Cooperative use of multiple radio receivers to meet higher downlink quality of service requirements

Abstract

The method includes identifying (401) information about each of a plurality of devices, and transmitting (403) the information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and an admission of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first radio receiver and a second device including a second radio receiver. The method further includes obtaining (405) a first signal received by the first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, obtaining (407) a second signal received by the second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and extracting (409) data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, a system for establishing data flows within a mobile communication network, and a base station for transmitting radio signals to a plurality of devices.

[0002] The present invention further relates to a method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, a method for establishing data flows, and a method for transmitting radio signals to a plurality of devices.

[0003] The invention also relates to a computer program product enabling a computer system to carry out such a method. [Background technology]

[0004] In prior art technical implementations, a UE (User Equipment) operates in isolation, handling all data traffic provided to it in uplink and downlink at higher protocol layers, including handling one or more different applications. If the network cannot support a certain performance requirement (e.g., a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) requirement) for a downlink Quality-of-Service (QoS) flow held between the UE and a User Plane Function (UPF) in the core network, given the quality of the radio link, then there is effectively no downlink (DL) coverage for that performance requirement (e.g., GBR).

[0005] At the 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #93-e teleconference held on September 13-17, 2021, Huawei and HiSilicon submitted a contribution titled "Updated views on Rel-18 UE aggregation" (RP-212282) on UE aggregation. UE aggregation was originally conceived to improve 5G New Radio uplink performance. UE aggregation can improve uplink (UL) performance by aggregating resources such as transmission power, antennas, and bandwidth. The contribution noted that aggregation also benefits downlink (DL) performance. The contribution noted that one important technical aspect of UE aggregation is the anchor point where data is split / duplicated, and compared L2 data split / duplicate with application layer data split / duplicate. While UE aggregation can be used to increase achievable DL performance, this does not guarantee such higher DL performance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a system that allows for the establishment and support of data flows with downlink QoS requirements that would otherwise not be possible.

[0007] A second object of the present invention is to provide a method that allows for establishing and supporting data flows with downlink QoS requirements that would otherwise not be possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, a system for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows includes a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver, and at least one processor configured to identify information about each of the plurality of devices and transmit this information so that data flows are requested with one or more quality of service requirements and acceptance of data flows having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information.

[0009] The at least one processor is further configured to: acquire a first signal received by a first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow; acquire a second signal received by a second radio receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, the data flow and the other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; and extract data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

[0010] One or more of the at least one processor may be included in the first device. One or more of the at least one processor may be included in the second device. The plurality of devices may include three or more devices. Each device may include a wireless transmitter in addition to a wireless receiver. The wireless receiver and wireless transmitter may be integrated as a wireless transceiver. Each device may be a UE, as referred to in mobile communication standards. The system for receiving wireless signals may be a device itself. In this case, the first and second devices may be components of this device. The first and second signals may be different receptions of the same transmitted signal or receptions of different transmitted signals. The first and second wireless signals may be demodulated after aggregation or separately demodulated before aggregation. The data flow may be, for example, a 5G QoS flow.

[0011] By using two radio receivers, downlink performance can be improved. To ensure that this also results in downlink QoS requirements that would not otherwise be possible being met, information about each of the multiple devices is transmitted. This information can then be used by a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network to identify whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable in view of the downlink performance gain that can be achieved. The system for establishing data flows can, for example, be part of a radio access network, such as a base station, or part of a core network, such as a Policy Control Function (PCF), or a combination thereof.

[0012] This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The device information may, for example, specify the number of devices and / or the capabilities of the devices and / or device identifiers of the devices. The downlink performance gain may depend, for example, on the number of involved UEs, the number of receive antennas available at each UE, and the degree of correlation of the receive antennas with the radio channel towards the involved UEs. In a simple implementation, a fixed mapping of the number of UEs and receive antennas to the gain in perceived performance, e.g., throughput, may be applied.

[0013] In other implementations, the information can be used to calculate whether receive diversity, Enhanced Single User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (SU-MIMO) beamforming, multi-user diversity, Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO), or carrier aggregation would improve downlink performance. For example, if a device supports carrier aggregation, downlink performance gains can be improved. Ideally, all available carriers can be assigned to one device. If this is not possible, using multiple devices can utilize all available carriers, thereby improving downlink performance.

[0014] The at least one processor may be configured to determine beamforming feedback based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and reception of one or more reference signals and / or one or more other reference signals by the second wireless receiver, determine channel state information including the beamforming feedback, and transmit information including the channel state information. The channel state information typically further includes a channel quality indicator, referred to as CQI in LTE and 5G, and part of a CSI report. The beamforming feedback may further include a rank indicator, referred to as RI in LTE and 5G, and part of a CSI report.

[0015] The beamforming feedback may include first beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and second beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals and / or one or more other reference signals by the second wireless receiver, or may include combined beamforming feedback determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by the first wireless receiver and reception of one or more reference signals by the second wireless receiver.

[0016] In a first implementation example, the antenna of the first device and the antenna of the second device are considered to be the antenna of a single device, and channel state information including beamforming feedback is determined based on this. In a second implementation example, the second device provides its own channel state information to the first device, and the first device integrates this channel state information with its own channel information and then includes it in the information to be transmitted. In a third implementation example, the first device and the second device transmit their channel information independently. In the previous two implementation examples, the system for establishing a data flow is unaware that radio signals transmitted on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated.

[0017] Not only beamforming feedback but also other parts of the channel state information may be combined. The combined channel state information may be used not only to decide on the admission of data flows with one or more quality of service requirements, but also in the phase in which established flows are handled, i.e., the data transmission phase. The combined channel state information may be used for this purpose even if it is not used to decide on the admission of data flows with one or more quality of service requirements.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present invention, a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communications network includes at least one processor configured to receive from another system a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements; obtain information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request; identify, based on this information, whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable; and send to the other system a response that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0019] The information about each of the devices typically originates from the devices themselves, as mentioned above, and may be transmitted by (end-user) systems for receiving wireless signals, e.g., by the devices themselves or by other systems, to a system for establishing data flows. This information is used by the system for establishing data flows to identify whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable in view of the downlink performance gain that may be realized.

[0020] The request may be a request to admit a group of at least two data flows, and the one or more quality of service requirements may be one or more joint quality of service requirements. This eliminates the need to request admission of data flows with individual quality of service requirements, which would result in either a lower admitted quality of service requirement or a time-consuming, iterative trial-and-error approach. Furthermore, the joint quality of service requirement allows the base station to schedule based on the joint quality of service requirement rather than on the individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements.

[0021] The request may, for example, specify a joint bandwidth guarantee request, a joint latency guarantee request, and / or a joint reliability guarantee request. The request may, for example, include device identifiers of the devices or flags that allow the system to obtain device identifiers of the devices. The flags uniquely identify a group of data flows and / or the devices.

[0022] The information may include channel state information for each of the plurality of devices, and the at least one processor may be configured to: determine, based on the channel state information, a correlation between a channel of a first device and a channel of a second device among the plurality of devices; estimate, based on the correlation, an extent to which the first and second devices can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource; and determine whether one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable depending on an extent to which the first and second devices can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource. For example, aggregate cell-level throughput may be high when MU-MIMO is applied in certain situations, such as when the channels of the co-scheduled UEs are sufficiently uncorrelated and their respective SINRs are sufficiently high.

[0023] The information may further include other channel state information regarding another device, where the other device is not included in the multiple devices, and the at least one processor may be configured to determine, based on the other channel state information, another correlation between a channel of a device and a channel of another device among the multiple devices, estimate, based on the other correlation, to what extent the device and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource, and determine whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable depending on to what extent the device and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

[0024] In a third aspect of the present invention, a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communications network includes at least one processor configured to receive a request from another system in the mobile communications network to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices, identify whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable, and send a response to the other system indicating that the request is accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise.

[0025] An (end-user) system for receiving wireless signals, a system for establishing data flows (in a mobile communication network), or other system may be configured to select how many data flows it wants to use for data reception. If the (end-user) system for receiving wireless signals decides that it wants to use one data flow, the system for establishing data flows does not need to know that multiple devices, e.g., UEs, of the (end-user) system for receiving wireless signals are involved.

[0026] The decision of how many data flows the system wants to use to receive data can be made based on information about each of the multiple devices, i.e., the same information that the system for establishing data flows uses to identify whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable. Ultimately, the approval decision is made by the flow establishment system. If a system other than the flow establishment system selects how many devices (and which devices, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use to receive data, it can indicate this in a request to the flow establishment system, which can then decide whether to accept or reject the request.

[0027] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a base station for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices includes at least one processor configured to allocate resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, the data flow and at least one other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being specified with one or more joint quality of service requirements, transmit the first wireless signal from the base station to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment and / or on first frequency resources, allocate resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, and transmit the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment other than the first moment and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources.

[0028] The base station scheduler schedules downlink resources for data flows with joint quality of service requirements and typically also schedules downlink resources for data flows with individual quality of service requirements. When scheduling downlink resources for data flows with joint quality of service requirements, the individual quality of service requirements need not be taken into account. Advantageously, the base station scheduler has substantially more freedom when targeting a single joint quality of service (e.g., GBR) requirement than when targeting multiple individual quality of service targets. This increased freedom can translate into diversity gains and thus improved spectral efficiency and thus cell capacity, which can in turn lead to increased likelihood of admission.

[0029] The at least one processor may be configured to determine whether to allocate a particular resource to transmit the first wireless signal to the first device or the second wireless signal to the second device based on a first channel quality associated with the first device and a second channel quality associated with the second device, where the channel quality may be determined based on channel state information, such as a CQI included in a CSI report.

[0030] The at least one processor may be configured to determine whether to terminate the data flow or another data flow, and if a decision is made to terminate the data flow or another data flow, to terminate the data flow or another data flow and to transmit a message to another system to inform the other system that the data flow or another data flow of the group of data flows has been or will be terminated. The other system may be, for example, an (end user) system for receiving wireless signals or a system for establishing data flows (in a mobile communication network). This allows the other system to select an additional device, e.g., a UE, and / or determine whether an additional data flow should be requested. For example, if the decision to terminate the flow lacks diversity, another device / UE within the device / UE for which a data flow will be requested may be selected.

