an application with three different streams is generating data packets (SDUs). These streams are... Figure 9 The components shown are Media Component #1 910, Media Component #2 920, and Media Component #3 930.

[0098] Figure 9Each flow in the stream has its own periodicity. However, the set of interdependent packets is identified by the application. The header of each packet in the set of interdependent packets includes the same value for the MMDSSN. In this way, when a packet from one flow is lost or dropped, gNB will be able to identify the interdependent packets from other flows that are missing packets.

[0099] For example, when packet 905 from media component #1 910 is lost, the gNB can determine that packets 915 and 925 from media component #2 920 and packet 935 from media component #3 930 have the same MMDSSN value as packet 905. Based on this, the gNB can determine that these packets are associated with the lost packet 905. In this case, the gNB will discard these packets to conserve air resources.

[0100] Figure 10 A flowchart of an example method 1000 implemented at a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 1000 is described from the perspective of the first network device 110.

[0101] At box 1010, the first network device 110 generates a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU). The first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and the PDU is one of the PDUs in the related set.

[0102] At frame 1020, the first network device 110 sends the first packet to the second network device 120.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the first network device 110 may also identify the related PDU set that is related to each other from the at least one application data stream.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first network device 110 may identify the associated PDU set by: determining that the associated PDU set is in the same time window; or determining that a first PDU in the associated PDU set is associated with a first event in a first application data stream and a second PDU in the associated PDU set is associated with a second event in a second application data stream, wherein the second event is associated with the first event; or any combination thereof.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the first network device 110 executes a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, or the second network device 120 includes a user plane function (UPF), or any combination thereof.

[0109] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, as referenced above Figures 2 to 9 All the operations and features of the first network device described are also applicable to method 600 and have similar effects.

[0110] Figure 11 A flowchart of an example method 1100 implemented at a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 1100 is described from the perspective of the second network device 120.

[0111] At frame 1110, the second network device 120 receives a first packet from the first network device 110 having a first header including a sequence number. The sequence number identifies a set of related protocol data units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and the first packet includes PDUs from that set of related PDUs.

[0112] At box 1120, the second network device 120 generates a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number.

[0113] At frame 1130, the second network device 120 sends the second packet to the third network device 130.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the second network device may generate the second packet by: determining the sequence number from the first header; and inserting the sequence number into the second header.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0120] In some example embodiments, a first network device 110 executes a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, a second network device 120 includes a user plane function (UPF), or a third network device 130 includes a base station; or any combination thereof.

[0121] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, as referenced above Figures 2 to 9 The operation and characteristics of the second network device 120 described herein are also applicable to method 1100 and have similar effects.

[0122] Figure 12 A flowchart of an example method 1200 implemented at a third network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 1200 is described from the perspective of the third network device 130.

[0123] At box 1210, third network device 130 receives a second packet from second network device 120 having a second header including a sequence number. The sequence number identifies a set of related protocol data units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and the second packet includes PDUs from that set of related PDUs.

[0124] At box 1220, the third network device 130 performs an operation on at least the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the operation includes: joint admission control of a set of packets associated with the relevant PDU set, wherein the set of packets includes the second packet; joint dropping of the set of packets; joint logical channel priority ordering associated with the set of packets; joint scheduling of transmissions of the set of packets; or synchronous delivery of the set of packets; or any combination thereof.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the third network device 130 may perform joint dropping of the packet set by dropping other packets in the packet set based on the detection of the loss of at least one packet in the packet set.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the third network device 130 may also: during the handover of the terminal device from the third network device 130 to the fourth network device, send the user equipment (UE) context information of the terminal device to the fourth network device, the UE context information including the sequence number.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the second network device 120 includes a user plane function (UPF), or the third network device 130 includes a base station, or any combination thereof.

[0134] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, as referenced above Figures 2 to 9 The operation and characteristics of the third network device described are also applicable to method 1200 and have similar effects.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the means capable of performing method 1000 (e.g., the first network device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 1000. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may also include components for identifying the related PDU sets that are related to each other from the at least one application data stream.

[0138] In some example embodiments, identifying the related PDU set includes at least one of the following: determining that the related PDU set is in the same time window; or determining that a first PDU in the related PDU set is related to a first event in a first application data stream and a second PDU in the related PDU set is related to a second event in a second application data stream, wherein the second event is associated with the first event.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first network device executes a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, or the second network device includes a user plane function (UPF), or any combination thereof.

