Communication method and communication device

Abstract

This application provides a communication method, a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product in the field of communication. In some technical solutions provided in this application, a maximum remaining transmission delay of data is determined for the data based on the remaining period of a timer maintained for the data, i.e., the remaining time of the data is determined and reported to an access network device, so that the access network device can schedule the data based on the remaining time to help the data be successfully transmitted within the recorded transmission delay, thereby improving the success rate of data transmission.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310183981.7, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Apparatus," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 20, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of this application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to communications devices and communication apparatuses. [Background technology]

[0002] Extended reality (XR) services typically have high latency requirements. For example, a typical packet delay budget (PDB) for an uplink augmented reality (AR) service requires 30 milliseconds (ms). In other words, the upper limit of the transmission latency from when a data packet arrives at the access layer of a user equipment (UE) to when the data packet arrives at the N6 interface of a user plane function (UPF) network element is 30 ms. If a data packet is not successfully transmitted within the time required by the PDB, the data packet is considered to be out of date and invalid. In another example, if the transmission delay from the time when the first data packet in a protocol data unit (PDU) set of an XR service arrives at the access stratum of the UE to the time when the last data packet arrives at the N6 interface of the UPF network element exceeds the time required by the PDU set delay budget (PSDB), the PDU set is considered to be outdated and invalid. Therefore, the network needs to complete data scheduling and transmission within the delay budget as much as possible to avoid data timeouts affecting service experience.

[0003] Currently, in order to enable the network to complete data scheduling and transmission within the delay budget as much as possible, the following technical solutions are proposed in communication standards: the UE reports the remaining time of data to be transmitted to the base station, so that the base station can complete data scheduling within the delay budget based on the relevant time information to avoid data timeout.

[0004] However, how the UE should report the remaining time of data to be transmitted to the base station is not further specified in the communication standard. Summary of the Invention

[0005] For the technical problem of how a UE should report the remaining time of data to be transmitted to a base station, this application proposes a new communication method, a communication device, a communication system, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applicable to a first communication device, the method comprising the steps of: determining a remaining time of a first data packet based on a remaining period of a timer, where the remaining time of the first data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of the first data packet, the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the remaining period of the timer, the timer is a timer for the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a data packet set including the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a second data packet, the second data packet being a first data packet in the data packet set including the first data packet; and transmitting first information to the second communication device, wherein the first information indicates a remaining time, or the first information indicates a remaining time interval including the remaining time, or the first information indicates whether there is a data packet whose remaining duration is less than or equal to a duration threshold.

[0007] In the communication method, the meaning of the remaining time of a data packet is clearly defined, i.e., a manner for determining the remaining time of a data packet is specified, and an associated manner for a first communication device to indicate the remaining time of a data packet to a second communication device is specified, thereby enabling the second communication device to perform resource scheduling based on the remaining time of the data packet, thereby facilitating successful transmission of the data packet within the estimated transmission delay.

[0008] The first communication device may be a UE and the second communication device may be an access network device, for example, a base station.

[0009] In some possible implementations, when the first information indicates a remaining time, the remaining time is less than or equal to a duration threshold, or the remaining time is a minimum remaining time.

[0010] Alternatively, when the remaining time of the data packet is equal to or less than the duration threshold, or when the remaining time of the data packet is the minimum remaining time, the first information is transmitted to the second communication device. In this implementation, waste of transmission resources can be avoided, and transmission resource utilization is improved.

[0011] In this implementation, optionally, before the first information is transmitted, the first protocol layer of the first communication device indicates second information to the second protocol layer of the first communication device, where the second information indicates the remaining time of the first data packet. Thus, the first communication device can transmit the first information to the second communication device based on the second information in the second protocol layer.

[0012] The first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer, and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer. For example, the PDCP layer may indicate to the MAC the remaining time of a data packet that has not yet been sent to the RLC layer.

[0013] Alternatively, the first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer and the second protocol layer may be an RLC layer. For example, the PDCP layer may indicate to the RLC layer the remaining time of a data packet transmitted to the RLC layer.

[0014] Alternatively, the first protocol layer is the RLC layer and the second protocol layer is the MAC layer. For example, after receiving the remaining time from the PDCP layer, the RLC layer indicates the remaining time to the MAC layer.

[0015] In this implementation, optionally, the first information further indicates the data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is the maximum remaining transmission delay of each data packet, and the remaining time of each data packet is equal to the remaining time of the first data packet. This indication method can save transmission resources.

[0016] For example, after the remaining time of each of the plurality of data packets in the first communication device is obtained, the remaining times are aggregated, and the data amounts of the data packets having the same remaining time are aggregated, and the first information indicates at least one of the remaining time and the aggregated data amount corresponding to each remaining time. The first information may indicate a minimum remaining time and the aggregated data amount corresponding to the minimum remaining time, or may indicate each remaining time less than a duration threshold and the aggregated data amount corresponding to each remaining time.

[0017] Optionally, the first information further indicates the remaining time of the first data packet and the amount of data in the first data packet.

[0018] For example, the remaining time of each of a plurality of data packets in the first communication device may be obtained, and the remaining time of each data packet and the amount of data of each data packet may be indicated to the second communication device.

[0019] Optionally, when indicating the remaining time to the second protocol layer, the first protocol layer may further indicate the data amount of the data packet corresponding to the remaining time.

[0020] For example, when the first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer, the PDCP layer may indicate to the MAC the remaining time of a data packet that has not been transmitted to the RLC layer and the amount of data corresponding to the remaining time.

[0021] Alternatively, when the first protocol layer is the RLC layer and the second protocol layer is the MAC layer, after receiving the remaining time from the PDCP layer, the RLC layer indicates the remaining time and the amount of data in the data packet corresponding to the remaining time to the MAC layer.

[0022] When the first information further indicates a data amount of the at least one data packet, optionally, before the first information is transmitted, the first protocol layer of the first communication device indicates third information to the second protocol layer of the first communication device, the third information indicating the data amount of the first data packet. The first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer or an RLC layer, and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer.

[0023] For example, after learning the data amount of the data packet, the second protocol layer associates the data amount of the data packet with a timer of the data packet, and maintains and manages the remaining data amount of the data packet and the remaining period of the timer. When the first information needs to be reported, the remaining period of the data packet is determined based on the remaining period of the timer, and the first information is transmitted based on the remaining data amount and the remaining period.

[0024] In some possible implementations, when the first information indicates a remaining time interval, the remaining time interval is a minimum remaining time interval, or the total remaining time within the remaining time interval is less than the duration threshold.

[0025] In other words, after the remaining time of each data packet in the first communication device is obtained, the remaining time is divided into at least one time interval. The division method or the duration of each time interval can be set. Only when there is a time interval in which all the remaining times included in the remaining time interval obtained through division are less than the duration threshold, the first information is transmitted to the second communication device.

