Devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for logical channel prioritization procedures

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, devices, and computer-readable media for a logical channel priority (LCP) process are disclosed. An example apparatus for a terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a configuration message including a first threshold for the logical channel priority (LCP) process; determine the processing order of the LCHs using the first threshold and the remaining value of the Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and allocate transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to apparatus, methods, devices, and computer-readable media for a logical channel priority (LCP) process. Background Technology

[0002] The LCP procedure handles the priority ordering of different logical channels (LCHs) within a user equipment (UE). Currently, the LCP procedure for Media Access Control (MAC) as specified in the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) is designed to meet priority bit rate requirements by avoiding starvation of low-priority LCHs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The following provides a brief overview of exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the various embodiments. It should be noted that the content of this invention is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description provided below.

[0004] In a first aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a configuration message including a first threshold for a Logical Channel Priority (LCP) process; determine the processing order of the LCHs using the first threshold and the remaining value of a Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and allocate transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0005] In a second aspect, an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for a Logical Channel Priority Ordering (LCC) process, wherein the first threshold may be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of Logical Channels (LCHs) in the LCC process.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method performed by means for a terminal device is disclosed. The method may include: receiving a configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process; determining a processing order of the LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of a Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the logical channel (LCH) during the LCP process; and allocating transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method performed by means for a network device is disclosed. The method may include: transmitting a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process, wherein the first threshold may be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of the LCH in the LCP process.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus for the terminal device may include: a component for receiving a configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process; a component for determining the processing order of LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and a component for allocating transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The apparatus for the network device may include: a component for transmitting a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process, wherein the first threshold can be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of the LCH in the LCP process.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by a means for a terminal device, cause the means to at least: receive a configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process; determine a processing order of LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of an SDU discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and allocate transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by a means for a network device, cause the means to at least: transmit a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process, wherein the first threshold can be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of the LCH in the LCP process.

[0012] Other features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will also become apparent when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Figure 1An example sequence diagram of an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 2A An example processing order based on some common solutions is shown.

[0016] Figure 2B An example processing sequence according to an example embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an example method 300 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method 400 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example device 500 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example device 600 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 800 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Repeated descriptions of the same elements will be omitted. Detailed Implementation

[0024] In the following description, some exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific details are included in the description for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known circuits, technologies, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

[0025] According to some conventional solutions, the LCP process can be performed in two main steps.

[0026] In step 1, resources are allocated to LCHs with Bj > 0 in strictly decreasing LCH priority order (i.e., LCH priority numbers in ascending order), where Bj is the Priority Bit Rate (PBR) bucket size of LCHj, and j is the index of the LCH. A typical UE's MAC entity schedules at most Bj's worth of resources for each LCH with Bj > 0. Bj decreases according to the amount of resources allocated to LCHj. In other words, the UE's MAC entity subtracts the allocated resource amount from Bj and stops allocating resources to LCHj when Bj becomes less than or equal to zero.

[0027] If resources remain, in step 2, the UE's MAC entity allocates the remaining resources to the LCH in strictly descending LCH priority order, regardless of the value of Bj.

[0028] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for an LCP process. According to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, uplink latency is taken into account when determining the processing order of the LCH for the LCP process. The LCP process according to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be referred to as a latency-aware LCP process.

[0029] Figure 1 An example sequence diagram of an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. References Figure 1 UE 110 can represent any terminal device in the network, and network device 180 can represent the network side serving UE 110 in the network, such as a base station (BS), such as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation Node B (gNB), etc.

[0030] Network device 180 may transmit configuration message 185 to UE 110. Configuration message 185 may include one or more parameters required by UE 110 to perform delay-aware LCP procedures. In some embodiments, configuration message 185 may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0031] In some embodiments, the parameters(s) may include a first threshold for the delay-aware LCP procedure. The first threshold may be denoted as LCP_Threshold, and may be the same as or different from a threshold configured for delay status reporting (DSR) purposes, such as remainingTimeThreshold as specified in 3GPP TS. The first threshold may be for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each MAC entity of UE 110.

