Methods and apparatus for delay status reporting enhancements in mobile communications

Abstract

Various solutions for delay status reporting (DSR) enhancements in mobile communications are described. An apparatus can receive a configuration from a network node. The configuration indicates one or more residual time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure for a logical channel within a logical channel group (LCG). The apparatus can trigger the DSR procedure based on the one or more residual time thresholds. The apparatus can then transmit a DSR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to the network node in response to triggering the DSR procedure. The DSR MAC CE includes a plurality of pairs of residual time and buffer size for the LCG.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 569,793 (filed March 26, 2024) and U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 644,587 (filed May 9, 2024). The contents of the above applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically to enhancements to delay status reporting (DSR) in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] Unless otherwise stated herein, the methods described in this section are not prior art as claimed in the following claims, and are not considered prior art because they are included in this section.

[0005] Wireless communication networks have grown exponentially over the years. Long-term evolution (LTE) systems offer peak data rates, low latency, increased system capacity, and lower operating costs due to simplified network architecture. LTE systems, also known as 4G systems, can seamlessly integrate with legacy wireless networks such as GSM, CDMA, and the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). In LTE systems, the evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) comprises multiple evolved Node-Bs (eNodeBs or eNBs) that communicate with multiple mobile stations (called user equipment (UEs)). Alternatively, the wireless network may also include a hybrid of 2G / 3G / 4G systems. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)... rd Within the Generation Partner Project (3GPP), the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Board has decided to focus future NGMN activities on defining the end-to-end requirements for 5G New Radio (NR) systems, 5G-Advanced systems, and 6G systems.

[0006] In the 5G NR system of 3GPP Release 18, a delay status reporting (DSR) process was introduced to provide the delay status of logical channel groups (LCGs) to the serving next-generation node-B (gNB) through the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). This enables timely processing of the transmission of delay-critical packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data units (SDUs) to meet the needs of certain delay-sensitive services (such as extended reality (XR) services). Figure 1 This demonstrates 100 example scenarios of DSR MAC CE content under the current 5G NR framework. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the delay state of a certain LCG (denoted as LCG) i The remaining time (i=0~7) includes the minimum remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCP SDUs buffered by the LCG but not transmitted in any Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU), and the total amount of delay-critical uplink (UL) data for the LCG. In other words, in the reported delay status, only one LCG contains a pair of remaining time and buffer size. Therefore, the gNB will treat all delay-critical PDCP SDUs reported in the DSR as equally urgent as the PDCP SDU with the minimum remaining time. However, the current delay status reporting design may be inefficient in terms of uplink data / resource scheduling.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to provide appropriate solutions to this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is intended to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] One objective of this disclosure is to provide schemes, concepts, designs, systems, methods, and / or apparatuses related to enhanced Delay Status Reporting (DSR) in mobile communications. It is believed that by implementing one or more of the schemes proposed herein, the aforementioned problems can be avoided or mitigated.

[0010] In one aspect, a method may involve an apparatus receiving configuration from a network node, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure on a logical channel within a logical channel group (LCG). The method may also involve the apparatus triggering a DSR procedure based on the one or more remaining time thresholds. The method may further involve the apparatus sending a DSR Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) to the network node in response to triggering the DSR procedure, wherein the DSR MAC CE includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size for the LCG.

[0011] In one aspect, a method may involve a network node sending a configuration to a device, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure on a logical channel within a logical channel group (LCG). The method may also involve the network node receiving a DSR MAC CE from the device, wherein the DSR MAC CE includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer sizes for the LCG.

[0012] In one aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network node during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. Operations that the processor can perform during operation include receiving configuration from the network node via the transceiver, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure within a logical channel group (LCG). Further operations that the processor can perform include triggering the DSR procedure based on the one or more remaining time thresholds. Further operations that the processor can perform include sending a DSR MAC CE to the network node via the transceiver in response to triggering the DSR procedure, wherein the DSR MAC CE includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer sizes for the LCG.

