User equipment, methods performed by user equipment, base stations, and methods performed by base stations

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) (3A, 3B) including means for determining whether to transmit a buffer status report (BSR) to a base station (5) based on at least one of the amount of data stored in the UE (3A, 3B), the amount of data transmitted by the UE (3A, 3B), a threshold value, or a BSR indication indicating whether to transmit the BSR from the UE (3A, 3B) to the base station (5), and means for transmitting the BSR to the base station (5) based on the determination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system operating in accordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) specifications or their equivalents or derivatives, and devices thereof. The present disclosure relates, in particular, but is not limited to, improvements related to buffer status reports (BSRs) in so-called "5G" or "New Radio" systems (also referred to as "next generation" systems) and similar systems.

Background Art

[0002] Under 3GPP specifications, a NodeB (or "eNB" in LTE, "gNB" in 5G) is a base station where a communication device (user equipment or "UE") connects to a core network and communicates with other communication devices or remote servers. Communication devices can be, for example, mobile phones, smartphones, smartwatches, portable information terminals, laptop / tablet computers, web browsers, e-book readers, and / or the like. Such mobile (or generally fixed) devices are usually operated by a user (thus often collectively referred to as user equipment, "UE"), but Internet of Things (IoT) devices and similar Machine Type Communications (MTC) devices can also be connected to the network. For simplicity, in this application, the term base station is used to refer to such a base station, and the terms mobile device or UE are used to refer to such communication devices.

[0003] The latest developments in 3GPP standards refer to the so-called "5G" or "New Radio" (NR) standard, an evolving communication technology expected to support a variety of applications and services such as MTC / IoT communications, vehicle communications and autonomous vehicles, high-definition video streaming, and smart city services. 3GPP intends to support 5G through the so-called 3GPP NextGen Radio Access Network (RAN) and 3GPP NextGen core (NGC) networks. Various details of 5G networks are described, for example, in the "NGMN 5G White Paper" V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance, which is available at https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html.

[0004] End-user communication devices are generally referred to as user equipment (UE), which may be operated by humans or may include automated (MTC / IoT) devices. Base stations of 5G / NR communication systems are usually referred to as new radio base stations ("NR-BS") or "gNBs," but it should be understood that they may be referred to using the term "eNB" (or 5G / NR eNB), which is more typically associated with Long Term Evolution (LTE) base stations (also generally referred to as "4G" base stations). 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.300 V16.7.0 and 3GPP TS 37.340 V16.7.0 define, among other things, the following nodes: A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to gNB:UE and connects to the 5G core network (5GC) via the NG interface. ng-eNB: A node that provides Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol termination for UE, and connects to 5GC via the NG interface. A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination for En-gNB:UE and operates as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC). NG-RAN node: Either gNB or ng-eNB.

[0005] The terms base station or RAN node are used herein to refer to such nodes. Next-generation mobile networks support diverse service requirements, categorized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) into three categories: Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). eMBB aims to enhance support for traditional mobile broadband, focusing on services requiring large-scale, guaranteed bandwidth, such as High Definition (HD) video, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR). URLLC is a requirement for critical applications such as autonomous driving and factory automation, which require guaranteed access within very short timeframes. MMTC needs to support a large number of connected devices, such as smart metering and environmental monitoring, but can typically tolerate a certain level of access latency. Some of these applications have relatively lenient Quality of Service / Quality of Experience (QoS / QoE) requirements, while others have relatively strict QoS / QoE requirements (for example, high bandwidth and low latency).

[0006] The term Extended Reality (XR) refers to a combined real and virtual environment, and the associated human-machine interaction, generated by computer technology and wearable devices. It includes representative forms such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR), as well as areas interpolated between them. 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 26.928 V16.1.0 discusses Extended Reality (XR) in the context of 5G wireless and network services. This document introduces baseline technologies for XR-type services and applications, outlines XR-based Quality of Experience (QoE) / Quality of Service (QoS) issues, XR delivery in 5G systems, and the architectural model of 5G media streaming as defined in 3GPP TS 26.501 V16.9.0. In addition to traditional service categories, interactive, streaming, download, and segmented computing / rendering are identified as new XR delivery categories. 3GPP TR 38.838 V17.0.0 is a study on aspects of XR services, particularly the traffic model and characteristics of XR Release 17.

[0007] A Buffer Status Report (BSR) is sent from the UE to the base station and indicates the amount of uplink transmission data stored in the UE's buffer. This information can be used by the base station to schedule the uplink resources that the UE uses to transmit the stored data. As will be described in detail later, a BSR may include a number of bits to indicate a logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) and a number of bits to indicate the corresponding buffer size in the UE.

[0008] XR implementations, which present challenging service requirements, necessitate more efficient resource scheduling and allocation. The inventors recognized the need for more reliable and accurate buffer status reporting. However, there is a challenge in that BSR transmission is not always reliably triggered. For example, with Regular BSRs, there is a challenge in that BSR transmission is not triggered when additional data arrives in the same LCH or LCG buffer. Similarly, with Padding BSRs (included in uplink data messages if the message has sufficient padding bits), BSRs have a lower priority than data transmissions and are not included in transmissions if there are not enough padding bits. Therefore, there is a challenge in that they are not reliably transmitted to the base station. With Periodical BSRs, there is a challenge in that the transmission frequency of BSRs is insufficient (e.g., in the case of burst data arrivals), and it is not practical to configure periodical BSRs with very short periods.

[0009] Furthermore, there is a challenge in that the accuracy of the buffer size indicated by the BSR is insufficient, and it is desirable that the estimated UE buffer value be close to the actual UE buffer value, as this could lead to improved XR capacity and reduced resource utilization. More generally, improvements are needed to the mechanisms that provide more efficient resources and scheduling for XR service characteristics, including semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), configured grants (CG), and dynamic grants (DG). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0010] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.300 V 16.7.0 [Non-Patent Document 2] 3GPP TS 37.340 V 16.7.0 [Non-Patent Document 3] 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 26.928 V 16.1.0 [Non-Patent Document 4] 3GPP TS 26.501 V 16.9.0 [Non-Patent Document 5] 3GPP TR 38.838 V 17.0.0 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] Therefore, this disclosure seeks to provide methods and apparatus for addressing, or at least mitigating, the above-mentioned problems (or at least some of them). [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising means for determining whether to transmit a BSR to a base station based on at least one of the following: whether the amount of data stored in the UE is less than or equal to a first threshold; whether the amount of data transmitted by the UE since the transmission of the last buffer status report (BSR) is greater than or equal to a second threshold; whether the uplink grant size is greater than or equal to a third threshold; whether the difference between the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the maximum or minimum buffer size is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold; or a BSR instruction indicating whether or not the BSR should be transmitted from the UE to a base station; and means for transmitting the BSR to the base station based on the determination.

[0013] The decision-making mechanism may be configured to decide to send a BSR to the base station if the amount of data transmitted by the UE since the last BSR transmission is greater than a threshold and there is data in the UE's buffer.

[0014] The UE may further include means for storing the value of the amount of data transmitted by the UE, and means for setting the value of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to 0 when the UE transmits a BSR.

[0015] The second threshold may correspond to the buffer size reported in the previous BSR, and the means for determining this may be configured to decide to send the BSR to the base station if the sum of the data the UE has sent to the base station since the transmission of the previous BSR and the data scheduled to be transmitted from the UE to the base station is greater than the second threshold, and there is data in the UE's buffer.

[0016] The determination method may be configured to decide to send a BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the amount of data transmitted by the UE since the transmission of the previous BSR from the maximum buffer size reported in the previous BSR is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold.

[0017] The determination method may be configured to decide to send a BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the minimum buffer size reported in the previous BSR and the amount of data the UE has sent since the transmission of the previous BSR from the UE's current buffer size is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold.

[0018] The UE may further provide means for receiving BSR instructions from a base station, and means for transmitting a BSR are configured to transmit a BSR to the base station when the BSR instruction indicates that the base station should transmit a BSR.

[0019] BSR instructions may be included in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The BSR instruction may be provided as a single bit field of PDCCH. The BSR instruction may include a media access control (MAC) control element (CE). The BSR indication may be defined for each logical channel group. The BSR may be a Regular BSR.

[0020] The means for transmitting may be configured to transmit a BSR for one or more logical channel groups indicated by the BSR indication when the BSR indication indicates that the BSR should be transmitted to the base station.

[0021] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising means for determining to transmit to a base station an indication of the difference between a buffer size corresponding to a buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in a corresponding buffer of the UE.

