Data packet discarding method and related devices

Abstract

The present application provides a data packet discarding method and related devices, belonging to the field of data processing. The method includes the steps of: determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet included in the protocol data unit set according to a preset decision method, where the decision criteria used in the decision method include at least one of the number of lost packets of the protocol data unit set, a packet loss timer for the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and a dependency between the protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, where the attribute information is associated with permission or disallowance of discarding, and the protocol data unit set includes at least one data packet; and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet if it is determined according to the decision method to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet. This method can avoid continuous transmission of useless data and save air interface resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202211176858.4, titled "Data Packet Discarding Method and Related Devices", filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 26, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of data processing, and particularly to data packet discarding methods and related devices.

Background Art

[0003] Extended Reality (XR) technology means combining reality and virtuality using a computer to create a human-computer interactive virtual environment, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and cloud game (CG), etc. Services involved in XR technology are usually audio or video. Therefore, in XR scenarios, the data stream exchanged between the user equipment (transmission end) and the network device is usually an audio data stream or a video data stream. Video services are used as an example. The data unit (such as a frame or a video slice) exchanged between the transmission end device and the network device may include a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP) data packets, and the IP data packet may include at least one set of protocol data units (PDUs). Therefore, in video services, the data unit transmitted between the transmission end device and the network device can actually be regarded as a set of PDUs (protocol data unit set) including a plurality of PDUs.

[0004] During actual data unit transmission, packet loss inevitably occurs due to various factors. With respect to data units transmitted in the form of protocol data unit sets, if one or more protocol data unit sets are discarded, or if some PDUs within a protocol data unit set are discarded, the receiving end cannot obtain the complete information units carried by the protocol data unit set. Even if the remaining protocol data unit sets are received, the complete information cannot still be obtained. Therefore, if packet loss occurs in some protocol data unit sets and the receiving end requests to receive all protocol data unit sets, the complete information cannot be obtained, and resources for transmitting the other protocol data unit sets are wasted. [Overview of the project] [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a data packet discarding method and related apparatus. Whether to perform packet discarding on a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of lost packets, a packet loss timer, attribute information, and dependencies corresponding to the protocol data unit set. This method can avoid the continuous transmission of unnecessary data and conserve air interface resources.

[0006] According to the first embodiment, a data packet discarding method is provided and applied to the transmission end. This method is A step of determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set, according to a pre-configured decision method, wherein the decision criteria used in the pre-configured decision method include at least one of the following: the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packets, and dependencies between one protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, wherein the attribute information is associated with allowing or denying discarding, and the protocol data unit set includes one or more data packets. If it is decided to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured decision method, the steps include: discarding the protocol data unit set or data packets; Includes.

[0007] In the embodiments, the data packets may be PDU data packets or SDU data packets, but are not limited thereto in this application. The protocol data unit set may be, for example, a set of multiple data packets, or may contain one or more data packets. For example, the protocol data unit set may correspond to a PDU set, but is not limited thereto.

[0008] In this embodiment, the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet may include, here, the step of discarding an undiscarded data packet within the protocol data unit set. The undiscarded data packet here may be a data packet received by the transmission end but not discarded, or it may be an unreceived data packet within the protocol data unit set. In other words, if it is determined that a data packet within a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the data packet within the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately after it is received.

[0009] In the embodiment, permission to discard means that a protocol data unit set or data packet may be allowed to be discarded, but without causing packet drop processing for the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set. Disallowance to discard means that a protocol data unit set or data packet is not allowed to be discarded, and if discarded, causes packet loss processing for the protocol data unit set or data packets within the protocol data unit set.

[0010] In this embodiment, the association of attribute information with permission to discard or permission to discard means that a data packet or protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or protocol data unit that is permitted to be discarded, or a data packet or protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or protocol data unit set that is not permitted to be discarded. For example, a high-priority attribute is associated with permission to discard. In this case, a high-priority packet protocol data unit set is a data packet or protocol data unit set that is not permitted to be discarded, and if discarding occurs, the corresponding protocol data unit set or another data packet within the protocol data unit set must be discarded.

[0011] In this embodiment, the transmission end may be user equipment, but is not limited to that.

[0012] In the embodiment, the step of determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method may mean, or the step of determining whether a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set satisfy a discard condition according to a pre-configured determination method, and discarding the protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set if the discard condition is satisfied.

[0013] It should be noted that in this application, discarded data packets corresponding to the number of lost packets or the count of the packet loss counter as a determination criterion may be data packets discarded in a different manner. Here, "a different manner" means a method other than the data packet discarding method provided in embodiments of this application, and discarded data packets include, for example, data packets discarded due to reasons such as network status or communication status, data packets discarded due to the expiration of a discard timer, or data packets discarded when the transmission of a data packet or protocol data unit set is completed. This is not limited to these embodiments of this application. For discarded data packets within a protocol data unit set described in this application, please refer to the above description, which is not specifically described below.

[0014] According to the method provided in this embodiment, whether to perform packet discard processing on a set of protocol data packet units is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of lost packets, the packet loss timer, attribute information, and dependencies corresponding to the set of protocol data units. This method can avoid the continuous transmission of unnecessary data and conserve air interface resources.

[0015] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the first attribute information includes at least one of the following: a sequence number corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the total number of data packets contained in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, and the dependencies of the protocol data unit set.

[0016] The second attribute information includes at least one of the following: the data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet, the location of the data packet within the protocol data unit set, the importance of the data packet, and the priority of the data packet.

[0017] In this embodiment, the second attribute information of the data packet may further include a discard type corresponding to the data packet, where the discard type may be permission to discard or permission not to discard.

[0018] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a set of protocol data units, the method specifically: Steps include obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set, A step to obtain the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, The steps include: discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet when the number of lost packets reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold; Includes.

