Buffer Status Report

Abstract

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a BSR device, a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method comprises: obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations defining at least one of the BSR MAC CE types to be used to report a buffer status of an LCG, an LCG ID referring to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and an LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicating a type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and transmitting the at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configurations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for buffer status reports (BSRs).

Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has started research on enhancing XR (such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), etc.) for New Radio (NR). With the development of XR, it may be necessary to further enhance the BSR to support XR service characteristics such as periodicity, multiple flows, jitter, latency, and reliability.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BSR.

[0004] In a first aspect, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to obtain at least a configuration for a first type of buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining that any one of at least the BSR MAC CE types can be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group (LCG), a logical channel group identifier (LCG ID) referring to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and a logical channel identifier (LCID) of the BSR MAC CE indicating the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG, and based on the configuration, cause at least one type of BSR MAC CE to be transmitted to a network device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a device is provided. The device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to acquire configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations defining that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs, and stores instructions that cause the device to send at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0006] In a third aspect, a device is provided. The device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions causing the device to determine the buffer status of a terminal device, when executed by the at least one processor, based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a device is provided. The device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions causing the device, when executed by the at least one processor, to receive at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device and determine the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that only at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0008] A fifth aspect provides a method, which comprises obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and for a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0009] A sixth aspect provides a method, which comprises obtaining a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs; and transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0010] A seventh aspect provides a method, the method comprising receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, a device is provided comprising means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and for a second type of BSR MAC CE, wherein the configuration defines that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, a logical channel group identifier (LCG ID) refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a device is provided comprising means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, wherein the configurations define that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only the second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of LCGs; and means for transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configurations.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and means for determining the buffer status of a terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and means for determining the buffer status of a terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0016] In the thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided having a stored computer program that, when executed by at least one processor of the device, causes the device to perform the method according to the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect.

[0017] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure will also become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating the principles of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0018] Embodiments of this disclosure are presented in an illustrative sense, and their advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This figure illustrates an exemplary environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] This is a signaling chart illustrating an example of a process according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]Flowchart of an exemplary method of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Flowchart of an exemplary method of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Flowchart of an exemplary method of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Flowchart of an exemplary method of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may represent the same or similar elements.

[0021] Here, the principles of the present disclosure are described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to imply any limitation with respect to the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that they are useful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an exemplary embodiment", etc. in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need to include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in relation to an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such feature, structure, or characteristic, whether explicitly described or not, may affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to other embodiments.

[0024] In this specification, terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements, but it is understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element can be called the second element, and similarly, the second element can be called the first element. As used in this specification, the term "and / or" includes any combination of one or more of the recited terms.

[0025] As used in this specification, "at least one of " and " of at least one", and similar language where a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or" means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0026] As used in this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after the occurrence of "A", and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0027] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “equip,” “equip,” “have,” “possess,” “include,” and / or “contain” will be understood to identify the presence of a described feature, element, and / or component, etc., but not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] As used in this application, the term "circuit configuration" means (a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog-only and / or digital circuit configurations), (b) (where applicable) (i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as a part of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), and memory, which work together to perform various functions on a device such as a mobile phone or server, and (c) This may refer to one, more, or all of a hardware circuit or processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, which requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation but may not exist when the software is not required for operation.

[0029] This definition of circuit configuration conforms to all use of this term in the present application as contained in any claim. For further example, as used in the present application, the term circuit configuration also refers to a mere hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors). Implementation, or part of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or to them) Accompanying software and / or firmware A The term "circuit configuration" also covers, for example, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices, where applicable to the specific claim elements.

[0030] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Broadband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and Enhanced Machine Communication (eMTC). Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices within a communication network may be carried out in accordance with any appropriate generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure may be applied in a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be future types of communication technologies and systems to which this disclosure may be embodied. This should not be understood as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the systems described above.