[0022] The buffer size corresponding to the BSR may be the upper limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR.

[0023] The indication may indicate a value obtained by subtracting the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer from the upper limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR.

[0024] The buffer size corresponding to the BSR may be the lower limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR.

[0025] The indication may include a value equal to a value obtained by subtracting the lower limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR from the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer.

[0026] The UE may be configured to send instructions to the base station if the transmission of instructions is enabled by the network, or if a reported Regular BSR, Periodical BSR, or Truncated BSR has been triggered for transmission to the base station, or if the value obtained by subtracting the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer from the upper limit of the buffer size range indicated by the BSR is greater than or equal to a threshold, or if the value obtained by subtracting the lower limit of the buffer size range indicated by the BSR from the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer is greater than or equal to a threshold, or if the UE's grant size for the Regular BSR, Periodical BSR, or Truncated BSR is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0027] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising means for storing a plurality of tables, each table having means for mapping each of a plurality of indexes to each range of the UE's buffer size, means for receiving instructions for a table among the plurality of tables to be used to determine the index corresponding to the UE's buffer size, and means for transmitting the index to a base station.

[0028] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising means for transmitting a buffer status report (BSR), media access control (MAC), and control element (CE) to a base station, wherein the BSR MAC CE includes more than 8 bits indicating the buffer size.

[0029] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving information to request or enable the transmission of information for traffic assistance, which includes at least one of a period or packet generation rate, a time offset, a jitter range, or a requested configuration relating to uplink data transmission from the UE to a base station; means for transmitting information for traffic assistance based on the information; and means for receiving information to configure or schedule uplink resources for uplink transmission based on the information for traffic assistance.

[0030] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) that includes determining whether to transmit a BSR to a base station based on whether the amount of data stored in the UE is less than or equal to a first threshold, whether the amount of data transmitted by the UE since the transmission of the last buffer status report (BSR) is greater than or equal to a second threshold, whether the uplink grant size is greater than or equal to a third threshold, whether the difference between the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the maximum or minimum buffer size is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, or at least one of BSR instructions indicating whether or not a BSR should be transmitted, and transmitting a BSR to a base station based on the determination.

[0031] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) that includes deciding to send to a base station an instruction regarding the difference between the buffer size corresponding to a buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the corresponding buffer of the UE.

[0032] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) for storing a plurality of tables, each table including mapping each of a plurality of indexes to each range of the UE's buffer size, receiving instructions for a table to be used to determine which of the plurality of tables corresponds to the UE's buffer size, and transmitting the indexes to a base station.

[0033] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) that includes transmitting a buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) to a base station, wherein the BSR MAC CE includes more than 8 bits indicating the buffer size of the UE's buffer for uplink transmission.

[0034] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by user equipment (UE) that includes receiving information used by a base station when requesting or enabling the transmission of uplink data transmission information, which includes at least one of a period or packet generation rate, a time offset, a jitter range, or a requested configuration relating to uplink data transmission from the UE to a base station; transmitting uplink data transmission information based on the information; and receiving information based on the uplink data transmission information for setting up or scheduling uplink resources for uplink transmission.

[0035] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a base station comprising means for transmitting to a user equipment (UE) at least one of a threshold for determining whether the UE should transmit a buffer status report (BSR), or a BSR instruction indicating whether the UE should transmit a BSR.

[0036] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a base station comprising: means for receiving an instruction from a user equipment (UE) of the difference between a buffer size corresponding to a buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer; and means for determining the current buffer size of the UE using the instruction.

[0037] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a base station comprising: means for transmitting instructions to a UE, which stores a plurality of tables, each of which maps each of a plurality of indexes to a range of the buffer size of the user equipment (UE), to a plurality of tables used to determine which of the plurality of tables corresponds to the buffer size of the UE; and means for receiving the indexes from the UE.

[0038] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a base station comprising: means for transmitting information to request or enable the transmission of information for traffic assistance, which includes at least one of a period or packet generation rate, a time offset, a jitter range, or a requested configuration relating to uplink data transmission from a UE to the base station; means for receiving information for traffic assistance based on the information; and means for setting up or scheduling uplink resources for uplink transmission based on the information for traffic assistance.

[0039] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by a base station, which includes sending to the UE at least one of a threshold for determining whether the UE should send a buffer status report (BSR), or a BSR instruction indicating whether the UE should send a BSR.

[0040] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by a base station, which includes receiving an instruction from a UE regarding the difference between a buffer size corresponding to a buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the buffer of the user equipment (UE), and using the instruction to determine the current buffer size of the UE.

[0041] In one embodiment, the Disclosure relates to a method performed by a base station, in which each table transmits instructions to a UE that stores a plurality of tables, each of which maps a plurality of indexes to a respective range of the buffer size of the user equipment (UE), to determine which of the plurality of tables is to be used to determine the index corresponding to the buffer size of the UE, and receives the index from the UE. This provides a method that includes [something].

[0042] In one aspect, the Disclosure provides a method performed by a base station, which includes receiving a buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a user device, which includes a bit greater than 8 bits indicating the buffer size, and using the BSR MAC CE to determine the buffer size at the UE.

[0043] In one embodiment, the Disclosure provides a method performed by a base station, which includes transmitting information to request or enable the transmission of information for traffic assistance, which includes at least one of a period or packet generation rate, a time offset, a jitter range, or a requested configuration relating to uplink data transmission from a UE to a base station; receiving information for traffic assistance based on the information; and configuring or scheduling uplink resources for uplink transmission based on the information for traffic assistance.

[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure extend to computer program products such as corresponding systems, devices, and computer-readable storage media storing instructions, the instructions being operable to program a programmable processor to perform the aspects and possible methods described above or in the claims, and / or to program a computer appropriately adapted to provide the device described in any of the claims.

[0045] To facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art, this disclosure will be described in detail in the context of a 3GPP system (5G network), but the principles of this disclosure can be similarly applied to other systems.

[0046] This disclosure is defined by the claims appended herein. The aspects of this disclosure are as described in the independent claims. Some optional features are described in the dependent claims.

[0047] However, each feature disclosed herein (this term includes the claims) and / or shown in the drawings may be incorporated into this disclosure independently of (or in combination with) other disclosed and / or illustrated features. In particular, but not limited to, features of claims dependent on a particular independent claim may be introduced into that independent claim in any combination or individually. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0048] Herein, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by reference to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure schematically illustrate a mobile (cellular or wireless) telecommunications system to which it may be applied. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of mobile devices that form part of the system shown. [Figure 3] This is a schematic block diagram of an access network node (e.g., a base station) that forms part of the system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of the core network nodes that form part of the system shown. [Figure 5] This shows the short buffer status report. [Figure 6] The lookup table for the buffer status report is shown. [Figure 7] This shows the long buffer status report. [Figure 8] This shows an extended short buffer status report. [Figure 9] Shows an extended long buffer status report. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 17]This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] This is a schematic diagram illustrating some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0049] overview Figure 1 schematically shows a mobile (cellular or wireless) telecommunications system 1 to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0050] In this system 1, users of mobile devices 3 (UEs) can communicate with each other and with other users via base stations 5 (and other access network nodes) and the core network 7 using appropriate 3GPP radio access technology (RAT), such as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and / or 5G RAT. It will be understood that many base stations 5 form a (radio) access network or (R)AN. As those skilled in the art will understand, for illustrative purposes only, two mobile devices 3A and 3B and one base station 5 are shown in Figure 1, but the system, when implemented, typically includes other base stations / (R)AN nodes and mobile devices (UEs).

[0051] Each base station 5 controls one or more associated cells (directly or via other nodes such as home base stations, relays, remote radio heads, distributed units, etc.). Base stations 5 that support next-generation / 5G protocols may be called "gNBs". It will be understood that some base stations 5 may be configured to support both 4G and 5G, and / or any other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0052] Mobile devices 3 and their service base stations 5 are connected via appropriate air interfaces (e.g., so-called "NR" air interfaces, "Uu" interfaces, etc.). Adjacent base stations 5 are connected to each other via appropriate inter-base station interfaces (e.g., so-called "Xn" interfaces, "X2" interfaces, etc.). Base stations 5 are also connected to core network nodes via appropriate interfaces (e.g., so-called "NG-U" interfaces (for the user plane), so-called "NG-C" interfaces (for the control plane)).