[0019] In this embodiment, the packet loss threshold refers to the maximum number of data packets that can be discarded within a protocol data unit set. When it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded the lost packet threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set can be immediately discarded.

[0020] In the embodiment, the packet loss threshold comprises an acknowledgment mode. The acknowledgment mode includes receiving instruction information fed back by the receiving end after transmitting a data packet, the instruction information indicating whether the data packet was successfully transmitted or whether the data packet needs to be retransmitted. The acknowledgment mode may be, and is not limited to, an AM mode, a HARQ transmission mode, or an SN status report.

[0021] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets does not include data packets discarded due to normal transmission, or the step of obtaining the number of lost packets includes only data packets discarded because a discard timer has expired.

[0022] In an embodiment, when it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set has reached a packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded. For example, assume that the packet loss threshold is 10. If the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set reaches 10, that is, if the number of lost packets is equal to the packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded.

[0023] In an embodiment, when it is determined that the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set has exceeded a packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded. For example, assume that the packet loss threshold is 10. If the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set increases from 10 to 11, that is, if the number of lost packets is greater than the packet loss threshold, the data packets in the protocol data unit set may be immediately discarded.

[0024] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the step of receiving first configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, where the first configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets, the step of obtaining a packet loss threshold preconfigured by a transmitting end, the step of using a protocol layer of a transmitting end to receive a packet loss threshold transmitted by an upper layer of the transmitting end, or Receiving the second configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the second configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold including

[0025] The receiving end may be configured to receive data packets

[0026] In an embodiment, the packet loss threshold pre-configured by the transmitting end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmitting end may be a dynamically configured packet loss threshold

[0027] In an embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer

[0028] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the transmitting end configures a packet loss threshold, the method configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set, or configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of the type of a protocol data unit set, where the type of the protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of the protocol data unit set further including

[0029] In this embodiment, configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol layer entities may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol layer entity, in other words, configuring different packet loss thresholds for different protocol layer entities. For example, with respect to a PDCP layer entity, 9 packet loss thresholds may be configured for that PDCP layer entity, and 10 packet loss thresholds may be configured for another PDCP layer entity. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of data radio bearer DRBs may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each DRB, in other words, configuring different packet loss thresholds for different DRBs. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol data unit sets may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol data unit set, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol data unit set types may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol data unit set type, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds.

[0030] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a set of protocol data units, the method specifically: Steps include obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set, A step to obtain the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, The steps include obtaining the packet loss rate corresponding to a protocol data unit set based on the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, If the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold, the protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded. Includes.

[0031] Discarding a data packet may specifically mean discarding a data packet within a protocol data unit set.

[0032] In this embodiment, the packet loss rate is the ratio of the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set.

[0033] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set is, specifically, A step of receiving third configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the third configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets, A step of obtaining a packet loss rate threshold pre-configured by the transmission end, A step of using the protocol layer at the transmission end to receive a packet loss rate threshold transmitted by the upper layer at the transmission end, or A step of receiving a fourth configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the fourth configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold. Includes.

[0034] The data packet received by the receiving end may also be a received data packet within a protocol data unit set transmitted by the transmitting end.

[0035] In this embodiment, the packet loss threshold pre-configured by the transmission end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmission end may be a dynamically configured packet loss rate threshold.

[0036] In this embodiment, the packet loss rate threshold preconfigured by the transmission end may be the packet loss rate threshold configured when the transmission end is powered on.

[0037] In this embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer.

[0038] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the transmission end constitutes a packet loss rate threshold, the method Steps to configure packet loss rate thresholds at the granularity of protocol layer entities, Steps to configure the packet loss rate threshold at the DRB granularity, A step of configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set, or A step of configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of the type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of the protocol data unit set. It also includes.

[0039] In this embodiment, configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol layer entities may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol layer, in other words, configuring different packet loss thresholds for different protocol layer entities. For example, with respect to a PDCP layer entity, a 20% packet loss threshold may be configured for that entity, and a 10% packet loss threshold may be configured for another PDCP layer entity. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of data radio bearer DRBs may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each DRB, in other words, configuring different packet loss thresholds for different DRBs. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol data unit sets may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol data unit set, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Configuring packet loss thresholds at the granularity of protocol data unit set types may mean configuring packet loss thresholds for each protocol data unit set type, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds.

[0040] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set is, specifically, A step of setting a packet loss counter, wherein the packet loss counter is configured to count the number of dropped data packets in a set of protocol data units, Steps include: adding 1 to the packet loss counter count when a data packet in a protocol data unit set is dropped; The steps include obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set based on the count value of the packet loss counter, and Includes.

[0041] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when a packet loss counter counts the number of discarded data packets in a set of protocol data units, the method The packet loss counter skips counting data packets that were successfully transmitted but discarded. It also includes.

[0042] It should be understood that a successfully transmitted but discarded data packet may be a data packet that was discarded in a buffer by the transmitting end after the transmitting end received a message indicating successful transmission, which was then fed back by the receiving end.

[0043] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is A step to release or clear the packet loss counter when discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet. A step to release or clear the packet loss counter when the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set has not reached or exceeded the packet loss threshold, and the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is complete. The step of releasing or clearing the packet loss counter when the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is complete, provided that the ratio of the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets contained in the protocol data unit set does not reach or exceed the packet loss rate threshold, A step to release or clear the packet loss counter when the ratio of the counter's count value to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds the corresponding packet loss rate threshold, or A step to release or clear the packet loss counter when the counter's count value reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold. It also includes.