[0032] Upon receiving configuration message 185, in operation 125, UE 110 can determine the processing order of LCHs for the LCP procedure by using a first threshold and the remaining value of the Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the LCH. Operation 125 can be considered an operation prior to the LCP procedure or as the first step of the enhanced LCP procedure.

[0033] Before performing operation 125 to determine the processing order of LCHs, UE 110 may update Bj for each LCH. In some embodiments, UE 110 may update Bj for a qualified LCH, and a qualified LCH may be an LCH selected in clause 5.4.3.1.2 of 3GPP TS 38.321.

[0034] In some embodiments, during operation 130, in the SDU of each LCH buffer, UE 110 can determine the minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in the SDU of each LCH. The minimum remaining value of LCHj can be represented as Tj.

[0035] In some embodiments, the SDU discard timer may be the discardTimer specified in 3GPP TS 38.321, 3GPP TS 38.322 and / or 3GPP TS 38.323.

[0036] In some embodiments, if there are one or more LCHs that are not configured by configuration message 185, then in operation 135, for the one or more LCHs, UE 110 may determine the minimum remaining value as infinity or the maximum available value. Alternatively, in some embodiments, in operation 135, for the one or more LCHs that are not configured by configuration message 185, UE 110 may set a first threshold to zero or the minimum available value.

[0037] Then, the UE 110 may divide the LCHs into at least two subsets. In some embodiments, in operation 140, the UE 110 may divide the LCHs into a first subset and a second subset, where the first subset includes LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than a first threshold (Tj<LCP_Threshold), and the second subset includes LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than or equal to the first threshold (Tj>=LCP_Threshold). Alternatively, in operation 140, the UE 110 may divide the LCHs into a first subset and a second subset, where the first subset includes LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than or equal to the first threshold (Tj<=LCP_Threshold), and the second subset includes LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than the first threshold (Tj>LCP_Threshold). In the case where the LCP_Threshold of an LCH has multiple values, the UE 110 may compare Tj with the LCP_Threshold value corresponding to LCHj.

[0038] Therefore, one or more LCHs that are not configured by the message 185 will be classified into the second subset. Since the remaining value of the LCHs in the first subset is generally smaller than the remaining value of the LCHs in the second subset, the LCHs in the first subset may need to be prioritized in resource allocation compared with the LCHs in the second subset.

[0039] In some embodiments, in operation 115, for each LCH among the LCHs, the UE 110 may calculate the amount of data for which the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is lower than the first threshold. Such data for which the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is lower than the first threshold may be referred to as latency critical data. The UE 110 may refer to the standards provided by 3GPP TS 38.322 and 3GPP TS 38.323 to calculate the amount of the latency critical data. The calculated amount of latency critical data for LCHj may be denoted as Dj. In some embodiments, the latency critical data may be calculated as follows.

[0040] If pdu-SetDiscard is not configured, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) SDU is considered to be latency critical when the remaining time until the discardTimer expires is less than LCP_Threshold.

[0041] If pdu-SetDiscard is configured, a PDCP SDU is considered to be latency critical if the PDCP SDU belongs to a PDU set, and the remaining time until the discardTimer of at least one PDCP SDU in the PDU set expires is less than LCP_Threshold.

[0042] If a Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU corresponds to a PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDU) that is indicated by PDCP as delay-critical, then it is considered delay-critical.

[0043] In some embodiments, during operation 120, for one or more LCHs not configured by configuration message 185, UE 110 may determine the amount of data for which the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers(s) are below a first threshold to be zero or the minimum available value. This means that for such LCH(s), there is no or very little latency-critical data. Alternatively, in some embodiments, during operation 120, for one or more LCHs not configured by configuration message 185, UE 110 may set a second threshold, described later, to infinity or the maximum available value.

[0044] Therefore, in operation 125, UE 110 can further determine the processing order based at least on the amount of data calculated for each LCH in the LCH.

[0045] In some embodiments, during operation 145, UE 110 may divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold (Dj > second threshold), and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold (Dj <= second threshold). Alternatively, during operation 145, UE 110 may divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold (Dj >= second threshold), and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than the second threshold (Dj < second threshold). The second threshold may also be received via configuration message 185 or via another signaling.

