Method, apparatus, and computer program product for wireless communication

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for wireless communication, the method including receiving, by a first wireless communication terminal, an aggregation configuration from a wireless communication node, and implementing, by the first wireless communication terminal, the aggregation configuration.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This document relates generally to wireless communications and in particular to the fifth generation (5G) th generation) relating to wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] With the development of wireless multimedia services, the demand for high data rate services has increased significantly. Under such circumstances, the requirements for system capacity and coverage of traditional cellular networks become higher. In addition, the application scenarios such as public safety, social network, short-distance data sharing, and local advertising also increase the demand for proximity services that enable people to recognize or communicate with neighboring people or objects. However, traditional cellular networks have limitations in supporting high data rate services and proximity services. As a result, device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies have been proposed to meet such demands. By adopting D2D technology, the load of cellular networks can be reduced, the power consumption of user equipment can be reduced, the data rate can be increased, and the robustness of network infrastructure can be improved to meet the demands of high data rate services and proximity services. D2D technology is also called proximity service (ProSe) or sidelink communication, and the interface between devices is known as PC5 interface. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, and computer program products for wireless communication supporting user equipment (UE) aggregation.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method, in one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes receiving, by a first wireless communication terminal, an aggregation configuration from a wireless communication node, and implementing, by the first wireless communication terminal, the aggregation configuration.

[0005] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method, in one embodiment, the wireless communication method includes receiving, by a wireless communication node, terminal aggregation information from a core network, and performing, by the wireless communication node, an aggregation configuration.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication terminal. In one embodiment, the wireless communication terminal includes a communication unit and a processor configured to receive an aggregation configuration from a wireless communication node and to implement the aggregation configuration.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication node. In one embodiment, the wireless communication node includes a communication unit and a processor configured to receive terminal aggregation information from a core network and to perform an aggregation configuration.

[0008] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features: Preferably, the aggregation configuration comprises: Aggregation index, One or more device identifiers (IDs) for aggregation; Aggregation mode, Bearer mapping configuration, configurations for data replication and / or data partitioning; Path instructions, Aggregation assistance information used by the aggregated terminals, or Aggregation Criteria Includes at least one of the following:

[0009] Preferably, the terminal ID is Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI), System Architecture Evolution Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI), or Aggregation ID received from wireless communication node It can be at least one of:

[0010] Preferably, the aggregation mode configuration comprises: Radio bearer (RB) level aggregation, Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS)-like aggregation, or Radio Link Control (RLC) Channel Level Aggregation Includes at least one of the following:

[0011] Preferably, the bearer mapping configuration comprises: Mapping between a radio bearer (RB) of the first wireless communication terminal and a RB of the first wireless communication terminal or a second wireless communication terminal; Mapping between a radio bearer (RB) of a first wireless communication terminal and a terminal ID for aggregation of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal; a mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) of the first wireless communication terminal and a radio bearer (RB) of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal; or Mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) of a first wireless communication terminal and a terminal ID for aggregation of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal Includes at least one of the following:

[0012] Preferably, the bearer mapping configuration includes a mapping between an RB of the first wireless communication terminal and a Uu RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal, and the Uu RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal is identified by a terminal ID, a Logical Channel ID (LCID), or an RLC channel ID.

[0013] Preferably, the bearer mapping configuration comprises: an instruction to assign a common Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sequence number (SN) to the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal; an instruction to instruct the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal to be in charge of a PDCP reordering and discarding function; A RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal of a common PDCP entity to which a PDCP SN is assigned; a RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal of a common PDCP entity responsible for PDCP reordering and discarding functions; or RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal involved in the encryption or decryption, compression or decompression process of PDCP Includes at least one of the following:

[0014] Preferably, the RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal is identified via an RB ID and / or a terminal ID of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal.

[0015] Preferably, the configuration for at least one of data replication and data partitioning comprises: An indication as to whether data replication is enabled or disabled; An indication as to whether data splitting is enabled or disabled; Data splitting threshold, split ratio, Number of replicas, Buffer Status Report (BSR) report indication, or Device ID for BSR reporting Includes at least one of the following:

[0016] Preferably, the path indication is: Pass ID, Primary or secondary path indication, A combination of a terminal ID and a logical channel ID (LCID), or Combination of device ID and RB ID Includes at least one of the following:

[0017] Preferably, the aggregation assistance information used by the aggregated terminals is: A dedicated Random Access Channel (RACH) preamble, or Cause value from wireless communication node Includes at least one of the following:

[0018] Preferably, the first wireless communication terminal transmits terminal aggregation information to the wireless communication node, and the terminal aggregation information is: Device ID, Terminal ID request for aggregation, Serving cell ID of the wireless communication terminal; the capabilities of the wireless communication terminal; an indication of a supported aggregation mode of the wireless communication terminal; The number of candidate wireless communication terminals; Terminal aggregation information of the candidate wireless communication terminals, or Device status report Includes at least one of the following:

[0019] Preferably, the capabilities of the wireless communication terminal include at least one of aggregation capabilities, power constraints, band combinations, radio capabilities, Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (AMBR), or Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, where the AMBR includes at least one of an uplink (UL) AMBR or a downlink (DL) AMBR, or the QoS parameters include an allowed QoS profile for Uu communication (e.g., communication over a Uu interface) of the first wireless communication terminal.

[0020] Preferably, the terminal status report includes at least one of the following information: data rate, reliability, Packet Delay Budget (PDB) requirement, or channel condition.

[0021] Preferably, the first wireless communication terminal receives the aggregation configuration of the first wireless communication terminal from the wireless communication node directly or via another wireless communication terminal.

[0022] Preferably, the first wireless communication terminal transmits the terminal aggregation information to the wireless communication node directly or via another wireless communication terminal.

[0023] Preferably, the first wireless communication terminal receives an instruction to enable or disable aggregation.

[0024] Preferably, the instructions for enabling or disabling aggregation include at least one of an indication of a path to be enabled or disabled, an instruction for enabling or disabling replication, or an instruction for enabling or disabling splitting.

[0025] Preferably, the aggregation criteria includes at least one of a data rate threshold, a reliability threshold, or a PDB threshold.

[0026] Preferably, the first wireless communication terminal implementing the aggregation configuration includes the first wireless communication terminal implementing aggregate data communication including at least one of direct communication with a wireless communication node or communication via a second wireless communication terminal that relays data between the first wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication node.

[0027] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, via the second wireless communication terminal, to the wireless communication node, data packets for the QoS flow mapped to the RB of the second wireless communication terminal in accordance with the bearer mapping configuration of the aggregation configuration.

