Method for discarding data packets and related devices

Abstract

The present application provides a data packet discarding method and related devices, belonging to the field of data processing. The method includes the steps of: determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, where the decision criteria used in the decision method include at least one of the number of lost packets of the protocol data unit set, a packet loss timer for the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, where the attribute information is associated with permission or disallowance of discarding, and the protocol data unit set includes at least one data packet; and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if it is determined according to the decision method to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet. This method can avoid continuous transmission of useless data and save air interface resources.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211176858.4, entitled "Data Packet Discarding Method and Related Device," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on September 26, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of data processing, and in particular to a data packet discarding method and related device. [Background technology]

[0003] Extended reality (XR) technology refers to combining reality and virtuality using computers to create human-computer interactive virtual environments, and includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and cloud gaming (CG). The services involved in XR technology are typically audio or video. Therefore, in an XR scenario, the data stream exchanged between a user equipment (transmission end) and a network device is typically an audio data stream or a video data stream. A video service is used as an example. A data unit (such as a frame or video slice) exchanged between a transmission end device and a network device may include multiple Internet Protocol (IP) data packets, and an IP data packet may include at least one protocol data unit (PDU) set. Therefore, in a video service, the data unit transmitted between a transmission end device and a network device may actually be considered as a PDU set (protocol data unit set) including multiple PDUs.

[0004] During actual data unit transmission, packet loss problems inevitably occur due to various factors. For data units transmitted in the form of protocol data unit sets, if one or more protocol data unit sets are discarded or some PDUs in a protocol data unit set are discarded, the receiving end cannot obtain the complete information unit carried in the protocol data unit set. Even if the remaining protocol data unit sets are obtained, complete information still cannot be obtained. Therefore, if packet loss occurs in some protocol data unit sets and the receiving end requests to receive all protocol data unit sets, complete information cannot be obtained and resources for transmitting other protocol data unit sets are wasted. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present application provides a data packet discarding method and a related device. Whether to perform packet discarding processing on a protocol data unit set or data packets included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on at least one of the number of lost packets, a packet loss timer, attribute information, and a dependency relationship corresponding to the protocol data unit set. This method can avoid continuous transmission of useless data and save air interface resources.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a data packet discarding method is provided, which is applied at a transmitting end, the method comprising: determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, wherein decision criteria used in the preset decision method include at least one of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, a packet loss timer for the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, wherein the attribute information is associated with permission to discard or not to discard, and the protocol data unit set includes one or more data packets; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method; Includes:

[0007] In an embodiment, the data packet may be a PDU data packet or an SDU data packet, but this application is not limited thereto. A protocol data unit set may be, for example, a set of multiple data packets and may include one or more data packets. For example, a protocol data unit set may correspond to a PDU set, but this is not limited thereto.

[0008] In an embodiment, the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet here may include a step of discarding a non-discarded data packet in the protocol data unit set. The non-discarded data packet here may be a data packet that has been received but not discarded by the transmitting end, or may be a data packet in the protocol data unit set that has not been received. In other words, if it is determined that a data packet in the protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the data packet in the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately after being received.

[0009] In an embodiment, allowing discard means that a protocol data unit set or a data packet may be allowed to be discarded, and will not cause a packet discard process for the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set. Not allowing discard means that a protocol data unit set or a data packet is not allowed to be discarded, and will cause a packet loss process for the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set if discarded.

[0010] In an embodiment, the attribute information being associated with the permission or non-permission of discarding means that a data packet or a protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a data packet or a protocol data unit of a type that is permitted to be discarded, or that a data packet or a protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a data packet or a protocol data unit set of a type that is not permitted to be discarded. For example, a high priority attribute is associated with the non-permission of discarding. In this case, a packet protocol data unit set having a high priority is a data packet or a protocol data unit set that is not permitted to be discarded, and if discarding occurs, the corresponding protocol data unit set or other data packets in the protocol data unit set must be discarded.

[0011] In an embodiment, the transmitting end may be, but is not limited to, a user equipment.

[0012] In an embodiment, the step of determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method may alternatively mean the step of determining whether a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set satisfies a discard condition according to a preset decision method, and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set when the discard condition is satisfied.

[0013] It should be noted that in the present application, the discarded data packets corresponding to the number of lost packets in the decision criterion or the count of the packet loss counter may be data packets discarded in another manner. Here, another manner means a manner other than the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the discarded data packets include, for example, data packets discarded due to reasons such as network status or communication status, data packets discarded due to the expiration of a discard timer, or data packets discarded when the transmission of a data packet or a protocol data unit set is completed. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application. For the discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set described in the present application, please refer to the above description. This will not be specifically described below.

[0014] According to the method provided in this embodiment, whether to perform packet discarding processing on a set of protocol data packet units is determined based on at least one of the number of lost packets, a packet loss timer, attribute information, and a dependency relationship corresponding to the set of protocol data packet units, which can avoid continuous transmission of useless data and save air interface resources.

[0015] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first attribute information includes at least one of a sequence number corresponding to the protocol data unit set, a total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, a priority of the protocol data unit set, and a dependency of the protocol data unit set.

[0016] The second attribute information includes at least one of a data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet, a position of the data packet in a protocol data unit set, an importance of the data packet, and a priority of the data packet.

[0017] In an embodiment, the second attribute information of the data packet may further include a discard type corresponding to the data packet, where the discard type may be discard allowed or discard not allowed.

[0018] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes: obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a set of protocol data units; obtaining a number of lost packets corresponding to a set of protocol data units; discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet when the number of lost packets reaches or exceeds a packet loss threshold; Includes:

[0019] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold refers to a maximum number threshold of data packets that can be discarded in a protocol data unit set. When it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded the lost packet threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set can be immediately discarded.

[0020] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold is configured in an acknowledgement mode. The acknowledgement mode includes receiving, after transmitting a data packet, indication information fed back by the receiving end, indicating whether the data packet has been successfully transmitted or whether the data packet needs to be retransmitted. The acknowledgement mode may be an AM mode, an HARQ transmission mode, or an SN status report, which is not limited in this application.

[0021] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets does not include data packets that were discarded due to successful transmission, or the step of obtaining the number of lost packets includes only data packets that were discarded because a discard timer expired.

[0022] In an embodiment, when it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set reaches a packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded. For example, the packet loss threshold is assumed to be 10. When the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set reaches 10, in other words, when the number of lost packets is equal to the packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded.

[0023] In an embodiment, when it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set exceeds a packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded. For example, assume that the packet loss threshold is 10. If the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set increases from 10 to 11, in other words, if the number of lost packets is greater than the packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded.

[0024] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes: receiving first configuration information sent by a receiving end, the first configuration information indicating a packet loss threshold, the receiving end being configured to receive data packets; obtaining a preconfigured packet loss threshold by the transmitting end; receiving, using a protocol layer at the transmitting end, a packet loss threshold value sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or receiving second configuration information sent by the core network, the second configuration information indicating a packet loss threshold; Includes.

[0025] The receiving end may be configured to receive the data packets.

[0026] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold preconfigured by the transmitting end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmitting end may be a dynamically configured packet loss threshold.

[0027] In an embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer.

[0028] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the transmitting end configures a packet loss threshold, the method includes: configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity; configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB; configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a set of protocol data units; or configuring a packet loss threshold with granularity of a protocol data unit set type, the protocol data unit set type being at least one of a protocol data unit set priority, a protocol data unit set importance, and a protocol data unit set sequence number; Further includes:

[0029] In an embodiment, configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity may mean configuring a packet loss threshold for each protocol layer entity, i.e., configuring different packet loss thresholds for different protocol layer entities. For example, with respect to a PDCP layer entity, a packet loss threshold of 9 may be configured for the PDCP layer entity, and a packet loss threshold of 10 may be configured for another PDCP layer entity. Configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB may mean configuring a packet loss threshold for each DRB, i.e., configuring different packet loss thresholds for different DRBs. Configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set may mean configuring a packet loss threshold for each protocol data unit set, where different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set type may mean configuring a packet loss threshold for each protocol data unit set type, where different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds.

[0030] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes: obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to a set of protocol data units; obtaining a number of lost packets corresponding to a set of protocol data units; obtaining a packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set based on a ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set; discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet if the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds a packet loss rate threshold; Includes.

[0031] Discarding a data packet may specifically mean discarding a data packet in a protocol data unit set.

[0032] In an embodiment, the packet loss rate is the ratio of the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets contained in the protocol data unit set.

[0033] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes: receiving third configuration information sent by a receiving end, the third configuration information indicating a packet loss rate threshold, the receiving end being configured to receive data packets; obtaining a preconfigured packet loss rate threshold by a transmitting end; using a protocol layer at the transmitting end to receive a packet loss rate threshold sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or receiving fourth configuration information sent by the core network, the fourth configuration information indicating a packet loss rate threshold; Includes.

[0034] The data packet received by the receiving end may be a received data packet in a protocol data unit set transmitted by the transmitting end.

[0035] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold preconfigured by the transmitting end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmitting end may be a dynamically configured packet loss rate threshold.

[0036] In an embodiment, the packet loss rate threshold preconfigured by the transmitting end may be a packet loss rate threshold configured when the transmitting end is powered on.

[0037] In an embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer.

[0038] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the transmitting end configures a packet loss rate threshold, the method includes: configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity; configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of the DRB; configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a set of protocol data units; or configuring a packet loss rate threshold with granularity of a protocol data unit set type, the protocol data unit set type being at least one of a protocol data unit set priority, a protocol data unit set importance, and a protocol data unit set sequence number; Further includes:

[0039] In an embodiment, configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity may mean configuring a packet loss rate threshold for each protocol layer, i.e., configuring different packet loss rate thresholds for different protocol layer entities. For example, with respect to a PDCP layer entity, a 20% packet loss rate threshold is configured for the PDCP layer entity, and a 10% packet loss rate threshold is configured for another PDCP layer entity. Configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB may mean configuring a packet loss rate threshold for each DRB, i.e., configuring different packet loss rate thresholds for different DRBs. Configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set may mean configuring a packet loss rate threshold for each protocol data unit set, where different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set type may mean configuring a packet loss rate threshold for each protocol data unit set type, where different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds.

[0040] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes: setting a packet loss counter, the packet loss counter configured to count the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set; adding 1 to a count value of a packet loss counter when a discard of one data packet in the protocol data unit set is detected; obtaining a number of lost packets corresponding to the set of protocol data units based on the count value of the packet loss counter; Includes.

[0041] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the packet loss counter counts the number of discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set, the method further comprises: skipping counting successfully transmitted discarded data packets by the packet loss counter. Further includes:

[0042] It should be understood that a successfully transmitted discarded data packet may be a data packet that is discarded in the buffer by the transmitting end after the transmitting end receives a message indicating successful transmission fed back by the receiving end.

[0043] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: Releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set does not reach or exceed a packet loss threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is complete; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when a ratio of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set does not reach or exceed a packet loss rate threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is completed; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the ratio of the count value of the counter to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds a corresponding packet loss rate threshold; or Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the count value of the counter reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold. Further includes:

[0044] In an embodiment, completion of transmission of a protocol data unit set and / or data packets may mean that, in an acknowledged mode, it is determined that the last data packet (such as an End PDU) has been received, or that all data packets in the protocol data unit set have been received, and the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set has been completed, and all data packets whose transmission has been completed may include two parts of data packets: (1) a data packet whose successful transmission is determined because the transmitting end receives a feedback message from the receiving end, and (2) a data packet that is discarded when the transmitting end does not receive a feedback message and a timer corresponding to the data packet (discard timer) expires; or, in a non-acknowledged mode, it may mean that it is determined that the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been transmitted to the next layer, or that all data packets in the protocol data unit set have been received.