[0053] The core network 7 (for example, EPC in the case of LTE, NGC in the case of NR / 5G) typically supports communications in the telecommunications system 1 and includes logical nodes (or "functions") for subscriber management, mobility management, billing, security, and (among other things) call / session management. For example, the core network 7 of a "next-generation" / 5G system includes user plane entities and control plane entities, such as one or more control plane functions (CPFs) 10 and one or more user plane functions (UPFs) 11. For example, the so-called Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in 5G, or the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in 4G, is responsible for handling connectivity and mobility management tasks for mobile devices 3. The so-called Session Management Function (SMF) is responsible for handling communication sessions for mobile devices 3, such as establishing, modifying, and releasing sessions. Typically, the core network 7 may also include, among other things, an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity, a Policy Control Function (PCF), and an Application Function (AF). It will be understood that nodes or functions may have different names in different systems. The core network 7 connects to a data network 20, such as the Internet or a similar Internet Protocol (IP) based network (via UPF 11). The core network 7 may also connect to Operations and Maintenance (OAM) functions (not shown).

[0054] It will be understood that each mobile device 3 can support one or more services that can be classified into one of the categories (URLLC / eMBB / mMTC) mentioned above. Each service typically has associated requirements (e.g., latency / data rate / packet loss requirements), which may differ for different services. Each mobile device 3 may be configured with appropriate power-saving operations such as Discontinuous Reception (DRX), Discontinuous Transmission (DTX), and / or similar. Power-saving operations may depend on the category of one or more services used, UE capabilities, and other factors (such as QoE / QoS, throughput, at least one serving cell, network load, etc.). The DRX configuration used by UE 3 may be dynamically adapted to suit a wide range of services, such as XR data.

[0055] User Equipment (UE) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main components of the mobile device (UE) 3 shown in Figure 1. As illustrated, the UE 3 includes a transceiver circuit 31 capable of transmitting signals to one or more connected nodes via one or more antennas 33 and receiving signals from one or more connected nodes. Although not necessarily shown in Figure 2, the UE 3 naturally has all the usual functions of a conventional mobile device (such as a user interface 35), which may be provided by any one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware as needed. The controller 37 controls the operation of the UE 3 according to software stored in memory 39. The software may be pre-installed in memory 39 and / or downloaded from, for example, a communication network 1 or a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 41, a communication control module 43, and a buffer status report (BSR) module 45.

[0056] The communication control module 43 is responsible for processing (generating / transmitting / receiving) signaling messages and uplink / downlink data packets between the UE3 and other nodes, including the (R)AN node 5 and core network nodes. Signaling may include control signaling related to the transmission of BSRs (e.g., via RRC / MAC / PHY / DCI). It will be understood that the communication control module 43 may include numerous submodules ("layers" or "entities") to support specific functions. For example, the communication control module 43 may include a PHY submodule, a Media Access Control (MAC) submodule, an RLC submodule, a PDCP submodule, an SDAP submodule, an IP submodule, a radio resource control (RRC) submodule, and so on.

[0057] The BSR module 45 is responsible for generating the BSR and deciding whether to transmit the BSR to the base station 5. The BSR module 45 may also be responsible for generating and transmitting any other appropriate information related to the BSR. The method for transmitting the BSR is described below. Also described below are exemplary types and configurations of BSRs that can be transmitted from the UE3 to the base station 5.

[0058] Access network node (base station) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main components of the base station 5 (or similar access network node) shown in Figure 1. As shown, the base station 5 includes transceiver circuitry 51 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from one or more connected UEs 3 via one or more antennas 53, and transmitting and receiving signals (directly or indirectly) to and from other network nodes via a network interface 55. The network interface 55 typically includes appropriate base station-to-base station interfaces (such as X2 / Xn) and appropriate base station-to-core network interfaces (such as S1 / N1 / N2 / N3). The controller 57 controls the operation of the base station 5 according to software stored in memory 59. The software may be pre-installed in memory 59 and / or downloaded from, for example, the telecommunications network 1 or a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 61, a communication control module 63, a BSR module 65, and a UL scheduling module 67.

[0059] The communication control module 63 is responsible for processing (generating / transmitting / receiving) signaling between the base station 5 and other nodes such as the UE3 and core network nodes. The signaling may include control signaling related to buffer status reports (e.g., via RRC / MAC / PHY / DCI). It will be understood that the communication control module 63 may include a number of submodules ("layers" or "entities") to support specific functions. For example, the communication control module 63 may include a PHY submodule, MAC submodule, RLC submodule, PDCP submodule, SDAP submodule, IP submodule, RRC submodule, etc.

[0060] The BSR module 65 is responsible for sending and receiving all BSR-related information to and from UE3. For example, the BSR module 65 may generate an instruction that UE3 should send a BSR.

[0061] The uplink (UL) scheduling module 67 is responsible for generating UL grants for data transmission from UE3 to base station 5. Based on the BSR received from UE3, the base station may schedule or allocate resources for UL transmission to UE3.

[0062] Core network function Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the main components of a typical core network function, such as CPF10 or UPF11, as shown in Figure 1. As illustrated, the core network function includes a transceiver circuit 71 capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from other nodes (including UE3, base station 5, and other core network nodes) via a network interface 75. A controller 77 controls the operation of the core network function according to software stored in memory 79. The software may be pre-installed in memory 79 and / or downloaded from, for example, a communication network 1 or a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 81 and a communication control module 83.

[0063] The communication control module 83 is responsible for core network functions and for processing (generating / transmitting / receiving) signaling between the UE3, base station 5, and other nodes such as other core network nodes.

[0064] Buffer Status Report Figure 5 shows an example of a Short BSR MAC control element (MAC CE). As shown in Figure 5, the Short BSR consists of a total of 8 bits: 3 bits indicating the LCG ID and 5 bits indicating the buffer size.

[0065] The buffer size field indicates the total amount of data available to all logical channels in a logical channel group after the MAC PDU has been constructed (i.e., after the logical channel prioritization procedure, which may result in a buffer size (BS) field value of 0). The data amount is expressed in bytes. The sizes of the RLC header and MAC subheader are not considered in the buffer size calculation.

[0066] The five bits indicating the buffer size can be used to represent an index from 0 to 31. Figure 6 shows an exemplary table that can be used to map the indicated index to the buffer size. The table can be stored and used, for example, by base station 5. The amount of data is indicated in bytes. For example, if the five bits used to indicate the buffer size correspond to index 22, this indicates that the buffer size is greater than 7587 bytes and less than or equal to 10570 bytes. Thus, it will be understood that base station 5 can use the table in Figure 6 to determine the buffer size of UE3 based on the BSR.

[0067] As shown in Figure 6, the range of buffer size values ​​becomes less precise as the BSR index (larger buffer size value) increases. For example, if the indicated index is 3, the buffer size value corresponds to a range of 6 bytes, greater than 14 and less than or equal to 20. In contrast, if the indicated index is 28, the buffer size value corresponds to a range of 21810 bytes, greater than 55474 and less than or equal to 77284.

[0068] Figures 7-9 show further examples of BSRs that can be transmitted from UE3 to base station 5. Figure 7 shows an example of a Long BSR MAC CE showing multiple buffer sizes corresponding to multiple LCGs. The LCGi field indicates the presence of a buffer size field for logical channel group i. An LCGi field set to 1 indicates that the buffer size field for logical channel group i is reported. An LCGi field set to 0 indicates that the buffer size field for logical channel group i is not reported. For the Long Truncated BSR format and the extended Long Truncated BSR format, this field indicates whether there is available data for logical channel group i. An LCGi field set to 1 indicates that there is available data for logical channel group i. An LCGi field set to 0 indicates that there is no available data for logical channel group i.

[0069] As shown in Figure 7, in Long BSR, 8 bits are used to indicate each buffer size (corresponding to indices from 0 to 255). In the Long BSR format, Long Truncated BSR format, Extended Long BSR format, and Extended Long Truncated format, the buffer size fields are included in ascending order based on LCGi. In the Long Truncated BSR format and Extended Long Truncated format, the number of included buffer size fields is maximized so as not to exceed the number of padding bits. Similar to the 5-bit case shown in Figure 6, Table 1 below shows an example of a lookup table for 8-bit buffer size indication.

[0070] Table 1: Buffer size table for 8-bit instructions: [Table 1] [Table 2]

[0071] BSR MAC CE consists of the following: - Short BSR format (fixed size), or - Extended Short BSR format (fixed size), or - Long BSR format (variable size), or - Extended Long BSR format (variable size), or - Short Truncated BSR format (fixed size), or - Extended Short Truncated BSR format (fixed size), or - Long Truncated BSR format (variable size), or - Extended Long Truncated BSR format (variable size).