[0013] It is worth noting that although the content described herein may be presented in the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5th Generation (5G), New Radio (NR), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G), and 6th Generation (6G), the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings are included in this disclosure to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and form part of it. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the disclosure.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of DSR MAC CE content under the current 5G new wireless framework.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of a communication environment in which the various solutions and schemes of this disclosure can be implemented.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of an enhanced DSR process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of a DSR MAC CE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of another DSR MAC CE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a block diagram describing an example communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart describing an example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flowchart describing another example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the subject matter of the claims are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are for illustrative purposes only and may be implemented in various forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are intended to make the description of this disclosure exhaustive and complete, and to fully communicate the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the proposed embodiments and implementations.

[0024] Overview

[0025] According to the implementation of this disclosure, various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to enhanced Delay Status Reporting (DSR) in mobile communications are involved. According to this disclosure, multiple possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described individually below, two or more of them can be implemented in some combination.

[0026] Under the current 5G New Radio (NR) framework, the reported latency status only includes a pair of remaining time and buffer size for a Logical Channel Group (LCG). However, as mentioned above, this design for latency status reporting may not be flexible enough and inefficient in terms of uplink (UL) data / resource scheduling, because the gNB will treat all latency-critical Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Units (SDUs) reported in the DSR as equally urgent as the PDCP SDU with the shortest remaining time.

[0027] In view of the above, this disclosure proposes several schemes related to DSR enhancement in mobile communications. According to the schemes of this disclosure, the DSR procedure is enhanced to allow the DSR Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) to contain multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size of an LCG. Therefore, by applying the schemes of this disclosure, the network can obtain additional information through the enhanced DSR procedure that can be used for more flexible and efficient UL scheduling.

[0028] Figure 2An example scenario 200 of a communication environment implementable according to this disclosure is illustrated. In scenario 200, a user equipment (UE) 210 wirelessly communicates with a network 220 (e.g., a wireless network comprising non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and terrestrial networks (TN)) via at least one terrestrial network node 222 (e.g., a base station (BS), such as an eNB, gNB, or a transmission / reception point (TRP)) and / or at least one non-terrestrial network node 224 (e.g., a satellite). For example, the terrestrial network node 222 may form a TN serving cell for wireless communication with the UE 210, or the terrestrial network node 222 and the non-terrestrial network node 224 may form an NTN serving cell for wireless communication with the UE 210. In some implementations, the network 220 may be a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G network, and the UE 210 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or mobile phone. Alternatively, network 220 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) / Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) / Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network, and UE 210 can be an IoT device, such as an NB-IoT UE or an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UE (e.g., a bandwidth-reduced low complexity (BL) UE or a coverage-enhanced (CE) UE). In such communication environments, UE 210, network 220, terrestrial network node 222, and / or non-terrestrial network node 224 can implement various schemes related to DSR enhancement in mobile communications as described below. It is worth noting that although various proposed schemes may be described separately or individually below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed schemes may be used or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposed scheme can also be used or implemented individually or separately.

[0029] Figure 3An example scenario 300 of an enhanced DSR procedure according to an implementation of this disclosure is illustrated. In step 302, the UE receives Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from the gNB. Specifically, the RRC signaling contains a configuration of one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure on a logical channel within the LCG. In step 304, the UE checks / determines for each logical channel within the LCG whether the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCP SDUs buffered for that logical channel and not transmitted in any MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) or reported as data volume in the DSR MAC CE has become lower than at least one remaining time threshold (remainingTimeThreshold) for that LCG. Specifically, the buffered data may be divided into multiple parts based on the remainingTimeThreshold configured for the LCG (i.e., the buffered PDCP SDUs may be divided into multiple groups). If step 304 returns a positive result and there is no DSR pending for that logical channel, the UE can determine to trigger the DSR procedure for that logical channel, and the procedure can proceed to step 306. In step 306, the UE sends a DSR MAC CE to the gNB. The DSR MAC CE contains multiple pairs of the remaining time and buffer size of the LCG, where each pair of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of multiple groups.

