Central unit, distributed unit, user equipment, and method for data transmission based on application data units

Abstract

The present application relates to a CU, a DU, a UE, and a method for data transmission based on an ADU. The CU receives ADU information related to a plurality of ADUs from a CN, determines DRB and ADU association information related to one or more of the plurality of ADUs associated with one or more DRBs to a DU of a network node via a CU-DU interface, and transmits the DRB and ADU association information and the ADU information to the DU via the CU-DU interface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technologies, and more particularly, to a central unit, a distributed unit, a user device, and a method for data transmission based on application data units.

Background Art

[0002] Extended Reality (XR), including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and Cloud Gaming (CG) present new promising categories of connected devices, applications, and services. Recognition of applications and traffic in a Radio Access Network (RAN) is one of the important features for improving the user experience of XR services. XR services require high bitrates at limited latencies. Typically, an application requires that a specific minimum granularity of application data be available on the client side before the next level of processing can begin. This minimum granularity of application data is called an "Application Data Unit" (ADU).

[0003] At the NG interface between a Base Station (BS) and a Core Network (CN), ADU-related information is probably included in the NG-U header for each QoS flow. However, the information in the NG-U header is either deleted by the Central Unit (CU) of the BS or protected by the PDCP layer. Therefore, the Distributed Unit (DU) of the BS cannot recognize the ADU-related information for each DRB after the procedure of mapping the QoS flow and the DRB.

[0004] Furthermore, the NR-U protocol layer is used for flow control of user data packets transferred from a node hosting NR PDCP to a corresponding node. Existing flow control is primarily based on the delivery status of PDCP PDUs, which is not applicable to an ADU-based QoS framework. In addition, the BS CU may provide information on downlink NR PDCP PDUs that are discarded with respect to user data associated with a particular data radio bearer, which is also not applicable to an ADU-based QoS framework. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 38.473 [Non-Patent Document 2] 3GPP TS 38.425 [Non-Patent Document 3] 3GPP TS 38.415 [Overview of the Initiative] [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Some embodiments of this application provide a central unit (CU) for a network node. The CU includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive application data unit (ADU) information related to a plurality of application data units (ADUs) from a core network via the transceiver, determine data radio bearer (DRB) and ADU association information related to one or more of a plurality of ADUs associated with one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) to distributed units (DUs) of the network node via a CU-DU interface, and transmit the DRB and ADU association information and ADU information to the DU via the transceiver through the CU-DU interface.

[0007] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to transmit DRB and ADU association information to the DU via transceivers through F1 Application Protocol (F1-AP) signaling.

[0008] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to transmit ADU information to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU) via a transceiver in the user plane protocol.

[0009] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to add ADU information in the F1 user plane (F1-U) protocol.

[0010] In some embodiments, the F1-U protocol is provided by a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) extension header, and the F1-U protocol is added to the New Radio (NR) Radio Access Network (RAN) container of the GTP-U extension header, or to the New Container of the GTP-U extension header, or to the Packet Data Unit Session Container of the GTP-U extension header.

[0011] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to process ADU information before generating a PDCP PDU and to attach the ADU information to the PDCP PDU.

[0012] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive flow control information based on the ADU from the DU via a transceiver.

[0013] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to transmit DRB identification information to the DU via a transceiver and to receive ADU-based flow control information from the DU via a transceiver through a DRB corresponding to the DRB identification information.

[0014] In some embodiments, ADU-based flow control information includes at least one of the following: one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs successfully delivered to the user equipment (UE) with respect to user data via the DRB; one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that were not delivered to the UE or not transmitted to a lower layer of the DU; one or more packet sequence numbers that were not delivered to the UE or not transmitted to a lower layer of the DU; or one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that were transmitted to a lower layer of the DU with respect to user data related to the DRB.

[0015] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to send an ADU discard indication to the DU via a transceiver.

[0016] In some embodiments, the ADU drop indication is included in the F1-U protocol and includes at least one of the indications of a non-critical packet to be dropped, which indicates one or more ADUs to be dropped, or at least one non-critical packet of one or more ADUs to be dropped.

[0017] In some embodiments, DRB and ADU association information indicates that at least one packet transmitted through one or more DRBs corresponds to the same ADU, or that at least one packet of an ADU corresponds to one or more DRBs.