[0072] BSR can be triggered by a transmission from UE3 to base station 5. For example, BSR can be triggered when UL data for a logical channel belonging to LCG becomes available to the MAC entity. One of the following: ● This UL data belongs to a logical channel that has a higher priority than the logical channel containing available UL data belonging to any LCG, or ● None of the logical channels belonging to the LCG contain usable UL data. In some cases, BSR is called "Regular BSR". A BSR can also be triggered if the number of padding bits in an uplink data message is greater than or equal to the size of the buffer status report MAC CE and its subheaders. In this case, the BSR is called a "Padding BSR".

[0073] A BSR can also be triggered based on a timer (e.g., retxBSR-Timer) if at least one of the logical channels belonging to the LCG contains UL data. In this case, the BSR is called a "Regular BSR".

[0074] A BSR can also schedule periodic transmissions based on a timer (e.g., a periodicBSR-Timer). In this case, the BSR is called a "Periodic BSR".

[0075] A MAC PDU can contain at most one BSR MAC CE, even if multiple events trigger a BSR. Regular BSRs and Periodic BSRs may take precedence over Padding BSRs. A MAC entity can restart the retxBSR-Timer when it receives a grant to send new data on any UL-SCH.

[0076] It should be understood that the method for sending (and deciding to send) buffer status reports, as described below, is applicable to any appropriate type of BSR.

[0077] The BSR can be received at base station 5 and used by the base station to configure and / or schedule uplink resources for transmitting uplink data from UE3 to base station 5. For example, in configuration grant type 1, the uplink grant is provided by the RRC and stored as a configuration uplink grant. In configuration grant type 2, the uplink grant is provided by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and stored or cleared as a configuration uplink grant based on L1 signaling indicating the activation or deactivation of the configuration uplink grant. Types 1 and 2 are configured by the RRC for each serving cell per bandwidth part (BWP). Multiple configurations can be active simultaneously in the same BWP. In the case of type 2, activation and deactivation are independent between serving cells. For the same BWP, the MAC entity can be configured in both type 1 and type 2. Alternatively, base station 5 may also perform semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) or dynamic grant (DG). Further examples of BSRs are described in Technical Specification (TS) 38.321 V17.0.0.

[0078] BSR transmission Next, an exemplary method of the present disclosure for transmitting a BSR from UE3 to base station 5 will be described.

[0079] BSR Polling Figure 10 shows an example of BSR polling via physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) signaling.

[0080] As shown in Figure 10, base station 5 sends an instruction to UE5 on whether or not to transmit a BSR. For example, the BSR polling field may be included in the PDCCH to indicate whether or not a Regular BSR should be triggered / included. The BSR polling field may be a 1-bit field. However, any other suitable number of bits can be used for the BSR polling field.

[0081] Figure 11 shows an alternative that includes instructions on whether or not MAC CE should send a BSR. The instructions can indicate whether or not a BSR should be sent for each logical channel group.

[0082] Upon receiving this instruction, UE3 triggers / transmits a Regular BSR to base station 5 for all logical channel groups or the specified logical channel groups.

[0083] An advantage is that UE3 can reliably determine whether or not to transmit the BSR to base station 5.

[0084] Transmission data volume threshold Figure 12 shows an example of how UE3 receives a threshold to determine whether or not to transmit a BSR. If the amount of data that UE3 transmits exceeds the value corresponding to the threshold received from base station 5, UE3 transmits a BSR to base station 5.

[0085] The threshold is acquired by base station 5 and transmitted to UE3. The threshold may also be received by base station 5 from other suitable entities in the core network 7, or it may be stored in base station 5 (for example, set in base station 5's memory). In other words, the threshold may be set by any suitable entity in network 1.

[0086] In this example, the threshold corresponds to the amount of data being sent. Figure 13 shows an example of how UE3 uses the threshold to determine whether a BSR should be sent.

[0087] In step S130, UE3 receives information from base station 5 indicating the threshold for transmitting the BSR.

[0088] In step S131, UE3 performs an uplink transmission to send data to base station 5.

[0089] In step S132, UE3 determines that the amount of data to be sent to base station 5 (also called the "size" or "volume" of data) exceeds the amount indicated by the threshold received in step S130, and therefore decides to send a BSR (e.g., Regular BSR) to base station 5.

[0090] Furthermore, UE3 may determine whether or not there is data present in the corresponding buffer, and may decide to send a BSR only if there is data present in the corresponding buffer in addition to the amount of data to be sent that exceeds the threshold.

[0091] To determine the amount of data to be transmitted, UE3 may count the data transmitted for each LCH or LCG individually, or it may count the data for all LCHs (or another appropriate group or subset of LCHs) together. In step S133, UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5.

[0092] After UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5, UE3 resets the count of the amount of data transmitted by UE3, and the method returns to step S131.

[0093] Therefore, advantageously, UE3 can more reliably transmit the BSR to base station 5 by comparing the amount of data being transmitted with a threshold received from base station 5.

[0094] Data volume compared to the buffer size reported last time Figure 14 shows how UE3 decides to send a BSR based on a comparison of the amount of UL data transmitted or scheduled since the previous BSR was sent to base station 5 and the buffer size reported in the previous BSR.

[0095] In step S140, UE3 transmits a BSR to base station 5. The BSR includes an instruction for the buffer size in UE3. In step S141, UE3 transmits data to base station 5.

[0096] In step 142, UE3 determines that the amount of data to be sent to base station 5 (in the case of LCH or LCG) exceeds the buffer size reported in the BSR in step S140, and therefore decides to send a BSR to base station 5. Optionally, when comparing with the buffer size reported in the previous BSR, UE3 may include data scheduled for transmission (e.g., transmission data for received UL grants) in addition to data already transmitted. In other words, UE3 can determine whether the sum of the amount of data transmitted from UE3 to base station 5 since the previous BSR was sent, plus the amount of data currently scheduled for transmission to base station 5, exceeds the buffer size reported in the previous BSR in step S140. In step S143, UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5.

[0097] In this example, UE3 decides to send a BSR if the amount of data it has sent from UE3 to base station 5 is greater than the buffer size reported in the previous BSR. Alternatively, UE3 may decide to send a BSR if the amount of data it has sent to base station 5 is equal to or greater than the buffer size reported in the previous BSR, or if the amount of data it has sent to base station 5 is within the threshold range of the buffer size reported in the previous BSR.

[0098] The method shown in Figure 14 can be called a method based on "implicit transmission data volume."

[0099] For each LCG (e.g., "unscheduledbutReportedBufferSize"), the UE can store a variable corresponding to the unscheduled but reported buffer size. This variable can be set (or reset) to the reported buffer size (e.g., the minimum possible size of the buffer size range corresponding to the index indicated in the BSR) when the BSR corresponding to the LCG is sent to base station 5 (e.g., in step S140). Subsequently, the value of the variable stored in UE3 can be decreased (e.g., in step S141) based on the amount of data in the LCG sent to base station 5. If the value of the variable is less than a threshold (e.g., 0) and there is data in the corresponding buffer, UE3 decides that the BSR should be sent to base station 5.

[0100] Therefore, advantageously, UE3 can more reliably transmit the BSR to base station 5 based on the amount of data it has transmitted to base station 5 since the BSR was previously transmitted.

[0101] Buffered data amount Figure 15 shows how UE3 decides whether to transmit the BSR to base station 5 based on the amount of data buffered by UE3. In step S150, UE3 determines that the amount of data buffered by UE3 (for example, for all LCGs or per LCG) is less than (or instead "less than or equal to") a set threshold, and therefore decides to transmit the BSR to base station 5. The threshold of UE3 may be pre-set by UE3, or it may be received from any other suitable entity in network 1. In step S141, UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5.

[0102] Therefore, advantageously, UE3 can more reliably transmit the BSR to base station 5 based on the amount of data buffered in UE3.

[0103] UL Grant Size Figure 16 shows how UE3 determines that it should transmit the BSR to base station 5 based on the UL grant size.

[0104] In step S160, UE3 determines whether the UL grant size (for example, the UL grant size received from base station 5) is greater than the threshold grant size. The threshold grant size may be pre-configured by UE3, or it may be received from any other suitable entity in network 1.