[0026] In this implementation, the first information may indicate a minimum time interval among the time intervals obtained through division, or a time interval in which all remaining times included are less than a specified duration threshold. The remaining time interval in which the remaining time of the first data packet is located may be the minimum remaining time interval or a time interval less than a specified duration threshold.

[0027] In this implementation, waste of transmission resources can be avoided and transmission resource utilization is improved.

[0028] In this implementation, optionally, before the first information is transmitted, the first protocol layer of the first communication device indicates second information to the second protocol layer of the first communication device, where the second information indicates a remaining time interval of the data packet. Thus, the first communication device can transmit the first information to the second communication device based on the second information in the second protocol layer.

[0029] The first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer, and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer. For example, the PDCP layer may indicate to the MAC a remaining time interval for a data packet that has not yet been transmitted to the RLC layer.

[0030] Alternatively, the first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer and the second protocol layer may be an RLC layer, for example, the PDCP layer may indicate to the RLC layer the remaining time interval of a data packet transmitted to the RLC layer.

[0031] Alternatively, the first protocol layer is an RLC layer and the second protocol layer is a MAC layer. For example, the PDCP layer indicates to the RLC layer the remaining time or remaining time interval of a data packet transmitted thereto. After receiving the remaining time or remaining time interval, the RLC layer indicates the remaining time interval to the MAC layer.

[0032] In this implementation, optionally, the first information further indicates the amount of data of at least one data packet, the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is the maximum remaining transmission delay of each data packet, and the remaining time interval includes the remaining time of each data packet.

[0033] For example, the remaining time of each data packet in the first communication device may be obtained, and the remaining time may be divided into at least one time interval, and then the data amounts of all data packets whose remaining times are within the same remaining time interval may be counted, and the data amounts obtained through counting in each remaining time interval are associated with each remaining time interval. When the first information indicates a specific remaining time interval, the first information also indicates the data amount associated with the remaining time interval.

[0034] Optionally, when indicating the remaining time interval to the second protocol layer, the first protocol layer may further indicate the amount of data corresponding to the remaining time interval.

[0035] For example, when the first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer, the PDCP layer may indicate to the MAC the remaining time interval of data packets that have not been transmitted to the RLC layer and the amount of data corresponding to the remaining time interval.

[0036] Alternatively, when the first protocol layer is the RLC layer and the second protocol layer is the MAC layer, after receiving the remaining time from the PDCP layer, the RLC layer indicates to the MAC layer a remaining time interval and a data amount corresponding to the remaining time interval based on the remaining time.

[0037] When the first information further indicates a data amount corresponding to a remaining time interval, optionally, before the first information is transmitted, the first protocol layer of the first communication device indicates third information to the second protocol layer of the first communication device, the third information indicating a data amount of the first data packet. The first protocol layer may be a PDCP layer or an RLC layer, and the second protocol layer may be a MAC layer.

[0038] For example, after learning the data amount of the data packet, the second protocol layer associates the data amount of the data packet with a timer of the data packet, and maintains and manages the remaining data amount of the data packet and the remaining period of the timer. When the first information needs to be reported, the remaining time of the data packet is determined based on the remaining period of the timer, and the remaining time interval and the data amount corresponding to each remaining time interval are determined based on the remaining time.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold when the first information indicates that there is a data packet in the first communication device whose remaining time is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

[0040] Alternatively, after the remaining time of each of the plurality of data packets is obtained, it may be determined whether the remaining time corresponding to the plurality of data packets includes a remaining time that is less than a duration threshold, and when the remaining time includes a remaining time that is less than the duration threshold, the first information is transmitted to the second communication device.

[0041] In this implementation, waste of transmission resources can be avoided and transmission resource utilization is improved.

[0042] In any of the above implementations, optionally, the second information and / or the third information sent by the first protocol layer to the second protocol layer may be sent at the request of the second protocol layer, e.g., the second protocol layer requests the second information and / or the third information from the first protocol layer.

[0043] In any of the above implementations, optionally, the timer may be a timer at the MAC layer, for example, the timer may be a newly defined timer at the MAC layer.

[0044] Alternatively, optionally, the timer may be a timer in the PDCP layer, for example, the timer may be a "discard timer" in the PDCP layer or a newly defined timer in the PDCP layer.

[0045] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a communications device, which may include modules configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect, each module being implemented by software and / or hardware.

[0046] For example, the communication device may include a processing module and a transmitting module, and the processing module may include a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer.

[0047] The processing module is configured to determine a remaining time of the first data packet based on a remaining period of a timer, wherein the remaining time of the first data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of the first data packet, the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the remaining period of the timer, and the timer is a timer for the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a data packet set including the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a second data packet, the second data packet being a first data packet in the data packet set including the first data packet.

[0048] The transmitting module is configured to transmit first information to the second communication device, where the first information indicates a remaining time, or the first information indicates a remaining time interval including the remaining time, or the first information indicates whether there is a data packet whose remaining time is less than or equal to a time threshold.

[0049] Optionally, the first protocol layer indicates second information to the second protocol layer, the second information indicating a remaining time of the first data packet and / or a data amount of a data packet whose remaining time is equal to the remaining time of the first data packet, or the second information indicating a remaining time interval and / or a data amount of a data packet whose remaining time is within the remaining time interval.

[0050] According to a third aspect, the application provides a communications device, which may include a processor. Further, the communications device may include a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-executable program code, the program code including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the device to perform the method of the first aspect.

[0051] In this implementation, the apparatus may be a communication device or a chip used in a communication device, for example, the communication device may be a UE.

[0052] According to a fourth aspect, the application provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to carry out the method of the first aspect.

[0053] According to a fifth aspect, the application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on an electronic device or computer, enable the electronic device or computer to perform the method of the first aspect.

[0054] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the second or third aspect.

[0055] For the beneficial effects of the second to fifth aspects, please refer to the beneficial effects brought about by the first aspect, and the details will not be described again here. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0056] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of a configuration of a communication system according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a protocol layer configuration according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram of a configuration of a communication device according to one embodiment of the present application; [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a configuration of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0057] 1 is a diagram of the configuration of a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication system architecture includes a UE, an access network, a core network, and a DN.

[0058] The UE in this embodiment may be a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a UE terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a multimedia device, a streaming media device, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal in a future 5G network, a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), or the like.

[0059] As an example, the UE in this embodiment may be a terminal capable of implementing extended reality (XR) services, where XR may include augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR).

[0060] A radio access network (RAN) functions as a device that provides wireless access to UEs, and includes, but is not limited to, base stations (evolved NodeBs, eNodeBs), wireless fidelity access points (Wi-Fi APs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), worldwide interoperability for microwave access base stations (WiMAX BSs), and the like.

[0061] A core network (CN) device corresponds to different devices in different communication systems. For example, a core network device may correspond to a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) and / or a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) in 3G. A core network device may correspond to a mobility management entity (MME) and / or a serving gateway (S-GW) in 4G. A core network device may correspond to an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), or a user plane function (UPF) in 5G.