[0044] In the embodiment, completion of the transmission of a protocol data unit set and / or data packets may mean, in acknowledgment mode, that it is determined that the last data packet (such as an End PDU) has been received, or that all data packets in the protocol data unit set have been received, and that the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set is complete, and all data packets whose transmission is complete may consist of two parts of data packets: (1) data packets whose successful transmission is determined because the transmitting end has received a feedback message from the receiving end, and (2) data packets that are discarded when the transmitting end does not receive a feedback message and the timer corresponding to the data packet (discard timer) expires, or, in non-acknowledgment mode, that it is determined that the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been transmitted to the next layer, or that all data packets in the protocol data unit set have been received.

[0045] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is Step to set a packet loss counter when there are data packets that have been transmitted successfully. It also includes.

[0046] In this embodiment, setting a packet loss counter when there are successfully transmitted data packets means configuring the counter in a mode where there are data packets for which successful transmission is acknowledged.

[0047] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in the pre-configured decision method is a packet loss timer of a protocol data unit set, the method specifically: A step of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set, and A step to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet when the packet loss timer expires, or Steps to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet if the transmission of the protocol data unit set or data packet is not complete when the packet loss timer expires. Includes.

[0048] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the packet loss timer is started when the first data packet in the protocol data unit set is received.

[0049] In this embodiment, the first data packet in the protocol data unit set may include a START data packet in the protocol data unit set, such as a data packet whose sequence number in the protocol data unit is 1, or a data packet having a START identifier.

[0050] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is A step to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet when the transmission time of the protocol data unit set exceeds the packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer. It also includes.

[0051] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packet is not completed, specifically, When the packet loss timer expires, data packets within the protocol data unit set must be present at the transmission end. Includes.

[0052] Please understand that the presence of data packets at the transmission end means that the data packets are being buffered at the protocol layer of the transmission end.

[0053] In the embodiment, the incomplete transmission of a protocol data unit set may include the following cases: (1) the protocol layer entity has not received the feedback message sent by the receiving end and therefore has not discarded the associated data packet (this means the receiving end may not have received the data packet, in other words the transmission of the data packet is incomplete); (2) there are still data packets within the protocol layer entity that have not been transmitted to the next layer (this also means the transmission of the data packet is incomplete); and (3) there are data packets within the protocol data unit set that have been buffered by the protocol layer entity.

[0054] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the step of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set is, specifically, A step of receiving a fifth configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the fifth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets, A step of obtaining a packet loss timer pre-configured by the transmission end, The steps include: using the protocol layer at the transmission end to receive a packet loss timer sent by a higher layer at the transmission end, or A step of receiving a sixth configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the sixth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer. Includes.

[0055] In this embodiment, the upper layer may be an application layer or a transport layer.

[0056] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is A step to release or clear the packet loss timer when discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet. A step to release or clear the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has not expired and the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is complete, or Steps to release or clear the packet loss timer when it expires. It also includes.

[0057] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criteria used in a pre-configured decision method are the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set and a packet loss timer, the method specifically: Steps to obtain a packet loss threshold and a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set, A step to obtain the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set, and If the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold, and / or if the transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packet is not completed when the packet loss timer expires, the protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded, or A step to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet when the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or when the packet loss timer expires. Includes.

[0058] In this embodiment, the incomplete transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packet specifically includes the presence of a data packet within the protocol data unit set at the transmission end when the packet loss timer expires.

[0059] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packet is not completed, specifically, The data packets within the protocol data unit set must be present at the transmission end. Includes.

[0060] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criteria used in a pre-configured decision method are first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, the method specifically: When the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set is associated with the disallowance of discarding, and the protocol data unit set having the first attribute information is discarded, the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet, or Steps to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet when a data packet having second attribute information is discarded, and the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet is associated with a disallowance of discarding. Includes.

[0061] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is A step of obtaining a seventh configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the seventh configuration information indicates a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, and the receiving end is configured to receive a data packet, A step of obtaining first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, which are pre-configured by the transmission end. The steps include: using the protocol layer at the transmission end to receive first attribute information corresponding to a set of protocol data units and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, transmitted by a higher layer at the transmission end; Steps include receiving an eighth configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the eighth configuration information includes a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet. It also includes.

[0062] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is a dependency between one set of protocol data units and another set of protocol data units, the method specifically: A step of obtaining that there is a dependency between a first protocol data unit set and at least one second protocol data unit set, and Based on dependencies, if it is determined that the second set of protocol data units has been discarded, the first set of protocol data units or the data packets contained in the first set of protocol data units is discarded, or A step to discard the first protocol data unit set or data packets contained in the first protocol data unit set when it is determined that the number of discarded second protocol data unit sets has reached a pre-configured threshold based on dependencies. Includes.

[0063] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the step of obtaining at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency on a first protocol data unit set is, specifically, A step of receiving a ninth configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the ninth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets transmitted by a transmitting end. Steps include obtaining a dependency identifier pre-configured by the transmission end, The steps include: using the protocol layer at the transmission end to receive dependency identifiers transmitted by the upper layer at the transmission end, or A step of receiving a tenth configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the tenth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the dependency identifier indicates another protocol data unit set that is interdependent with the protocol data unit set. Includes.

[0064] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is A step of receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by a higher layer at the receiving or transmitting end, wherein the packet loss instruction information is indicated to the transmitting end to trigger the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet. A step that triggers the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet at the protocol layer. It also includes.

[0065] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, when it is determined to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method, the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is, specifically, Steps to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets when the protocol layer of a transmission end device decides to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set, according to a pre-configured decision method. Includes.

[0066] In relation to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the method is Steps include: when a protocol layer entity of a transmission end device decides to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet, and the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to the next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, the protocol layer entity sends an alert message to the protocol layer entity of the next layer, the alert message instructing the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet; It also includes.

[0067] According to a second embodiment, a data packet discarding method is provided and applied to the transmission end. This method is A step of receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by a higher layer at the receiving or transmitting end, wherein the packet loss instruction information indicates the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet. A step of triggering the discarding of a protocol data unit set or the discarding of data packets within a protocol data unit set at the protocol layer, wherein the protocol data unit set includes at least one data packet; Includes.