[0018] In some embodiments, the ADU information includes at least one of the following: an ADU sequence number, a packet sequence number of the ADU packets, an indication of the last packet of the ADU packets, or an indication of the importance of the ADU packets.

[0019] Some embodiments of this application provide a DU for a network node. The DU includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive ADU information and DRB and ADU association information from a CU via a CU-DU interface via the transceiver, wherein the ADU information relates to a plurality of ADUs and the DRB and ADU association information relates to one or more of a plurality of ADUs associated with one or more DRBs to the CU of the network node via the CU-DU interface; to determine ADU-based flow control information according to the ADU information and DRB and ADU association information; and to transmit ADU-based flow control information to the CU via the transceiver.

[0020] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive DRB and ADU association information from the CU via transceivers through F1-AP signaling.

[0021] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive ADU information from the CU via a transceiver in the PDCP PDU user plane protocol.

[0022] In some embodiments, ADU information is added to the F1-U protocol.

[0023] In some embodiments, the F1-U protocol is provided by the GTP-U extension header, and the F1-U protocol is added to the NR RAN container of the GTP-U extension header, or added to a new container of the GTP-U extension header, or added to the packet data unit session container of the GTP-U extension header.

[0024] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to obtain ADU information from the GTP-U extension header, add the ADU information to the header of the existing layer or the ADU layer, and transmit the ADU information to the UE via the transceiver.

[0025] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive DRB identification information from the CU via the transceiver, and transmit flow control information based on the ADU to the CU via the transceiver via the DRB corresponding to the DRB identification information.

[0026] [[ID=lla]] In some embodiments, the flow control information based on the ADU includes at least one of one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that have been successfully delivered to the user equipment (UE) regarding user data in the DRB, one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that may not have been delivered to the UE or transmitted to the lower layer of the DU, one or more packet sequence numbers of one or more packets that may not have been delivered to the UE or transmitted to the lower layer of the DU, or one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs transmitted to the lower layer of the DU regarding user data related to the DRB.

[0027] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to receive an ADU discard indication from the CU via the transceiver, and discard at least one packet related to one or more ADUs according to the ADU discard indication.

[0028] In some embodiments, the discard indication includes at least one of the discard non-fatal packet indications included in the F1-U protocol, which indicates one or more ADUs to be discarded, or at least one non-fatal packet of one or more ADUs to be discarded.

[0029] In some embodiments, DRB and ADU association information indicates that at least one packet transmitted through one or more DRBs corresponds to the same ADU, or that at least one packet of an ADU corresponds to one or more DRBs.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ADU information includes at least one of the following: an ADU sequence number, a packet sequence number of the ADU packets, an indication of the last packet of the ADU packets, or an indication of the importance of the ADU packets.

[0031] Some embodiments of this application provide a UE, which includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive network packets from a DU of a network node via the transceiver and to obtain ADU information from the header of an existing layer of the network packet, from the ADU layer of the network packet, or from the header of the PDCP PDU of the network packet before parsing the PDCP PDU.

[0032] In some embodiments, the ADU information includes at least one of the following: an ADU sequence number, a packet sequence number of the ADU packets, an indication of the last packet of the ADU packets, or an indication of the importance of the ADU packets.

[0033] Some embodiments of this application provide a method for a network node, the network node including a CU and a DU. The method includes the steps of: the CU receiving ADU information relating to a plurality of ADUs from a core network; the CU determining DRB and ADU association information relating to one or more of a plurality of ADUs associated with one or more DRBs to the DU of the network node via a CU-DU interface; and transmitting the DRB and ADU association information and ADU information relating to one or more DRBs via the CU to the DU via a CU-DU interface.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: receiving DRB and ADU association information and ADU information associated with one or more DRBs from a CU via a CU-DU interface by the DU; determining ADU-based flow control information by the DU according to the ADU information associated with one or more DRBs and the DRB and ADU association information; and transmitting the ADU-based flow control information to the CU by the DU.