[0105] Large data volumes may require several uplink dynamic grants. Therefore, when the UL grant size is large, it is advantageous to have an updated and accurate BSR available at base station 5 to allocate at least one appropriate UL grant size. Furthermore, when the UL grant size is large, the overhead of including the BSR in the corresponding transmission to base station 5 is relatively low.

[0106] Therefore, advantageously, UE3 can more reliably transmit BSRs to base station 5 based on the UL grant size, and base station 5 can allocate a more appropriate UL grant size, reducing overall resource usage (e.g., radio resource usage). Furthermore, BSRs are advantageously transmitted when the relative overhead of the BSR is low.

[0107] The decision is based on the size of the buffered data and the buffer size reported in the previous BSR. Figure 17 illustrates how UE3 decides whether or not to send a BSR based on the amount of data in the UE buffer and the buffer size reported (or "indicated") in the previous BSR.

[0108] In step S170, UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5. In step S171, UE3 transmits data from the buffer to base station 5 (for example, after receiving a UL grant from base station 5).

[0109] In step S172, UE3 determines that the difference between the maximum buffer size reported in step S170 and the current amount of data in the buffer is greater than (or equal to) the threshold, and therefore decides to send a BSR to base station 5. When making this decision, UE3 takes into account the amount of data sent to base station 5 in step S171. In other words, as shown in the example below, UE determines whether the difference between the current buffer size value that base station 5 can calculate and the actual buffer size exceeds the threshold. In step S173, UE3 transmits the BSR to base station 5.

[0110] The "maximum reported buffer size" is the upper limit of the range indicated in the BSR. For example, referring to Figure 6, if the index reported in the previous BSR was 11, the maximum reported buffer size is 276 (the upper limit of the range of possible buffer size values ​​corresponding to that index).

[0111] If B represents the current amount of data in UE3's buffer and E represents the maximum possible buffer size based on the index of the previously transmitted buffer size (and the data transmitted from UE3 to base station 5 since the BSR was sent), UE3 determines whether EB (if E>=B) or BE (if B>=E) is greater than the threshold T. For example, referring to Table 1 above, if UE3's buffer is initially empty and then UE3 receives a packet of size 60000 bytes into the buffer, the buffer size is 60000 bytes (since the buffer size is greater than 58784 and less than or equal to 62599), and the index included in the BSR in step S170 is "139". In this case, EB = 62599 - 60000 = 2599. Therefore, if the threshold T is 1000, EB > T. However, since the UE is triggered to send a BSR based on data arrival, it does not send another BSR yet. Subsequently, if the UE is scheduled to transmit 50,000 bytes of data from the buffer in step S171 and transmits it, then (since E is calculated taking into account the amount of data to be transmitted: E = 62599 - 50000) B = 10000, E = 12599, and EB = 2599. Since EB is greater than the threshold of 1000, and therefore there is a relatively large discrepancy between the buffer size that can be calculated or estimated by the base station 5 and the actual buffer size, the UE decides to transmit a new BSR to reduce the value of EB. Alternatively, if there is more data, for example 2000 bytes to reach the buffer, then B = 30000, E = 12599, and BE = 17401. Since BE is greater than the threshold of 1000, and therefore there is a relatively large discrepancy between the buffer size that can be calculated or estimated by the base station 5 and the actual buffer size, the UE decides to transmit a new BSR to reduce the value of BE.

[0112] In other words, the transmission of the BSR in step 173 is based on the difference between the actual amount of data buffered in UE3 and the amount of data buffered in UE3, which can be determined or estimated by base station 5 (based on the previous BSR and subsequent UL data transmissions received from UE3).

[0113] Therefore, advantageously, UE3 can provide base station 5 with more precise instructions on the buffer size, which allows base station 5 to schedule UL resources more efficiently.

[0114] Figure 18 shows a modification of the method in Figure 17, in which UE3 instead determines that the difference between the minimum buffer size reported in step S170 and the current amount of data in the buffer is greater than (or alternatively, greater than or equal to) the threshold. Steps S180, S181, and S183 are the same as steps S170, S171, and S173, respectively.

[0115] In this example, UE3 uses the minimum buffer size reported in step S180. The "minimum reported buffer size" is the minimum value within the range indicated in the BSR. For example, referring to Figure 6, if the index reported in the previous BSR was 11, the maximum reported buffer size is 199 (the minimum value within the range of possible buffer size values ​​corresponding to that index).

[0116] If B is the current amount of data in UE3's buffer and E' is the minimum possible buffer size based on the BSR sent in S180 (and the data sent from UE3 to base station 5 in S181), then UE3 determines whether B-E' is greater than the threshold T. For example, referring to Table 1 above, if UE3's buffer is initially empty and then receives a packet of size 60,000 bytes into the buffer, the buffer size is 60,000 bytes, and therefore the index included in the BSR in step S170 is "139" (because the buffer size is greater than 58,784 and less than or equal to 62,599). In this case, B-E' = 60,000 - 58,784 = 1216. Therefore, if the threshold T is 1000, B-E' > T. However, since the UE is triggered to send a BSR based on data arrival, it does not send another BSR yet. Subsequently, if the UE is scheduled to transmit 50,000 bytes of data from the buffer in step S181 and transmits, then (since E' is calculated taking into account the amount of data to be transmitted: E' = 58,784 - 50,000) B = 10,000, E' = 8,784, and B - E' = 1,216. Since B - E' is greater than the threshold of 1,000, and therefore there is a relatively large discrepancy between the buffer size that can be calculated or estimated by the base station 5 and the actual buffer size, the UE decides to transmit a new BSR in order to reduce the value of B - E'.

[0117] BSR difference information Figure 19 shows an example where, in addition to sending the regular / periodical BSR, UE3 sends an instruction for the difference between the maximum possible buffer size based on the current regular / periodical BSR and the current data size in the buffer.

[0118] As shown in the diagram, the UE transmits the BSR to the base station 5, along with an instruction for the difference between the maximum possible buffer size based on the BSR and the current data size in the buffer.

[0119] For example, if B represents the current amount of data in the buffer and E represents the maximum possible buffer size based on the buffer size index in the BSR, then UE3 can send the value of EB (as MAC CE in this example) to base station 5. The "maximum possible buffer size" is the upper limit of the range indicated in the BSR. For example, referring to Figure 6, if the index reported in the BSR is 11, the maximum buffer size to report is 276 (the upper limit of the range of possible buffer size values ​​corresponding to that index). To obtain a more accurate determination of the actual buffer size in UE3, base station 5 can use the value of EB (for example, using the buffer size values ​​listed in Table 1 above), and thus be able to schedule UL resources more efficiently.

[0120] Figure 20 shows a modification of Figure 19, where UE3 sends an instruction for the difference between the actual amount of data in the buffer and the minimum possible amount of data, based on the BSR index / buffer size contained in the BSR. For example, if B represents the current amount of data in the buffer and E' represents the minimum possible buffer size based on the buffer size index of the BSR, UE3 can send the value of BE (as MAC CE in this example) to base station 5.

[0121] In the examples in Figures 19 and 20, the instructions are sent as MAC CE, but other appropriate types of transmissions from UE3 to base station 5 could also be used instead.

[0122] (Both can be called the "buffer size difference") The EB value in the example in Figure 19 and the BE value in the example in Figure 20 should be sent (or triggered) when one or more of the following conditions are met. ● The network has enabled sending the buffer size difference. ● Regular / periodical / truncated BSR reports are triggered and are expected to be included in the scheduling grants for available uplinks. ● The difference in buffer size is greater than the threshold (determined by UE3, for example). ● The grant size of the regular / periodical / truncated BSR that is triggered and is scheduled to be included in the scheduling grants for available uplinks is greater than the threshold.

[0123] Buffer size table As described above with reference to Figure 6, the range of buffer size values ​​becomes less precise as the BSR index increases (as the buffer size value increases). For example, if a 5-bit buffer size field is used for the BSR report and the indicated index is 3, the buffer size value corresponds to a range of 6 bytes, greater than 14 bytes and less than or equal to 20 bytes. In contrast, if the indicated index is 28, the buffer size value corresponds to a range of 21810 bytes, greater than 55474 bytes and less than or equal to 77284 bytes. In other words, the granularity of the indicated buffer level becomes less fine as the index size increases. However, if, for example, base station 5 is attempting to complete data scheduling based on the reported buffer size, base station 5 would prefer to have a more precise range for the buffer size value.