[0046] In some embodiments, in both cases where UE 110 performs operation 140 to partition the LCH and UE 110 performs operation 145 to partition the LCH, in operation 150, in order to allocate resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, for each LCH in the first subset, UE 110 may set the PBR bucket size to the maximum of the previously updated value of the PBR bucket size and the calculated data amount, i.e., Bj=max[Bj, Dj].

[0047] Therefore, operation 150 may be useful if it is desired to allow priority use of authorized resources for delayed critical data exceeding the initially specified amount of Bj. Even if the previously updated value Bj of LCHj in the first subset is <= 0, LCHj can still be processed in the step of allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priority.

[0048] Then, in operation 155, UE 110 can allocate transmission resources to the LCH according to the determined processing order. (Refer to...) Figure 2A and Figure 2B Description of operation 155.

[0049] Figure 2A This illustrates an example processing order based on some common solutions. (Reference) Figure 2A N is the number of qualified LCHs in the LCP process, and the N qualified LCHs are ordered in descending order of priority (priority numbers in ascending order). One possible implementation of the LCP process is as follows.

[0050] Step 1 For j=1: N If Bj > 0 Allocate resources to LCHj until Bj <= 0, or there is no more data to schedule for LCHj, or no more resources to allocate. Subtract the amount of resources allocated to LCHj from Bj. Finish Finish Step 2 For j=1: N Allocate resources to LCHj until there is no more data to schedule for LCHj, or no more resources to allocate. Finish Figure 2B An example processing sequence according to an example embodiment of this disclosure is shown. References Figure 2B The N qualified LCHs are divided into two subsets. LCH1 to LCH(g-1) are classified into the first subset, and in the first subset, the LCHs are arranged in descending order of priority. LCHg to LCHN are classified into the second subset, and in the second subset, the LCHs are arranged in descending order of priority.

[0051] Return to reference Figure 1 In some embodiments, during operation 160, when allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, UE 110 may perform resource allocation for the first subset before performing resource allocation for the second subset. The step of allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities refers to step 1 of the LCP procedure.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, during operation 165, when allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority, UE 110 may perform resource allocation for the first subset before performing resource allocation for the second subset. The step of allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority refers to step 2 of the LCP procedure.

[0053] When UE 110 performs both operations 160 and 165, one possible implementation of the delay-aware LCP procedure is as follows.

[0054] In step 1: First, resources are allocated to LCHs in the first subset where Bj>0 in descending order of priority; Then, resources are allocated to LCHs in the second subset where Bj>0 in descending priority order.

[0055] If resources are available, then in step 2: The remaining resources are first allocated to the LCH in the first subset in descending order of priority; The remaining resources are then allocated to the LCH in the second subset in descending order of priority.

[0056] If UE 110 performs operation 160 but not operation 165, one possible implementation of the delay-aware LCP procedure is as follows.

[0057] In step 1: First, resources are allocated to LCHs in the first subset where Bj>0 in descending order of priority; Then, resources are allocated to LCHs in the second subset where Bj>0 in descending priority order.

[0058] If resources are available, then in step 2: The remaining resources are arranged in descending order of priority (e.g., Figure 2A The processing order shown is assigned to N qualified LCHs. If UE 110 performs operation 165 but not operation 160, one possible implementation of the delay-aware LCP procedure is as follows.

[0059] In step 1: In descending order of priority (e.g., Figure 2A (The processing order shown) allocates resources to LCHs where Bj>0.

[0060] If resources are available, then in step 2: Resources are first allocated to the LCH in the first subset in descending order of priority; Resources are then allocated to the LCHs in the second subset in descending order of priority.

[0061] In some embodiments, the term "Bj>0" may refer to the following process: If Bj > 0 Allocate resources to LCHj until Bj <= 0, or there is no more data to schedule for LCHj, or no more resources to allocate. Subtract the amount of resources allocated to LCHj from Bj. Finish Operations 125 and 155 can be performed by the MAC entity of UE 110.