[0045] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: setting a packet loss counter when there is a successfully transmitted data packet. Further includes:

[0046] In an embodiment, setting a packet loss counter when there is a successfully transmitted data packet means configuring the counter in a mode where there is a data packet whose successful transmission is acknowledged.

[0047] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is a packet loss timer of a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes: obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a set of protocol data units; and discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet when a packet loss timer expires; or discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet if transmission of the protocol data unit set or data packet has not been completed when the packet loss timer expires. Includes.

[0048] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the packet loss timer is started when the first data packet in the protocol data unit set is received.

[0049] In an embodiment, the first data packet in the protocol data unit set may include a START data packet in the protocol data unit set, such as a data packet whose sequence number in the protocol data unit is 1 or a data packet with a START identifier.

[0050] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the transmission time of the protocol data unit set exceeds the packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer. Further includes:

[0051] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet is not completed, specifically, When the packet loss timer expires, there are data packets in the protocol data unit set at the transmitting end. Includes:

[0052] It should be understood that the existence of a data packet at the transmitting end means that the data packet is buffered in a protocol layer at the transmitting end.

[0053] In an embodiment, the transmission of a protocol data unit set is not complete may include the following cases: (1) the protocol layer entity has not received the feedback message sent by the receiving end and therefore has not discarded the associated data packet (this means that the receiving end may not have received the data packet, in other words, the transmission of the data packet is not complete); (2) there are still data packets in the protocol layer entity that have not been transmitted to the next layer (this also means that the transmission of the data packet is not complete); and (3) there are data packets in the protocol data unit set buffered in the protocol layer entity.

[0054] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes: receiving fifth configuration information sent by a receiving end, the fifth configuration information indicating a packet loss timer, the receiving end being configured to receive data packets; obtaining a preconfigured packet loss timer by the transmitting end; receiving, using a protocol layer at the transmitting end, a packet loss timer sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or receiving sixth configuration information sent by the core network, the sixth configuration information indicating a packet loss timer; Includes:

[0055] In an embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer.

[0056] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: Releasing or clearing a packet loss timer when discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet; Releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has not expired and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packet is complete; or releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer expires. Further includes:

[0057] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the decision criteria used in the preset decision method are the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set and a packet loss timer, the method specifically includes: obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to the set of protocol data units and a packet loss timer corresponding to the set of protocol data units; obtaining a number of lost packets corresponding to a set of protocol data units; and discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds a packet loss threshold and / or if transmission of the protocol data unit set or data packet is not complete when a packet loss timer expires; or discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds a packet loss threshold and / or if a packet loss timer expires. Includes.

[0058] In an embodiment, the transmission of a protocol data unit set or a data packet is not completed specifically includes that a data packet in the protocol data unit set is present at the transmitting end when the packet loss timer expires.

[0059] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet is not completed, specifically, The existence of a data packet in a protocol data unit set at the transmitting end Includes:

[0060] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the determination criterion used in the preset determination method is first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, the method specifically includes: discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet if a protocol data unit set having first attribute information is discarded when first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set is associated with disallowance of discarding; or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the data packet having the second attribute information is discarded when the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet is associated with disallowing discarding; Includes:

[0061] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: obtaining seventh configuration information sent by the receiving end, the seventh configuration information indicating first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, wherein the receiving end is configured to receive the data packet; obtaining first attribute information corresponding to a set of protocol data units and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, which are preconfigured by the transmitting end; using a protocol layer at the transmitting end to receive first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or receiving eighth configuration information sent by the core network, the eighth configuration information indicating first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet; Further includes:

[0062] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when a decision criterion used in the preset decision method is a dependency between a protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, the method specifically comprises: obtaining a dependency relationship between a first set of protocol data units and at least one second set of protocol data units; and discarding the first protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the first protocol data unit set if it is determined based on the dependency that the second protocol data unit set has been discarded; or discarding the first protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the first protocol data unit set when it is determined based on the dependency that the number of discarded second protocol data unit sets has reached a preset threshold; Includes.

[0063] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with the first protocol data unit set specifically includes: receiving ninth configuration information sent by the receiving end, the ninth configuration information indicating a dependency identifier, the receiving end being configured to receive the data packet sent by the transmitting end; obtaining a preconfigured dependency identifier by the transmitting end; receiving, using a protocol layer at the transmitting end, a dependency identifier sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or receiving tenth configuration information transmitted by the core network, the tenth configuration information indicating a dependency identifier, the dependency identifier indicating another protocol data unit set that is interdependent with the set of protocol data units; Includes.

[0064] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end or an upper layer of a transmitting end, the packet loss indication information indicating to the transmitting end to trigger discarding of a protocol data unit set or discarding of a data packet; triggering discarding of a set of protocol data units or discarding of a data packet at a protocol layer; Further includes:

[0065] In relation to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set specifically includes: discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the protocol layer of the transmitting end device determines to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method; Includes.

[0066] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method comprises: When the protocol layer entity of the transmitting end device determines to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet, if the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to a next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, sending a notification message by the protocol layer entity to the protocol layer entity of the next layer, the notification message indicating the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet. Further includes:

[0067] According to a second aspect, a data packet discarding method is provided, which is applied at a transmitting end, the method comprising: receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end or an upper layer of a transmitting end, the packet loss indication information indicating discarding a set of protocol data units or discarding a data packet; triggering discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet in the protocol data unit set at a protocol layer, the protocol data unit set including at least one data packet; Includes.

[0068] In an embodiment, triggering discarding of a protocol data unit set or discarding of data packets in the protocol data unit set at a protocol layer may mean triggering a packet discard processing function of the protocol layer, which may then perform a method according to any of the embodiments of the first aspect.

[0069] According to a third aspect, a data packet discarding method is provided, which is applied at a transmitting end, the method comprising: receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end, the packet loss indication information indicating discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet; triggering a protocol layer to execute a data packet discarding method according to any one of the first aspects; Includes:

[0070] According to a fourth aspect, a method for discarding a data packet is provided, which is applied at a receiving end, the method comprising: sending configuration information to a transmitting end, whereby the transmitting end determines whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method based on at least one of the configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency identifier; Includes:

[0071] In relation to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method comprises: configuring the configuration information at the granularity of a protocol layer entity; configuring configuration information at the granularity of the DRB; configuring the configuration information at the granularity of a set of protocol data units; or configuring the configuration information at a granularity of a protocol data unit set type, the protocol data unit set type being at least one of a protocol data unit set priority, a protocol data unit set importance, and a protocol data unit set sequence number; Further includes:

[0072] In relation to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the data structure of the configuration information is a sequence structure.

[0073] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a transmission end device, the transmission end device comprising: one or more processors; One or more memories and Including, The one or more memories store one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs including instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, enable the terminal device to perform a method according to any one of the first to third aspects.

[0074] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a communication system including a transmitting end device and a receiving end device, wherein the transmitting end device is configured to perform an embodiment of any of the first to third aspects, and the receiving end device is configured to perform a method according to any of the embodiments of the fourth aspect.

[0075] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable program instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0076] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code that, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to perform a method according to any of the first to fourth aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0077] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a protocol data unit set according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2A] 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a system architecture to which a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application is applicable; [Figure 2B] 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmitting end device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a protocol data unit set transmission process according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 4 is a schematic flowchart of another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] 4 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 4 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] 2 is a schematic diagram of a procedure for triggering a discard process according to a data packet discard method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0078] It should be noted that the terms used in the implementation of the embodiments of the present application are used only to describe specific embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or." For example, A / B may represent A or B. In this specification, "and / or" is merely an association relationship to describe associated obstacles and represents that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the following three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two, and "at least one" and "one or more" mean one, two, or more than two.

[0079] The terms "first" and "second" referred to below are for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as an indication or implication of relative importance or an implicit indication of the number of technical features shown. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0080] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" or the like described herein mean that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in some other embodiments," and "in some further embodiments" described in different places herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, unless specifically emphasized otherwise, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments." The terms "comprise," "contain," "have," and variations thereof all mean "including, but not limited to," unless specifically emphasized otherwise.

[0081] To facilitate understanding of the data packet discarding method provided in this application, concepts or terms that may be involved in the following embodiments are first explained.

[0082] 1. Protocol Data Unit Set According to the definition in the SA, a protocol data unit set may be used as a data unit during data transmission, where one protocol data unit set includes one or more data packets, each of which may carry a payload for constituting an information unit. An application layer at a receiving end may obtain a complete information unit, such as information corresponding to a video frame or a picture frame, based on the payloads carried in all PDUs in the protocol data unit set. In an embodiment of the present application, a data unit may include a frame and a video slice. A frame may be understood as a carrier for transmitting data, and a video slice may be understood as a specific type of data unit in a video service. In terms of the carrier for transmitting data, one protocol data unit set may correspond to one frame in some cases, and in terms of the type of data transmitted, the data carried by one protocol data unit set may correspond to one video slice in some cases in video traffic.

[0083] Generally, the application layer at the receiving end needs to receive all packets in the protocol data unit set to obtain the complete information unit, and discarding one or more packets may prevent the receiving end from obtaining the entire information unit. However, in some cases, the application layer at the receiving end may also use some algorithms to calculate the data of the discarded parts based on the data of the obtained PDUs, so that even if some (e.g., few or less important) PDUs are discarded, the application layer at the receiving end can still recover all or part of the information unit.

[0084] The concept of a PDU set is proposed in SA and is defined as follows:

[0085] PDU set: A PDU set is composed of one or more PDUs carrying the payload of one unit of information generated at the application level (e.g., a frame or video slice for XRM Services, as used in TR 26.926

[27] ). In some implementations, all PDUs in a PDU set are needed by the application layer to use the corresponding unit of information. In other implementations, the application layer can still recover all or part of the information unit when some PDUs are missing. In other words, a PDU set includes one or more PDUs, each carrying the payload of an information unit, such as a frame or video slice, generated at the application layer. The above definition explains that in some embodiments, the application layer needs to receive all PDUs in a PDU set to obtain the information unit, or that in other embodiments, the application layer can still recover all or part of the information unit when some PDUs are discarded.

[0086] 2. Attribute information of protocol data unit set Various types of attribute information about the protocol data unit set and / or data packets are defined in the SA, including, for example, the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, the dependencies / dependencies of the protocol data unit set, the sequence number of the data packet within the protocol data unit set, the position of the data packet within the protocol data unit set (e.g., start packet / end packet), the importance of the data packet, and the priority of the data packet.

[0087] For example, the protocol data unit set is taken as an example of a PDU set, and the attribute information corresponding to the PDU set can be expressed as, for example, (1) PDU sequence number (SN), (2) start / end PDU of the PDU set, (3) PDU sequence number within a PDU set, (4) number of PDUs within a PDU set, (5) importance of the PDU set, or (6) dependency of the PDU set.

[0088] The aforementioned attribute information may be configured by the receiving end or by the transmitting end, for example, by the application layer, transport layer, or upper layer of the transmitting end, or by the core network.

[0089] For example, the importance of a data packet may mean that PDUs within the same protocol data unit set may have different importance: in general, the first data packet (i.e., the start data packet) in a protocol data unit set is more important than the last data packet (i.e., the last or end data packet).