[0124] The inventors have found it advantageous to provide a table that maps BSR indices to corresponding buffer size values ​​based on a specific service or device type. For example, in the case of video streaming in an XR implementation, the typical packet size only needs to fall within a certain range. The inventors have found that the table can be configured to provide a smaller range (i.e., finer granularity) of buffer size values ​​for typical packet sizes. This improves the overall accuracy of the BSR.

[0125] Figure 21 shows a modified version of the table in Figure 6, in which the mapping between index and buffer size values ​​has been modified to provide finer granularity for buffer size values ​​between 4000 and 5000 bytes (for example, because the typical packet size for a particular application or service is between 4000 and 5000 bytes). For example, if the actual buffer size in UE3 is 4150 bytes and the table in Figure 6 is used, index value 20 is included in the BSR, indicating that the buffer size value is greater than 3909 bytes and less than or equal to 5446 bytes (a range of 1537 bytes). In contrast, if the table in Figure 21 is used, index value 18 is included in the BSR, indicating that the buffer size value is greater than 4100 bytes and less than or equal to 4200 bytes (a smaller range of 100 bytes). Thus, the BSR provides base station 5 with a more accurate indication of the actual buffer size, allowing the base station to schedule UL resources more efficiently.

[0126] UE3 can store multiple mapping tables, such as those shown in Figures 6 and 21, and the network can provide instructions to UE3 on which table to use to generate the BSR. For example, the network can instruct UE3 to use a specific mapping table based on the type of UE3 or on the services used or requested by UE3 (UE3 may use a specific table based on the network configuration). Alternatively, UE3 can select which table to use and provide instructions to base station 5 on the selected table.

[0127] Alternatively (or additionally), a new BSR MAC CE could be used to indicate the buffer size value, using more than 8 bits, which would increase the number of indices used to map to the buffer size value, and thus each index could be mapped to a narrower range of buffer sizes.

[0128] Grant support information Figure 22 shows an example of UE3 transmitting auxiliary information for a configured grant (CG) / scheduling request (SR) to the base station. This is advantageous in addressing the problem of potential mismatches between data arrival timing and CG location in UE3. This can occur, for example, due to jitter (which can be difficult to predict) or non-integer periodicity. The inventors have found that this problem can be mitigated at least partially by providing CG configuration (particularly regarding CG timing) that the UE assists with.

[0129] Base station 5 can optimize the power consumption of one or more UEs by configuring so-called Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and / or Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) operations. Both DRX and DTX are based on reducing the duty cycle of the UE3's transceiver during active operation. In DRX mode, base station 5 configures a cycle in which UE3 operates for a certain period (called the "active time" or "on period"), and base station 5 transmits all scheduling and paging information (for this UE) only during this period. Thus, UE3 can turn off its transceiver for the remainder of the DRX cycle (which may be called the "inactive time" or "off period"). In DTX mode, UE3 continues to monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) so that it can receive data from base station 5 without excessive delay, rather than completely turning off its transceiver. The longer the "off" period relative to the duty cycle, the greater the power savings that can be achieved. However, when operating in DRX and / or DTX mode, the UE3's data throughput decreases proportionally to the power savings achieved, as the UE3 can only send and receive data during its active time. Jitter can cause inconsistencies between data arrival and the on-period of the DRX cycle. The effect of jitter is that the exact timing of frame arrival may be slightly earlier or later than expected due to random delays caused by the operation of the frame encoder on the edge server, network transfer time on the core network, etc.

[0130] A further issue may be called the "non-integer period" (i.e., non-integer subframe) of XR data packets. Specifically, in the case of XR, the packet arrival rate is determined by the frame generation rate (e.g., 60fps). Therefore, the average packet arrival period is given by the reciprocal of the frame rate (e.g., 1 / 60fps = 16.6667ms), without considering jitter (i.e., assuming that video encoding time and network transmission delay are fixed). Thus, the arrival time of a packet with index k (k=1, 2, 3, ...) to the base station is given as k / F × 1000 [ms], where F is the given frame generation rate ( / second). The difference between the non-integer arrival rate (16.6667ms in this example) and the nearest period given in subframe units (e.g., 17ms) increases (cumulatively) the buffer time of subsequent packets. In other words, for each new data packet corresponding to a new frame, an additional 0.3333ms of delay is added (cumulatively).

[0131] As shown in Figure 22, in this example, UE3 transmits CG and / or SR auxiliary information to base station 5. The auxiliary information may include information about traffic characteristics (the auxiliary information may simply be referred to as "traffic information"). Base station 5 then sets the CG / SR based on the received auxiliary information.

[0132] Information related to traffic characteristics may include the following: ● The following is a description of the periodic traffic timing information: ○ Traffic cycle / packet generation rate and offset (e.g., offset from the start of the corresponding period for packet arrival timing) ● Possible jitter range ● Desired / required settings, e.g.: ○ Uplink CG request including period, offset, and optionally TB size (to match the timing of periodic packet arrivals) ○ SR settings including period and offset (to match the timing of periodic packet arrivals)

[0133] The UE can send auxiliary information when requested by the network. Alternatively, for example, UE3 can send auxiliary information periodically. Therefore, advantageously, base station 5 can use auxiliary information to provide improved CG / SR settings.

[0134] Variations and alternative examples Detailed embodiments have been described above. As those skilled in the art will understand, numerous modifications and alternatives can be added to the above embodiments while enjoying the advantages of the embodiment of the present invention. Here, for illustrative purposes only, only some of these alternatives and modifications will be described.

[0135] It will be understood that the above embodiments are applicable to both new 5G wireless and LTE systems (E-UTRAN). Furthermore, the above embodiments are also applicable to future systems (5G, 6G and beyond, etc.).

[0136] In the above description, the UE, access network node (base station), and core network node are described, for ease of understanding, as having a number of separate modules (such as communication control modules). These modules may be provided in this way for a particular application, for example, when an existing system is modified to implement the present disclosure, but in other applications, for example, a system designed from the outset with the features of the present invention in mind, these modules may be incorporated into the overall operating system or code, and therefore these modules may not be identifiable as separate entities. Furthermore, these modules may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0137] Each controller may include, but is not limited to, one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuits, internal memory / cache (programs and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (e.g., control buses, data buses, and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions; and any suitable form of processing circuitry, including hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers.

[0138] In the embodiments described above, numerous software modules have been described. As those skilled in the art will understand, software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and may be supplied to UEs, access network nodes (base stations), and core network nodes as signals over a computer network or on a recording medium. Furthermore, the functions performed by some or all of this software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates the updating of the functions of UEs, access network nodes, and core network nodes.

[0139] It should be understood that the functions of a base station (referred to as a “distributed” base station or gNB) can be divided between one or more distributed units (DUs) and a central unit (CU), where the CUs typically perform higher-level functions and communication with the next-generation core, while the DUs perform lower-level functions and communication with neighboring UEs (i.e., within the cell operated by the gNB) via the air interface. A distributed gNB includes the following functional units: gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU): A logical node that hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layers of a gNB (or en-gNB) that controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the so-called F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU): A logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of a gNB or en-gNB. Some of its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU. A single gNB-DU supports one or more cells. A single cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-CU. gNB-CU-Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP): A logical node that hosts the RRC and control plane portions of the PDCP protocol for the gNB-CU for en-gNB or gNB. The gNB-CU-CP terminates the so-called E1 interface connected to gNB-CU-UP and the F1-C (F1 control plane) interface connected to gNB-DU. gNB-CU-UserPlane (gNB-CU-UP (User Plane)): A logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the PDCP protocol for gNB-CU for en-gNB, and the user plane portions of the PDCP protocol and SDAP protocol for gNB-CU. gNB-CU-UP terminates the E1 interface connected to gNB-CU-CP and the F1-U (F1 User Plane) interface connected to gNB-DU.

[0140] When a distributed base station or a similar control plane-user plane (CP-UP) partition is used, it should be understood that the base station may be divided into separate control plane and user plane entities, each of which may include associated transceiver circuits, antennas, network interfaces, controllers, memory, operating systems, and communication control modules. If the base station includes a distributed base station, the network interface (reference numeral 55 in Figure 3) also includes E1 and F1 interfaces (F1-C for the control plane and F1-U for the user plane) for signal communication between the respective functions of the distributed base station. In this case, the communication control module is also responsible for communication between the control plane and user plane portions of the base station (generation, transmission, and reception of signaling messages).

[0141] The embodiments described above are also applicable to “non-mobile” or generally fixed user devices. The mobile devices described above may include MTC / IoT devices and / or similar.