[0031] At least one processor may be configured to allocate excess resources fairly between a group of data flows, data flows not belonging to the group, and other groups of data flows. Within a particular data flow group, resources do not need to be allocated fairly. The excess resources may be, for example, resources above the GBR level. For example, if a scheduler handles independent data flow A and flow group B (including flows B1 and B2), the concept of fairness is considered at the A vs. B level, not at the A vs. B1 vs. B2 level.

[0032] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows includes: identifying information about each of a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver; transmitting information such that the data flows are requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and acceptance of the data flows having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information; acquiring a first signal received by the first wireless receiver on the data radio bearer associated with the data flow; acquiring a second signal received by the second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer or another radio bearer associated with another data flow, the data flow and the other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; and extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0033] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a method for establishing a data flow includes the steps of receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements; obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request; identifying, based on this information, whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable; and transmitting a response indicating that the request is accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements are identified as acceptable, or a response indicating that the request is rejected otherwise. The method may be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0034] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, a method for establishing a data flow includes receiving, from a system in a mobile communication network, a request to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices; identifying whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable; and transmitting to the system a response indicating that the request is accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements are identified as acceptable, or a response indicating that the request is rejected otherwise. The method can be performed by software running on a programmable device. The software can be provided as a computer program product.

[0035] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a method for transmitting wireless signals to multiple devices includes the steps of: allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from a base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, where the data flow and at least one other data flow belong to the same group of data flows, and the group of data flows is specified with one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment and / or on first frequency resources; allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements; and transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment other than the first moment and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources. The method may be executed by software running on a programmable device. The software may be provided as a computer program product.

[0036] Further provided are computer programs for performing the methods described herein, as well as non-transitory computer readable storage media storing the computer programs, which may, for example, be downloaded by or uploaded to existing devices or stored during manufacture of these systems.

[0037] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a first software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows.

[0038] Operable operations include identifying information regarding each of a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver; providing the information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and an acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information; acquiring a first signal received by the first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow; and acquiring a second signal received by the second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, the data flow and the other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; and extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals.

[0039] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a second software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for establishing a data flow.

[0040] Executable actions include receiving a request from another system in a mobile communications network to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, the at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, the request specifying the one or more quality of service requirements; obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based thereon; determining, based on the information, whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable; and transmitting a response to the other system indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0041] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least one third software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for establishing a data flow.

[0042] Executable actions include receiving a request from another system in a mobile communications network to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifying the one or more joint quality of service requirements, the at least two data flows intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices; identifying whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable; and transmitting a response to the other system indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more joint quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0043] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores at least a fourth software code portion, which, when executed or processed by a computer, is configured to perform executable operations for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices.

[0044] Executable operations include allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from a base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, where the data flow and at least another data flow belong to the same group of data flows, and the group of data flows is specified with one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment and / or on first frequency resources; allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements; and transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second moment other than the first moment and / or on second frequency resources other than the first frequency resources.

[0045] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a device, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, all of which may be generally referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system." Functions described in this disclosure may be implemented as an algorithm executed by a computer processor / microprocessor. Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in, for example, one or more computer-readable medium(s) having computer-readable program code embodied therein.

[0046] Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be used. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In the context of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or is capable of storing a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0047] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal having computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium is not a computer-readable storage medium, but may be any computer-readable medium that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0048] Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wireline, fiber optic, cable, RF, or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer program code for carrying out operations of aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be with an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0049] Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. Each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided by a processor of a general-purpose computer, particularly a microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU), a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to create a machine, where the instructions, executed via the computer's processor, other programmable data processing device, or other device, create means for performing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0050] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can instruct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium create an article of manufacture that includes instructions that perform the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0051] The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device such that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide a process for performing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0052] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s).

[0053] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It should also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart diagrams, can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0054] The above and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and further explained, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0055] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow diagram of a first embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for establishing a data flow. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a second embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a third embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal and a first embodiment of a method for transmitting a wireless signal to multiple devices. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a fourth embodiment of a method for receiving a wireless signal and a second embodiment of a method for transmitting a wireless signal to multiple devices. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system and a first embodiment of a flow establishment system. [Figure 7] An example of a scenario in which the system shown in FIG. 6 can be used is shown. [Figure 8] A first example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 6 is shown. [Figure 9] A second example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 6 is shown. [Figure 10] A third example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 6 is shown. [Figure 11] 8 illustrates a fourth example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system and a second embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the flow establishment system is a base station. [Figure 13] An example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 12 is shown. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system and a third embodiment of a flow establishment system. [Figure 15] An example of the flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 14 is shown. [Figure 16] 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system, a first embodiment of a flow establishment system, and a first embodiment of a base station. [Figure 17] 1 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system, a second embodiment of a base station, and a fourth embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the base station is the flow establishment system. [Figure 18] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary data processing system for implementing the methods of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] Corresponding elements in the figures are designated with the same reference numerals.

[0057] Detailed Description of the Drawings A first embodiment of a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows is shown in FIG. 1. Step 401 includes determining information about each of a plurality of devices. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0058] Step 403 includes transmitting information such that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and that acceptance of the data flow with the one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. Optionally, a second data flow is requested in step 403. Steps 401 and 403 are part of the flow establishment phase.

[0059] Step 405 includes obtaining a first signal received by a first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. Step 407 includes obtaining a second signal received by a second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow. In the latter case, the data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows, and the group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. Steps 405, 407, and 409 are part of a data transmission phase. The plurality of devices may include three or more devices, three or more data flows may be requested, and three or more signals may be received.

[0060] One embodiment of a method for establishing a data flow is shown in Figure 2. Step 421 includes receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices. The request specifies the one or more quality of service requirements.

[0061] Step 423 includes obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0062] Step 425 involves determining whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 involves sending a response that the request is accepted if one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable in step 425, or that the request is rejected otherwise.

[0063] By receiving wireless signals using multiple wireless receivers in the end user system and then aggregating the signals obtained from the wireless receivers, downlink performance may be improved. To ensure that this also means that downlink QoS requirements that would not otherwise be achievable may be met, information about each of the multiple devices is transmitted in step 403 and then used by the flow establishment system in step 425 to determine whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable, taking into account the downlink performance factors that can be achieved.

[0064] There are multiple techniques for improving downlink performance using multiple radio receivers. A mobile communication network may support one or more such techniques. Based on the information sent by the end user system in step 403 and obtained by the flow establishment system in step 423, the downlink performance gain of the supported techniques may be estimated. Five examples of techniques for improving downlink performance using multiple radio receivers are described below: Receive diversity—One device / UE maintains one QoS flow in the network, but multiple receive antennas of multiple devices receive the transmitted radio signals, potentially increasing the S(I)NR and therefore the achievable performance. If this technique is supported by the mobile communication network, it may be advantageous for one device / UE to include composite channel state information (including CQI feedback) in its transmitted information. The composite channel state information is determined based on reception of one or more reference signals by at least a first radio receiver and reception of the same by a second radio receiver. In the case of receive diversity, the antennas of the first device and the antennas of the second device are considered as one device antenna, and the channel state information is determined based on this. The flow establishment system may not be aware that radio signals transmitted on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated. For example, it may not be able to distinguish channel state information for one device with four antennas from channel state information for two devices each with two antennas. This composite channel state information may also be used in the data transmission phase, even when it is not used in the flow establishment phase. Enhanced Single-User-MIMO Beamforming—With this technique, the receive antennas of the second device are not merely used as additional receive antennas. Instead, the derivation of the applied downlink precoding (beamforming) is explicitly based on knowledge of the channels toward the expanded set of receive antennas. In option (i), the second device / UE provides its own channel state information to the first device / UE, which then combines this channel state information with its own channel state information and includes this combined channel state information in the information used to decide whether to accept the data flow. The combined channel state information includes combined beamforming feedback. For example, the second device / UE may provide its own GoB-derived CSI feedback to the first device / UE so that it is combined with that of the first device / UE before transmitting the feedback. This combined beamforming feedback can also be used in the data transmission phase, even if it is not used in the flow establishment phase. In option (ii), the first device and the second device transmit their channel state information separately. In option (i), the flow establishment system may not know that radio signals transmitted on the data radio bearer associated with the data flow are received by multiple devices and then aggregated. Option (ii) is not transparent to the network; the second device / UE must establish a signaling connection with the network. In either case, there will be one QoS flow. Channel state information may also be collected by the base station. For example, the second device / UE may be required to transmit uplink SRS signals that allow the base station to estimate the channels toward all receive antennas. This information may also be used to make decisions regarding the admission of the data flow. Multiuser diversity—Multiuser diversity gain is the throughput increase achieved when a channel-aware scheduler exploits fading differences between multiple devices / UEs, for example, by always scheduling a user on the best instantaneous channel. The very fact that the scheduler can intelligently select between multiple users with different instantaneous channel qualities provides a gain, hence the term "multiuser diversity gain." By establishing an additional QoS flow to a second device / UE in addition to the QoS flow maintained with the first device / UE, the two flows share the cell's available resources. While the resulting throughput on a per-flow basis is lower than the traditional single-flow case, the multiuser diversity gain can actually increase the overall throughput for both flows. The magnitude of the gain depends on factors such as the lack of correlation between the radio channels to both devices / UEs. The two QoS flows (i.e., data flows) have one or more joint QoS requirements. Multi-User MIMO—This technique leverages the general capabilities of MU-MIMO to increase overall cell-level throughput under appropriate circumstances, particularly when applied when the channels of co-scheduled devices / UEs are sufficiently uncorrelated and their respective SINRs are sufficiently high. Again, multiple QoS flows (i.e., data flows) are assigned one or more joint QoS requirements. There are several scenarios in which MU-MIMO can improve the throughput of a group of QoS flows with joint QoS requirements involving multiple devices / UEs. In the first scenario, where cell A only serves cooperating UE1 and UE2 and the UEs meet the co-scheduling (MU-MIMO) conditions, both UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resources (sharing transmit power), thereby increasing the overall throughput of the two QoS flows with joint QoS requirements beyond that achieved in the baseline single-flow case. In a second situation where UE1 and UE2 may possibly not meet the co-scheduling condition with respect to each other, the MU-MIMO functionality may still improve throughput if the first UE1 and the additional (second) UE2 can be co-scheduled in a productive way with other UEs in the cell, for example if UE1 is co-scheduled with UE3 and UE2 is co-scheduled with UE4. Carrier aggregation—When a cell supports more carriers than can be jointly assigned to one device / UE in downlink carrier aggregation mode, an application can benefit from establishing two QoS flows with joint QoS requirements involving a second device / UE. Both QoS flows can then be served on different subsets of carriers, effectively allocating more resources to the supported application and resulting in higher overall throughput. For example, a cell may have five different carriers at its disposal: a 10 MHz carrier in the 800 MHz band, a 20 MHz carrier in the 1800 MHz band, a 15 MHz carrier in the 2100 MHz band, a 10 MHz FDD carrier in the 2600 MHz band, and a 20 MHz TDD carrier in the 2600 MHz band. Limiting a device / UE to three aggregated carriers, for example, can increase the resource allocation from, for example, 10 + 20 + 10 = 40 MHz to 10 + 20 + 10 + 15 + 20 = 75 MHz. Similar reasoning applies to limiting the maximum bandwidth portion that can be allocated to a device / UE on a 5G carrier, where benefits can also be gained by aggregating different bandwidth portions allocated to cooperating devices / UEs on the same or different carriers.