[0035] To illustrate how the advantages and features of this application may be obtained, this description is made by reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. These drawings are merely illustrative of the embodiments of this application and should not be considered to limit its scope. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0036] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of message transmission between a CU and a DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 4]This is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack between a UE and a BS including a CU and DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack between a UE and a BS including a CU and DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of message transmission between a CU and a DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of message transmission between a CU and a DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of a method for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9A] This is a block diagram of a CU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 9B] This is a block diagram of a DU according to some embodiments of this application. [Figure 9C] This is a block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0037] The detailed description of the attached drawings is intended to describe preferred embodiments of this application and is not intended to show only the one form in which this application may be carried out. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be achieved by different embodiments intended to be covered within the spirit and scope of this application.

[0038] Hereafter, references to some embodiments of this application are made in detail, and examples of those embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of this application may be provided in network architectures employing various service scenarios, such as 3GPP 3G, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP 4G, and 3GPP 5G NR (New Radio), and are not limited thereto. It is anticipated that the terminology used in this application may change as 3GPP (registered trademark, hereinafter the same) and related communication technologies develop, but this should not affect the principles of this application.

[0039] Referring to Figure 1, the wireless communication system 100 may include user equipment (UE) 101, base station (BS) 102, and core network (CN) 103. Although a specific number of UE 101, BS 102, and CN 103 are shown in Figure 1, it is assumed that any number of UE 101, BS 102, and CN 103 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0040] CN 103 may include core access and mobility management function (AMF) entities. BS 102, which may communicate with CN 103, may operate or function under the control of the AMF entities. CN 103 may further include user plane function (UPF) entities coupled to communicate with the AMF entities.

[0041] BS 102 may be geographically distributed. In some embodiments of this application, BS 102 may be referred to as an access point, access terminal, base, base unit, macrocell, Node-B, evolved Node-B (eNB), gNB, home Node-B, relay node, or device, or may be described using other terms used in the art. Generally, BS 102 is part of a radio access network which may include one or more controllers coupled to one or more corresponding BS for communication.

[0042] UE 101 may include, but is not limited to, computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., internet-connected televisions), set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras), in-vehicle computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems), and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

[0043] According to some embodiments of this application, UE 101 may include, but is not limited to, a portable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellular phone, a foldable mobile phone, a device having a subscriber identification module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, a wireless sensor, a monitoring device, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals over a wireless network.

[0044] In some embodiments of this application, UE 101 may include, but is not limited to, wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness bands, and optical head-mounted displays. Furthermore, UE 101 may be referred to as subscriber unit, mobile unit, mobile station, user, terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, fixed terminal, subscriber station, user terminal, or device, or described using other terms used in the art. UE 101 may communicate directly with BS 102 via uplink communication signals.

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA) based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) based networks, long-term evolution (LTE) networks, 3GPP based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0046] In some embodiments of this application, the wireless communication system 100 conforms to the 3GPP protocol 5G New Radio (NR) or the 3GPP protocol 5G NR-light (or reduced capability NR UE), with BS 102 transmitting data on the downlink (DL) using an OFDM modulation scheme and UE 101 transmitting data on the uplink (UL) using a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) or OFDM scheme. However, more broadly, the wireless communication system 100 may implement any other open or proprietary communication protocol, among others, such as WiMAX.

[0047] In some embodiments of this application, UE 101 and BS 102 may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocols. Furthermore, in some embodiments of this application, UE 101 and BS 102 may communicate over a licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, UE 101 and BS 102 may communicate over an unlicensed spectrum. This application is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation. In some further embodiments of this application, BS 102 may communicate with UE 101 using the 3GPP 5G protocol.

[0048] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, BS 102 may include a central unit (CU) 1021 and distributed units (DU) 1023. CU 1021 may communicate with CN 103 via interface 109 (e.g., NG interface) and with DU 1023 via CU-DU interface 108 (e.g., F1 interface). DU 1023 may communicate with CU 1021 via interface 108 and with UE 101 via interface 107 (e.g., Uu interface).

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of message transmission of a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of this application. In some embodiments, CU 1021 may receive application data unit (ADU) information 1022 from CN 103. The ADU information 1022 may be related to a plurality of application data units (ADUs).

[0050] In some embodiments, CU 1021 may determine data radio bearer (DRB) and application data unit (ADU) association information 1020 relating to one or more ADUs associated with one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) to DU 1023. CU 1021 may transmit the DRB and ADU association information 1020 to DU 1023 via a CU-DU interface 108 between CU 1021 and DU 1023. In other words, DU 1023 may receive the DRB and ADU association information 1020 from CU 1021 via the CU-DU interface 108. In some embodiments, the DRB and ADU association information 1020 may indicate that (1) at least one packet transmitted through one or more DRBs corresponds to the same ADU, or (2) at least one packet of an ADU corresponds to one or more DRBs.