[0142] In this disclosure, user equipment (or "UE," "mobile station," "mobile device," or "wireless device") is an entity connected to a network via a wireless interface.

[0143] Please note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but can be applied to any device having communication capabilities, as described in the following paragraphs.

[0144] The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” (as used by 3GPP), “Mobile Station,” “Mobile Device,” and “Wireless Device” are generally considered synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. The terms “Mobile Station” and “Mobile Device” will also be understood to include devices that remain stationary for extended periods.

[0145] UE may be, for example, items of equipment for production or manufacturing and / or items of energy-related machinery (e.g., boilers, engines, turbines, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, thermal power generators, nuclear power generators, batteries, nuclear systems and / or related equipment, heavy electrical machinery, pumps including vacuum pumps, compressors, fans, blowers, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, metalworking machinery, manipulators, robots and / or their application systems, tools, molds or dies, rolls, conveying equipment, lifting equipment, material handling equipment, textile machinery, sewing machines, printing and / or related machinery, paper processing machinery, chemical machinery, mining and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment, machinery and / or equipment for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries, safety and / or environmental protection equipment, tractors, precision bearings, chains, gears, power transmission equipment, lubrication equipment, valves, pipe fittings and / or application systems for any of the aforementioned equipment or machinery).

[0146] UE may be items of transport equipment, such as railway cars, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, buses, go-karts, skating shows, ships and other vessels, aircraft, rockets, satellites, drones, balloons, etc.

[0147] UE may be, for example, an item of information and communication equipment (e.g., electronic computers and related equipment, communication and related equipment, electronic components and other information and communication equipment).

[0148] UEs may include, for example, refrigerators, refrigerator applications, trading and / or service industry equipment, vending machines, automated service machines, office machinery or equipment, and home appliances and electronic equipment (e.g., audio equipment, video equipment, loudspeakers, radios, televisions, microwave ovens, rice cookers, coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, electronic fans or related equipment, vacuum cleaners, and other home appliances).

[0149] The UE may be, for example, an electrical application system or equipment (e.g., an X-ray system, particle accelerator, radioisotope equipment, sound wave equipment, electromagnetic application equipment, power application equipment, etc.).

[0150] UEs may include, for example, electronic lamps, lighting fixtures, measuring instruments, analyzers, testers, or measuring or detecting equipment (e.g., measuring or detecting equipment such as smoke detectors, human alarm sensors, motion sensors, wireless tags), watches or clocks, laboratory equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, bladed weapons, hand tools, etc.

[0151] The UE may be, for example, a wireless-equipped portable information terminal or related equipment (such as a wireless card or module designed for attachment to or insertion into another electronic device, e.g., a personal computer, an electrical measuring instrument).

[0152] UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the applications, services, and solutions described below in relation to the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0153] Internet of Things (IoT) devices (or "Things") may comprise appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connectivity, etc., that enable them to collect and exchange data with each other and with other communication devices. IoT devices may comprise automated devices that follow software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without requiring human supervision or interaction. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary devices. IoT devices may also be embedded in non-stationary devices (e.g., vehicles) or attached to animals or people being monitored / tracked.

[0154] It will be understood that IoT technology can be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, regardless of whether such communication device is controlled by human input or software instructions stored in memory.

[0155] It should be understood that IoT devices are sometimes referred to as machine-to-machine (MTC) devices or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication devices. It should be understood that a UE may support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Some examples of MTC applications are listed in the table below (Source: 3GPP TS 22.368 V 13.1.0, Annex B (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference)). This list is not exhaustive and is intended to illustrate some examples of machine-to-machine communication applications.

[0156] [Table 3]

[0157] Applications, services, and solutions include Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services, emergency radio communication systems, Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, PHS / digital cordless communication systems, Point of Sale (POS) systems, advertising call systems, Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency radio communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, charging services, radio on demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, carrier / network selection services, function restriction services, Proof of Concept (PoC) services, personal information management services, and ad-hoc network / delay-tolerant networking (DTN) services.

[0158] Furthermore, the UE categories described above are merely examples of applications of the technical concepts and exemplary embodiments described herein. Of course, these technical concepts and embodiments are not limited to the UEs described above, and various modifications are possible.

[0159] Various other modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0160] This application claims priority based on UK Patent Application No. 2209591.3, filed on 29 June 2022, and incorporates all of its disclosures herein.