[0031] As used herein, the terms “network device,” “wireless network device,” and / or “wireless access network device” refer to a node in a communications network from which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may include, for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low-power nodes such as femto and pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device such as a satellite network device, a low orbit (LEO) satellite and Earth synchronization A base station (BS) or access point (AP) may refer to an orbital (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, a low Earth orbit (RAN) segmented architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In some other exemplary embodiments, some or all of the radio access network device may be mounted on an airborne or space-borne NTN vehicle.

[0032] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By example, and not by limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic devices, and devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile termination (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device,” “communication device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0033] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmit resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block (PRB),” “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource, such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device. Hereinafter, unless expressly stated, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmit resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0034] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in Figure 1, the communication network 100 may include terminal devices 110. Hereinafter, terminal devices 110 may also be referred to as UEs.

[0035] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. Hereinafter, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB or eNB. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120.

[0036] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices illustrated in Figure 1 is given for illustrative purposes only and without any indication of limitation. The communication network 100 may include any appropriate number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0037] In some exemplary embodiments, a link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), while a link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In a DL, network device 120 is a transmit (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 110 is a receive (RX) device (or receiver). In a UL, terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0038] Communication in communication environment 100 may be carried out in accordance with any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0039] As explained above, BSR may need to be further enhanced to address the characteristics of XR services, particularly the low latency requirements.

[0040] The specification defines multiple BSR formats. For example, BSR formats may refer to short BSR and short truncated BSR MAC, long BSR and long truncated BSR, extended short BSR and extended short truncated BSR MAC CE. Essentially, a BSR can indicate the amount of buffered data associated with one or more LCG IDs. The amount of buffered data can be indicated by the buffer size associated with a particular buffer size table.

[0041] For short BSRs and short truncated BSRs, only one LCG BSR is reported, which consists of a 3-bit LCG ID field and a 5-bit buffer size field. Consists of It has a fixed length of 8 bits.

[0042] Long BSR / long truncated BSR can report BSRs for one or more LCGs. The LCG ID may have a 3-bit field and can report up to 8 LCGs.

[0043] For XR technology, there is discussion about whether it is necessary to add one or more new BSR tables with finer granularity, namely buffer size tables, for XR, and whether it is necessary to include delay information reporting in the BSR.

[0044] Therefore, when other logical channels (LCHs) are configured in the UE, such as signal radio bearers (SRBs) or other services in addition to the XR service, it is unclear how the LCHs will interact, regardless of the presence or absence of a new BSR table. Furthermore, the newly added BSR table may also need to define the representation of buffered data.

[0045] The solution of this disclosure proposes a mechanism for BSRs, particularly XRs. In this solution, optionally, a terminal device 110 may obtain configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE. The configurations may be obtained in the same message or in different messages. The configurations may be pre-configured in the terminal device 110. The configurations may define that one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG whose buffer status is reported. In other words, the buffer status of any given LCG among several LCGs may use any of the BSR formats to report the buffer status of that LCG. The LCID of the BSR MAC CE may indicate the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG. In embodiments, the LCID may reside within the BSR MAC CE.

[0046] Alternatively, terminal device 110 may obtain configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE. The configurations may be obtained in the same message or in different messages. The configurations may be pre-configured in terminal device 110. The configurations may define that only the first type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs.

[0047] Based on this configuration, terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to network device 120.

[0048] In this way, a mechanism for the coexistence of LCH / LCG is provided, which is configured using a legacy BSR buffer size table associated with a legacy type BSR MAC CE and a new BSR buffer size table associated with a new type BSR MAC CE.

[0049] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0050] Herein, reference is made to Figure 2 illustrating a signaling chart 200 for communication according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the signaling chart 200 includes terminal devices 110 and network devices 120. For the purposes of discussion, reference is made to Figure 1 illustrating the signaling chart 200.

[0051] Assume that for buffer status reporting, multiple types of BSR MAC CEs may be used: a first type of BSR MAC CE which may be referred to as a legacy BSR MAC CE, and a second type of BSR MAC CE which may be referred to as a new BSR MAC CE. The type of BSR MAC CE may be indicated by the LCID of the BSR MAC CE. For example, there are 64 LCIDs. LCIDs 0-31 may be used to indicate which LCH the buffered data was reported from, and LCIDs 32-64 may be used to indicate the type of BSR MAC CE. LCID as used herein may also refer to an Extended Logical Channel ID (eLCID).