[0065] The performance gain depends on which technologies are supported by the radio access network and can be estimated in step 425. The performance gain can be estimated using one or more algorithms or by using machine learning, e.g., one or more neural networks. The flow establishment system may know which technologies are supported by the radio access network, but this is not required depending on the extent to which machine learning is applied. Typically, the flow establishment system does not know which technologies are actually used by the radio access network for a particular data flow or a particular group of data flows.

[0066] When multi-user diversity, MU-MIMO, and / or carrier aggregation are supported, it may be advantageous to establish multiple data / QoS flows with joint QoS requirements so that higher overall performance can be guaranteed. The overall performance guarantees can be managed by the base station as joint requirements of multiple data / QoS flows, allowing joint traffic handling (scheduling, beamforming), or the aggregate requirements can be split into requirements per multiple data / QoS flows, and the resulting data / QoS flows can then be treated individually as before. In the former case, higher overall throughput can be guaranteed and achieved.

[0067] To enable the flow establishment system to estimate the performance gain, it may obtain channel state information for each of the devices (and specifically for a channel going to a device). This channel state information may be part of the data / QoS flow establishment request, may be part of another message received by the flow establishment system, or may be obtained based on a device identifier that may be included in the data / QoS flow establishment request.

[0068] The flow establishment system may then determine a correlation between a channel of a first device / UE and a channel of a second device / UE among the plurality of devices based on the channel state information, estimate an extent to which the first and second devices / UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource based on the correlation, and determine whether one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable depending on the extent to which the first and second devices / UEs can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource. The estimated correlation may be, for example, a correlation index of 0 or 1. For example, a mapping from a correlation coefficient to a performance gain may be used to determine whether one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable. As mentioned above, the flow establishment system typically cannot know whether the first and second devices / UEs will actually be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource by the base station.

[0069] If receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO beamforming are used, one QoS flow is established with the end-user system. In this case, there is no advantage to using multiple data / QoS flows with joint QoS requirements, but the estimated gains of receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO beamforming can be used to ensure better overall performance. The aforementioned channel state information can also be used for this purpose, but this is not required.

[0070] In general, the performance gain may be estimated, for example, in step 425, based on, for example, the number of involved devices / UEs, the number of available receive antennas, and the degree of correlation of the wireless channels towards the involved devices / UEs and receive antennas. In a simple implementation, a fixed mapping of the number of devices / UEs and receive antennas to the perceptual performance, e.g., throughput gain, may be used.

[0071] A second embodiment of a method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows is shown in Figure 3. In the embodiment of Figure 3, one data / QoS flow is established for both devices of the end user system.

[0072] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device having a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may specify, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0073] Step 403 includes an end-user system transmitting information indicating that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and allowing acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements to be determined based on this information. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, step 403 is performed by step 441. Step 441 includes transmitting a request to the flow establishment system to admit the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements. The request includes at least some information about each of the devices. In an alternative embodiment, the end-user system transmits information to other systems, but the information ultimately ends up in the flow establishment system. The information may be transmitted, for example, by the first device, the second device, or both devices.

[0074] Step 421 includes the flow establishment system receiving a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the end user system sends only one request to admit one data flow. The data flow is intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices, i.e., for downlink transmission. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements.

[0075] Step 423 includes the flow establishment system obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0076] Step 425 includes the flow establishment system determining whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 includes the flow establishment system sending a response that the request is accepted if step 425 determines that the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, or a response that the request is rejected otherwise.

[0077] Step 443 involves the end-user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system. The end-user system performs steps 405, 407, and 409 if the response indicates that the request was accepted.

[0078] After the data flow is established, the base station transmits radio signals on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. Step 451 includes allocating resources for transmitting radio signals from the base station to the first device on the data radio bearer based on one or more quality of service requirements. Step 453 includes transmitting radio signals to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first instant and / or on first frequency resources.

[0079] Step 405 involves the end user system obtaining a first signal received by a first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow. In the embodiment of Figure 3, step 407 of Figure 1 is performed in step 445. Step 445 includes obtaining a second signal received by a second wireless receiver on the data radio bearer. The first and second signals are different receptions of a wireless signal transmitted by a base station.

[0080] Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. In the embodiment of Figure 3, step 409 is performed by step 411. Step 411 includes combining the signals before modulation / decoding. Steps 451 and 453 and steps 406, 407, and 409 may be repeated one or more times.

[0081] A third embodiment of a method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows and a first embodiment of a method for transmitting radio signals to multiple devices are shown in Figure 4. In the third embodiment of Figure 4, two data / QoS flows with joint QoS requirements are established for two devices of an end-user system.

[0082] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may specify, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0083] Step 403 includes an end-user system transmitting information indicating that a data flow has been requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and allowing acceptance of the data flow having the one or more quality of service requirements to be determined based on that information. In the embodiment of Figure 4, step 403 is performed by steps 441 and 471.

[0084] Step 441 involves a first device at an end user system sending a request to approve a group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The request includes the information identified in step 401. The request is also a request to establish a first of the two data flows. Step 471 involves a second device at an end user system sending a request to establish a second of the two data flows. Both devices may send the same or similar request. Therefore, the request to establish the second data flow may also be a request to approve a group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. In an alternative embodiment, the end user system sends information to another system, but the information ultimately ends up in the flow establishing system.

[0085] Step 421 includes the flow establishment system receiving one or more requests to admit a group of two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements, including a request to establish two data flows. The one or more requests for admission specify the one or more joint quality of service requirements. The data flows are intended for transmission from a base station to multiple devices, i.e., for downlink transmission.

[0086] Step 423 includes obtaining information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request received in step 421. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0087] Step 425 includes determining whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable based on the information obtained in step 423. Step 427 includes sending a response that the request is accepted if step 425 determines that the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise. If the request is accepted, step 427 includes sending a message to both devices of the end-user system, thereby establishing two data flows. Figure 4 does not show what happens if the request is rejected.

[0088] Step 443 includes a first device of the end user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system regarding the first data flow. Step 473 includes a second device of the end user system receiving a response from the flow establishment system regarding the second data flow. If the data flow authorization request sent in step 441 is denied before step 471 is performed, steps 471 and 473 may be skipped. Then, the corresponding steps performed by the flow establishment system are also skipped.

[0089] After the data flow is established, the base station performs steps 481 to 487. Step 481 includes the base station allocating resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station to the first device on a data radio bearer associated with the first data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 483 includes the base station transmitting the first wireless signal to the first device on the data radio bearer at a first moment and / or on a first frequency resource.

[0090] Step 485 includes the base station allocating resources for transmitting a second wireless signal from the base station to the second device on another data radio bearer associated with the second data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements. Step 487 includes the base station transmitting the second wireless signal to the second device on another data radio bearer at a second instant other than the first instant and / or on a second frequency resource other than the first frequency resource.

[0091] Optionally, the base station is configured to allocate excess resources fairly between groups of data flows, ungrouped data flows, and other groups of data flows. It is not necessary to allocate resources fairly within a particular data flow group. The excess resources may be, for example, resources above the GBR level. For example, if a scheduler serves independent flow A and flow group B (including flows B1 and B2), the concept of fairness is considered at the A vs. B level, not at the A vs. B1 vs. B2 level.

[0092] Step 405 includes obtaining a first signal received by a first wireless receiver on a data radio bearer associated with a first data flow. The first signal is a reception of a first wireless signal transmitted by a base station. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, step 407 of FIG. 1 is performed by step 475. Step 475 includes obtaining a second signal received by a second wireless receiver on another data radio bearer. The second signal is a reception of a second wireless signal transmitted by a base station. Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, step 409 is performed by step 413. Step 413 includes separately modulating / decoding the signals and then aggregating the actual data. Steps 481-487 and steps 405, 407, and 409 may be repeated one or more times.

[0093] The embodiment of Figure 3 shows the use of one data flow, while the embodiment of Figure 4 shows the use of multiple data flows. Whether one or multiple data flows are used may be fixed within the end-user system and / or flow establishment system. However, it is also possible to allow the end-user system, flow establishment system, or other system to dynamically select which devices / UEs and / or how many data flows it wants to use for data reception.

[0094] A fourth embodiment of a method for receiving wireless signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows and a second embodiment of a method for transmitting wireless signals to a plurality of devices are shown in FIG. 5 .

[0095] Step 401 includes an end user system determining information about each of a plurality of devices of the end user system. The plurality of devices includes a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver. The information may include, for example, channel condition information and / or device information. The device information may specify, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices.

