Co-operation of multiple radio receivers to meet higher downlink quality of service requirements - Patents.com

Abstract

The method includes identifying (401) information about each of a plurality of devices, and transmitting (403) the information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an admission of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first radio receiver and a second device including a second radio receiver. The method further includes obtaining (405) a first signal received by the first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, obtaining (407) a second signal received by the second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and extracting (409) data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network, and a base station for transmitting radio signals to a plurality of devices.

[0002] The invention further relates to a method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, a method for establishing a data flow, and a method for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices.

[0003] The invention also relates to a computer program product enabling a computer system to carry out such a method. [Background technology]

[0004] In the prior art technical implementation, a UE (User Equipment) operates in isolation and handles all data traffic provided to it in uplink and downlink at higher protocol layers, including handling one or more different applications. If the network cannot support a certain performance requirement (e.g., Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) requirement) for a downlink Quality-of-Service (QoS) flow held between the UE and a User Plane Function (UPF) in the core network, given the quality of the radio link, there is effectively no downlink (DL) coverage of that performance requirement (e.g., GBR).

[0005] At the 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #93-e teleconference held on September 13-17, 2021, Huawei and HiSilicon submitted a contribution (RP-212282) on UE aggregation, titled “Updated views on Rel-18 UE aggregation”. UE aggregation was originally conceived to improve the uplink performance of 5G New Radio. UE aggregation can improve uplink (UL) performance by utilizing the aggregation of resources such as transmission power, antennas, and bandwidth. The contribution noted that aggregation also benefits downlink (DL) performance. The contribution noted that one important technical aspect of UE aggregation is the anchor point where data is split / replicated, and L2 data split / replica is compared with application layer data split / replica. Although UE aggregation can be used to increase the achievable DL performance, this does not mean that such higher DL performance can be guaranteed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a system that makes it possible to establish and support data flows with downlink QoS requirements that would not otherwise be possible.

[0007] A second object of the present invention is to provide a method that makes it possible to establish and support data flows with downlink QoS requirements that would not otherwise be possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, a system for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows includes a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver, and at least one processor configured to determine information about each of the plurality of devices and transmit the information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information.

[0009] The at least one processor is further configured to obtain a first signal received by a first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, and obtain a second signal received by a second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, wherein the data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements, and extract data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

[0010] One or more of the at least one processor may be included in the first device. One or more of the at least one processor may be included in the second device. The plurality of devices may include three or more devices. Each device may include a radio transmitter in addition to a radio receiver. The radio receiver and the radio transmitter may be integrated as a radio transceiver. Each device may be a UE as referred to in the mobile communication standard. The system for receiving radio signals may be the device itself. In this case, the first and second devices may be components of this device. The first and second signals may be different receptions of the same transmitted signal or receptions of different transmitted signals. The first and second radio signals may be demodulated after aggregation or may be demodulated separately before aggregation. The data flow may be, for example, a 5G QoS flow.

[0011] By using two radio receivers, downlink performance can be improved. To ensure that this also results in downlink QoS requirements that would not be possible otherwise being met, information about each of the multiple devices is transmitted. This information can then be used by a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network to identify whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable in view of the downlink performance gain that can be realized. The system for establishing data flows can for example be part of a radio access network, such as a base station, or part of a core network, such as a Policy Control Function (PCF), or a combination thereof.

[0012] This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The device information may, for example, indicate the number of devices and / or the capabilities of the devices and / or device identifiers of the devices. The downlink performance gain may depend, for example, on the number of involved UEs, the number of receive antennas available at each UE, and the degree of correlation of the receive antennas with the radio channel towards the involved UEs. In a simple implementation, a fixed mapping of the number of UEs and receive antennas to a gain in perceived performance, e.g. throughput, may be applied.

[0013] In other implementations, the information can be used to calculate whether receive diversity, Enhanced Single User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (SU-MIMO) beamforming, multi-user diversity, Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU MIMO), or carrier aggregation would improve downlink performance gain. For example, if the device supports carrier aggregation, the downlink performance gain may be improved. Ideally, all available carriers can be assigned to one device. If this is not possible, then by using multiple devices, all available carriers can be utilized, thereby improving downlink performance.

[0014] The at least one processor may be configured to determine beamforming feedback based on reception of the one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and reception of the one or more reference signals and / or one or more further reference signals by the second wireless receiver, determine channel state information including the beamforming feedback, and transmit information including the channel state information. The channel state information typically includes a channel quality indicator, referred to as CQI in LTE and 5G, and further includes a part of a CSI report. The beamforming feedback may further include a rank indicator, referred to as RI in LTE and 5G, and further includes a part of a CSI report.

[0015] The beamforming feedback may include first beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and second beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals and / or one or more further reference signals by the second wireless receiver, or may include combined beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and reception of one or more reference signals by the second wireless receiver.

[0016] In a first implementation example, the antenna of the first device and the antenna of the second device are considered as antennas of a single device, and the channel state information including the beamforming feedback is determined based on this. In a second implementation example, the second device provides its own channel state information to the first device, and the first device integrates this channel state information with its own channel information and then includes it in the information to be transmitted. In a third implementation example, the first device and the second device transmit their channel information independently. In the previous two implementation examples, the system for establishing a data flow is unaware that radio signals transmitted on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated.

[0017] Not only the beamforming feedback but also other parts of the channel state information may be combined. The combined channel state information may be used not only to decide on the admission of a data flow with one or more quality of service requirements, but also in the phase where the established flows are served, i.e. the data transmission phase. The combined channel state information may be used for this purpose even if it is not used for deciding on the admission of a data flow with one or more quality of service requirements.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present invention, a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network includes at least one processor configured to receive a request from another system to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements, obtain information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request, identify based on this information whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable, and send to the other system a response that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0019] The information regarding each of the devices typically originates from the devices themselves as described above and may be transmitted by (end-user) systems for receiving radio signals, e.g. by the devices themselves or by other systems, to the system for establishing data flows. This information is used by the system for establishing data flows to identify whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable in view of the downlink performance gain that may be realized.

[0020] The request may be a request to admit a group of at least two data flows, and the one or more quality of service requirements may be one or more joint quality of service requirements. This eliminates the need to request admission of data flows with individual quality of service requirements, which would result in either a reduction in the admitted quality of service requirements or a time-consuming iterative trial and error approach. Furthermore, the joint quality of service requirement allows the base station to schedule based on the joint quality of service requirement rather than on the individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements.

[0021] The request may, for example, specify a joint bandwidth guarantee request and / or a joint latency guarantee request and / or a joint reliability guarantee request. The request may, for example, include device identifiers of the devices or a flag that allows the system to obtain device identifiers of the devices. The flag uniquely identifies a group of data flows and / or the devices.

[0022] The information may include channel state information for each of the multiple devices, and the at least one processor may be configured to identify a correlation between a channel of a first device and a channel of a second device among the multiple devices based on the channel state information, estimate an extent to which the first and second devices can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource based on the correlation, and identify whether one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable depending on an extent to which the first and second devices can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource. For example, the aggregate cell-level throughput may be high when MU-MIMO is applied in certain situations, such as when the channels of the co-scheduled UEs are sufficiently uncorrelated and the respective SINRs are sufficiently high.

[0023] The information may further include other channel state information regarding another device, where the other device is not included in the multiple devices, and the at least one processor may be configured to determine, based on the other channel state information, another correlation between a channel of a device and a channel of another device among the multiple devices, estimate, based on the other correlation, to what extent the device and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource, and determine whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable depending on to what extent the device and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

[0024] In a third aspect of the present invention, a system for establishing a data flow in a mobile communications network includes at least one processor configured to receive a request from another system in the mobile communications network to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows being intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, identify whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable, and send to the other system a response indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable, or a response indicating that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0025] A system for receiving wireless signals (end-user), a system for establishing data flows (in a mobile communication network), or other system may be configured to select how many data flows it wants to use for data reception. If the system for receiving wireless signals (end-user) decides that it wants to use one data flow, the system for establishing data flows does not need to know that multiple devices, e.g., UEs, of the system for receiving wireless signals are involved.

[0026] The decision of how many data flows the system wants to use to receive data can be made based on information about each of the multiple devices, i.e., the same information that the system for establishing data flows uses to identify whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable. Ultimately, the approval decision is made by the flow establishment system. If a system other than the flow establishment system selects how many devices (and which devices, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use to receive data, it can indicate this in a request to the flow establishment system, which can then decide whether to accept or reject the request.

[0027] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a base station for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices includes at least one processor, which is configured to allocate resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station to the first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, the data flow and at least one other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being specified for one or more joint quality of service requirements, transmit the first wireless signal from the base station to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on first frequency resources, and to allocate resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to the second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, and transmit the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment in time other than the first moment in time and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources.

[0028] The base station scheduler schedules downlink resources for data flows with joint quality of service requirements, and typically also schedules downlink resources for data flows with individual quality of service requirements. When scheduling downlink resources for data flows with joint quality of service requirements, the individual quality of service requirements do not need to be taken into account. Advantageously, the base station scheduler has substantially more freedom to target a joint quality of service (e.g., GBR) requirement than to target multiple individual quality of service targets. Such increased freedom can translate into improved diversity gains and thus spectral efficiency and thus cell capacity, which can lead to increased probability of admission.

[0029] The at least one processor may be configured to determine whether to allocate a particular resource to transmit the first wireless signal to the first device or the second wireless signal to the second device based on a first channel quality associated with the first device and a second channel quality associated with the second device, The channel quality may be determined based on channel state information, such as a CQI included in a CSI report.