[0062] For some applications characterized by high data rate requirements and relatively small packet delay budgets (PDB), such as extended reality (XR), low-latency communication is crucial. Traffic in such applications can comprise multiple LCHs with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in the uplink; therefore, the delay-aware LCP process according to the example embodiments of this disclosure can provide a more suitable solution compared to solutions that do not consider uplink latency.

[0063] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an example method 300 for an LCP procedure according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Example method 300 can be performed, for example, by means of a terminal device such as the UE 110 described above.

[0064] refer to Figure 3 Example method 300 may include: operation 310, receiving a configuration message including a first threshold for the LCP process; operation 320, determining the processing order of LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and operation 330, allocating transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0065] The details of operation 310 have been described above in the description of at least configuration message 185, and their repeated description is omitted here.

[0066] The details of operation 320 have been described above in at least the description of operation 125, and their repeated description is omitted here.

[0067] The details of operation 330 have been described above in at least the description of operation 155, and their repeated description is omitted here.

[0068] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: for each LCH, calculating the amount of data for which the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is below a first threshold; and further determining the processing order based at least on the amount of data calculated for each LCH. Further details have been described above with respect to at least operation 115, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0069] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: determining, for one or more LCHs not configured by a configuration message, the amount of data with a remaining value of the SDU discard timer below a first threshold as zero. Further details have already been described above regarding at least operation 120, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0070] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: determining the minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in the SDUs of each LCH in the SDUs of each LCH; and dividing the LCHs into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than a first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than or equal to the first threshold, or dividing the LCHs into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than or equal to the first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than the first threshold. Further details have been described above with respect to at least operations 130 and 140, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0071] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: determining the minimum residual value to infinity for one or more LCHs that are not configured by a configuration message. Further details have already been described above regarding at least operation 135, and their repetition here is omitted.

[0072] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include setting a first threshold to zero for one or more LCHs that are not configured with a configuration message. Further details have already been described above regarding at least operation 135, and their repetition here is omitted.

[0073] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: partitioning the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold; or partitioning the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than the second threshold. Further details have been described above with respect to at least operation 145, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0074] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: in order to allocate resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, for each LCH in the first subset, setting the PBR bucket size to the maximum of the previously updated PBR bucket size and the calculated data volume. Further details have been described above regarding at least operation 150, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0075] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: when allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, performing resource allocation for the first subset before performing resource allocation for the second subset. Further details have already been described above regarding at least operation 160, and their repetition here is omitted.

[0076] In some embodiments, example method 300 may include: when allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority, performing resource allocation for the first subset before performing resource allocation for the second subset. Further details have already been described above regarding at least operation 165, and their repetition is omitted here.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first threshold may be for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each media access control (MAC) of the terminal device.

[0078] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method 400 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Example method 300 can be performed, for example, by means of a network device (such as network device 180 described above).

[0079] refer to Figure 4 Example method 400 may include: operation 410, transmitting a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for the LCP process, wherein the first threshold may be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of LCH in the LCP process.

[0080] The details of operation 410 have been described above in the description of at least configuration message 185, and their repeated description is omitted here.

[0081] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example device 500 for an LCP procedure according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the device may be at least a part of an apparatus for a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the example above).

[0082] like Figure 5As shown, the example device 500 may include at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520, which may store instructions 530. When executed by the at least one processor 510, the instructions 530 may cause the device 500 to perform at least the example method 300 described above.

[0083] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 510 in example device 500 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor such as one developed based on, for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Furthermore, at least one processor 510 may also include... Figure 5 At least one other circuit or element not shown in the diagram.

[0084] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 520 in example device 500 may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as transient and / or non-transient memory. Transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM). Furthermore, at least one memory 520 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof.

[0085] In addition, in various example embodiments, example device 500 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, etc.

[0086] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces (including at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520) in example device 500 can be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, etc.) via any suitable connection (including but not limited to bus, cross switch, wiring, and / or wireless line).

[0087] It should be understood that the structure of the device on the UE 110 side is not limited to the example device 500 described above.

[0088] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example device 600 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the device may be at least a portion of an apparatus for a network device (such as network device 180 in the example above).