[0030] Although not explicitly shown, upon receiving the DSR MAC CE, the gNB can flexibly schedule UL transmissions for the UE and / or other UEs based on the delay information provided in the DSR MAC CE. For example, suppose three remaining time thresholds (remainingTimeThreshold) are configured for the LCG (e.g., remaining time threshold 1 = 15ms, remaining time threshold 2 = 10ms, remaining time threshold 3 = 5ms), and the delay information provided by the DSR MAC CE is: {(remaining time = 12ms, buffer size = 10), (remaining time = 7ms, buffer size = 5), (remaining time = 3ms, buffer size = 1)}. In this case, the gNB can determine to allocate UL resources to the most urgent PDCP SDU with a buffer remaining time of 3ms at the first moment, then allocate UL resources to the five less urgent PDCP SDUs with a buffer remaining time of 7ms at the second moment, and so on. Thus, the gNB does not need to allocate a large amount of UL resources to the UE to carry all 16 buffered PDCP SDUs, thereby allowing it to schedule more UL resources for other UEs.

[0031] Figure 4 Example scenario 400 of the DSR MAC CE implemented according to this disclosure is shown. Figure 4Section (A) shows the buffer status of LCG0, where buffered PDCP SDUs not transmitted in any MAC PDU are divided into multiple groups (e.g., 3 groups) based on multiple remaining time thresholds configured for this LCG. For example, group 1 contains groups with remaining time between a first remaining time threshold (in...). Figure 4 The remaining time threshold is denoted as 1) and the second remaining time threshold is denoted as 2). Figure 4 Group 2 contains PDCP SDUs with remaining time between the second and third remaining time thresholds (denoted as 2). Figure 4 Group 3 contains PDCP SDUs with remaining time less than the third remaining time threshold. Figure 4 Section (B) shows the contents of the DSR MAC CE, containing multiple pairs (e.g., 3 pairs) of the remaining time and buffer size for each LCG. Specifically, the fields in the DSR MAC CE are defined as follows. LCG i The field length is 1 bit, indicating LCG. i The existence of buffers and their delay information (i.e., remaining time and buffer size fields). For example, LCG i Setting the field to 1 indicates that LCG was reported. i The buffer and its delay information, LCG i Setting the field to 0 indicates that LCG is not reported. i The buffer and its delay information. The BT field is 1 bit long and exists only if the corresponding LCG is configured with additionalBS-TableAllowed and the buffer size indicated by the corresponding group's buffer size field is not zero; otherwise, this field is reserved and set to 0. If present, a BT field set to 1 indicates that the buffer size specified in Table 6.1.3.1-3 of 3GPP TS 38.321 is used to set the value of the buffer size field, while a BT field set to 0 indicates that the buffer size specified in Table 6.1.3.1-2 of 3GPP TS 38.321 is used. The R field is 1 bit long, and a value of 0 indicates that the bit is reserved. The Remaining Time field is 6 bits long and indicates the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP drop timers for all PDCP SDUs of the corresponding group for the LCG at the first symbol time of the first Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission containing the DSR MAC CE. The Remaining Time field exists only if the buffer size indicated by the corresponding buffer size field is not zero; otherwise, this field is reserved and set to 0. The buffer size field is 8 bits long and indicates the total number of delay-critical uplink data (i.e., PDCP SDUs) for the corresponding group of the LCG.

