User Equipment Procedures for Buffer Status Reporting

Abstract

For a logical channel group (LCG) that has obtained a decision point value and has the amount of data with uplink transmission pending, a method and apparatus are disclosed that are configured to transmit a long buffer status report in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold, or to transmit a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold. The decision point value can be based on the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, the data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for a full upload of the buffer holding the data, a cost function, the amount of data associated with the LCG with uplink transmission pending, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device, and may be a buffer status report type decision value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This patent application claims priority to U.S. Non - Provisional Application No. 17 / 738,933, filed on May 06, 2022, and assigned to the assignee of this patent application, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes.

[0002] The technology described below generally relates to user equipment procedures for buffer status reporting, and more specifically to user equipment extended procedures for reporting buffer status reports to optimize network uplink component carrier activation and improve network performance.

[0003] Introduction A user equipment (UE) can buffer data until resources for uplink transmission of the data waiting for uplink transmission are scheduled. Thus, data can be accumulated in one or more buffers while waiting for the generation of packet data units (PDUs) configured to transport the accumulated data in the uplink direction. The buffered data can be grouped according to logical channels. One or more logical channel groups (LCGs) can be established. The UE can sometimes trigger the network to send a buffer status report (BSR). The content of the BSR notifies the network of the amount of data waiting for uplink transmission stored in the UE's buffer (or buffers). The network can allocate resources, such as one or more component carriers, to the UE based in part on the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer (or buffers) waiting for uplink transmission.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following presents an overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This overview is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in the form of an introduction to the more detailed description that follows.

[0005] In one embodiment, a wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communication device includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. In this embodiment, the processor and the memory are configured to transmit a long buffer status report in response to a decision point value exceeding a threshold for a logical channel group having an amount of data with uplink transmissions pending, and to transmit a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the logical channel group.

[0006] In another embodiment, a method in a wireless communication device is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a decision point value, transmitting a long buffer status report in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold for a logical channel group having an amount of data with uplink transmissions pending, and transmitting a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the logical channel group.

[0007] In yet another embodiment, a wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communication device includes means for obtaining a decision point value, means for transmitting a long buffer status report for a logical channel group having an amount of data for which uplink transmission is pending, in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold, and means for transmitting a short buffer status report for the logical channel group, in response to the decision point value being below the threshold.

[0008] These and other aspects will be more fully understood by considering the following "Detailed Description of the Invention". By considering the following description of specific exemplary aspects in conjunction with the accompanying figures, other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Features may be discussed in connection with specific exemplary embodiments and figures below, but all embodiments may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, one or more embodiments may be discussed as having specific advantageous features, but one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. Similarly, embodiments may be discussed below as embodiments of a device, system, or method, but it should be understood that such embodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The detailed description provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings describes various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The "Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention" includes specific details aimed at providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some examples, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0011] In this application, aspects and examples are described by way of illustration for several examples, but those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementation forms and use cases may occur in many different configurations and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging configurations. For example, aspects and / or applications can occur via examples of integrated chips and other non-module component-based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). Some examples may or may not specifically target use cases or application examples, but a wide range of combinations of the described innovations can be applicable. Implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and even to integrated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems that incorporate one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices that incorporate the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes several components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleaves, adders / analog adders, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed configurations, separate configurations (e.g., base stations and / or user equipment (UE)), end-user devices, etc., of various sizes, shapes, and configurations.

[0012] For example, based on an evaluation of at least one parameter that may be associated with the peak power envelope of a wireless communication device, a data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for scheduling for a full upload of a buffer holding data, a cost function, the amount of data associated with a logical channel group holding uplink transmissions, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device, a method and apparatus are described herein for determining to transmit a short buffer status report (BSR) or a long BSR from the wireless communication device.

[0013] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across a variety of telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, by way of example and not limitation, various aspects of the present disclosure are shown with reference to a wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting areas, namely, a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. By means of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 can be enabled to perform data communication with an external data network 110 such as, but not limited to, the Internet.

[0014] RAN 104 can implement any suitable wireless communication technology for providing wireless access to UE 106. As one example, RAN 104 can operate according to the specifications of the New Radio (NR) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark, the same hereinafter)), often referred to as 5G. As another example, RAN 104 can operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and the specifications of the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN), often referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as the next-generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be used within the scope of this disclosure.

[0015] As shown in the figure, RAN 104 includes a plurality of base stations 108. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from a UE. In various technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may be variously referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), access point (AP), Node B (NB), eNode B (eNB), gNode B (gNB), transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitable term. In some embodiments, a base station may include two or more TRPs, which may or may not be co-located. Each TRP can communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies within the same or different frequency bands. In an embodiment where RAN 104 operates according to both the LTE standard and the 5G NR standard, one of those base stations can be an LTE base station, while another base station can be a 5G NR base station.

[0016] RAN 104 is further shown to support wireless communication for a plurality of mobile devices. A mobile device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) in the 3GPP standard, but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term. A UE can be a device (e.g., a mobile device) that provides a user with access to network services.

[0017] Within the scope of this disclosure, a “mobile” device need not necessarily have the ability to move and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile device broadly refers to a wide range of devices and technologies. A UE can include several hardware structural components sized, shaped, and arranged to assist in communication, such components can include an antenna, antenna array, RF chain, amplifier, one or more processors, etc., electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile, cellular (cell) phones, smartphones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide range of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to the “Internet of Things” (IoT).

[0018] The mobile device can further be an automobile or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multicopter, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer device / or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smartwatch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. The mobile device can further be a digital home device or smart home device, such as a home audio, video, and / or multimedia device, an electrical appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. The mobile device can further be an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, and / or an agricultural device, such as a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, an urban infrastructure device for controlling power (e.g., a smart grid), lighting, water supply, etc. Still further, the mobile device can provide support for connected healthcare or teletherapy, e.g., remote healthcare. The telehealth device may include a telehealth monitoring device and a telehealth management device, and its communication may be given preferential treatment or priority access over other types of information with respect to, for example, priority access for the transport of critical service data and / or related QoS for the transport of critical service data.

[0019] The wireless communication between RAN104 and UE106 can be described as using an air interface. Transmissions via the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., similar to UE106) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating from a base station (e.g., base station 108). Another way to describe this scheme may be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) may be called uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to point-to-point transmissions originating from a UE (e.g., UE106).

[0020] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, and a scheduling entity (e.g., base station 108) may allocate resources for communication among some or all of the devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. Within the scope of the present disclosure, as further discussed below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, allocating, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UE106). That is, multiple UEs 106 that can be scheduled entities can utilize the resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108 for scheduled communication.

[0021] The base station 108 is not the only entity that can function as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can function as a scheduling entity that schedules resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, a UE can communicate directly with other UEs in a peer-to-peer or device-to-device manner and / or can also communicate in a relay configuration.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the scheduling entity 108 can broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more UEs 106). Generally, the scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including downlink traffic 112 and, in some embodiments, uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more UEs 106) to the scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, a scheduled entity (e.g., UE 106) is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114, including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity 108. The scheduled entity 106 can further transmit uplink control information 118, including but not limited to scheduling requests or feedback information, or other control information, to the scheduling entity 108.

[0023] In addition, the uplink control information 118 and / or the downlink control information 118, and / or the uplink traffic 116 and / or the downlink traffic 112 can be transmitted on a waveform that can be time-division multiplexed into frames, sub-frames, slots, and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that carries one resource element (RE) for each sub-carrier in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform. A slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A sub-frame may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple sub-frames or slots can be grouped together to form a single frame or a wireless frame. Within the scope of the present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, and each frame may consist of, for example, 10 sub-frames each having a duration of 1 ms. Of course, these definitions are not essential, and any suitable method for organizing the waveform can be used, and the various time segments of the waveform can have any suitable duration.

[0024] Generally, the base station 108 may include a backhaul interface for communication with the backhaul portion 120 of the wireless communication system 100. The backhaul portion 120 may provide a link between the base station 108 and the core network 102. Further, in some examples, the backhaul network may provide an interconnection between the respective base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, etc., using any suitable transport network.