[0142] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 1000. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the means capable of performing method 1100 (e.g., the first network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 1100. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the components for generating the second group may include components for determining the serial number from the first header and components for inserting the serial number into the second header.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first network device executes a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, the second network device includes a user plane function (UPF), or the third network device includes a base station, or any combination thereof.

[0151] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 1100. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the means capable of performing method 1200 (e.g., the first network device 130) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 1200. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the operation includes: joint admission control of a set of packets associated with the relevant PDU set, wherein the set of packets includes the second packet; joint dropping of the set of packets; joint logical channel priority ordering associated with the set of packets; joint scheduling of transmissions of the set of packets; or synchronous delivery of the set of packets; or any combination thereof.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the components for performing joint discarding of the group set include components for discarding other groups of the group set based on the detection of the loss of at least one group of the group set.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for: sending user equipment (UE) context information of the terminal device to the fourth network device during a handover of the terminal device from the third network device to the fourth network device, the UE context information including the sequence number.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) header.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the second network device includes a user plane function (UPF), or the third network device includes a base station, or any combination thereof.

[0162] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 1200. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to execute.

[0163] Figure 13 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1300 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1300 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The device shown. As shown, device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310, one or more memories 1320 coupled to processor 1310, and one or more communication modules 1340 coupled to processor 1310.

[0164] Communication module 1340 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 1340 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0165] Processor 1310 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 1300 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0166] Memory 1320 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1324, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1322 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0167] Computer program 1330 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1310. Program 1330 may be stored in ROM 1324. Processor 1310 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1330 into RAM 1322.

[0168] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 1330, enabling device 1300 to execute as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 12 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0169] In some embodiments, program 1330 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 1300 (such as in memory 1320) or in other storage devices accessible by device 1300. Device 1300 may load program 1330 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 1322 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 14 An example of a computer-readable medium 900 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer-readable medium stores a program 1330 thereon.

[0170] As explained above and repeated below, this disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following example implementations.

[0171] Clause 1. A first network device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to at least: generate a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a set of associated PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is a PDU in the set of associated PDUs; and transmit the first packet to a second network device.

[0172] Clause 2. The first network device according to Clause 1, wherein: the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0173] Clause 3. A first network device according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the first network device is further configured to: identify the related PDU sets that are related to each other from the at least one application data stream.

[0174] Clause 4. The first network device according to Clause 3, wherein the first network device is configured to identify the associated PDU set by at least one of: determining that the associated PDU set is in the same time window; or determining that a first PDU of the associated PDU set is associated with a first event in a first application data stream, and a second PDU of the associated PDU set is associated with a second event in a second application data stream, wherein the second event is associated with the first event.

[0175] Clause 5. The first network device according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0176] Clause 6. The first network device as described in Clause 5, wherein the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0177] Clause 7. A first network device according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the following is true: the first network device performs a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, or the second network device includes a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0178] Clause 8. A second network device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: receive from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes a PDU from the related PDU set; generate a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and transmit the second packet to a third network device.

[0179] Clause 9. The second network device according to Clause 8, wherein the second network device is configured to generate the second packet by: determining the sequence number from the first header; and inserting the sequence number into the second header.

[0180] Clause 10. A second network device according to any one of Clauses 8 to 9, wherein the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0181] Clause 11. The second network device according to any one of Clauses 8 to 10, wherein the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0182] Clause 12. The second network device according to Clause 11, wherein the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0183] Clause 13. A second network device according to any one of Clauses 8 to 12, wherein the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U header.

[0184] Clause 14. The second network device as described in Clause 13, wherein the serial number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0185] Clause 15. A second network device according to any one of Clauses 8 to 14, wherein at least one of the following is true: the first network device performs a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream, the second network device includes a User Plane Function (UPF), or the third network device includes a base station.

[0186] Clause 16. A third network device, comprising: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third network device to at least: receive from a second network device a second packet having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes a PDU from the related PDU set; and perform an operation on at least the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0187] Clause 17. The third network device according to Clause 16, wherein the operation includes at least one of the following: joint admission control of a packet set associated with the associated PDU set, wherein the packet set includes the second packet; joint dropping of the packet set; joint logical channel priority ordering associated with the packet set; joint scheduling of transmissions of the packet set; or synchronous delivery of the packet set.

[0188] Clause 18. A third network device as described in Clause 17, wherein the third network device is configured to perform the joint dropping of the packet set by dropping other packets of the packet set based on the detection of the loss of at least one packet of the packet set.

[0189] Clause 19. The third network device according to Clause 16, wherein the third network device is further configured to: during a handover of a terminal device from the third network device to the fourth network device, send user equipment (UE) context information of the terminal device to the fourth network device, the UE context information including the sequence number.