[0032] Figure 5Example scenario 500 of DSR MAC CE implemented according to this disclosure is shown. Figure 5 Section (A) shows the buffer status of LCG0, where buffered PDCP SDUs not transmitted in any MAC PDU are divided into multiple groups (e.g., 2 groups) based on multiple importance levels predefined for PDCP SDUs. For example, there may be 2 importance levels, one low importance and the other high importance, and the R field can be used to indicate the importance level of the group corresponding to the buffer size; for example, R set to 0 indicates low importance, or set to 1 indicates high importance. Figure 5 Section (B) shows the contents of the DSR MAC CE, containing multiple pairs (e.g., 2 pairs) of the remaining time and buffer size for each LCG, where each pair of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of multiple groups. LCG i Detailed descriptions of the fields, BT field, remaining time field, and buffer size field. Figure 4 Part (B) is similar, so it is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0033] Example implementation

[0034] Figure 6 An example communication system 600 implemented according to this disclosure is shown, comprising an example communication device 610 and an example network device 620. Both the communication device 610 and the network device 620 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods related to DSR enhancement in mobile communications described herein, including the aforementioned scenarios / schemes and processes 700 and 800 described below.

[0035] The communication device 610 may be part of an electronic device that is a two-way control device containing one or more user equipment (UEs), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. The communication device 610 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC), or industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) UE, such as a non-movable or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 610 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 610 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors. Communication device 610 may include Figure 6 The components shown include at least some of the components, such as processor 612. Communication device 610 may also include one or more other components unrelated to this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 6 These components of the communication device 610 are not shown and are not described below.

[0036] Network device 620 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a satellite, base station (BS), cell, router, or gateway for a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G, NR, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network. Alternatively, network device 620 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) or Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processors. Network device 620 may include Figure 6 The network device 620 may include at least some of the components shown, such as processor 622. It may also include one or more other components unrelated to this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for the sake of brevity, Figure 6 These components are not shown in the text and are not described below.

[0037] In one aspect, each of processor 612 and processor 622 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processor 612 and processor 622, each of processor 612 and processor 622 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in others, depending on the different implementations of this disclosure. In another aspect, each of processor 612 and processor 622 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) comprising, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more variable capacitors, these electronic components being configured and arranged to achieve the specific purposes of this disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 612 and processor 622 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks in devices (e.g., represented by communication device 610) and network nodes (e.g., represented by network device 620), including DSR enhancements, consistent with various implementations of this disclosure.

[0038] In some embodiments, the communication device 610 may further include a transceiver 616 coupled to the processor 612, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the transceiver 616 may be capable of wireless communication with wireless networks of different types of user equipment (UEs) and / or different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, the network device 620 may further include a transceiver 626 coupled to the processor 622. The transceiver 626 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the transceiver 626 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of UEs of different RATs. In some embodiments, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0039] In some embodiments, the communication device 610 may further include a memory 614 coupled to a processor 612, which can access and store data therein. In some embodiments, the network device 620 may further include a memory 624 coupled to a processor 622, which can access and store data therein. Each of the memories 614 and 624 may include a random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each of the memories 614 and 624 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of the memories 614 and 624 may include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0040] Both communication device 610 and network device 620 can be communication entities capable of communicating using various schemes of this disclosure. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, the following description, in conjunction with processes 700 and 800, describes the capabilities of communication device 610 as a UE and network device 620 as a network node (e.g., BS).

[0041] Explanatory process

[0042] Figure 7 The example illustrates an example flow 700 of this disclosure. Flow 700 can be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether partial or complete, for DSR enhancement in mobile communications. Flow 700 can represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 610. Flow 700 can include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in steps 710 to 730. Although shown in discrete steps, the individual steps of flow 700 can be divided into more steps, combined into fewer steps, or omitted depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the steps of flow 700 can be arranged according to... Figure 7 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 700 can be implemented by communication device 610 or any suitable UE or machine type device. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 700 is described below with communication device 610 as the UE and network device 620 as a network node (e.g., a gNB or other BS). Process 700 may begin at step 710.

[0043] In step 710, process 700 may involve the processor 612 of communication device 610 receiving configuration from network device 620 via transceiver 616, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure within a logical channel group (LCG). Process 700 may proceed from step 710 to step 720.

[0044] In step 720, process 700 may involve processor 612 triggering a DSR process based on one or more remaining time thresholds. Process 700 may then proceed from step 720 to step 730.

