Extensions for scheduling requests and buffer status reporting

Abstract

A user device (UE) may store a set of packet data units (PDUs) in buffer memory. The UE may evaluate the buffer occupancy status of the PDU sets stored in buffer memory. The UE may determine the amount of data stored in the buffer and the PDU set importance (PSI) of the PDU sets. The UE may generate a buffer status report (BSR). The information in the BSR and the format of the BSR may be based on resource availability and PSI parameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including extensions to scheduling requests and buffer status reports.

Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless communication device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802. standards for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) (commonly known as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) in the industry).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) to communicate between a base station of a radio access network (RAN) (commonly referred to as a RAN node, network node, or simply a node) and a wireless communication device known as a user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs can include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN can use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communication between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RATs, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) RATs or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements LTE RATs (sometimes simply referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RATs (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RATs, 5G NR RATs, or simply NR). In certain deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RATs. In certain deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RATs.

[0005] Base stations used by a RAN can be compatible with that RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Advanced Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (commonly also called Advanced Node B, Extended Node B, eNode B, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes referred to as gNode B or gNB).

[0006] RANs provide communication services with external entities via connections to the core network (CN). For example, E-UTRANs can utilize the Advanced Packet Core (EPC), and NG-RANs can utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0007] To facilitate the identification of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) of the reference number refers to the number of the figure in which that element was first introduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Several embodiments show two PDU sets, each containing multiple data packets.

[0009] [Figure 2] An embodiment of the subject according to one example is shown.

[0010] [Figure 3] Several embodiments illustrate QoS flows involving PDU sets with different importance levels.

[0011] [Figure 4] The following shows signal flow diagrams for sending buffer status reports according to several embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 5] A flowchart of the UE method in several embodiments is shown.

[0013] [Figure 6] A flowchart of the UE method in several embodiments is shown.

[0014] [Figure 7] This specification shows an exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0015] [Figure 8] This specification describes a system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device, according to embodiments disclosed herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Various embodiments are described with respect to user equipment (UE). However, references to UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component, any electronic component consisting of hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of establishing connectivity to a network and exchanging information and data with the network. Thus, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0017] Embodiments of this specification provide extensions for scheduling requests and buffer status reporting. In some embodiments, the extensions relate to packet dropping. In some embodiments, the extensions relate to packet data unit (PDU) set importance.

[0018] These enhancements could benefit augmented reality (XR) use cases. For example, the embodiments could more efficiently support XR use cases. XR is a term referring to immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). XR use cases typically feature a large amount of audio and video content. Wireless communication systems may employ strategies to handle such traffic, which differs from conventional cellular traffic.

[0019] One difference between XR traffic and conventional cellular traffic is that XR services can use PDU sets containing multiple packets. For example, Figure 1 shows two PDU sets (i.e., the first PDU set 102 and the second PDU set 104), each containing multiple data packets. The packets can contain data and can be formatted for different protocols. For example, the packets in a PDU set may be Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

[0020] The PDU set contains the data that the XR service is attempting to transmit together. For example, a UE may receive a PDU set from one or more XR services, store the PDU set in an uplink buffer, and transmit the PDU set from the uplink buffer to a network node when uplink resources are available. One PDU set may represent a data unit for an application. Thus, the packets within a PDU set can all be treated together from the perspective of the application. Lost packets may affect the PDU set as a whole. If a part of a packet is lost, the PDU set may become useless from the perspective of the application.

[0021] Therefore, for a wireless communication system, rather than treating the packets within a PDU set individually as in conventional cellular communication, it is important to determine whether the XR PDU set can be properly delivered as a whole. Thus, for XR use cases, new service quality (QoS) parameters are defined for the PDU set. The new parameters are applied to the PDU set as a whole rather than to individual packets.

[0022] The PDU set error rate (PSER) defines the upper limit of the rate of PDU sets that are not properly delivered to the upper layer (e.g., packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) in the RAN of 3GPP access) by the corresponding receiving side, although they are processed by the transmitting side of the link layer protocol (e.g., radio link control (RLC) in the radio access network (RAN) of 3GPP access). Thus, PSER defines the upper limit of the rate of non-convergence related packet losses. The purpose of PSER is to enable an appropriate link layer protocol configuration (e.g., RLC and HARQ in the RAN of 3GPP access).

[0023] The PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB) defines the upper bound of the duration between the reception time of the first PDU (at the N6 endpoint in the case of downlink (DL) or at the UE in the case of uplink (UL)), which is the delay that the PDU set may experience for the transfer between the UE and the N6 endpoint in the user plane function (UPF), and the delivery time of the last PDU of the PDU set. The PSDB is applied to the DL PDU set received by the UPF via the N6 interface and the UL PDU set transmitted by the UE.

[0024] The PDU Set Integration Handling Indication (PSIHI) indicates whether all PDUs are required for the use of the PDU set by the receiving application layer. Some applications cannot tolerate any lost packets within the PDU set. Therefore, if one or more packets are lost in these applications, the remaining packets are not useful, and there is no meaning in transmitting the remaining packets. Other applications have some error correction techniques to handle some lost packets.

[0025] Furthermore, the following information, namely, the PDU set sequence number, the end PDU of the PDU set, the PDU SN within the PDU set, the PDU set size in bytes, and the PDU set importance (PSI), can be provided for each PDU set. The PSI parameter is used to identify the importance of the PDU set within the QoS flow. This means that in one traffic flow, there may be PDU sets with different importance levels. The RAN may use it for PDU set level packet discard in the presence of congestion.

[0026] In some cases, the network node or the UE may decide to drop the entire PDU set. Dropping the entire PDU set is called discard. PSIHI and PSI may be related to the decision to discard. Using PSIHI and PSI, some PDU set discard mechanisms may be introduced in 3GPP.

[0027] When PSIHI is set to TRUE, the application layer may require every single packet in a PDU set. Therefore, if one packet in a PDU set is lost, the entire PDU set may be discarded (for example, to conserve resources) because it is no longer needed by the application. For example, when PSIHI is set for a PDU set, as soon as it is known that one PDU is lost, the remaining PDUs in that PDU set may be considered no longer needed by the application and may be subject to discard behavior.