[0025] The core network 102 can be part of the wireless communication system 100 and can be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some embodiments, the core network 102 can be configured according to the 5G standard (e.g., 5G Core (5GC)). In other embodiments, the core network 102 can be configured according to the 4G evolved packet core (EPC), or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 2, and by way of non-limiting illustrative example, a schematic diagram of a radio access network (RAN) 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is provided. In some embodiments, the RAN 200 can be the same as the RAN 104 described above and shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] The geographical area covered by the RAN 200 can be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on identification information broadcast over a geographical area from one access point or base station. FIG. 2 shows cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which can include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station. The radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification information belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, a plurality of sectors within the cell can be formed by a group of antennas each associated with an antenna for communicating with a UE within a part of the cell.

[0028] Various arrangements of the base stations can be utilized. For example, in FIG. 2, two base stations, base station 210 and base station 212, are shown within cells 202 and 204. A third base station, base station 214, which controls the remote radio head (RRH) 216 within cell 206, is shown. That is, the base station can have an integrated antenna or can be connected to an antenna or RRH 216 by a feeder cable. In the illustrated embodiment, cells 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macro cells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells of a large size. Further, base station 218 is shown within cell 208, and this cell can overlap with one or more macro cells. In this embodiment, since base station 218 supports a cell of a relatively small size, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., small cell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, home base station, home node B, home e-node B, etc.). Cell sizing can be performed according to system design and component constraints.

[0029] It should be understood that the RAN 200 can include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further, relay nodes can be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, 218 provide wireless access points for any number of mobile devices to the core network. In some embodiments, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 can be the same as or similar to the scheduling entity 108 described above and shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 2 further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220 that can be a drone or a quadcopter. The UAV 220 can be configured to function as a base station or, more specifically, as a mobile base station. That is, in some embodiments, the cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographical area of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile base station such as the UAV 220.

[0031] Within the RAN 200, a cell may include UEs capable of communicating with one or more sectors of each cell. Further, each base station 210, 212, 214, 218, and 220 may be configured to provide an access point to the core network 102 (see FIG. 1) for all UEs within their respective cells. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may communicate with base station 210, UEs 226 and 228 may communicate with base station 212, UEs 230 and 232 may communicate with base station 214 via the RRH 216, UE 234 may communicate with base station 218, and UE 236 may communicate with mobile base station 220. In some embodiments, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, and / or 242 can be the same as or similar to the UE / scheduled entity 106 described above and shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the UAV 220 (e.g., a quadcopter) can be a mobile network node and can be configured to function as a UE. For example, the UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0032] In a further aspect of RAN200, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without necessarily relying on scheduling information or control information from a base station. Sidelink communication can be utilized, for example, in a device-to-device (D2D) network, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, and / or other suitable sidelink networks. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UE238, 240, and 242) can communicate with each other using sidelink signal 237 without relaying the communication through a base station. In some embodiments, UE238, 240, and 242 can each function as a scheduling entity or a transmitting sidelink device, and / or a scheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and communicate sidelink signal 237 between those UEs without relying on scheduling information or control information from a base station. In other embodiments, two or more UEs (e.g., UE226 and UE228) within the coverage area of a base station (e.g., base station 212) can also communicate directly via a link (sidelink) using sidelink signal 227 without transmitting their communication through base station 212. In this embodiment, base station 212 can allocate resources to UE226 and UE228 for sidelink communication.

[0033] Channel coding can be used to achieve a very high data rate while obtaining a low block error rate (BLER) via an air interface. That is, wireless communication can generally utilize a suitable error correction block code. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is divided into code blocks (CBs), and then an encoder (e.g., CODEC) at the transmitting device mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. By leveraging this redundancy in the encoded information message, the reliability of the message can be improved, enabling correction of any bit errors that may occur due to noise.

[0034] Data encoding can be implemented in multiple ways. In the initial 5G NR specifications, user data is encoded using low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different base graphs, i.e., one base graph is used for large code blocks and / or high coding rates, and the other base graph is used otherwise. Control information and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are encoded using polar coding based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

[0035] Aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented using any suitable channel code. Various implementations of base stations and UEs can include suitable hardware and capabilities (e.g., encoders, decoders, and / or CODECs) for utilizing one or more of these channel codes for wireless communication.

[0036] In RAN200, the ability of the UE to communicate while moving, regardless of their locations, is referred to as mobility. Various physical channels between the UE and RAN200 are generally set up, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF). In some scenarios, the AMF may include a security context management function (SCMF) and a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication. The SCMF can manage security contexts for both the control plane function and the user plane function, either wholly or partially.

[0037] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the RAN 200 can utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handover (i.e., the transition of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity or at any other time, the UE can monitor various parameters of the signals from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell over a given amount of time, the UE can initiate a handoff or handover from its serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, the UE 224 may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to the geographic area corresponding to the neighboring cell 206. If the signal strength or signal quality from the neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength or signal quality of its serving cell 202 over a given amount of time, the UE 224 can send a report message indicating this state to its serving base station 210. In response, the UE 224 can receive a handover command, and the UE can perform a handover to cell 206.

[0038] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals from each UE can be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified Primary Synchronization Signals (PSSs), unified Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs), and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCHs)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the unified synchronization signals and derive carrier frequency and slot timing from those synchronization signals, and in response to the derivation of the timing, can transmit uplink pilot signals or reference signals. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE224) can be received simultaneously by two or more cells within RAN200 (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216). Each of those cells can measure the strength of the pilot signal, and a radio access network (e.g., one or more of base stations 210 and 214 / 216, and / or a central node within the core network) can determine a serving cell for UE224. As UE224 moves within RAN200, RAN200 can continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by UE224. If the signal strength or signal quality of the pilot signal measured by an adjacent cell exceeds the signal strength or signal quality measured by the serving cell, RAN200 can hand over UE224 from the serving cell to the adjacent cell, regardless of whether there is a notification to UE224.

[0039] The synchronization signals transmitted by base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can be unified, but this synchronization signal cannot identify a specific cell. Instead, it can identify the zones of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and / or at the same timing. In a 5G network or other next-generation communication network, the use of zones enables an uplink-based mobility framework, improving the efficiency of both the UE and the network because it can reduce the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network.

[0040] In various implementations, the air interface within the radio access network 200 can utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum generally provides exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum by a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides shared use of a portion of the spectrum without the need for a government-approved license. Generally, some technical rules still need to be complied with to access unlicensed spectrum, but generally, any operator or device can obtain access. Shared spectrum can be located in between licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum, and technical rules or restrictions may be required to access that spectrum, but the spectrum can still be shared by multiple operators and / or multiple RATs. For example, the holder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum can provide licensed shared access (LSA) for sharing that spectrum with other parties, such as those having suitable licensee determination conditions for obtaining access.

[0041] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands are identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is higher than 6 GHz, it should be understood that FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and papers. Similar nomenclature issues can arise with respect to FR2, which, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as the "millimeter wave" band, is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and papers.

[0042] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as intermediate band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified operating bands for these intermediate band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). The frequency bands included within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus, in effect, the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be extended to the intermediate band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands are identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands is included within the EHF band.

[0043] With the above aspects in mind, unless otherwise specifically described, terms such as "sub-6 GHz" as used in this specification may be understood to broadly represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate band frequencies. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "millimeter wave" as used in this specification may, in some cases, broadly represent frequencies that can be within the range of frequencies that may include intermediate band frequencies, FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or frequencies that can be within the EHF band.

[0044] Devices communicating within the wireless access network 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing techniques and multi-connection algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification provides multi-connection for UL transmissions from the UEs 222 and 224 to the base station 210, and multiplexing for DL transmissions from the base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). Further, with respect to UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform-spread OFDM (DET-s-OFDM) (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)) with a CP. However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multi-connection are not limited to the above-described methods, and can be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multi-connection methods. Further, multiplexing of DL transmissions from the base station 210 to the UEs 222 and 224 can be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing methods.