[0062] Referring to the example of FIG. 1, the core network may include any one of the following network elements: AMF, SMF, UPF, policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM) network element, and application function (AF).

[0063] As an example, the functions of the network elements mentioned above are as follows:

[0064] The AMF is mainly responsible for functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization in a mobile network, including user registration management, reachability detection, SMF network element selection, and mobility status conversion management, etc. The AMF may also be responsible for transferring user policies between the UE and the PCF network element.

[0065] The SMF is mainly responsible for functions such as session management (including session establishment, modification, and deletion management), execution of control policies delivered by the PCF, UPF network element selection, and UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation in the mobile network.

[0066] The UPF acts as an interface to the data network and is primarily responsible for routing and forwarding data packets, supporting mobility anchor points, supporting uplink classifiers for routing service flows to the data network, and supporting branching points for supporting multi-homed PDU sessions.

[0067] The PCF is responsible for providing policies, such as QoS policies or slice selection policies, to the AMF and SMF.

[0068] The UDM is configured to store user data such as subscription information and authentication / authorization information.

[0069] The AF is responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network, for example, by influencing service routing or interacting with the PCF to perform policy control.

[0070] A DN is an operator network that provides users with data transmission services, such as Internet Protocol Multi-media Services (IMS) and XR services.

[0071] Referring to the example of Figure 1, the interface between the UE and the AMF is N1, the interface between the AMF and the RAN is N2, the interface between the RAN and the UPF is N3, the interface between the UPF and the SMF is N4, the interface between the PCF and the AF is N5, the interface between the UPF and the DN is N6, the interface between the SMF and the PCF is N7, the interface between the AMF and the UDM is N8, the interface between the UDM and the SMF is N10, the interface between the AMF and the SMF is N11, and the interface between the UDM and the PCF is N25.

[0072] The UE may access the DN by using a protocol data unit (PDU) session between the UE, the RAN, the UPF, and the DN.

[0073] 2 is a diagram of a protocol layer configuration in a UE according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the protocol stack may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer.

[0074] The RRC layer functions include at least one of the following: broadcast system messages, paging functions, RRC, security functions, end-to-end radio bearer setup, modification, and release, mobility management, MBMS service notification, MBMS service radio bearer setup, modification, and release, QoS management functions, UE measurement reporting and measurement control, NAS message transmission, and NAS message integrity protection.

[0075] RRC includes connection establishment, maintenance, and release, including allocation of temporary representations between the UE and the E-UTRAN, and configuration of signaling radio bearers. Security functions include key management. Mobility management includes UE measurement reporting and reporting control, inter-cell handover, UE cell selection and reselection, and RRC context transfer during handover for inter-cell and inter-RAT mobility.

[0076] The PDCP layer is responsible for performing header compression to reduce the bit traffic necessarily transmitted over the radio interface. At the receiving end, the PDCP layer is responsible for performing deciphering and decompression functions. For one terminal, each radio bearer has a PDCP entity. Whether a PDCP entity is associated with the control plane or the user plane depends on which radio bearer it provides data for. The PDCP layer performs integrity checking on RRC and NAS messages on the control plane, but not on the user plane.

[0077] The RLC layer is responsible for segmentation, connection, and retransmission handling, as well as sequential transmission of higher layer data. The RLC layer serves the PDCP layer in the form of radio bearers, with one RLC entity configured for each radio bearer of each terminal. Its main purpose is to deliver data to the peer RLC entity. Therefore, RLC provides three modes: transparent mode, unacknowledged mode, and acknowledged mode.

[0078] In transparent mode, no changes are made to the upper layer data, and no special processing is required on the RLC layer in this mode. An RLC entity in transparent mode receives data from the upper layer and forwards it to the lower MAC layer without any changes. In this case, there is no RLC header addition, data decomposition, or data concatenation.

[0079] In unacknowledged mode, detection of data packet loss can be supported and ordering and reassembly of data packets is provided. Unacknowledged mode can be used for any dedicated or multicast logical channel depending on the application and type of QoS expected. Data packet reordering refers to rearranging data that is received out of order.

[0080] Acknowledged mode is the most complex mode: in addition to the functionality supported by unacknowledged mode, an RLC entity in acknowledged mode can request its peer entity to retransmit a data packet when it detects a packet loss.

[0081] The MAC layer is responsible for handling hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmissions and uplink and downlink scheduling. The MAC layer provides services to the RLC layer via logical channels. Its main objectives are to provide an efficient connection between RLC layer services and the physical layer, perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, select a transmission format, e.g., select the transport block size and modulation plan as output parameters provided to the physical layer, manage the priority of logical channels between one or more UEs, perform error correction via the HARQ mechanism, perform filling, multiplex and demultiplex RLC PDUs, and measure and report service volume.

[0082] The services provided by the MAC to the higher layer mainly include data transmitter radio resource allocation, and the services provided by the physical layer to the MAC layer include data transmission, HARQ feedback signaling, scheduling request signaling, and measurement.

[0083] In uplink transmission, the MAC layer at the terminal side only multiplexes multiple uplink data streams at the MAC layer and decides whether to send an uplink scheduling request or transmit uplink data.

[0084] The PHY layer is responsible for handling encoding and decoding, modulation and demodulation, multi-antenna mapping, and other telecommunications physical layer functions. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer over a transmission channel.

[0085] The physical layer includes the following functions: detecting errors in the transmission channel and providing indications to higher layers; forward error correction and decoding of the transmission channel; hybrid automatic repeat request soft combining; rate matching and mapping between transmission and physical channels; physical channel power weighting; physical channel modulation and demodulation; time and frequency synchronization; measuring radio frequency features and providing indications to higher layers; MIMO antenna processing; transmission classification; beamforming; and radio frequency processing.

[0086] XR service is one of the 5G multimedia applications currently being mainly considered by the industry in communication systems. Generally, data for XR service is generated periodically. AR service with a frame rate of 60 fps is used as an example. In this embodiment, the UE can generate video images at 60 frames per second, i.e., one video frame approximately every 16.66 ms. One video frame can be transmitted by using multiple data packets.

[0087] Because there is a delay in encoding the data frames, there may be jitter in the time that the XR data arrives at the air interface in each period, i.e. the data arrival time may be earlier or later than the expected period instant, typically fluctuating within a few milliseconds.

[0088] However, XR services usually have high delay requirements. We use uplink AR service as an example. A typical packet delay budget (PDB) for uplink AR service is 30 ms. In other words, the upper limit of the transmission delay between when a data packet arrives at the access layer of the UE and when the data packet arrives at the N6 interface of the UPF is 30 ms. If a data packet is not successfully transmitted within the time required by the PDB, the data packet is considered to be out of date and invalid.

[0089] In addition to the PDB, the PDU set delay budget (PSDB) can also be considered in XR services. The meaning of the PDU set delay budget is similar to that of the PDB, and defines the upper limit of the transmission delay of a group of data packets (PDU set). In the uplink, the upper limit of the transmission delay is the upper limit of the period from the arrival of the first data packet in the PDU set at the access layer of the UE to the arrival of the last data packet at the N6 interface of the UPF. In the downlink, this is the opposite.