[0028] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, via the second wireless communication terminal, to the wireless communication node, data packets mapped to the Uu RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal in accordance with the bearer mapping configuration of the aggregation configuration.

[0029] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: establishing, by the first wireless communication terminal, an RLC entity and an associated logical channel that are different from an RLC entity and an associated logical channel established by the second wireless communication terminal; Allocating, by the first wireless communication terminal, a common PDCP SN according to the aggregation configuration; implementing, by the first wireless communication terminal, a security and ROHC compression function by a PDCP entity of the first wireless communication terminal that is separate from the security and ROHC compression function implemented by a PDCP entity of the second wireless communication terminal; or transmitting, by a first wireless communication terminal, the divided or duplicated PDCP SDUs having a common PDCP SN to a second wireless communication terminal; Includes at least one of the following:

[0030] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: receiving, by a first wireless communication terminal, downlink data from a wireless communication node; performing, by the first wireless communication terminal, a security and ROHC decompression function by a PDCP entity on the downlink data that is separate from the security and ROHC compression function performed by a PDCP entity of the second wireless communication terminal; or performing, by the first wireless communication terminal, PDCP reordering, duplication detection and discarding functions on the downlink data according to the common PDCP SN and aggregation configuration; Includes at least one of the following:

[0031] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: receiving, by the first wireless communication terminal, from the wireless communication node, a BSR report indication for RBs, logical channels, and LCGs with aggregations; or transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, a BSR report to the wireless communication node; Includes at least one of the following:

[0032] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, a BSR report including a PDCP data amount of the PDCP entity to a wireless communication node serving the PDCP entity.

[0033] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: determining, by the first wireless communication terminal, that the data packet is mapped to a Uu RB of the first wireless communication terminal according to an SDAP configuration; performing PDCP processing on the data packet to generate a PDCP PDU by the first wireless communication terminal; determining, by the first wireless communication terminal, that the PDCP PDU is mapped to an RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal according to a bearer mapping configuration; or transmitting a PDCP PDU to an RLC channel of a second wireless communication terminal by the first wireless communication terminal; Includes at least one of the following:

[0034] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, respective copies of the PDCP PDU to RLC channels of the multiple wireless communication terminals according to the aggregation configuration.

[0035] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes determining, by the first wireless communications terminal, in response to aggregation criteria being met, which wireless communications terminals should be involved in the aggregate transmission.

[0036] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration includes activating or deactivating aggregation paths according to an indication of the paths to be enabled or disabled by the first wireless communication terminal.

[0037] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: setting up, by the first wireless communication terminal, at least one of a RB, an RLC channel, or a logical channel according to the indication of the activation, making a copy of the data packet, and delivering the data packet to the at least one of the RB, the RLC channel, or the logical channel; or and suspending or releasing, by the first wireless communication terminal, at least one of the RB, the RLC channel, or the logical channel in response to the deactivation instruction. Includes at least one of the following:

[0038] Preferably, implementing the aggregation configuration comprises: In response to an indication by the first wireless communication terminal that data splitting is enabled, delivering the data packet to at least one of the RBs, the RLC channel, or the logical channel based on a splitting ratio; or refraining, by the first wireless communication terminal, from fragmenting the data packet in accordance with the invalidation instruction; Includes at least one of the following:

[0039] Preferably, the terminal aggregation information is aggregation authorization information for the wireless communication terminal; Device IDs of one or more wireless communication devices; The capabilities of one or more wireless communication terminals; or Supported Aggregation Modes Includes at least one of the following:

[0040] Preferably, the aggregation authorization information includes at least one of an instruction to authorize the wireless communication terminal to relay data of another wireless communication terminal, or an instruction to authorize the wireless communication terminal to aggregate another wireless communication terminal in order to deliver its own data.

[0041] Preferably, the capabilities of the wireless communication terminal include at least one of aggregation capability, power constraint, band combination, radio capability, aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR), or quality of service (QoS) parameters, where the AMBR includes at least one of an uplink (UL) AMBR or a downlink (DL) AMBR, or the QoS parameters include an allowed QoS profile for Uu communication of the wireless communication terminal.

[0042] Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to providing features that will be readily apparent by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0043] Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Moreover, the specific order and / or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary approaches. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of a disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or operations in a sample order, and that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise stated.

[0044] These and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, description, and claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0045] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of UE-network relay communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of UE aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for UE ID allocation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for UE ID allocation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for UE ID allocation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates RB (Radio Bearer) level aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates RB (Radio Bearer) level aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a DAPS-like aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates a DAPS-like aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]1 illustrates a DAPS-like aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates RLC (Radio Link Control) level aggregation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication node according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0046] To support a wider range of applications and services, sidelink-based relay communication has been proposed to extend coverage and improve network power consumption. For example, sidelink-based relay communication may be applied to indoor relay communication, smart farming, smart factory, and public safety services. Figure 1 illustrates a scenario in which sidelink-based relay communication is applied with a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE1 shown in Figure 1) in an area with weak or no coverage. Under such circumstances, UE1 is enabled to communicate with a network (e.g., base station (BS) shown in Figure 1) via a nearby UE2 covered by the network. As a result, the coverage of the network is extended and the capacity of the network is expanded. In this scenario, UE2 is called a UE-network relay, and UE1 is called a remote UE. Meanwhile, when the remote UE is within the coverage, multipath relay can be supported. Specifically, in coverage, a remote UE may be connected to the network via both a direct path (data is transmitted directly between the remote UE and the network) and an indirect path (data is forwarded via a relay), potentially improving reliability and / or robustness as well as throughput.

[0047] This multipath relay solution can also be utilized for UE aggregation, where a UE is connected to the network via a direct path and via another UE using non-standardized UE-UE interconnection. Figure 2 shows a scenario applying UE aggregation with one user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE1 shown in Figure 1) aggregating other UEs (e.g., UE2 and UE3 shown in Figure 2) for their own uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) transmission to the network. The interconnection between UE1 and UE2 or between UE1 and UE3 may be based on sidelink, Wifi, Bluetooth, or wired connection. UE aggregation may provide high UL bitrates for applications on 5G terminals, where in normal UEs, the UE transmit power to achieve the required bitrate is limited by the UL, especially at the edge of the cell. Furthermore, UE aggregation can improve reliability, stability, and also reduce the delay of the service.

[0048] Many aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and devices for UE aggregation communications, including protocol architectures, aggregation modes and configurations.