[0089] like Figure 6 As shown, the example device 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 capable of storing instructions 630. When executed by the at least one processor 610, the instructions 630 may cause the device 600 to perform at least the example method 400 described above.

[0090] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 610 in example device 600 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor such as one developed based on, for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Furthermore, at least one processor 610 may also include... Figure 6 At least one other circuit or element not shown in the diagram.

[0091] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 620 in example device 600 may include at least one storage medium of various forms, such as transient and / or non-transient memory. Transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-transient memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM). Furthermore, at least one memory 620 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof.

[0092] In addition, in various example embodiments, example device 600 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, etc.

[0093] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces (including at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620) in example device 600 can be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, etc.) via any suitable connection (including but not limited to bus, cross switch, wiring, and / or wireless line).

[0094] It should be understood that the structure of the device on the network device 180 side is not limited to the example device 600 described above.

[0095] Figure 7A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the apparatus may be at least a part of a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the example above).

[0096] like Figure 7 As shown, the example apparatus 700 may include: a component 710 for receiving a configuration message including a first threshold for the LCP process; a component 720 for determining the processing order of the LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and a component 730 for allocating transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0097] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include: a component for calculating the amount of data for each LCH in the LCH where the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is less than a first threshold; and a component for further determining the processing order based at least on the amount of data calculated for each LCH in the LCH.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include a component for determining, for one or more LCHs configured not to be configured, the amount of data in which the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is below a first threshold as zero.

[0099] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include: means for determining, in each LCH buffer SDU, the minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in each LCH SDU; and means for dividing the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than a first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than or equal to the first threshold, or dividing the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than or equal to the first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than the first threshold.

[0100] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include components for determining the minimum residual value as infinity for one or more LCHs configured for unconfigured messages.

[0101] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include a component for setting a first threshold to zero for one or more LCHs configured for unconfigured messages.

[0102] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include components for dividing the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold; or components for dividing the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than the second threshold.

[0103] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include a component for allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, setting the PBR bucket size to the maximum of a previously updated value of the PBR bucket size and the calculated amount of data for each LCH in the first subset of LCHs.

[0104] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include components for performing resource allocation for a first subset before performing resource allocation for a second subset when allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities.

[0105] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include components for performing resource allocation for a first subset before performing resource allocation for a second subset when allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first threshold may be for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each media access control (MAC) of the terminal device.

[0107] In some example embodiments, examples of components in example device 700 may include circuitry. For example, an example of component 710 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 310 of example method 300, an example of component 720 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 320 of example method 300, and an example of component 730 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 330 of example method 300.

[0108] Example device 700 may also include components containing circuitry configured to perform example method 300. In some example embodiments, examples of components may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0109] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 800 for an LCP process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the apparatus may be at least a portion of a network device (such as network device 180 in the example above).

[0110] like Figure 8As shown, the example device 800 may include: a component 810 for transmitting a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for the LCP process, wherein the first threshold may be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of LCH in the LCP process.

[0111] In some example embodiments, examples of components in example device 800 may include circuitry. For example, an example of component 810 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 410 of example method 400.

[0112] Example device 800 may also include components containing circuitry configured to perform example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of components may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0113] Example embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by a means for a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the example above), cause the means to at least: receive a configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process; determine a processing order of LCHs by using the first threshold and the remaining value of an SDU discard timer for each LCH in the LCP process; and allocate transmission resources to the LCHs according to the determined processing order.

[0114] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the device, enable the device to: calculate, for each LCH, the amount of data for which the remaining value of the SDU discard timer is below a first threshold; and further determine a processing order based at least on the amount of data calculated for each LCH.

[0115] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: determine, for one or more LCHs not configured by a configuration message, the amount of data with a remaining value of the SDU discard timer below a first threshold as zero.

[0116] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to: determine, in the form of SDUs for each LCH buffer in the LCH, a minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in the SDUs of each LCH; and to divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than a first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than or equal to the first threshold, or to divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value less than or equal to the first threshold and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum remaining value greater than the first threshold.

[0117] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: determine the minimum residual value as infinity for one or more LCHs that are not configured by a configuration message.