[0096] Step 501 involves the end user system determining, based on the information determined in step 401, how many devices / UEs of the end user system it wants to use to receive data (and, if applicable, which devices it wants to use to receive data) and how many data flows it wants to use to receive data. Based on this information (which can be very complex or as simple as the number of devices / UEs belonging to the same group), the potential gain in terms of achievable (joint) QoS can be estimated, e.g. Carrier aggregation / multi-radio dual connectivity: Derive a set of devices / UEs to fully utilize the resource availability in the cell. MU-Diversity: Estimate how independent (e.g. CQI) the channels are between the base stations serving the device / UE. The more independent the channels are, the higher the potential gain (through diversity). MU-MIMO: Channel and cross-correlation of different devices / UEs (inside and outside their own group). The lower the cross-correlation, the higher the potential gain.

[0097] The same gain estimation may be performed by the flow establishment system in determining whether a requested quality of service requirement is acceptable.

[0098] In the embodiment of Figure 5, one of three options is selected: A) one device / UE and one data flow, B) two devices / UEs and one data flow, or C) two devices / UEs and two data flows. Step 503 then involves the end user system identifying which step to perform next based on the option selected in step 501. Steps 441 and 443 of Figures 3 and 4 are always performed after step 503. If option C is selected, steps 471 and 473 of Figure 4 are also performed.

[0099] If the admission request is accepted in step 427, after the data flows are established, the base station performs steps 481 and 483 of Figures 3 and 4, and optionally steps 485 and 487 of Figure 4. Step 511 involves determining whether the actual number of established data flows is 1 or 2. Steps 481 and 483 are always performed after step 511.

[0100] If two data flows are established, steps 485 and 487 are additionally performed. If two flows are established, they are treated with the knowledge that they have joint QoS requirements and are therefore treated as a group. Scheduling priorities derived from QoS requirements do not apply within a group, but do apply to other devices / UEs outside the group. Other parameters such as link quality may still affect scheduling priorities within the group.

[0101] Step 513 may also be performed by the base station, e.g., in parallel with steps 481-487. Step 513 involves determining whether to terminate the first or second data flow, e.g., in case of congestion or if grouping of devices is deemed not to yield worthwhile gains. For example, generally, while serving a device / UE, the network may learn more about the performance gains of serving the device / UE versus serving its subgroup. Based on this knowledge, the network may decide to suspend one or more flows (one or two flows in the embodiment of FIG. 5). If none of the data flows are terminated, step 513 is repeated and the method proceeds as shown in FIG. 5. Step 515 is performed if it is determined in step 513 to terminate the first or second data flow.

[0102] Step 515 includes terminating the first data flow or the second data flow and sending a message to the end user system indicating that the first data flow or the second data flow has been or will be terminated. In the embodiment of Figure 5, the termination message is sent in step 515. In alternative embodiments, the termination message is sent to another system, such as a flow establishment system or an Application Function. Step 513 is repeated after step 515 and the method proceeds as shown in Figure 5.

[0103] Step 505 is performed by the end-user system after it has performed step 443 and, optionally, step 473. Step 505 involves the end-user system determining which step to perform next based on which option was selected in step 501 and whether the approval request was accepted or rejected.

[0104] If step 505 determines that the admission request is denied, step 501 may be repeated, and a different option may be selected in the next iteration of step 501, after which the method proceeds as shown in Figure 5. If two data flows are requested, they are either all admitted or all denied. If a data flow is denied, the flow establishment system may feedback the reason for the denial (e.g., requested joint QoS is too high or the number of flows is too large) and / or an indication of what is acceptable (e.g., maximum admitted joint QoS, maximum number of flows).

[0105] If admission is denied and the reason for the denial is related to the number of flows, step 501 is repeated as described above. If the reason for the denial is related to the requested QoS, this may be fed back to the application layer for possible adjustment, after which step 501 or 503 may be repeated.

[0106] If step 505 determines that the approval request has been accepted, then at least step 405 is performed. If step 505 determines that option B has been selected in step 501, then step 445 of Figure 3 is additionally performed. If step 505 determines that option C has been selected in step 501, then step 475 of Figure 4 is additionally performed. Step 409 is performed after step 405 and step 445 or 475 are performed. Step 507 is performed after step 409 is performed. If option A is selected in step 501, then step 409 is skipped and step 507 is performed immediately after step 405.

[0107] Step 409 includes extracting data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals, which aggregation may be different if the second signal is acquired on a separate data radio bearer than if it is acquired on a data radio bearer, as described with respect to Figures 3 and 4.

[0108] Step 507 involves determining whether the base station terminates any of the data flows, which is more likely when two data flows are in use than when only one data flow is in use. If a data flow is terminated, the end user system repeats step 401 and may select another option for the next iteration in step 501, optionally based on information contained in the termination message. If none of the data flows are terminated, step 505 is repeated and the method proceeds as shown in FIG. 5.

[0109] In the embodiment of Figure 5, it is the end user system that selects how many devices / UEs (and which devices / UEs, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use for data reception, but as mentioned above, alternatively, the flow establishment system or another system may also make this selection. Ultimately, the authorization decision is made by the flow establishment system. If a system other than the flow establishment system selects how many devices / UEs (and which devices / UEs, if applicable) and / or how many data flows it wants to use for data reception, it may indicate that this is a request to the flow establishment system.

[0110] In the embodiments of Figures 3-5, it is the end user system that sends one or more requests for data flows to the transmission flow establishment system, for example on instructions of an application server or on an application program running on the end user system. In alternative embodiments, it is a system within the (core network of) the mobile communication network that sends these one or more requests, for example, these one or more requests may be sent by or via an Application Function (AF). In the examples of Figures 3-5, the end user system includes and uses two devices / UEs. Alternatively, the end user system may include and use three or more devices / UEs.

[0111] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a system, i.e., end-user system 9, for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows. The mobile communication network shown in FIG. 6 includes a radio access network (RAN) 11 and a core network (CN) 31. RAN 11 includes base stations 15, 17, and 21. For example, the mobile communication network may be a 5G network, RAN 11 may be a 5G New Radio RAN, and base stations 15, 17, and 21 may be 5G gNodeB base stations. Each of base stations 15, 17, and 21 may include multiple distributed units, which share a common centralized unit in a Centralized RAN (C-RAN) architecture. End-user system 9 includes two devices 1 and 2. These two devices 1 and 2, e.g., 5G UEs, are connected to base station 21 in the example of FIG. 6. Alternatively, devices 1 and 2 may be connected to different base stations. Devices 1 and 2 may be part of two devices or may be two devices.

[0112] The core network 31 includes a system 41 for establishing a data flow. The data flow may be, for example, a QoS flow. The core network 31 is connected to the Internet 39. An application server 35 is also connected to the Internet. The core network 31 further includes a system 33 and a system 34. The system 41 may, for example, implement a 5G Policy Charging Function (PCF). The system 33 may, for example, implement a 5G User Plane Function (UPF). The system 34 may, for example, implement a 5G Application Function (AF).

[0113] Each of devices 1 and 2 includes a wireless receiver 3 and a wired transmitter 4. End user system 9 further includes a processor 5 and a memory 7. Processor 5 is configured to transmit information regarding device 1 and device 2 to identify data flows requested with one or more quality of service requirements and to enable acceptance of data flows having one or more quality of service requirements to be determined based on the information. This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. Channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. Device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of devices, the capabilities of the devices, and device identifiers of the devices.

[0114] The processor 5 is further configured to extract data from the first and second signals by acquiring a first signal received by the radio receiver 3 of the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow, acquiring a second signal received by the radio receiver 3 of the device 2 on that data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and aggregating the first and second signals. The data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows. The group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements. As described with respect to Figures 3 and 4, the aggregation is different when the second signal is acquired on a different data radio bearer than when it is acquired on a data radio bearer.

[0115] The processor 5 may be configured to identify one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications, for example at the (mobile) network level, and to create a request to admit a data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The quality of service requirements may, for example, be communicated to the end user system 9 by the application server 35 or may be specified by an application program running on the end user system 9. Alternatively, the request to admit a data flow or a group of data flows may be sent by a system within the core network 31.

[0116] When processor 5 sends a request to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements, the request specifies one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications as the one or more joint quality of service requirements for which admission is requested. The joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements is clear from the request. An example of a joint quality of service requirement is a joint GBR requirement (e.g., 100 Mbit / s) for the group of data flows.

[0117] The system 41 includes a receiver 43, a transmitter 44, a processor 45, and a memory 47. The processor 45 is configured to receive a request to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements from an end user system 9 or from another system in the core network 31. The request to admit at least one data flow is intended for transmission, i.e., downlink transmission, from one or more base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 17, and 21, to the devices 1 and 2. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements. The request may be for admission of one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. When a group of at least two data flows is requested, the same admission request may be sent by each of the devices to establish each of the at least two data flows.

[0118] The processor 45 is further configured to obtain information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, the number of the plurality of devices and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Other information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0119] The processor 45 is configured to determine, based on the information, whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable or not, and to transmit to the system that sent the approval request a response indicating that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0120] An authorization request is typically a request to establish a requested data flow or a data flow of a group of requested data flows. Alternatively, an authorization request may be separate from and precede a flow establishment request. When a group authorization request for requested data flows is simultaneously a request to establish a data flow of a group of requested data flows, a request may be sent for each data flow of the group of data flows, and the multiple data flows of the group of data flows are typically either all approved and established or all rejected and not established.

[0121] Figure 7 shows an example of a scenario in which the end user system 9 shown in Figure 6 can be used. Figure 7 shows an ambulance 81 having an in-vehicle local area network served by an in-vehicle access point which is itself fitted with two (different) devices 1 and 2, e.g. UEs, through which it is connected to a base station 21 in a mobile communication network. Devices 1 and 2 are part of the end user system 9.

[0122] An aggregator 83, functionally positioned between the application layer and devices 1 and 2, may aggregate packet flows to one or more simultaneously running applications on multiple devices, such as one or more of applications 85-87, each of which maintains a data flow (e.g., a 5G QoS flow) with the mobile communications network through base station 21. Aggregator 83 may also function as a splitter in the uplink direction. Aggregator 83 and one or more of applications 85-87 execute on processor 5 of end user system 9.