[0090] For example, the dependency of protocol data unit sets may mean that some protocol data unit sets may depend on other protocol data unit sets. For example, when one protocol data unit set corresponds to one video slice, the dependency of protocol data unit sets may be expressed as follows, where whether a video slice is useful depends on whether the previous video slice has been successfully received. In another example, when one protocol data unit set corresponds to one video slice, the dependency of protocol data unit sets may be expressed as follows, where the two video slices belong to the same frame, and the frame can only be correctly decoded when all video slices in the frame are successfully decoded. In this case, the transmission of a subsequent video slice (protocol data unit set) is only meaningful when the transmission of the previous video slice (protocol data unit set) is successful.

[0091] Additionally, the SA also defines related QoS requirements, including (1) a Protocol Data Unit Set Delay Budget, which may be expressed, for example, as a PDU set Delay Budget (PSDB) for the PDU set, and (2) a Protocol Data Unit Set Error Rate, which may be expressed, for example, as a PDU set Error Rate (PSER) for the PDU set.

[0092] Referring to the foregoing description, the protocol data unit set can be understood as a new transmission form for transmitting an XR data stream (or other types of video / audio data stream). In addition to the existing XR data stream transmission method based on QoS stream, the protocol data unit set is proposed mainly for the following two reasons:

[0093] Aspect 1: In the current discussion on the subject of XR, an XR data stream may include frames of different types, and the importance corresponding to different types of frames may also be different, so that frames of different importance (e.g., I frames, P frames, and B frames) may exist within one XR data stream. Based on the current protocol, the XR data stream is transmitted in a QoS stream, and the current QoS processing is performed based on the QoS stream. Then, frames of different importance transmitted in the QoS stream may receive the same QoS processing. However, in practice, frames of low importance do not require the same QoS processing as frames of high importance. In consideration of this, a data stream transmission method with finer granularity is needed, in which frames of different importance are transmitted separately.

[0094] Aspect 2: In the case of a video streaming service, one data unit (such as one frame or video slice) that the application layer or the transport layer needs to transmit usually includes multiple IP packets, and one IP packet may include at least one data packet (such as a PDU). Therefore, when a video frame is transmitted, multiple data packets are actually transmitted.

[0095] As a result, taking into consideration the characteristics of the data units described in Aspect 2 and the needs of Aspect 1, the concept of a protocol data unit set is proposed in SA. A protocol data unit set may be used as a data unit, and specifically, may correspond to a frame or a video slice. A protocol data unit set includes multiple data packets, each of which has a sequence number (e.g., PDU SN) different from those of the other data packets, and the payloads carried by the multiple data packets may constitute an information unit (e.g., a video frame or a picture). Different protocol data unit sets may be set to different importance levels, and a protocol data unit set with a high importance level may be used, for example, to transmit frames with high importance, and a protocol data unit set with a low importance level may be used, for example, to transmit frames with low importance. In this way, frames of different importance are transmitted separately for subsequent differential processing of these frames.

[0096] For example, as shown in Fig. 1, a protocol data unit set structure in which a protocol data unit set is a PDU set and a data packet is a PDU is used as an example. The PDU set includes eight PDUs, specifically, the number of PDUs in a PDU set is eight, and the PDU sequence numbers (PDU SNs) of the eight PDUs can be expressed as PDU SN1, PDU SN2, ..., and PDU SN8, respectively. It should be understood that the expressions of the number of PDUs and PDU sequence numbers included in a protocol data unit set shown in Fig. 1 are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0097] As described in the background art, during transmission, the entire protocol data unit set or some data packets in the protocol data unit set may be discarded due to network status or other factors. Different packet loss conditions may have different effects on the acquisition of information units by the application layer at the receiving end. For example, packet loss conditions can be divided into the following cases:

[0098] Case 1: When one or more protocol data unit sets are discarded during transmission, the application layer at the receiving end cannot obtain the information units carried in the protocol data unit sets.

[0099] Case 2: If some data packets in a protocol data unit set are discarded during transmission and the application layer at the receiving end cannot obtain the information units carried in the protocol data unit set based on the remaining data packets, the remaining data packets in the protocol data unit set are no longer valuable and are useless.

[0100] Case 3: If a small number of data packets or data packets with low importance in a protocol data unit set are discarded during transmission, but the application layer at the receiving end can calculate the data content carried in the discarded data packets based on other received PDUs in the protocol data unit set, the discarded data packets will not affect the application layer's ability to obtain the information units carried in the protocol data unit set. However, if the number of discarded PDUs reaches a certain number or the importance of the discarded data packets is high, the application layer at the receiving end still cannot obtain the information units carried in the protocol data unit set.

[0101] It should be noted that the discarded data packets in the three cases above and similar cases described below may be data packets discarded in other ways. Here, "other ways" refers to methods other than the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the discarded data packets include, for example, data packets discarded due to reasons such as network status or communication status, data packets discarded due to expiration of a discard timer, or data packets discarded when the transmission of a data packet or a protocol data unit set is completed. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application. For discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set described in the present application, please refer to the above description. This will not be specifically described below.

[0102] Based on the exemplary cases listed above, it can be known that if data packets in one or more protocol data unit sets are discarded, or if one or more protocol data unit sets among multiple protocol data unit sets with dependencies are discarded, the transmission of the entire protocol data unit set or multiple protocol data unit sets may fail, in which case continuing to transmit the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets will only result in a waste of resources and will not be useful for obtaining information units.

[0103] In consideration of this, the present application provides a data packet discarding method, in which, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether to discard the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between the protocol data unit sets, and if the determination result is to discard the protocol data unit set or data packet, the protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0104] The data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be applied to a scenario such as an XR scenario in which audio stream data, video stream data, or picture data is transmitted between a transmitting end and a receiving end under a service such as audio, video, or picture. The data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be applied to various types of communication systems, for example, fifth generation (5G) systems such as new radio (NR) systems. th Furthermore, the method may be applied to a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wired system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system, a th generation (4G) mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, and sixth generation (6 thThe present invention may also be applied to future communication systems such as 6G (6th Generation) mobile communication systems, which is not limited to this embodiment of the present application.

[0105] 2A is a schematic diagram of a system architecture 10 to which a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application can be applied. The system architecture includes a transmitting end device 100 and a receiving end device 200 (also referred to as a transmitting end and a receiving end).

[0106] In some embodiments, the transmitting end device 100 may function as a transmitting end of the data packet transmission, and the receiving end device 200 may function as a receiving end of the data packet transmission. In the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the discarding processing procedure may be mainly performed by the transmitting end.

[0107] In some embodiments, the transmitting end device 100 may be various types of electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, an augmented reality (AR) device / virtual reality (VR) device, a cloud gaming (CG) device, a mixed reality (MR) device, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and other devices with audio / video and communication functions. The specific type of the transmitting end device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0108] In some embodiments, the receiving end device 200 may be a network device / core network device, for example, an access device for the transmitting end device 100 to wirelessly access a wireless communication system. The receiving end device 200 may be an entity such as a base station on the network side configured to transmit or receive signals. The base station may broadly cover or be replaced by various names such as a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a relay station, an access point, a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a master station MeNB, a secondary station SeNB, a multi-standard radio (MSR) node, a home base station, a network controller, an access node, an access point (AP), a transmitting node, a transceiver node, a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a radio head (RRH), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a positioning node. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like. Alternatively, the base station may be used as a communication module, modem, or chip disposed in the aforementioned device or apparatus. Alternatively, the base station may be a mobile switching center or a device performing base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), or machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. The specific technologies and specific device forms used by the network devices are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0109] The transmission process of a protocol data unit set involved in the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0110] For example, FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmitting end device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0111] The transmitting end device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a telephone handset 170B, a microphone 170C, a headset jack 170D, a sensor module 180, keys 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc.

[0112] It may be understood that the exemplary structure in this embodiment of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the transmitting end device 100. In some other embodiments of the present application, the transmitting end device 100 may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or some components may be combined, or some components may be divided, or a different component arrangement may be used. The components shown in the figure may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. In addition, the interface connection relationships between modules shown in this embodiment of the present application are merely examples for explanation and do not constitute limitations on the structure of the transmitting end device 100. In some other embodiments of the present application, the transmitting end device 100 may alternatively use an interface connection method different from that of the aforementioned embodiment, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0113] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a memory, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU). The different processing units may be separate devices or may be integrated into one or more processors.

[0114] The controller may be the brain and command center of the transmitting end device 100. The controller may generate operation control signals according to the instruction operation code and the time series signal, and control the fetching and execution of instructions.

[0115] Memory may also be located in processor 110 and configured to store instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in processor 110 is cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that have been recently used or used periodically by processor 110. When processor 110 needs to use the instructions or data again, processor 110 may immediately retrieve the instructions or data from memory. This avoids repeated accesses and reduces the latency of processor 110, thereby improving system efficiency.

[0116] Charging management module 140 is configured to receive charging input from the charger. Power management module 141 is configured to connect battery 142, charging management module 140, and processor 110. Power management module 141 receives input from battery 142 and / or charging management module 140 and provides power to processor 110, internal memory 121, external memory, display screen 194, camera 193, wireless communication module 160, etc. Power management module 141 may be further configured to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle count, and battery health status (leakage or impedance). In some other embodiments, power management module 141 may alternatively be located in processor 110. In some other embodiments, power management module 141 and charging management module 140 may alternatively be located in the same component.

[0117] The wireless communication function of the transmitting end device 100 may be implemented using antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor, and baseband processor, etc.

[0118] Antenna 1 and Antenna 2 are configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the transmitting end device 100 may be configured to cover a single communication frequency band or multiple communication frequency bands. To improve antenna utilization, different antennas may be further multiplexed. For example, Antenna 1 may be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas may be used in combination with tuning switches.

[0119] The mobile communication module 150 may provide solutions for wireless communication including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G applied to the transmitting end device 100.

[0120] The wireless communication module 160 may provide solutions for wireless communication applied to the transmitting end device 100, including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC) technology, and infrared (IR) technology. The wireless communication module 160 may be one or more components incorporating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2, performs frequency modulation and filtering on the electromagnetic wave signals, and sends the processed signals to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 may further receive transmission signals from the processor 110, perform frequency modulation and amplification on the transmission signals, and convert the transmission signals into electromagnetic waves using the antenna 2 for radiation.

[0121] In some embodiments, in the transmitting end device 100, antenna 1 is coupled to the mobile communication module 150 and antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 160, thereby enabling the transmitting end device 100 to communicate with a network and another device using a wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time-division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technology, etc. The GNSS may include a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), a quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS), and / or a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS).

[0122] The transmitting end device 100 performs display functions using a GPU, a display screen 194, an application processor, etc. The display screen 194 is configured to display images, videos, etc.

[0123] The external memory interface 120 may be configured to connect to an external storage card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the transmitting end device 100. The external storage card communicates with the processor 110 via the external memory interface 120 to perform data storage functions, for example, to store files such as music and video on the external storage card.

[0124] The internal memory 121 may be configured to store computer-executable program code. The executable program code includes instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store an operating system and application programs required by at least one function (e.g., audio playback or image display). The data storage area may store data created during use of the transmitting end device 100 (e.g., audio data or an address book). In addition, the internal memory 121 may include high-speed random access memory and may further include at least one non-volatile memory such as a magnetic disk storage device, flash memory, or universal flash storage (UFS). The processor 110 executes instructions stored in the internal memory 121 and / or instructions stored in memory located within the processor to perform various functional applications and data processing of the transmitting end device 100.

[0125] The transmitting end device 100 may use an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a telephone handset 170B, a microphone 170C, a headset jack 170D, an application processor, and the like to perform audio functions, such as music playback or recording.