[0045] In step 730, process 700 may involve processor 612 sending a DSR Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) to network device 620 in response to triggering the DSR process via transceiver 616, wherein the DSR MAC CE includes multiple pairs of the remaining time and buffer size of the LCG.

[0046] In some embodiments, where the configuration indicates multiple remaining time thresholds for logical channels within the LCG, all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Units (SDUs) buffered for the LCG can be divided into multiple groups based on the multiple remaining time thresholds, and each pair of multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size can correspond to one of the multiple groups.

[0047] In some embodiments, the remaining time in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the shortest remaining value of the PDCP discard timer for all running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units (SDUs) in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the total number of PDCP SDUs in the corresponding group.

[0048] In some embodiments, where the configuration indicates a single remaining time threshold for a logical channel within a logical channel group (LCG), all PDCP SDUs buffered for that LCG can be divided into multiple groups based on multiple importance levels, and each pair of multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size can correspond to one of those multiple groups.

[0049] In some embodiments, the remaining time in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCPSDUs in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the total number of PDCP SDUs in the corresponding group.

[0050] In some embodiments, the delay status reporting (DSR) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) may also include multiple importance indicators, each indicating one of multiple importance levels in a plurality of pairs of remaining time and buffer size.

[0051] In some embodiments, triggering the DSR process based on the one or more remaining time thresholds may include: determining that the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCP SDUs that are in the logical channel buffer and are not transmitted in any MAC protocol data unit (PDU) and are not reported as data volume in any DSR MAC CE becomes lower than at least one of the one or more remaining time thresholds.

[0052] Figure 8 An example flow 800 is illustrated under a scheme implemented according to this disclosure. Flow 800 may represent one aspect, whether partially or entirely, of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above, for DSR enhancement in mobile communications. Flow 800 may represent one aspect of the functional implementation of network device 620. Flow 800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as shown in steps 810 to 820. Although shown as discrete steps, the individual steps of flow 800 may be divided into more steps, combined into fewer steps, or omitted, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the steps / sub-steps of flow 800 may be arranged according to... Figure 8 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Process 800 can be implemented by network device 620 or any variant thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 800 is described below in the context of communication device 610 as a user equipment (UE) and network device 620 as a network node (e.g., a base station (BS), such as a gNB). Process 800 may begin at step 810.

[0053] In step 810, process 800 may involve the processor 622 of network device 620 sending a configuration to communication device 610 via transceiver 626, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a DSR procedure within the LCG logical channel. Process 800 may continue from step 810 to step 820.

[0054] In step 820, process 800 may involve processor 622 receiving DSRMAC CE from communication device 610 via transceiver 626, wherein the DSRMAC CE includes multiple pairs of the remaining time and buffer size of the LCG.

[0055] In some embodiments, where the configuration indicates multiple remaining time thresholds for logical channels within the LCG, each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size can correspond to one of the multiple groups of all PDCP SDUs buffered for the LCG in the communication device 610 based on the multiple remaining time thresholds.

[0056] In some embodiments, the remaining time in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCPSDUs in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the total number of PDCP SDUs in the corresponding group.

[0057] In some embodiments, where the configuration indicates a single remaining time threshold for a logical channel within the LCG, each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size can correspond to one of multiple groups of all PDCP SDUs buffered for the LCG in the device, divided based on multiple importance levels.

[0058] In some embodiments, the remaining time in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the shortest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timer for all PDCPSDUs in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the multiple pairs can indicate the total number of PDCP SDUs in the corresponding group.

[0059] In some embodiments, the DSR MAC CE may also include multiple importance indicators, each indicating one of the multiple importance levels of multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size.

[0060] Additional notes

[0061] The topics described herein sometimes exemplify different components contained in or connected to different other components. It should be understood that these illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be considered “operably coupled” or “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operable coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0062] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations and combinations may be explicitly listed herein.