[0068] In the embodiment, triggering the discarding of a protocol data unit set or data packets within a protocol data unit set at the protocol layer may mean triggering the packet discard processing function of the protocol layer. Upon receiving the trigger, the protocol layer may perform the method according to any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0069] According to a third embodiment, a data packet discarding method is provided and applied to the transmission end. This method is A step of receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by the receiving end, wherein the packet loss instruction information indicates the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet; A step of triggering the protocol layer to perform a data packet discarding method according to any embodiment of the first aspect, Includes.

[0070] According to a fourth aspect, a data packet discarding method is provided and applied to the receiving end. This method is A step of transmitting configuration information to a transmission end, thereby the transmission end deciding whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet contained in a protocol data unit set, based on at least one of the configuration information, according to a pre-configured decision method, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set, a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, and a dependency identifier. Includes.

[0071] In relation to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method is Steps to configure information at the granularity of protocol layer entities, Steps to construct configuration information at the DRB granularity, A step of configuring configuration information at the granularity of a protocol data unit set, or A step of configuring configuration information at the granularity of the type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of the protocol data unit set. It also includes.

[0072] In relation to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the data structure of the configuration information is a sequence structure.

[0073] According to a fifth aspect, a transmission end device is provided, and the transmission end device is One or more processors, One or more memory and Includes, One or more memories store one or more computer programs, and one or more computer programs include instructions, and when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the terminal device is enabled to perform a method according to any embodiment of the first to third embodiments.

[0074] According to the sixth aspect, a communication system is provided which includes a transmission end device and a receiving end device. The transmission end device is configured to perform any embodiment of the first to third aspects, and the receiving end is configured to perform a method according to any embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0075] According to the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer executable program instructions, and when the computer executable program instructions are executed on the computer, the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any embodiment of the first to fourth aspects.

[0076] According to the eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to perform a method according to any embodiment of the first to fourth aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0077] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a protocol data unit set according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a system architecture to which the data packet discarding method according to the embodiment of this application can be applied. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transmission end device 100 according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 3]This is a schematic diagram of the protocol data unit set transmission process according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart of the data packet discarding method according to the embodiment of this application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart of another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 8] This is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram of the trigger procedure for the discard process by the data packet discard method according to the embodiment of this application. [Figure 11] This is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0078] It should be noted that the terminology used in the embodiments of this application is used solely to describe the specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or". For example, A / B may mean A or B. In this specification, "and / or" is merely an association relationship to describe the associated obstacles, and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may mean the following three cases: A only exists, both A and B exist, and B only exists. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two, and "at least one" and "one or more" mean one, two, or more than two.

[0079] The terms “first” and “second” used below are for illustrative purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, or as an implicit indication of the number of technical features being shown. Therefore, a feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0080] References to “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” as described herein mean that certain characteristics, structures, or features described in conjunction with the embodiments are included in one or more embodiments of this application. Thus, phrases such as “in one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” “in some other embodiments,” and “in some further embodiments,” as described in different parts of this specification, do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments unless otherwise specifically emphasized, but mean “one or more embodiments, but not all.” The terms “include,” “contain,” “have,” and their variations all mean “include, but not limited to,” unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0081] To facilitate understanding of the data packet discarding method provided in this application, concepts or terms that may be involved in the following embodiments will be explained first.

[0082] 1. Protocol Data Unit Set According to the definition in SA, a protocol data unit set can be used as a data unit during data transmission, a single protocol data unit set may contain one or more data packets, each data packet may carry a payload to constitute an information unit, and the application layer at the receiving end may obtain a complete information unit, such as information corresponding to a video frame or picture frame, based on the payloads carried by all PDUs in the protocol data unit set. In embodiments of this application, a data unit may include frames and video slices. A frame may be understood as a carrier for transmitting data, and a video slice may be understood as a specific type of data unit in a video service. From the perspective of a carrier for transmitting data, a single protocol data unit set may, in some cases, correspond to a single frame, and from the perspective of the type of data being transmitted, in some cases, in video traffic, the data carried by a single protocol data unit set may correspond to a single video slice.

[0083] Generally, the application layer at the receiving end needs to receive all packets in the protocol data unit set to obtain a complete information unit, and dropping one or more packets may prevent the receiving end from obtaining the entire information unit. However, in some cases, the application layer at the receiving end may also use some algorithms to calculate the data of the dropped portions based on the data of the received PDUs, thereby allowing the application layer at the receiving end to still reconstruct all or part of the information unit even if some (e.g., a small number or less important) PDUs are dropped.

[0084] The concept of PDU sets was proposed in SA and is defined as follows:

[0085] PDU set: A PDU set is composed of one or more PDUs carrying the payload of one unit of information generated at the application level (e.g., a frame or video slice for XRM Services, as used in TR 26.926

[27] ). In some implementations, all PDUs in a PDU set are needed by the application layer to use the corresponding unit of information. In other implementations, the application layer can still recover parts of all or part of the information unit when some PDUs are missing.

[0086] 2. Attribute information of the protocol data unit set Various types of attribute information relating to protocol data unit sets and / or data packets are defined in the SA, and include, for example, the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the total number of data packets contained in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, the dependencies of the protocol data unit set, the sequence numbers of the data packets within the protocol data unit set, the location of the data packets within the protocol data unit set (e.g., start / end packets), the importance of the data packets, and the priority of the data packets.

[0087] For example, a protocol data unit set is used as an example to represent a PDU set. Attribute information corresponding to a PDU set may be represented as, for example, (1) PDU set sequence number (SN), (2) Start / End PDU of the PDU set, (3) PDU sequence number within a PDU set (PDU SN), (4) Number of PDUs within a PDU set, (5) PDU set importance, or (6) PDU set dependency.