[0028] Furthermore, in the case of PDCP discard operations on the uplink, timer-based discard operations (when configured) should apply to all SDU / PDUs belonging to the same PDU set. Additionally, for a PDU set in which PSIHI is configured, if it is known that one PDU is lost or associated with a discarded SDU, all remaining PDUs in that PDU set can be discarded by the transmitter to free up radio resources.

[0029] PSI can be used to determine whether a PDU set should be discarded (or is more likely to be discarded) in case of congestion. For example, PSI can be useful for PDU set-based discarding. The mechanism may allow the UE to handle the discarding of packets with different PSIs in case of congestion.

[0030] Based on these mechanisms, packet drop can occur much more frequently in XR use cases. Packet drop is no longer an uncommon situation. Some embodiments herein provide optimizations in scheduling request (SR) and buffer status reporting (BSR) procedures by taking packet drop into account.

[0031] Figure 2 shows a QoS flow containing PDU sets with different importance levels (i.e., critical PDU set 202 and non-critical PDU set 204). As illustrated, different PDU sets within a single QoS flow may have different PSIs.

[0032] Typically, PDU sets with different PSIs will have the same QoS requirements and therefore be treated the same. Since they are within the same QoS flow, they can be mapped to the same data radio bearer (DRB) (and ultimately the same logical channel (LCH)).

[0033] However, in the event of congestion, the UE may be configured to process important PDU sets 202 differently from the less important PDU sets 204. For example, the UE may become more aggressive in sending important PDU sets and / or less aggressive in sending less important PDU sets. This is because it is more acceptable if the less important PDU sets are discarded in the event of congestion.

[0034] For example, it has been proposed that PDCP discard timer values ​​may be set differently for important and unimportant PDU sets so that unimportant PDU sets are easier or more likely to be discarded compared to important PDU sets. This is just one example of how important PDU set 202 may be treated differently from unimportant PDU set 204. Some embodiments of this specification describe different treatments for important and unimportant PDU sets in the event of congestion. For example, important and unimportant PDU sets may include differences in the procedures that request resources (e.g., SR / BSR).

[0035] Figure 3 shows a Media Access Control (MAC) PDU 300 for an uplink resource. As shown, the MAC PDU 300 includes a payload 302 and several padding bits 304. The payload 302 contains a MAC Service Data Unit (SDU). The padding bits 304 are any remaining bits not occupied by the payload 302. These padding bits 304 can therefore be reused to include additional data.

[0036] BSR is a crucial mechanism for the UE to notify network nodes how much uplink data has arrived in the UE's buffer. Based on the information received by the BSR, network nodes can allocate uplink resources that can accommodate the buffered data.

[0037] A BSR can be triggered when the padding bits 304 of an uplink resource are sufficient to carry a BSR MAC CE. When an uplink resource is allocated and the number of padding bits is greater than or equal to the size of the buffer status report MAC CE plus its subheader, the BSR may be referred to below as a padded BSR. If sufficient, the padding bits 304 can be used to carry a BSR MAC CE (e.g., a padded BSR).

[0038] The embodiments of this specification consider several issues with respect to PSI and discarding. For example, a UE may initiate a Random Access (RA) procedure for a pending SR. However, packet discarding resulting in an empty or lower buffer status may occur during or before the RA procedure, making the RA procedure unnecessary.

[0039] Furthermore, SR and BSR procedures are controlled by several parameters, including an SR disable timer and SR-TransMax. To avoid frequent SR transmissions in case of congestion, it may not be necessary to use the same parameter settings for both critical and non-critical PDU sets. Therefore, some embodiments of this specification describe the use of different parameter sets for critical and non-critical PDU sets.

[0040] Furthermore, 3GPP Release 18 allows UEs to be configured to trigger buffer delay information reporting when packet queuing time exceeds a threshold. To avoid frequent triggering of delay information reporting in cases of congestion, it may not be necessary to use the same packet queuing time threshold for both critical and non-critical PDU sets. For example, the UE may trigger reporting more aggressively for critical PDU sets.

[0041] Furthermore, the UE may initiate a random access procedure when the number of SR transmissions reaches SR-TransMax. However, in the case of congestion, whether this is necessary may depend on whether any significant PDU sets are present in the buffer. In addition, the UE may take into account the presence of significant PDU sets in the buffer when selecting a padded BSR format.

[0042] Figure 4 shows a signal flow diagram 400 for transmitting a buffer status report according to several embodiments. As described, PSI and packet dropping can affect the manner of scheduling requests and buffer status procedures. The UE may use PSI and packet dropping to use transmission resources more efficiently. For example, in some embodiments, the setting or transmission occurrence of a random access procedure, scheduling request, or buffer status procedure may be modified based on PSI and packet dropping. In some embodiments, the information in the BSR and the format of the BSR may be based on resource availability (e.g., padding bits or network congestion) and PSI for the PDU set in the buffer.

[0043] As shown in the figure, network node 404 may send a PUCCH resource to UE 402 (418). In some embodiments, network node 404 may also provide SR and / or BSR parameters to UE 402. UE 402 stores data packets for future uplink transmissions in uplink buffer memory (408). UE 402 triggers a BSR when certain conditions related to the data packets stored in the buffer are met (406).

[0044] UE 402 triggers a scheduling request due to the pending BSR (412). In response to the pending scheduling request, UE 402 determines whether there are valid PUCCH resources available for sending the pending SR (410).

[0045] If UE 402 does not have a valid PUCCH resource (for example, because the UE resource is either not configured or not released, or due to a failed attempt to send a scheduling request), UE 402 initiates a random access procedure with the pending scheduling requests (414). For example, when an SR is triggered, UE 402 may calculate the scheduling request periodicity and offset based on the sr-ConfigIndex information element. If UE 402 does not receive an uplink resource from network node 404 after sending the first scheduling request, UE 402 may resend the scheduling request based on the periodicity. This process continues until UE 402 sends sr-TransMax scheduling requests on the PUCCH. After sending a maximum of (sr-TransMax) scheduling requests, UE 402 may release the scheduling request resource and initiate a random access procedure.

[0046] A random access procedure may be used to establish a connection between UE 402 and network node 404. To initiate the random access procedure, the UE may send a random access preamble to the network node. After the random access procedure successfully completes, network node 404 may allocate resources to UE 402 for BSR.

[0047] However, packet loss of data stored in the buffer may occur during or before a random access procedure. To conserve resources, the UE 402 can monitor the packets stored in the buffer, and if certain conditions are met, the UE 402 may determine that the random access procedure is unnecessary and stop the procedure.