[0126] For example, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a protocol data unit set transmission process according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0127] In some embodiments, the process by which the transmitting end transmits the data packets in the protocol data unit set may include the following layers: a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. However, it should be understood that in practice, the layers involved in the process by which the transmitting end transmits the data packets in the protocol data unit set are not limited to those described above.

[0128] It should be noted that the data packets in the protocol data unit set in this embodiment of the present application may be SDU data packets or PDU data packets. The payloads carried by the SDU data packets and the PDU data packets may be the same. The relationship between the SDU data packets and the PDU data packets can be understood as follows: in the protocol layer, the PDU of the current layer is the SDU of the lower layer, and the SDU of the current layer is the PDU of the upper layer.

[0129] In some embodiments, a process by which a transmitting end transmits a data packet in a protocol data unit set may include the following: The SDAP layer obtains an IP packet transmitted by its upper layer (application layer or transport layer), performs radio bearer (RB) processing on the IP packet, and generates a data packet including a header and an entity portion SDAP SDU (i.e., payload), which may be marked as an SDAP PDU packet. The SDAP layer then transmits the SDAP PDU packet to the PDCP layer. After obtaining the SDAP PDU packet, the PDCP layer processes the data packet according to the PDCP protocol to generate a data packet including a header H and an entity portion PDCP PDU, which may be marked as a PDCP PDU packet. The PDCP layer then further transmits the PDCP PDU packet to the RLC layer. After obtaining the PDCP PDU packet, the RLC layer processes the PDCP PDU packet according to the RLC protocol to generate a data packet including a header H and an entity portion RLC PDU, which may be marked as an RLC PDU packet. The RLC layer then transmits the RLC PDU packet to the MAC layer. After obtaining the RLC PDU packet, the MAC layer processes the RLC PDU packet according to a MAC protocol to generate a data packet including a header H and an entity portion MAC PDU, and the data packet can be marked as a MAC PDU packet.

[0130] According to the above process, the MAC layer can obtain multiple MAC PDU data packets corresponding to one data unit, and based on these MAC PDU data packets, the MAC can finally obtain a MAC PDU transport block including multiple data packets, and then the MAC layer can transmit the generated MAC PDU transport block to the receiving end using air interface resources.

[0131] In some embodiments, after receiving the protocol data units, the receiving end may, for example, parse the protocol data units according to the reverse process of generating the protocol data units, so that the application layer of the receiving end can obtain the data carried by all PDUs in the protocol data unit set based on the result obtained by the parsing, and then obtain the information units based on the payloads carried by all PDUs. The specific method and process by which the receiving end parses the data in the protocol data unit set may be set according to relevant protocols or actual requirements, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0132] It should be noted that the method by which the network device analyzes the protocol data unit set described in the embodiment of Figure 3 in this application is merely an example. In actual applications, the application layer at the receiving end may obtain the data carried by the PDU in other ways, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. In addition, for specific methods by which the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer process data packets, as well as the processing content in the protocol data unit set generation process described in the above embodiment of Figure 3, please refer to the specifications of the relevant protocols, which will not be described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0133] It should be noted that in the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application, before a protocol data unit set or a PDU is discarded, it may first be determined according to one or more decision methods whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set, and the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set may be discarded only if it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set (for example, the decision result is to discard); if it is determined not to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set (for example, the decision result is not to discard), even if there is a discard event of the protocol data unit set, the protocol data unit set and the data packet included in the protocol data unit set will not be discarded.

[0134] In some embodiments, in the present application, there may be multiple methods for determining whether a protocol data unit set or a data packet needs to be discarded. For example, the determination may be performed based on the following decision criteria: the number of discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and the dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, where the attribute information is associated with allowing or not allowing discarding. The specific decision process and discard process of each decision method will be described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

[0135] In some embodiments, the operation of discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set may alternatively be performed at a protocol layer when it is determined to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set. For example, the protocol layer here may specifically be any one of an SDAP layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, or a MAC layer. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0136] To determine whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in a protocol data unit set, a protocol layer needs to detect which protocol data unit set (also called a sub-QoS flow) the protocol layer data packet belongs to. For example, a method for detecting this may include the protocol layer obtaining attribute information of the data packet from an upper layer and then determining which protocol data unit set the protocol layer data packet belongs to based on the attribute information. The upper layer here may include the application layer or the transport layer. The attribute information here may include information defined for the protocol data unit set in the SA, such as the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the start data packet and the end data packet in the protocol data unit set, the sequence number of each data packet in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the data packet, the priority of the data packet, the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, and protocol data unit set dependency. The protocol layer may further obtain QoS requirement information, such as the latency budget of the protocol data unit set and the error resilience of the protocol data unit set, from the upper layer. The QoS requirement information may be requirement information corresponding to a QoS flow for transmitting a set of protocol data units.

[0137] In some embodiments, the protocol layer may obtain the attribute information in multiple ways, for example, Method 1: the upper layer of the protocol layer may carry the attribute information in the data packet for transmission to the protocol layer, Method 2: the upper layer of the protocol layer may transmit the attribute information corresponding to the data packet to the protocol layer when transmitting the data packet or after transmitting the data packet. The specific method by which the protocol layer obtains the attribute information is not limited in this application.

[0138] In the present application, considering that the protocol layer may be any one of the SDAP layer, the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, or the MAC layer, the protocol layer may obtain the attribute information of the protocol data unit set in the following manner.

[0139] 1. When the SDAP layer performs detection, a layer above the SDAP layer (such as an application layer, a transport layer, or a protocol layer above the SDAP layer, which is not limited in this application) may indicate attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a data packet to the SDAP layer. After obtaining the attribute information of the protocol data unit set and / or the data packet, the SDAP layer may encapsulate the attribute information into an SDAP PDU or inform the attribute information to the next protocol layer.

[0140] 2. When the PDCP layer performs detection, the SDAP layer or an upper protocol layer above the PDCP layer may indicate attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or data packet to the PDCP layer. After obtaining the attribute information of the protocol data unit set and / or data packet, the PDCP layer may encapsulate the attribute information into a PDCP PDU or notify the attribute information to the next protocol layer.

[0141] 3. When the RLC layer performs detection, the PDCP layer may indicate to the RLC layer to receive attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a data packet. After obtaining the attribute information of the protocol data unit set, the RLC layer may encapsulate the attribute information into an RLC PDU or notify the attribute information to the next protocol layer.

[0142] The process of determining whether a protocol data unit set or a data packet needs to be discarded in different determination methods is described below with reference to specific examples. For ease of understanding, it is described below as an example that the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application is performed in the PDCP layer of the protocol layer.

[0143] For example, according to the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the discard state can be determined from one or more of the number of lost packets of the protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the second attribute information corresponding to the data packets, and the dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set. For example, the discard state can be specifically determined by the following determination method.

[0144] Determination method 1: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in a protocol data unit set is determined based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set.

[0145] Determination method 2: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on the packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set.

[0146] Determination method 3: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined depending on whether a packet loss timer set for the protocol data unit set has expired.

[0147] Decision method 4: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is comprehensively determined based on the number of lost packets of the protocol data unit set and the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set.

[0148] Decision method 5: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined depending on whether a data packet having specific attribute information included in the protocol data unit set has been discarded, and the specific attribute information is associated with non-permission of discarding.

[0149] Decision Method 6: For protocol data unit sets having dependencies (also called dependencies), whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined according to whether a data packet of the associated protocol data unit set is lost or the number of lost packets of the associated protocol data unit set.

[0150] For ease of understanding, the following embodiments are described using an example in which the transmitting end is a user equipment (UE) and the receiving end is a network device.

[0151] For example, Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method of determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 1, specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0152] S401: A network device sends a packet loss threshold to a UE.

[0153] The network device transmitting the packet loss threshold to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the packet loss threshold on the UE.

[0154] The packet loss threshold indicates a maximum threshold for the number of data packets allowed to be discarded in a protocol data unit set. Here, the maximum threshold for the number of data packets allowed to be discarded in a protocol data unit set means that when the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set is less than the threshold, the application layer of the network device cannot affect the acquisition of information units carried by the protocol data unit set. For example, when the number of discarded data packets is small, the network device can acquire the contents carried in the discarded data packets by calculation based on the contents of the non-discarded data packets, thereby acquiring the complete information unit. When the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set is equal to or greater than the threshold, the network device cannot acquire the complete information unit based on the payloads carried in the remaining data packets.

[0155] Regarding Determination Method 1, it should be noted that although the embodiment of Figure 4 in the present application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold by a network device, in practical applications, the packet loss threshold may alternatively be configured by an upper layer (such as an application layer or a transport layer) of the UE, or alternatively may be configured by a core network device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0156] In some embodiments, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB). In other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB. Specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold may be configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity. Specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold may be configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set. For example, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set. Specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set. Specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. The configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0157] It should be noted that the aforementioned type of protocol data unit set may be the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, or the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0158] In some embodiments, if per protocol data unit set or per type of protocol data unit set is used as the configuration granularity of the packet loss thresholds, the packet loss thresholds corresponding separately to the protocol data unit sets or types of protocol data unit sets may be in a sequence structure.

[0159] In some embodiments, the data type of the packet loss threshold configured by the network device may be an enumeration or an integer.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the packet loss threshold by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a MAC Control Element (MAC CE), or downlink control information (DCI).

[0161] In some embodiments, the packet loss threshold configured by the network device may be included in a data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0162] S402: Obtain the number of lost packets of the data packets in the protocol data unit set, and discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the protocol data unit set when the number of lost packets of the data packets in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds a packet loss threshold.

[0163] In some embodiments, the UE may determine the maximum number of data packets allowed to be discarded in the current protocol data unit set based on a packet loss threshold transmitted by the network device. In some embodiments, the UE may determine the number of lost packets in the current protocol data unit set based on a count value of a packet loss counter, and discard the protocol data unit set when the number of lost packets reaches the packet loss threshold. For example, this process may include the UE maintaining a packet loss counter for the current protocol data unit set, and when a data packet is discarded for the protocol data unit set, the count value of the packet loss counter is increased by 1, and the UE may discard the protocol data unit set or data packets included in the protocol data unit set when the count value of the packet loss counter is equal to the packet loss threshold or equal to (packet loss threshold + 1). When transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed and the count value of the packet loss counter corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss threshold, the protocol data unit set is not discarded.

[0164] It should be noted that discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet contained in a protocol data unit set may mean discarding any data packet in the protocol data unit set that has not been discarded.

[0165] Discarding non-discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set may include two cases: (1) the client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) discarding data packets in the protocol data unit set that have been received, or (2) the client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) discarding data packets in the protocol data unit set that have not been received. In other words, once it is determined that a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately upon receiving a data packet that follows the protocol data unit set. In some embodiments, the UE may release or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the count value of the packet loss counter reaches a packet loss threshold. Alternatively, the UE may release or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed and the count value of the packet loss counter corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss threshold.

[0166] In some embodiments, for a data packet that is successfully transmitted to a network device (for example, when a UE receives a status report fed back about a data packet, which indicates that the packet is successfully transmitted), if the data packet is discarded, the packet loss in this case does not affect the network device's acquisition of the information unit, so the packet loss is not counted in the packet loss counter. In other words, the packet loss counter does not count a data packet that is discarded after successful transmission.

[0167] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed may be determined in multiple ways, such as: Method 1: depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, determining that the transmission is completed; Method 2: based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, determining whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set has been completed, wherein all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from the network device and data packets discarded based on a discard timer; or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from the network device and data packets transmitted to the next layer.