[0052] The first type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with a legacy buffer size table, the second type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with a new buffer size table, or may be associated with both a legacy buffer size table and a new buffer size table, and may follow a similar format including an LCG ID to indicate which LCH / LCG is being reported.

[0053] The terminal device 110 may obtain BSR configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and for a second type of BSR MAC CE. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 110 receives a BSR configuration from the network device 120, for example, via upper-layer signaling, such as RRC signaling (202). This configuration may be predefined in the specification, and it should be understood that this means the terminal device 110 may recognize this BSR configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and for a second type of BSR MAC CE without explicit signaling from the network device 120.

[0054] Subsequently, the terminal device 110 may transmit at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device 120 based on configurations for at least one type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE (204).

[0055] Between steps 202 and 204, the terminal device may, based on its configuration, determine which type of BSR MAC CE to apply, or both types of BSR MAC CE, to report the buffer status of a given LCG. For example, per configuration, the buffer status of a particular LCG may be reported only with a specific type of BSR MAC CE. As another example, if both BSR MAC CEs are available for use in reporting the buffer status of a particular LCG per configuration, the configuration may provide rules for selecting which BSR MAC CE to use, as described later.

[0056] At least the BSR configurations for the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE can define which type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of which LCG. The configuration of which BSR MAC CE should be used can also be done for logical channels (LCHs), in which case the LCH is configured for an LCG. Thus, terminal device 110 can derive which type of BSR MAC CE should be used to report the buffer status of which LCG. Based on the configuration, the behavior of terminal device 110 can be discussed further below.

[0057] In some exemplary embodiments, the BSR configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a BSR configuration for a second type of BSR MAC CE may define at least one of the BSR MAC CE types that can be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, where the LCG ID refers to the LCG whose buffer status is reported. The LCID in the subheader of the BSR MAC CE may indicate the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0058] In this case, the first LCG ID used in the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second LCG ID used in the second type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with the same LCG containing the same set of one or more LCHs, or may point to the same LCG containing the same set of one or more LCHs. For example, LCG ID1 used in the first type of BSR MAC CE and LCG ID1 used in the second type of BSR MAC CE point to the same LCG. In other words, the first LCG ID and the second LCG ID may be indexed the same way.

[0059] The LCID of a BSR MAC CE can indicate which type of BSR MAC CE is being used, and no other indication is necessarily required for the reported LCG to indicate which buffer size table is being used. This allows the buffer size of the same LCG to be reported via either a first type of BSR MAC CE and / or a second type of BSR MAC CE, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates which buffer size table was used.

[0060] Furthermore, a first type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE may be associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0061] In some cases, the buffer sizes reported for different LCGs in a BSR MAC CE type may be associated with different buffer size tables. Which buffer size table is applicable to which LCG or LCH can be configured by the network.

[0062] Optionally, a first set of one or more buffer size tables may not overlap with a second set of one or more buffer size tables. Alternatively, the first set of one or more buffer size tables may have the entire range of buffer sizes, and therefore, the first set of one or more buffer size tables may at least partially overlap with the second set of one or more buffer size tables. One or more buffer size tables in the second set may overlap with one or more buffer size tables in the first set. The target is specific range In the enclosure In contrast, finer particle size buffer size It can provide.

[0063] In this case, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0064] The terminal device 110 may determine which buffer size table to use based on the following rules. These rules may be included in the configuration.

[0065] Optionally, the buffer size table selected for a single LCH or LCG is, for example, the table that minimizes the difference between the amount of buffered data and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index for a particular type of BSR MAC CE, because this difference can vary due to quantization. In other words, because the quantization of different types of BSR MAC CEs (or the buffer size tables associated with different types of BSR MAC CEs) is different, the difference with the actually buffered data can vary for each different type of BSR MAC CE. For example, suppose a first type of BSR MAC CE is used to indicate buffer status x, while the actual buffer status in the reported LCG / LCH is y. Furthermore, a second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to indicate buffer status z, where z is closer to y than x. In this case, the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of that LCG / LCG.