[0063] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that terms commonly used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open-ended” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” and the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also further understand that if a particular quantity is introduced in a claim intentionally, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claim; if no such statement is made, then that intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, the appended claims described below may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claim. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as meaning that when the content of a claim is introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “one,” any specific claim containing such content is limited to containing only one such content, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “one,” for example, “a” and / or “one” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the content of a claim. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated quantity. For example, stating "two items" alone, without further modification, means at least two items, or two or more items. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C," such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C," such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any extractive term and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of containing only one term, any two terms, or both terms simultaneously. For example, the phrase "A or B" would be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0064] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The device's processor receives a configuration from the network node, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a delay status reporting procedure for a logical channel within a logical channel group; The processor triggers the delay status reporting process based on one or more remaining time thresholds; as well as In response to triggering the delay status reporting process, the processor sends a delay status reporting medium access control element to the network node, wherein the delay status reporting medium access control element includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size of the logical channel group.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, When the configuration indicates multiple remaining time thresholds for the logical channel within the logical channel group, all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered for the logical channel group are divided into multiple groups based on the multiple remaining time thresholds, and each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the multiple groups.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, When the configuration indicates a single remaining time threshold for the logical channel within the logical channel group, all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered for the logical channel group are divided into multiple groups based on multiple importance levels, and each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the multiple groups.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, The delay status report media access control element also includes multiple importance indicators, each of which indicates one of the multiple importance levels of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The process of triggering the delay status report based on one or more remaining time thresholds includes: The shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for all PCP service data units that are identified as being in the logical channel buffer, not transmitted in any Media Access Control (MAC) data unit, and not reported as data volume in any delay status report MAC control element, becomes lower than at least one of the one or more remaining time thresholds.

8. A method comprising: The processor of the network node sends a configuration to the device, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a delay status reporting procedure on a logical channel within a logical channel group; as well as The processor receives a delay status report medium access control element from the device, wherein the delay status report medium access control element includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size of the logical channel group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, In the case where the configuration indicates multiple remaining time thresholds for the logical channel within the logical channel group, each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the multiple groups of all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered for the logical channel group in the device, based on the multiple remaining time thresholds.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, In the case where the configuration indicates a single remaining time threshold for the logical channel within the logical channel group, each of the plurality of pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the plurality of groups of all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered in the device for the logical channel group, which are divided based on a plurality of importance levels.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, The delay status report media access control element also includes multiple importance indicators, each of which indicates one of the multiple importance levels of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size.

14. An apparatus comprising: A transceiver that communicates wirelessly with network nodes during operation; as well as A processor, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, performs the following operations during operation: The transceiver receives a configuration from the network node, wherein the configuration indicates one or more remaining time thresholds for triggering a delay status reporting procedure for a logical channel within a logical channel group. The delay status reporting process is triggered based on one or more remaining time thresholds; and In response to triggering the delay status reporting process, a delay status reporting medium access control element is sent to the network node via the transceiver. The delay status reporting medium access control element includes multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size of the logical channel group.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, When the configuration indicates multiple remaining time thresholds for the logical channel within the logical channel group, all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered for the logical channel group are divided into multiple groups based on the multiple remaining time thresholds, and each of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the multiple groups.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, When the configuration indicates a single remaining time threshold for the logical channel within the logical channel group, all packet data aggregation protocol service data units buffered for the logical channel group are divided into multiple groups based on multiple importance levels, and each pair of multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size corresponds to one of the multiple groups.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The remaining time in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer for all Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data units in the corresponding group, and the buffer size in each of the plurality of pairs indicates the total number of PDCP service data units in the corresponding group.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The delay status report media access control element also includes multiple importance indicators, each of which indicates one of the multiple importance levels of the multiple pairs of remaining time and buffer size.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The process of triggering the delay status report based on one or more remaining time thresholds includes: The shortest remaining value of the running Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for all PCP service data units that are identified as being in the logical channel buffer, not transmitted in any Media Access Control (MAC) data unit, and not reported as data volume in any delay status report MAC control element, becomes lower than at least one of the one or more remaining time thresholds.

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