[0049] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, UE aggregation is provided to support UL traffic requirements including data rate, latency, and reliability. In such a case, a group of UEs is treated as one virtual UE. Specifically, a UE is connected to the network via a direct path (e.g., via the UE's Uu interface between the UE and the gNB) and via another UE that uses a non-standardized UE-UE interconnection at the same time. To support this multipath scenario, the following example is described.

[0050] Example 1 In this example, it is described how the network identifies aggregation-capable UEs and determines potential UEs for aggregation operations.

[0051] Compared with SL (sidelink) U2N (UE to network) relay, there is no need to define a relay discovery procedure since aggregation UEs have a non-standardized UE-UE interconnection between them. Relay discovery or discovery of aggregated UEs can be up to the UE implementation. However, gNB (gNodeB) may help to determine potential UEs for aggregation operation, and aggregation candidate UE reporting may be required.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, UE1 has a data transmission or reception requirement, and UE2 and UE3 have a non-standardized UE-UE interconnection with UE1, respectively. In this case, UE1 may aggregate UE2 and UE3 for its data transmission or reception. To support UE aggregation, the gNB must be able to obtain UE aggregation information of UEs, such as UE IDs of candidate UEs for aggregation, as well as UE capabilities for aggregation. Specifically, UE1 may send UE aggregation information to the gNB. Alternatively, the gNB may obtain UE aggregation information from a 5G Core network (5GC). The UE aggregation information may contain at least one of the following information: 1) UE IDs of candidate UEs for aggregation; 2) Serving cell IDs of candidate UEs for aggregation (assuming inter-gNB UE aggregation is considered); 3) UE capabilities of the candidate UEs, such as aggregation capabilities, power constraints, band combinations, radio capabilities, AMBR (Aggregation Maximum Bit Rate), or QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, and / or the like; 4) Supported aggregation modes, e.g., duplication or data splitting, or RLC (Radio Link Control) channel or DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) or separate RB (Radio Bearer) based aggregation.

[0053] In some embodiments, the AMBR may be one of a UL AMBR and / or a DL AMBR. The QoS parameter may be an allowable QoS profile for Uu communication of the UE.

[0054] The aggregation capability may include one of the following: a number of UEs authorized for aggregate transmission, an ability as one of the aggregated UEs to relay data for other UEs, and / or an ability to aggregate other UEs for its own data delivery.

[0055] Regarding the UE IDs of the candidate UEs for aggregation, the UE IDs may be the C-RNTI (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier), S-TMSI (SAE (System Architecture Evolution) Temporary Mobile Subscription Identity), or other IDs newly assigned by the gNB (called aggregation ID). For example, UE2 and UE3 may send their C-RNTI or S-TMSI to UE1. In one embodiment, assuming that the new IDs assigned by the gNB are used, the following procedure may be considered: (1) Each RRC_Connected UE obtains its own ID for aggregation. As shown in FIG. 3, UE1, UE2, and UE3 capable of aggregation may report their aggregation capabilities to the gNB, respectively (steps 1, 3, and 5). Then, the gNB assigns and sends aggregation IDs to UE1, UE2, and UE3, respectively (steps 2, 4, and 6). UE1, UE2, and UE3 may negotiate the aggregation IDs through interconnection (step 7). If UE1 has aggregation requirements, UE1 may report UE IDs of UE2 and / or UE3 to the gNB (step 8). Based on UE1's report, the gNB may identify candidate UEs for aggregation operation of UE1. Meanwhile, UE1 may report serving cell IDs of UE2 and / or UE3 to the gNB, which may help the gNB determine an appropriate UE set for aggregation.

[0056] (2) The acquisition of aggregation IDs is performed on behalf of other UEs. Assuming that UE2 and UE3 are initially in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, UE1 may request aggregation IDs from UE1, UE2, and UE3, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, UE1 may send UE aggregation capability information and / or UE aggregation ID request to gNB (step 1). The UE aggregation ID request may include the number of potential UEs for aggregation. Then, gNB may send a set of aggregation IDs to UE1 (step 2). In addition, gNB may send one or more dedicated RACH (random access channel) preambles and / or cause values ​​to UE1, which may facilitate contention-free random access of UE2 and UE3. Upon receiving the aggregation IDs, UE1 may inform UE2 and UE3 of the aggregation IDs, the dedicated RACH preambles, and / or cause values ​​(step 3). UE2 and UE3 may then set up an RRC connection using the pre-allocated dedicated RACH preamble and cause value (step 4). Furthermore, UE2 and UE3 may report their aggregation ID in RRC signaling to the gNB to identify the aggregation UE set.

[0057] (3) 5GC-based aggregation information acquisition: UE1, UE2, and UE3 connect to the network, and UE1, UE2, and UE3 may have UE aggregation subscription information in 5GC (step 1). In this case, the gNB may acquire UE aggregation information from AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (step 2), as shown in Figure 3.

[0058] For example, the gNB may obtain a UE aggregation authorization IE (information element) from the AMF for a given UE. The UE aggregation authorization IE may include any combination of an indication indicating that the given UE is authorized as one of the aggregated UEs to relay data of other UEs and / or an indication indicating that the given UE is authorized to aggregate other UEs for its own data delivery.

[0059] In addition, the gNB may obtain an aggregation ID from the AMF. In addition, the gNB may obtain aggregation IDs of candidate aggregation UEs of a given UE from the AMF.

[0060] In addition, the gNB may obtain UE aggregation capability information of a given UE and / or candidate aggregation UE from the AMF. The UE aggregation capability information may include at least one of Tx power limit, band combination, AMBR, and / or UE radio capability information.

[0061] Based on the above information, the gNB may determine whether to enable UE aggregation transmission for a given UE and implement the corresponding UE aggregation configuration.

[0062] Assuming that UE2 or UE3 is not in the RRC_Connected state, the gNB may send a paging for UE2 or UE3 to UE1, and UE1 may deliver this information to UE2 or UE3. UE2 or UE3 then enters the RRC Connected state to participate in UE aggregation-based data transmission and / or reception for UE1.

[0063] Example 2 In this example, different aggregation modes and protocol architectures for the aggregation modes are presented.