[0066] Alternatively, if the buffer size of the LCH(s) / LCG(s) to be reported falls outside the range of the buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE, the terminal device 110 may fall back to the buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE, or vice versa. In other words, the terminal device 110 may determine that the buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE should be used instead of the buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0067] As described above, in legacy systems, a long BSR / long truncated BSR can report a BSR for one or more LCGs. The LCG ID may have a 3-bit field and can report up to eight LCGs. For long BSRs, when all reported LCH / LCGs use the same buffer size table, the BSR MAC CE corresponding to that buffer size table is used. Similarly, for newer types of BSR MAC CEs, the LCG ID is used to indicate which LCGs are being reported, and the buffer status of each LCG can be reported based on the newer buffer size tables (for example, one or more legacy BSR buffer size tables associated with a legacy type BSR MAC CE, and / or one or more newer BSR buffer size tables associated with a newer type of BSR MAC CE).

[0068] If not all reported LCH / LCGs use the same buffer size table, the same number of BSR MAC CEs as are needed to report LCH / LCGs with buffered data (i.e., non-zero) are triggered, and each LCH / LCG is reported with a BSR where the LCID matches the required buffer size table.

[0069] Alternatively, a single BSR MAC CE can be used to report different LCH / LCGs that apply different buffer size tables. Which buffer size table is applicable to which LCH / LCG can be configured by the network device 120. Based on its configuration, the network device 120 knows which buffer size table should be used for which LCH / LCG within the BSR MAC CE.

[0070] In other words, a non-zero buffer size for an LCH / LCG with buffered data can only be reported once. Network device 120 can know that no data is buffered in the LCH / LCG if a zero buffer size is indicated in all BSR MAC CEs, or if the buffer size for the LCG ID does not exist (via the LCG ID bitmap).

[0071] Thanks to the explained table selection rules, we can now report more accurate buffer sizes for LCH / LCG while minimizing quantization errors.

[0072] In several other exemplary embodiments, the BSR configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE may define that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs. The sets of LCGs may not overlap. The LCID in the subheader of the BSR MAC CE may indicate the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0073] In this case, the LCG ID used for the first type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., legacy BSR MAC CE) and the LCG ID used for the second type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., new BSR MAC CE) are configured separately, thereby using separate LCG IDs for the LCH / LCG that applies the legacy buffer size table associated with the first type of BSR MAC CE and for the LCH / LCG that applies the new buffer size table associated with the second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0074] As a result, LCH / LCG configured to apply the new buffer size table will only use the new BSR MAC CE format with the new LCID. The new BSR MAC CE may support only the new buffer size table that also covers the legacy buffer size range, or it may support both the legacy buffer size table and the new buffer size table, or it may support only the new buffer size table which is different from the legacy buffer size table.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each BSR MAC CE may be indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0076] Compare this to a scenario where either of the BSR MAC CE types could be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG, comparing the first type of BSR MAC CE with the second type of BSR MAC CE. Use The number of different LCGs available for this can be greater with this option of separate LCG ID pools. This could be provided, for example, by having a separate LCG for each LCH.

[0077] In this case, terminal device 110 may, for example, determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of an LCG based on the LCG whose buffer status should be reported. The network may know, based on its configuration, which LCG is associated with which type of BSR MAC CE.

[0078] When the same LCH is configured as part of two LCG IDs, the BSR may be reported twice, for example, in the legacy BSR MAC CE format and the new BSR MAC CE format. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may be left to choose which buffer size table exhibits a smaller quantization error and, accordingly, select the corresponding type of BSR MAC CE.

[0079] Alternatively, or optionally, for example, the configuration may further define that terminal device 110 may use a legacy BSR MAC CE (i.e., type 1) for the LCH / LCG only when delay information reporting is not configured for the LCH / LCG. Or, network device 120 may simply configure terminal device 110 to use a legacy BSR MAC CE for the LCH / LCG only when delay information reporting is not configured for the LCH / LCG. Otherwise, a new BSR MAC CE is used.