[0045] Devices within the wireless access network 200 can also utilize one or more duplexing algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate bidirectionally with each other. Full-duplex means that both endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can transmit information to the other at a time. Half-duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links that utilize time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using time division multiplexing. That is, in some scenarios, the channel is dedicated to transmission in one direction, but at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmission in the opposite direction, and in that case, the direction can change very rapidly, for example, several times per slot. In a wireless link, a full-duplex channel generally relies on physical separation of the transmitter and receiver and suitable interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or spatial division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within a paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In other embodiments, full-duplex communication can be implemented within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), in which case, transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of that carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication is sometimes referred to in this specification as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), which is also known as flexible duplexing.

[0046] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to the OFDM waveform schematically shown in FIG. 3. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to the SC-FDMA waveform in substantially the same manner as described hereinafter in this specification. That is, some embodiments of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, but it should be understood that the same principles can be equally applied to the SC-FDMA waveform.

[0047] Referring now to FIG. 3, an enlarged view of an exemplary subframe 302 showing an OFDM resource grid according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. However, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the physical (PHY) transmission structure for any particular application example may differ from the embodiments described herein depending on any number of factors. In this figure, time is in the horizontal direction in units of OFDM symbols, and frequency is in the vertical direction in units of subcarriers of the carrier.

[0048] The resource grid 304 can be used to generally represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) implementation having a plurality of available antenna ports, a corresponding plurality of resource grids 304 can be made available for communication. The resource grid 304 is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs) 306. An RE, which is 1 subcarrier × 1 symbol, is the smallest individual part of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex-valued data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB), or more simply a resource block (RB) 308, which block contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may contain 12 subcarriers, which is a number independent of the numerology used. In some examples, depending on the numerology, an RB may contain any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the scope of the present disclosure, a single RB such as RB 308 is assumed to fully correspond to a single direction of communication (either transmission or reception for a given device).

[0049] A set of contiguous or non - contiguous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a Resource Block Group (RBG), a sub - band, or a bandwidth part (BWP). A set of sub - bands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling of a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink transmission, uplink transmission, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more sub - bands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Therefore, a UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 304. In some embodiments, an RB can be the smallest unit of resource that can be allocated to a UE. Therefore, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the more advanced the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for that UE. RBs may be scheduled by a scheduling entity such as a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or may be self - scheduled by a UE implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0050] In this figure, RB308 is shown as occupying a bandwidth smaller than the entire bandwidth of sub - frame 302, and several sub - carriers are shown above and below RB308. In a given implementation, sub - frame 302 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RB308. Further, in this figure, RB308 is shown as occupying a duration shorter than the entire duration of sub - frame 302, but this is merely one possible example.

[0051] Each subframe 302 of 1 ms can be composed of one or more adjacent slots. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, one subframe 302 includes, as an exemplary embodiment, four slots 310. In some embodiments, a slot can be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols having a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a slot can include seven or fourteen OFDM symbols having a nominal CP. Additional embodiments can include mini-slots, sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) having a shorter duration (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). These mini-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) can, in some cases, occupy and transmit resources scheduled for an ongoing slot transmission for the same UE or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or slot.

[0052] An enlarged view of one of the slots 310 shows the slot 310 including a control region 312 and a data region 314. Generally, the control region 312 can carry a control channel, and the data region 314 can carry a data channel. Of course, a slot can include all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. The structure shown in FIG. 3 is merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures can be utilized, including one or more of each of the control region and the data region.

[0053] Although not shown in FIG. 3, various REs 306 within RB 308 can be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306 within RB 308 can also carry pilot signals or reference signals. These pilot signals or reference signals can be provided for a receiving device to perform channel estimation of the corresponding channel, which can enable coherent demodulation / detection of control channels and / or data channels within RB 308.

[0054] In some embodiments, slot 310 can be utilized for broadcast communication, multicast communication, groupcast communication, or unicast communication. For example, broadcast communication, multicast communication, or groupcast communication may refer to point-to-multipoint transmission from one device (e.g., a base station, a UE, or other similar device) to other devices. In this case, broadcast communication is distributed to all devices, while multicast communication or groupcast communication is distributed to a plurality of targeted receiver devices. Unicast communication may refer to point-to-point transmission from one device to a single other device.

[0055] In one example of cellular communication on a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) can allocate one or more resource elements (REs) (e.g., within control region 312) for carrying DL control information, including one or more DL control channels such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH can carry downlink control information (DCI) including, but not limited to, power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or RE allocations for DL and UL transmissions. The PDCCH can further carry hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback transmissions such as an acknowledgment (ACK) or a negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, and for example, the integrity of packet transmissions can be checked at the receiving side with an expectation of accuracy using any suitable integrity checking mechanism such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK can be sent, while if it is not confirmed, a NACK can be sent. In response to a NACK, the transmitting device may send an HARQ retransmission that may implement chase combining, incremental redundancy, etc.

[0056] The base station can further allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the control region 312 or the data region 314) for carrying other DL signals such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS), a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS), and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB can be broadcast at regular intervals based on a period (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 ms). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE can utilize the PSS and the SSS to achieve synchronization of radio frames, sub-frames, slots, and symbols in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identification information (PCI) of the cell.

[0057] The PBCH within the SSB may further include a master information block (MIB) that contains various system information, along with parameters for decoding the system information block (SIB). The SIB can be, for example, SystemInformationType1 (SIB1) which may contain various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of the system information transmitted within the MIB include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink numerology), number of system frames, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell bar indicator, cell reselection indicator, raster offset, and search space related to SIB1. Examples of the remaining minimum system information (RMSI) transmitted within SIB1 include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The base station can also transmit other system information (OSI) in the same way.

[0058] In UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) can utilize one or more REs 306 to carry UL control information (UCI), which includes one or more UL control channels such as the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), to a scheduling entity. UCI can include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals include the sounding reference signal (SRS) and the uplink DMRS. In some embodiments, UCI can include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request to request the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. In this case, in response to the SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity can transmit downlink control information (DCI) that can schedule resources for uplink packet transmission. UCI can also include channel state feedback (CSF) such as HARQ feedback, CSI reports, or any other suitable UCI.

[0059] In addition to the control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the data region 314) can be allocated for data. Such data can be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for DL transmission or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for UL transmission. In some embodiments, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 can be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS. In some embodiments, the PDSCH can carry a plurality of SIBs without being limited to the above-described SIB1. For example, in those SIBs, such as SIB2 and above, the OSI can be provided.

[0060] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via a proximity service (ProSe) PC5 interface, the control region 312 of slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) that contains sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by a starting (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or another Tx UE) towards a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or another Rx UE). The data region 314 of slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) that contains sidelink data transmitted by the starting (transmitting) sidelink device within the resources reserved on the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI. Various other information can be transmitted on various REs 306 within slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information can be transmitted from a receiving sidelink device to a transmitting sidelink device on a sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within slot 310. Further, one or more reference signals such as sidelink SSB, sidelink CSI-RS, sidelink SRS, and / or sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) can be transmitted within slot 310.

[0061] These physical channels described above are generally multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing in the medium access control (MAC) layer. The transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which can correspond to the number of bits of information (e.g., the amount of bits of information), can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of resource blocks (RBs) in a given transmission.

[0062] The channels or carriers shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are not necessarily all of the channels or carriers that can be utilized between devices. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers such as other traffic channels, control channels, and feedback channels can be utilized in addition to those shown.