[0064] In some embodiments, UE aggregation may be used to improve UL throughput and reliability. In this example, assume that UE1 has data traffic transmission with the gNB, as shown in FIG. 6. UE1 and UE2 have a non-standardized UE-UE connection, and UE2 may assist UE1 for aggregated data traffic delivery with the gNB. Assuming that the gNB decides to aggregate UE1 and UE2 for UE1's traffic with the gNB, the following protocol architecture may be considered: Example 2.1 RB Level Aggregation Taking the UP protocol stack in FIG. 6 as an example, UE1 may be configured with a QoS flow that is mapped to a DRB (Data Radio Bearer) of UE2. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, UE2 may receive a first UE aggregation configuration from a gNB, and the first UE aggregation configuration may include an RB ID and a corresponding UE ID (e.g., UE ID of UE1). Furthermore, in step 2, UE1 may receive a second UE aggregation configuration from the gNB. The second UE aggregation configuration may include a mapping between a QFI (QoS flow identifier) ​​and RB information (e.g., UE ID of UE2 and RB ID of UE2's DRB). In this case, in step 3, when UE1 receives a data packet of a given QoS flow, it determines whether it is mapped to its own DRB or the DRB of the aggregated UE2. If it is mapped to the DRB of the aggregated UE2, UE1 delivers the packet to the aggregated UE2 via a non-standardized UE-UE connection. In addition, UE1 may send DRB information of data packets belonging to UE2. Upon receiving such information, UE2 transmits packets with corresponding DRBs to the gNB via its Uu interface.

[0065] Alternatively, UE1 may receive a mapping between a QFI and a UE ID (e.g., UE2's ID) from the gNB for aggregation. Upon receiving a data packet associated with a given QFI, UE1 sends the packet with the QFI and UE1's UE ID to the corresponding mapped UE2. In this case, UE2 receives a mapping configuration between the combination of the QFI and source aggregation UE ID and the DRB ID from the gNB. UE2 maps the data packet to the DRB and sends it to the gNB. In this case, the protocol stack of FIG. 4 may be modified, such as a Uu-SDAP (Service Data Adaption Protocol) element being located on the UE2 side.

[0066] Assuming that a given DRB in UE2 is dedicated to data traffic aggregation of UE1, the gNB may identify the UE to which the data packet belongs based on the DRB ID of UE2. On the other hand, if a given DRB in UE2 is used to deliver data traffic of multiple source aggregated UEs, the source UE ID information may be required in the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol), RLC, and / or adaptation layer subheaders of the data packet.

[0067] On the other hand, in the case of the control plane (CP), it is also possible to offload traffic to other aggregation UEs. For example, UE1 may receive a configuration of a mapping between a signaling radio bearer (SRB) ID and an aggregation ID from the gNB.

[0068] Furthermore, UE1 may receive an SRB configuration from the gNB, including an aggregated UE ID used to deliver SRB signaling. In this case, when UE1 has signaling for a given SRB, it may decide whether the signaling is mapped to its own SRB or to an aggregated UE. If mapped to an aggregated UE, UE1 may deliver this packet to aggregated UE2 via a non-standardized UE-UE connection. Meanwhile, UE1 may send to UE2 that the SRB ID information of the data packet belongs to UE2. Upon receiving such information, UE2 sends the packet with the corresponding SRB to the gNB via its Uu interface.

[0069] Meanwhile, UE1's DL traffic may also be delivered by the gNB to UE2 via the Uu interface. UE2 may identify that the traffic is intended for UE1 via the PDCP, RLC, and / or adaptation layer subheaders of the data packets, or via a UE aggregation configuration (e.g., UE2's RB ID is associated with UE1's UE ID). UE2 then delivers the DL packets to UE1 via a non-standardized UE-UE connection.

[0070] In some embodiments, the protocol architecture may support RB level aggregation. UE1 and UE2 may each assign a PDCP SN (Sequence Number) and / or encrypt and / or decrypt packets via their own security keys. Because the PDCP SNs of UE1 and UE2 are independent of each other, it may be difficult to support data duplication or data splitting between aggregated UEs.

[0071] Example 2.2 DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack)-like data partitioning or replication In this case, DAPS-like data segmentation and duplication are taken into account. For each RB configured in the DAPS-like aggregation, both UE1 and UE2 establish an RLC (Radio Link Control) entity and associated logical channels. In addition, both UE1 and UE2 have separate security and ROHC (Robust Header Compression) functions for the RBs and have their own PDCP entities associated with the RLC entities configured by UE1 and UE2, respectively. Meanwhile, UE1 maintains a common PDCP SN assignment, and the segmented or duplicated PDCP SDUs are forwarded to UE2 with the common PDCP SN assigned by UE1 (as shown in Figure 8). UE1 and UE2 perform compression and encryption of ROHC headers and addition of PDCP headers separately. With respect to the gNB, the PDCP entities configured in a DAPS-like aggregation maintain separate security and ROHC header decompression functions associated with each UE while maintaining common functions for reordering, duplication detection, and discarding, as well as in-order delivery of PDCP SDUs (service data units) to higher layers.

[0072] In addition to the uplink, the downlink can also support DAPS-like UE aggregation. In this case, UE1 and UE2 each receive downlink data from a gNB. The PDCP entity of UE1 and the PDCP entity of UE2 then maintain separate security and ROHC header decompression functions while maintaining common functions for reordering, duplicate detection and discarding, and in-order delivery of PDCP SDUs to upper layers of UE1.

[0073] Assuming that a given RB in UE2 is dedicated to data traffic aggregation of UE1, the gNB may identify the UE to which the data packet belongs based on the RB ID of UE2. On the other hand, if a given DRB of UE2 is used to deliver data traffic from multiple source aggregated UEs, it may be necessary to include source UE ID information in the PDCP, RLC, and / or adaptation layer subheaders of the data packet.

[0074] For DAPS-like UE aggregation, since a common PDCP SN is assigned to the corresponding RBs, it is possible to support data duplication or data splitting between aggregated UEs. Taking the uplink as an example, the following data duplication / splitting scenarios can be considered: 1) UE1 delivers source traffic, UE2 delivers duplicated traffic 1, and UE3 delivers duplicated traffic 2.

[0075] 2) UE1 delivers split traffic, UE2 delivers split traffic, and UE3 delivers split traffic.

[0076] 3) UE1 delivers the source traffic, and UE2 and UE3 jointly deliver the split replicated traffic.

[0077] 4) UE1 and UE2 jointly split the source traffic delivery, and UE3 delivers the duplicated traffic.

[0078] To support these scenarios, a more flexible configuration for data splitting / duplication needs to be considered. Specifically, UE2 and / or UE3 may receive a DAPS-like aggregation configuration from the gNB that includes any combination of the following fields: RB configuration, DAPS-like aggregation indication, source UE ID and / or RB ID of the common PDCP entity that allocates the PDCP SN.