[0030] The at least one processor may be configured to decide whether to terminate the data flow or another data flow, and if a decision is made to terminate the data flow or another data flow, to terminate the data flow or another data flow and to send a message to another system to inform the other system that the data flow or another data flow of the group of data flows has been or will be terminated. The other system may be, for example, an (end user) system for receiving radio signals or a system for establishing data flows (in a mobile communication network). This allows the other system to select an additional device, e.g., a UE, and / or to determine whether an additional data flow should be requested. For example, if the decision to terminate the flow lacks diversity, another device / UE within the device / UE for which the data flow will be requested may be selected.

[0031] At least one processor may be configured to allocate excess resources fairly between a group of data flows and data flows that do not belong to the group and other groups of data flows. Within a particular data flow group, resources need not be allocated fairly. The excess resources may be, for example, resources above the GBR level. For example, if a scheduler deals with independent data flow A and flow group B (including flows B1 and B2), the concept of fairness is considered at the A vs. B level, not the A vs. B1 vs. B2 level.

[0032] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows includes the steps of: identifying information for each of a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver; transmitting information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an acceptance of a data flow having one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information; acquiring a first signal received by the first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow; acquiring a second signal received by the second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer or another radio bearer associated with another data flow, the data flow and the other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; and extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0033] In a sixth aspect of the invention, a method for establishing a data flow comprises the steps of receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements, obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request, determining based on this information whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable, and transmitting a response that the request is accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable or that the request is rejected otherwise. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0034] In a seventh aspect of the invention, a method for establishing a data flow includes the steps of receiving a request from a system in a mobile communication network to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows being intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, identifying whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable, and transmitting to the system a response indicating that the request is accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements are identified as acceptable, or a response indicating that the request is rejected otherwise. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0035] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a method for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices includes the steps of allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from a base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, the data flow and at least one other data flow belonging to a same group of data flows, the group of data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements specified therefor, transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on a first frequency resource, allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, and transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment in time other than the first moment in time and / or on a second frequency resource other than the first frequency resource. The method may be executed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0036] Further provided are computer programs for performing the methods described herein, as well as non-transitory computer readable storage media storing the computer programs, which may for example be downloaded by or uploaded to existing devices or may be stored during manufacture of these systems.

[0037] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a first software code portion that, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows.

[0038] Operable operations include identifying information regarding each of a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first radio receiver and a second device including a second radio receiver; providing the information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and an acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information; acquiring a first signal received by the first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, and acquiring a second signal received by the second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, where the data flow and the other data flow belong to a same group of data flows, and the group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; and extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

[0039] The non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores at least a second software code portion, which when executed or processed by a computer is configured to perform executable operations for establishing a data flow.

[0040] Executable actions include receiving a request from another system in a mobile communications network to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements; obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based thereon; determining, based on the information, whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable; and sending a response to the other system that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0041] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least one third software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for establishing a data flow.

[0042] Executable actions include receiving a request from another system in a mobile communications network to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows intended to be used for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices; determining whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable; and sending a response to the other system indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements are identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0043] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a fourth software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices.

[0044] Executable operations include allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from a base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, where the data flow and at least another data flow belong to a same group of data flows, and the group of data flows has one or more joint quality of service requirements specified for it; transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on first frequency resources; allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements; and transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment in time other than the first moment in time and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources.

[0045] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a device, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, all of which may be generally referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system." Functions described in this disclosure may be implemented as an algorithm executed by a computer processor / microprocessor. Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in, for example stored on, one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied therein.

[0046] Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be used. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In the context of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0047] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal having computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium is not a computer-readable storage medium, but may be any computer-readable medium that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0048] The program code embodied on the computer readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wireline, fiber optic, cable, RF, or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. The computer program code for carrying out the operations of the aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language and similar programming languages. The program code may run entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0049] Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. Each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided by a processor of a general-purpose computer, particularly a microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU), a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to create a machine, and the instructions executed via the processor of the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device create means for performing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0050] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can instruct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture that includes instructions to perform the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0051] The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device such that a sequence of operational steps are executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide a process for performing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0052] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for performing the specified logical function(s).

[0053] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It should also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0054] The above and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and will be further explained, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0055] [Figure 1] 2 is a flow diagram of a first embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for establishing a data flow. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a second embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a third embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal and a first embodiment of a method for transmitting a wireless signal to a plurality of devices. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a fourth embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal and a second embodiment of a method for transmitting a wireless signal to a plurality of devices. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system and a first embodiment of a flow establishment system. [Figure 7] 7 illustrates an example of a scenario in which the system shown in FIG. 6 may be used. [Figure 8] 1 shows a first example of a flow handled by an implementation of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 9] 7 shows a second example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 7 illustrates a third example of a flow handled by an implementation of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 11] 7 illustrates a fourth example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system and a second embodiment of a flow establishment system, in which the flow establishment system is a base station. [Figure 13] 13 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system and a third embodiment of a flow establishment system. [Figure 15] 15 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system, a first embodiment of a flow establishment system, and a first embodiment of a base station. [Figure 17] 1 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system, a second embodiment of a base station, and a fourth embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the base station is the flow establishment system. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary data processing system for implementing the methods of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0056] Corresponding elements in the figures are indicated with the same reference numbers.

[0057] Detailed Description of the Drawings A first embodiment of a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows is shown in Fig. 1. Step 401 includes determining information about each of a plurality of devices. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of a number of the plurality of devices, capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0058] Step 403 includes transmitting information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. Optionally, a second data flow is requested in step 403. Steps 401 and 403 are part of the flow establishment phase.

[0059] Step 405 includes obtaining a first signal received by a first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. Step 407 includes obtaining a second signal received by a second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow. In the latter case, the data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows, and the group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. Steps 405, 407, and 409 are part of a data transmission phase. The plurality of devices may include three or more devices, three or more data flows may be requested, and three or more signals may be received.

[0060] An embodiment of a method for establishing a data flow is shown in Figure 2. Step 421 includes receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for use in transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices. The request specifies the one or more quality of service requirements.

[0061] Step 423 includes obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of a number of the plurality of devices, capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0062] Step 425 involves determining whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 involves sending a response that the request is accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable in step 425, or that the request is rejected otherwise.

[0063] By receiving wireless signals using multiple wireless receivers in the end user system and then aggregating the signals obtained from the wireless receivers, downlink performance may be improved. To ensure that this also means that downlink QoS requirements that would not otherwise be achievable may be met, information about each of the multiple devices is transmitted in step 403 and is then used by the flow establishment system in step 425 to determine whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable, taking into account downlink performance factors that may be achievable.

[0064] There are multiple techniques for improving downlink performance using multiple radio receivers. A mobile communication network may support one or more such techniques. Based on the information transmitted by the end user system in step 403 and obtained by the flow establishment system in step 423, the downlink performance gain of the supported techniques may be estimated. Five examples of techniques for improving downlink performance using multiple radio receivers are described below: Receive diversity - one device / UE maintains one QoS flow in the network, but multiple receive antennas of multiple devices may receive the transmitted radio signals, thereby increasing the S(I)NR and therefore the achievable performance. If this technique is supported by the mobile communication network, it may be advantageous for one device / UE to include composite channel state information (including CQI feedback) in the transmitted information. The composite channel state information is determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by at least a first radio receiver and reception of the one or more reference signals by a second radio receiver. In the case of receive diversity, the antennas of the first device and the antennas of the second device are considered as antennas of one device, and the channel state information is determined on this basis. The flow establishment system may not know that the radio signals transmitted on the data radio bearer associated with the data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated. For example, it may not be able to distinguish channel state information for one device with four antennas from channel state information for two devices with two antennas each. This composite channel state information may also be used in the data transmission phase even when it is not used in the flow establishment phase. Enhanced Single User-MIMO Beamforming - With this technique, the receive antennas of the second device are not only used as additional receive antennas. Instead, the derivation of the applied downlink precoding (~beamforming) is explicitly based on the knowledge of the channels towards the extended set of receive antennas. In option (i), the second device / UE provides its own channel state information to the first device / UE, which combines this channel state information with its own channel state information and then includes this combined channel state information in the information used to decide to accept the data flow. The combined channel state information includes the combined beamforming feedback. For example, the second device / UE may provide its own GoB-derived CSI feedback to the first device / UE so that it is combined with that of the first device / UE before it transmits the feedback. This combined beamforming feedback may also be used in the data transmission phase, even if it is not used in the flow establishment phase. In option (ii), the first device and the second device transmit their channel state information separately. In option (i), the flow establishment system may not know that radio signals transmitted on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated. Option (ii) is not transparent to the network and the second device / UE needs to establish a signal connection with the network. In either case, there will be one QoS flow. Channel state information may also be collected by the base station. For example, the second device / UE may be required to (also) transmit uplink SRS signals that allow the base station to estimate the channels towards all receive antennas. This information may also be used to make a decision regarding the admission of the data flow. · Multi-user diversity - Multi-user diversity gain is the throughput increase realized when a channel-aware scheduler exploits the fading differences between multiple devices / UEs, for example by always scheduling a user on the best instantaneous channel. The very fact that the scheduler can intelligently choose between multiple users with different instantaneous channel qualities provides a gain, hence the term "multi-user diversity gain". By establishing an additional QoS flow to the second device / UE besides the QoS flow maintained with the first device / UE, the two flows share the available resources of the cell. Although the resulting throughput on a per-flow level is lower than the conventional single-flow case, due to the multi-user diversity gain the overall throughput added together for both flows can actually be increased. The magnitude of the gain depends on the lack of correlation of the radio channels towards both devices / UEs etc. The two QoS flows (i.e. data flows) have one or more joint QoS requirements. · Multi-User MIMO - This technique exploits the general capabilities for MU-MIMO to increase the overall cell-level throughput under the right circumstances, especially when applied when the channels of the co-scheduled devices / UEs are sufficiently uncorrelated and their respective SINRs are sufficiently high. Again, multiple QoS flows (i.e., data flows) are assigned one or more joint QoS requirements. There are several scenarios in which MU-MIMO can improve the throughput of a group of QoS flows with joint QoS requirements involving multiple devices / UEs. In the first scenario, where cell A only serves cooperating UE1 and UE2 and the UEs meet the co-scheduling (MU-MIMO) conditions, both UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resources (sharing transmit power), thereby increasing the overall throughput on the two QoS flows with joint QoS requirements beyond that achieved in the baseline single-flow case. In a second situation where UE1 and UE2 may possibly not meet the co-scheduling condition with respect to each other, the MU-MIMO functionality may still improve throughput if the first UE1 and the additional (second) UE2 can be co-scheduled in a productive manner with other UEs in the cell, e.g., if UE1 is co-scheduled with UE3 and UE2 is co-scheduled with UE4. · Carrier aggregation - if a cell supports more carriers than can be jointly assigned to one device / UE in downlink carrier aggregation mode, the application can benefit from involving a second device / UE to establish two QoS flows with joint QoS requirements, where both QoS flows can be served on different subsets of carriers, effectively allocating more resources to the supported application, resulting in a higher overall throughput. For example, a cell may have five different carriers at its disposal, e.g. a 10 MHz carrier in the 800 MHz band, a 20 MHz carrier in the 1800 MHz band, a 15 MHz carrier in the 2100 MHz band, a 10 MHz FDD carrier in the 2600 MHz band, and a 20 MHz TDD carrier in the 2600 MHz band. If limited to e.g. three aggregated carriers for a device / UE, the resource allocation can increase, e.g. from 10+20+10=40 MHz to 10+20+10+15+20=75 MHz. Similar reasoning applies to limiting the maximum bandwidth portion allocable to a device / UE on a 5G carrier, where again benefits can be gained by aggregating different bandwidth portions allocated to cooperating devices / UE on the same or different carriers.