[0090] As an example, at the transmitting end, upon receiving a service data unit (SDU) from an upper layer, the PDCP layer starts a timer named "discardTimer" for the SDU. When the "discardTimer" expires, the PDCP layer discards the corresponding PDCP SDU and PDCP PDU. If the corresponding PDCP PDU has been delivered to a lower layer, the PDCP layer instructs the lower layer to discard the PDCP PDU. For the UE, the period of the "discardTimer" is configured via the network by RRC signaling using "PDCP-Config."

[0091] Therefore, the communication system should complete data scheduling and transmission within the delay budget as much as possible to avoid data timeouts affecting service experience. For example, the UE reports delay information of the UE's buffered data, such as remaining time (remaining time / remaining PDB), to the base station to assist the base station in determining the remaining time for data transmission to avoid data timeouts.

[0092] However, the communication protocol standard does not clearly define "remaining time" or "delay information," and does not specify how a UE calculates or obtains the information. In other words, based only on the current technical solutions, a UE cannot determine its own behavior and cannot determine how to report the "remaining time" or "delay information" to a base station.

[0093] For the above problems, this application provides relevant technical solutions to solve the above technical problems.

[0094] 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication method may include S310 and S320.

[0095] S310: The first communication device determines the remaining time of the first data packet based on the remaining period of the timer.

[0096] The first communication device may be a UE. The timer may be a timer maintained in the UE. The remaining period of the timer may be understood as the period from a current moment after the timer starts timing to a moment when the timer stops timing.

[0097] Optionally, the timer is a predefined timer or a newly defined timer.

[0098] Optionally, the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer or a timer in the MAC layer.

[0099] For example, if the timer is a timer maintained for data in the PDCP layer, the timer starts timing when the access stratum of the UE receives the data, and the UE discards the data associated with the timer after the timer expires.

[0100] For example, if the timer is a predefined timer in the PDCP layer, the timer can be a "discardTimer" in the PDCP layer.

[0101] In another example, each time a data packet, PDU set, or data burst arrives at the access stratum of the UE, the MAC layer of the UE starts a timer for that data packet, PDU set, or data burst.

[0102] If the timer is a timer already defined in the PDCP layer, the PDCP discard timer is reused. If no new timer or counter is introduced, the complexity of obtaining the remaining time can be reduced, which can effectively reflect the lifetime of the data packet in the transmission network.

[0103] The remaining time of a data packet is determined based on the remaining period of a timer maintained by the MAC layer, thereby avoiding frequent inter-layer interactions and reducing the implementation complexity of the UE.

[0104] Optionally, the timer is a timer maintained for a data packet or a timer maintained for a set of data packets, where an example of a data packet is a PDU and an example of a set of data packets is a PDU set.

[0105] In this embodiment, the first data packet can be any data packet to be transmitted in the UE, for example, it can be an independent data packet to be transmitted, or it can be a data packet in a data packet set.

[0106] In this embodiment, the remaining time of the first data packet can be understood as the maximum remaining transmission delay of the first data packet. In other words, if the first data packet does not arrive at the N6 interface of the UPF from the access stratum of the UE within the remaining time, the transmission of the first data packet is deemed to have expired.

[0107] In this embodiment, optionally, the remaining time of the first data packet is equal to the remaining period of the timer, or the remaining time of the first data packet is less than the remaining period of the timer.

[0108] In this embodiment, if the timer is a timer for a data packet, optionally, the data packet may be a first data packet, in other words, the remaining time of the first data packet is determined based on the remaining period of the timer for the first data packet.

[0109] For example, the PDCP layer maintains or defines a "discardTimer" for each data packet. The remaining period of the "discardTimer" maintained or defined for the first data packet may be used as the remaining time of the first data packet. When the "discardTimer" expires, the UE discards the first data packet.

[0110] In this embodiment, if the timer is a timer for a data packet, optionally, the data packet and the first data packet may be data packets in the same data packet set.

[0111] For example, the data packet may be the first data packet in a set of data packets. In other words, the remaining time of the first data packet may be determined based on the remaining period of a timer associated with the first data packet in the set of data packets in which the first data packet is located.

[0112] For example, the PDCP layer may maintain or define a "discardTimer" for each data packet. The remaining period of the "discardTimer" maintained or defined for a second data packet may be used as the remaining time for a first data packet. The second data packet and the first data packet are data packets in the same PDU set, and the second data packet is the first data packet in the PDU set. When the "discardTimer" corresponding to the first data packet in the PDU set expires, the PDCP layer may discard all data packets in the PDU set.

[0113] In this embodiment, if the timer is a timer for a data packet set, as an example, the PDCP layer maintains or defines a "discardTimer" for each PDU set, and the remaining period of the "discardTimer" associated with the PDU set can be used as the remaining time for each data packet in the PDU set. In other words, the remaining period of the "discardTimer" associated with the PDU set to which the first data packet belongs can be used as the remaining time for the first data packet. When the "discard timer associated with a PDU set expires," the PDCP layer discards all data packets in the PDU set.

[0114] In this embodiment of the present application, if the timer is a timer in the MAC layer, for the implementation of determining the remaining time of a data packet based on the remaining period of a specific timer, please refer to the above-mentioned implementation of determining the remaining time of a data packet based on the remaining period of a timer in the PDCP layer, and the details will not be described again here.

[0115] The timer at the MAC layer may be recorded as "DelayTimer". The timer period at the MAC layer may be configured by the gNB or may reuse the configuration of the discard timer at the PDCP layer.

[0116] S320: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, where the first information indicates a remaining time of the first data packet.

[0117] In this embodiment, the second communication device may be an access network device, for example, a radio access network device, and more specifically, a gNB.

[0118] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device when the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to a time threshold, the time threshold being configurable.

[0119] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device when the remaining time of the first data packet is the smallest remaining time in the current remaining time.

[0120] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device under other conditions or without any conditional restriction.

[0121] Optionally, the MAC layer in the first communication device may fill a MAC CE with the remaining time and report the remaining time of the first data packet to the second communication device via the MAC CE.

[0122] Considering that there is an interval between the generation time of the MAC CE and the actual transmission time, the MAC layer may subtract the time interval from the remaining time determined based on the remaining period of the timer to obtain the final remaining time of the first data packet, and fill the MAC CE with the final remaining time. In this way, the accuracy of the final remaining time of the first data packet can be improved, thereby improving the transmission success rate of the first data packet.

[0123] If the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer, optionally in this embodiment, Figure 4 is an example of a diagram of the interaction between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer in the first communication device.

[0124] It can be seen from S420 that after the PDCP layer determines the remaining time of the first data packet based on the remaining period of the timer, the PDCP layer may indicate the remaining time of the first data packet to the MAC layer.

[0125] Optionally, before S420, the MAC layer may send a request for the remaining time of the data packet to the PDCP layer, as shown in S410.