[0048] Under certain conditions, UE 402 may halt a random access procedure due to pending scheduling requests. For example, if a MAC PDU is transmitted using an uplink authorization other than the one provided by the random access response or the uplink authorization determined for transmitting the MSGA payload, and this PDU contains a BSR MAC CE containing buffer status up to (and including) the last event that triggered a BSR before the MAC PDU assembly, UE 402 may halt an ongoing random access procedure due to pending scheduling requests for a BSR that, if any, were initiated by UE 402 before the MAC PDU assembly and do not have valid PUCCH resources. The UE may also halt a random access procedure if the uplink authorization(s) can accommodate all pending data available for transmission. A random access procedure may be halted when all buffered data has been transmitted or the corresponding BSR has been transmitted.

[0049] In some embodiments, the UE 402 may halt a random access procedure based on the result of packet dropping. Packet dropping is far more likely to occur in XR use cases, and the UE 402 is likely to drop all or a large amount of data in the buffer at once (e.g., an entire set of PDUs is dropped based on the mechanism for PSIHI or PSI). Therefore, in some embodiments, the UE 402 may halt an ongoing random access procedure in the event of packet dropping.

[0050] Stopping the random access procedure based on packet discarding may occur if certain default conditions are met. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may stop the random access procedure if all pending data in at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is discarded. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may stop the random access procedure if the amount of discarded data in at least one LCH or LCG meets a threshold. For example, if the amount of discarded data exceeds the threshold, the random access procedure may be stopped. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may stop the random access procedure if the remaining data in the buffer after discarding meets a threshold. For example, if the amount of remaining data falls below the threshold, the random access procedure may be stopped. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may stop the random access procedure if the remaining data in the buffer after discarding does not contain any significant PDU sets. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may stop the random access procedure if the queuing delay of the remaining data in the buffer after discarding meets a threshold.

[0051] Optionally, in some embodiments, it may be possible to allow the UE 402 to terminate the random access procedure based on packet dropping, but only in the case of congestion. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may determine whether congestion is present based on explicit or implicit indications from the network. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may determine whether congestion is present on its own. For example, the UE 402 may determine congestion by checking the buffer status.

[0052] Furthermore, halting a random access procedure based on packet dropping may be limited to pending scheduling requests triggered by a specific LCH and / or based on a specific scheduling request configuration. Network node 404 can preconfigure which LCH(s) and / or scheduling request configurations can produce such behavior. The proposed behavior may be applicable to pending scheduling requests for sidelink (SL)BSRs.

[0053] As an example, UE 402 may initiate a random access procedure due to a pending scheduling request. UE 402 may discard at least one data unit in the uplink buffer associated with the pending scheduling request. UE 402 may evaluate the status of the uplink buffer after the discard and, based on the evaluation, determine whether the random access procedure should be stopped. UE 402 may determine that the random access procedure should be stopped if the conditions described herein occur.

[0054] If UE 402 determines that a PUCCH resource is configured, the UE sends a scheduling request to network node 404 (420). The scheduling request is a message used by UE 402 to request uplink resources from network node 404. Those uplink resources may be used to send BSRs. Network node 404 sends an uplink authorization to UE 402 to provide authorization for UE 402 to send BSRs (422).

[0055] The UE generates a BSR (416) to inform network node 404 about the data in the uplink buffer memory. The BSR is a MAC CE sent from UE 402 to network node 404 that carries information about how much data is in the UE uplink buffer. In some embodiments, the BSR may also include delay information. UE 402 may report buffer delay information using an extended BSR or a new type of MAC CE. In some embodiments, the delay information may include the amount of time that data from one or more logical channels has been queued or waiting in the buffer. In some embodiments, the delay information may include the amount of time remaining until the delivery deadline for the buffered data in one or more logical channels. In some embodiments, the delay information may include a binary flag indicating whether the data from one or more logical channels is considered urgent. This information may enable network node 404 to perform some delay-aware scheduling.

[0056] Delay information can be reported when trigger conditions are met. For example, buffer delay information may be reported when the minimum or maximum queuing delay of packets in the buffer exceeds a threshold, or when the minimum or maximum remaining time until the delivery deadline of packets in the buffer is shorter than a threshold.

[0057] In some embodiments, these trigger conditions may be adaptive based on current conditions. For example, UE 402 may adjust trigger conditions based on the importance of the PDU set and / or network congestion. For instance, some UE behaviors related to delay information reporting may be modified in case of congestion to reduce the overhead of delay information reporting when the network is congested.

[0058] In the event of network congestion, some trigger conditions for delay information reporting may also take into account the importance of PDU sets. The UE 402 may implement one or more of the following options to take PDU set importance into account during network congestion. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may trigger delay information reporting for an LCH or Logical Channel Group (LCG) only if there is an important PDU set in the buffer. Otherwise, the UE does not trigger delay information reporting for the LCH / LCG. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may apply different delay time thresholds to trigger delay information reporting based on whether an important PDU set is present in the buffer. For example, a smaller delay time threshold may be used to trigger delay information reporting when an important PDU set is present, and a larger delay time threshold may be used when no important PDU sets are present. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may trigger delay information reporting for an LCH or LCG as soon as an important PDU set arrives in the buffer. Otherwise, in such embodiments, the UE 402 follows the originally configured default trigger condition. In some embodiments, the UE 402 may report only delay information corresponding to important PDU sets within the MAC CE, and may not take into account delay information for non-important PDU sets when generating the MAC CE. For example, if the UE 402 is configured to report delay information for PDU sets that have been buffered for the longest time, the UE 402 may adapt and report delay information for the longest buffered important PDU set instead, and may not report delay information for non-important PDU sets, even if those non-important PDU sets have been buffered for a longer time. Thus, the UE 402 may not report delay information for non-important PDU sets.

[0059] In some embodiments, the configuration for delay information reporting for one or more LCHs may be autonomously disabled when the network becomes congested. Network node 404 can preconfigure whether LCHs can disable delay information reporting in case of congestion. In some embodiments, UE 402 may apply adaptive trigger conditions for delay information reporting only in case of congestion. In some embodiments, UE 402 can determine whether congestion is present based on explicit / implicit instructions from network node 404. In some embodiments, UE 402 can also determine whether congestion is present by itself. For example, UE 402 may determine congestion by checking the buffer status.