[0079] Meanwhile, UE1 may receive a UE aggregation configuration from the gNB, which has at least one of the following fields: RB configuration, DAPS-like aggregation, instruction to allocate PDCP SN, primary path instruction, secondary path instruction, data splitting threshold, and / or data splitting ratio. If the instruction to allocate PDCP SN is set to true, UE1 is responsible for PDCP SN allocation. The primary path or secondary path instruction indicates a DRB via a logical channel via a combination of UE ID, CG (cell group) ID, and LCID (logical channel ID), or a DRB via a combination of UE ID and DRB ID.

[0080] Additionally, there may be more than one secondary path, in which case UE1 (shown in FIG. 8) may receive an additional secondary path indication from the gNB indicating a logical channel via a combination of UE ID, CG ID and LCID, or a DRB via a combination of UE ID and DRB ID.

[0081] For example, the primary path points to DRB1 of UE1, the secondary path points to DRB2 of UE2, and the additional secondary path points to DRB3 of UE3. The data split ratio is 1:1:2. When there is a data packet from the upper layer and is mapped to the DRB of UE1 for aggregation operation, the PDCP entity of UE1 is responsible for PDCP SN allocation. Then, if the total amount of PDCP data and RLC data pending for initial transmission in the primary PDCP or RLC entity and the split secondary PDCP or RLC entity is equal to or greater than the data split threshold, UE1 submits a PDCP PDU (Protocol Data Unit) with an assigned common PDCP SN to the PDCP entity of the primary DRB or the PDCP entities of the two secondary DRBs based on the data split ratio. Otherwise, UE1 submits a PDCP PDU with an assigned common PDCP SN to the PDCP entity of the primary DRB. The corresponding PDCP entity then performs data compression and / or encryption and delivers the data packets to lower layers (e.g., RLC, MAC (Medium Access Control), and / or PHY (physical) layers) for uplink transmission.

[0082] It should be noted that instead of using a primary path indication and a secondary path indication, one or more general path indications can be used, where each path indication includes at least one of the following fields: a path ID, a combination of a UE ID, a CG ID, and a LCID, or a combination of a UE ID and a DRB ID, a data split ratio, and / or a duplication number.

[0083] Assuming that aggregated UEs are served by the same gNB, the PDCP data volume may need to be indicated only once by one of the aggregated UEs. Specifically, the traffic originating UE may report a BSR (Buffer Status Report). Alternatively, the gNB may indicate which UEs participating in the aggregation should report the BSR. In this case, the UE may receive a BSR report indication for the RBs, logical channels, and / or LCGs (logical channel groups) with the UE aggregation. On the other hand, if an inter-gNB scenario is considered, the PDCP entity needs to calculate and report its own PDCP data volume to its serving gNB respectively.

[0084] For DL ​​transmission, the UE may receive from the gNB a UE aggregation configuration that may indicate whether DAPS aggregation is enabled or not. Each UE2 and UE3 may receive a DAPS-like aggregation configuration from the gNB that includes any combination of the following fields: RB configuration, DAPS-like aggregation indication, source UE ID and / or RB ID of a common PDCP entity responsible for PDCP reordering and discarding operations. Meanwhile, UE1 may receive from the gNB with at least one of the following fields for UE aggregation configuration: RB configuration, DAPS-like aggregation, PDCP reception reordering and / or discarding indication, path indication, data duplication indication. If the PDCP reception reordering and / or discarding indication is set to true, UE1 is responsible for PDCP reordering and discarding of data packets received from multiple paths. The path indication may include one or more paths, each including at least one of the following fields: path ID, a combination of UE ID, CGI D and LCID, or a combination of UE ID and DRB ID.

[0085] Assuming that UE1, UE2, or UE3 receives a data packet associated with UE1's DRB1 for DAPS-like aggregation from a gNB, UE1, UE2, or UE3 performs data decoding and / or decompression, and then delivers the packet to UE1's common PDCP entity for DRB1 via the non-designated UE-UE interconnection. The UE1's common PDCP entity for DRB1 performs PDCP reordering, discards duplicated PDCP packets, and delivers the PDCP SDUs to upper layers.

[0086] Example 2.3 PDCP duplication / splitting based aggregation In this case, the protocol architecture is similar to L2 (Layer 2) U2N relay. The adaptation sublayer is placed above both CP and UP (user plane) RLC sublayers in the Uu interface. As shown in Figure 11, Uu SDAP (Service Data Adaption Protocol), PDCP, and RRC (Radio Resource Control) protocols terminate between UE1 and gNB, and adaptation, RLC, MAC, and PHY protocols terminate on the link between L2 U2N relay UE and gNB. Unlike L2 U2N relay, the interface between UE1 and UE2 is a non-designated connection instead of a PC5 interface. In UE aggregation, data splitting / duplication can be considered for the direct and indirect paths of UE1.

[0087] The Uu adaptation sublayer supports UE1 identity for aggregated UL and DL traffic. That is, for UL data packets, the identity of UE1 Uu radio bearer and UE ID1 (e.g., local remote UE ID) are included in the Uu adaptation header for the gNB to correlate the received packet with the specific PDCP entity associated with the correct Uu radio bearer of traffic origin UE1. For DL ​​data packets, the identity of UE1 Uu radio bearer and UE ID1 (e.g., local remote UE ID) are included in the Uu adaptation header by the gNB in ​​DL data packets for UE2 to identify the received packet on UE1 Uu radio bearer and then deliver it to UE1 via the non-designated interface.

[0088] For bearer mapping, the following scenarios can be considered: (1) For UL mapping: UE1 or UE2 may receive a bearer mapping configuration from the gNB, which includes a mapping between UE1's Uu RB (identified by UE1's UE ID and RB ID) and UE2's Uu RLC channel (identified by UE2's UE ID, CG ID, and LCID combination, or UE2's UE ID and RLC channel ID combination). Meanwhile, UE1 may receive a PDCP configuration from the gNB for UE1's RB, and the PDCP configuration may include at least one of the following fields for data splitting / duplication purposes: primary path information, secondary path information, duplication enable indication, splitting threshold, and / or splitting ratio. Alternatively, the primary path information, secondary path information, duplication enable indication, splitting threshold, and / or splitting ratio may be configured in the bearer mapping configuration.