[0126] 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication method may include S510 and S520.

[0127] S510: The first communication device determines the remaining time of the first data packet based on the remaining period of the timer.

[0128] For this step, please refer to S310, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0129] For ease of description, in this embodiment, the remaining time of the first data packet is referred to as the first remaining time.

[0130] S520: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, the first information indicating a remaining time of a first data packet and a data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is equal to the remaining time of the first data packet.

[0131] In this embodiment, the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet being equal to the remaining time of the first data packet can be understood as the at least one data packet including all data packets whose remaining time is equal to the first remaining time. In other words, the first information indicates the first remaining time and the data amount of all data packets whose remaining time is equal to the first remaining time.

[0132] As an example, after determining the remaining time of each data packet in the manner shown in S310, the first communication device can aggregate the remaining times, i.e., count the data amounts of data packets having the same remaining time, and associate the data amounts with the remaining times. The first information can carry the remaining time and the data amounts, and the association relationship between the remaining time and the data amounts.

[0133] In this embodiment, the manner in which the first communication device sends the first information to the second communication device can be seen in S320, and the details will not be described again here.

[0134] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, if the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer, FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of exchanging the remaining time and data amount of a data packet between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer.

[0135] As shown in S620 of Figure 6, the PDCP layer indicates to the MAC layer the remaining time of data packet A and the data amount of at least one data packet, where the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is equal to the remaining time of data packet A. Data packet A may include a data packet that is in the PDCP layer but has not been delivered to the RLC layer.

[0136] As an example, data packet A may be a PDCP SDU that has not been constructed into a PDCP data PDU, a PDCP data PDU that has not been delivered to the RLC layer, or a PDCP SDU or PDCP data PDU (only in AM mode) awaiting retransmission.

[0137] It can be understood that the PDCP layer can indicate multiple remaining times and multiple data amounts to the MAC layer. The multiple data amounts correspond one-to-one to the multiple remaining times. Each data amount is the data amount of all data packets whose remaining time is equal to the remaining time corresponding to that data amount. The remaining time of data packet A is one of the multiple remaining times.

[0138] As shown in S630, the PDCP layer indicates the remaining time of data packet B to the RLC layer, and data packet B may include a data packet that is in the PDCP layer and has been delivered to the RLC layer.

[0139] As an example, data packet B may be RLC SDUs and RLC SDU segments that have not been assembled into an RLC data PDU, an RLC data PDU awaiting initial transmission, or an RLC data PDU awaiting retransmission (only in AM mode).

[0140] It can be understood that the PDCP layer can indicate multiple remaining times to the RLC layer, where the multiple remaining times include the remaining time of data packet B.

[0141] As shown in S640, the RLC layer indicates the remaining time of data packet B and the data amount of at least one data packet to the MAC layer, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is equal to the remaining time of data packet B.

[0142] It can be understood that the RLC layer can indicate a plurality of remaining times and a plurality of data amounts to the MAC layer. The plurality of data amounts correspond one-to-one to the plurality of remaining times. Each data amount is the data amount of all data packets whose remaining time is equal to the remaining time corresponding to the data amount. The remaining time of data packet B is one of the plurality of remaining times.

[0143] In some implementations, if a PDCP entity is associated with multiple RLC entities or multiple MAC entities, when indicating the remaining time to the RLC layer or MAC layer, the PDCP entity needs to indicate the remaining time to the corresponding RLC entity and MAC entity based on the data delivery path.

[0144] For example, assume that PDCP#1 is associated with RLC#1 and RLC#2, RLC#1 and RLC#2 are associated with MAC#1 and MAC#2, respectively, data packet #1 is delivered to RLC#1, data packet #2 is delivered to RLC#2, and data packet #3 has not been delivered to the RLC layer. PDCP#1 indicates the remaining time of data packet #1 to RLC#1, RLC#1 further indicates the remaining time of data packet #1 to MAC#1, PDCP#2 indicates the remaining time of data packet #2 to RLC#2, and RLC#2 further indicates the remaining time of data packet #2 to MAC#2.

[0145] For data packet #3, if data packet #3 can be delivered to RLC #2 as well as RLC #1 (e.g., if PDCP segmentation is enabled), or if data packet #3 is delivered to both RLC #1 and RLC #2 (e.g., if PDCP duplication is enabled), PDCP #1 indicates the remaining time of data packet 1 to MAC #1 and MAC #2, respectively. If data packet #3 is delivered only to RLC #1 (e.g., if neither segmentation nor duplication is enabled), PDCP #1 indicates the remaining time of data packet #3 to MAC #1.

[0146] Optionally, in this embodiment, the order of S620, S630, and S640 is not limited. For example, S620 may be located between S630 and S640, or may be located after S640.

[0147] Optionally, this embodiment may further include S610, that is, the MAC layer requests the remaining time and data amount of the data packet from the PDCP layer.

[0148] In some embodiments of this application, the PDCP layer and the RLC layer may optionally indicate the remaining time of each data packet and the data amount of each data packet to the MAC layer, and the MAC layer aggregates the remaining time and the data amount.

[0149] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, when the timer is a timer in the MAC layer, FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of exchanging the data amount of a data packet between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer.

[0150] At S730, the PDCP layer indicates to the MAC layer the amount of data in the data packet A. For the meaning of the data packet A, please refer to the meaning of the data packet A in the above embodiment, and the details will not be described again here.

[0151] It can be appreciated that the PDCP layer can indicate the amount of data in each of the multiple data packets to the MAC layer.

[0152] For example, when each data packet, PDU set, or data burst arrives at the access layer, the PDCP layer indicates to the MAC layer the amount of data in each data packet, PDU set, or data burst.

[0153] Optionally, this embodiment may further include S710, S730, and S740.

[0154] At S710, the MAC layer requests the amount of data in the data packet from the PDCP layer. Upon receiving the request, the PDCP layer notifies the MAC layer of the amount of data in data packet A.

[0155] At S730, the MAC layer requests the amount of data in the data packet from the RLC layer.

[0156] Upon learning the request, in S740, the RLC layer indicates the amount of data in the data packet B to the MAC layer. For the meaning of the data packet B, please refer to the meaning of the data packet B in the above embodiment. The details will not be described again here.

[0157] It can be appreciated that the RLC layer can indicate the amount of data in each of the multiple data packets to the MAC layer.

[0158] In this embodiment, the first data packet in the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0159] After learning the data amounts of the data packets from the PDCP layer and the RCL layer, the MAC layer can associate the data amount of each data packet with a corresponding timer in the MAC layer, and the MAC layer maintains the data amount. For example, after a data packet is correctly transmitted, the MAC layer subtracts the correctly transmitted data amount from the corresponding data amount to obtain the data amount associated with the current remaining time of the timer.

[0160] When the MAC layer needs to report the first information, the MAC layer may aggregate the remaining time and the data amount. For example, the MAC layer counts the data amount associated with the same remaining time to obtain the remaining time and the data amount associated with the remaining time, that is, obtain the first information.