[0123] Splitter 93 resides within the RAN / core network or beyond to appropriately extract and aggregate packet flows of different applications as they are transmitted towards their respective destinations, i.e., application servers 35-37 corresponding to local applications 85-87. Splitter 93 may also function as an aggregator in the uplink direction. In this example, aggregator 83 and splitter 93 are outside the cellular network. Devices 1 and 2 have respective connections to base station 21. While FIG. 7 shows only two devices / UEs, more than two devices / UEs may be included.

[0124] 7, applications 85-87 may include one or more GBR-type applications, which are characterized by a minimum (guaranteed) bit rate requirement. In an ambulance scenario, this may include, for example, a real-time video conference or ultrasound session between a paramedic in the ambulance and a specialized doctor / surgeon in the hospital.

[0125] For example, a GBR-type application may be running, and the packet flow of that application may not be able to meet the GBR requirement when handled by a device / UE. This may be because the GBR requirement is too high or the radio link between the device / UE and the base station is too weak. Conventionally, in such a case, the requested data flow would be denied and the GBR request would be downgraded to a lower level. The above-described system can prevent this.

[0126] By identifying whether one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable based on information about each of the devices being used to receive the data, the benefits of using techniques such as receive diversity, enhanced single-user MIMO beamforming, multi-user diversity, multi-user MIMO, and / or carrier aggregation can be translated into higher performance guarantees. Higher performance guarantees can also be achieved through the use of joint service guarantee requirements (rather than individual quality of service requirements).

[0127] In the absence of a joint quality of service requirement, each device / UE would have to somehow establish a data flow such that the GBRs per device / UE and per data flow add up to an overall (application-level) GBR of 100 Mb / s. The system requesting admission of a data flow has no clue as to whether it should be, for example, a 50:50, 60:40, or 70:30 split, because it does not know what quality of service requirements the base station and core network can grant. While a 50 / 50 split can be attempted, it often happens that a 50 Mb / s GBR request is granted for one device / UE but not the other because the former has a stronger radio link. In that case, only the former data flow is admitted, and the overall GBR is 50 + 0 = 50 Mb / s, which is not good enough. For example, in the case of a 60 / 40 split, both data flows are initially approved, but as mentioned above, the system requesting the data flow has no way of knowing, and the iterative trial and error approach is time-consuming and far from efficient.

[0128] Therefore, using a group of data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements eliminates the need to admit data flows with individual quality of service requirements, which can lead either to lower admitted quality of service requirements or to a time-consuming iterative trial-and-error approach. The above example has been described with respect to (downlink) throughput. However, the same approach can also be used to improve other performance requirements, for example, with respect to latency or reliability.

[0129] If the flow establishment system is capable of handling a group of data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements, this can be implemented in several ways. The following is a non-exhaustive list of implementation options: 1. In implementation options 1a-c, one or more joint quality of service requirements are split into individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements, including a procedure to identify / establish the split when establishing / modifying a data flow. Once split, the data flows are treated separately, i.e., in the conventional way, in terms of packet scheduling. The individual (per data flow) quality of service requirements are taken into account by the scheduler. a) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The system checks whether these one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and by the corresponding base station. Therefore, both the core network and the base station are aware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. The system in the core network is responsible for identifying the split. By also informing the base station of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows, the base station can use this information to perform RAN admission control. The base station may even propose a split. In both cases, the base station performs separate, per-flow scheduling. b) The base station is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The base station is responsible for identifying the split. The base station checks whether these individual quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and whether the base station itself can accept the one or more joint quality of service requirements. Alternatively, the base station may check whether it can accept the split individual quality of service requirements rather than the joint quality of service request. In this implementation option 1b, the core network is unaware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. c) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The system checks whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network, identifies splitting, and checks whether the corresponding individual quality of service requirements are acceptable by the relevant base station. The base station does not know the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows, but may query the base station for one or more splitting options. 2. In implementation options 2a-b, one or more joint quality of service requirements are managed only at the joint level. This has implications not only for admission control but also for packet scheduling in particular, so the base station needs to know the one or more joint quality of service requirements. One important advantage of implementation options 2a-b is that the channel adaptive scheduler has substantially more freedom to target one joint quality of service (e.g., GBR) target instead of multiple individual quality of service targets. This increased freedom translates into diversity gain and therefore improved spectral efficiency and ultimately cell capacity, which can lead to improved admission probability. a) A system in the core network is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows that have one or more joint quality of service requirements. As in option 1a, the system checks whether these one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable by the core network and by the corresponding base station. Therefore, both the core network and the base station are aware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. However, in option 2a, the base station scheduler uses the one or more joint quality of service requirements. b) A base station is requested to admit a group of at least two data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements. The base station checks whether it can accept the one or more joint quality of service requirements and, if so, uses the one or more joint quality of service requirements, but checks whether the individual, rather than joint, quality of service requirements are acceptable to the core network. Therefore, the core network is unaware of the joint nature of the one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows. The individual quality of service requirements are made only for the acceptability check in the core network (and possibly for traffic handling within the core network) and are not used by the base station itself.

[0130] Thus, these implementations differ in (i) the awareness of the core network and / or base station (RAN) regarding the joint nature of one or more quality of service requirements of the data flows (Options 1a / 2a vs. 1b / 2b vs. 1c), and (ii) whether the base station scheduler manages the quality of service requirements at a joint level (Options 2a-b) or in an individual (per data flow) manner (Options 1a-c).

[0131] In all of the above implementation options, a response is sent indicating that the request has been accepted. In all of the above implementation options, the devices may be served by different base stations. In implementation options 1a, 1c, 2a, and 2b, different base stations typically need to coordinate for admission control of joint QoS requests and / or joint QoS scheduling. When devices are served by different distributed units of the same base station in a C-RAN architecture, admission control of joint QoS requests and / or joint QoS scheduling may be performed, for example, by a central unit.

[0132] Figure 6 shows implementation option 1a). This implementation option corresponds to the case where both the base station and the core network are aware of the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is done separately, per flow. In this option, the core network function manages the data flow establishment (in 5G the PCF manages the QoS flow establishment), informs the base station of the joint nature of the data flows, asks the base station about the (admissibility of) the joint quality of service requirements (e.g. about the optimal GBR split), checks the admissibility from the core network's point of view, and then admits (or rejects) the data flow and configures it accordingly.

[0133] Figure 8 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in Figure 6. In optional step 241, the application server 35 sends a request to configure a downlink data flow to the end user system 9 via the device 1. In an alternative embodiment, a system within the core network 31, for example an Application Function, configures the downlink data flow on behalf of the end user system 9.

[0134] In step 242, a request to admit a group of data flows (called QoS flows in 5G) with one or more common quality of service requirements is sent by the device 1 to the flow establishment system 41. For example, in the case of a 5G network, assuming that a PDU session is already running, the device 1 may initiate a PDU session modification procedure to create a new GBR QoS flow. It is important that the related devices are somehow represented as a group. This grouping information may be available to the device / UE. Alternatively, the group nature of the devices / UEs may be formalized in subscription information available in a Unified Data Repository (UDR), for example, in a 5G network, and managed by a Unified Data Management (UDM) function. This would imply that data / QoS flows are always established and maintained towards the related devices / UEs as a group.

[0135] If grouping information is available at the device / UE, the request may include, for example, device identifiers of the devices in the group. Alternatively, the request may include, for example, a flag that uniquely identifies the group of data flows. If the request includes such a flag, it may be obtained in optional steps 231 and 232 before step 242.

[0136] In step 231, upon receiving an instruction to that effect from higher layer functionality, for example from aggregator 83 of FIG. 7 or from one of applications 85-87 of FIG. 7, device 1 sends a request for a flag to flow establishment system 41. For example, application 85, controlled by application server 35, may instruct device 1 in this manner. In step 232, flow establishment system 41 responds to the request by sending a flag to device 1. Device 1 then passes this flag to the higher layer functionality, which can then provide it to devices 1 and 2.

[0137] In step 243, a similar request to admit a group of data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements is sent by device 2 to flow establishment system 41. Steps 242 and 243 are not simply requests to admit a group of data flows; each also includes a request to establish a respective data flow. In an alternative embodiment, the one or more requests to admit a group of data flows are separate from the requests to establish each data flow. If the request sent by step 242 is not the same as the request sent by step 243, i.e., they specify different quality of service requirements, either request may be rejected or a notification of a mismatched request may be issued. In this case, steps 244-247 may be skipped.

[0138] In step 244, the flow establishment system 41 asks the base station 21, for example via SMF signaling (SMF is not shown in Figure 6), whether the base station can accept one or more joint quality of service requests for the device group. In its message to the base station 21, the flow establishment system 41 identifies the devices in the group of devices. In step 245, the system 41 asks another system 33 in the core network, for example the UPF, via SMF signaling, whether the core network can accept one or more joint quality of service requests.

[0139] Steps 244 and 245 are performed only after all requests admitting a group of data flows with one or more joint quality of service requirements have been received by the flow establishment system 41. If these requests include device identifiers of devices in a device group, the flow establishment system 41 may wait until requests are received from these devices. However, the flow establishment system 41 may use a maximum wait time, which is particularly advantageous when a device can establish multiple data flows. For example, requests may be considered to pertain to the same data flow group only if the requests are received around the same time.

[0140] If the request includes a flag that uniquely identifies the group of data flows, then the maximum wait time need not be used to distinguish between requests for different groups of data flows. However, all of the device identifiers must be known in order to confirm with the base station 21 whether one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable. Therefore, the flow establishment system 41 waits until all requests have been received by the flow establishment system 41, and then performs steps 244 and 245. If it is not possible to determine from the flags whether some requests will be sent, then the maximum wait time is used. If this can be determined, then using the maximum wait time may still be advantageous. In either case, the maximum wait time may be greater than if the request did not include a flag specific to the group of data flows.

[0141] In step 246, the flow establishment system 41 is informed by the base station 21 whether the base station 21 accepts one or more joint quality of service requests for the group of devices. In step 247, the flow establishment system 41 is informed by another system 33 whether the core network accepts one or more joint quality of service requests.