[0089] If UE1 has a data packet, UE1 may map the data packet to Uu DRB1 of UE1 according to the SDAP configuration. After PDCP processing, the PDCP PDU is mapped to RLC channel 1 of UE2 based on the bearer mapping configuration. Then, UE1 delivers the PDCP PDU to RLC channel 1 of UE2 for further uplink transmission via UE2. Furthermore, if data duplication is enabled and multiple paths are configured, UE1 may deliver multiple PDCP PDU duplications to the RLC channels of UE1, UE2, and / or UE3, respectively, for UL transmission.

[0090] (2) For DL ​​mapping, there is no need to configure UE2 with mapping between Uu RLC channels and RBs of UE1, since the Uu adaptation header already contains RB information of UE1 that can be used for bearer mapping purposes. UE1 or UE2 may receive the primary path information, secondary path information, and corresponding Uu RLC channel or logical channel configuration along with the PDCP configuration or bearer mapping configuration.

[0091] Meanwhile, UE1's aggregation ID can reuse the local UE ID. Note that UE1's local UE ID can be requested by UE1 itself, not by UE2 as in L2 U2N scenario. In this case, UE1 may be assigned an aggregation ID (e.g., local UE ID) when the gNB receives UE aggregation capability / request / report information from UE1 via the direct path. Unlike L2 U2N relay, UE2 may also be assigned a local ID for aggregation purposes.

[0092] Example 3 This section describes how to select an appropriate number of aggregated UEs to form a virtual UE for a particular service transmission. The criteria for UE aggregation may depend on the data rate of the traffic originating UE, the reliability and latency requirements of the corresponding service, the channel conditions of the UE, the radio capabilities of the UE (power, band combination), and the number of UEs available for aggregation. The aggregation may be initiated by the gNB or the traffic originating UE. Details in various embodiments are described below.

[0093] (1) gNB initiated UE aggregation: The gNB obtains UE aggregation capability information (from UE or from AMF), QoS information (based on PDU session resource request / change information from AMF), channel condition (based on UE measurement report) and makes UE aggregation decision. Specifically, the gNB decides which and how many UEs should be involved for aggregated transmission of traffic originating UE, aggregation mode, workload splitting, whether duplication should be enabled, etc. Then, the gNB configures these UEs accordingly. In one embodiment, the gNB may configure the involved UEs one by one via RRC signaling. It is also possible to send UE aggregation configuration corresponding to multiple UEs to only one involved UE. In this case, the UE may receive multiple UE aggregation configurations with corresponding UE IDs. Then, the UE may distribute the related configurations of other UEs to other UEs via non-designated UE-UE interconnection.

[0094] (2) UE initiated aggregation: In this case, the gNB may send UE aggregation criteria such as data rate thresholds, reliability, etc. to the UE. When the traffic-initiating UE detects that the UE aggregation criteria is met, it may decide which aggregation-capable UEs should be involved in the aggregation transmission. The gNB may then assign RLC channels to these involved aggregated UEs. To accelerate the access of the aggregated UEs, the involved aggregated UEs may skip the access control, use a dedicated random access preamble previously configured by the gNB via the traffic-originating UE, or use a special cause value for RRC connection setup and / or resumption.

[0095] In some situations, gNB initiated aggregation may be more appropriate since the UE needs to enter an RRC connected state for U2N traffic transmission and the gNB needs to configure the RLC channel and data splitting / duplication rules. Furthermore, as data rates, reliability, PDB (packet delay budget) requirements, or channel conditions change, the gNB may reconfigure the aggregated paths and / or splitting ratios and / or the gNB may enable or disable duplication.

[0096] Meanwhile, multipaths for UE aggregation may be activated / deactivated based on UE channel conditions, traffic load, and packet error rate at the receiving side. UE aggregation may be in the form of data duplication, data splitting among multiple UEs. RRC signaling and MAC CE may be used for UE aggregation path activation / deactivation. Assuming MAC CE is used, path ID may be included to indicate activation / deactivation. Meanwhile, MAC CE may be sent to any UE in the aggregation. In this case, path ID, combination of UE ID, CG ID, LCID, and / or combination of UE ID and DRB ID may also be used to indicate which path is activated / deactivated.

[0097] The number of UEs involved in the aggregation may change. For example, more UEs may become eligible for aggregation due to changing channel or traffic load conditions. Also, the number of UEs may decrease, e.g., a UE detects RLF (Radio Link Failure) or channel degradation or does not want to participate in the aggregation. In this case, the traffic / aggregation origin UE may report measurements and / or capabilities of all potential UEs for aggregation. Upon receiving such a report, the gNB may send at least one of the following reconfigurations to the UE: (1) Enable / disable duplication: if duplication is enabled, set up the corresponding DRB / RLC channel / logical channel, make a copy of the data packet to be transmitted, and then deliver the packet to the corresponding DRB / logical channel; whereas if duplication is disabled, pause or release the corresponding RB / RLC channel / logical channel; and / or (2) Enable / disable data segmentation: Deliver packets to the corresponding DRB / RLC channel / logical channel based on the segmentation rules.

[0098] With regard to mode switching, this involves the release / setup of PDCP / RLC entities, which can be reconfigured via RRC signalling by the gNB.

[0099] FIG. 12 relates to a schematic diagram of a wireless communication terminal 30 (e.g., a terminal node or a terminal device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication terminal 30 may be a user equipment (UE), a remote UE, a relay UE, a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-book, or a portable computer system, and is not limited herein. The wireless communication terminal 30 may include a processor 300, such as a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a storage unit 310, and a communication unit 320. The storage unit 310 may be any data storage device that stores a program code 312 that is accessed and executed by the processor 300. The embodiment of the storage code 312 includes, but is not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random-access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver, and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 300. In one embodiment, the communication unit 320 transmits and receives signals via at least one antenna 322 .

[0100] In one embodiment, the storage unit 310 and the program code 312 may be omitted and the processor 300 may include a storage unit having the program code stored therein.

[0101] The processor 300 may, for example, execute the program code 312 to implement any one of the steps in the illustrated embodiments on the wireless communication terminal 30 .

[0102] The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 320 may combine a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive signals, respectively, to and from a wireless communication node.

[0103] In some embodiments, the wireless communication terminal 30 may be used to perform the operations of the remote UE or relay UE described above. In some embodiments, the processor 300 and the communication unit 320 cooperate to perform the operations described above. For example, the processor 300 performs the operations to send or receive signals, messages, and / or information via the communication unit 320.