[0065] The performance gain depends on which technologies are supported by the radio access network and can be estimated in step 425. The performance gain can be estimated with the aid of one or more algorithms or by using machine learning, e.g. one or more neural networks. The flow establishment system can know which technologies are supported by the radio access network, but this is not essential depending on how much machine learning is applied. Typically, the flow establishment system does not know which technologies are actually used by the radio access network for a particular data flow or a particular group of data flows.

[0066] If multi-user diversity, MU-MIMO and / or carrier aggregation are supported, it may be advantageous to establish multiple data / QoS flows with joint QoS requirements so that higher overall performance can be guaranteed. The overall performance guarantees can be managed by the base station as joint requirements of multiple data / QoS flows, allowing joint traffic handling (scheduling, beamforming), or the aggregate requirements can be split into requirements per multiple data / QoS flows, and the resulting data / QoS flows can then be treated individually as before. In the former case, a higher overall throughput can be guaranteed and achieved.

[0067] To enable the flow establishment system to estimate the performance gain, it may obtain channel state information for each of the multiple devices (and specifically for a channel going to a device), which may be part of the data / QoS flow establishment request, may be part of another message received by the flow establishment system, or may be obtained based on a device identifier that may be included in the data / QoS flow establishment request.

[0068] The flow establishment system may then determine a correlation between a channel of a first device / UE and a channel of a second device / UE of the multiple devices based on the channel state information, estimate to what extent the first and second devices / UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource based on the correlation, and determine whether one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable depending on to what extent the first and second devices / UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource. The estimated correlation may be, for example, a correlation index of 0 and 1. For example, a mapping from correlation coefficient to performance gain may be used to determine whether one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable. As mentioned above, the flow establishment system typically may not know whether the first and second devices / UEs are actually co-scheduled by the base station on the same time-frequency resource.

[0069] If receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO beamforming are used, one QoS flow is established with the end-user system. In this case, there is no advantage to using multiple data / QoS flows with joint QoS requirements, but the estimated gains of receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO beamforming can be used to ensure a higher overall performance. The aforementioned channel state information can also be used for this purpose, but this is not required.

[0070] In general, the performance gain may be estimated, for example, in step 425, based on, for example, the number of involved devices / UEs, the number of available receive antennas, and the degree of correlation of the wireless channels towards the involved devices / UEs and receive antennas. In a simple implementation, a fixed mapping of the number of devices / UEs and receive antennas to a perceptual performance, e.g., throughput gain, may be used.

[0071] A second embodiment of a method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows is shown in Figure 3. In the embodiment of Figure 3, one data / QoS flow is established for both devices of the end user system.

[0072] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device having a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of a number of the plurality of devices, capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0073] Step 403 includes the end user system sending information that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and that allows the acceptance of the data flow with the one or more quality of service requirements to be determined based on this information. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, step 403 is performed by step 441. Step 441 includes sending a request to the flow establishment system to admit the data flow with the one or more quality of service requirements. The request includes at least some of the information about each of the devices. In an alternative embodiment, the end user system sends information to the other system, but the information ends up in the flow establishment system. The information can be sent, for example, by the first device, by the second device, or by both devices.

[0074] Step 421 includes the flow establishment system receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the end user system sends only one request to admit one data flow. The data flow is intended to be used for transmission from a base station to multiple devices, i.e. for downlink transmission. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements.

[0075] Step 423 includes the flow establishment system obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0076] Step 425 involves the flow establishment system determining whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 involves the flow establishment system sending a response that the request is accepted if in step 425 the one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise.

[0077] Step 443 includes the end-user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system. The end-user system performs steps 405, 407, and 409 if the response indicates that the request was accepted.

[0078] After the data flow is established, the base station transmits radio signals on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. Step 451 includes allocating resources for transmitting radio signals from the base station to the first device on the data radio bearer based on one or more quality of service requirements. Step 453 includes transmitting radio signals to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first instant and / or on first frequency resources.

[0079] Step 405 involves the end user system obtaining a first signal received by a first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. In the embodiment of Figure 3, step 407 of Figure 1 is performed in step 445. Step 445 involves obtaining a second signal received by a second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer. The first and second signals are different receptions of a wireless signal transmitted by the base station.

[0080] Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. In the embodiment of Figure 3, step 409 is performed by step 411. Step 411 includes combining the signals before modulation / decoding. Steps 451 and 453 and steps 406, 407, and 409 may be repeated one or more times.

[0081] A third embodiment of the method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows and a first embodiment of the method for transmitting wireless signals to multiple devices are shown in Figure 4. In the third embodiment of Figure 4, two data / QoS flows having joint QoS requirements are established for two devices of an end-user system.

[0082] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of a number of the plurality of devices, capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0083] Step 403 includes an end-user system transmitting information indicating that a data flow has been requested with one or more quality of service requirements and allowing acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements to be determined based on the information. In the embodiment of Figure 4, step 403 is performed by steps 441 and 471.

[0084] Step 441 includes a first device of the end user system sending a request to approve the group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The request includes the information identified in step 401. The request is also a request to establish the first of the two data flows. Step 471 includes a second device of the end user system sending a request to establish the second of the two data flows. Both devices may send the same or similar request. Therefore, the request to establish the second data flow may also be a request to approve the group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. In an alternative embodiment, the end user system sends information to another system, but the information ends up in the flow establishment system.

[0085] Step 421 includes the flow establishment system receiving one or more requests to admit a group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, including a request to establish two data flows. The one or more requests for admission specify the one or more joint quality of service requirements. The data flows are intended to be used for transmission from a base station to multiple devices, i.e., for downlink transmission.

[0086] Step 423 includes obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0087] Step 425 includes determining whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 includes sending a response that the request is accepted if step 425 determines that the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise. If the request is accepted, step 427 includes sending a message to both devices of the end user system, thereby establishing two data flows. Figure 4 does not show what happens if the request is rejected.

[0088] Step 443 includes a first device of the end user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system for the first data flow. Step 473 includes a second device of the end user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system for the second data flow. If the data flow authorization request sent in step 441 is rejected before step 471 is performed, steps 471 and 473 may be skipped. Then, the corresponding steps performed by the flow establishment system are also skipped.

[0089] After the data flow is established, the base station performs steps 481 to 487. Step 481 includes the base station allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station to the first device on a data radio bearer associated with the first data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 483 includes the base station transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on first frequency resources.

[0090] Step 485 includes the base station allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to the second device on another data radio bearer associated with the second data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 487 includes the base station transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second instant other than the first instant and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources.

[0091] Optionally, the base station is configured to allocate surplus resources fairly between the groups of data flows, the ungrouped data flows, and other groups of data flows. There is no need to allocate resources fairly within a particular data flow group. The surplus resources can be, for example, resources above the GBR level. For example, if a scheduler serves independent flow A and flow group B (including flows B1 and B2), the concept of fairness is considered at the A vs. B level, not at the A vs. B1 vs. B2 level.

[0092] Step 405 includes obtaining a first signal received by a first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with a first data flow. The first signal is a reception of a first wireless signal transmitted by a base station. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, step 407 of FIG. 1 is performed by step 475. Step 475 includes obtaining a second signal received by a second wireless receiver on another data radio bearer. The second signal is a reception of a second wireless signal transmitted by a base station. Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, step 409 is performed in step 413. Step 413 includes modulating / decoding the signals separately and then aggregating the actual data. Steps 481-487 and steps 405, 407, and 409 may be repeated one or more times.