[0063] New technologies such as FR2 NR uplink carrier aggregation (UL-CA) enable the use of relatively large bandwidths and high data rates. However, the network may not automatically grant the maximum number of component carriers in response to all resource requests from a given UE. Instead, as an example, the network may consider, as one factor to take into account when determining whether to enable multiple component carriers (CCs) and thus enable scheduling across carriers for a given UE, the buffer status reports (BSRs) received from the given UE. The BSR can be short (5 bits in length) or long (8 bits in length). The short BSR can report to the network the amount of data stored in the buffer for any one logical channel group by including in the BSR one index number value out of a total of 32 index number values. The short BSR index number values range from index 0, which represents 0 bytes of data in a given LCG buffer, to index 31, which represents 0.15 megabytes of data in a given LCG buffer. The long BSR index number values range from index 0, which represents 0 bytes of data in a given LCG buffer, to index 254, which represents 81 megabytes of data in a given LCG buffer. The 8 bits of the long BSR occupy more resources than the 5 bits of the short BSR, but the long BSR provides more information at a finer level of granularity compared to the short BSR. Table I below presents the buffer size levels (e.g., buffer size values in bytes) for the 5-bit short buffer size field. Table II below presents the buffer size levels (e.g., buffer size values in bytes) for the 8-bit long buffer size field.

[0064] [Table 1]

[0065]

Table 2-1

[0066]

Table 2-2

[0067] The buffer status report is currently performed by the MAC entity of a given UE. According to current practice, the decision on whether to report a short BSR or a long BSR is based on the number of LCGs having data available for transmission when the MAC PDU containing the BSR is constructed (e.g., generated). Specifically, for the normal BSR and the periodic BSR, when the MAC PDU containing the BSR is constructed, if two or more LCGs have data available for transmission, the MAC entity reports (e.g., sends, transmits) a long BSR for all LCGs having data available for transmission. Otherwise (i.e., when only one LCG has data available for transmission when the MAC PDU containing the BSR is constructed), the MAC entity will report a short BSR.

[0068] Current practice can result in a situation where a given UE is configured in a sub - optimal configuration. Some examples of sub - optimal configurations include a lower bandwidth than might otherwise be available, a single component carrier when additional component carriers might be available, or a scheduling scheme (also called invariant scheduling) that does not vary according to the type, priority, or amount of data to be carried in the uplink direction, among others. The foregoing list was illustrative and non - limiting. A sub - optimal configuration can occur when the UE reports a short BSR and the network takes an undesirably long amount of time (e.g., for a given type or priority of data to be carried in the uplink direction, a relatively long time) to respond to the short BSR, delaying the activation of a component carrier that could be used to more quickly transmit data that the UE has waiting for upload in its buffer(s). In this example of delay and other examples within the scope of the present disclosure, network delay in activating additional component carriers can have an adverse effect on trancing efficiency gains. On the other hand, the content of the short BSR can inform the network that a decision not to activate additional (or all available component carriers) can be a valid decision in a given set of circumstances when a single component carrier is sufficient to carry the buffered and waiting data according to the known maximum component carrier channel capacity. As an example, a network decision not to add a component carrier can result in a reduction of wasted resources. The decision can, for example, reduce padding data that could otherwise be used to fill potentially unused resources (of the additional component carrier).

[0069] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, techniques for BSR reporting with relaxed LCG requirements are described herein. Current LCG requirements mandate that when a MAC PDU including a BSR is constructed and two or more LCGs have data available for transmission, the UE's MAC entity report (e.g., transmit) a long BSR for all LCGs having data available for transmission. Thus, the LCG requirements effectively prohibit the use of long BSRs when only one LCG has data available for transmission at the time a MAC PDU including a BSR is constructed. The LCG requirements can, for example but not limited to, negatively impact BSR reporting in use cases involving customer premise equipment (CPE). For example, in a CPE use case, since the CPE traffic profile can be data-centric, e.g., for enterprise applications, it is expected that only one LCG will be configured. The CPE use case can be compared to a smartphone use case, where a smartphone (e.g., a UE such as a smartphone) can have voice (e.g., voice over New Radio (VONR)) plus data, and other applications running in parallel. Relaxing the LCG requirements can improve network performance, for example, by optimizing the activation of the network's uplink component carriers and, for example, optimizing the network's scheduling and resource usage.

[0070] FIG. 4 shows an example of a wireless communication system 400 that includes a terrestrial RAN 402 and a non-terrestrial RAN 404 (e.g., a non-terrestrial network (NTN)). The wireless communication system 400 can correspond to, for example, the wireless communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1, and can be a 5G wireless communication system (5GS). The terrestrial RAN 402 can correspond to, for example, the RAN 200 shown in FIG. 2. Each of the terrestrial RAN 402 and the non-terrestrial RAN 404 can be associated with a respective geographic area. Thus, each of the terrestrial RAN 402 and the non-terrestrial RAN 404 can provide 5G services within its corresponding respective geographic area. For example, the terrestrial RAN 402 can include one or more base stations 406 (for the sake of convenience, one of them is shown in the figure), each of which serves one or more wireless communication devices 408. The terrestrial RAN 402 can be further coupled to a core network (CN) 418 for user plane and control plane signaling and data communication.

[0071] In some embodiments, the non-terrestrial RAN 404 can include one or more terrestrial base stations 426, for the sake of convenience, one of them is shown in the figure, and the satellite 410a can provide a backhaul link to the core network 418. In this embodiment, the non-terrestrial network 404 includes both terrestrial RAN components and non-terrestrial RAN components. The non-terrestrial RAN 404 further includes a satellite gateway 414 (or a terrestrial station) for relaying control plane and user plane communication between the satellite 410a and the core network 418. In some embodiments, the satellite 410a can route communication to / from the satellite gateway 414 through one or more additional satellites 410b via inter-satellite links (ISLs).

[0072] According to some aspects, the non-terrestrial RAN 404 can include a satellite 410a that operates as a base station (e.g., gNB) to serve one or more UEs 412 within a satellite coverage area. According to other aspects, a satellite gateway or another terrestrial entity can act as a base station. In some embodiments, the satellite coverage area can include one or more fixed tracking areas (TAs) each including one or more cells (not shown) served by a satellite 410a. Each cell can be defined with respect to a fixed or mobile satellite beam spot depending on the type of satellite. For example, the satellite 410a can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. As an example, an LEO satellite can orbit the earth at an altitude of 300 kilometers (km) to 2000 km and can generate a beam footprint size of 100 km to 500 km. An MEO satellite can orbit the earth at an altitude of 8000 km to 25000 km and can generate a beam footprint size of 100 km to 500 km. A GEO satellite can orbit the earth at an altitude of 35786 km and can generate a beam footprint size of 200 to 1000 km. NTN is not limited to spacecraft (e.g., satellites). According to some embodiments, NTN can include a network or a segment of a network that uses an aircraft or a spacecraft for transmission. The aircraft can include high altitude platforms (HAPs) including unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) (similar to UAV 220). As an example, the UAS can include, but is not limited to, tethered (e.g., quasi-fixed) UASs, lighter-than-air UASs, and heavier-than-air UASs.

[0073] Communication via non-terrestrial wave RAN404 is sometimes referred to as NTN communication. The round-trip time, including propagation delay, between wireless communication device 412, one or more satellites (e.g., satellite 410a, satellite 410b), and satellite gateway 414 is longer than the round-trip time between wireless communication device 412 and a terrestrial base station 426 that is relatively close. The round-trip time (e.g., as an indicator of latency) can be considered by wireless communication device 412 when selecting to transmit a short BSR or a long BSR. In an example of NTN communication, the long BSR can provide a better estimate of the amount of data waiting for uplink transmission (e.g., within satellite 410a or located at satellite gateway 414) to a base station than the short BSR. A better estimate of the amount of data holding off uplink transmission can be notified to the base station regarding the base station's decision on the scheduling rate to be utilized in relation to wireless communication device 412. The better estimate of the amount of data holding off uplink transmission (obtained via the long BSR) and the increased probability of obtaining a scheduling rate commensurate with the amount of data holding off uplink transmission can improve the overall communication quality of the user application. Having a higher granularity BSR (e.g., in a scenario that can include NTN communication) can help overcome propagation delays and other delays contributing to latency and can provide a scheduling pattern that can improve the overall quality of communication of the user application and can help provide an improved user experience.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a call flow diagram 500 showing communication between a user equipment 502 and a network access node 504 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The user equipment 502 may be any user equipment or scheduled entity as illustrated and described in connection with, for example, FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 4. The network access node 504 may be any scheduling entity, network access node, or base station as illustrated and described in connection with, for example, FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 4. In some embodiments, the network access node 504 can be implemented as an integrated base station or a distributed base station. In a distributed base station architecture, the network access node can include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU).