[0161] 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication method may include S810 and S820.

[0162] S810: The first communication device determines a remaining time of a first data packet based on a remaining period of a timer.

[0163] For this step, please refer to S310, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0164] S820: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, where the first information indicates a remaining time interval, and the remaining time interval includes a remaining time of the first data packet.

[0165] In this embodiment, the remaining time interval including the remaining time of the first data packet can be understood as the upper limit of the remaining time interval being equal to or greater than the remaining time of the first data packet, and the lower limit of the remaining time interval being equal to or less than the remaining time of the first data packet. For ease of explanation, in this embodiment, the remaining time interval is referred to as the first remaining time interval.

[0166] For example, the UE performs interval division based on the remaining time of buffered data for each logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG), and reports the amount of data in each remaining time interval, for example, reporting information indicating that the remaining time of 500 bytes of data in LCH1 is between 0 ms and 10 ms, and the remaining time of 1000 bytes of data is between 10 ms and 20 ms.

[0167] In this embodiment, the second communication device may be an access network device, for example, a radio access network device, and more specifically, a gNB.

[0168] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device when the remaining time in the first remaining time interval is less than or equal to a time threshold. The time threshold may be configured.

[0169] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device when the first remaining time interval is a minimum remaining time interval.

[0170] Optionally, the first communication device may transmit the first information to the second communication device under other conditions or without any conditional restriction.

[0171] Optionally, the MAC layer in the first communication device may fill a MAC CE with the first remaining time interval or an index of the first remaining time interval and report the first remaining time interval to the second communication device via the MAC CE.

[0172] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, if the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer, FIG. 9 is an example of a diagram of the interaction between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer in the first communication device.

[0173] At S920, the PDCP layer indicates a remaining time interval to the MAC layer, where the remaining time interval includes the remaining time of the first data packet. This implementation can avoid exchanging excessive information between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer.

[0174] For example, the PDCP layer divides the remaining time of the data packet into multiple intervals and indicates multiple remaining time intervals to the MAC layer. Optionally, the manner of indicating the remaining time intervals may be to indicate the boundary value of the remaining time interval or the index of the remaining time interval.

[0175] Optionally, before S920, this embodiment may further include S910, that is, the MAC layer requests a remaining time interval from the PDCP layer.

[0176] In some implementations, the PDCP layer may transmit the remaining time of each data packet to the MAC layer, which aggregates the remaining times to determine the remaining time interval to which each remaining time belongs.

[0177] Optionally, when aggregating the remaining time, the MAC layer may subtract the interval between the generation time and the actual transmission time of the MAC CE from the remaining time to obtain the final remaining time.

[0178] 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication method may include S1010 and S1020.

[0179] S1010: The first communication device determines a remaining time of the first data packet based on the remaining period of the timer.

[0180] For this step, please refer to S310, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0181] S1020: A first communication device transmits first information to a second communication device, the first information indicating a remaining time interval and a data amount of at least one data packet, the remaining time interval including a remaining time of a first data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet being within the remaining time interval.

[0182] In this embodiment, for the implementation of the first communication device sending the first information to the second communication device, please refer to S820 in Figure 8. The details will not be described again here.

[0183] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, when the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer, FIG. 11 is another example of a diagram of the interaction between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer in the first communication device.

[0184] At S1120, the PDCP layer indicates the remaining time of data packet B to the RLC layer.

[0185] At S1140, the RLC layer indicates a remaining time interval B and the amount of data of at least one data packet to the MAC layer, where the remaining time interval B includes the remaining time of data packet B, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is within the remaining time interval B.

[0186] At S1130, the PDCP layer indicates to the MAC layer a remaining time interval A and the data amount of at least one data packet, the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet being within the remaining time interval A, and the remaining time interval A including the remaining time of data packet A.

[0187] In this embodiment, for the meaning of optional data packet A and data packet B, please refer to the meaning of data packet A and data packet B in the above content.

[0188] In this embodiment, optionally, the order of S1130, S1120, and S1140 is not limited. For example, S1130 may be located before S1120 or after S1140.

[0189] In this embodiment, optionally, before S1130 and S1120, S1110 may further be included, that is, the MAC layer requests the remaining time interval and data amount from the PDCP layer.

[0190] In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, if the timer is a timer in the MAC layer, optionally, Figure 7 shows an interaction procedure between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer. In this case, after learning the data amount of each data packet, the MAC layer maintains and manages the data amount of each data packet, performs interval division based on the remaining time of the timer corresponding to each data packet, and associates the remaining time interval with the data amount to obtain the first information.

[0191] 12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 12, the communication method may include S1210 and S1220.

[0192] S1210: The first communication device determines the remaining time of the first data packet based on the remaining time of the timer.

[0193] For this step, please refer to S310, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0194] S1220: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, where the first information indicates whether there is a data packet in the first communication device whose remaining time is less than or equal to a duration threshold.

[0195] In this embodiment, optionally, when the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold, the first information specifically indicates that there is a data packet in the first communication device whose remaining time is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

[0196] In this embodiment, optionally, when the remaining times of all data packets are greater than the duration threshold, the first information specifically indicates that there are no data packets in the first communication device whose remaining times are less than or equal to the duration threshold.

[0197] In this embodiment, optionally, the first information further indicates a data amount of at least one data packet, the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet being less than or equal to the duration threshold.

[0198] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, if the timer is a timer in the PDCP layer, FIG. 13 is another example of a diagram of the interaction between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer in the first communication device.

[0199] At S1320, the PDCP layer indicates to the MAC layer whether there are any data packets whose remaining time is equal to or less than the duration threshold. When the remaining time of the first data packet is equal to or less than the duration threshold, it indicates that there are any data packets whose remaining time is equal to or less than the duration threshold, or when the remaining times of all data packets are greater than the duration threshold, it indicates that there are no data packets whose remaining time is equal to or less than the duration threshold.

[0200] In this embodiment, optionally, the PDCP layer further indicates to the MAC layer the data amount of at least one data packet, the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet being less than or equal to a duration threshold.

[0201] In this embodiment, optionally, before S1320, S1310 may further be included, namely, the MAC layer requests an indication from the PDCP layer indicating whether the remaining time of the data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

[0202] In some embodiments of this application, the interaction shown in Figure 7 may optionally be performed between the PDCP layer and the MAC layer. After learning the data amounts of the data packets, the MAC layer may determine the data amounts of the data packets whose remaining times are less than or equal to the duration threshold based on the association relationship between the remaining times and the data packets maintained by the MAC layer.

[0203] In any of the above-described embodiments of this application, there may be a special type of data packet, namely, a PDCP control PDU. Such a data packet is generated by a PDCP entity and used to transmit control information, and generally does not have a corresponding timer, e.g., does not have a corresponding "discardTimer." In this case, for a PDCP control PDU, the PDCP layer may separately indicate the amount of data in the control PDU to the MAC entity, and use the control PDU as the data with the minimum remaining time, or calculate the amount of data in the control PDU to the amount of data associated with the minimum remaining time.