[0142] In steps 248 and 249, responses are sent to devices 1 and 2, respectively, that the request is accepted (if one or more joint quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable) or rejected. The same response, i.e., accept or reject, is sent to both devices. Whether one or more joint quality of service requests are acceptable may depend on the estimated benefit of the techniques used, such as receive diversity, Enhanced Single-User-MIMO beamforming, multi-user diversity, multi-user MIMO, and / or carrier aggregation. This benefit may be estimated based on information about each of the devices in the group, as described above.

[0143] If one or more of the joint quality of service requirements are determined to be acceptable in steps 248 and 249, the respective data flows are established. If the request to admit a group of flows is denied, the system may repeat steps 242-247 with one or more reduced joint quality of service requirements or with a different set of devices.

[0144] In the example of Figure 8, the base station 21 performs step 251 after a data flow between the core network and device 1 is established. In step 251, the base station 21 transmits a first wireless signal to device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with this first data flow. The base station 21 performs step 252 after a data flow between the core network and device 2 is established. In step 252, the base station 21 transmits a second wireless signal to device 2 on a data radio bearer associated with this second data flow.

[0145] When a data / QoS flow is established, in a 5G network, a field in the PDU session header (of the UE-specific PDU session under which the UE's QoS flow resides) can be set with a label, e.g., "Group XYZ," and the same label is used in the header of another UE's PDU session. Via the UPF, these headers pass through the SDAP layer of the base station, allowing the base station to read this label and, as a result, become aware of the joint nature of the different QoS flows. The base station can then handle the data / QoS flows accordingly, as will be described in connection with Figures 16 and 17.

[0146] In the example of Figure 8, the end user system 9 requests admission of a group of two data flows. In the example of Figure 9, the end user system 9 requests admission of one data flow, for example, if only receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO / Beamforming benefits are desired. In the example of Figure 9, steps 243 and 249 are omitted because they relate to the second data flow. Additionally, steps 251 and 252 are replaced by step 256.

[0147] In step 248, a response is sent to device 1 that the request is accepted (if one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable) or that the request is rejected. Whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable may depend on the estimated benefit of the techniques used, such as receive diversity and Enhanced Single-User-MIMO beamforming. This benefit may be estimated based on information about each of the devices in the group, as described above.

[0148] Base station 21 performs step 256 after the data flow between the core network and device 1 is established. In step 256, base station 21 transmits a radio signal to device 1 on the data radio bearer associated with this data flow. Device 2 also receives this radio signal. Steps 231 and 232 may also be performed in this example and in the examples described in the remainder of this specification, but are omitted for brevity.

[0149] In the example of Figures 8 and 9, it is the end user system 9 that sends the authorization request to the flow establishment system, for example in response to a request by an application server 35. In the example of Figure 10, it is another system 34 in the core network that sends the authorization request, for example an Application Function (AF) in a 5G network.

[0150] As mentioned above, it is important that the devices involved are somehow designated as a group. In the example of Figure 10, the system 34 determines that multiple data / QoS flows to a particular group of devices / UEs should be established and signals this to the flow establishment system 41, e.g., PCF, in step 261. The flow establishment system 41 then performs a further joint admission control check.

[0151] Alternatively, this grouping information may be available at the device / UE, in which case, when the system 34 is establishing a data / QoS flow to support an application for a device / UE, the device / UE knows and signals to the network that it needs to establish other data / QoS flows (always or specifically for that application) to other sets of devices / UEs, and that these device / QoS flows will be admitted (or blocked) and managed collectively. This is not shown in FIG. 10.

[0152] Alternatively, the group nature of multiple devices / UEs may be formalized in subscription information available in a Unified Data Repository (UDR) and managed by a Unified Data Management (UDM) function in 5G networks, for example, which would imply that data / QoS flows are always established and maintained towards the devices / UEs involved as a group.

[0153] In step 263, a request to admit a group of data flows (called QoS flows in 5G) having one or more joint quality of service requirements is sent by system 34 to flow establishment system 41. Step 263 is not just a request to admit a group of data flows, but also a request to establish one of the data flows of the group. In step 264, system 34 sends a similar request to flow establishment system 41 for a second data flow of the group.

[0154] If the request sent in step 263 is not the same as the request sent in step 264, i.e., specifies different quality of service requirements, both requests may be rejected or a notification of mismatched requests may be issued. In this case, steps 244-247 may be skipped. In an alternative embodiment, steps 263 and 264 may be combined into one step and one request may be sent.

[0155] In the case of a 5G network, assuming a PDU session is already running and corresponds to the case of a device-terminated (i.e., network-originated) QoS flow, (i) a system 34, e.g., an AF, first sends a flow establishment request to a flow establishment system 41, e.g., a PCF, which acts as a coordinator in the flow establishment, and (ii) via the SMF, checks with the base station for admissibility from the radio access network's perspective and with another system 33, e.g., a UPF, for admissibility from the core network's perspective. As part of this process, the base station 21 may page the targeted device / UE to establish a signaling connection to facilitate the admissibility check.

[0156] Steps 244-249 and steps 251 and 252 are performed after steps 263 and 264 are performed, as described with respect to Figure 8. Additionally, steps 265 and 266 are performed by flow establishment system 41 to inform system 34, e.g., an AF in a 5G network, that two data flows have been established. In an alternative embodiment, steps 265 and 266 may be combined into one step and one message may be sent.

[0157] In the example of Figure 10, system 34 requests admission of a group of two data flows. In the example of Figure 11, system 34 requests admission of one data flow, for example, when only receive diversity and / or Enhanced SU-MIMO / Beamforming benefits are pursued. In the example of Figure 11, steps 264, 266, and 249 are omitted because they relate to the second data flow. Additionally, steps 251 and 252 are replaced by step 256 of Figure 9.

[0158] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system and a second embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the flow establishment system is a base station. Figure 12 illustrates implementation option 1b). This implementation option corresponds to the case where only the base station knows the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is performed separately, per flow. In this implementation option, the (admittability of) one or more joint quality of service requirements (e.g., optimal GBR split) are specified directly by the base station based on its knowledge of the radio link quality and the load of the cell for which admission is requested. A check is made in the core network based on the individual (i.e., per data flow) quality of service requirements (e.g., based on the derived GBR split).

[0159] In the embodiment of FIG. 12, base station 21 of FIG. 6 is replaced by base station 101 and end-user system 9 of FIG.

[0160] End user system 69 includes devices 1 and 2. Devices 1 and 2 each include a wireless receiver 63 and a wireless transmitter 64. End user system 69 further includes a processor 65 and memory 7. Processor 65 identifies and sends information about device 1 and device 2 so that data flows are requested with one or more quality of service requirements and acceptance of data flows having one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on the information. This information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. Channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. Device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of devices, the capabilities of the devices, and device identifiers of the devices.

[0161] The processor 65 is further configured to: acquire a first signal received by the radio receiver 63 of the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow; acquire a second signal received by the radio receiver 63 of the device 2 on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow; and extract data from the first and second signals by aggregating the first and second signals. The data flow and the other data flow belong to the same group of data flows. The group of data flows is associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0162] The processor 65 may be configured to identify one or more quality of service requirements of one or more applications, for example in a (mobile) network, and to generate a request to admit a data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements. The quality of service requirements may, for example, be communicated to the end-user system 69 by the application server 35 or may be specified by an application program running on the end-user system 69. Alternatively, the request to admit a data flow or a group of data flows may be sent from another system within the core network 31.

[0163] Base station 101 also functions as a flow establishment system and includes a receiver 103, a transmitter 104, a processor 105, and a memory 107. Processor 105 is configured to receive a request from end user system 69 or from another system in core network 31 to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for transmission from one or more base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 17, and 101, to devices 1 and 2, i.e., for downlink transmission. The request specifies one or more quality of service requirements. The request can be for admitting one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0164] The processor 105 is further configured to obtain information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to a channel quality indicator. The device information may indicate, for example, one or more of the number of the plurality of devices, the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Other information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0165] Based on the information, the processor 105 determines whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, and sends a response to the system that sent the approval request that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0166] Figure 13 shows an example of a flow handled by an implementation of the system shown in Figure 12. Compared to the flow shown in Figure 8, the request is sent to the base station 101 in Figure 12 in steps 271 and 272, rather than to the flow establishment system 41 in steps 242 and 243 as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the base station 101 does not ask another system 33, e.g., the UPF, whether the core network can accept one or more joint quality of service requests. Instead, the base station 101 first splits the one or more joint quality of service requests into individual quality of service requests, e.g., based on its knowledge of the radio link quality and the cell load of the devices / UEs involved, and then asks the other system 33 whether it can accept the individual quality of service requests for devices 1 and 2, respectively, in steps 273 and 275, respectively.

[0167] The separate system 33 informs the base station 101 whether to accept the individual quality of service requests for devices 1 and 2, respectively, in steps 274 and 276. In steps 277 and 278, the base station 101 sends a response to devices 1 and 2, respectively, that the request is accepted if one or more joint quality of service requests are identified as acceptable, or that the request is rejected otherwise. The base station 101 then performs packet scheduling for both flows based on the individual (separated) quality of service requests.

[0168] Figure 14 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system (shown in Figure 6) and a third embodiment of a flow establishment system. Figure 14 represents implementation option 1c). This implementation option corresponds to the case where only the core network 31 knows the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is done separately, per flow. In this implementation option, the flow establishment system 121, e.g., a PCF in 5G, identifies the appropriate split of the joint quality of service (e.g., GBR) request into individual quality of service requests per data flow, ensuring that either all of the related data flows (e.g., 5G QoS flows) are established or none of them are established.

[0169] System 121 includes receiver 43, transmitter 44, processor 125, and memory 47. Processor 125 is configured to receive a request from end user system 9 or from another system in core network 31 to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements. The at least one data flow is intended for transmission, i.e., downlink transmission, from one or more base stations, e.g., base stations 15, 16, and 17, to devices 1 and 2. The request specifies the one or more quality of service requirements. The request can be for admitting one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements or a group of at least two data flows having one or more joint quality of service requirements.