[0051] For example, an ADU might represent a Group of Pictures (GOP) for a video service. GOPs are grouped together in a way that enhances the visual outcome of the video sequence. GOPs include various types such as intra-encoded pictures (I-frames), predictively encoded pictures (P-frames), and B-predictively encoded pictures (B-frames). Another example is that an ADU might represent I-frames and P-frames, FOV (Field of View) streams and omnidirectional streams, video / depth and attitude / control, video streams, and audio streams.

[0052] In some embodiments, CU 1021 may transmit DRB and ADU association information 1020 to DU 1023 via F1 Application Protocol (F1-AP) signaling during DRB setup-related procedures or DRB modification-related procedures. In particular, the F1-AP signaling containing the DRB and ADU association information 1020 may be a UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message (as defined in 3GPP TS 38.473) or a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message (as defined in 3GPP TS 38.473).

[0053] For example, DRB and ADU association information 1020 is provided within the DRB to Be Setup List information element (IE) of the DRB to Be Setup List below. In particular, when DRB '#1' is set up, an ADU associated DRB (i.e., DRB '#2') is also indicated. In other words, DRB '#1' and the DRB associated with at least one ADU (i.e., DRB '#2') correspond to the same ADU.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055] As another example, DRB and ADU association information 1020 is provided within a separate IE of the ADU associated DRBs List below. In particular, the separate IE contains the ADU association ID (i.e., ADU association IDs '#1' and '#2'). In this example, it is shown that DRB '#1' and DRB '#2' are associated with the ADU having ID '#1', and DRB '#3' and DRB '#4' are associated with the ADU having ID '#2'. In other words, DRB '#1' and DRB '#2' correspond to the same ADU, and DRB '#3' and DRB '#4' correspond to the same ADU.

[0056] [Table 2]

[0057] In some embodiments, CU 1021 may transmit ADU information 1022 to DU 1023 via CU-DU interface 108. The ADU information 1022 may be related to one or more DRBs to DU 1023. The ADU information 1022 may include at least one of the following: (1) an ADU sequence number, (2) a packet sequence number of the ADU's packets, (3) an indication of the last packet of the ADU's packets, or (4) an indication of the ADU's packet importance.

[0058] The ADU sequence number may be the sequence number of the ADU. The packet sequence number of the ADU packets may be the sequence number of each packet within the ADU. The last packet indication of the ADU packets may indicate the last packet of the ADU. The severity indication of the ADU packets may indicate (a) whether the packet is critical or non-critical, or (b) the severity level of the packet.

[0059] In some embodiments, CU 1021 may transmit ADU information 1022 to DU 1023 in the user plane protocol of each packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU), and CU may add ADU information 1022 in the F1-U protocol. The F1-U protocol may be provided by a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) extension header.

[0060] In some implementations, the F1-U protocol may be added to the NR Radio Access Network (RAN) container of the GTP-U extension header (as defined in 3GPP TS 38.425). ADU information 1022 may be added after the QoS flow-to-DRB mapping procedure and PDCP layer processing. In other words, ADU information 1022 may be added for each PDCP PDU.

[0061] A new frame format for carrying ADU information 1022 for each packet may be introduced on the NR user plane protocol. For example, the new frame format USER DATA WITH ADU INFORMATION shown below, which carries ADU information 1022 for each packet, may be introduced on the NR user plane protocol.

[0062] [Table 3]

[0063] In some implementations, the F1-U protocol may be added to a new container in the GTP-U extension header. In some implementations, the F1-U protocol may be added to the PDU session container in the GTP-U extension header (as defined in 3GPP TS 38.415).

[0064] In some embodiments, DU 1023 may obtain ADU information 1022 from the GTP-U extension header. DU 1023 may add ADU information 1022 to (1) the headers of existing Layer 2 layers (e.g., PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer), or (2) a new Layer 2 layer, which may be the ADU layer. DU 1023 may transmit ADU information 1022 to UE 101 based on the headers of the existing Layer 2 layer or the new Layer 2 layer. UE 101 may receive network packets from DU 1023 and obtain ADU information 1022 from the existing Layer 2 layer headers of the network packets or from the ADU layer of the network packets.