[0118] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: set a first threshold to zero for one or more LCHs that are not configured by a configuration message.

[0119] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to: divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing an LCH having a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold, and the second subset containing an LCH having a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold; or divide the LCH into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing an LCH having a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the second subset containing an LCH having a calculated data amount less than the second threshold.

[0120] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to: in order to allocate resources based on the priority bit rate (PBR) and LCH priority, set the PBR bucket size to the maximum of the previously updated PBR bucket size and the calculated amount of data for each LCH in the first subset of LCHs.

[0121] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to: allocate resources for a first subset before allocating resources for a second subset when allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities.

[0122] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the means, cause the means to: allocate resources for the first subset before allocating resources for the second subset when allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first threshold may be for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each media access control (MAC) of the terminal device.

[0124] Example embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by means for a network device (such as network device 180 in the example above), cause the means to at least: transmit a configuration message to a terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for an LCP process, wherein the first threshold can be used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of LCH in the LCP process.

[0125] As used herein, “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and similar wording (where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) means at least any one element, at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0126] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not 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 may 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 (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), 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 the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the above description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communication equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0127] Throughout this disclosure, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., an implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable) (i) a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of (multiple) hardware processors having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) (multiple) hardware circuitry and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when operation does not require software. This definition of circuitry applies to all or all of the use of the term in this disclosure (including in any claim). As another example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or multiple processors) or portions of hardware circuitry or processors and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also covers, for example (and where applicable to the elements of the claims) 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.

[0128] Another example embodiment may involve computer program code or instructions that enable a device to perform at least the corresponding methods described above. Another example embodiment may involve a computer-readable medium on which such computer program code or instructions are stored. In some embodiments, such a computer-readable medium 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, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any combination thereof.

[0129] Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” etc., shall be interpreted in an inclusive sense, rather than an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is, they shall be understood as meaning “including but not limited to.” As commonly used herein, the term “coupled” refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as commonly used herein, the term “connected” refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected via one or more intermediate elements. Furthermore, when used in this application, the terms “this,” “above,” “below,” and similar terms shall refer to the entire application and not to any particular part of the application. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms used in the specification may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The term “or” relating to a list of two or more items covers all of the following interpretations: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0130] Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, the conditional language used herein, in particular words such as “can,” “may,” “possibly,” “may,” “for example,” “like,” “etc.,” are generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states that are not included in other embodiments. Therefore, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that one or more embodiments require features, elements, and / or states in any way, or that one or more embodiments must include logic for determining, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, and / or states are included in or will be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0131] As used herein, the term "determine / identify" (and its grammatical variations) can include at least: calculation, operation, processing, derivation, measurement, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), obtaining, etc. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, picking, building, etc.

[0132] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, the apparatuses, methods, and systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made to the form of the methods and systems described herein without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, although blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may utilize different components and / or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. At least one of these blocks can be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks can also be changed. Any suitable combination of elements and actions of some of the embodiments described above can be combined to provide other embodiments. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover these forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

[0133] The abbreviations used in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows: 3GPP TS (Third Generation Partnership Project) Technical Specification BS base station DSR Delay Status Report eNB Evolution Node B gNB Next Generation Node B LCG logical channel group LCH logical channel LCP logical channel priority sorting MAC Media Access Control PBR Priority Bit Rate PDB group delay budget PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDU Protocol Data Unit QoS (Quality of Service) RLC Radio Link Control RRC Radio Resource Control SDU Service Data Unit UE User Equipment XR Extended Reality