[0204] In any of the above-described embodiments of this application, optionally, the boundaries of the remaining time interval may be determined and implemented by the UE, may be agreed in a protocol, or may be configured by the gNB.

[0205] In some embodiments of this application, the first communication device may adjust the packet assembly sequence based on the remaining time of the data packets.

[0206] In some embodiments of this application, the first communication device may determine the priority of different LCHs or LCGs based on the minimum remaining time of the LCHs.

[0207] In some embodiments of this application, the UE may not report the remaining time, but reports jitter information to assist the gNB in ​​calculating the remaining time.

[0208] For example, the gNB first learns the start time and periodicity of the XR data through reports from the core network or the UE, and can therefore theoretically estimate the time at which data should arrive at the access stratum of the UE in each period. Then, when a data burst in each period arrives at the access stratum of the UE, the UE calculates the magnitude of the jitter of the data burst, i.e., the interval between the time when the data actually arrives at the access stratum and the expected time when the data arrives at the access stratum, and reports this interval to the gNB.

[0209] In this way, the gNB can estimate when the data will actually arrive at the UE and know the remaining time for the data based on the delay budget.

[0210] 14, the solid lines represent the time when data actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, the pure dashed lines represent the time when data is expected to arrive at the access stratum of the UE, and the dotted lines represent the UE reporting jitter information to the gNB. The start of the arrow is the time when the UE sends the jitter information, and the end of the arrow is the time when the gNB receives the jitter information.

[0211] As an example, t1 is the expected time that data burst #1 arrives at the access stratum of the UE, t2 is the time that data burst #1 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, jitter1 indicates the interval between the expected time that data burst #1 arrives at the access stratum of the UE and the time that data burst #1 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, and jitter information 1 indicates jitter 1.

[0212] t3 is the expected time that data burst #2 arrives at the access stratum of the UE, t4 is the time that data burst #2 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, jitter2 indicates the interval between the expected time that data burst #2 arrives at the access stratum of the UE and the time that data burst #2 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, and jitter information 2 indicates jitter2.

[0213] t5 is the expected time that data burst #3 arrives at the access stratum of the UE, t6 is the time that data burst #3 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, jitter3 indicates the interval between the expected time that data burst #3 arrives at the access stratum of the UE and the time that data burst #3 actually arrives at the access stratum of the UE, and jitter information 3 indicates jitter3.

[0214] This method can solve the problem that the remaining time information reported to the gNB in ​​the above timer method may be inaccurate. For example, if the MAC CE reporting the remaining time is retransmitted, the UE cannot modify the remaining time in the MAC CE. When the gNB correctly receives the MAC CE through multiple retransmissions, the remaining time information carried in the MAC CE has expired.

[0215] In some embodiments of this application, the UE can directly report information regarding the time at which each period's data burst actually arrives at the access stratum to the gNB, and the gNB can estimate the timeout time of the corresponding data based on the delay budget and avoid the timeout of the corresponding data as much as possible.

[0216] For example, the UE can report the data arrival UTC time to the gNB, or the {system frame number, frame number, subframe number} corresponding to the data arrival time. Optionally, considering data periodicity and the fact that transmission delays are typically on the order of a few milliseconds to tens of milliseconds, the UE can also represent time information using fewer bits to reduce overhead. For example, when UTC time is reported, only 7 bits may be used to indicate the time within 100 ms, and the full hour / minute / second / millisecond need not be indicated.

[0217] For example, if a gNB receives information reported by a UE at 10:30:30.500 UTC time and the information indicates the 70th ms within a range of 100 ms, the gNB can determine that the arrival time of the corresponding data is 10:30:30.470.

[0218] In another example, when a system frame number is reported, only the least significant two bits of the SFN can be used to indicate 40 ms, and the full 10-bit SFN does not need to be used. For example, if a gNB receives information reported by a UE at SFN#33 (corresponding to 0000 1000 01) and the information indicates that the SFN bit information is 00, the gNB can determine that the arrival time of the corresponding data is SNF 0000 1000 00, i.e., SFN#32.

[0219] Alternatively, the UE may report the expected timeout time of the data to the gNB. Specifically, when the data arrives at the access stratum of the UE, the UE adds the delay budget of the data (or the configured period of the PDCP discard timer) to the current time to obtain the timeout time of the data, and then reports this time information to the gNB. The reporting method is the same as that in the previous paragraph.

[0220] When reporting time information, the UE may report the data volume of the corresponding data burst. For multiple data bursts whose arrival times are close, the UE may also aggregate the corresponding data and report the arrival time or timeout time and the data volume together. Specifically, the arrival time or timeout time of the earliest arriving data burst may be reported. The interval threshold reported based on the aggregation of different data may be determined and implemented by the UE, agreed upon in a protocol, or configured by the base station.

[0221] In this method, in order to avoid data timeout, the UE directly reports data arrival or timeout time information to assist the base station in knowing the remaining schedulable time of different data. In addition, compared with the method of transmitting jitter information, this method can reduce the implementation complexity.

[0222] The communication method according to the embodiment of this application has been described above with reference to Figures 1 to 14. Hereinafter, the communication device according to the embodiment of this application will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16.

[0223] 15 is a diagram of a configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 15, the communication device 1500 includes a transceiver module 1501 and a processing module 1502.

[0224] In one example, the communications apparatus 1500 may be used within a communications device, such as a UE. In this example, the communications apparatus 1500 may be configured to perform operations performed by a first communications device or UE in the method illustrated in any of the previous figures. The transceiver module 1501 may be configured to perform receiving and transmitting operations, and the processing module 1502 may be configured to perform operations such as obtaining, determining, and configuring.

[0225] 16 is a diagram of a configuration of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present application. The device 1600 shown in FIG. 16 may be configured to perform the method performed by the UE in the embodiment shown in any of the previous figures.

[0226] 16, an apparatus 1600 in this embodiment includes a memory 1601, a processor 1602, a communication interface 1603, and a bus 1604. The memory 1601, the processor 1602, and the communication interface 1603 are communicatively connected to each other via the bus 1604.

[0227] The memory 1601 may be a read only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 1601 may store a program. When the program stored in the memory 1601 is executed by the processor 1602, the processor 1602 is configured to perform the steps performed by the UE in any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0228] The processor 1602 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits, and is configured to execute associated programs.

[0229] The processor 1602 may alternatively be an integrated circuit chip and have signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the relevant steps in the embodiments of this application may be completed by using instructions in the form of hardware integrated logic circuits or software in the processor 1602.

[0230] The processor 1602 may alternatively be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, which may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0231] The steps in the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of this application may be directly performed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or may be performed and completed using a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in a storage medium well-established in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, or a register. The storage medium is located in the memory 1601. The processor 1602 reads information in the memory 1601 and, in combination with the hardware of the processor 1602, completes the functions required to be performed by the units included in the apparatus in this application.