[0168] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the packet loss counter is configured in an acknowledgement mode. The acknowledgement mode includes receiving an indication (or status report) fed back by the receiving end after transmitting a data packet, where the indication information indicates whether the data packet has been transmitted successfully or whether the data packet needs to be retransmitted. The acknowledgement mode may be an AM mode, an HARQ transmission mode, or an SN status report, which is not limited in this application.

[0169] Using an example in which the entity is a PDCP entity and the protocol data unit set is a PDU set, the discarding process according to the aforementioned decision method 1 will be further explained.

[0170] For example, in the case of AM DRB, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the PDCP entity of the UE may determine, based on the PDU set sequence number (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the PDU set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is PDU set 1, and may determine, based on the PDU SN (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in PDU set 1. Then, the UE starts a discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and maintains a packet loss counter for PDU set 1. Thereafter, the PDCP entity of the UE continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in PDU set 1, and the PDCP entity starts a corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0171] It should be noted that the discard timer here may be timed relative to the UE receiving a status report fed back by the network device regarding the data packet, or may be timed relative to the time when the UE discards the data packet buffered in the UE. When the network device receives the data packet (in other words, the data packet is successfully transmitted to the network device), the network device feeds back a status report (also called a feedback message) corresponding to the data packet to the UE, informing the UE that the data packet has been successfully transmitted. After obtaining the information, the UE discards the data packet buffered in the UE. If the UE discards the corresponding data packet when the discard timer expires, it means that the data packet has not been successfully transmitted.

[0172] In some embodiments, if a status report corresponding to a PDCP SDU is received indicating that the PDCP SDU has been successfully transmitted, the PDCP discards the PDCP SDU. In this case, a packet loss occurs after a successful transmission of a data packet, and therefore, this packet loss is not counted by the packet loss counter. In other words, the counter in the embodiment of the present application counts packet losses in the case of an abnormal transmission.

[0173] In some embodiments, if the discard timer corresponding to a PDCP SDU expires, the PDCP SDU is discarded. It may be noted that if the PDCP does not receive a status report fed back by a network device regarding the PDCP SDU when the discard timer expires, the PDCP entity may determine that the PDCP SDU has been discarded in the event of an unsuccessful transmission. Based on this, if a PDCP SDU is discarded because the discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU expires, or if the protocol introduces another data packet discarding method in another case, where this method does not include discarding a data packet due to its successful transmission and this method results in a discarded packet, the packet loss counter counts packet losses and increments the count value by 1. When the packet loss counter maintained by the PDCP entity for PDU Set 1 exceeds the packet loss threshold, it is considered that the data packets in PDU Set 1 need to be discarded. The discard process may include (1) discarding received, non-discarded data packets in PDU Set 1, and (2) for subsequently received data packets, determining whether the data packets belong to PDU Set 1 and discarding the data packets if they belong to PDU Set 1. In some other embodiments, the UE may release or clear the packet loss counter when transmission of data packets in PDU Set 1 is completed and the number of discarded data packets does not exceed the packet loss threshold.

[0174] According to the data packet discarding method provided in the present application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between the protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue the transmission, the protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0175] For example, Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method of determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 2, specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on a packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0176] S501: A network device sends a packet loss rate threshold to a UE.

[0177] The network device transmitting the packet loss rate threshold to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the packet loss rate threshold on the UE.

[0178] The packet loss rate threshold indicates the maximum percentage of data packets allowed to be discarded in a protocol data unit set. Here, the maximum percentage of data packets allowed to be discarded in a protocol data unit set means that when the ratio of the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set is less than the packet loss rate threshold, the application layer of the network device cannot affect the acquisition of information units carried by the protocol data unit set. For example, when the number of discarded data packets is small, the network device can acquire the content carried in the discarded data packets by calculation based on the content of the non-discarded data packets, thereby acquiring the complete information unit. When the ratio of the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set is equal to or greater than the packet loss rate threshold, the network device cannot acquire the complete information unit based on the payload carried in the remaining data packets.

[0179] Regarding Determination Method 2, it should be noted that although the embodiment of Figure 5 in the present application provides a process for configuring the packet loss rate threshold by a network device, in practical applications, the packet loss rate threshold may alternatively be configured by an upper layer (such as an application layer or a transport layer) of the UE, or alternatively may be configured by the core network, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0180] In some embodiments, the packet loss rate threshold is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB), in other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB, and specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold may be configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity, and specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold may be configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set, in other words, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set, and specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold may be configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set, and specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. The configuration granularity of the packet loss rate threshold is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0181] It should be noted that the aforementioned type of protocol data unit set may be the importance of the data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, or the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0182] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the packet loss threshold by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0183] In some embodiments, the packet loss rate threshold configured by the network device may be included in a data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0184] S502: Obtain a packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set, and discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the protocol data unit set when the packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds a packet loss rate threshold.

[0185] In some embodiments, the UE may determine a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the current protocol data unit set based on a packet loss threshold transmitted by the network device.

[0186] In some embodiments, the UE may determine the number of lost packets in the current protocol data unit set based on the count value of a packet loss counter, determine a packet loss rate based on the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set, and discard the protocol data unit set or data packets included in the protocol data unit set when the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds a packet loss rate threshold. For example, this process may include the UE maintaining a packet loss counter for the current protocol data unit set, and when the UE determines that a data packet has been discarded for the protocol data unit set, increasing the count value of the packet loss counter by 1 to obtain the packet loss rate for the protocol data unit set. As the number of lost packets increases, the packet loss rate also increases. When the packet loss rate is equal to or greater than the packet loss rate threshold, the UE may discard any non-discarded data packets included in the protocol data unit set. When transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed and the packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss rate threshold, the protocol data unit set is not discarded.

[0187] Data packets within a protocol data unit set that have not been discarded and may be discarded by the UE may include (1) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have been received by the protocol layer, and (2) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have not been received by the protocol layer; in other words, once it is determined that a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the protocol layer may immediately discard the protocol data unit set upon receiving a data packet that follows the protocol data unit set.

[0188] In some embodiments, the UE may release or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the packet loss rate reaches a packet loss rate threshold. Alternatively, the UE may release or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when transmission of a protocol data unit set is completed and the packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set does not reach the packet loss rate threshold.

[0189] In some embodiments, for a data packet that is successfully transmitted to a network device (e.g., when a UE receives a status report fed back about a data packet, it indicates that the packet is successfully transmitted), if a protocol layer actively discards the data packet, the packet loss in this case does not affect the network device's acquisition of the information unit, so the packet loss is not counted in the packet loss counter reflected by . In other words, the packet loss counter does not count a data packet that is discarded after successful transmission.

[0190] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed may be determined in multiple ways, such as: Method 1: depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, determining that the transmission is completed; Method 2: based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, determining whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set has been completed, wherein all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from the network device and data packets discarded based on a discard timer, or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded by the protocol layer after receiving a feedback message from the network device and data packets transmitted to the next layer.

[0191] Using an example in which the entity is a PDCP entity and the protocol data unit set is a PDU set, the discarding process according to the aforementioned decision method 2 will be further explained.

[0192] For example, in the case of AM DRB, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the PDCP entity of the UE may determine, based on the PDU set sequence number (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the PDU set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is PDU set 1, and may determine, based on the PDU SN (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in PDU set 1. Then, the UE starts a discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and maintains a packet loss counter for PDU set 1. Thereafter, the PDCP entity of the UE continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in PDU set 1, and the PDCP entity starts a corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0193] It should be noted that the discard timer here may be timed relative to the UE receiving a status report fed back by the network device regarding the data packet, or may be timed relative to the time the UE discards the data packet buffered in the UE. When the network device receives the data packet (in other words, the data packet is successfully transmitted to the network device), the network device feeds back a status report (also called a feedback message) corresponding to the data packet to the UE, informing the UE that the data packet has been successfully transmitted. After obtaining the information, the UE discards the data packet buffered in the UE. If the UE discards the corresponding data packet when the discard timer expires, it means that the data packet has not been successfully transmitted.

[0194] In some embodiments, if a status report corresponding to a PDCP SDU is received indicating that the PDCP SDU has been successfully transmitted, the PDCP discards the PDCP SDU. In this case, a packet loss occurs after a successful transmission of a data packet, and therefore, this packet loss is not counted by the packet loss counter. In other words, the counter in the embodiment of the present application counts packet losses in the case of an abnormal transmission.

[0195] In some embodiments, if the discard timer corresponding to a PDCP SDU expires, the PDCP SDU is discarded. It may be noted that if the PDCP does not receive a status report fed back by a network device regarding the PDCP SDU when the discard timer expires, the PDCP entity may determine that the PDCP SDU has been discarded in the event of an unsuccessful transmission. Based on this, if a PDCP SDU is discarded because the discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU expires, or if the protocol introduces another data packet discarding method that does not include discarding a data packet due to its successful transmission and that results in a discarded packet, the packet loss counter counts the packet loss and increments the count value by 1. When the ratio of the count value of the packet loss counter maintained by the PDCP entity for PDU set 1 to the total number of PDCP SDUs included in the PDU set exceeds a packet loss rate threshold, it is considered that the data packets in PDU set 1 need to be discarded. The discard process may include (1) discarding received, non-discarded data packets in PDU Set 1, and (2) for subsequently received data packets, determining whether the data packets belong to PDU Set 1 and discarding the data packets if they belong to PDU Set 1. In some other embodiments, the UE may release or clear the packet loss counter when transmission of data packets in PDU Set 1 is complete and the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of PDCP PDUs does not exceed the packet loss threshold.

[0196] It should be noted that the UE may first determine whether at least one data packet in the protocol data unit set has been successfully received before configuring the packet loss counter, and the UE may configure the packet loss counter only after determining that one or more data packets in the protocol data unit set have been successfully received by the UE. Alternatively, the UE may first determine whether the UE has successfully transmitted at least one data packet in the protocol data unit set to the network device before configuring the packet loss counter (e.g., determine whether a feedback message sent by the network device indicating a successful data packet has been received), and the UE may configure the packet loss counter only after determining that one or more data packets in the protocol data unit set have been successfully transmitted to the network device.

[0197] According to the data packet discarding method provided in the present application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between the protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue the transmission, the protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0198] For example, Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method of determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 3, specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined according to whether a packet loss timer set for the protocol data unit set has expired. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0199] S601: A network device sends a packet loss timer to a UE.

[0200] The network device sending the packet loss timer to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the packet loss timer on the UE.

[0201] The packet loss timer is configured to indicate a packet loss time of the set of protocol data units, which in an embodiment may be understood as an acceptable transmission time of the set of protocol data units.

[0202] Regarding Method 3 for determining whether to discard a packet, the embodiment of Figure 6 in the present application provides a process for configuring a packet loss timer by a network device, but it should be noted that in practical applications, the packet loss timer may alternatively be configured by an upper layer (such as an application layer or a transport layer) of the UE, or alternatively may be configured by the core network, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0203] In some embodiments, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB), in other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB, and specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity, and specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set, in other words, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set, and specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set, and specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss timers. The configuration granularity of the packet loss timer is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0204] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the packet loss timer by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0205] In some embodiments, the packet loss timer configured by the network device may be included in a data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0206] S602: Start a packet loss timer when the first data packet in the protocol data unit set is received, and discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the protocol data unit set when the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of the data packets in the protocol data unit set is not completed or when the packet loss timer expires.