[0080] In the embodiment, delay information defines the delay or latency requirements for the data buffered in the LCG / LCH. In the embodiment, delay information is included in the transmitted BSR MAC CE.

[0081] As shown in Figure 2, after receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE, the network device 120 can determine the buffer status of the associated LCG / LCH in the terminal device 110 based on the BSR configuration for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE (206).

[0082] For example, the network device 120 may determine the buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE for at least one type of BSR MAC CE. Then, the network device 120 may determine the buffer status of the associated LCG / LCH in the terminal device 110 based on the buffer size indicated in the received BSR MAC CE and the determined buffer size table.

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, examples of buffer size tables associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., a novel BSR MAC CE) may be listed below. It should be understood that buffer size tables associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE may not be limited to the examples listed below.

[0084] [Table 1]

[0085] Furthermore, the BSR MAC CE format of a second type of BSR MAC CE (e.g., New BSR MAC CE) may be configured using an LCID in a subheader and an LCG ID bitmap, thereby allowing the LCG buffer size index to be reported (the bit in the bitmap is set to 1). Optionally, the BSR MAC CE format of a second type of BSR MAC CE may also have a field for reported remaining time information for the LCG, configured to report remaining time information. The buffer size index may be mapped to a different buffer size table.

[0086] As described above, the solution of this disclosure proposes a mechanism for the coexistence of LCH / LCG configured with one or more legacy buffer size tables and one or more new buffer size tables. At the same time, a mechanism for fallback to one or more legacy buffer size tables for LCH / LCG configured with one or more new buffer size tables is also realized.

[0087] If a separate LCG ID pool can support more LCG IDs, that is, if only a first type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, and only a second type of BSR MAC CE can be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, then finer-grained buffer size reporting is possible. degree, For example, for each LCH individual LCG This can be supported .

[0088] If a common LCG ID pool is supported, that is, if any one of the BSR MAC CE types is used and can report the buffer status of the LCG, the terminal device 110 may, without any other additional signaling, allow the use of one or more legacy buffer size tables using the LCID in the subheader of the BSR MAC CE which indicates the use of a new BSR MAC CE.

[0089] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 300 may be implemented in a terminal device 110, as illustrated in Figure 1. For the purposes of discussion, Method 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0090] In 310, the terminal device 110 obtains a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a configuration for a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0091] In step 320, the terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on its configuration.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, a first set of one or more buffer size tables does not overlap with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, which is determined by the amount of data buffered in the LCG and the given type of BSR MAC CE. Using Based on the difference from the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, the BSR MAC CE that minimizes the difference between the amount of buffered data and the buffer size value indicated by the buffer size index is determined to be used to report the buffer status.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 receives the amount of data buffered in the LCG, which is a second type of BSR MAC CE. Use It may be determined that the buffer status of the LCG is outside the range of one or more buffer size tables available for that purpose, and by using a first type of BSR MAC CE, it may be determined to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 determines that the first buffer size table is applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs, and the type of BSR MAC CE associated with the buffer size table corresponding to the first buffer size table. Using It can report the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 determines that different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats are required to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and multiple BSR MAC CE Using It can report the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the number of BSR MAC CEs corresponds to the number of different buffer size tables required to report the buffer status of one or more LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and each BSR MAC CE has an LCID corresponding to the buffer size table required for the reported LCG.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, multiple BSR MAC CEs are sent to report the buffer status of one or more LCGs by using different buffer size tables.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may refrain from using a first type of BSR MAC CE to report the buffer status of the LCG when delay information reporting is configured for the LCG or for the logical channels within the LCG.

[0103] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 400 may be implemented in a terminal device 110, as illustrated in Figure 1. For the purposes of discussion, Method 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0104] In 410, the terminal device 110 obtains a configuration for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configuration defining that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0105] In 420, the terminal device 110 sends at least one type of BSR MAC CE to the network device based on its configuration.