[0088] The aforementioned attribute information may be configured by the receiving end or by the transmitting end, for example, by the application layer, transport layer, or higher layer of the transmitting end, or by the core network.

[0089] For example, the importance of data packets can mean that PDUs within the same protocol data unit set can have different levels of importance. Generally, the importance of the first data packet in a protocol data unit set (i.e., the initiating data packet) is higher than that of the last data packet (i.e., the last or ending data packet).

[0090] For example, the dependency of protocol data unit sets can mean that some protocol data unit sets may depend on other protocol data unit sets. For instance, when one protocol data unit set corresponds to one video slice, the dependency of protocol data unit sets can be expressed as follows: whether a video slice is useful depends on whether the previous video slice was successfully received. In another example, when one protocol data unit set corresponds to one video slice, the dependency of protocol data unit sets can be expressed as follows: two video slices belong to the same frame, and the frame can only be correctly decoded when all video slices within the frame have been successfully decoded. In this case, the transmission of a subsequent video slice (protocol data unit set) is only meaningful if the transmission of the previous video slice (protocol data unit set) was successful.

[0091] In addition, the SA also defines related QoS requirements, including (1) a protocol data unit set delay budget, which may be expressed as, for example, the PDU set Delay Budget (PSDB) for a set of PDUs, and (2) a protocol data unit set error rate, which may be expressed as, for example, the PDU set Error Rate (PSER) for a set of PDUs.

[0092] Referring to the above explanation, the protocol data unit set can be understood as a new form of transmission for transmitting XR data streams (or other types of video / audio data streams). In addition to existing XR data stream transmission methods based on QoS streams, the protocol data unit set is proposed primarily for the following two reasons:

[0093] Apparatus 1: In the current discussion of XR, an XR data stream may contain different types of frames, and different types of frames have different importance levels; therefore, frames of different importance levels (e.g., I-frames, P-frames, and B-frames) may exist within a single XR data stream. Based on current protocols, XR data streams are transmitted in QoS streams, and current QoS processing is performed based on QoS streams, and frames of different importance levels transmitted in a QoS stream can then receive the same QoS processing. However, in practice, less important frames do not require the same QoS processing as more important frames. Considering this, a data stream transmission method with finer granularity is needed in which frames of different importance levels are transmitted separately.

[0094] Embodiment 2: In the case of a video streaming service, a single data unit (such as a frame or video slice) that needs to be transmitted by the application layer or transport layer typically contains multiple IP packets, and a single IP packet may contain at least one data packet (such as a PDU). Therefore, when a video frame is transmitted, multiple data packets are actually transmitted.

[0095] As a result, taking into account the characteristics of the data unit described in Embodiment 2 and the requirements of Embodiment 1, the concept of a protocol data unit set is proposed in SA. A protocol data unit set can be used as a data unit, specifically, it can correspond to a frame or a video slice. A protocol data unit set contains multiple data packets, each data packet having a different sequence number (e.g., PDU SN) than other data packets, and the payload carried by the multiple data packets can constitute an information unit (e.g., a video frame or a picture). Different protocol data unit sets can be set to different levels of importance; a protocol data unit set with high importance can be used, for example, to transmit high-importance frames, and a protocol data unit set with low importance can be used, for example, to transmit low-importance frames. In this way, frames of different levels of importance are transmitted separately for subsequent differential processing of these frames.

[0096] For example, as shown in Figure 1, a protocol data unit set structure is used as an example, where the protocol data unit set is a PDU set and the data packets are PDUs. The PDU set contains eight PDUs, specifically, the number of PDUs within a PDU set is eight, and the PDU sequence numbers (PDU SNs) of the eight PDUs may be represented, for example, as PDU SN1, PDU SN2, ..., and PDU SN8, respectively. It should be understood that the representation of the number of PDUs and PDU sequence numbers included in the protocol data unit set shown in Figure 1 is merely an example, and embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0097] As explained in the background technology, during transmission, an entire set of protocol data units or some data packets within a set of protocol data units may be dropped due to network status or other factors. Different packet loss conditions can have different effects on the acquisition of information units by the application layer at the receiving end. For example, packet loss conditions can be divided into the following cases:

[0098] Case 1: If one or more protocol data unit sets are dropped during transmission, the application layer at the receiving end cannot retrieve the information units carried by the protocol data unit sets.

[0099] Case 2: If some data packets within a protocol data unit set are discarded during transmission, and the application layer at the receiving end is unable to retrieve the information units carried by the protocol data unit set based on the remaining data packets, then the remaining data packets within the protocol data unit set are no longer valuable and are wasted.

[0100] Case 3: If a small number of data packets or low-priority data packets within a protocol data unit set are dropped during transmission, but the application layer at the receiving end can calculate the data content carried by the dropped data packets based on other received PDUs within the protocol data unit set, then the dropped data packets do not affect the application layer's ability to retrieve the information units carried by the protocol data unit set. However, if the number of dropped PDUs reaches a certain number, or if the dropped data packets are of high importance, the application layer at the receiving end may still be unable to retrieve the information units carried by the protocol data unit set.

[0101] It should be noted that the discarded data packets in the three cases described above and similar cases described below may be data packets that have been discarded in other ways. Here, "other ways" means methods other than the data packet discarding methods provided in embodiments of this application, and discarded data packets include, for example, data packets discarded due to reasons such as network status or communication status, data packets discarded due to the expiration of a discard timer, or data packets discarded when the transmission of a data packet or protocol data unit set is completed. This is not limited to embodiments of this application. For discarded data packets within protocol data unit sets described in this application, please refer to the above description, which is not specifically described below.