[0075] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the UE 502 can buffer (e.g., store and temporarily memorize) data in any one of the first buffer 521 to the nth buffer 523, where n is a positive integer such as 4, 8, or another integer. The data can be associated with a logical channel group (LCG). One LCG may be a set of logical channels / resource blocks (LCs / RBs). Each RB can have its own buffer. In one embodiment, all signaling radio bearers (SRBs) may be part of one LCG. The first data radio bearer (DRB) and the second DRB may be in another LCG, and the third DRB may be in another LCG. The LCG BSR reports the sum of all data pending on the associated radio bearer. In some embodiments, the UE 502 can have two or more LCGs, and the first buffer 521 to the nth buffer 523 can store data associated with each of the two or more LCGs. The first buffer 521 to the nth buffer 523 can be located, for example, within the memory 508 of the UE 502.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5, the UE 502 can detect a BSR trigger 506. The BSR trigger 506 can be any event or occurrence that triggers the transmission (e.g., reporting, sending) of a BSR by the UE 502. In one embodiment, the BSR trigger 506 can be associated with resource allocation for uplink data. For example, when the resource allocation detection circuit / function 515 determines that either the resource is allocated to a given LCG but there is no data available for the given LCG, or the data available for uplink transmission belongs to a different LCG having a higher priority than the priority of the given LCG, a BSR can be triggered.

[0077] In another embodiment, the UE can detect a BSR trigger 506 based on expiration of a periodic BSR timer 510 while data to be transmitted remains in a buffer associated with a given LCG. The periodic BSR timer 510 can be present within a timer circuit 514 of the UE 502. For example, the UE 502 can start the periodic BSR timer 510 when the UE 502 transmits a previous BSR. The next BSR can be triggered in response to expiration of the periodic BSR timer 510 and accumulation of data in each buffer (e.g., any one of the first buffer 521 to the nth buffer 523), where the data is accumulated during the time between transmission of the previous BSR and expiration of the periodic BSR timer 510.

[0078] In another embodiment, the UE 502 can detect a BSR trigger 506 based on expiration of a retransmission BSR timer 512 while data to be transmitted remains in a buffer associated with a given LCG. The retransmission BSR timer 512 can be present within a timer circuit 514 of the UE 502. For example, the UE 502 can start the retransmission BSR timer 512 when the UE 502 transmits a first BSR, and the UE 502 can stop and reset the retransmission BSR timer 512 based on receiving an uplink grant from the network access node 504, for example, in response to transmission of the first BSR. The retransmission BSR timer 512 can trigger the UE 502 to retransmit a BSR if the retransmission BSR timer 512 expires before the UE 502 receives an uplink grant.

[0079] In some embodiments, as all exemplified above, when the UE 502 detects a BSR trigger 506, for example, by detecting resource allocation, expiration of the periodic BSR timer 510, or expiration of the retransmission BSR timer 512, the UE 502 can determine to report (e.g., transmit) a short or long BSR (516). This determination can currently be based on whether one or more LCGs have data available for transmission when a MAC PDU including the BSR is constructed.

[0080] According to some aspects, when a MAC PDU including the BSR is constructed and two or more LCGs have data available for transmission, at 518, the UE 502 can report a long BSR for all LCGs having data available for transmission. However, when a MAC PDU including the BSR is constructed and only one LCG has data available for transmission, at 518, the UE 502 can report a short BSR for only that one LCG.

[0081] For example, if the UE 502 detects a BSR trigger 506 and determines that the UE 502 has data for which a single LCG of the UE 502 is to be transmitted (e.g., data in the first buffer 521 associated with the LCG), the UE 502 can determine to transmit a short BSR associated with the LCG (to report the amount of data for which uplink transmission associated with the LCG is ready).

[0082] According to some aspects of this specification, as an alternative to determining to transmit a short BSR or a long BSR based on the amount of data in an LCG that is waiting to be uploaded when a MAC PDU including a BSR is constructed, a UE (e.g., a MAC entity of the UE) can determine to transmit a long BSR or a short BSR based on a comparison between a decision point value and a threshold. The decision point value may be a metric. In the examples provided in this specification, the decision point value may be a buffer status report (BSR) type decision value. In some examples, the BSR type decision value can be based on at least one of the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, the data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for being scheduled for a full upload of the buffer holding the data (e.g., the number corresponds to an amount), a cost function, the amount of data associated with a logical channel group that is holding uplink transmissions, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device. For example, the UE can transmit a long buffer status report in response to the decision point value exceeding the threshold for an LCG having an amount of data that is holding uplink transmissions. Alternatively, the UE can transmit a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the LCG.

[0083] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a wireless communication device 600 (e.g., a UE) that utilizes a processing system 602 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 600 may be a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) shown in any one or more of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and / or 5.

[0084] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented using a processing system 602 that includes one or more processors such as processor 604. Examples of processor 604 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout the present disclosure. In various examples, wireless communication device 600 can be configured to implement any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, processor 604, when utilized within wireless communication device 600, can be used to implement any one or more of the methods or processes described and illustrated in any one or more of FIGS. 4, 5, and / or 7.

[0085] In some embodiments, processor 604 can be implemented via a baseband chip or a modem chip, and in other implementations, processor 604 can include several devices that are separate and distinct from the baseband chip or the modem chip (e.g., in scenarios where they can cooperate to achieve the embodiments discussed herein). As described above, various hardware arrangements and components external to the baseband modem processor can be used in implementations that include an RF chain, a power amplifier, a modulator, a buffer, an interleaver, an adder / summer, and the like.

[0086] In this embodiment, the processing system 602 can be implemented using a bus architecture, generally represented by bus 606. Bus 606 can include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 602 and overall design constraints. Bus 606 communicatively couples various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 604), memory 608, and a computer-readable medium (generally represented by computer-readable medium 610). Bus 606 can also link various other circuits such as a timing source, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and thus will not be described further.

[0087] Bus interface 612 provides an interface between bus 606 and transceiver 614. Transceiver 614 can be a wireless transceiver. Transceiver 614 can provide means for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface). Transceiver 614 can be further coupled to one or more antenna arrays (hereinafter antenna array 616). Bus interface 612 further provides an interface between bus 606 and user interface 618 (e.g., a keypad, display, touch screen, speaker, microphone, control functions, etc.). Of course, such a user interface 618 is optional and can be omitted in some embodiments. Additionally, bus interface 612 further provides an interface between bus 606 and power supply 620 of wireless communication device 600.

[0088] Processor 604 is responsible for general processing, including managing bus 606 and executing software stored on computer-readable medium 610. When this software is executed by processor 604, it causes processing system 602 to execute various functions described below with respect to any particular device. Computer-readable medium 610 and memory 608 can also be used to store data that is manipulated by processor 604 when executing the software. The data can include data in any of the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 described herein according to some aspects of the present disclosure, and / or data in the set of data transmission rate history data 627.

[0089] Software shall be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software can be present on computer-readable medium 610. When the software is executed by processor 604, it can cause processing system 602 to execute various processes and functions described herein with respect to any particular device.

[0090] The computer-readable medium 610 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and may sometimes be referred to as a computer-readable storage medium or a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium can store computer-executable code (e.g., processor-executable code). The computer-executable code can include code for causing a computer (e.g., a processor) to implement one or more of the functions described herein. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 610 may be present within the processing system 602, may be present external to the processing system 602, or may be distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 602. The computer-readable medium 610 can be embodied in a computer program product or an article of manufacture. By way of example, the computer program product or the article of manufacture may include the computer-readable medium within packaging material. In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium 610 can be part of the memory 608.Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure in accordance with particular application examples and overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0091] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 604 can include communication and processing circuitry 641 configured for various functions, including communicating with any other entity, such as, for example, other wireless communication devices (e.g., scheduling entities, scheduled entities), a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), or an entity that communicates with the wireless communication device 600 via the Internet, such as, for example, a local infrastructure or a network provider. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing of received signals and / or processing of signals for transmission). For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include one or more transmit / receive chains.