[0104] FIG. 13 relates to a schematic diagram of a wireless communication node 40 (e.g., a network device) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication node 40 may be a satellite, a base station (BS), a gNB, a gNB-DU, a gNB-CU, a network entity, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a radio access network (RAN), a next generation RAN (NG-RAN), a data network, a core network, or a radio network controller (RNC), but is not limited herein. Furthermore, the wireless communication node 40 may include (implement) at least one network function, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user place function (UPF), a policy control function (PCF), or an application function (AF). The wireless communication node 40 may include a processor 400, such as a microprocessor or ASIC, a storage unit 410, and a communication unit 420. The storage unit 410 may be any data storage device that stores program code 412 that is accessed and executed by the processor 400. Examples of the storage unit 412 include, but are not limited to, a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 420 may be a transceiver and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 400. In one example, the communication unit 420 transmits and receives signals via at least one antenna 422.

[0105] In one embodiment, the memory unit 410 and the program code 412 may be omitted. The processor 400 may include a memory unit having the program code stored therein.

[0106] The processor 400 may implement any of the steps described in the illustrated embodiments on the wireless communication node 40, for example by executing the program code 412.

[0107] The communication unit 420 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 420 may combine a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive, respectively, signals, messages or information to and from a wireless communication node or a wireless communication terminal.

[0108] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node 40 may be used to perform the operations of the gNB1, gNB2, or CU described above. In some embodiments, the processor 400 and the communication unit 420 cooperate to perform the operations described above. For example, the processor 400 performs the operations and transmits or receives signals via the communication unit 420.

[0109] A wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is also provided. In one embodiment, the wireless communication method may be implemented using a wireless communication terminal (e.g., a remote UE). In one embodiment, the wireless communication terminal may be implemented using, but is not limited to, the wireless communication terminal 30 described above.

[0110] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only as examples and not as limitations. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations provided to enable a person skilled in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, such a person will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as will be understood by a person skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0111] It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., is not generally intended to limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0112] Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any one of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits and symbols that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0113] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that any one of the various illustrative logical blocks, units, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which may be referred to herein for convenience as "software" or "software units"), or any combination of these technologies.

[0114] To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various exemplary components, blocks, units, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, and such implementation decisions do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments, a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. The term "configured to" or "configured for" as used herein with respect to a specified operation or function refers to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0115] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various exemplary logical blocks, units, devices, components and circuits described herein can be implemented in or by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, units and circuits can further include an antenna and / or a transceiver for communicating with various components in a network or device. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0116] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can enable a computer program or code to be transmitted from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0117] In this document, the term "unit" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the relevant functions described herein. Furthermore, for purposes of discussion, various units are described as separate units, but as will be apparent to one skilled in the art, two or more units may be combined to form a single unit performing the relevant functions according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0118] Further, memory or other storage devices, as well as communication components, may be employed in embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity, it will be appreciated that the above description has described embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without detracting from the present disclosure. For example, functionality illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Thus, references to specific functional units are merely references to suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than to a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0119] Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. receiving, by a first wireless communication terminal, an aggregation configuration from a wireless communication node; implementing the aggregation configuration by the first wireless communication terminal; A wireless communication method comprising:

2. The aggregation configuration comprises: Aggregation index, One or more device identifiers (IDs) for aggregation; Aggregation mode, Bearer mapping configuration, configurations for data replication and / or data partitioning; Path instructions, Aggregation assistance information used by the aggregated terminals, or Aggregation Criteria The wireless communication method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

3. The terminal ID is Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI), System Architecture Evolution Temporary Mobile Subscription Identity (S-TMSI), or The aggregation ID received from the wireless communication node The wireless communication method according to claim 2, which can be at least one of:

4. The aggregation mode configuration comprises: Radio Bearer (RB) level aggregation, Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS)-like aggregation, or Radio Link Control (RLC) Channel Level Aggregation The wireless communication method according to claim 2 or 3, comprising at least one of the following:

5. The bearer mapping configuration comprises: Mapping between a radio bearer (RB) of the first wireless communication terminal and a RB of the first wireless communication terminal or a second wireless communication terminal; Mapping between a radio bearer (RB) of the first wireless communication terminal and a terminal ID for aggregation of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal; a mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) of the first wireless communication terminal and a radio bearer (RB) of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal; or Mapping between a QoS flow identifier (QFI) of the first wireless communication terminal and a terminal ID for aggregation of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising at least one of the following:

6. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the bearer mapping configuration includes a mapping between an RB of the first wireless communication terminal and a Uu RLC channel of a second wireless communication terminal, and the Uu RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal is identified by a terminal ID, a logical channel ID (LCID), or an RLC channel ID.

7. The bearer mapping configuration comprises: an instruction to the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal to assign a Common Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sequence number (SN); an instruction to instruct the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal to take charge of a PDCP reordering and discarding function; A RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal of the common PDCP entity to which a PDCP SN is assigned; a RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal of the common PDCP entity responsible for PDCP reordering and discarding functions; or The RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal involved in the encryption or decryption, compression or decompression process of the PDCP The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, comprising at least one of the following:

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein the RB of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal is identified via the RB ID and / or the terminal ID of the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal.

9. The configuration for at least one of data replication and data partitioning, An indication as to whether data replication is enabled or disabled; An indication as to whether data splitting is enabled or disabled; Data splitting threshold, split ratio, Number of replicas, A Buffer Status Report (BSR) report indication, or Terminal ID for the BSR report The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, comprising at least one of the following:

10. The path instruction is Pass ID, Primary or secondary path indication, A combination of a Terminal ID and a Logical Channel ID (LCID), or Combination of device ID and RB ID The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, comprising at least one of the following:

11. The aggregation support information used by the terminals to be aggregated comprises: A dedicated random access channel (RACH) preamble, or A cause value from the wireless communication node The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 10, comprising at least one of the following:

12. The first wireless communication terminal transmits terminal aggregation information to the wireless communication node, and the terminal aggregation information is Device ID, Terminal ID request for aggregation, A serving cell ID of the wireless communication terminal; the capabilities of said wireless communication terminal; an indication of a supported aggregation mode of the wireless communication terminal; The number of candidate wireless communication terminals; Terminal aggregation information of the candidate wireless communication terminals; or Device status report The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising at least one of the following:

13. the capabilities of the wireless communication terminal include at least one of aggregation capabilities, power constraints, band combinations, radio capabilities, aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR), or quality of service (QoS) parameters; The AMBR includes at least one of an uplink (UL) AMBR or a downlink (DL) AMBR; or the QoS parameters include an allowed QoS profile for Uu communication of the first wireless communication terminal; The wireless communication method according to claim 12.