[0093] The embodiment of Fig. 3 shows the use of one data flow, while the embodiment of Fig. 4 shows the use of multiple data flows. Whether one or multiple data flows are used may be fixed within the end-user system and / or the flow establishment system. However, it is also possible to allow the end-user system, the flow establishment system, or other systems to dynamically select how many devices / UEs and / or how many data flows they want to use for data reception.

[0094] A fourth embodiment of a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows and a second embodiment of a method for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices are shown in FIG. 5.

[0095] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of a number of the plurality of devices, capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0096] Step 501 involves the end user system determining, based on the information identified in step 401, how many devices / UEs of the end user system it wants to use to receive data (and, if applicable, which devices it wants to use to receive data) and how many data flows it wants to use to receive data. Based on this information (which can be very complex or as simple as the number of devices / UEs belonging to the same group), the potential gain in terms of achievable (joint) QoS can be estimated, e.g. Carrier aggregation / multi-radio dual connectivity: Derive a set of devices / UEs to fully utilize the resource availability in the cell. MU-Diversity: Estimate how independent (e.g. CQI) the channels are between the base stations serving the device / UE. The more independent the channels are, the higher the potential gain (through diversity). · MU-MIMO: Channel and cross-correlation of different devices / UEs (inside and outside their own group). The lower the cross-correlation, the higher the potential gain.

[0097] The same gain estimation may be performed by the flow establishment system in determining whether a requested quality of service requirement is acceptable.

[0098] In the embodiment of Figure 5, one of three options is selected: A) one device / UE and one data flow, B) two devices / UE and one data flow, or C) two devices / UE and two data flows. Step 503 then involves the end user system identifying which step to perform next based on which option was selected in step 501. Steps 441 and 443 of Figures 3 and 4 are always performed after step 503. If option C is selected, steps 471 and 473 of Figure 4 are also performed.

[0099] If the admission request is accepted in step 427, after the data flows are established, the base station performs steps 481 and 483 of Figures 3 and 4, and optionally steps 485 and 487 of Figure 4. Step 511 involves determining whether the actual number of established data flows is 1 or 2. Steps 481 and 483 are always performed after step 511.

[0100] If two data flows are established, steps 485 and 487 are additionally performed. If two flows are established, they are treated with the knowledge that they have joint QoS requirements and are therefore treated as a group. Scheduling priorities derived from QoS requirements do not apply within a group, but do apply for other devices / UEs outside the group. Other parameters such as link quality may still affect the scheduling priority within the group.

[0101] Step 513 may also be performed by the base station, for example in parallel with steps 481-487. Step 513 includes deciding whether to terminate the first or second data flow, for example in case of congestion or if grouping of devices is deemed not to yield any worthwhile gain. For example, in general, while serving a device / UE, the network may learn more about the performance gains of serving the device / UE versus serving its subgroups. Based on this knowledge, the network may decide to discontinue one or more flows (one or two flows in the embodiment of FIG. 5). If none of the data flows are terminated, step 513 is repeated and the method proceeds as shown in FIG. 5. Step 515 is performed if in step 513 it is decided to terminate the first or second data flow.

[0102] Step 515 includes terminating the first data flow or the second data flow and sending a message to the end user system indicating that the first data flow or the second data flow has been or will be terminated. In the embodiment of Figure 5, the termination message is sent in step 515. In an alternative embodiment, the termination message is sent to another system, such as a flow establishment system or an Application Function. Step 513 is repeated after step 515 and the method proceeds as shown in Figure 5.

[0103] Step 505 is performed by the end-user system after step 443 and, optionally, step 473 have been performed by the end-user system. Step 505 involves the end-user system determining which step to perform next based on which option was selected in step 501 and whether the approval request was accepted or rejected.

[0104] If step 505 determines that the admission request is denied, then step 501 may be repeated and a different option may be selected in the next iteration of step 501, after which the method proceeds as shown in Figure 5. If two data flows are requested, then they are either all admitted or all denied. If a data flow is denied, the flow establishment system may feed back the reason for the denial (e.g., requested joint QoS is too high or number of flows is too high) and / or an indication of what is acceptable (e.g., maximum admitted joint QoS, maximum number of flows).

[0105] If admission is denied and the reason for denial is related to the number of flows, step 501 is repeated as described above. If the reason for denial is related to the requested QoS, this may be fed back to the application layer for possible adjustment, after which steps 501 or 503 may be repeated.

[0106] If step 505 determines that the approval request has been accepted, then at least step 405 is performed. If step 505 determines that option B has been selected in step 501, then step 445 of FIG. 3 is additionally performed. If step 505 determines that option C has been selected in step 501, then step 475 of FIG. 4 is additionally performed. Step 409 is performed after step 405 and step 445 or 475 have been performed. Step 507 is performed after step 409 has been performed. If option A has been selected in step 501, then step 409 is skipped and step 507 is performed immediately after step 405.

[0107] Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals, which aggregation differs if the second signal is obtained on a different data radio bearer than if it is obtained on a data radio bearer, as described with respect to Figures 3 and 4.

[0108] Step 507 involves determining whether the base station terminates any of the data flows, which is more likely when two data flows are in use than when only one is in use. If a data flow is terminated, the end user system repeats step 401 and may select another option for the next iteration in step 501, optionally based on information contained in the termination message. If none of the data flows are terminated, step 505 is repeated and the method proceeds as shown in FIG. 5.

[0109] In the embodiment of Figure 5, it is the end user system that selects how many devices / UEs (and which devices / UEs, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use for data reception, but as mentioned above, alternatively, the flow establishment system or another system may also make this selection. Ultimately, the decision to approve is made by the flow establishment system. If a system other than the flow establishment system selects how many devices / UEs (and which devices / UEs, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use for data reception, it may indicate that this is a request to the flow establishment system.

[0110] In the embodiments of Figures 3-5, it is an end user system that sends one or more requests for data flows to the transmission flow establishment system, e.g. on instructions of an application server or on an application program running on the end user system. In alternative embodiments, it is a system within the (core network of) the mobile communication network that sends these one or more requests, e.g. these one or more requests may be sent by or via an Application Function (AF). In the examples of Figures 3-5, the end user system includes and uses two devices / UEs. Alternatively, the end user system may include and use three or more devices / UEs.

[0111] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a system, i.e., an end user system 9, for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows. The mobile communication network shown in FIG. 6 includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) 11 and a Core Network (CN) 31. The RAN 11 includes base stations 15, 17, and 21. For example, the mobile communication network may be a 5G network, the RAN 11 may be a 5G New Radio RAN, and the base stations 15, 17, and 21 may be 5G gNodeB base stations. Each of the base stations 15, 17, and 21 may include multiple distributed units, which share a common centralized unit of a Centralized RAN (C-RAN) architecture. The end user system 9 includes two devices 1 and 2. These two devices 1 and 2, e.g., 5G UEs, are connected to the base station 21 in the example of FIG. 6. Alternatively, the devices 1 and 2 may be connected to different base stations. The devices 1 and 2 may be part of two devices or may be two devices.

[0112] The core network 31 includes a system 41 for establishing a data flow. The data flow may be, for example, a QoS flow. The core network 31 is connected to the Internet 39. An application server 35 is also connected to the Internet. The core network 31 further includes a system 33 and a system 34. The system 41 may, for example, implement a 5G Policy Charging Function (PCF). The system 33 may, for example, implement a 5G User Plane Function (UPF). The system 34 may, for example, implement a 5G Application Function (AF).

[0113] Each of the devices 1 and 2 includes a wireless receiver 3 and a line transmitter 4. The end user system 9 further includes a processor 5 and a memory 7. The processor 5 is configured for transmitting information regarding the device 1 and regarding the device 2 to determine whether a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and whether acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of devices, the capabilities of the devices, and device identifiers of the devices.

[0114] The processor 5 is further configured to obtain a first signal received by the radio receiver 3 of the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, obtain a second signal received by the radio receiver 3 of the device 2 on that data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and extract data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. The data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows. The group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements. As described with respect to figures 3 and 4, the aggregation is different when the second signal is obtained on another data radio bearer when it is obtained on the data radio bearer.

[0115] The processor 5 may be configured to identify one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications, for example at the (mobile) network level, and to create a request to admit a data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The quality of service requirements may for example be communicated to the end user system 9 by the application server 35 or may be specified by an application program executed on the end user system 9. Alternatively, the request to admit a data flow or a group of data flows may be sent by a system in the core network 31.

[0116] When the processor 5 sends a request to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifies one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications as the one or more joint quality of service requirements for which admission is requested. The joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements is evident from the request. An example of a joint quality of service request is a joint GBR request (e.g., 100 Mbit / s) for a group of data flows.

[0117] The system 41 includes a receiver 43, a transmitter 44, a processor 45, and a memory 47. The processor 45 is configured to receive a request from an end user system 9 or from another system in the core network 31 to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The request to admit at least one data flow is intended for transmission, i.e., downlink transmission, from one or more of the base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 17, and 21, to the devices 1 and 2. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements. The request can be a request to admit one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. When a group of at least two data flows is requested, the same admission request can be sent by each of the devices so that each of the at least two data flows is established.

[0118] The processor 45 is further configured to obtain information regarding each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, the number of the plurality of devices and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Other information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0119] Processor 45 is configured to determine, based on the information, whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable or not, and to transmit to the system that sent the approval request a response indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0120] An authorization request is typically a request to establish a requested data flow or to establish a data flow of a group of requested data flows. Alternatively, an authorization request may be separate from and precede a flow establishment request. If a group authorization request for requested data flows is simultaneously a request to establish a data flow of a group of requested data flows, a request may be sent for each data flow of the group of data flows, and the multiple data flows of the group of data flows are typically either all approved and established or all rejected and not established.