[0092] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can obtain or identify information from components of the wireless communication device 600 (e.g., from a transceiver 614 that receives information via wireless frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process the information (e.g., decrypt), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can output the information to another component of the processor 604, to the memory 608, or to the bus interface 612. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can receive information via one or more channels. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include functionality for means of reception. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include functionality for means of processing, including means for demodulating, means for decrypting, etc.

[0093] In some implementations where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can obtain or identify information (e.g., from another component of the processor 604, the memory 608, or the bus interface 612), process the information (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.), and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can obtain data stored in the memory 608 and process the obtained data in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0094] In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can acquire information and output the information to a transceiver 614 that can transmit the information (e.g., via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium). In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can transmit one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can transmit information via one or more channels. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include functionality for means for sending (e.g., means for transmitting). In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can include functionality for means for generating, including means for modulating, means for encoding, etc. In some embodiments, the communication and processing circuitry 641 can be configured to receive and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to the uplink traffic 116 and uplink control 118 of FIG. 1) and process and transmit downlink traffic and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to the downlink traffic 112 and downlink control 114 of FIG. 1) via an antenna array 616 and a transceiver 614.

[0095] The communication and processing circuitry 641 can be further configured to execute communication and processing instructions 651 (e.g., software) stored on a computer-readable medium 610 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0096] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 604 can include one or more buffers represented in FIG. 6 by a first buffer 621 associated with the memory 608 to an nth buffer 623. Of course, the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 are not limited to being associated with the memory 608, and other locations and components can either perform the functions of the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 or incorporate the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623. The first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 can accumulate and (e.g., temporarily) store data waiting for uplink transmission. The data can be grouped according to logical channels. Thus, the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 can accumulate and store data for each of a plurality of logical channel groups. The first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 may be under the control of the processing system 602, but in some embodiments, the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 can be configured to execute buffer instructions 653 (e.g., software) stored on the computer-readable medium 610 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0097] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 604 can include a timer circuit 642. The timer circuit 642 can be configured for various functions, including, for example, setting, starting, stopping, resetting, and resuming various timers. The various timers can include, without limitation, a periodic BSR timer 644 and a retransmission BSR timer 645. The periodic BSR timer 644 and the retransmission BSR timer 645 may be similar to the periodic BSR timer 510 and the retransmission BSR timer 512 as illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 5. Since these types of timers have been described above in connection with FIG. 5, for the sake of brevity, their description will not be repeated. The timer circuit 642 can be configured to execute timer instructions 652 (e.g., software) stored on a computer-readable medium 610 to implement one or more of the functions described herein. They can generally respond to the timer instructions 652, but in some aspects, the periodic BSR timer 644 can be configured to execute periodic BSR timer instructions 654 (e.g., software), and the retransmission BSR timer 645 can be configured to execute retransmission BSR timer instructions 655 (e.g., software), and all of those instructions are stored, for example, on a computer-readable medium 610 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0098] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 604 can include a BSR trigger detection circuit 646. The BSR trigger detection circuit 646 can be configured for various functions, including, for example, detecting values of various parameters, states of flags, and / or other indicia of instructions for triggering a BSR report and / or starting (e.g., initiating) a BSR timer of a given type. A BSR timer of a given type can be, for example, the periodic BSR timer 644 illustrated and described above, the retransmission BSR timer 645 illustrated and described above, and / or any other timer that can be directly or indirectly associated with the generation and / or transmission of a BSR. The BSR trigger detection circuit 646 can include a resource allocation detection circuit 625 similar to the resource allocation detection circuit / function 525 of FIG. 5. The BSR trigger detection circuit 646 can be utilized to detect a BSR trigger 506 as illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 5. Since some exemplary types of BSR triggers and their detection have been illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 5, further description of the BSR trigger detection circuit 646 is omitted for brevity. The BSR trigger detection circuit 646 can be configured to execute BSR trigger detection instructions 656 (e.g., software) stored on a computer-readable medium 610 (which can include resource allocation detection instructions (not shown)) for implementing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0099] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 604 can include a long / short BSR determination circuit 647. The long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can be configured for various functions, including, for example, determining whether to send a long buffer status report in response to a decision point value exceeding a threshold for a logical channel group having an amount of data holding up uplink transmission, or whether to send a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the logical channel group. According to some aspects, the decision point value can be a BSR type determination value. In some embodiments, the BSR type determination value can be based on at least one of a peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, a data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for scheduling for a full upload of the buffer holding the data, a cost function, the amount of data associated with the logical channel group holding up uplink transmission, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device, each value assigned thereto.

[0100] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate, for example, with the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine respective values (e.g., first respective values) that can be assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device.

[0101] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate, for example, with the communication and processing circuit 641 and the memory 608 to determine respective values (e.g., second respective values) assigned to the data transmission rate. As shown in FIG. 6, the memory 608 of the wireless communication device 600 can store data transmission rate history data 627.

[0102] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate with, for example, the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine, for each value (e.g., the third respective value) assigned to or scheduled for the number of component carriers allocated for the wireless communication device 600.

[0103] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate with, for example, the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine, for each value (e.g., the fourth respective value) assigned to a cost function. For example, each value assigned to the cost function can be obtained by comparing a first amount of power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity with a second amount of power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity.

[0104] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate with, for example, the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine, for each value (e.g., the fifth respective value) assigned to the amount of data associated with a logical channel group.

[0105] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate with, for example, the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine, for each value (e.g., the sixth respective value) associated with the type of the wireless communication device.

[0106] In some aspects, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can operate with, for example, the communication and processing circuit 641 to determine, for each value (e.g., the seventh respective value) associated with the communication latency of the wireless communication device.

[0107] According to each of the aspects and examples provided above, the long / short BSR determination circuit 647 can be configured to execute long / short BSR determination instructions 657 (e.g., software) stored on the computer-readable medium 610 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0108] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 700 (e.g., a method of wireless communication) in a wireless communication device (e.g., in a scheduled entity, in a user equipment (UE)) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The process 700 can be performed in a wireless communication network, such as the wireless communication network of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, and / or 6. As will be described below, in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, some or all of the features illustrated may be omitted, and some of the features illustrated may not be required for all implementations. In some examples, the process 700 may be performed by the wireless communication device 600 illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 6. In some examples, the process 700 can be performed by any suitable device or means for executing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0109] In block 702, the wireless communication device can detect a buffer status report trigger. For example, the BSR trigger detection circuit 646 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for detecting a buffer status report trigger.

[0110] In block 704, the wireless communication device can obtain a decision point value. According to some aspects, the decision point value may be a buffer status report (BSR) type decision value. In some embodiments, the BSR type decision value can be based on at least one of the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, the data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for scheduling for a full upload of the buffer holding the data, a cost function, the amount of data associated with a logical channel group holding uplink transmissions, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device. For example, the long / short BSR decision circuit 647 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining a decision point value.

[0111] As described above in connection with FIG. 6, the decision point value can be based on a first respective value assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device. The first respective value can be obtained by the wireless communication device based on known specifications of the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the first respective value can increase as the peak power envelope increases. For example, the communication and processing circuit 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining a respective value associated with the peak power envelope of the UE.

[0112] In some embodiments, the decision point values can be based on respective values assigned to data transmission rates. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device can obtain the respective values from historical data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the respective values assigned to the data transmission rates can be obtained from or using data transmission rate historical data 627 stored in the memory 608 of the wireless communication device 600. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining the respective values from historical data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device. The data can be stored, for example, in the data transmission rate historical data 627 section of the memory 608 of the wireless communication device.

[0113] In some aspects, the decision point values can be based on respective values assigned to the number of component carriers allocated to the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the number of component carriers allocated or scheduled to the wireless communication device can be determined, for example, based on scheduling information received by the wireless communication device. According to some aspects, the respective values assigned to the number of component carriers allocated or scheduled to the wireless communication device can increase as the number of component carriers increases. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining the respective values associated with the number of component carriers allocated or scheduled to the UE.