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, a second set of one or more buffer size tables comprises at least one of the one or more buffer size tables of the first set.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0109] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type BSR MAC CE and a second type BSR MAC CE Use The number of different LCGs available for this purpose is a scenario in which any one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG. things in More importantly, each LCID in BSR MAC CE indicates a different buffer size table used in BSR MAC CE.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, and the determination is based on the LCG to which the buffer status should be reported.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine that the logical channel LCH whose buffer status is to be reported is associated with an LCG that requires a first type of BSR MAC CE and an LCG that requires a second type of BSR MAC CE, and may send both types of BSR MAC CEs to the network device to report the buffer status of the LCH.

[0112] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 500 may be implemented in a network device 120, as illustrated in Figure 1. For the purposes of discussion, Method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0113] In 510, the network device 120 receives at least one type of BSR MAC CE from the terminal device 110.

[0114] In 520, the network device 120 determines the buffer status of a terminal device based on configurations for at least one type of BSR MAC CE and for the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0116] In some exemplary embodiments, a first set of one or more buffer size tables does not overlap with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE in at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE, and determine the buffer status based on at least the buffer size table.

[0118] In some exemplary embodiments, multiple BSR MAC CE Using Based on the determination of the received buffer status of multiple LCGs, the network device 120 may determine different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats, which are required to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes.

[0119] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 of BSR according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 600 may be implemented in a network device 120, as illustrated in Figure 1. For the purposes of discussion, Method 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0120] In 610, the network device 120 receives at least one type of BSR MAC CE from the terminal device 110.

[0121] In 620, the network device 120 determines the buffer status of a terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0122] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables, the second set of one or more buffer size tables comprising at least one of the one or more buffer size tables of the first set.

[0123] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the buffer size table associated with the received BSR MAC CE in at least one type of BSR MAC CE based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE, and determine the buffer status based on at least the buffer size table.

[0124] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 120 provides the buffer status of the logical channel LCH associated with the LCG that requires a first type of BSR MAC CE, and the buffer status of the logical channel LCH associated with the LCG that requires a second type of BSR MAC CE, for both types of BSR MAC CE. Using It can be received.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 300 (for example, in a terminal device 110) may include means for performing each step of Method 300. These means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these means may be implemented in a circuit configuration or a software module.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, the device comprises means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, wherein the configuration defines that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG; and means for transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configuration.

[0127] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, a first set of one or more buffer size tables does not overlap with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also include means for determining the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, which determines the amount of data buffered in the LCG and a given type of BSR MAC CE Using Based on the difference from the amount of data that can be reported.

[0131] In some exemplary embodiments, the BSR MAC CE that minimizes the difference between the amount of buffered data and the amount of data that can be reported is determined to be used to report the buffer status.

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, the device also buffers the amount of data in the LCG to a second type of BSR MAC CE. Use The system may include means for determining whether the buffer size is outside the range of one or more buffer size tables available for that purpose, and means for determining whether to report the buffer status of the LCG by using a first type of BSR MAC CE.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the device also determines that the first buffer size table is applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs and the type of BSR MAC CE associated with the buffer size table corresponding to the first buffer size table. Using It may also include means for reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, the device also determines that different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats are required to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and multiple BSR MAC CE Using It may have a means to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the number of BSR MAC CEs corresponds to the number of different buffer size tables required to report the buffer status of one or more LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, and each BSR MAC CE has an LCID corresponding to the buffer size table required for the reported LCG.

[0136] In some exemplary embodiments, multiple BSR MAC CEs are sent to report the buffer status of one or more LCGs by using different buffer size tables.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also include means for refraining from using a first type of BSR MAC CE to report the buffer status of the LCG when delay information reporting is configured for the LCG or for logical channels within the LCG.

[0138] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 400 (for example, in a terminal device 110) may include means for performing each step of Method 400. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means can be implemented in a circuit configuration or a software module.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the device comprises means for obtaining configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, the configurations defining that at least only the first type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only the second type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs; and means for transmitting at least one type of BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the configurations.