[0190] Clause 20. A third network device according to any one of Clauses 16 to 19, wherein the associated PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of a multimodal application; and the at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

[0191] Clause 21. A third network device pursuant to any one of Clauses 16 to 20, wherein the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header.

[0192] Clause 22. The third network device as described in Clause 21, wherein the sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

[0193] Clause 23. A third network device pursuant to any one of Clauses 16 to 22, wherein the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U header.

[0194] Clause 24. The third network device as described in Clause 23, wherein the serial number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header.

[0195] Clause 25. A third network device according to any one of Clauses 16 to 24, wherein at least one of the following is true: the second network device includes a User Plane Function (UPF), or the third network device includes a base station.

[0196] Clause 26. A method comprising: generating a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a related set of PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is a PDU in the related set of PDUs; and sending the first packet to a second network device.

[0197] Clause 27. A method comprising: receiving from a first network device a first packet having a first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs of the related PDU set; generating a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and transmitting the second packet to a third network device.

[0198] Clause 28. A method comprising: receiving from a second network device a second packet having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; and performing an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0199] Clause 29. An apparatus comprising: components for generating a first packet by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number identifying a set of associated PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is a PDU in the set of associated PDUs; and components for transmitting the first packet to a second network device.

[0200] Clause 30. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving from a first network device a first packet having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a set of related Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs of the related PDU set; means for generating a second packet by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; and means for transmitting the second packet to a third network device.

[0201] Clause 31. An apparatus comprising: components for receiving from a second network device a second packet having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; and components for performing an operation on the second packet based on the sequence number.

[0202] Clause 32. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to any one of Clauses 26 to 28.

[0203] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a dedicated circuit system, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented as non-limiting examples in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuit systems or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0204] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, which are executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figures 2 to 12 The described method. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions used for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0205] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0206] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0207] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will 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 fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transient” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0208] 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 shown or in sequential order, or requiring the execution of all shown operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments 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.

[0209] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to at least: A first packet is generated by appending a first header to a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), wherein the first header includes a sequence number that identifies a set of related PDUs from at least one application data stream, and wherein the PDU is a PDU in the set of related PDUs. as well as The first packet is sent to the second network device.

2. The first network device according to claim 1, wherein: The relevant PDU set is associated with multiple modalities of the multimodal application; and The at least one application data stream is mapped to at least one Quality of Service (QoS) stream.

3. The first network device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network device is further configured to: Identify the related PDU sets that are related to each other from the at least one application data stream. The first network device is configured to identify the relevant PDU set by at least one of the following: Determine that the relevant PDU sets are within the same time window; or A first PDU in the relevant PDU set is determined to be associated with a first event in a first application data stream, and a second PDU in the relevant PDU set is associated with a second event in a second application data stream, wherein the second event is associated with the first event.

4. The first network device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first header is a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) header, and The sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the RTP header.

5. A second network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: A first packet is received from a first network device having a first header, the first header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the first packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; A second packet is generated by appending a second header to the first packet, wherein the second header includes the sequence number; as well as The second packet is sent to the third network device.

6. The second network device of claim 5, wherein the second network device is configured to generate the second packet in the following manner: Determine the serial number from the first header; and Insert the serial number into the second header.

7. The second network device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the second header is a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U header. The sequence number is indicated in at least one extended header field of the GTP-U header, and At least one of the following: The first network device executes a multimodal application associated with the at least one application data stream. The second network device includes a User Plane Function (UPF), or The third network device includes a base station.

8. A third network device, comprising: At least one processor, and At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third network device to at least: A second packet is received from a second network device having a second header, the second header including a sequence number, wherein the sequence number identifies a related protocol data unit (PDU) set from at least one application data stream, and wherein the second packet includes PDUs from the related PDU set; as well as Based on the sequence number, at least the second group is operated on.

9. The third network device according to claim 8, wherein the operation includes at least one of the following: Joint admission control of a set of packets associated with the relevant PDU set, wherein the set of packets includes the second packet; The joint discarding of the group set; Joint logical channel priority ordering associated with the aforementioned group set; Joint scheduling of the transmission of the packet set; or Synchronous delivery of the group sets, The third network device is configured to perform the joint drop of the packet set in the following manner: Based on the detection of the loss of at least one group in the group set, the other groups in the group set are discarded.

10. The third network device according to claim 8, wherein the third network device is further configured to: During the handover of the terminal device from the third network device to the fourth network device, the user equipment context information of the terminal device is sent to the fourth network device, and the UE context information includes the sequence number.

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