[0121] Figure 7 shows an example of a scenario in which the end user system 9 shown in Figure 6 can be used. It shows an ambulance 81 having an in-vehicle local area network served by an on-board access point, which is itself fitted to two (different) devices 1 and 2, e.g. UEs, through which it is connected to a base station 21 in a mobile communication network. Devices 1 and 2 are part of the end user system 9.

[0122] An aggregator 83, functionally positioned between the application layer and devices 1 and 2, may aggregate packet flows to one or more simultaneously running applications on multiple devices, such as one or more of applications 85-87, each of which holds a data flow (e.g., a 5G QoS flow) with the mobile communication network through base station 21. The aggregator 83 may also function as a splitter in the uplink direction. The aggregator 83 and one or more of applications 85-87 execute on a processor 5 of the end user system 9.

[0123] The splitter 93 resides within the RAN / core network or beyond to properly extract and aggregate packet flows of different applications as they are sent towards their respective destinations, i.e., application servers 35-37 corresponding to local applications 85-87. The splitter 93 may also act as an aggregator in the uplink direction. In this example, the aggregator 83 and splitter 93 are outside the mobile communication network. Devices 1 and 2 have respective connections to base station 21. Although FIG. 7 shows only two devices / UEs, more than two devices / UEs may be included.

[0124] 7, applications 85-87 may include one or more GBR type applications, which are characterized by a minimum (guaranteed) bit rate requirement. In an ambulance scenario, this may include, for example, a real-time video conference or ultrasound session between a paramedic on board the ambulance and a specialized doctor / surgeon in the hospital.

[0125] For example, a GBR type application may be running, which may not be able to meet the GBR requirement when the packet flow of the application is handled by a device / UE. This may be because the GBR requirement is too high or the radio link between the device / UE and the base station is too weak. Conventionally, in such a case, the requested data flow would be rejected and the GBR request would be downgraded to a lower level. In the above system, this can be prevented.

[0126] By identifying whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable based on information about each of the devices that are going to be used to receive the data, the benefits of using techniques such as receive diversity, Enhanced Single-User-MIMO beamforming, multi-user diversity, Multi-User MIMO and / or carrier aggregation can be translated into higher performance guarantees. Higher performance guarantees can also be achieved through the use of joint service guarantee requirements (rather than individual quality of service requirements).

[0127] In the case of multiple data flows and no joint quality of service requirements, each device / UE would have to somehow establish a data flow where the GBRs per device / UE and data flow add up to an overall (application level) GBR of 100Mb / s. The system requesting admission of a data flow has no clue as to whether it should be, for example, a 50:50, 60:40, or 70:30 split, because it does not know what quality of service requirements the base station and core network can grant. Although a 50 / 50 split can be tried, it often happens that a 50Mb / s GBR request is granted for one device / UE but not for the other because the former has a stronger radio link. In that case, only the former data flow is granted and the overall GBR is 50+0=50Mb / s, which is not good enough. For example, in the case of a 60 / 40 split, both data flows are initially approved, but as mentioned above, the system requesting the acceptance of the data flow has no way of knowing, making an iterative trial and error approach time-consuming and far from efficient.

[0128] Therefore, using a group of data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements avoids the requirement to admit data flows with individual quality of service requirements, which would lead either to lower admitted quality of service requirements or to a time-consuming iterative trial and error approach. The above examples have been described with respect to (downlink) throughput. However, the same techniques can also be used to improve other performance requirements, e.g., with respect to latency and reliability.

[0129] If the flow establishment system is capable of handling a group of data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements, this can be implemented in several ways. The following is a non-exhaustive list of implementation options: 1. In implementation options 1a-c, one or more joint quality of service requirements are split into individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements, including a procedure to identify / establish the split when establishing / modifying a data flow. Once the split is done, the data flows are treated separately in terms of packet scheduling, i.e. in the conventional way. The individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements are taken into account by the scheduler. a) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The system checks whether these one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and by the corresponding base station. Hence, both the core network and the base station are aware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. The system in the core network is responsible for identifying the split. By also informing the base station of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows, the base station can use this information to perform RAN admission control. The base station may even propose a split. In both cases, the base station performs separate per-flow scheduling. b) The base station is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The base station is responsible for identifying the split. The base station checks whether these individual quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and whether the base station itself can accept the one or more joint quality of service requirements. Alternatively, the base station may check whether it can accept the split individual quality of service requirements but not the joint quality of service request. In this implementation option 1b, the core network is not aware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. c) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The system checks whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network, identifies the splitting, and checks whether the corresponding individual quality of service requirements are acceptable by a respective base station. The base station is unaware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows, but may query the base station for one or more splitting options. 2. In implementation options 2a-b, the one or more joint quality of service requirements are managed only at the joint level. The base station needs to know the one or more joint quality of service requirements, since this affects not only admission control but also especially packet scheduling. One important advantage of implementation options 2a-b is that the channel adaptive scheduler has substantially more freedom to target one joint quality of service (e.g. GBR) target instead of multiple individual quality of service targets. This increased freedom can translate into improved diversity gains and thus spectral efficiency and thus cell capacity, which can lead to improved admission probability. a) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. As in option 1a, the system checks whether these one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and by the corresponding base station. Hence, both the core network and the base station are aware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. However, in option 2a, the base station scheduler uses the one or more joint quality of service requirements. b) A base station is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The base station checks whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable to the base station itself and, if so, uses the one or more joint quality of service requirements, but checks whether the individual, but not joint, quality of service requirements are acceptable to the core network. The joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows is therefore not known to the core network. The individual quality of service requirements are only made for the acceptability check in the core network (and possibly for traffic handling within the core network) and are not used by the base station itself.

[0130] Thus, these implementations differ in (i) the awareness of the core network and / or base station (RAN) regarding the joint nature of one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows (Options 1a / 2a vs. Option 1b / 2b vs. Option 1c) and (ii) whether the base station scheduler manages the quality of service requirements at a joint level (Options 2a-b) or in an individual (per data flow) manner (Options 1a-c).

[0131] In all of the above implementation options, a response is sent indicating that the request has been accepted. In all of the above implementation options, the devices may be served by different base stations. In implementation options 1a, 1c, 2a, and 2b, different base stations would typically need to coordinate for admission control of joint QoS requests and / or joint QoS scheduling. If the devices are served by different distributed units of the same base station in a C-RAN architecture, admission control of joint QoS requests and / or joint QoS scheduling may be performed, for example, by a central unit.

[0132] Figure 6 shows implementation option 1a). This implementation option corresponds to the case where both the base station and the core network are aware of the joint nature of the data flows and the scheduling is done separately, per flow. In this option, the core network function manages the data flow establishment (in 5G the PCF manages the QoS flow establishment), informs the base station of the joint nature of the data flows, asks the base station about the (acceptability of) the joint quality of service requirements (e.g. about the optimal GBR split), checks the acceptability from the core network point of view and then admits (or rejects) the data flow and configures it accordingly.

[0133] Figure 8 shows an example of a flow handled by an implementation of the system shown in Figure 6. In optional step 241, the application server 35 sends a request to the end user system 9 via the device 1 to configure a downlink data flow. In an alternative embodiment, a system in the core network 31, for example an Application Function, configures the downlink data flow on behalf of the end user system 9.

[0134] In step 242, a request to admit a data flow group (called QoS flow in 5G) with one or more common quality of service requirements is sent by the device 1 to the flow establishment system 41. For example, in the case of a 5G network, assuming that a PDU session is already running, the device 1 may initiate a PDU session modification procedure to create a new GBR QoS flow. It is important that the devices involved are somehow indicated as a group. This grouping information may be available at the device / UE. Alternatively, the group nature of the devices / UEs may be formalized in subscription information available in a Unified Data Repository (UDR) in a 5G network, for example, and managed by a Unified Data Management (UDM) function. This would imply that data / QoS flows are always established and maintained towards the devices / UEs involved as a group.

[0135] If grouping information is available at the device / UE, the request may include, for example, device identifiers of the devices in the group. Alternatively, the request may include, for example, a flag that uniquely identifies the group of data flows. If the request includes such a flag, this may be obtained in optional steps 231 and 232 before step 242.

[0136] In step 231, device 1 sends a request for a flag to flow establishment system 41 upon receiving an instruction to that effect from higher layer functionality, e.g., from aggregator 83 of FIG. 7 or from one of applications 85-87 of FIG. 7. For example, application 85, controlled by application server 35, may instruct device 1 in this manner. In step 232, flow establishment system 41 sends a flag to device 1 in response to the request. Device 1 then passes this flag to the higher layer functionality, which can then provide it to devices 1 and 2.

[0137] In step 243, a similar request to admit a group of data flows having one or more common quality of service requirements is sent by device 2 to flow establishment system 41. Steps 242 and 243 are not simply requests to admit a group of data flows, but each also includes a request to establish a respective data flow. In an alternative embodiment, the one or more requests to admit a group of data flows are separate from the requests to establish each data flow. If the request sent by step 242 is not the same as the request sent by step 243, i.e., they specify different quality of service requirements, then either request may be rejected or a notice of a mismatched request may be issued. In this case, steps 244-247 may be skipped.

[0138] In step 244, the flow establishment system 41 asks the base station 21, e.g. via SMF signalling (SMF not shown in Figure 6), whether the base station can accept one or more joint quality of service requests for the device group. In its message to the base station 21, the flow establishment system 41 identifies the devices in the group of devices. In step 245, the system 41 asks another system 33 in the core network, e.g. the UPF, via SMF signalling, whether the core network can accept one or more joint quality of service requests.