[0161] For example, some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following. (Note 1) User equipment (UE), The amount of data stored in the aforementioned UE, The amount of data transmitted by the aforementioned UE, threshold, or A BSR instruction indicating whether or not to send a buffer status report (BSR) from the UE to the base station. means for determining whether or not to transmit the BSR to the base station based on at least one of the following: Based on the above decision, means for transmitting the BSR to the base station, Equipped with, UE. (Note 2) The means for receiving the BSR instruction from the base station is further provided. The means for transmitting the BSR is configured to transmit the BSR to the base station when the BSR instruction indicates that the BSR should be transmitted to the base station. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) The aforementioned BSR instruction is included in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), UE as described in Appendix 2. (Note 4) The BSR instruction is provided as a single bit field of the PDCCH. UE as described in Appendix 3. (Note 5) The aforementioned BSR instruction includes a media access control (MAC) control element (CE). UE as described in Appendix 2. (Note 6) The BSR instruction is defined for each logical channel group. UE as described in Appendix 5. (Note 7) The aforementioned BSR is a Regular BSR. The UE described in any one of the appendices 1 through 6. (Note 8) The transmitting means is configured to transmit a BSR for one or more logical channel groups indicated by the BSR instruction when the BSR instruction indicates that the base station should transmit the BSR. The UE described in any one of the appendices 1 through 7. (Note 9) The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station when the amount of data transmitted by the UE exceeds the threshold and there is data in the corresponding buffer of the UE. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 10) Means for storing the value of the amount of data transmitted by the aforementioned UE, When the UE transmits the BSR, means for setting the value of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to 0, Furthermore, UE as described in Appendix 9. (Note 11) The threshold corresponds to the buffer size reported in the first BSR transmitted from the UE to the base station. The determining means is configured to decide to transmit a second BSR to the base station if the sum of the data transmitted from the UE to the base station and the data scheduled to be transmitted from the UE to the base station exceeds the threshold and there is data in the corresponding buffer of the UE. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 12) The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the amount of data stored in the buffer of the UE is less than the threshold. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 13) The threshold corresponds to the UL grant size of the UE, The means for determining the BSR is configured to decide to transmit the BSR when the UL grant size is greater than the threshold. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 14) The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the current buffer size of the corresponding buffer of the UE and the amount of data transmitted from the UE to the base station after the transmission of the previous BSR from the highest buffer size reported in the previous BSR is greater than the threshold. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 15) The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the minimum corresponding buffer size reported in the previous BSR and the amount of data transmitted from the UE to the base station after the transmission of the previous BSR from the current buffer size of the UE is greater than the threshold. UE as described in Appendix 1. (Note 16) User equipment (UE), The system includes means for determining to send to the base station an instruction regarding the difference between the buffer size corresponding to the buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the corresponding buffer of the UE. UE. (Note 17) The buffer size corresponding to the BSR is the upper limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR. UE as described in Appendix 16. (Note 18) The instruction indicates the value obtained by subtracting the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer from the upper limit of the range of the buffer size indicated by the BSR. UE as described in Appendix 17. (Note 19) The buffer size corresponding to the BSR is the lower limit of the range of buffer sizes indicated by the BSR. UE as described in Appendix 16. (Note 20) The instruction includes a value equal to the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer minus the lower limit of the buffer size range indicated by the BSR, UE as described in Appendix 19. (Note 21) The aforementioned UE is, Whether the transmission of the aforementioned instructions is enabled by the network, Whether the reported Regular BSR, Periodical BSR, or Truncated BSR was triggered for transmission to the base station, If the value obtained by subtracting the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer from the upper limit of the buffer size range indicated by the BSR is greater than the threshold, If the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer is less than the lower limit of the buffer size range indicated by the BSR, then the value obtained by subtracting that value from the amount of data stored in the UE's buffer is greater than the corresponding threshold, or If the grant size of the UE for a Regular BSR, Periodical BSR, or Truncated BSR is greater than the corresponding threshold, In at least one of the cases, the system is configured to transmit the instruction to the base station. UE as described in Appendix 16. (Note 22) User equipment (UE), A means for storing multiple tables, wherein each table is a means for mapping each of multiple indexes to each range of the buffer size of the UE, Means for receiving instructions for a table among the plurality of tables to be used to determine the index corresponding to the buffer size of the UE, Means for transmitting the aforementioned index to a base station, Equipped with, UE. (Note 23) User equipment (UE), It includes means for transmitting a buffer status report (BSR), media access control (MAC), and control element (CE) to a base station. The BSR MAC CE includes a bit greater than 8 bits indicating the corresponding buffer size. UE. (Note 24) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The amount of data stored in the aforementioned UE, The amount of data transmitted by the aforementioned UE, threshold, or A BSR instruction indicating whether or not to send a buffer status report (BSR) from the UE to the base station. Based on at least one of the following, it is determined whether or not the BSR should be transmitted to the base station, Based on the above decision, the BSR is transmitted to the base station, including, method. (Note 25) A method performed by user equipment (UE), This includes deciding to send an instruction to the base station regarding the difference between the buffer size corresponding to the buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the corresponding buffer of the UE, method. (Note 26) A method performed by user equipment (UE), The method involves storing multiple tables, wherein each table maps each of its multiple indexes to the respective ranges of the UE's buffer size, The process involves receiving instructions for a table among the aforementioned multiple tables that will be used to determine the index corresponding to the buffer size of the UE, The aforementioned index is transmitted to the base station, including, method. (Note 27) A method performed by user equipment (UE), This includes transmitting a buffer status report (BSR), media access control (MAC), and control element (CE) to the base station. The BSR MAC CE includes a bit greater than 8 bits indicating the corresponding buffer size. method. (Note 28) A system comprising user equipment (UE) and a base station, The UE is configured to transmit uplink data transmission information to the base station, which includes at least one of the following: period or packet generation rate, time offset, jitter range, or a requested configuration relating to uplink data transmission from the UE to the base station. The base station is configured to set up or schedule at least one uplink resource for uplink transmission based on the uplink data transmission information received from the UE. system. (Note 29) A method performed in a system including user equipment (UE) and base stations, The UE transmits uplink data transmission information to the base station, which includes at least one of the following: period or packet generation rate, time offset, jitter range, or a requested configuration related to uplink data transmission from the UE to the base station. The base station sets up or schedules at least one uplink resource for uplink transmission based on the uplink data transmission information received from the UE. including, method. (Note 30) It is a base station, A threshold for determining whether or not to send a buffer status report (BSR) from user equipment (UE) to the base station, or BSR instruction indicating whether or not the aforementioned BSR should be transmitted from the UE to the base station. The system includes means for transmitting at least one of the UE Base station. (Note 31) It is a base station, A means for receiving instructions from the UE regarding the difference between the buffer size corresponding to the buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the corresponding buffer of the user equipment (UE), A means for determining the current buffer size of the UE using the received instruction, Equipped with, Base station. (Note 32) It is a base station, Each table stores multiple tables that map each of multiple indexes to different ranges of the buffer size of the user equipment (UE), and means for sending instructions to the UE to determine which of the multiple tables is to be used to determine the index corresponding to the buffer size of the UE. Means for receiving the aforementioned index from the UE, Equipped with, Base station. (Note 33) It is a base station, A means for receiving a buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a user device, which includes a buffer status report (BSR) containing more than 8 bits indicating the corresponding buffer size, A means for determining the buffer size in the UE using the BSR MAC CE, Equipped with, Base station. (Note 34) It is a base station, means for receiving uplink data transmission information, which includes at least one of the following: period or packet generation rate, time offset, jitter range, or a requested configuration related to uplink data transmission from the UE to the base station; Means for setting up or scheduling at least one uplink resource for uplink transmission based on the uplink data transmission information received from the aforementioned UE, Equipped with, Base station. (Note 35) A method performed by a base station, A threshold for determining whether or not to send a buffer status report (BSR) from user equipment (UE) to the base station, or BSR instruction indicating whether or not the aforementioned BSR should be transmitted from the UE to the base station. This includes sending at least one of the following to the UE: method. (Note 36) A method performed by a base station, The UE receives an instruction from the UE regarding the difference between the buffer size corresponding to the buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data stored in the corresponding buffer of the user equipment (UE), Using the received instructions, determine the current buffer size of the UE, including, method. (Note 37) A method performed by a base station, Each table sends an instruction to the UE, which stores multiple tables that map each of multiple indexes to different ranges of the buffer size of the user equipment (UE), to determine which of the multiple tables is to be used to determine the index corresponding to the buffer size of the UE. Receiving the aforementioned index from the aforementioned UE, including, method. (Note 38) A method performed by a base station, The system receives a buffer status report (BSR) media access control (MAC) control element (CE) from the user device, which includes a buffer status report (BSR) containing more than 8 bits indicating the corresponding buffer size, and The buffer size is determined in the UE using the BSR MAC CE, including, method. (Note 39) A method performed by a base station, Receiving uplink data transmission information including at least one of the period or packet generation rate, time offset, jitter range, or requested configuration related to uplink data transmission from the UE to the base station, Based on the uplink data transmission information received from the aforementioned UE, configure or schedule at least one uplink resource for uplink transmission. including, method. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0162] 1. Mobile (cellular or wireless) communication system 3A, 3B Mobile devices (User Equipment, UE) 5 base station 7 Core Network 10. Control Plane Function (CPF) 11. User Plane Function (UPF) 20 Networks 31 Transceiver Circuit 33 Antennas 35 User Interface 37 Controllers 39 memory 41 Operating Systems 43 Communication control module 45. Buffer Status Report (BSR) Module 51 Transceiver Circuit 53 Antenna 55 Network Interfaces 57 Controllers 59 memory 61 Operating Systems 63 Communication control module 65 BSR Module 67 UL Scheduling Module 71 Transceiver Circuit 75 Network Interfaces 77 Controllers 79 memory 81 Operating Systems 83 Communication control module

Claims

1. User equipment (UE), Whether or not the amount of data buffered by the aforementioned UE is less than or equal to the first threshold, Whether the sum of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to the base station since the last buffer status report (BSR) was sent, and the amount of data currently scheduled to be transmitted to the base station, is greater than or equal to a second threshold, Whether the uplink grant size is greater than or equal to a third threshold set by the UE, or Whether the difference between the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the maximum or minimum possible buffer size based on the previous BSR is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, A means for determining whether or not to transmit the BSR to the base station based on at least one of the following: Based on the above decision, means for transmitting the BSR to the base station, Equipped with, UE.

2. The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the sum of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to the base station since the previous BSR transmission and the amount of data currently scheduled to be transmitted to the base station is greater than the second threshold and there is data in the UE's buffer. The UE according to claim 1.

3. Means for storing the value of the amount of data transmitted by the aforementioned UE, When the UE transmits the BSR, means for setting the value of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to 0, Furthermore, The UE according to claim 2.

4. The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the amount of data transmitted by the UE after the transmission of the previous BSR from the maximum buffer size based on the previous BSR is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold. The UE according to claim 1.

5. The means for making the determination is configured to decide to transmit the BSR to the base station if the value obtained by subtracting the minimum buffer size reported in the previous BSR and the amount of data transmitted by the UE after the transmission of the previous BSR from the current buffer size of the UE is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold. The UE according to claim 1.

6. A method performed by user equipment (UE), Whether or not the amount of data buffered by the aforementioned UE is less than or equal to the first threshold, Whether the sum of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to the base station since the last buffer status report (BSR) was sent, and the amount of data currently scheduled to be transmitted to the base station, is greater than or equal to a second threshold, Whether the uplink grant size is greater than or equal to a third threshold set by the UE, or Whether the difference between the current buffer size of the UE's buffer and the maximum or minimum possible buffer size based on the previous BSR is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, Based on at least one of the following, a decision is made as to whether or not to transmit the BSR to the base station, Based on the above decision, the BSR is transmitted to the base station, including, method.

7. A threshold for determining whether user equipment (UE) should send a buffer status report (BSR), The system includes means for transmitting to the UE a threshold that determines the UE should transmit the BSR if the sum of the amount of data transmitted by the UE to the base station since the transmission of the previous buffer status report (BSR) and the amount of data currently scheduled to be transmitted to the base station is greater than the threshold. Base station.

8. A threshold for determining whether user equipment (UE) should send a buffer status report (BSR), This includes sending the UE a threshold that determines the UE should send the BSR if the sum of the amount of data the UE has sent to the base station since the last buffer status report (BSR) was sent and the amount of data currently scheduled to be sent to the base station is greater than the threshold. A method implemented by a base station.

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