[0207] In some embodiments, the packet loss timer is started when the first data packet in the protocol data unit set is received. A method for determining that a received data packet is the first data packet in the protocol data unit set may include: after receiving the data packet, determining whether the data packet is the start data packet of the protocol data unit set, and if so, indicating that the data packet is the first data packet in the protocol data unit set; or after receiving the data packet, determining whether a data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet is the first data packet in the protocol data unit set; or after receiving the data packet, if the protocol layer entity determines that a data packet in the protocol data unit set has not been previously received, the data packet is the first data packet in the protocol data unit set. This is not a limitation in the present application.

[0208] In some embodiments, a protocol data unit set or data packets included in a protocol data unit set are discarded when a packet loss timer expires and transmission of the data packets in the protocol data unit set is not completed. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, a protocol data unit set or data packets included in a protocol data unit set may be discarded when a packet loss timer expires. The fact that data packets in a protocol data unit set have not been transmitted may be determined in the following manner:

[0209] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of the protocol data unit set is completed may be determined in multiple ways, such as: Method 1: depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, determining that the transmission is completed; Method 2: based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, determining whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set has been completed, wherein all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from the network device and data packets discarded based on a discard timer, or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded by the protocol layer after receiving a feedback message from the network device and data packets transmitted to the next layer.

[0210] It should be noted that the packet loss timer and the discard timer in the embodiments of the present application are two different concepts that need to be understood differently.

[0211] In some embodiments, if transmission of a data packet in a protocol data unit set is completed when the packet loss timer has not expired, the packet loss timer may be stopped, or the packet loss timer may be released, or the packet loss timer may be cleared.

[0212] In some embodiments, if the packet loss timer expires, the protocol data unit set may be discarded.

[0213] In some embodiments, discarding a protocol data unit set may specifically mean discarding non-discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set. The non-discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set may include (1) data packets in the protocol data unit set that have been received by the client (e.g., a protocol layer of the client) and (2) data packets in the protocol data unit set that have not been received by the client; in other words, once it is determined that a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the client (e.g., a protocol layer of the client) may immediately discard the protocol data unit set upon receiving a data packet that follows the protocol data unit set.

[0214] The discard process corresponding to the above method 3 for determining whether to discard a packet will be further explained using an example of a PDCP entity.

[0215] For example, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the PDCP entity of the UE may determine, based on the protocol data unit set sequence number (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the protocol data unit set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is protocol data unit set 1, and may determine, based on the PDU SN (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in protocol data unit set 1. Then, the UE starts a discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and starts a corresponding packet loss timer for protocol data unit set 1. Thereafter, the PDCP entity of the UE continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in protocol data unit set 1, and the PDCP entity starts a corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0216] In some embodiments, if the packet loss timer expires and there are data packets in protocol data unit set 1 that have not been discarded at the PDCP layer, the non-discarded data packets in protocol data unit set 1 are immediately discarded in order to discard protocol data unit set 1.

[0217] In some embodiments, in a mode in which the transmission of data packets is acknowledged (specifically, the network device provides feedback to the UE after receiving a data packet), the packet loss timer is stopped when the transmission of all data packets in protocol data unit set 1 (including data packets discarded by the PDCP entity or successfully transmitted data packets) is completed. In a mode in which data packets are not acknowledged, the packet loss timer is stopped when the transmission of all data packets in protocol data unit set 1 is completed (all data packets have been transmitted to the next layer or discarded).

[0218] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue transmission, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0219] For example, Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of yet another method for discarding a data packet according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 4, specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined comprehensively based on the number of lost packets of the protocol data unit set and the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0220] S701: A network device sends a packet loss threshold and a packet loss timer to a UE.

[0221] The network device transmitting the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer in the UE. For the respective meanings of the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer, please refer to the description of the embodiment of Figure 4 and the embodiment of Figure 6, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0222] Regarding Method 4 for determining whether to discard a packet, the embodiment of Figure 7 in the present application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold by a network device, but it should be noted that in practical applications, the packet loss threshold may alternatively be configured by an upper layer (such as an application layer or a transport layer) of the UE, or alternatively may be configured by a core network device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0223] For the configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer, please refer to the description of the embodiment of Figure 4 and the embodiment of Figure 6. This will not be described in detail again here.

[0224] For how the network device transmits the packet loss threshold and the packet loss timer to the UE, please refer to the description of the embodiment of Figure 4 and the embodiment of Figure 6, respectively, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0225] S702: When a packet loss timer expires and transmission of a protocol data unit set or a data packet is not completed, and / or when the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds a packet loss threshold, discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set.

[0226] It should be noted that the main difference between this embodiment of the present application and the embodiment of FIG. 4 and the embodiment of FIG. 6 is that the UE uses the following two methods to comprehensively determine whether to discard a protocol data unit set: using a packet loss counter to count whether the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set reaches a packet loss threshold; and using a packet loss timer to count whether the transmission of data packets in a protocol data unit set is completed during a timing time.

[0227] In some embodiments, a protocol data unit set or data packets included in a protocol data unit set may be discarded when it is determined that the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold and / or when it is determined that transmission of the data packets in the protocol data unit set is not complete when a packet loss timer expires. Alternatively, a protocol data unit set or data packets included in a protocol data unit set may be discarded when it is determined that the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold and / or when a packet loss timer expires. In other words, a protocol data unit set can be discarded when at least one of two discard conditions is met. Specifically, if the packet loss timer expires but the count value counted by the packet loss counter has not reached the packet loss threshold, the protocol data unit set or data packets included in the protocol data unit set are discarded. If the count value counted by the packet loss counter has reached or exceeded the packet loss threshold but the packet loss timer has not expired, the protocol data unit set or data packets included in the protocol data unit set are similarly discarded. When the count value counted by the packet loss counter reaches the packet loss threshold and the packet loss timer expires, the protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the protocol data unit set are similarly discarded. It should be understood that the discard process in the embodiments of the present application may mean discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the protocol data unit set.

[0228] In one example, the protocol data unit set is a PDU set, and the data packets are PDUs. In a data packet discarding method corresponding to determining method 4, an exemplary process includes the following steps: (1) determining a packet loss threshold and a packet loss timer for a PDU set, and immediately discarding data packets in the PDU set when the number of discarded data packets in the PDU set (in other words, the number of lost packets in the PDU set) reaches (or exceeds) the packet loss threshold, or discarding non-discarded data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss timer expires; and (2) starting the packet loss timer after receiving the first data packet in the PDU set, where the method for determining the first data packet includes determining the packet loss threshold and a packet loss timer for the PDU set. The method may include steps including receiving a PDU (a data packet identifying the start) or receiving the first data packet belonging to the PDU set; (3) maintaining a packet loss counter for the PDU set when a packet loss timer is started, incrementing the packet loss counter by one when a data packet in the PDU set is discarded, and immediately discarding any non-discarded data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss counter exceeds the packet loss threshold (the timer has not expired); (4) discarding any non-discarded data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss timer has expired but the packet loss counter has not exceeded the packet loss threshold; and (5) discarding the PDU set when one of the two conditions is met, or discarding the PDU set only when both conditions are met, based on the two conditions mentioned above.

[0229] For detailed processes of implementing the embodiments of the present application, such as how to configure the packet loss threshold, how to start the packet loss timer, and how to handle discards, please refer to the above descriptions of the embodiments of Figure 4 and Figure 6, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0230] It should be noted that the embodiment of Fig. 7 only uses an example in which whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on a packet loss timer and a packet loss threshold. In some other embodiments, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set may alternatively be determined based on a packet loss timer and a packet loss rate threshold, or whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined based on another combination of the two decision criteria. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0231] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue transmission, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0232] For example, Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method of determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 5, specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined according to whether a data packet having specific attribute information included in the protocol data unit set has been discarded, and the specific attribute is associated with disallowance of discarding. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0233] S801: A network device sends, to a UE, first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet.

[0234] The first attribute information is associated with allowing or not allowing discarding, and the second attribute information is associated with allowing or not allowing discarding. The network device transmitting the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet in the UE.

[0235] In some embodiments, there may be multiple ways in which a network device configures protocol data unit sets and / or data packets with attribute information associated with discard permission, including: (1) the network device may perform the configuration based on the priority or importance of the protocol data unit sets and / or data packets, for example, associating protocol data unit sets and / or data packets with higher priority or higher importance with no discard permission, in other words, configuring data packets with higher priority or higher importance as protocol data unit sets and / or data packets that are not allowed to be discarded; (2) the network device may alternatively perform the configuration based on the position of the data packets within the protocol data unit sets, for example, associating a start PDU with no discard permission, in other words, configuring a data packet used as a start PDU as a data packet that is not allowed to be discarded; (3) the network device may alternatively perform the configuration based on the sequence number of the protocol data unit sets and / or data packets, for example, associating PDUs SN1 to m (m is an integer greater than 1) with no discard permission, in other words, configuring data packets having PDUs SN1 to m as data packets that are not allowed to be discarded. Similarly, the network device may alternatively configure the protocol data unit sets and / or data packets that are allowed to be discarded within a protocol data unit set based on the priority, importance, and sequence number of the protocol data unit sets and / or data packets, etc.

[0236] Optionally, when the network device configures a data packet in the protocol data unit set that is allowed to be discarded, a data packet in the protocol data unit set that is not configured to be allowed to be discarded may be considered as a data packet that is not allowed to be discarded. For example, the network device configures a PDU whose PDU SN is within a to b (both a and b are integers greater than or equal to 1, and b is greater than a) in the protocol data unit set as a discardable data packet. In this case, another PDU whose PDU SN is not a sequence number within a to b in the protocol data unit set may be considered as a data packet that is not allowed to be discarded.

[0237] Regarding Determination Method 5, it should be noted that although the embodiment of Figure 8 in the present application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold by a network device, in practical applications, the packet loss threshold may alternatively be configured by an upper layer of the UE (such as an application layer or a transport layer), or alternatively may be configured by the core network, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0238] S802: After the UE determines that a data packet in the protocol data unit set having attribute information associated with non-permission of discarding is discarded, discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set.

[0239] In some embodiments, when a UE intercepts a discardable data packet transmitted by a network device, the UE may discard a protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more data packets that do not belong to the discardable data packet have been discarded. Alternatively, when a UE intercepts a discardable data packet transmitted by a network device, the UE may determine a non-discardable data packet based on all PDUs included in the protocol data unit set, and then discard the protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more non-discardable data packets have been discarded. Alternatively, when a UE intercepts a non-discardable data packet transmitted by a network device, the UE may immediately discard the protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more non-discardable packets have been discarded.

[0240] For how the UE discards the protocol data unit set, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments of Figures 4 to 6, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0241] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue transmission, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0242] For example, Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of yet another method for discarding a data packet according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the above-mentioned determination method 6, specifically, for a protocol data unit set having a dependency, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set is determined according to whether there is packet loss in the associated protocol data unit set or the number of lost packets in the associated protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0243] S901: A network device sends dependency identification information of a first protocol data unit set to a UE.

[0244] The protocol data unit set on which the first protocol data unit set depends is called a second protocol data unit set. The network device sending the dependency identification of the first protocol data unit set to the UE may alternatively be understood as the network device configuring the dependency identification of the first protocol data unit set in the UE.

[0245] The dependency relationship here may alternatively be described as a dependency. Two or more protocol data unit sets having a dependency relationship may have the same dependency identification information, and the dependency identification information indicates another protocol data unit set that is interdependent with the protocol data unit set. The terms "first" and "second" are used here merely to distinguish one another, and "first" and "second" do not represent the order or number of the protocol data unit sets. Specifically, the dependency between the first and second protocol data unit sets may be understood as the application or operation of the first protocol data unit set being dependent on the successful transmission of the second protocol data unit set, the transmission of the first protocol data unit set being necessary only when the second protocol data unit set is successfully transmitted, and if the second protocol data unit set is not successfully transmitted, the first protocol data unit set is useless even if it is successfully transmitted. For example, I frames and P frames are used as an example, and the application of the P frame needs to be performed based on the data of the I frame. Specifically, a P frame needs to be transmitted only if an I frame has been transmitted successfully, and if an I frame has not been transmitted successfully, no P frame needs to be transmitted thereafter.