[0060] UE 402 sends BSR 424 to network node 404. Network node 404 can use the BSR report to allocate uplink resources (426) to accommodate the buffered data.

[0061] In some embodiments, UE 402 may use adaptive SR and BSR parameters for SR / BSR procedures. SR / BSR parameters may be adapted based on the presence of a significant set of PDUs in the buffer. SR / BSR procedures are controlled by the following pre-configured RRC parameters: sr-ProhibitTimer (per SR configuration), sr-TransMax (per SR configuration), periodicBSR-Timer, retxBSR-Timer, logicalChannelSR-DelayTimerApplied, logicalChannelSR-DelayTimer, and logicalChannelSR-Mask.

[0062] The sr-ProhibitTimer parameter is a timer that prohibits the UE from sending scheduling requests while in operation. The sr-TransMax parameter defines the maximum transmission condition for scheduling requests. When the maximum number of SR requests have been sent and uplink permission cannot be obtained, the random access process is triggered by sending a PRACH preamble to obtain uplink scheduling. The periodicBSR-Timer parameter is a timer that triggers periodic BSRs. The retxBSR-Timer parameter is a timer that triggers a BSR when it expires and the UE has data available for transmission for any of the logical channels belonging to the LCG. The logicalChannelSR-DelayTimerApplied parameter indicates whether to apply a delay timer to scheduling request transmissions for logical channels. The logicalChannelSR-DelayTimer parameter is used to delay the transmission of SRs for logical channels enabled by logicalChannelSR-Delay. logicalChannelSR-Mask provides logical channel scheduling request masking.

[0063] In some embodiments, UE 402 may adapt at least one or more values ​​of these parameters depending on whether any critical PDU set is in the uplink buffer. For example, if a critical PDU set is in the buffer, UE 402 may use a shorter SR disable timer to signal scheduling requests more aggressively / more frequently. Otherwise, a default value for a longer SR disable timer may be applied. In some embodiments, network node 404 may configure two values ​​for at least one of the SR / BSR parameters, and UE 402 may select the parameter value to use based on whether a critical PDU set is in the buffer.

[0064] In some embodiments, UE 402 may select an alternative PUCCH resource for scheduling request signaling based on whether a critical set of PDUs is present in the buffer. For example, network node 404 may provide UE 402 with two PUCCH resources. UE 402 may use the first set of PUCCH resources for scheduling requests when the buffer does not contain a critical set of PDUs. UE 402 may switch to an alternative PUCCH resource for scheduling requests when a critical set of PDUs is present in the buffer.

[0065] In some cases, the buffer may not contain critical PDU sets until an SR / BSR has already been triggered. If a critical PDU set arrives in the buffer after an SR / BSR has already been triggered by a non-critical PDU set, the UE 402 may stop at least one of the SR disable timer, retxBSR timer, and logicalChannelSR delay timer, if they are running. Thus, an SR / BSR may be triggered immediately after the arrival of a critical PDU set. In some embodiments, when a critical PDU set arrives in the buffer after an SR / BSR has already been triggered, the UE 402 may reset the SR counter, and as a result, the UE 402 may have more opportunities to signal scheduling requests for critical PDU sets before initiating a random access procedure. In some embodiments, when a critical PDU set arrives in the buffer after an SR / BSR has already been triggered, the UE 402 may directly initiate a random access procedure without waiting for the number of scheduling request transmissions to reach sr-TransMax.

[0066] In some embodiments, adaptive parameter behavior may be limited to pending scheduling requests triggered by a specific LCH and / or based on a specific scheduling restriction configuration. Network node 404 can preconfigure which LCH(s) and / or scheduling restriction configurations can produce such behavior. In some embodiments, UE 402 may apply adaptive parameter behavior only in the case of congestion. In some embodiments, UE 402 can determine whether congestion exists based on explicit or implicit indications from the network. In some other embodiments, UE 402 can also determine whether congestion exists on its own. For example, UE 402 may determine congestion by checking the buffer status.

[0067] In some embodiments, the initialization of the random access procedure may be based on whether or not a critical PDU set exists in the buffer. Normally, the UE 402 should start the random access procedure when the number of SR transmissions reaches sr-TransMax. However, in the case of congestion, the UE 402 may further check whether or not there is a critical PDU set in the buffer to determine whether or not to start the random access procedure. For example, in some embodiments, if at least one critical PDU set exists in the buffer, the UE 402 starts the random access procedure when the value of SR_COUNTER reaches sr-TransMax in order to obtain permission in the random access response. When a critical PDU set exists in the buffer, a specific random access partition or random access prioritization may be used. Furthermore, if none of the data in the buffer corresponds to a critical PDU set (or if all the data in the buffer corresponds to an uncritical PDU set), the UE 402 does not start the random access procedure when the value of SR_COUNTER reaches sr-TransMax, in such embodiments.

[0068] Furthermore, the initialization of random access procedures based on a critical set of PDUs may be restricted to pending scheduling requests triggered by a specific LCH and / or based on a specific scheduling request configuration. Network node 404 can pre-configure which LCH(s) and / or scheduling request configurations can produce such behavior.

[0069] In some cases, if there is space after the MAC PDU payload (e.g., in the padding bits), the BSR may be transmitted using the padding bits. Some embodiments may provide extensions to such padding BSRs. For example, in some embodiments, the UE 402 may report two (or more) buffer sizes for LCH / LCG in a single BSR MAC CE to provide buffer size levels with finer granularity. The two buffer size levels include a first buffer size level used as the baseline buffer size (e.g., based on a legacy BSR table) and a second buffer size level used as the differential buffer size (e.g., based on a new BSR table). The two buffer sizes for LCH / LCG contained in the same MAC CE can be combined to provide more accurate buffer size information (e.g., the first buffer size level and the second buffer size level can be summed).

[0070] However, when dealing with padding BSRs, the set number of padding bits is not always present. Therefore, a BSR format with multiple buffer sizes does not always fit the padding bits. In some embodiments, the number of buffer size levels included in a BSR may depend on the number of padding bits on a particular MAC PDU. For example, if there are at least two possible BSR formats, the UE 402 can choose which one to use based on the number of padding bits. The two possible formats may include a first BSR format with two (or more) buffer size levels for each of at least one LCH / LCG, and a second BSR format (e.g., a legacy BSR format) with only one buffer size level for each of at least one LCH / LCG.