[0170] The processor 125 is further configured to obtain information about each of the plurality of devices from and / or based on the request. The information may include, for example, channel state information and / or device information. The channel state information may include, for example, beamforming feedback in addition to channel quality indicators. The device information may indicate, for example, the number of the plurality of devices, and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices, and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices. Some or all of this information may be included in the authorization request. Other information may also be obtained based on the device identifiers included in the authorization request.

[0171] Based on the information, processor 125 determines whether one or more quality of service requests are acceptable, and sends a response to the system that sent the approval request that the request has been accepted if one or more quality of service requests are determined to be acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise.

[0172] In 5G, the flow establishment system 121 is typically a PCF. The PCF is in control of the QoS flow and decides whether the requested GBR is allowed. To make this decision, the PCF checks with the gNB via the SMF (for RAN admission control) and with the UPF via the SMF (for core network admission control). A conventional UPF accepts or rejects the QoS flow establishment request (depending on core network resource availability / capability). A conventional gNB may use QoS notification control to modify the request if the requested QoS cannot be achieved due to resource limitations / capabilities at the gNB.

[0173] For example, the system 121 may sequentially try a number of GBR splits, requesting approval from both the RAN and the core network, until it finds a split where all data flows are approved by both the RAN and the core network, and if no such split is found, the core network function denies establishment of both data flows.

[0174] In a "trial and error" approach to finding an acceptable split, the system 121 can optionally request any information from the base stations 16 and 17 indicative of, for example, the relative radio link quality of the devices / UEs involved, to help find the optimal split more quickly. This can be used instead of or in addition to the QoS notification control described above.

[0175] In the embodiment of Figure 14, devices 1 and 2 are connected to different base stations, for example, to distributed units that do not share a common centralized unit in a C-RAN architecture, or to different base stations in a conventional non-C-RAN architecture, and in this embodiment, coordination of the different base stations is not required. In the example of Figure 14, device 1 is connected to base station 17 and device 2 is connected to base station 16. Alternatively, devices 1 and 2 may be connected to the same base station, for example, the same, or to different distributed units that do not share a common centralized unit in a C-RAN architecture.

[0176] FIG. 15 shows an example of a flow handled by the implementation of the system shown in FIG. 14. Compared to the flow shown in FIG. 8, steps 244 and 246 are replaced by steps 281 to 284 because devices 1 and 2 are connected to different base stations. In step 281, system 121 asks base station 17 whether the base station can accept the individual (split) quality of service request for device 1. Base station 17 transmits its response in step 282. In step 283, system 121 asks base station 16 whether the base station can accept the individual (split) quality of service request for device 2. Base station 16 transmits its response in step 284. As mentioned above, steps 281 to 284 and steps 245 and 247 can be performed several times to find an acceptable individual quality of service request, i.e., an acceptable split.

[0177] Because the wireless signals are transmitted to devices 1 and 2 by different base stations, step 252 is replaced by step 291. In step 251, base station 17 transmits a first wireless signal to device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with this first data flow. In step 291, base station 16 transmits a second wireless signal to device 2 on a data radio bearer associated with this second data flow.

[0178] Figure 16 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an end-user system (shown in Figure 6), a first embodiment of a flow establishment system (shown in Figure 6), and a first embodiment of a base station. Figure 16 represents implementation option 2a). This implementation option corresponds to the case where both the base station and the core network are aware of the joint nature of the group of data flows and scheduling is done jointly. In this implementation option, the core network can still be responsible for data flow establishment.

[0179] Flow establishment system 41 and end user system 9 are the same in this embodiment as in the embodiment of Figure 6. However, base station 21 of Figure 6 has been replaced by base station 141. The flow shown in Figure 8 with respect to the embodiment of Figure 6 and the admission control described with respect to this embodiment also apply to the embodiment of Figure 16 in which base station 21 has been replaced by base station 141. Base stations 15 and 17 are the same in the example of Figure 16 as in the example of Figure 6, although they could alternatively be replaced by base stations configured similarly to base station 141.

[0180] The base station 141 includes a receiver 103, a transmitter 104, a processor 145, and a memory 107. The processor 145 is configured to allocate resources for transmitting a first wireless signal from the base station 141 to the device 1 on a data radio bearer associated with the data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, and to transmit the first wireless signal to the device 1 on the data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on a first frequency resource.

[0181] The processor 145 is further configured to allocate, based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements, to transmitting a second radio signal from the base station 141 to the device 2 on one data radio bearer associated with another data flow, and to transmit the second radio signal to the device 2 on another data radio bearer at a second moment other than the first moment and / or on a second frequency resource other than the first frequency resource.

[0182] A data flow and another data flow belong to the same data flow group. The group of data flows has one or more joint quality of service requirements specified. For example, a joint 100 Mb / s GBR requirement can be met by base station 141 allocating resources to the devices / UEs so that the total (downlink) throughput they achieve achieves 100 Mb / s GBR, rather than managing them individually to achieve fixed individual sub-targets of x Mb / s and (100-x) Mb / s, respectively. Base station 141 can also use one data flow, i.e., a data flow that does not have a joint quality of service requirement, in a conventional manner.

[0183] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an end-user system (shown in Figure 12), a second embodiment of a base station (shown in Figure 12), and a fourth embodiment of a flow establishment system in which the base station is the flow establishment system. Figure 17 represents implementation option 2b). This implementation option corresponds to the case where only the base station knows the joint nature of the data flows and scheduling is done jointly. In this implementation option, the joint admissibility of the data flows is determined by the base station from the RAN perspective and is also verified in the core network to include the core network perspective.

[0184] For the latter check, the base station may first split the joint quality of service requirement into individual quality of service requirements based on its knowledge of, for example, the quality of the radio link and the load of the cells of the devices / UEs involved, as in the embodiment of Figure 12. Once authorized by the core network, the base station may ignore these individual quality of service requirements and perform packet scheduling for both data flows based on the joint (unsplit) quality of service requirement.

[0185] Base station 161 includes receiver 103, transmitter 104, processor 165, and memory 107. Processor 165 is configured similarly to processor 105 of base station 101 of Figure 6 with respect to quality of service management, and similarly to processor 145 of base station 141 of Figure 16 with respect to scheduling. The flow shown in Figure 13 with respect to the embodiment of Figure 12 and the admission control described with respect to this embodiment also apply to the embodiment of Figure 16 in which base station 101 is replaced by base station 161.

[0186] 1-17 provide examples where an application is characterized by a GBR requirement, the basic principles and implementation options also apply to applications characterized by reliability / latency requirements, where, for example, 99.9999% of all blocks, packets, or transport blocks must be successfully delivered within a certain latency budget. In embodiments where the joint QoS requirements are split into per-flow QoS requirements, rather than "additive request splitting" as in the case of Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) applications with GBR requirements, "multiplicative request splitting" can be applied to Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) applications with reliability / latency requirements.

[0187] For example, in a scenario where block transmissions are replicated over both data flows, a 99.9999% reliability request can be split into two requests for 99.9% reliability per data flow, where 0.999999 = 1 - (1 - 0.999) 2 Or alternatively, such a split in reliability requirements is not applied and a common reliability requirement is targeted in the joint management of the two established data flows.

[0188] 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17, end-user systems 9 and 69 include one processor 5 or 65. In an alternative embodiment, one or more of end-user systems 9 and 69 include multiple processors. One or more of these processors may be part of devices 1 and 2. Processors 5 and 65 may be general-purpose processors, such as ARM or Qualcomm processors, or application-specific processors.

[0189] The wireless receivers 3 and 63 and wireless transmitters 4 and 64 of the devices 1-2 may use one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, LTE, and / or 5G New Radio, to communicate with a base station. The receivers and transmitters may be combined as a transceiver. The end-user system may include other components typical of an end-user system, such as a battery and / or a power connector.

[0190] Devices 1-2 in Figures 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17 may also be referred to as mobile devices, mobile stations (MS), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, wireless terminals, wireless equipment, wireless communication equipment, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals (AT), mobile terminals, user equipment (UE), remote terminals, handsets, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or any other suitable terminology.

[0191] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 14, and 16, systems 41 and 121 include one processor 45 or 125. In alternative embodiments, systems 41 and 121 include multiple processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as an Intel or AMD processor, or a special-purpose processor. The processor may include, for example, multiple cores. The processor may run, for example, a Unix-based or Windows operating system. Memory 47 may include, for example, solid-state memory, such as one or more solid-state disks (SSDs) made of flash memory, or one or more hard disks.

[0192] The receiver 43 and the transmitter 44 may use one or more communication technologies (wired or wireless) to communicate with other systems, for example, within the RAN or the core network. The receiver and transmitter may be combined as a transceiver. The systems 41 and 121 may include other components typical of a network unit in a mobile communication network, for example, a power supply.

[0193] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 12, 14, 16, and 17, each of the base stations may include, for example, a single unit or a central unit and one or more distributed units.

[0194] In the embodiments shown in Figures 12, 16, and 17, base stations 101, 141, and 161 include one processor. In alternative embodiments, one or more of base stations 101, 141, and 161 include multiple processors. The processors of base stations 101, 141, and 161 may be, for example, general-purpose processors, such as Intel or AMD processors, or special-purpose processors. The processors may include, for example, multiple cores. The processors may run, for example, a Unix-based or Windows operating system. Memory 107 may include, for example, solid-state memory, for example, one or more solid-state disks (SSDs) fabricated from flash memory, or one or more hard disks.

[0195] The receiver 103 and the transmitter 104 may use one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi, LTE, and / or 5G New Radio, to communicate with the devices 1-2. The receiver 103 and the transmitter 104 may use one or more communication technologies (wired or wireless) to communicate with other systems, such as within the RAN or core network. The receiver and transmitter may be combined as a transceiver. The base station may include other components typical of components in a mobile communication network, such as a power source.

[0196] Although only examples where one data flow is established and where the data flow originates from the network have been described for the embodiment shown in Figure 6, examples can be similarly provided for the embodiments shown in Figures 12, 14, 16, and 17.

[0197] FIG. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may implement the methods described with respect to FIGS.