[0140] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0141] In some exemplary embodiments, a second set of one or more buffer size tables comprises at least one of the one or more buffer size tables of the first set.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with a first type of BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type BSR MAC CE and a second type BSR MAC CE UseThe number of different LCGs available for this purpose is a scenario in which any one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of the same LCG. things in More importantly, each LCID in BSR MAC CE indicates a different buffer size table used in BSR MAC CE.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for determining the type of BSR MAC CE to be used to report the buffer status of the LCG, the determination being based on the LCG to which the buffer status should be reported.

[0145] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also include means for determining that a logical channel LCH whose buffer status is to be reported is associated with an LCG requiring a first type of BSR MAC CE and an LCG requiring a second type of BSR MAC CE, and for sending both types of BSR MAC CEs to a network device in order to report the buffer status of the LCH.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 500 (for example, in a network device 120) may include means for performing each step of Method 500. These means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these means may be implemented in a circuit configuration or a software module.

[0147] In some exemplary embodiments, the device includes means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and means for determining the buffer status of a terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least a first type of BSR MAC CE and a second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one of the BSR MAC CE types may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to an LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG.

[0148] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, a first set of one or more buffer size tables does not overlap with a second set of one or more buffer size tables.

[0150] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also include means for determining a buffer size table associated with a BSR MAC CE received in at least one type of BSR MAC CE, based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE, and means for determining the buffer status based on at least the buffer size table.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus also includes multiple BSR MAC CE UsingThe system may include means for determining different buffer size tables associated with different BSR MAC CE formats, which are necessary to report the buffer status of multiple LCGs having non-zero buffer sizes, based on the determination of the reception of buffer status of multiple LCGs.

[0152] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing Method 600 (for example, in a network device 120) may include means for performing each step of Method 600. The means can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means can be implemented in a circuit configuration or a software module.

[0153] In some exemplary embodiments, the device includes means for receiving at least one type of BSR MAC CE from a terminal device, and means for determining the buffer status of the terminal device based on at least one type of BSR MAC CE and configurations for at least the first type of BSR MAC CE and the second type of BSR MAC CE, which define that at least one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a first set of LCGs, only one type of BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a second set of LCGs, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCGs.

[0154] In some exemplary embodiments, a first type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a first set of one or more buffer size tables, and a second type of BSR MAC CE is associated with a second set of one or more buffer size tables, the second set of one or more buffer size tables comprising at least one of the one or more buffer size tables of the first set.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also include means for determining a buffer size table associated with a BSR MAC CE received in at least one type of BSR MAC CE, based on the LCID of the received BSR MAC CE, and means for determining the buffer status based on at least the buffer size table.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus also includes both types of BSR MAC CE Using The system may include means for receiving the buffer status of a logical channel LCH associated with an LCG requiring a first type of BSR MAC CE, and an LCG requiring a second type of BSR MAC CE.

[0157] Figure 7 shows a simplified version of device 700 suitable for carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. transformed This is a block diagram. Device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device which is, for example, a first terminal device 110 or a second terminal device 120 as illustrated in Figure 1. As illustrated, device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

[0158] The communication module 740 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 740 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interfaces necessary for communication with other network elements. In some exemplary embodiments, the communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[0159] The processor 710 may consist of any type appropriate for the local technology network and may include, in non-limiting examples, one or more of general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multicore processor architectures. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are slaved in time to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0160] Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), optical discs, laser discs, and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random-access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0161] The computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions in program 730 may include instructions for performing operations / actions in some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Program 730 may be stored in memory, for example, ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any appropriate operations and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

[0162] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by program 730, and as a result, device 700 may perform any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0163] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 730 may be contained in computer-readable media that may be contained within device 700 (such as within memory 720), or in tangible form in other storage devices accessible by device 700. Device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable media into RAM 722 for execution. In some exemplary embodiments, the computer-readable media may include any type of non-temporary storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term “non-temporary” as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than signaling), and not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0164] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a computer-readable medium 800, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer-readable medium 800 has a stored program 730.