[0071] The UE 402 may check whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for a MAC CE BSR with two (or more) buffer size levels for each of at least one LCH / LCG. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, the UE 402 may select a BSR format with two (or more) buffer size levels for each of at least one LCH / LCG. Otherwise, if the number of padding bits is sufficient only for a BSR format with one buffer size level for at least one LCH / LCG, the UE 402 may select a BSR format with only one buffer size for each of at least one LCH / LCG.

[0072] An extension related to padding the BSR may take into account whether a critical set of PDUs is present in the buffer. For example, in some embodiments, the UE 402 may check whether the number of padding bits for the MAC PDU is sufficient for a MAC CE BSR that has buffer size information for all LCH / LCGs for which data is available. If the number of padding bits is insufficient, the UE 402 may prioritize buffer size levels for LCH / LCGs that have a critical set of PDUs in the buffer when generating the padded BSR MAC CE.

[0073] In some embodiments, the UE 402 may determine that the number of padding bits for the MAC PDU is sufficient for one of the following BSR formats: A first format may be a BSR format for a first number of LCH / LCGs having finer-grained buffer size levels and / or delay information. A second format may be a BSR format for a second number of LCH / LCGs without finer-grained buffer size levels and / or delay information. The second number is greater than the first number. The UE 402 may check whether any LCH / LCG has a significant set of PDUs available in the buffer. If so, the UE 402 may select a first BSR format for padding the BSR to report the buffer status (with finer-grained and / or delay information) for at least one LCH / LCG that has a significant set of PDUs in the buffer. Otherwise, if neither LCH / LCG has a significant set of PDUs in the buffer, the UE 402 may select a second BSR format to pad the BSR to report the buffer status of multiple LCH / LCGs.

[0074] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of Method 500 of the UE according to an embodiment of this specification. Method 500 includes storing data packets in a buffer memory (502), where the data packets correspond to one or more PDU sets. Method 500 further includes evaluating the buffer occupancy status of the PDU sets stored in the buffer memory (504), which includes determining the amount of data packets stored in the buffer memory and identifying the PSI parameters of the PDU sets, where the PSI parameters indicate the level of importance of the PDU sets.

[0075] Method 500 further includes generating a BSR containing information about the buffer occupancy status (506). Method 500 further includes modifying the transmission occurrence of an SR for the BSR, an SR for the BSR, or an RA procedure corresponding to the BSR based on the buffer occupancy status including PSI parameters (508). Method 500 further includes transmitting an RA preamble, an SR, or a BSR to a network node (510).

[0076] In some embodiments, method 500 further includes initiating an RA procedure by SR, discarding at least one of the data packets stored in buffer memory, updating the buffer occupancy status after discarding, and determining whether the buffer occupancy status meets a target condition, where the RA procedure is stopped when the buffer occupancy status meets the target condition, and continues when the buffer occupancy status does not meet the target condition. In some such embodiments, the RA procedure is stopped when all pending data has been discarded, when the amount of discarded data meets a first threshold, when the remaining data in buffer memory after discarding meets a second threshold, when the remaining data in buffer memory after discarding does not include a significant set of PDUs as indicated by the PSI parameter, or when the queuing delay of the remaining data in buffer memory after discarding meets a third threshold.

[0077] In some embodiments of Method 500, modifying a transmit occurrence includes adapting the values ​​of one or more SR or BSR parameters if a critical set of PDUs, such as those indicated by PSI parameters, is in buffer memory. Some such embodiments further include receiving two values ​​for one or more SR or BSR parameters from a network node and choosing to use one of the two values ​​based on the presence of a critical set of PDUs in buffer memory. Some such embodiments further include using a shorter SR prohibition timer if a critical set of PDUs is in buffer memory. Some such embodiments further include selecting an alternative PUCCH resource for the SR if a critical set of PDUs is in buffer memory.

[0078] In some embodiments of Method 500, modifying a transmit occurrence includes continuing to monitor a buffer memory after an SR has been transmitted and modifying one or more SR or BSR parameters to allow a second SR signaling for a critical PDU set to occur earlier than previously permitted SR or BSR parameters when the critical PDU set arrives in the buffer memory.

[0079] In some embodiments, method 500 further includes determining the presence of network congestion and refraining from starting the RA procedure due to network congestion when the value of SR_COUNTER reaches sr-TransMax. Some such embodiments further include canceling the SR.

[0080] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of Method 600 of the UE according to an embodiment of this specification. Method 600 includes (602) evaluating the status of one or more PDU sets stored in uplink buffer memory. Method 600 further includes (604) identifying the PSI parameters of the PDU sets, which indicate the level of importance of the PDU sets. Method 600 further includes (606) determining the availability of resources for sending MAC CEs related to the buffer status.

[0081] Method 600 further comprises generating a MAC CE (608), the information within the MAC CE and the format of the MAC CE based on resource availability, or PSI parameters, or both. Method 600 further comprises sending the MAC CE to a network node to notify the network node of the status of one or more PDU sets stored in uplink buffer memory (610).

[0082] In some embodiments of Method 600, determining resource availability includes determining when the network is congested, and when the network is congested, MAC CE includes buffer delay information when there is a critical set of PDUs, such as indicated by PSI parameters in the uplink buffer memory.

[0083] In some embodiments, method 600 further includes applying a first delay time threshold to trigger buffer delay information reporting when a critical set of PDUs is in uplink buffer memory, and applying a second delay time threshold to trigger buffer delay information reporting when a critical set of PDUs is not in uplink buffer memory.

[0084] In some embodiments, method 600 further includes triggering a delay information report when a critical PDU set arrives in uplink buffer memory. In some embodiments of method 600, MAC CE includes delay information corresponding to the critical PDU set.

[0085] In some embodiments of Method 600, determining resource availability involves checking whether the number of padding bits in a media access control (MAC) PDU is sufficient for a MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels per logical channel or per logical channel group for a BSR, and if the number of padding bits is sufficient, the MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU of the BSR having multiple buffer size levels, and if the number of padding bits is insufficient, the MAC CE format of the BSR having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU having one buffer size level.