[0065] For example, when DU 1023 adds ADU information 1022 to a new Layer 2 layer (i.e., the ADU layer), the protocol stack 401 between UE 101 and BS 102 (including CU 1021 and DU 1023) is shown in Figure 4. In this example, the ADU layer is located between the RLC layer and the MAC layer. ADU information 1022 is transmitted between CU 1021 and DU 1023 based on the GTP-U layer. ADU information 1022 is transmitted between DU 1023 and UE 101 based on the ADU layer.

[0066] In some embodiments, CU 1021 may process ADU information 1022 before generating a PDCP PDU and attach the ADU information 1022 to the PDCP PDU. UE 101 may obtain the ADU information 1022 from the PDCP PDU of the network packet before processing the PDCP PDU.

[0067] For example, based on the protocol stack 402 explicitly shown in Figure 5, CU 1021 generates ADU information 1022 after SDAP layer processing and before PDCP layer processing. Then, CU 1021 attaches the ADU information 1022 to the PDCP PDU. After packet transmission between CU 1021 and DU 1023, UE 101 obtains the ADU information 1022 before PDCP layer processing. Then, UE 101 processes the ADU information 1022 after PDCP layer processing and before SDAP layer processing.

[0068] In some embodiments, after the transmission of the DRB and ADU association information 1020 and the ADU information 1022, the CU 1021 or DU 1023 may perform ADU-based flow control according to the DRB and ADU association information 1020 and the ADU information 1022.

[0069] In some embodiments, ADU packets may be served by multiple DRBs between CU 1021 and DU 1023, so ADU-based flow control information related to ADU-based flow control may be provided via one of the DRB's F1-U protocols (i.e., GTP-U tunnels). In particular, CU 1021 may select one of the DRB's F1-U protocols for providing ADU-based flow control information, and therefore DU 1023 may generate and provide ADU-based flow control information to CU 1021 based on the selected one of the DRB's F1-U protocols.

[0070] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of message transmission between CU 1021 and DU 1023 according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, CU 1021 may select a specific DRB from among the DRBs between CU 1021 and DU 1023 for DU 1023 to provide ADU-based flow control information. CU 1021 may transmit DRB identification information 1024 for the specific DRB to DU 1023, and thus DU 1023 may generate and provide ADU-based flow control information via the specific DRB.

[0071] In some embodiments, ADU-based flow control information is carried in the user plane protocol of a particular DRB (for example, within the GTP-U extension header of a particular DRB) and may include at least one of the following: (1) information about one or more ADUs successfully delivered to UE 101; (2) information about one or more ADUs sent to a lower layer of DU 1023; (3) information about one or more ADUs that were not delivered to UE 101; or (4) information about one or more ADUs that were not sent to a lower layer of DU 1023.

[0072] For example, information about one or more ADUs successfully delivered to UE 101 may include one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs successfully delivered to UE 101 with respect to user data in the DRB. Information about one or more ADUs transmitted to the lower layer 1023 of the DU may include one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that were not delivered to the UE or not transmitted to the lower layer of the DU. Information about one or more ADUs that were not delivered to UE 101 may include one or more packet sequence numbers that were not delivered to the UE or not transmitted to the lower layer of the DU. Information about one or more ADUs that were not transmitted to the lower layer of DU 1023 may include one or more ADU sequence numbers of one or more ADUs that were transmitted to the lower layer of the DU with respect to user data related to the DRB.

[0073] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of message transmission between CU 1021 and DU 1023 according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, when an IP packet belonging to a particular ADU is too slow (i.e., the IP packet queue time exceeds a threshold), CU 1021 may send an ADU discard indication 1026 to DU 1023. DU 1023 may discard the ADU in accordance with the ADU discard indication 1026.

[0074] In particular, the ADU discard indication 1026 may be included in the F1-U protocol and may include at least one of the following: (1) one or more ADUs to be discarded, or (2) an indication of at least one non-fatal packet of one or more ADUs to be discarded. Upon receiving the ADU discard indication 1026, DU 1023 may discard all buffered or available packets of all associated DRBs of the ADU indicated by the sequence number, or DU 1023 may discard all packets of the ADU marked as non-fatal according to the indication of non-fatal packets to be discarded. For example, a new frame format, USER DATA WITH ADU INFORMATION, is introduced on the NR user plane protocol, carrying ADU information 1022 about each packet.