[0102] Based on the exemplary cases listed above, it can be seen that if data packets within one or more protocol data unit sets are dropped, or if one or more protocol data unit sets of dependent protocol data unit sets are dropped, the transmission of the entire protocol data unit set or multiple protocol data unit sets may fail. In this case, continuing to transmit the remaining data packets or protocol data unit sets would only result in a waste of resources and would not help in obtaining information units.

[0103] With this in mind, this application provides a method for discarding data packets. In this method, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether to discard the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set is determined by a calculation based on information about the number of lost packets, information about the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If the result of the calculation is to discard the protocol data unit set or data packets, then the protocol data unit set or data packets are discarded. This method can avoid the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, can save air interface resources.

[0104] The data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application may be applied to scenarios such as XR scenarios in which the transmission of audio stream data, video stream data, or picture data is performed between a transmitting end and a receiving end under a service such as audio, video, or picture. The data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application may be applied to various types of communication systems, such as fifth-generation (5) systems such as new radio (NR) systems. th This method can be applied to mobile communication systems (4th Generation, 5G). Furthermore, this method can be applied to universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, wired systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, and fourth-generation (4G) systems. th 6th generation (4G) mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, and 6th generation (6G) thThis may also be applicable to future communication systems such as 6G mobile communication systems. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application.

[0105] For example, Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a system architecture 10 to which a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of this application can be applied. The system architecture includes a transmission end device 100 and a receiving end device 200 (or referred to as the transmission end and the receiving end).

[0106] In some embodiments, the transmission end device 100 may function as the transmission end of data packet transmission, and the receiving end device 200 may function as the receiving end of data packet transmission. In the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application, the discarding procedure may be performed mainly by the transmission end.

[0107] In some embodiments, the transmission end device 100 may be various types of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, in-vehicle devices, augmented reality (AR) devices / virtual reality (VR) devices, cloud gaming (CG) devices, mixed reality (MR) devices, notebook computers, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs), netbooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices having audio / video and communication capabilities. The specific types of transmission end devices are not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0108] In some embodiments, the receiving end device 200 may be an access device for a network device / core network device, such as a transmitting end device 100, to wirelessly access a wireless communication system. The receiving end device 200 may be an entity such as a network-side base station configured to transmit or receive signals. A base station may broadly cover, or be replaced by, various names such as NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station (MeNB), secondary station (SeNB), multistandard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, access point (AP), transmitting node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), and positioning node. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, or a donor node. Alternatively, the base station may be used as a communication module, modem, or chip located in the aforementioned device or apparatus. Alternatively, the base station may be a mobile switching center or a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X), or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. The specific technologies and specific device forms used by the network device are not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0109] The transmission process of the protocol data unit set involved in the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0110] For example, Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission end device 100 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0111] The transmission end device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charge management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a telephone receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, a headset jack 170D, a sensor module 180, a key 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, among others.

[0112] It can be understood that the exemplary structure in this embodiment of the present application does not constitute a particular limitation on the transmission end device 100. In some other embodiments of the present application, the transmission end device 100 may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or some components may be combined, or some components may be separated, or different arrangements of components may be used. The components shown in the figure may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. In addition, the interface connection relationships between modules shown in this embodiment of the present application are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute a limitation on the structure of the transmission end device 100. In some other embodiments of the present application, the transmission end device 100 may use a different interface connection method than that of the above embodiment, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0113] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, memory, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural network processing unit (NPU). Different processing units may be separate devices or may be integrated into one or more processors.

[0114] The controller may be the central hub and command center of the transmission end device 100. The controller may generate operation control signals according to instruction operation codes and time-series signals, and may control the fetching and execution of instructions.

[0115] Memory may be further located within the processor 110 and configured to store instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory within the processor 110 is cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that have been recently or periodically used by the processor 110. When the processor 110 needs to use an instruction or data again, it can immediately retrieve the instruction or data from memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces latency for the processor 110, and consequently improves system efficiency.

[0116] The charge management module 140 is configured to receive a charge input from the charger. The power management module 141 is configured to connect the battery 142, the charge management module 140, and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery 142 and / or the charge management module 140 and supplies power to the processor 110, internal memory 121, external memory, display screen 194, camera 193, and wireless communication module 160, etc. The power management module 141 may be further configured to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle count, and battery health status (leakage or impedance). In some other embodiments, the power management module 141 may be located on the processor 110. In some other embodiments, the power management module 141 and the charge management module 140 may be located on the same component.

[0117] The wireless communication function of the transmission end device 100 may be implemented using antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor, and baseband processor, etc.

[0118] Antennas 1 and 2 are configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the transmission end device 100 may be configured to cover a single communication frequency band or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas may be further multiplexed to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 may be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas may be used in combination with tuning switches.

[0119] The mobile communication module 150 can provide a solution for wireless communication, including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, applied to the transmission end device 100.

[0120] The wireless communication module 160 may provide a solution for wireless communication applied to the transmission end device 100, including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks), Bluetooth® (BT), global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near-field communication (NFC) technology, and infrared (IR) technology. The wireless communication module 160 may be one or more components incorporating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via antenna 2, performs frequency modulation and filtering on the electromagnetic wave signal, and transmits the processed signal to processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 may further receive a transmission signal from processor 110, perform frequency modulation and amplification on the transmission signal, and convert the transmission signal into an electromagnetic wave using antenna 2 for radiation.

[0121] In some embodiments, in the transmission end device 100, antenna 1 is coupled to a mobile communication module 150, and antenna 2 is coupled to a wireless communication module 160, thereby enabling the transmission end device 100 to communicate with a network and other devices using wireless communication technology. Wireless communication technologies may include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA®), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technology. GNSS may include the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and / or Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS).

[0122] The transmission end device 100 performs display functions using a GPU, a display screen 194, and an application processor, etc. The display screen 194 is configured to display images and videos, etc.