[0246] Optionally, there may be one or more second protocol data unit sets on which the first protocol data unit set depends. When there are multiple second protocol data unit sets on which the first protocol data unit set depends, if any one of the second protocol data unit sets is discarded, the first protocol data unit set does not need to be transmitted thereafter and may be discarded.

[0247] In some embodiments, there may be multiple methods for a network device to configure dependencies between protocol data unit sets, including, for example, (1) configuring dependency identification (ID) for protocol data unit sets having dependencies, where protocol data unit sets configured to have the same dependency ID are interdependent; (2) configuring, for a specific protocol data unit set (e.g., a first protocol data unit set), an identification of a protocol data unit set (e.g., a second protocol data unit set) on which the specific protocol data unit set depends, where, for example, the ID of the second protocol data unit set is carried in the first protocol data unit set; and (3) configuring the number of data packets that are allowed to be discarded within a protocol data unit set having a dependency. It should be understood that all three dependency configuration methods described above may be configured in the protocol data unit set or may be partially configured in the protocol data unit set. This is not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0248] S902: When the UE determines that packet loss occurs in the second protocol data unit set, discard the first protocol data unit set.

[0249] In some embodiments, the UE may determine that the first protocol data unit set has a dependency relationship with the second protocol data unit set based on the received dependency relationship (e.g., dependency identification information) of the first protocol data unit set. Then, whether to discard the first protocol data unit set may be determined based on the dependency relationship.

[0250] For example, there may be multiple methods for the UE to determine whether to discard a first protocol data unit set based on a dependency, which may include, for example, (1) when the UE determines that a second protocol data unit set has been discarded (see the related embodiments above for the determination method), discarding a subsequent first protocol data unit set having the same dependency identification based on the dependency identification of the second protocol data unit set; (2) when the UE receives the first protocol data unit set, determining that the first protocol data unit set depends on the second protocol data unit set based on the dependency identification corresponding to the first protocol data unit set, and discarding the first protocol data unit set if it determines that the second protocol data unit set has been discarded; and (3) based on the dependency identification of the first protocol data unit set, determining whether the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set having the same dependency identification as the first protocol data unit set exceeds a preset threshold, and discarding the first protocol data unit set if the number of lost packets exceeds the preset threshold.

[0251] For how the UE discards the protocol data unit set, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments of Figures 4 to 6, which will not be described in detail again here.

[0252] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue transmission, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0253] It should be noted that after a protocol layer (such as the PDCP layer) discards a particular protocol data unit set, the protocol layer must notify the lower layer to also discard data packets in the protocol data unit set. For example, after the PDCP layer discards a protocol data unit set, the PDCP layer notifies the RLC layer to discard data packets associated with the protocol data unit set that are buffered by the RLC layer.

[0254] However, in some embodiments, when data packets in a protocol data unit set are being transmitted by RLC to the next layer (MAC layer), the RLC may notify the MAC layer of attribute information of the protocol data unit set (e.g., the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the sequence number of the PDU in the protocol data unit set, or the start PDU / end PDU in the protocol data unit set), and may notify the MAC layer that if data packets associated with the protocol data unit set are not being transmitted over the air interface, there is no need to schedule the protocol data unit set or wait for scheduling resources corresponding to the protocol data unit set. In response to the notification by the RLC layer, the MAC may determine whether the protocol data unit set is being transmitted over the air interface, and if the protocol data unit set is not being transmitted over the air interface, there is no need for the MAC to wait for scheduling resources corresponding to the protocol data unit set or schedule the protocol data unit set.

[0255] In some other embodiments, if data packets in a protocol data unit set have already been transmitted by RLC to the next layer (MAC layer), the MAC layer may alternatively not discard the associated data packets, e.g., when a protocol data unit set at the MAC layer is being transmitted over the air interface, the protocol data unit set is not discarded.

[0256] It should be noted that the above-described discarding procedures shown in the embodiments of Figures 4 to 9 are merely illustrative examples, and in actual applications, the discarding procedures may alternatively include more or fewer steps, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0257] The process of triggering discard processing of a protocol data unit set is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For example, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a procedure for triggering discard processing by a data packet discard method according to an embodiment of the present application. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0258] S1001: A network device sends discard instruction information for a set of protocol data units to a transmitting end device.

[0259] The network device transmitting the discard instruction information for the protocol data unit set to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring the discard instruction information for the protocol data unit set in the UE. For example, the data structure corresponding to the discard instruction information for the protocol data unit set configured by the network device may be, for example, an enumeration or a Boolean. The enumerated content may be true, and may be represented as, for example, PDUsetDiscard ENUMERATED{true}. However, the specific data structure of the discard instruction information is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0260] For example, the discard instruction information may be carried in multiple messages sent by the network device to the transmitting end device, or may be sent to the transmitting end device as a separate message, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0261] S1002: The transmitting end device receives discard instruction information for a set of protocol data units or a data packet, and triggers discarding of the set of protocol data units or the data packet.

[0262] In some embodiments, when receiving the discard instruction information, the transmitting end device may enable a service to discard the protocol data unit set in response to the discard instruction information. During the transmission of the protocol data unit set, when it is determined that the protocol data unit set meets the condition for discard processing, discarding of the protocol data unit set may be triggered at the protocol layer. For the method of determining whether the protocol data unit set meets the condition for discard processing and the process of discarding the protocol data unit set, please refer to the relevant descriptions above, respectively, which will not be described again here.

[0263] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when a packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets need to be transmitted is determined by calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival times of the data packets, and dependencies between protocol data unit sets, and if there is no need to continue transmission, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0264] It should be noted that the above-described discard processing procedure shown in the embodiment of Figure 10 is only an illustrative example, and in actual applications, the discard processing procedure may alternatively include more or fewer steps, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0265] For example, Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. This procedure may be performed by a transmitting end device, and this procedure may specifically include the following steps:

[0266] S1101: Determine whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, wherein the decision criteria used in the preset decision method include at least one of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, a packet loss timer for the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, wherein the attribute information is associated with allowing or not allowing discarding, and the protocol data unit set includes one or more data packets.

[0267] In an embodiment, the data packet may be a PDU data packet or an SDU data packet, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0268] In an embodiment, discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets in the protocol data unit set may include discarding non-discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set. The non-discarded data packets here may be data packets that have been received but not discarded by the transmitting end, or may be data packets in the protocol data unit set that have not been received. In other words, if it is determined that a data packet in the protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the data packet in the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately after being received.

[0269] In some embodiments, the protocol data unit set may correspond to a PDU set, but this is not limited to such.

[0270] In some embodiments, allowing discard means that a protocol data unit set or data packet may be allowed to be discarded, but will not cause the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set to be discarded, and not allowing discard means that a protocol data unit set or data packet is not allowed to be discarded, which, if discarded, will cause the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set to be discarded.

[0271] In some embodiments, the attribute information being associated with allowance or disallowance of discarding means that a data packet or a set of protocol data units having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or protocol data unit that is allowed to be discarded, or that a data packet or a set of protocol data units having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or a set of protocol data units that is not allowed to be discarded. For example, a high priority attribute is associated with disallowance of discarding. In this case, a packet protocol data unit set having a high priority is a data packet or a protocol data unit set that is not allowed to be discarded, and if discarding occurs, discarding is required and the corresponding protocol data unit set or other data packets in the protocol data unit set are discarded.

[0272] In some embodiments, the transmitting end may be, but is not limited to, a user equipment.

[0273] In some embodiments, determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method may alternatively mean determining whether a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set satisfies a discard condition according to a preset decision method, and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set when the discard condition is met.

[0274] S1102: If it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet.

[0275] In an embodiment, the first attribute information includes at least one of a sequence number corresponding to the protocol data unit set, a total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, a priority of the protocol data unit set, and a dependency of the protocol data unit set, and the second attribute information includes at least one of a data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet, a position of the data packet in the protocol data unit set, an importance of the data packet, and a priority of the data packet.

[0276] In an embodiment, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set, obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, and discarding the protocol data unit set or data packet if the number of lost packets reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold.

[0277] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of receiving first configuration information sent by a receiving end, where the first configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a pre-configured packet loss threshold by a transmitting end, where the transmitting end uses a protocol layer to receive a packet loss threshold sent by an upper layer of the transmitting end; or receiving second configuration information sent by a core network, where the second configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold.

[0278] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold preconfigured by the transmitting end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmitting end may be a dynamically configured packet loss rate threshold.

[0279] In an embodiment, when the transmitting end configures the packet loss threshold, the method further includes the step of configuring the packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity, configuring the packet loss threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB, configuring the packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set, or configuring the packet loss threshold at the granularity of a type of protocol data unit set, where the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, and a sequence number of the protocol data unit set.

[0280] In an embodiment, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set; obtaining a packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set based on a ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set; and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets when the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold.

[0281] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of receiving third configuration information sent by the receiving end, where the third configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a pre-configured packet loss rate threshold by the transmitting end, using a protocol layer of the transmitting end to receive a packet loss rate threshold sent by an upper layer of the transmitting end; or receiving fourth configuration information sent by the core network, where the fourth configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold.

[0282] In an embodiment, when the transmitting end configures the packet loss rate threshold, the method further includes the steps of: configuring the packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity, configuring the packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a DRB, configuring the packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set, or configuring the packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a type of protocol data unit set, where the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, and a sequence number of the protocol data unit set.

[0283] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of: setting a packet loss counter, where the packet loss counter is configured to count the number of discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set; adding 1 to the count value of the packet loss counter when discarding one data packet in the protocol data unit set is obtained; and obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set based on the count value of the packet loss counter.

[0284] In an embodiment, when the packet loss counter counts the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set, the method further comprises the step of skipping, by the packet loss counter, counting discarded data packets that were successfully transmitted.

[0285] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet; releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets has been completed; releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when a ratio of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set has not reached or exceeded a packet loss rate threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets has been completed; releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when a ratio of the count value of the counter to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded a corresponding packet loss rate threshold; or releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the count value of the counter has reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold.

[0286] In an embodiment, the method further comprises setting a packet loss counter when there is a successfully transmitted data packet.

[0287] In an embodiment, when the decision criterion used in the pre-configured decision method is a packet loss timer of a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set, and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the packet loss timer expires, or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet has not been completed when the packet loss timer expires.

[0288] In an embodiment, the method further comprises starting a packet loss timer upon receiving a first data packet in a protocol data unit set.

[0289] In an embodiment, the method further comprises discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the transmission time of the protocol data unit set exceeds a packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer.

[0290] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of receiving fifth configuration information sent by a receiving end, where the fifth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a pre-configured packet loss timer by a transmitting end, where, using a protocol layer of the transmitting end, it receives a packet loss timer sent by an upper layer of the transmitting end; or receiving sixth configuration information sent by a core network, where the sixth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer.

[0291] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet, releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has not expired and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or the data packet is completed, or releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has expired.

[0292] In an embodiment, when the decision criteria used in the pre-configured decision method are the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set and a packet loss timer, the method specifically comprises the steps of: obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to the protocol data unit set and a packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or if the transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet is not completed when the packet loss timer expires; or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or if the packet loss timer expires.