[0165] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or several other graphical representations, but it should be understood that any blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or any combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0166] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a computer-readable medium, such as a non-temporary computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those contained in a program module, which are executed on a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., which perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. The functionality of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for a program module may be executed in a local device or a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module may reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0167] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device, thereby causing the program code to perform functions / operations specified in flowcharts and / or block diagrams when executed by the processor or controller. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package, partially on a machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0168] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0169] Computer-readable media may be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0170] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific illustrated order or sequence, or that all illustrated operations be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, which should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless expressly stated, certain features described in the context of an individual embodiment may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless expressly stated, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable partial combination in multiple embodiments.

[0171] While this disclosure is described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or behaviors described above. Rather, the specific features and behaviors described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. It is a device, At least one processor, When executed by the at least one processor, the device has at least, At least, obtain a configuration for a legacy type buffer status report BSR media access control MAC control element CE and for a new type BSR MAC CE, where the legacy type BSR MAC CE is associated with a first buffer size table, and the new type BSR MAC CE is associated with the first buffer size table and a second buffer size table, and the configuration is at least, Either the legacy type BSR MAC CE or the new type BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group LCG, the logical channel group identifier LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the logical channel identifier LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG. Determine that the buffer size of the LCG is outside the range of the second buffer size table. A device comprising: at least one memory that stores instructions to send the legacy type BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the determination.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the range of the first buffer size table and the range of the second buffer size table overlap.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second buffer size table covers only a partial range of the first buffer size table.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second buffer size table provides a finer granularity than the first buffer size table.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the legacy type BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the new type BSR MAC CE.

6. Furthermore, it is determined that the first buffer size table is applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs, The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the buffer status of the plurality of LCGs is reported using the legacy type BSR MAC CE.

7. It is a method, The means of obtaining at least a configuration for a legacy type BSR MAC CE and a new type BSR MAC CE, wherein the legacy type BSR MAC CE is associated with a first buffer size table, and the new type BSR MAC CE is associated with the first buffer size table and a second buffer size table, and the configuration is at least, The following definitions define that either the legacy type BSR MAC CE or the new type BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of an LCG, the LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG, Determining that the buffer size of the LCG is outside the range of the second buffer size table, A method comprising transmitting the legacy type BSR MAC CE to a network device based on the determination.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the range of the first buffer size table and the range of the second buffer size table overlap.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second buffer size table covers only a partial range of the first buffer size table.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second buffer size table provides a finer granularity than the first buffer size table.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the legacy type BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the new type BSR MAC CE.

12. Determining that the first buffer size table is applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs, The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising reporting the buffer status of the plurality of LCGs using the legacy type BSR MAC CE.

13. When executed using at least one processor of the device, the device has at least, At least, a configuration is obtained for the legacy type buffer status report BSR media access control MAC control element CE and for the new type BSR MAC CE, where the legacy type BSR MAC CE is associated with a first buffer size table, and the new type BSR MAC CE is associated with the first buffer size table and a second buffer size table, and the configuration is at least, Either the legacy type BSR MAC CE or the new type BSR MAC CE may be used to report the buffer status of a logical channel group LCG, the logical channel group identifier LCG ID refers to the LCG for which the buffer status is reported, and the logical channel identifier LCID of the BSR MAC CE indicates the type of the BSR MAC CE used to report the buffer status of the LCG. Determine that the buffer size of the LCG is outside the range of the second buffer size table. A non-temporary computer-readable medium containing stored instructions that causes a network device to transmit the legacy type BSR MAC CE based on the aforementioned determination.

14. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the range of the first buffer size table and the range of the second buffer size table overlap.

15. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the second buffer size table covers only a portion of the first buffer size table.

16. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the second buffer size table provides finer granularity than the first buffer size table.

17. The non-transient computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the buffer size table associated with each transmitted BSR MAC CE is indicated by one of a first set of one or more LCIDs associated with the legacy type BSR MAC CE, or by one of a second set of one or more LCIDs associated with the new type BSR MAC CE.

18. When executed using the at least one processor, the device has: The first buffer size table is determined to be applicable to reporting the buffer status of multiple LCGs. A non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising stored instructions for causing the plurality of LCGs to report the buffer status using the legacy type BSR MAC CE.

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