[0232] The communication interface 1603 may employ a transceiver device, such as, but not limited to, a walkie-talkie, to facilitate communication between the apparatus 1600 and another device or communication network.

[0233] The bus 1604 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the device 1600 (eg, the memory 1601, the processor 1602, and the communication interface 1603).

[0234] It should be understood that the apparatus 1600 shown in this embodiment of the present application may be a terminal device or a chip configured in a terminal device.

[0235] Some embodiments of this application further provide a computer program product. When the computer program product is executed on a processor, the method performed by the first communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments can be performed. Some embodiments of this application further provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on a processor, the method performed by the first communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments can be performed. Some embodiments of this application further provide a communication system. The communication system includes the first communication device and / or the second communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0236] It should be noted that the modules or components in the above-described embodiments may be configured as one or more integrated circuits for implementing the above-described methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors (DSPs)), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In another example, when one of the above-described modules is implemented in a form in which a processing element calls program code, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or another processor capable of calling program code, such as a controller. In another example, these modules may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0237] All or part of the above-described embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, software modules, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment 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 this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a 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 (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) transmission. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0238] The term "plurality" in this specification means two or more. The term "and / or" in this specification describes only a relational relationship for describing related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent three cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, and only B is present. In addition, the character " / " in this specification generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects, and the character " / " in a formula generally indicates a "divisible" relationship between related objects. It should also be understood that in the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for distinction and explanation, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor as indicating or implying an order.

[0239] It can be understood that the various numbers in the embodiments of this application are only used for distinction to facilitate description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0240] It should be understood that the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the execution sequence in the embodiment of this application, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined according to the function and internal logic of the processes, and should not be construed as a limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a first communication device, comprising: determining a remaining time of a first data packet based on a remaining period of a timer, wherein the remaining time of the first data packet is equal to the remaining period of the timer, and the timer is a timer for the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a data packet set including the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a second data packet, the second data packet being the first data packet in the data packet set including the first data packet; transmitting first information to a second communication device, wherein the first information indicates the remaining time, or the first information indicates a remaining time interval including the remaining time, or the first information indicates whether there is a data packet whose remaining duration is less than a duration threshold; A method having the following.

2. If the first information indicates the remaining time, the remaining time is less than the duration threshold, or the remaining time is a minimum remaining time, or If the first information indicates the remaining time interval, the remaining time interval is a minimum remaining time interval, or the total remaining time within the remaining time interval is less than the duration threshold, or If the first information indicates that there is a data packet in the first communication device whose remaining time is less than or equal to the duration threshold, the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold. The method of claim 1.

3. The first information further indicates a data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of each data packet; and When the first information indicates the remaining time, the remaining time of each data packet is less than or equal to the remaining time of the first data packet; or If the first information indicates the remaining time interval, the remaining time interval includes the remaining time of each data packet.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the first information indicates the remaining time and the remaining time is the minimum remaining time, the first information further indicates a data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

5. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one data packet comprises at least one of the following: a PDCP SDU that has not been assembled into a PDCP data PDU, a PDCP data PDU that has not been delivered to an RLC layer, a PDCP SDU that is awaiting retransmission, a PDCP data PDU that is awaiting retransmission, an RLC SDU and an RLC SDU segment that has not been assembled into an RLC data PDU, an RLC data PDU that is awaiting initial transmission, or an RLC data PDU that is awaiting retransmission.

6. providing, by a first protocol layer of the first communication device, at least one of the following information for a second protocol layer of the first communication device: the remaining time of the first data packet, a data amount of data packets whose remaining time is equal to the remaining time of the first data packet, the remaining time interval, a data amount of data packets whose remaining time is within the remaining time interval, the duration threshold for the remaining time, or a data amount of data packets whose remaining time is equal to or less than the duration threshold; 6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first protocol layer is a PDCP layer or an RLC layer, and the second protocol layer is a MAC layer.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the timer is a timer in a MAC layer of the first communication device or a timer in a PDCP layer of the first communication device.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the remaining time of the first data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of the first data packet.

10. A communication device, a processing module configured to determine a remaining time of a first data packet based on a remaining period of a timer, wherein the remaining time of the first data packet is equal to the remaining period of the timer, and the timer is a timer for the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a data packet set including the first data packet, or the timer is a timer for a second data packet, the second data packet being a first data packet in the data packet set including the first data packet; and a transmitting module configured to transmit first information to a second communication device, the first information indicating the remaining time, or the first information indicating a remaining time interval including the remaining time, or the first information indicating whether there is a data packet whose remaining duration is less than a duration threshold; and A device having:

11. If the first information indicates the remaining time, the remaining time is less than the duration threshold, or the remaining time is a minimum remaining time, or If the first information indicates the remaining time interval, the remaining time interval is a minimum remaining time interval, or the total remaining time within the remaining time interval is less than the duration threshold, or If the first information indicates that there is a data packet in the first communication device whose remaining time is less than or equal to the duration threshold, the remaining time of the first data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 10.

12. The first information further indicates a data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of each data packet; and When the first information indicates the remaining time, the remaining time of each data packet is less than or equal to the remaining time of the first data packet; or If the first information indicates the remaining time interval, the remaining time interval includes the remaining time of each data packet.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10 or 11.

13. 12. The device of claim 11, wherein when the first information indicates the remaining time and the remaining time is the minimum remaining time, the first information further indicates a data amount of at least one data packet, and the remaining time of each of the at least one data packet is less than or equal to the duration threshold.

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the at least one data packet comprises at least one of the following: a PDCP SDU that has not been assembled into a PDCP data PDU, a PDCP data PDU that has not been delivered to an RLC layer, a PDCP SDU awaiting retransmission, a PDCP data PDU awaiting retransmission, an RLC SDU and an RLC SDU segment that has not been assembled into an RLC data PDU, an RLC data PDU awaiting initial transmission, or an RLC data PDU awaiting retransmission.

15. the communication device has a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer; the first protocol layer is configured to provide at least one of the following information for the second protocol layer: the remaining time of the first data packet, a data amount of a data packet whose remaining time is equal to the remaining time of the first data packet, the second information indicating the remaining time interval, a data amount of a data packet whose remaining time is within the remaining time interval, the duration threshold for the remaining time, or a data amount of a data packet whose remaining time is equal to or less than the duration threshold.

15. Apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 14.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first protocol layer is a PDCP layer or an RLC layer, and the second protocol layer is a MAC layer.

17. 17. The device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the timer is a timer in a MAC layer of the communication device or a timer in a PDCP layer of the communication device.

18. 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the remaining time of the first data packet is a maximum remaining transmission delay of the first data packet.

19. 1. A communication device having a memory and a processor, the memory is configured to store program instructions; The processor is configured to execute the program instructions in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9. Communication equipment.

20. 10. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code for execution by a computer, said program code having instructions used to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

21. A computer program product having instructions used to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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