[0086] In some embodiments of Method 600, determining resource availability includes checking whether the number of padding bits in a MAC PDU is sufficient for the buffer size information of all logical channels and logical channel groups that have available data, and if the number of padding bits is insufficient, generating a MAC CE that prioritizes the buffer size levels of logical channels and logical channel groups that have important sets of PDUs in uplink buffer memory.

[0087] In some embodiments of Method 600, determining resource availability includes determining whether the number of padding bits of the MAC PDU is sufficient for either a first MAC CE format for a first number of logical channels and logical channel groups with finer-grained buffer size levels and delay information, or a second MAC CE format for a second number of logical channels and logical channel groups without finer-grained buffer size levels and delay information; checking whether any of the logical channels and logical channel groups have a significant set of PDUs available in uplink buffer memory; and if any of the logical channels and logical channel groups have a significant set of PDUs, the first MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE; and if neither of the logical channels and logical channel groups have a significant set of PDUs, the second MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE.

[0088] In some embodiments of Method 600, MAC CE is BSR.

[0089] In some embodiments, the UE may evaluate the status of one or more sets of PDUs stored in the uplink buffer memory. The UE may determine the availability of resources to send MAC CEs related to the buffer status by checking whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for a MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels per logical channel or per logical channel group. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, a MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. If the number of padding bits is insufficient, a MAC CE format having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. The UE may send MAC CEs via the padding bits to network nodes to notify them of the status of one or more sets of PDUs stored in the uplink buffer memory.

[0090] Embodiments contemplated herein include apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of methods 500 and 600. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 802, which is a UE described herein).

[0091] Embodiments contemplated herein may include one or more non-temporary computer-readable media containing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to execute one or more elements of methods 500 and 600. This non-temporary computer-readable media may be, for example, the memory of the UE (such as the memory 806 of the wireless device 802, which is the UE, as described herein).

[0092] Embodiments contemplated herein include devices comprising logic, modules, or circuits that perform one or more elements of methods 500 and 600. These devices may be, for example, devices of a UE (such as the wireless device 802, which is a UE described herein).

[0093] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media containing instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to execute one or more elements of methods 500 and 600. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 802, which is a UE as described herein).

[0094] Embodiments contemplated herein include signals described in or related to one or more elements of Methods 500 and 600.

[0095] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product that includes instructions, and the execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to execute one or more elements of methods 500 and 600. The processor may be the processor of the UE (such as the processor(s) 604 of the wireless device 802, which is the UE, as described herein). These instructions may reside, for example, in the processor and / or in the memory of the UE (such as the memory(s) 806 of the wireless device 802, which is the UE, as described herein).

[0096] Figure 7 shows an exemplary architecture of the wireless communication system 700 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The following description is provided for an exemplary wireless communication system 700 that operates in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards, as provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

[0097] As shown in Figure 7, the wireless communication system 700 includes UEs 702 and UE 704 (however, any number of UEs can be used). In this example, UEs 702 and UE 704 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but it may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing devices configured for wireless communication.

[0098] UE 702 and UE 704 may be configured to communicate with RAN 706. In embodiments, RAN 706 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 702 and UE 704 utilize connections (or channels) with RAN 706 (referred to as connection 708 and connection 710, respectively), each of which has a physical communication interface. RAN 706 may include one or more base stations, such as base stations 712 and 714, which enable connections 708 and connection 710.

[0099] In this example, connections 708 and 710 are air interfaces to enable such communication coupling and may correspond to RAT(s) used by RAN 706, such as LTE and / or NR.

[0100] In some embodiments, UE 702 and UE 704 can also directly exchange communication data via the sidelink interface 716. UE 704 is configured to access an access point (shown as AP 718) via connection 720, as illustrated. For example, connection 720 may include a local radio connection, such as a connection matching any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and AP 718 may include a Wi-Fi® router. In this example, AP 718 may be connected to another network (e.g., the Internet) without going through CN 724.

[0101] In this embodiment, UE 702 and UE 704 can be configured to communicate with each other or with base stations 712 and / or 714 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel according to various communication technologies, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDMA) communication technology (for example, for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDMA) communication technology (for example, for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), and the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0102] In some embodiments, all or part of base stations 712 or 714 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, base stations 712 or 714 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 722. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 700 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 724 is an EPC), interface 722 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations connected to the EPC (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 700 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 724 is a 5GC), interface 722 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations connected to the 5GC (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.), between base station 712 (e.g., a gNB) connected to the 5GC and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 724).

[0103] RAN 706 is shown to be communicatively coupled to CN 724. CN 724 may comprise one or more network elements 726 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 702 and UE 704) connected to CN 724 via RAN 706. Components of CN 724 may be implemented in one or separate physical devices, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-temporary machine-readable storage media).

[0104] In the embodiment, CN 724 may be an EPC, and RAN 706 may be connected to CN 724 via S1 interface 728. In the embodiment, S1 interface 728 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface that carries traffic data between base station 712 or base station 714 and a serving gateway (S-GW), and an S1-MME interface which is a signaling interface between base station 712 or base station 714 and mobility management entities (MME).

[0105] In this embodiment, CN 724 may be a 5GC, and RAN 706 may be connected to CN 724 via NG interface 728. In this embodiment, NG interface 728 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface that carries traffic data between base station 712 or base station 714 and user plane functions (UPF), and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface that is a signaling interface between base station 712 or base station 714 and access and mobility management functions (AMF).

[0106] Generally, the application server 730 may be an element that provides applications using Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources (e.g., packet-switched data services) with the CN 724. The application server 730 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UE 702 and UE 704 via the CN 724. The application server 730 may communicate with the CN 724 via the IP communication interface 732.

[0107] Figure 8 shows a system 800 for performing signaling 834 between a wireless device 802 and a network device 818 according to an embodiment disclosed herein. System 800 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 802 may be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. The network device 818 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., eNB or gNB) of the wireless communication system.

[0108] The wireless device 802 may include one or more processors 804. The processors 804 can execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 802, as described herein. The processors 804 may include, for example, one or more baseband processors implemented using a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0109] The wireless device 802 may include a memory 806. The memory 806 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 808 (for example, instructions being executed by processor(s) 804). Instructions 808 may also be referred to as program code or computer programs. The memory 806 may also store data used by processor(s) 804 and results calculated by processor(s) 804.

[0110] The wireless device 802 may include one or more transceivers 810 that include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuits that use the antenna(s) 812 of the wireless device 802 to facilitate signaling to and from the wireless device 802 with other devices (e.g., network device 818) according to the corresponding RAT (e.g., signaling 834).