[0139] Steps 244 and 245 are performed only after all requests to admit a group of data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements have been received by the flow establishment system 41. If these requests include device identifiers of devices in the device group, the flow establishment system 41 may wait until requests are received from these devices. However, the flow establishment system 41 may use a maximum wait time. This is particularly advantageous when a device can establish multiple data flows. For example, requests may be considered to relate to the same data flow group only if the requests are received around the same time.

[0140] If the request includes a flag that uniquely identifies the group of data flows, then the maximum waiting time does not need to be used to distinguish between requests related to different groups of data flows. However, all of the device identifiers must be known in order to check with the base station 21 whether one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable. Therefore, the flow establishment system 41 waits until all requests have been received by the flow establishment system 41, and then performs steps 244 and 245. If it is not possible to determine from the flag whether some requests are to be sent, then the maximum waiting time is used. If this can be determined, then it may still be advantageous to use the maximum waiting time. In either case, the maximum waiting time may be greater than if the request does not include a flag specific to the group of data flows.

[0141] In step 246, the flow establishment system 41 is informed by the base station 21 whether the base station 21 accepts one or more joint quality of service requests for the group of devices. In step 247, the flow establishment system 41 is informed by another system 33 whether the core network accepts one or more joint quality of service requests.

[0142] In steps 248 and 249, responses are sent to devices 1 and 2, respectively, that the request is accepted (if one or more joint quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable) or that the request is rejected. The same response is sent to both devices, i.e., accept or reject. Whether one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable may depend on the estimated benefit of the used techniques, such as receive diversity, Enhanced Single-User-MIMO beamforming, Multi-User Diversity, Multi-User MIMO and / or carrier aggregation. This benefit may be estimated based on information about each of the devices in the group, as described above.

[0143] If one or more of the joint quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable in steps 248 and 249, the respective data flows are established. If the request to admit the group of flows is denied, the system may repeat steps 242-247 with one or more reduced joint quality of service requirements or with a different set of devices.

[0144] In the example of Figure 8, the base station 21 performs step 251 after a data flow between the core network and device 1 is established. In step 251, the base station 21 transmits a first wireless signal to device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with this first data flow. The base station 21 performs step 252 after a data flow between the core network and device 2 is established. In step 252, the base station 21 transmits a second wireless signal to device 2 on a data radio bearer associated with this second data flow.

[0145] When a data / QoS flow is established, in the case of a 5G network, a field in the PDU session header (of the UE specific PDU session under which the UE's QoS flow exists) can be set with a label, for example "Group XYZ", and the same label is used in the header of another UE's PDU session. Via the UPF, these headers pass through the SDAP layer of the base station, and the base station can read this label and thus become aware of the joint nature of the different QoS flows. The base station can then handle the data / QoS flows accordingly, as will be explained in relation to Figures 16 and 17.

[0146] In the example of Fig. 8, the end user system 9 requests admission of a group of two data flows. In the example of Fig. 9, the end user system 9 requests admission of one data flow, e.g., if only receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO / Beamforming benefits are desired. In the example of Fig. 9, steps 243 and 249 are omitted since they relate to the second data flow. Furthermore, steps 251 and 252 are replaced by step 256.

[0147] In step 248, a response is sent to device 1 that the request is accepted (if one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable) or that the request is rejected. Whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable may depend on the estimated benefit of the techniques used, such as receive diversity and Enhanced Single-User-MIMO beamforming. This benefit may be estimated based on information about each of the devices in the group, as described above.

[0148] The base station 21 performs step 256 after the data flow between the core network and the device 1 is established. In step 256, the base station 21 transmits a radio signal on a data radio bearer associated with this data flow to the device 1. The device 2 also receives this radio signal. Steps 231 and 232 may also be performed in this example and in the examples described in the remainder of this specification, but are omitted for brevity.

[0149] In the examples of Figures 8 and 9, it is the end user system 9 that sends the authorization request to the flow establishment system, for example in response to a request by an application server 35. In the example of Figure 10, it is another system 34 in the core network, for example an Application Function (AF) in a 5G network, that sends the authorization request.

[0150] As mentioned before, it is important that the devices involved are somehow designated as a group. In the example of Figure 10, the system 34 sees that multiple data / QoS flows to a particular group of devices / UEs should be established and signals this to the flow establishment system 41, e.g. the PCF, in step 261. The flow establishment system 41 then performs a further joint admission control check.

[0151] Alternatively, this grouping information may be available at the device / UE, in which case when the system 34 is establishing a data / QoS flow to support an application for a device / UE, the device / UE knows and signals to the network that it needs to establish other data / QoS flows (always or specifically for that application) to other sets of devices / UEs, and that these device / QoS flows will be admitted (or blocked) and managed collectively. This is not shown in FIG. 10.

[0152] Alternatively, the group nature of multiple devices / UEs can be formalized in the subscription information available in, for example, a Unified Data Repository (UDR) in 5G networks and managed by a Unified Data Management (UDM) function, which would imply that data / QoS flows are always established and maintained towards the related devices / UEs as a group.

[0153] In step 263, a request to admit a group of data flows (called QoS flows in 5G) having one or more joint quality of service requirements is sent by system 34 to flow establishment system 41. Step 263 is not just a request to admit a group of data flows, but also a request to establish one of the data flows of the group. In step 264, system 34 sends a similar request to flow establishment system 41 for a second data flow of the group.

[0154] If the request sent in step 263 is not the same as the request sent in step 264, i.e., specifies different quality of service requirements, then both requests may be rejected or a notice of mismatched requests may be issued. In this case, steps 244-247 may be skipped. In an alternative embodiment, steps 263 and 264 may be combined into one step and one request may be sent.

[0155] In the case of a 5G network, assuming that a PDU session is already running and corresponds to the case of a QoS flow that is terminated by the device (in other words originates from the network), (i) a system 34, e.g., an AF, first sends a flow establishment request to a flow establishment system 41, e.g., a PCF, which acts as a coordinator in the flow establishment, and (ii) via the SMF, checks with the base station for admissibility from the perspective of the radio access network and with another system 33, e.g., a UPF, for admissibility from the perspective of the core network. As part of this process, the base station 21 may page the targeted device / UE to establish a signaling connection to aid in the admissibility check.

[0156] Steps 244-249 and steps 251 and 252 are performed after steps 263 and 264 are performed as described with respect to Fig. 8. Additionally, steps 265 and 266 are performed by the flow establishment system 41 to inform the system 34, e.g., an AF in a 5G network, that two data flows have been established. In an alternative embodiment, steps 265 and 266 may be combined into one step and one message may be transmitted.

[0157] In the example of Figure 10, the system 34 requests admission of a group of two data flows. In the example of Figure 11, the system 34 requests admission of one data flow, e.g., when only receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO / Beamforming benefits are pursued. In the example of Figure 11, steps 264, 266, and 249 are omitted since they relate to the second data flow. Additionally, steps 251 and 252 are replaced by step 256 of Figure 9.

[0158] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end user system and a second embodiment of a flow establishment system where the flow establishment system is a base station. Fig. 12 represents implementation option 1b). This implementation option corresponds to the case where only the base station knows the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is done separately, per flow. In this implementation option, the (grantability of) one or more joint quality of service requirements (e.g. optimal GBR split) are specified directly by the base station based on its knowledge of the radio link quality and the load of the cell where the admission is requested. A check is made in the core network based on the individual (i.e. per data flow) quality of service requirements (e.g. based on the derived GBR split).

[0159] In the embodiment of FIG. 12, base station 21 of FIG. 6 is replaced by base station 101 and end-user system 9 of FIG.

[0160] The end user system 69 includes devices 1 and 2. Each of the devices 1 and 2 includes a wireless receiver 63 and a wireless transmitter 64. The end user system 69 further includes a processor 65 and a memory 7. The processor 65 determines and sends information about the device 1 and about the device 2 such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of devices, the capabilities of the devices, and device identifiers of the devices.

[0161] The processor 65 is further configured to obtain a first signal received by the radio receiver 63 of the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, obtain a second signal received by the radio receiver 63 of the device 2 on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and extract data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals, where the data flow and the another data flow belong to the same group of data flows, where the group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0162] The processor 65 may be configured to identify one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications, e.g. in a (mobile) network, and to generate a request to admit a data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The quality of service requirements may, for example, be communicated to the end-user system 69 by the application server 35 or may be specified by an application program running on the end-user system 69. Alternatively, the request to admit a data flow or a group of data flows may be sent from another system in the core network 31.

[0163] The base station 101 also functions as a flow establishment system and includes a receiver 103, a transmitter 104, a processor 105, and a memory 107. The processor 105 is configured to receive a request from an end user system 69 or from another system in the core network 31 to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for transmission from one or more of the base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 17, and 101, to the devices 1 and 2, i.e., for downlink transmission. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements. The request can be a request to admit one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0164] The processor 105 is further configured to obtain information regarding each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Further information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0165] Based on the information, the processor 105 determines whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, and sends a response to the system that sent the approval request that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0166] Figure 13 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in Figure 12. Compared to the flow shown in Figure 8, the request is sent to the base station 101 in Figure 12 in steps 271 and 272, instead of to the flow establishment system 41 in steps 242 and 243 as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the base station 101 does not ask another system 33, e.g. the UPF, whether the core network can accept one or more joint quality of service requests. Instead, the base station 101 first splits one or more joint quality of service requests into individual quality of service requests, e.g. based on its knowledge of the quality of the radio links and the cell load of the involved devices / UEs, and then asks the other system 33 whether it can accept the individual quality of service requests for devices 1 and 2, respectively, in steps 273 and 275, respectively.