[0114] In some aspects, the decision point value can be based on each value assigned to the cost function. In some embodiments, each value assigned to the cost function can be determined in a wireless communication device. For example, each value assigned to the cost function can be obtained by comparing a first amount of power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity with a second amount of power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity. According to some aspects, each value assigned to the cost function can increase as the first amount of power decreases relative to the second amount of power. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining each value of the cost function. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can further provide means for comparing a first amount of power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity with a second amount of power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity.

[0115] In some aspects, the decision point value can be based on each value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group. In some embodiments, each value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group can be determined, for example, by a wireless communication device by determining the amount of data stored in the wireless communication device associated with the logical channel group and associating the determined amount of data with each value. For example, a table stored in a wireless communication device can cross-reference several values (e.g., each value) to a predetermined value range of data that can be stored in a buffer such as any one of the first buffer 621 to the nth buffer 623 illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 6. According to some aspects, each value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group can decrease as the amount of data decreases. For example, the communication and processing circuit 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining each value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group.

[0116] In some aspects, the decision point value can be based on respective values associated with the type of the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the respective values associated with the type of the wireless communication device can be determined based on parameters stored in the wireless communication device, and the parameters identify the type of the wireless communication device. By way of non-limiting example, the first type may be a customer premise equipment, the second type may be a smartphone having a Long Term Evolution (LTE) function, and the third type may be a smartphone having a 5G function. For example, according to some aspects, each of the sixth respective values associated with the type of the wireless communication device may be larger for a non-customer premise equipment than for a customer premise equipment. For example, the communication and processing circuit 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining each of the values associated with the type of the wireless communication device assigned to the UE.

[0117] In some aspects, the decision point value can be based on respective values associated with measured or expected values of the communication latency of the wireless communication device. In some embodiments, the respective values of the communication latency of the wireless communication device can be obtained by measuring the end-to-end latency. For example, the end-to-end latency of the communication path between the wireless communication device 412, the satellite 410a, and the satellite gateway 414 can be measured. Alternatively, the round-trip time between the wireless communication device 412, the satellite 410a, and the satellite gateway 414 can be measured. Other methods for obtaining latency and other latency metrics are within the scope of the present disclosure. According to some aspects described herein, latency may sometimes be referred to as the communication latency of the wireless communication device. According to some aspects, a lower value representing the communication latency of the wireless communication device may be better than a relatively higher value. According to some aspects, the value representing the communication latency of the wireless communication device may sometimes be referred to herein as the seventh respective one. An application associated with the communication of the wireless communication device can notify a decision (e.g., made by a base station) regarding the importance of the value representing the latency. For example, a relatively lower latency may be less important (and may be given a smaller weight) in an application related to massive machine-type communication (mMTC) than in an application related to ultra-reliable low-latency communications (uRLLC). For example, the communication and processing circuitry 641 illustrated and described above in connection with FIG. 6 can provide means for obtaining respective values associated with the communication latency of the wireless communication device.

[0118] At 706, the wireless communication device can determine whether the obtained decision point value exceeds a threshold. At 708, if the decision point value exceeds the threshold, the wireless communication device can send (e.g., report) a long buffer status report for a logical channel group having a first amount of data for which uplink transmission is pending, in response to the decision point value exceeding the threshold. At 710, if the decision point value does not exceed the threshold, the wireless communication device can send (e.g., report) a short buffer status report for the logical channel group, in response to the decision point value being below the threshold. Of course, the general expressions regarding the threshold and the determination as to whether the decision point value exceeds the threshold are provided by way of example only. In other embodiments, the decision to send a long buffer status report may be made in response to the decision point value being greater than or equal to the threshold, and the decision to send a short buffer status report may be made in response to the decision point value being less than the threshold. Further, in other embodiments, the decision to send a long buffer status report may be made in response to the decision point value being less than (or equal to) the threshold, and the decision to send a short buffer status report may be made in response to the decision point value being greater than or equal to (or larger than) the threshold.

[0119] Of course, in the above embodiments, the circuits included in the processor 604 are provided by way of example only. Other means for performing the described processes or functions may include instructions stored in the computer-readable medium 610 or any other suitable device or means described in any one of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, and / or 6, for example, utilizing the processes and / or algorithms described herein in relation to FIGS. 4, 5, and / or 7, but are not limited thereto, and may be included in various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0120] The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure.

[0121] Aspect 1: A wireless communication device, comprising a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to transmit a long buffer status report in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold for a logical channel group having an amount of data for which uplink transmission is pending, and to transmit a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the logical channel group.

[0122] Aspect 2: The wireless communication device according to aspect 1, wherein the decision point value is a buffer status report (BSR) type decision value.

[0123] Aspect 3: The wireless communication device according to aspect 2, wherein the BSR type decision value is based on at least one of the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, the data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for scheduling for a full upload of the buffer holding the data, a cost function, the amount of data associated with the logical channel group for which uplink transmission is pending, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device.

[0124] Aspect 4: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, and the respective values increase as the peak power envelope increases.

[0125] Aspect 5: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to the data transmission rate, and the processor and the memory are further configured to obtain the respective values from historical data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device.

[0126] Aspect 6: The decision point value is based on each value assigned to the number of component carriers allocated to the wireless communication device, and each value increases as the number of component carriers increases, for the wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5.

[0127] Aspect 7: The decision point value is based on each value assigned to the cost function, for the wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6.

[0128] Aspect 8: The processor and memory are further configured to obtain each value assigned to the cost function by comparing a first amount of power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity with a second amount of power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity, and each value assigned to the cost function increases as the first amount of power decreases relative to the second amount of power, for the wireless communication device according to Aspect 7.

[0129] Aspect 9: The decision point value is based on each value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group, and each value decreases as the amount of data decreases, for the wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8.

[0130] Aspect 10: The decision point value is based on each value associated with the type of the wireless communication device, and each value is greater for non-customer premise equipment than for customer premise equipment, for the wireless communication device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9.

[0131] Aspect 11: A method in a wireless communication device, comprising: obtaining a decision point value; transmitting a long buffer status report for a logical channel group having an amount of data for which uplink transmission is pending, in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold; and transmitting a short buffer status report for the logical channel group, in response to the decision point value being below the threshold.

[0132] Aspect 12: The method according to aspect 11, wherein the decision point value is a buffer status report (BSR) type decision value.

[0133] Aspect 13: The method according to aspect 12, wherein the BSR type decision value is based on at least one of a peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, a data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, a number of component carriers available for being scheduled for a full upload of a buffer holding data, a cost function, an amount of data associated with a logical channel group for which uplink transmission is pending, a type of the wireless communication device, or a communication latency of the wireless communication device.

[0134] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of aspects 11 to 13, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to a peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, and the respective values increase as the peak power envelope increases.

[0135] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of aspects 11 to 14, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to a data transmission rate, and the method further comprises obtaining the respective values from historical data stored in a memory of the wireless communication device.

[0136] Aspect 16: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 15, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to the number of component carriers allocated to the wireless communication device, and each value increases as the number of component carriers increases.

[0137] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 16, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to the cost function.

[0138] Aspect 18: The method according to Aspect 17, further comprising obtaining respective values assigned to the cost function by comparing a first amount of power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity and a second amount of power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity, and each value assigned to the cost function increases as the first amount of power decreases relative to the second amount of power.

[0139] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 18, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group, and each value decreases as the amount of data decreases.

[0140] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of Aspects 11 to 19, wherein the decision point value is based on respective values associated with the type of the wireless communication device, and each value is greater for non-customer premise equipment than for customer premise equipment.

[0141] Aspect 21: A wireless communication device comprising means for obtaining a decision point value, means for transmitting a long buffer status report in response to the decision point value exceeding a threshold for a logical channel group having an amount of data for which uplink transmission is pending, and means for transmitting a short buffer status report in response to the decision point value being below the threshold for the logical channel group.