[0293] In an embodiment, the transmission of a protocol data unit set or a data packet is not completed specifically includes that a data packet in the protocol data unit set exists at the transmission end.

[0294] In an embodiment, when the decision criteria used in the preset decision method are first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, the method specifically comprises a step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet set if the protocol data unit set having the first attribute information is discarded when the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set is associated with non-permission of discarding, or a step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the data packet having the second attribute information is discarded when the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet is associated with non-permission of discarding.

[0295] In an embodiment, the method further includes the steps of: acquiring seventh configuration information sent by the receiving end, where the seventh configuration information indicates first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and the receiving end is configured to receive the data packet; acquiring the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet pre-configured by the transmitting end; receiving, using a protocol layer of the transmitting end, the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet sent by an upper layer of the transmitting end; or receiving eighth configuration information sent by the core network, where the eighth configuration information indicates the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet.

[0296] In an embodiment, when the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is a dependency between a protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: acquiring that there is a dependency between a first protocol data unit set and at least one second protocol data unit set; and discarding the first protocol data unit set or data packets included in the first protocol data unit set if it is acquired based on the dependency that the second protocol data unit set has been discarded; or discarding the first protocol data unit set or data packets included in the first protocol data unit set if it is acquired based on the dependency that the number of discarded second protocol data unit sets has reached a preset threshold.

[0297] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with the first protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of receiving ninth configuration information sent by the receiving end, where the ninth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets transmitted by the transmitting end; obtaining a dependency identifier preconfigured by the transmitting end; receiving, using a protocol layer of the transmitting end, a dependency identifier sent by an upper layer of the transmitting end; or receiving tenth configuration information sent by a core network, where the tenth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the dependency identifier indicates another protocol data unit set interdependent with the protocol data unit set.

[0298] In an embodiment, the method further includes receiving packet loss indication information sent by the receiving end or an upper layer of the transmitting end, where the packet loss indication information indicates to the transmitting end to trigger discarding of the protocol data unit set or discarding of the data packet, and triggering discarding of the protocol data unit set or discarding of the data packet at the protocol layer.

[0299] In an embodiment, the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set when it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method specifically includes the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the protocol layer of the transmitting end device determines to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method.

[0300] In an embodiment, the method further includes a step of, when the protocol layer entity of the transmitting end device determines to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet, if the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to a next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, sending a notification message by the protocol layer entity to the protocol layer entity of the next layer, wherein the notification message indicates to the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet.

[0301] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a data packet discarding method applied to a receiving end, the method including: sending configuration information to a transmitting end, so that the transmitting end determines whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method based on at least one of the configuration information, the configuration information including at least one of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency identifier.

[0302] In one example, the method further includes configuring the configuration information at a granularity of a protocol layer entity, configuring the configuration information at a granularity of a DRB, configuring the configuration information at a granularity of a protocol data unit set, or configuring the configuration information at a granularity of a type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, and a sequence number of the protocol data unit set.

[0303] In one example, the data structure of the configuration information is a sequence structure.

[0304] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a data packet discarding method applied to a transmitting end, the method including: receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end, where the packet loss indication information indicates to the transmitting end to trigger discarding of a protocol data unit set or discarding of a data packet; and triggering at a protocol layer discarding of a protocol data unit set or discarding of a data packet in the protocol data unit set, where the protocol data unit set includes at least one data packet.

[0305] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a data packet discarding method applied to a transmitting end, the method including: receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end, where the packet loss indication information indicates to the transmitting end to trigger discarding a protocol data unit set or discarding a data packet; and triggering a protocol layer to perform the data packet discarding method according to any one of the foregoing embodiments.

[0306] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a transmitting end device, including one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store one or more computer programs, and the one or more computer programs include instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, enable the transmitting end to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0307] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system including a transmitting end device and a receiving end device, wherein the transmitting end device is configured to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods, and the receiving end is configured to receive a data packet in a protocol data unit set transmitted by the transmitting end.

[0308] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable program instructions, and when the computer-executable program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer or processor is enabled to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0309] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product including instructions, wherein the computer program product includes computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer or processor is enabled to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0310] All or part of the foregoing embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on or transmitted using a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) methods. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, incorporating one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a soft disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0311] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the method in the embodiments can be implemented using a computer program that instructs relevant hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments can be executed. The above-mentioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a ROM, a random access memory RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0312] The above description is only a specific implementation of the embodiments of the present application, and the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of the present application shall fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0313] 1 antenna 2 antennas 10 System Architecture 100 Transmission End Device 110 processors 120 External Memory Interface 121 internal memory 130 USB interface 140 Charging Management Module 141 Power Management Module 142 Battery 150 Mobile communication module 160 Wireless Communication Module 170 Audio Module 170A speaker 170B Telephone Receiver 170C Microphone 170D Headset Jack 180 Sensor Module 190 keys 191 Motor 192 indicators 193 Camera 194 Display screen 195 SIM card interface 200 Receiving End Device

Claims

1. A data packet discarding method applied at a transmitting end, comprising: determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets included in said protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, wherein decision criteria used in said preset decision method include at least one of the number of lost packets corresponding to said protocol data unit set, a packet loss timer for said protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to said protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to said data packets, and a dependency between said protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, said attribute information being associated with permission or non-permission of discarding, and said protocol data unit set including one or more data packets; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet included in the protocol data unit set when it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet according to the preset decision method; A method comprising:

2. the first attribute information includes at least one of a sequence number corresponding to the protocol data unit set, a total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, a priority of the protocol data unit set, and a dependency of the protocol data unit set; the second attribute information includes at least one of a data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet, a position of the data packet in the protocol data unit set, an importance of the data packet, and a priority of the data packet; The method of claim 1.

3. obtaining, configured by the receiving end, one or more of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with the first protocol data unit set, and first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet; obtaining one or more of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with a first protocol data unit set, and first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, which are preconfigured by the transmitting end; receiving, via a protocol layer at the transmitting end, one or more of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with a first protocol data unit set, and first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, which are sent by an upper layer at the transmitting end; or obtaining one or more of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship with the first protocol data unit set, and first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to the data packets, configured by the core network; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. the configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold, the packet loss rate threshold, or the packet loss timer is a protocol layer entity; the configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold, the packet loss rate threshold, or the packet loss timer is a data radio bearer (DRB); the configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold, the packet loss rate threshold, or the packet loss timer is the protocol data unit set; or a configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold, the packet loss rate threshold, or the packet loss timer is a type of the protocol data unit set, and the type of the protocol data unit set is at least one of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, or a sequence number of the protocol data unit set; 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the method comprises: obtaining a packet loss threshold and / or a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the set of protocol data units; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the set of protocol data units; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the number of lost packets reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold; and / or obtaining a packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set based on a ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set; and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

6. The step of obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the set of protocol data units comprises: setting a packet loss counter, the packet loss counter configured to count the number of discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set; adding 1 to the count value of the packet loss counter when one data packet in the protocol data unit set is discarded; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the set of protocol data units based on the count value of the packet loss counter; 6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

7. When the packet loss counter counts the number of the discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set, the method further comprises: skipping counting discarded data packets that are successfully transmitted by the packet loss counter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

8. Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set does not reach or exceed the packet loss threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or the data packets is completed; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when a ratio of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set to the total number of the data packets included in the protocol data unit set does not reach or exceed the packet loss rate threshold and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or the data packets is completed; Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when a ratio of the count value of the packet loss counter to the total number of the data packets included in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds the corresponding packet loss rate threshold; or Releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the count value of the packet loss counter reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, further comprising:

9. setting the packet loss counter when there is a successfully transmitted data packet.

9. The method of any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising:

10. When the decision criterion used in the pre-configured decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, the method comprises: obtaining the packet loss timer corresponding to the set of protocol data units; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when the packet loss timer expires; or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet has not been completed when the packet loss timer expires; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

11. starting the packet loss timer upon receiving a first data packet in the protocol data unit set.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

12. discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet when a transmission time of the protocol data unit set exceeds a packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

13. releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet; Releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has not expired and transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or the data packet is complete; or Releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer expires.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

14. When the decision criteria used in the preset decision method are the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set and the packet loss timer, the method comprises: obtaining the packet loss threshold corresponding to the set of protocol data units and the packet loss timer corresponding to the set of protocol data units; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the set of protocol data units; discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or if transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet is not complete when the packet loss timer expires; or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or if the packet loss timer expires; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

15. 15. The method according to claim 10, wherein transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet is not completed comprises the presence of a data packet in the protocol data unit set at the transmitting end.

16. When the determination criterion used in the preset determination method is the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, the method includes: discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the protocol data unit set having the first attribute information is discarded when the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set is associated with disallowance of discarding; or discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet is associated with non-permission of discarding and a data packet having the second attribute information is discarded; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

17. When the decision criterion used in the pre-configured decision method is the dependency between the set of protocol data units and another set of protocol data units, the method comprises: obtaining a dependency relationship between a first set of protocol data units and at least one second set of protocol data units; discarding the first protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the first protocol data unit set when it is determined based on the dependency that the second protocol data unit set has been discarded; or discarding the first protocol data unit set or the data packets included in the first protocol data unit set when it is determined based on the dependency that the number of discarded second protocol data unit sets has reached a preset threshold; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

18. receiving packet loss indication information sent by a receiving end or an upper layer of the transmitting end, the packet loss indication information instructing the transmitting end to trigger discarding of the protocol data unit set or discarding of the data packet; triggering, at a protocol layer, the discarding of said protocol data unit set or the discarding of said data packet; 18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising:

19. A data packet discarding method applied to a user equipment, comprising: discarding a protocol data unit set when a packet loss timer expires, said packet loss timer corresponding to a first type of protocol data unit set; A method comprising:

20. The step of discarding the protocol data unit set when the packet loss timer expires comprises: discarding the set of protocol data units of the first type when the packet loss timer expires.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

21. The step of discarding the protocol data unit set when the packet loss timer expires comprises: discarding the protocol data unit set when the packet loss timer expires and if packet loss indication information is configured, the packet loss indication information instructing to perform discarding of the protocol data unit set.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, comprising:

22. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first type comprises one or more of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, and a sequence number of the protocol data unit set.

23. the first type is the importance of the protocol data unit set, and the packet loss timer includes a first packet loss timer and a second packet loss timer; the first packet loss timer corresponds to a first importance set of protocol data units; the second packet loss timer corresponds to a protocol data unit set of a second importance, and the first importance is lower than the second importance; 23. The method of claim 22.

24. the configuration granularity of the packet loss timer is a protocol layer entity, and the protocol layer entity is a PDCP entity or an RLC entity; The configuration granularity of the packet loss timer is a Data Radio Bearer (DRB) or the configuration granularity of the packet loss timer is the protocol data unit set; or a configuration granularity of the packet loss timer is a type of the protocol data unit set, and the type of the protocol data unit set is at least one of a priority of the protocol data unit set, an importance of the protocol data unit set, or a sequence number of the protocol data unit set; 24. The method of any one of claims 19 to 23.

25. The step of discarding a set of protocol data units comprises: discarding all data packets in said protocol data unit set.

25. The method of any one of claims 19 to 24, comprising:

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein subsequently received data packets in the protocol data unit set are discarded.

27. A transmitting end device, one or more processors; One or more memories and Equipped with the one or more memories store one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, enable the transmitting end device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19 to 26; Transmission end device.

28. 27. A communication system comprising a transmitting end device and a receiving end device, the transmitting end device being configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19 to 26.

29. 27. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable program instructions that, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19 to 26.

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