[0123] The external memory interface 120 may be configured to connect to an external storage card, such as a Micro SD card, in order to extend the storage capacity of the transmission end device 100. The external storage card communicates with the processor 110 via the external memory interface 120 to store files, such as music and videos, on the external storage card in order to perform data storage functions.

[0124] The internal memory 121 may be configured to store computer executable program code, which includes instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and application programs required by at least one function (e.g., an audio playback function or an image display function). The data storage area may store data created during use of the transmission end device 100 (e.g., audio data or an address book). In addition, the internal memory 121 may include high-speed random access memory and may further include non-volatile memory such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory, or universal flash storage (UFS). The processor 110 performs various functional applications and data processing of the transmission end device 100 by executing instructions stored in the internal memory 121 and / or instructions stored in memory located in the processor.

[0125] The transmission end device 100 may use an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a telephone handset 170B, a microphone 170C, a headset jack 170D, and an application processor, etc., to perform audio functions, such as music playback or recording.

[0126] For example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a protocol data unit set transmission process according to an embodiment of this application.

[0127] In some embodiments, the process by which the transmission end transmits data packets within a set of protocol data units may include the following layers: the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, and the medium access control (MAC) layer. However, it should be understood that in practice, the layers involved in the process by which the transmission end transmits data packets within a set of protocol data units are not limited to those described above.

[0128] It should be noted that the data packets in the protocol data unit set in this embodiment of the present application may be SDU data packets or PDU data packets. The payloads carried by SDU data packets and PDU data packets may be the same. The relationship between SDU data packets and PDU data packets can be understood as follows: in the protocol layer, the PDU of the current layer is the SDU of the lower layer, and the SDU of the current layer is the PDU of the higher layer.

[0129] In some embodiments, the process by which a transmission end transmits a data packet within a set of protocol data units may include the following: The SDAP layer receives an IP packet transmitted by its higher layer (application layer or transport layer), performs radio bearer (RB) processing on the IP packet to generate a data packet containing a header and entity portion SDAP SDU (i.e., payload), and the data packet may be marked as an SDAP PDU packet. The SDAP layer then transmits the SDAP PDU packet to the PDCP layer. After receiving the SDAP PDU packet, the PDCP layer processes the data packet according to the PDCP protocol to generate a data packet containing a header H and entity portion PDCP PDU, and the data packet may be marked as a PDCP PDU packet. The PDCP layer then further transmits the PDCP PDU packet to the RLC layer. After receiving the PDCP PDU packet, the RLC layer processes the PDCP PDU packet according to the RLC protocol to generate a data packet containing a header H and entity portion RLC PDU, and the data packet may be marked as an RLC PDU packet. Next, the RLC layer further transmits the RLC PDU packet to the MAC layer. After receiving the RLC PDU packet, the MAC layer processes it according to the MAC protocol to generate a data packet containing the header H and the entity portion MAC PDU, and the data packet may be marked as a MAC PDU packet.

[0130] According to the process described above, the MAC layer can acquire multiple MAC PDU data packets corresponding to a single data unit, and based on these MAC PDU data packets, the MAC can ultimately acquire a MAC PDU transport block containing multiple data packets. The MAC layer can then use air interface resources to transmit the generated MAC PDU transport block to the receiving end.

[0131] In some embodiments, after receiving a protocol data unit, the receiving end may, for example, parse the protocol data unit according to the reverse process of generating the protocol data unit, so that the application layer of the receiving end can obtain the data carried by all PDUs in the protocol data unit set based on the results obtained by the parsing, and then obtain an information unit based on the payload carried by all PDUs. The specific method and process by which the receiving end parses the data in the protocol data unit set may be set according to the relevant protocol or actual requirements, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0132] It should be noted that the method by which a network device parses the protocol data unit set described in the embodiment of Figure 3 is merely illustrative. In actual applications, the application layer at the receiving end may acquire the data carried by the PDU in a different way, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. In addition, for specific methods by which the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer process data packets, and for details of the processing in the protocol data unit set generation process described in the aforementioned embodiment of Figure 3, please refer to the specifications of the relevant protocols. This is not described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0133] In the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, before a protocol data unit set or PDU is discarded, it may be first determined, according to one or more determination methods, whether to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set, and the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set may only be discarded if it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set (for example, the determination result is discard), and if it is determined not to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set (for example, the determination result is not discard), then even if the protocol data unit set is discarded, the protocol data unit set and the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set will not be discarded.

[0134] In some embodiments, there may be multiple methods for determining whether a protocol data unit set or data packet should be discarded in this application. For example, the decision may be made based on the following criteria: the number of discarded data packets in a protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packet, and the dependency between one protocol data unit set and another, where the attribute information is associated with permitting or denying discarding. The specific decision and discard processes for each decision method are described in detail below and not described in detail here.

[0135] In some embodiments, the operation of discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set may be performed at the protocol layer when it is decided to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set. For example, the protocol layer here may be any one of the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, or MAC layer. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0136] To enable the determination of whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set, the protocol layer needs to detect which protocol data unit set (or sub-QoS flow) the protocol layer's data packets belong to. For example, a way to achieve this detection might involve the protocol layer obtaining attribute information of the data packets from a higher layer and then determining, based on that attribute information, which protocol data unit set the protocol layer's data packets belong to. The higher layer here could include the application layer or the transport layer. The attribute information here could include information defined for the protocol data unit set in the SA, such as the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the start and end data packets within the protocol data unit set, the sequence number of each data packet within the protocol data unit set, the importance of the data packets, the priority of the data packets, the total number of data packets within the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, and the dependencies of the protocol data unit set. The protocol layer may further obtain QoS requirement information from the higher layer, such as the latency budget and fault tolerance of the protocol data unit set. QoS requirements information may be requirements information corresponding to the QoS flow for transmitting a set of protocol data units.