[0198] 18, data processing system 300 may include at least one processor 302 coupled to a memory device 304 through a system bus 306. As such, the data processing system may store program code in memory device 304. Further, processor 302 may execute program code accessed from memory device 304 via system bus 306. In one aspect, the data processing system may be implemented as a computer suitable for storing and / or executing program code. However, it should be understood that data processing system 300 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and memory capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0199] The memory element 304 may include one or more physical memory devices, such as, for example, a local memory 308 and one or more bulk storage devices 310. Local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-transitory memory devices typically used during the actual execution of program code. Bulk storage devices may be implemented as hard drives or other temporary data storage devices. The processing system 300 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code to reduce the number of times the program code must be retrieved from the bulk storage device 310 during execution.

[0200] Input / output (I / O) devices, depicted as input devices 312 and output devices 314, may optionally be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, a monitor or display, speakers, and the like. The input and / or output devices may be coupled to the data processing system directly or through intervening I / O controllers.

[0201] In some embodiments, the input and output devices may also be implemented as a combined input / output device (indicated in FIG. 18 by the dashed line surrounding input device 312 and output device 314). An example of such a combined device is a touch-sensitive display, which may also be referred to as a "touchscreen display" or simply a "touchscreen." In such embodiments, input to the device may be provided by the movement of a physical object, such as a pen or a user's finger, on or near the touchscreen display.

[0202] Network adapters 316 may also be coupled to the data processing system to enable it to couple to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and / or remote storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Network adapters may include a data receiver for receiving data transmitted by the systems, devices, and / or networks to data processing system 300, and a data transmitter for transmitting data from data processing system 300 to the systems, devices, and / or networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of various types of network adapters that may be used with data processing system 300.

[0203] As shown in Figure 18, memory element 304 may store application 318. In various embodiments, application 318 may be stored in local memory 308, one or more bulk storage devices 310, or may be separate from the local memory and the bulk storage devices. Data processing system 300 may also execute an operating system (not shown in Figure 18), which may facilitate execution of application 318. Application 318 may be implemented in the form of executable program code and may be executed by data processing system 300, for example, by processor 302. In response to executing the application, data processing system 300 may be configured to perform one or more operations or method steps described herein.

[0204] Various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system, with the program of the program product defining the functions of the embodiment (including the methods described herein). In one embodiment, the program may be contained on various non-transitory computer-readable storage media, where, as used herein, the phrase "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" includes all computer-readable media with the sole exception of transitory propagating signals. In other embodiments, the program may be contained on various transitory computer-readable storage media. Exemplary computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, (i) non-writable storage media on which information is permanently stored (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer, such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, ROM chips, or any type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory), and (ii) writable storage media on which changeable information is stored (e.g., flash memory, floppy disks in a diskette drive or hard disk drive, or any type of solid-state random-access semiconductor memory). The computer program may be executed on the processor 302 described herein.

[0205] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0206] The corresponding structure, material, acts, and equivalents of all means or step-plus-function elements in the following claims are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing that function in conjunction with other claim elements as specifically claimed. The description of the embodiments of the present invention has been presented for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the implementation in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and some practical applications of the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to understand the invention and to devise various embodiments with various modifications suited to the particular uses contemplated.

Claims

1. An end-user system (9, 69) for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, comprising: a plurality of devices (1, 2), including a first device (1) including a first wireless receiver (3, 63) and a second device (2) including a second wireless receiver (3, 63); - identifying information about each of said plurality of devices (1, 2); transmitting said information via a base station to a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network, so that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements, and so that admission of said data flow having said one or more quality of service requirements is determined based on said information; - obtaining a first signal from the base station received by the first radio receiver (3, 63) on a data radio bearer associated with said data flow; obtaining a second signal from the base station received by the second radio receiver (3, 63) on the data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated with another data flow, the data flow and the other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, the group of data flows being associated with one or more joint quality of service requirements; - extracting data from said first and second signals by aggregating said first and second signals; At least one processor (5, 65) configured to An end user system (9, 69) including:

2. 2. The end-user system (9, 69) of claim 1, wherein said information comprises channel condition information and / or device information.

3. The end-user system (9, 69) of claim 2, wherein the information includes device information, the device information specifying the number of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and / or the capabilities of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and / or device identifiers of the plurality of devices (1, 2).

4. The end user system (9, 69) of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one processor (5, 65) is configured to determine beamforming feedback based on reception of one or more reference signals from the base station by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and reception of the one or more reference signals and / or one or more further reference signals from the base station by the second radio receiver (3, 63), determine channel state information including the beamforming feedback, and transmit the information including the channel state information.

5. The end user system (9, 69) of claim 4, wherein the beamforming feedback includes first beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and second beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals and / or the one or more further reference signals by the second radio receiver (3, 63), or includes composite beamforming feedback determined based on the reception of the one or more reference signals by the first radio receiver (3, 63) and the reception of the one or more reference signals by the second radio receiver (3, 63).

6. A system (41, 101, 121, 161) for establishing a data flow within a radio access network and / or a core network of a mobile communication network, comprising: receiving a request from another system (9, 69, 34) to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, said at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station (15, 16, 17, 21, 101, 141, 161) to a plurality of devices (1, 2), said request specifying said one or more quality of service requirements, said other system being an end user system or an application function within said core network; - obtaining information about each of said plurality of devices (1, 2) from and / or based on said request; - determining whether the one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable based on said information; sending to said other system (9, 69, 34) a response that said request has been accepted if said one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that said request has been rejected otherwise; A system (41, 101, 121, 161) including at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) configured to:

7. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the request is for admission of a group of at least two data flows, and the one or more quality of service requests are one or more joint quality of service requests.

8. 8. The system (41, 101, 121, 161) of claim 7, wherein the information includes channel state information for each of the plurality of devices (1, 2), and the at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) is configured to: determine a correlation between a channel of a first device (1) and a channel of a second device (2) of the plurality of devices (1, 2) based on the channel state information; estimate an extent to which the first and second devices (1, 2) can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource based on the correlation; and determine whether the one or more joint quality of service requirements are acceptable depending on an extent to which the first and second devices (1, 2) can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

9. The system (41, 101, 121, 161) of any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the information further includes other channel state information for another device, the other device not being included in the plurality of devices (1, 2), and the at least one processor (45, 105, 125, 165) is configured to: determine, based on the other channel state information, another correlation between a channel of a device of the plurality of devices (1, 2) and a channel of the other device; estimate, based on the other correlation, to what extent the device (1, 2) and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource; and determine whether the one or more quality of service requests are acceptable depending on to what extent the device (1, 2) and the other device can be co-scheduled on the same time-frequency resource.

10. A base station (141, 161) that transmits wireless signals to a plurality of devices (1, 2), - allocating resources for transmitting a first radio signal from said base station (141, 161) to a first device (1) on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, said data flow and at least one other data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being assigned said one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting said first radio signal to said first device (1) on said data radio bearer at a first moment in time and / or on first frequency resources; allocate resources for transmitting a second radio signal from the base station (141, 161) to a second device (2) on another data radio bearer associated with the other data flow based on the one or more joint quality of service requirements; transmitting said second radio signal to said second device (2) on said other data radio bearer at a second time instant other than said first time instant and / or on a second frequency resource other than said first frequency resource; a base station (141, 161) including at least one processor (145, 165) configured to:

11. The at least one processor (145, 165) - determining whether to terminate said data flow or said further data flow; if it is decided to terminate said data flow or said other data flow, terminate said data flow or said other data flow and send a message to another system (9, 69, 34) informing said other system that said data flow or said other data flow of said group of data flows has been or will be terminated 11. The base station (141, 161) of claim 10, configured to:

12. 1. A method for receiving radio signals on one or more data radio bearers associated with one or more data flows, comprising: - identifying (401) information about each of a plurality of devices, said plurality of devices including a first device including a first wireless receiver and a second device including a second wireless receiver; - transmitting (403) said information via a base station to a system for establishing data flows in a mobile communication network, so that a data flow is requested with one or more quality of service requirements and that an admission of said data flow having said one or more quality of service requirements is decided based on said information; - acquiring (405) a first signal received by said first radio receiver on a data radio bearer associated with said data flow; - acquiring (407) a second signal received by the second radio receiver on said data radio bearer or on another data radio bearer associated to another data flow, said data flow and said another data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being associated to one or more joint quality of service requirements; - extracting data from said first and second signals by aggregating said first and second signals (409); A method comprising:

13. 1. A method for establishing a data flow, comprising: - receiving (421) a request from another system to admit at least one data flow having one or more quality of service requirements, said other system being an end user system or an application function in the core network, said at least one data flow intended for transmission from a base station to a plurality of devices, said request specifying said one or more quality of service requirements; - obtaining (423) information about each of said plurality of devices from and / or based on said request; - determining (425) based on said information whether said one or more quality of service requirements are acceptable or not; - sending (427) to the other system a response that the request has been accepted if the one or more quality of service requirements have been identified as acceptable, or that the request has been rejected otherwise; A method comprising:

14. 1. A method for transmitting wireless signals to multiple devices, comprising: - allocating (481) resources for transmitting a first radio signal from a base station to a first device on a data radio bearer associated with a data flow based on one or more joint quality of service requirements, said data flow and at least one further data flow belonging to the same group of data flows, said group of data flows being assigned said one or more joint quality of service requirements; - transmitting (483) said first radio signal from said base station to said first device on said data radio bearer and / or on first frequency resources at a first time instant; - allocating (485) resources for transmitting a second radio signal from said base station to a second device on another data radio bearer associated with said another data flow based on said one or more joint quality of service requirements; - transmitting (487) the second radio signal from the base station to the second device on the other data radio bearer at a second time instant other than the first time instant and / or on a second frequency resource other than the first frequency resource; A method comprising:

15. A computer program comprising at least one software code portion, said software code portion being configured to perform the method of claim 12 when said computer program is executed on a computer system.

16. A computer program comprising at least one software code portion, the software code portion being configured to perform the method of claim 13 when executed on a computer system.

17. A computer program comprising at least one software code portion, the software code portion being configured to perform the method of claim 14 when executed on a computer system.

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