[0111] The wireless device 802 may include one or more antennas 812 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments having multiple antennas 812, the wireless device 802 can leverage the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 812 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time and frequency resources. This behavior is sometimes referred to as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used in each of the transmitting and receiving devices that enable this embodiment). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 802 can be achieved by precoding (or digital beamforming) applied in the wireless device 802 to multiplex the data streams across the antennas 812 according to known or assumed channel characteristics, so that each data stream is received at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with that data stream) with appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams. Certain embodiments may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) method (where all data streams are directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) method (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers at different locations in the spatial domain).

[0112] In certain embodiments having multiple antennas, the wireless device 802 may implement analog beamforming technology so that the phase of the signals transmitted by antenna(s) 812 is relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmission of antenna(s) 812 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0113] A wireless device 802 may include one or more interfaces 814. Interfaces 814 can be used to provide inputs to or outputs from the wireless device 802. For example, a wireless device 802 that is a UE may include interfaces 814 such as a microphone, speaker, touchscreen, or buttons to enable inputs and / or outputs to the UE by a user of the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (other than, for example, the transceiver(s) 810 / antenna(s) 812 already described) that enable communication between the UE and other devices and may operate according to known protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, etc.).

[0114] The wireless device 802 may include an SR / BSR module 816. The SR / BSR module 816 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SR / BSR module 816 may be implemented as instructions 808 stored in a processor, circuitry, and / or memory 806 and executed by a processor(s) 804. In some examples, the SR / BSR module 816 may be integrated within a processor(s) 804 and / or a transceiver(s) 810. For example, the SR / BSR module 816 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within a processor(s) 804 or a transceiver(s) 810.

[0115] The SR / BSR module 816 may be used for various embodiments of this disclosure, for example, the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. The SR / BSR module 816 is configured to perform a random access procedure, a scheduling request procedure, and a buffer status reporting procedure, as described herein.

[0116] The network device 818 may include one or more processors 820. The processors 820 can execute instructions to perform various operations of the network device 818, as described herein. The processors 820 may include, for example, one or more baseband processors implemented using a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0117] The network device 818 may include memory 822. Memory 822 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 824 (for example, instructions being executed by processor(s) 820). Instructions 824 may also be referred to as program code or computer programs. Memory 822 may also store data used by processor(s) 820 and results calculated by processor(s) 820.

[0118] The network device 818 may include one or more transceivers 826 that can include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuits that use the antenna(s) 828 of the network device 818 to facilitate signaling to and from the network device 818 (e.g., signaling 834) with other devices (e.g., wireless device 802) according to the corresponding RAT.

[0119] The network device 818 may include one or more antennas 828 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments having multiple antennas 828, the network device 818 can perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, and the like, as described.

[0120] The network device 818 may include one or more interfaces 830. Interfaces 830 can be used to provide inputs to or outputs from the network device 818. For example, a network device 818 that is a base station may include interfaces 830 consisting of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (other than transceivers 826 / antennas 828 already described) that enable the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enable the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operably connected thereto.

[0121] The network device 818 may include an SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832. The SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 824, stored in memory 822 and executed by processor 820(s). In some examples, the SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 may be integrated within processor(s) 820 and / or transceiver(s) 826. For example, the SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within processor(s) 820 or transceiver(s) 826.

[0122] The SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 may be used for various embodiments of this disclosure, for example, the embodiment shown in Figure 4. The SR / BSR configuration and resource allocation module 832 is configured to provide SR / BSR parameters and to allocate uplink resources based on buffer status reports.

[0123] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods as described herein. For example, the baseband processor described above in relation to one or more of the figures herein may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. In another embodiment, a circuit associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0124] Any of the embodiments described above can be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise specified. The above descriptions of one or more implementations are illustrative and illustrative, but are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible based on the above teachings or can be learned from the practice of various embodiments.

[0125] The embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include a variety of operations that can be embodied by machine-executable instructions performed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose computers or dedicated computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing operations, or it may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0126] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment are intended to be used in another embodiment. Parameters, attributes, aspects are described in one or more embodiments for clarity only, and it should be recognized that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, etc. of another embodiment unless specifically abandoned herein.

[0127] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should adhere to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to the user.

[0128] While the foregoing has been described in some detail for clarity, it will be clear that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles. It should be noted that many alternative methods exist for implementing both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, these embodiments should be considered illustrative and not limiting, and the description is not limited to the details given herein and may be modified within the appended claims and equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for user equipment (UE), Evaluating the status of one or more packet data unit (PDU) sets stored in the uplink buffer memory, Identify the PDU set importance (PSI) parameter of the PDU set, and the PSI parameter indicates the level of importance of the PDU set. To determine the availability of resources for transmitting media access control (MAC) control elements (CEs) related to buffer status, The MAC CE generates the MAC CE based on the availability of the resource, the PSI parameters, or both, the information within the MAC CE and the format of the MAC CE. A method comprising sending the MAC CE to the network node in order to notify the network node of the status of the one or more PDU sets stored in the uplink buffer memory.

2. Determining the availability of the resource includes determining when the network is congested. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the network is congested, the MAC CE includes buffer delay information only when there is a significant set of PDUs in the uplink buffer memory, as indicated by the PSI parameters.

3. Applying a first delay time threshold to trigger buffer delay information reporting when a critical PDU set is in the uplink buffer memory, When there are no critical PDU sets in the uplink buffer memory, a second delay time threshold is applied to trigger the buffer delay information report. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising triggering a delay information report when a critical PDU set arrives in the uplink buffer memory.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MAC CE includes delay information corresponding to a critical PDU set.

6. Determining the availability of the said resources is This includes checking whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the MAC CE format, which has multiple buffer size levels, for each logical channel or group of logical channels. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, the MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels for each logical channel or each logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the number of padding bits is insufficient, a MAC CE format having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding of the MAC PDU.

7. Determining the availability of the said resources is This includes checking whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the buffer size information of all logical channels and logical channel groups that have available data. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the number of padding bits is insufficient, generating the MAC CE includes prioritizing the buffer size levels of the logical channel and the logical channel group having important PDU sets in the uplink buffer memory.