[0167] The separate system 33 informs the base station 101 whether or not to accept the individual quality of service requirements for devices 1 and 2, respectively, in steps 274 and 276, respectively. In steps 277 and 278, responses are sent by the base station 101 to devices 1 and 2, respectively, that the request is accepted if one or more joint quality of service requirements are identified as acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise. The base station 101 then performs packet scheduling for both flows based on the individual (separated) quality of service requirements.

[0168] Figure 14 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end user system (shown in Figure 6) and a third embodiment of a flow establishment system. Figure 14 represents implementation option 1c), which corresponds to the case where only the core network 31 knows the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is done separately, per flow. In this implementation option, the flow establishment system 121, e.g. the PCF in 5G, identifies an appropriate split of the joint quality of service (e.g. GBR) request into quality of service requests per individual data flows, ensuring that either all of the concerned data flows (e.g. 5G QoS flows) are established or none of them are established at all.

[0169] The system 121 includes a receiver 43, a transmitter 44, a processor 125, and a memory 47. The processor 125 is configured to receive a request from an end user system 9 or from another system in the core network 31 to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for transmission, i.e., downlink transmission, from one or more base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 16, and 17, to the devices 1 and 2. The request specifies the one or more quality of service requirements. The request can be a request to admit one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0170] The processor 125 is further configured to obtain information regarding each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, the number of the plurality of devices, and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Further information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0171] Based on the information, processor 125 determines whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, and transmits a response to the system that sent the approval request that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0172] In 5G, the flow establishment system 121 is typically a PCF. The PCF is under the control of the QoS flow and decides whether the requested GBR is allowed or not. For this decision, the PCF checks with the gNB via the SMF (for RAN admission control) and with the UPF via the SMF (for core network admission control). A conventional UPF accepts or rejects the QoS flow establishment request (depending on the core network source availability / capability). A conventional gNB may use QoS notification control to modify the request if the requested QoS cannot be achieved due to resource limitations / capabilities at the gNB.

[0173] For example, the system 121 may sequentially try a number of GBR splits and request approval in both the RAN and the core network to find a split where all data flows are approved by both the RAN and the core network, and if no such split is found, the core network function denies the establishment of both data flows.

[0174] In a "trial and error" approach to finding an acceptable split, the system 121 can optionally request any information from the base stations 16 and 17 indicative of, for example, the relative radio link quality of the devices / UEs involved, to help find the optimal split more quickly. This can be used instead of or in addition to the QoS notification control discussed above.

[0175] In the embodiment of Figure 14, devices 1 and 2 are connected to different base stations, e.g., distributed units that do not share a common centralized unit in a C-RAN architecture, or different base stations in a conventional non-C-RAN architecture, and no coordination of the different base stations is required in this embodiment. In the example of Figure 14, device 1 is connected to base station 17 and device 2 is connected to base station 16. Alternatively, devices 1 and 2 may be connected to the same base station, e.g., the same or different distributed units that do not share a common centralized unit in a C-RAN architecture.

[0176] FIG. 15 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 14. Compared to the flow shown in FIG. 8, steps 244 and 246 are replaced by steps 281 to 284, because devices 1 and 2 are connected to different base stations. In step 281, the system 121 asks the base station 17 whether the base station can accept an individual (split) quality of service request for device 1. The base station 17 transmits its response in step 282. In step 283, the system 121 asks the base station 16 whether the base station can accept an individual (split) quality of service request for device 2. The base station 16 transmits its response in step 284. As mentioned before, steps 281 to 284 and steps 245 and 247 can be performed several times to find an acceptable individual quality of service request, i.e., an acceptable split.

[0177] Because the wireless signals are transmitted to devices 1 and 2 by different base stations, step 252 is replaced by step 291. In step 251, base station 17 transmits a first wireless signal to device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with this first data flow. In step 291, base station 16 transmits a second wireless signal to device 2 on a data radio bearer associated with this second data flow.

[0178] Figure 16 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end user system (shown in Figure 6), a first embodiment of a flow establishment system (shown in Figure 6) and a first embodiment of a base station. Figure 16 represents implementation option 2a). This implementation option corresponds to the case where both the base station and the core network are aware of the joint nature of a group of data flows and scheduling is done jointly. In this implementation option, the core network can still be responsible for data flow establishment.

[0179] The flow establishment system 41 and the end user system 9 are the same in this embodiment as in the embodiment of Figure 6. However, the base station 21 of Figure 6 is replaced by the base station 141. The flow shown in Figure 8 with respect to the embodiment of Figure 6 and the admission control described with respect to this embodiment also apply to the embodiment of Figure 16 in which the base station 21 is replaced by the base station 141. The base stations 15 and 17 are the same in the example of Figure 16 as in the example of Figure 6, but they could alternatively be replaced by base stations configured similarly to the base station 141.

[0180] The base station 141 includes a receiver 103, a transmitter 104, a processor 145, and a memory 107. The processor 145 is configured to allocate resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station 141 to the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, and to transmit the first wireless signal to the device 1 on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on a first frequency resource.

[0181] The processor 145 is further configured to allocate, based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, to transmit a second radio signal from the base station 141 to the device 2 on one data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and to transmit the second radio signal to the device 2 on another data radio bearer at a second moment other than the first moment and / or on a second frequency resource other than the first frequency resource.

[0182] The data flow and another data flow belong to the same group of data flows. The group of data flows has one or more joint quality of service requirements specified. For example, a joint 100 Mb / s GBR requirement can be met by the base station 141 allocating resources to the devices / UEs such that the sum of their achieved (downlink) throughput achieves 100 Mb / s GBR, instead of managing them individually with fixed individual sub-targets of x Mb / s and (100-x) Mb / s, respectively. The base station 141 can also use one data flow, i.e., data flows that do not have a joint quality of service requirement, in a conventional manner.

[0183] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end user system (as shown in Figure 12), a second embodiment of a base station (as shown in Figure 12) and a fourth embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the base station is the flow establishment system. Figure 17 represents implementation option 2b), which corresponds to the case where only the base station knows the joint nature of the data flows and the scheduling is done jointly. In this implementation option, the joint admissibility of the data flows is determined by the base station from the RAN perspective and is also verified in the core network to include the core network perspective.

[0184] For the latter check, the base station may first split the joint quality of service requirement into separate quality of service requirements based on, for example, its knowledge of the radio link quality and the loading of the cells of the involved devices / UEs, as in the embodiment of Fig. 12. Once authorized by the core network, the base station may ignore these individual quality of service requirements and perform packet scheduling for both data flows based on the joint (unsplit) quality of service requirement.

[0185] Base station 161 includes a receiver 103, a transmitter 104, a processor 165, and a memory 107. Processor 165 is configured similarly to processor 105 of base station 101 of Figure 6 with respect to quality of service management, and similarly to processor 145 of base station 141 of Figure 16 with respect to scheduling. The flow shown in Figure 13 with respect to the embodiment of Figure 12 and the admission control described with respect to this embodiment also apply to the embodiment of Figure 16 in which base station 101 is replaced by base station 161.

[0186] 1-17 provide examples where an application is characterized by a GBR requirement, the basic principles and implementation options also apply to applications characterized by reliability / latency requirements, where, for example, 99.9999% of all blocks, packets, or transport blocks need to be delivered successfully within a certain latency budget. In embodiments where the joint QoS requirements are split into per-flow QoS requirements, rather than an "additive request split" as in the case of Enhanced Mobile Broadband type (eMBB type) applications with GBR requirements, "multiplicative request split" may be applied to Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communication type (URLLC type) applications with reliability / latency requirements.

[0187] For example, in a scenario where a block transmission is replicated over both data flows, a 99.9999% reliability requirement can be split into two requirements for 99.9% reliability per data flow, where 0.999999=1-(1-0.999) 2 Or alternatively, such a split in reliability requirements is not applied and common reliability requirements are targeted in the joint management of the two established data flows.

[0188] 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17, end user systems 9 and 69 include one processor 5 or 65. In an alternative embodiment, one or more of end user systems 9 and 69 include multiple processors. One or more of these processors may be part of devices 1 and 2. Processors 5 and 65 may be general purpose processors, such as ARM or Qualcomm processors, or application specific processors.

[0189] The wireless receivers 3 and 63 and wireless transmitters 4 and 64 of the devices 1-2 may use one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, LTE, and / or 5G New Radio, to communicate with a base station. The receivers and transmitters may be combined as a transceiver. The end user system may include other components typical of an end user system, such as a battery and / or a power connector.

[0190] Devices 1-2 in Figures 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17 may also be referred to as mobile devices, mobile stations (MS), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, wireless terminals, wireless equipment, wireless communication equipment, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals (AT), mobile terminals, user equipment (UE), remote terminals, handsets, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or any other suitable terminology.

[0191] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 14, and 16, systems 41 and 121 include one processor 45 or 125. In alternative embodiments, systems 41 and 121 include multiple processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as an Intel or AMD processor, or a special-purpose processor. The processor may include, for example, multiple cores. The processor may run, for example, a Unix-based or Windows operating system. Memory 47 may include, for example, solid-state memory, for example one or more solid-state disks (SSD) made of flash memory, or one or more hard disks.

[0192] The receiver 43 and the transmitter 44 may use one or more communication technologies (wired or wireless) to communicate with other systems, for example in the RAN or in the core network. The receiver and the transmitter may be combined as a transceiver. The systems 41 and 121 may include other components typical of a network unit in a mobile communication network, for example a power supply.

[0193] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17, each of the base stations may include, for example, a single unit or a central unit and one or more distributed units.