[0142] Aspect 22: The wireless communication device according to aspect 21, wherein the decision point value is a buffer status report (BSR) type decision value.

[0143] Aspect 23: The wireless communication device according to aspect 22, wherein the BSR type decision value is based on at least one of the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, the data transmission rate historically obtained by the wireless communication device, the number of component carriers available for scheduling for a full upload of the buffer holding the data, the cost function, the amount of data associated with the logical channel group holding the uplink transmission, the type of the wireless communication device, or the communication latency of the wireless communication device, each value being assigned to one of the above.

[0144] Aspect 24: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 23, wherein the decision point value is based on each value assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device, and each value increases as the peak power envelope increases.

[0145] Aspect 25: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 24, further comprising means for the wireless communication device to obtain each value from historical data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device, based on each value assigned to the data transmission rate.

[0146] Aspect 26: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 25, wherein the decision point value is based on each value assigned to the number of component carriers allocated to the wireless communication device, and each value increases as the number of component carriers increases.

[0147] Aspect 27: The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 26, wherein the decision point value is based on each value assigned to the cost function.

[0148] Aspect 28: The wireless communication device further comprises means for obtaining respective values assigned to a cost function, the means including means for comparing a first amount of electrical power required to transmit an amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity with a second amount of electrical power required to transmit the amount of data in a plurality of component carriers having an aggregate channel capacity, wherein the respective values assigned to the cost function increase as the first amount of electrical power decreases relative to the second amount of electrical power. The wireless communication device according to aspect 27.

[0149] Aspect 29: The decision point value is based on respective values assigned to an amount of data associated with a logical channel group, and the respective values decrease as the amount of data decreases. The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 28.

[0150] Aspect 30: The decision point value is based on respective values associated with the type of the wireless communication device, and the respective values are greater for non-customer premise equipment than for customer premise equipment. The wireless communication device according to any one of aspects 21 to 29.

[0151] Aspect 31: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code including code for causing an apparatus to execute the method according to any one of aspects 11 to 20.

[0152] Some aspects of the wireless communication network have been presented with reference to exemplary implementations. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the various aspects described throughout this disclosure can be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards.

[0153] As an example, various aspects can be implemented within other systems defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects can also be extended to systems defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples can be implemented within IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), systems using Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunications standards, network architecture, and / or communication standards used depend on the overall design constraints imposed on a particular application and system.

[0154] Within the scope of the present disclosure, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other aspects of the present disclosure. Similarly, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation being discussed. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to a direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A is in physical contact with object B and object B is in contact with object C, then object A and object C can still be considered to be coupled to each other even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first object can be coupled to a second object even if the first object is not in direct physical contact with the second object at all. The terms "circuit" and "circuitry" are used broadly and are not limited with respect to the type of electronic circuit, and include both a hardware implementation of electrical devices and conductors that, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in the present disclosure, and a software implementation of information and instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0155] One or more of the components, steps, features, and / or functions shown in FIGS. 1-7 may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Also, additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. The apparatuses, devices, and / or components shown in FIGS. 1-7 can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. Also, the novel algorithms described herein can be efficiently implemented in software and / or incorporated into hardware.

[0156] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed method is an example of an exemplary process. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method may be rearranged. The appended method claims present the elements of the various steps in an exemplary order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless otherwise specified in the method claims. Some of the examples shown herein show only the time domain and the frequency domain, but additional domains such as the spatial domain are also contemplated in the present disclosure.

[0157] The foregoing description has been provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather the full scope consistent with the language of the claims should be given, and references to elements in the singular are not intended to mean "only one" unless so stated, but rather "one or more." Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. A phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single element. By way of example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to include a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, and a, b, and c. A configuration of A and / or B is intended to include A, B, and A and B. As used herein, the term "obtain" may mean, for example, acquire, calculate, construct, derive, determine, receive, and / or retrieve. The foregoing list is illustrative and not limiting. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure, whether known to those skilled in the art or later become known, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. An element of a claim should not be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for" or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase "step of."

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, Wire Restaurant Sheba and Memory and A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, The processor and the memory are provided, The acquisition of a determination point value, wherein the determination point value is based on the respective values ​​assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device. For logical channel groups with a volume of data pending uplink transmission, a long buffer status report is sent when the decision point value exceeds a threshold. For the aforementioned logical channel group, a short buffer status report is sent depending on whether the decision point value is less than or equal to the threshold. It is configured to do the following: Wireless communication device.

2. The determination point value is Cost function, The type of the wireless communication device, or The waiting time for communication of the aforementioned wireless communication device, Based on each of the additional values ​​assigned to at least one of them, The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

3. Each of the above values ​​increases as the peak power envelope increases. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

4. The processor and the memory, based on the aforementioned determination value and each additional value assigned to the data transmission rate, The wireless communication device is further configured to obtain each of the additional values ​​from the history data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned determination value is further based on each additional value assigned to the number of component carriers allocated to the wireless communication device, Each of the aforementioned additional values ​​increases as the number of component carriers increases. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned decision point values ​​are further based on each of the additional values ​​assigned to the cost function, The processor and the memory, A first amount of power required to transmit the aforementioned amount of data using a single component carrier having a first channel capacity, A second amount of power required to transmit the aforementioned amount of data in multiple component carriers having a collective channel capacity, It is further configured to obtain the respective additional values ​​assigned to the cost function by comparing them, Each of the additional values ​​assigned to the cost function increases as the first energy quantity decreases relative to the second energy quantity. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned determination value is further based on each additional value assigned to the amount of data associated with the logical channel group, Each of the aforementioned additional values ​​decreases as the amount of data decreases. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned determination value is further based on each additional value associated with the type of wireless communication device, Each of the aforementioned additional values ​​is greater for non-customer premises equipment than for customer premises equipment. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

9. A method in a wireless communication device, The acquisition of a determination point value, wherein the determination point value is based on the respective values ​​assigned to the peak power envelope of the wireless communication device. For logical channel groups with a volume of data pending uplink transmission, a long buffer status report is sent when the decision point value exceeds a threshold. For the aforementioned logical channel group, a short buffer status report is sent depending on whether the decision point value is less than or equal to the threshold. Methods that include...

10. The aforementioned determination point value is Cost function, The type of the wireless communication device, or The waiting time for communication of the aforementioned wireless communication device, Based on each of the additional values ​​assigned to at least one of them, The method according to claim 9.

11. Each of the above values ​​increases as the peak power envelope increases. The method according to claim 9.

12. The method, based on the respective additional values ​​assigned to the data transmission rate, The further includes obtaining each of the additional values ​​from the history data stored in the memory of the wireless communication device, The method according to claim 9.

13. A wireless communication device, Wire Restaurant Sheba and Memory and A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, The processor and the memory are provided, The process involves obtaining a determination point value, wherein the determination point value is based on the respective values ​​assigned to the cost function. For logical channel groups with a volume of data pending uplink transmission, a long buffer status report is sent when the decision point value exceeds a threshold. For the aforementioned logical channel group, a short buffer status report is sent depending on whether the decision point value is less than or equal to the threshold. It is configured to do the following: Wireless communication device.

14. A wireless communication device, Wire Restaurant Sheba and Memory and A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, The processor and the memory are provided, The acquisition of a determination point value, wherein the determination point value is based on the respective value associated with the type of wireless communication device. For logical channel groups with a volume of data pending uplink transmission, a long buffer status report is sent when the decision point value exceeds a threshold. For the aforementioned logical channel group, a short buffer status report is sent depending on whether the decision point value is less than or equal to the threshold. It is configured to do the following: Wireless communication device.

15. A wireless communication device, Wire Restaurant Sheba and Memory and A processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, The processor and the memory are provided, The acquisition of a determination point value, wherein the determination point value is based on the respective value associated with the communication latency of the wireless communication device. For logical channel groups with a volume of data pending uplink transmission, a long buffer status report is sent when the decision point value exceeds a threshold. For the aforementioned logical channel group, a short buffer status report is sent depending on whether the decision point value is less than or equal to the threshold. It is configured to do the following: Wireless communication device.

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