[0075] [Table 4]

[0076] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of a method for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present application. Referring to Figure 8, the method 800 is performed by CUs and DUs of a network node (for example, CU 1021 and DU 1023 of BS 102) in some embodiments of the present application.

[0077] In some embodiments, operation S801 is performed for the CU to receive ADU information related to multiple ADUs from the core network. Operation S802 is performed for the CU to determine DRB and ADU association information related to one or more of the multiple ADUs associated with one or more DRBs to the DU of a network node via the CU-DU interface. Operation S803 is performed for the CU to transmit DRB and ADU association information, as well as ADU information related to one or more DRBs, to the DU via the CU-DU interface.

[0078] Operation S804 is performed for the DU to receive DRB and ADU association information and ADU information associated with one or more DRBs from the CU via the CU-DU interface. Operation S805 is performed for the DU to determine ADU-based flow control information according to the ADU information associated with one or more DRBs and the DRB and ADU association information. Operation S806 is performed for the DU to send ADU-based flow control information to the CU via the CU-DU interface.

[0079] Figures 9A to 9C show exemplary block diagrams of CU 1021, DU 1023, and UE 101 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0080] As shown in Figure 9A, CU 1021 may include at least one non-temporary computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9A), a processor 10211, and a transceiver 10213. The processor 10211 may be electrically coupled to the non-temporary computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9A) and the transceiver 10213.

[0081] In this figure, elements such as the processor 10211 and the transceiver 10213 are shown singly, but unless otherwise explicitly stated, there may be multiple such elements. In certain embodiments of this disclosure, the CU 1021 may further include an input device, memory, and / or other components.

[0082] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a non-temporary computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions causing the processor to perform the procedures relating to CU 1021 as described above. For example, when executed, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor 10211 to interact with the transceiver 10213 to perform the operations relating to CU 1021 shown in Figures 2 to 8.

[0083] As shown in Figure 9B, DU 1023 may include at least one non-temporary computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9B), a processor 10231, and a transceiver 10233. The processor 10231 may be electrically coupled to the non-temporary computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9B) and the transceiver 10233.

[0084] In this figure, elements such as the processor 10231 and the transceiver 10233 are shown singly, but unless otherwise explicitly stated, there may be multiple such elements. In certain embodiments of this disclosure, DU 1023 may further include input devices, memory, and / or other components.

[0085] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a non-temporary computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions causing the processor to perform the procedures relating to DU 1023 as described above. For example, when executed, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor 10231 to interact with the transceiver 10233 to perform the operations relating to DU 1023 shown in Figures 2 to 8.

[0086] As shown in Figure 9C, the UE 101 may include at least one non-transient computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9C), a processor 1011, and a transceiver 1013. The processor 1011 may be electrically coupled to the non-transient computer-readable medium (not shown in Figure 9C) and the transceiver 1013.

[0087] In this figure, elements such as the processor 1011 and the transceiver 1013 are shown singly, but unless otherwise explicitly stated, there may be multiple such elements. In certain embodiments of this disclosure, the UE 101 may further include input devices, memory, and / or other components.

[0088] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a non-temporary computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions causing the processor to perform the procedures relating to the UE 101 as described above. For example, when executed, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor 1011 to interact with the transceiver 1013 to perform the operations relating to the UE 101 shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operation of the methods described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in combination of both. The software modules may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the steps of the method may exist as one, any combination, or set of code and / or instructions on a non-temporary computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0090] While this disclosure has been described using its specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be replaced, added, or superseded in other embodiments. Also, not all elements in each figure are necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, those skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to create and use the teachings of this disclosure simply by adopting the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of this disclosure described herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0091] In this specification, the words “includes,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to include non-exclusive inclusion, meaning that a process, method, product, or apparatus containing a list of elements may include other elements not expressly enumerated or specific to such process, method, product, or apparatus, rather than containing only those elements. Elements preceded by “a,” “an,” etc., do not, unless further constraints, exclude the existence of additional identical elements in a process, method, product, or apparatus containing the element. The word “another” is defined as at least the second or subsequent. As used herein, words such as “having” are defined as “including.”