8. Determining the availability of the said resources is The number of padding bits in a MAC PDU is A first MAC CE format for a first number of logical channels and logical channel groups having finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information, and It is determined that it is sufficient to have one of the following: a second number of the logical channels and a second MAC CE format for the logical channel group, without finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information. This includes checking whether either the logical channel or the logical channel group has a significant set of PDUs available in the uplink buffer memory, If either the logical channel or the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the first MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE. The method according to claim 1, wherein if neither the logical channel nor the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the second MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MAC CE is a buffer status report (BSR).

10. A method for user equipment (UE), Evaluating the status of one or more PDU sets stored in the uplink buffer memory, The availability of resources to send media access control (MAC) control elements (CEs) related to buffer status, For each logical channel, or for each logical channel group, check whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the MAC CE format, which has multiple buffer size levels. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, the MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels for each logical channel or each logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. If the number of padding bits is insufficient, the MAC CE format having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU, which is determined to be the case. A method comprising transmitting the MAC CE to the network node via the padding bits in order to notify the network node of the status of the one or more PDU sets stored in the uplink buffer memory.

11. User equipment (UE), Processor and The system comprises a memory for storing instructions, and the instructions, when executed by the processor, Evaluate the status of one or more packet data unit (PDU) sets stored in the uplink buffer memory. Identify the PDU set importance (PSI) parameter of the PDU set, and the PSI parameter indicates the level of importance of the PDU set. Determine the availability of resources to transmit media access control (MAC) control elements (CEs) related to buffer status, The MAC CE generates the MAC CE based on the availability of the resource, the PSI parameters, or both, the information within the MAC CE and the format of the MAC CE. The UE is configured to send the MAC CE to the network node in order to notify the network node of the status of the one or more PDU sets stored in the uplink buffer memory.

12. To determine the availability of the resource, the instruction is: Determine when the aforementioned network is congested. The UE according to claim 11, wherein when the network is congested, the MAC CE further configures the UE to include buffer delay information only when there is a significant set of PDUs in the uplink buffer memory, as indicated by the PSI parameters.

13. The aforementioned instruction is, A first delay time threshold is applied to trigger buffer delay information reporting when a critical PDU set is in the uplink buffer memory. The UE according to claim 11, further configured to apply a second delay time threshold for triggering buffer delay information reporting when there is no critical PDU set in the uplink buffer memory.

14. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the instruction further configures the UE to trigger a delay information report when a critical PDU set arrives in the uplink buffer memory.

15. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the MAC CE includes delay information corresponding to a critical PDU set.

16. To determine the availability of the resource, the instruction is: For each logical channel, or for each logical channel group, check whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the MAC CE format, which has multiple buffer size levels. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, the MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels for each logical channel or each logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. The UE according to claim 11, further configured such that if the number of padding bits is insufficient, the MAC CE format having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU.

17. When determining the availability of the resource, the instruction is: Check whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the buffer size information of all logical channels and logical channel groups that have available data. The UE according to claim 11, wherein if the number of padding bits is insufficient, generating the MAC CE further comprises prioritizing the buffer size levels of the logical channel and the logical channel group having important PDU sets in the uplink buffer memory.

18. When determining the availability of the resource, the instruction is: The number of padding bits in a MAC PDU is A first MAC CE format for a first number of logical channels and logical channel groups having finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information, and It is determined that it is sufficient to have one of the following: a second number of the aforementioned logical channels and a second MAC CE format for the aforementioned logical channel group, without finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information. The system checks whether either the logical channel or the logical channel group has a significant set of PDUs available in the uplink buffer memory. If either the logical channel or the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the first MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the UE is further configured such that if neither the logical channel nor the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the second MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE.

19. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the MAC CE is a buffer status report (BSR).

20. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a user device (UE), the UE receives Evaluate the status of one or more packet data unit (PDU) sets stored in the uplink buffer memory. The PDU set importance (PSI) parameter of the PDU set is identified, and the PSI parameter indicates the level of importance of the PDU set. Determine the availability of resources to send media access control (MAC) control elements (CEs) related to buffer status. The MAC CE generates the MAC CE based on the availability of the resource, the PSI parameters, or both, the information within the MAC CE and the format of the MAC CE. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that causes the network node to transmit the MAC CE to the network node in order to notify the network node of the status of the one or more PDU sets stored in the uplink buffer memory.

21. Determining the availability of the resource includes determining when the network is congested. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein when the network is congested, the MAC CE includes buffer delay information only when there is a significant set of PDUs in the uplink buffer memory as indicated by the PSI parameters.

22. The aforementioned instruction is, A first delay time threshold is applied to trigger buffer delay information reporting when a critical PDU set is in the uplink buffer memory. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, further configuring the UE to apply a second delay time threshold for triggering buffer delay information reporting when there is no important PDU set in the uplink buffer memory.

23. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the instruction further configures the UE to trigger a delay information report when a critical PDU set arrives in the uplink buffer memory.

24. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the MAC CE includes delay information corresponding to an important PDU set.

25. Determining the availability of the said resources is This includes checking whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the MAC CE format, which has multiple buffer size levels, for each logical channel or group of logical channels. If the number of padding bits is sufficient, the MAC CE format having multiple buffer size levels for each logical channel or each logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU. If the number of padding bits is insufficient, the MAC CE format having only one buffer size level per logical channel or per logical channel group is selected for padding the MAC PDU, according to claim 20.

26. Determining the availability of the said resources is This includes checking whether the number of padding bits in the MAC PDU is sufficient for the buffer size information of all logical channels and logical channel groups that have available data. If the number of padding bits is insufficient, generating the MAC CE includes prioritizing the buffer size levels of the logical channel and the logical channel group having important PDU sets in the uplink buffer memory, according to claim 20.

27. Determining the availability of the said resources is The number of padding bits in a MAC PDU is A first MAC CE format for a first number of logical channels and logical channel groups having finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information, and It is determined that it is sufficient to have one of the following: a second number of the logical channels and a second MAC CE format for the logical channel group, without finer granularity buffer size levels and delay information. This includes checking whether either the logical channel or the logical channel group has a significant set of PDUs available in the uplink buffer memory, If either the logical channel or the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the first MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein if neither the logical channel nor the logical channel group has the important PDU set, the second MAC CE format is selected for the MAC CE.

28. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the MAC CE is a buffer status report (BSR).

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