[0194] In the embodiments shown in Figures 12, 16, and 17, base stations 101, 141, and 161 include one processor. In alternative embodiments, one or more of base stations 101, 141, and 161 include multiple processors. The processors of base stations 101, 141, and 161 may be, for example, general-purpose processors, such as Intel or AMD processors, or special-purpose processors. The processors may include, for example, multiple cores. The processors may run, for example, a Unix-based or Windows operating system. Memory 107 may include, for example, solid-state memory, for example one or more solid-state disks (SSDs) made of flash memory, or one or more hard disks.

[0195] The receiver 103 and the transmitter 104 may use one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, LTE, and / or 5G New Radio, to communicate with the devices 1-2. The receiver 103 and the transmitter 104 may use one or more communication technologies (wired or wireless) to communicate with other systems, such as in the RAN or in the core network. The receiver and the transmitter may be combined as a transceiver. The base station may include other components typical of components in a mobile communication network, such as a power source.

[0196] Although only examples where one data flow is established and where the data flow originates from the network have been described with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, examples can be similarly provided for the embodiments shown in FIGS. 12, 14, 16, and 17.

[0197] FIG. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may implement the methods described with respect to FIGS.

[0198] As shown in Figure 18, data processing system 300 may include at least one processor 302 coupled to a memory device 304 through a system bus 306. As such, the data processing system may store program code in the memory device 304. Further, the processor 302 may execute program code accessed from the memory device 304 via the system bus 306. In one aspect, the data processing system may be implemented as a computer suitable for storing and / or executing program code. However, it should be understood that the data processing system 300 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and memory capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0199] The memory element 304 may include one or more physical memory devices, such as, for example, a local memory 308 and one or more bulk storage devices 310. Local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-transient memory devices that are typically used during the actual execution of the program code. The bulk storage devices may be implemented as hard drives or other temporary data storage devices. The processing system 300 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some of the program code to reduce the number of times the program code must be retrieved from the bulk storage device 310 during execution.

[0200] Input / output (I / O) devices, depicted as input devices 312 and output devices 314, may optionally be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, a monitor or display, speakers, and the like. The input and / or output devices may be coupled to the data processing system directly or through intervening I / O controllers.

[0201] In some embodiments, the input and output devices may also be implemented as a hybrid input / output device (indicated in FIG. 18 by a dashed line surrounding input device 312 and output device 314). An example of such a hybrid device is a touch-sensitive display, which may also be referred to as a "touch screen display" or simply a "touch screen." In such embodiments, input to the device may be provided by the movement of a physical object, such as a pen or a user's finger, on or near the touch screen display.

[0202] A network adapter 316 may also be coupled to the data processing system to enable it to couple to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and / or remote storage devices through intervening private or public networks. A network adapter may include a data receiver for receiving data sent by the systems, devices, and / or networks to the data processing system 300 and a data transmitter for sending data from the data processing system 300 to the systems, devices, and / or networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of various types of network adapters that may be used with data processing system 300.

[0203] As shown in FIG. 18, memory element 304 may store application 318. In various embodiments, application 318 may be stored in local memory 308 or one or more bulk storage devices 310, or may be separate from the local memory and bulk storage devices. Data processing system 300 may further execute an operating system (not shown in FIG. 18) that may facilitate execution of application 318. Application 318 may be implemented in the form of executable program code and executed by data processing system 300, for example by processor 302. In response to executing the application, data processing system 300 may be configured to perform one or more operations or method steps described herein.

[0204] Various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system, the program of the program product defining the functionality of the embodiment (including the methods described herein). In one embodiment, the program may be contained on various non-transitory computer readable storage media, where as used herein the phrase "non-transitory computer readable storage medium" includes all computer readable media with the sole exception of transitory propagating signals. In other embodiments, the program may be contained on various transitory computer readable storage media. Exemplary computer readable storage media include, but are not limited to, (i) non-writeable storage media on which information is permanently stored (e.g., read-only memory devices in a computer, such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, ROM chips, or any type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory), and (ii) writeable storage media on which changeable information is stored (e.g., flash memory, floppy disks in a diskette drive or hard disk drive, or any type of solid-state random access semiconductor memory). The computer program may be executed on the processor 302 described herein.

[0205] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising", as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0206] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step-plus-function elements in the following claims are intended to include any structures, materials, or acts for performing that function in conjunction with other claim elements as specifically claimed. The description of the embodiments of the present invention has been presented for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementations in the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from the scope of the invention. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and some practical applications of the invention, and to enable others skilled in the art to understand the invention and devise various embodiments with various modifications suited to the particular uses contemplated.

Claims

1. A system (9, 69) for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, comprising: a plurality of devices (1, 2), the plurality of devices including a first device (1) including a first wireless receiver (3, 63) and a second device (2) including a second wireless receiver (3, 63); - identifying information relating to each of said plurality of devices (1, 2); transmitting said information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an admission of said data flow having said one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on said information; - obtaining a first signal received by said first radio receiver (3, 63) on a data radio bearer associated with said data flow; obtaining a second signal received by said second radio receiver (3, 63) on said data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated to another data flow, said data flow and said another data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being associated to one or more joint quality of service requirements; - extracting data from said first and second signals by aggregating said first and second signals; At least one processor (5, 65) configured to A system including the above (9, 69).

2. The system (9, 69) of claim 1, wherein the information comprises channel state information and / or device information.

3. The system (9, 69) of claim 2, wherein the information includes device information, the device information specifying the number of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices (1, 2).

4. The system (9, 69) of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one processor (5, 65) is configured to determine beamforming feedback based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and reception of the one or more reference signals and / or one or more further reference signals by the second radio receiver (3, 63), determine channel state information comprising the beamforming feedback, and transmit the information comprising the channel state information.

5. The system (9, 69) of claim 4, wherein the beamforming feedback includes a first beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and a second beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals and / or the one or more further reference signals by the second radio receiver (3, 63), or includes a composite beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and the reception of the one or more reference signals by the second radio receiver (3, 63).

6. A system (41, 101, 121, 161) for establishing a data flow in a mobile communication network, comprising: receiving a request from another system (9, 69, 34) to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, said at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station (15, 16, 17, 21, 101, 141, 161) to a plurality of devices (1, 2), said request specifying said one or more quality of service requirements; obtaining information about each of said plurality of devices (1, 2) from and / or based on said request; determining whether said one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable based on said information; sending to said other system (9, 69, 34) a response that said request has been accepted if said one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that said request has been rejected otherwise; A system (41, 101, 121, 161) including at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) configured to:

7. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the request is a request to admit a group of at least two data flows, and the one or more quality of service requests are one or more joint quality of service requests.

8. The system (41, 101, 121, 161) of claim 7, wherein the information includes channel state information for each of the plurality of devices (1, 2), and the at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) is configured to determine a correlation between a channel of a first device (1) and a channel of a second device (2) of the plurality of devices (1, 2) based on the channel state information, estimate an extent to which the first and second devices (1, 2) can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource based on the correlation, and determine whether the one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable depending on an extent to which the first and second devices (1, 2) can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

9. The system (41, 101, 121, 161) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the information further comprises other channel state information relating to another device, the other device not included in the plurality of devices (1, 2), and the at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) is configured to determine, based on the other channel state information, another correlation between a channel of a device of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and a channel of the other device, estimate, based on the other correlation, to what extent the device (1, 2) and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource, and determine whether the one or more service quality requests are acceptable depending on to what extent the device (1, 2) and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

10. A base station (141, 161) for transmitting radio signals to a plurality of devices (1, 2), - allocating resources for transmitting a first radio signal from said base station (141, 161) to a first device (1) on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, said data flow and at least one further data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being assigned said one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting said first radio signal to said first device (1) on said data radio bearer at a first time instant and / or on first frequency resources, - allocating resources for transmitting a second radio signal from said base station (141, 161) to a second device (2) on another data radio bearer associated with said another data flow based on said one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting said second radio signal to said second device (2) on said other data radio bearer at a second time instant other than said first time instant and / or on a second frequency resource other than said first frequency resource. A base station (141, 161) comprising at least one processor (145, 165) configured to:

11. The at least one processor (145, 165) - deciding whether to terminate said data flow or said further data flow; if it is decided to terminate said data flow or said further data flow, terminate said data flow or said further data flow and send a message to another system (9, 69, 34) informing said other system that said data flow or said further data flow of said group of data flows has been or will be terminated The base station (141, 161) according to claim 10, configured to:

12. 1. A method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, comprising: - identifying (401) information about each of a plurality of devices, said plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver; - transmitting (403) said information so that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an admission of said data flow having said one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on said information; - acquiring (405) a first signal received by said first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with said data flow; - obtaining (407) a second signal received by the second radio receiver on said data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated to another data flow, said data flow and said another data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being associated to one or more joint quality of service requirements; - extracting (409) data from said first and second signals by aggregating said first and second signals; The method includes:

13. 1. A method for establishing a data flow, comprising: - receiving (421) a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, said at least one data flow being intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, said request specifying said one or more quality of service requirements; - obtaining (423) information about each of said plurality of devices from and / or based on said request; - determining (425) based on said information whether said one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable or not; sending (427) a response that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise; The method includes:

14. 1. A method for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices, comprising: - allocating (481) resources for transmitting a first radio signal from the base station to the first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, said data flow and at least one further data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being assigned said one or more joint quality of service requirements; - transmitting (483) said first radio signal to said first device on said data radio bearer at a first time instant and / or on first frequency resources; - allocating (485) resources for transmitting a second radio signal from said base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with said another data flow based on said one or more joint quality of service requirements; - transmitting (487) said second radio signal to said second device on said another data radio bearer at a second time instant other than said first time instant and / or on a second frequency resource other than said first frequency resource; The method includes:

15. A computer program or suite of computer programs comprising at least one software code portion or a computer program product storing at least one software code portion, said software code portion being configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 12 to 14 when executed on a computer system.

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