Claims

1. An apparatus for a terminal 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 device to at least: Receive a configuration message, the configuration message including a first threshold for the Logical Channel Priority (LCP) procedure; The processing order of the LCHs is determined by using the first threshold and the remaining value of the Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the logical channel LCH during the LCP process. as well as Transmission resources are allocated to the LCH according to the determined processing order.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: For each LCH in the LCH, calculate the amount of data whose remaining value in the SDU discard timer is lower than the first threshold; and The processing order is further determined based at least on the amount of data calculated for each of the LCHs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to: For one or more LCHs that are not configured by the configuration message, the amount of data with a remaining value of the SDU discard timer that is lower than the first threshold is determined to be zero.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to: In the SDUs for each LCH buffer in the LCH, the minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH is determined by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in the SDUs for each LCH; and The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset. The first subset contains LCHs with a minimum residual value less than the first threshold, and the second subset contains LCHs with a minimum residual value greater than or equal to the first threshold. The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum residual value less than or equal to the first threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum residual value greater than the first threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to: For one or more LCHs that have not been configured by the configuration message, the minimum residual value is determined to be infinity.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to: For one or more LCHs that have not been configured by the configuration message, the first threshold is set to zero.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to: The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset. The first subset contains LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold, and the second subset contains LCHs with a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold. The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than the second threshold.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to: In order to allocate resources based on the priority bit rate (PBR) and LCH priority, for each LCH in the first subset, the PBR bucket size is set to the maximum of the previously updated value of the PBR bucket size and the calculated amount of data.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to: When allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, resource allocation is performed on the first subset before resource allocation is performed on the second subset.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to: When allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority, resource allocation is performed on the first subset before resource allocation is performed on the second subset.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first threshold is for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each media access control (MAC) of the terminal device.

12. An apparatus for a 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 device to at least: A configuration message is transmitted to the terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for the Logical Channel Priority (LCP) process. The first threshold is used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of the logical channel (LCH) in the LCP process.

13. A method performed by means for a terminal device, comprising: Receive a configuration message, the configuration message including a first threshold for the Logical Channel Priority (LCP) procedure; The processing order of the LCHs is determined by using the first threshold and the remaining value of the Service Data Unit (SDU) discard timer for each LCH in the logical channel LCH during the LCP process. as well as Transmission resources are allocated to the LCH according to the determined processing order.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising: For each LCH in the LCH, calculate the amount of data whose remaining value of the SDU discard timer is lower than the first threshold; as well as The processing order is further determined based at least on the amount of data calculated for each of the LCHs.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising: For one or more LCHs that are not configured by the configuration message, the amount of data with a remaining value of the SDU discard timer that is lower than the first threshold is determined to be zero.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, comprising: In the SDUs for each LCH buffer in the LCH, the minimum remaining value of the SDU discard timer for each LCH is determined by comparing the remaining values ​​of the SDU discard timers in the SDUs for each LCH; and The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset. The first subset contains LCHs with a minimum residual value less than the first threshold, and the second subset contains LCHs with a minimum residual value greater than or equal to the first threshold. The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a minimum residual value less than or equal to the first threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a minimum residual value greater than the first threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising: For one or more LCHs that have not been configured by the configuration message, the minimum residual value is determined to be infinity.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising: For one or more LCHs that have not been configured by the configuration message, the first threshold is set to zero.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, comprising: The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset. The first subset contains LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than a second threshold, and the second subset contains LCHs with a calculated data amount less than or equal to the second threshold. The LCH is divided into a first subset and a second subset, the first subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the second subset containing LCHs with a calculated data amount less than the second threshold.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, comprising: In order to allocate resources based on the priority bit rate (PBR) and LCH priority, for each LCH in the first subset, the PBR bucket size is set to the maximum of the previously updated value of the PBR bucket size and the calculated amount of data.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, comprising: When allocating resources based on PBR and LCH priorities, resource allocation is performed on the first subset before resource allocation is performed on the second subset.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, comprising: When allocating remaining resources based on LCH priority, resource allocation is performed on the first subset before resource allocation is performed on the second subset.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein the first threshold is for each LCH, each logical channel group (LCG), or each media access control (MAC) of the terminal device.

24. A method performed by means for a network device, comprising: A configuration message is transmitted to the terminal device, the configuration message including a first threshold for the Logical Channel Priority (LCP) process. The first threshold is used by the terminal device to determine the processing order of the logical channel (LCH) in the LCP process.

25. An apparatus for a terminal device, comprising components for performing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

26. An apparatus for a network device, comprising a component for performing the method according to claim 24.

27. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a means for a terminal device, cause the means to perform at least the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

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