[0092] In this specification, the words “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof are intended to include non-exclusive inclusion, meaning that a process, method, product, or apparatus containing a list of elements may contain not only those elements but also other elements not expressly enumerated or specific to such process, method, product, or apparatus. Elements preceded by “a,” “an,” etc., do not, unless further constraints, exclude the existence of additional identical elements in a process, method, product, or apparatus containing the element. The word “another” is defined as at least the second or subsequent element. As used herein, the words “including,” “having,” etc., are defined as “comprising.” [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 100 Wireless Communication Systems 101 User Equipment (UE) 1011 processor 1013 Transceiver 102 Base station (BS) 1020 Data Radio Bearer (DRB) and Application Data Unit (ADU) Association Information 1021 Central Unit (CU) 10211 Processor 10213 Transceiver 1022 Application Data Unit (ADU) Information 1023 Distributed Unit (DU) 10231 Processor 10233 Transceiver 1024 DRB identification information 1026 ADU Destruction Indication 103 Core Network (CN) 107 Interfaces 108 CU-DU Interface 109 Interfaces 401 Protocol Stack 402 Protocol Stack 800 ways

Claims

1. The central unit (CU) of a network node, Processor and The processor includes a transceiver coupled to the processor, The aforementioned processor The transceiver receives application data unit (ADU) information related to multiple application data units (ADUs) from the core network. Determine the data radio bearer (DRB) and ADU association information related to one or more of the plurality of ADUs associated with one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) to the distributed units (DUs) of the network node via the CU-DU interface. The transceiver is configured to transmit the DRB and ADU association information, as well as ADU information associated with one or more DRBs, to the DU via the CU-DU interface. The processor is further configured to transmit the ADU information related to the one or more DRBs to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU) user plane protocol via the transceiver. CU.

2. The CU according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the DRB and ADU association information to the DU via the transceiver through F1 application protocol (F1-AP) signaling.

3. The processor The CU according to claim 1, further configured to receive flow control information based on the ADU from the DU via the transceiver.

4. The aforementioned processor The DRB identification information is transmitted to the DU via the transceiver. The CU according to claim 3, further configured to receive flow control information based on the ADU from the DU via the transceiver through a DRB corresponding to the DRB identification information.

5. The aforementioned processor The CU according to claim 1, further configured to transmit an ADU discard indication to the DU via the transceiver in accordance with the ADU information relating to one or more DRBs.

6. The CU according to claim 1, wherein the DRB and ADU association information indicates that at least one packet transmitted via one or more DRBs corresponds to the same ADU, or that at least one packet of an ADU corresponds to one or more DRBs.

7. A distributed unit (DU) of a network node, Processor and The processor includes a transceiver coupled to the processor, The aforementioned processor Receiving data radio bearer (DRB) and application data unit (ADU) association information and ADU information from a central unit (CU) via a CU-DU interface via the transceiver, wherein the DRB and ADU association information relates to one or more of a plurality of ADUs associated with one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) to the CU of the network node via the CU-DU interface, and the ADU information relates to the one or more DRBs to the CU, Determining flow control information based on ADU according to the ADU information related to one or more DRBs and the DRB and ADU association information, and The CU is configured to transmit flow control information based on the ADU via the transceiver. The processor is further configured to receive the ADU information related to one or more DRBs from the CU via the transceiver in the user plane protocol of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU).

8. The DU according to claim 7, further configured so that the processor receives the DRB and ADU association information from the CU via the transceiver through F1 application protocol (F1-AP) signaling.

9. The processor The DRB identification information is received from the CU via the transceiver. The DU according to claim 7, further configured to transmit flow control information based on the ADU to the CU via the transceiver through a DRB corresponding to the DRB identification information.

10. The aforementioned processor The transceiver receives an ADU discard indication from the CU. The DU according to claim 7, further configured to discard at least one packet associated with the one or more ADUs in accordance with the ADU discard indication.

11. The aforementioned ADU discard indication is included in the F1 user plane (F1-U) protocol. One or more ADUs to be discarded, or The DU according to claim 10, comprising at least one of an indication of a noncritical packet to be discarded, which indicates at least one noncritical packet of the ADU to be discarded.

Images