14. 14. The wireless communication method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the terminal status report includes at least one of the following information: data rate, reliability, packet delay budget (PDB) requirement, or channel condition.

15. A wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first wireless communication terminal receives the aggregation configuration of the first wireless communication terminal from the wireless communication node directly or via another wireless communication terminal.

16. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the first wireless communication terminal transmits terminal aggregation information to the wireless communication node directly or via another wireless communication terminal.

17. The wireless communication method according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the first wireless communication terminal receives an instruction to enable or disable aggregation.

18. 20. The wireless communication method of claim 17, wherein the instructions for enabling or disabling the aggregation include at least one of an indication of a path to be enabled or disabled, an instruction for enabling or disabling duplication, or an instruction for enabling or disabling splitting.

19. The wireless communication method according to any of claims 2 to 18, wherein the aggregation criteria includes at least one of a data rate threshold, a reliability threshold, or a PDB threshold.

20. The first wireless communication terminal performs the aggregation configuration, direct communication with said wireless communication node; or Communication via a second wireless communication terminal that relays data between a first wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication node. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 19, comprising performing an aggregate data communication including at least one of:

21. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, via a second wireless communication terminal, to the wireless communication node, a data packet for a QoS flow mapped to a RB of the second wireless communication terminal according to a bearer mapping configuration of the aggregation configuration; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, comprising:

22. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, via a second wireless communication terminal, to the wireless communication node, a data packet that has been mapped to a Uu RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal according to a bearer mapping configuration of the aggregation configuration; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, comprising:

23. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: establishing, by the first wireless communication terminal, an RLC entity and an associated logical channel that are different from an RLC entity and an associated logical channel established by a second wireless communication terminal; allocating, by the first wireless communication terminal, a common PDCP SN according to the aggregation configuration; implementing, by the first wireless communication terminal, security and ROHC compression functions by a PDCP entity of the first wireless communication terminal that are separate from security and ROHC compression functions implemented by a PDCP entity of the second wireless communication terminal; or transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, the divided or copied PDCP SDUs having the common PDCP SN to a second wireless communication terminal; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, comprising at least one of the following:

24. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: receiving, by the first wireless communication terminal, downlink data from the wireless communication node; performing, by the first wireless communication terminal, a security and ROHC decompression function by a PDCP entity on downlink data that is separate from the security and ROHC compression function performed by a PDCP entity of a second wireless communication terminal; or performing, by the first wireless communication terminal, PDCP reordering, duplication detection and discard functions on the downlink data according to a common PDCP SN and the aggregation configuration; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, comprising at least one of the following:

25. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: receiving, by the first wireless communication terminal, from the wireless communication node, a BSR report indication for RBs, logical channels, and LCGs with aggregations; or transmitting a BSR report to the wireless communication node by the first wireless communication terminal; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, comprising at least one of the following:

26. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, a BSR report including a PDCP data amount of the PDCP entity to a wireless communication node serving the PDCP entity; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 25, comprising:

27. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: determining, by the first wireless communication terminal, that a data packet is mapped to a Uu RB of the first wireless communication terminal according to an SDAP configuration; performing PDCP processing on the data packet by the first wireless communication terminal to generate a PDCP PDU; determining, by the first wireless communication terminal, that the PDCP PDU is mapped to an RLC channel of a second wireless communication terminal according to a bearer mapping configuration; or transmitting, by the first wireless communication terminal, the PDCP PDU to the RLC channel of the second wireless communication terminal; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, comprising at least one of the following:

28. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: transmitting copies of the PDCP PDUs, each of which conforms to the aggregation configuration, to RLC channels of a plurality of wireless communication terminals by the first wireless communication terminal; A wireless communication method according to any preceding claim, comprising:

29. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: determining, by the first wireless communication terminal, in response to an aggregation criterion being satisfied, a wireless communication terminal to be involved in an aggregate transmission; A wireless communication method according to any preceding claim, comprising:

30. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: activating or deactivating aggregation paths according to an indication of paths to be enabled or disabled by the first wireless communication terminal. A wireless communication method according to any preceding claim, comprising:

31. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: by the first wireless communication terminal, according to the activation instruction, setting up at least one of a RB, an RLC channel, or a logical channel, making a copy of a data packet, and delivering the data packet to the at least one of the RB, the RLC channel, or the logical channel; or and suspending or releasing, by the first wireless communication terminal, the at least one of the RB, the RLC channel, or the logical channel in accordance with an instruction to disable. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 30, comprising at least one of the following:

32. Implementing the aggregation configuration includes: and in response to an indication by the first wireless communication terminal that data splitting is enabled, delivering data packets to at least one of a RB, an RLC channel, or a logical channel based on a splitting ratio; or refraining, by the first wireless communication terminal, from splitting the data packet in accordance with an instruction to disable; The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 31, comprising at least one of the following:

33. receiving, by a wireless communication node, terminal aggregation information from a core network; implementing an aggregation configuration by the wireless communication node; A wireless communication method comprising:

34. The terminal aggregation information is aggregation authorization information for the wireless communication terminal; Terminal IDs of one or more wireless communication terminals; The capabilities of one or more wireless communication terminals; or Supported Aggregation Modes 34. The wireless communication method of claim 33, comprising at least one of:

35. 35. The wireless communication method of claim 34, wherein the aggregation authorization information includes at least one of an instruction to authorize the wireless communication terminal to relay data of another wireless communication terminal, or an instruction to authorize the wireless communication terminal to aggregate another wireless communication terminal to deliver its own data.

36. the capabilities of the wireless communication terminal include at least one of aggregation capabilities, power constraints, band combinations, radio capabilities, aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR), or quality of service (QoS) parameters; The AMBR includes at least one of an uplink (UL) AMBR or a downlink (DL) AMBR; or The QoS parameters include an allowable QoS profile for Uu communication of the wireless communication terminal; 36. A wireless communication method according to claim 34 or 35.

37. A communication unit; a processor configured to receive an aggregation configuration from a wireless communication node and to implement the aggregation configuration; A wireless communication terminal comprising:

38. The wireless communication terminal of claim 37, wherein the processor is further configured to implement a wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 32.

39. A communication unit; a processor configured to receive terminal aggregation information from a core network and to implement an aggregation configuration; A wireless communication node comprising:

40. A wireless communication node according to claim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to implement a wireless communication method according to any of claims 33 to 36.

41. A computer program product comprising computer readable program medium code stored thereon, said code, when executed by a processor, causing said processor to implement a wireless communication method according to any of claims 1 to 36.

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