[0137] In some embodiments, the protocol layer may acquire attribute information in multiple ways, for example, Method 1: A layer above the protocol layer may carry attribute information in a data packet for transmission to the protocol layer; Method 2: A layer above the protocol layer may transmit attribute information corresponding to a data packet to the protocol layer when transmitting the data packet or after transmitting the data packet. The specific methods by which the protocol layer acquires the aforementioned attribute information are not limited in this application.

[0138] In this application, considering that the protocol layer may be any one of the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, or MAC layer, the protocol layer may acquire attribute information of the protocol data unit set in the following manner.

[0139] 1. When the SDAP layer performs detection, a layer above the SDAP layer (such as the application layer, transport layer, or a higher protocol layer above the SDAP layer, but not limited to this application) may provide the SDAP layer with attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or data packets. After obtaining the attribute information of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets, the SDAP layer may encapsulate the attribute information in an SDAP PDU or provide the attribute information to the next protocol layer.

[0140] 2. When the PDCP layer performs detection, the SDAP layer or a higher protocol layer above the PDCP layer may provide the PDCP layer with attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or data packets. After obtaining the attribute information of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets, the PDCP layer may encapsulate the attribute information in a PDCP PDU or provide the attribute information to the next protocol layer.

[0141] 3. When the RLC layer performs detection, the PDCP layer may indicate to the RLC layer that it should receive attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or data packets. After obtaining the attribute information for the protocol data unit set, the RLC layer may encapsulate the attribute information in an RLC PDU or inform the next protocol layer of the attribute information.

[0142] Processes for determining whether a protocol data unit set or data packet should be discarded, using different decision-making methods, are described below with reference to specific examples. For ease of understanding, it is explained below, for example, that the data packet discarding methods provided in embodiments of this application are performed at the PDCP layer of the protocol layer.

[0143] For example, according to the data packet discarding method provided in the embodiments of this application, the discard state may be determined from one or more of the following: the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packets, and the dependency between one protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set. For example, the discard state may be determined specifically by the following determination method.

[0144] Decision Method 1: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set is determined based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set.

[0145] Determination Method 2: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set is determined based on the packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set.

[0146] Determination Method 3: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within a protocol data unit set is determined based on whether the packet loss timer set for the protocol data unit set has expired.

[0147] Determination Method 4: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within a protocol data unit set is determined comprehensively based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set and the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set.

[0148] Decision Method 5: Whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set is determined based on whether data packets with specific attribute information contained within the protocol data unit set have been discarded, and the specific attribute information is associated with the denial of discarding.

[0149] Determination Method 6: With respect to a protocol data unit set that has a dependency (or dependency relationship), whether to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it is determined by whether data packets in the relevant protocol data unit set are lost, or by the number of lost packets in the relevant protocol data unit set.

[0150] For ease of understanding, the following embodiments will be described using an example where the transmission end is user equipment (UE) and the receiving end is a network device.

[0151] For example, Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 1 described above, and specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps.

[0152] S401: The network device sends the packet loss threshold to the UE.

[0153] The network device sending a packet loss threshold to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring a packet loss threshold for the UE.

[0154] The packet loss threshold indicates the maximum number of data packets that are permitted to be dropped within a protocol data unit set. Here, the maximum number of data packets permitted to be dropped within a protocol data unit set means that when the number of dropped data packets within the protocol data unit set is below the threshold, the application layer of a network device cannot be affected in obtaining the information unit carried by the protocol data unit set. For example, when the number of dropped data packets is small, a network device can obtain the content carried by the dropped data packets by calculation based on the content of the undropped data packets, and as a result, obtain the complete information unit. When the number of dropped data packets within the protocol data unit set is greater than or equal to the threshold, a network device cannot obtain the complete information unit based on the payload carried by the remaining data packets.

[0155] Regarding determination method 1, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 of this application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold using a network device. However, it should be noted that in actual applications, the packet loss threshold may also be configured by a higher layer of the UE (such as the application layer or transport layer), or by a core network device. This is not limited to this embodiment of this application.

[0156] In some embodiments, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB), in other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB, specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity, specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set, for example, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss threshold is configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss threshold is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss thresholds. The configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold is not particularly limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0157] It should be noted that the aforementioned types of protocol data unit sets may also be the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, or the sequence number of the protocol data unit set. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application.

[0158] In some embodiments, if per protocol data unit set or per type of protocol data unit set is used as the granularity for configuring the packet loss threshold, the packet loss thresholds corresponding separately to the protocol data unit set or type of protocol data unit set may be in a sequential structure.

[0159] In some embodiments, the data type of the packet loss threshold configured by the network device may be an enumeration type or an integer type.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the packet loss threshold by radio resource control (RRC) signaling, MAC control elements (MAC CEs), or downlink control information (DCI).

[0161] In some embodiments, the packet loss threshold configured by the network device may be included in a data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0162] S402: Obtain the number of lost data packets in the protocol data unit set. If the number of lost data packets in the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold, discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it.

[0163] In some embodiments, the UE may determine the maximum number of data packets that are permitted to be discarded within the current protocol data unit set based on a packet loss threshold transmitted by the network device. In some embodiments, the UE may determine the number of lost packets in the current protocol data unit set based on the count value of a packet loss counter and discard the protocol data unit set when the number of lost packets reaches the packet loss threshold. For example, this process may include the UE maintaining a packet loss counter for the current protocol data unit set, the count value of the packet loss counter increasing by 1 when data packets are discarded with respect to the protocol data unit set, and the UE may discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set when the count value of the packet loss counter is equal to the packet loss threshold or equal to (packet loss threshold + 1). The protocol data unit set is not discarded when the transmission of the protocol data unit set is complete and the count value of the packet loss counter corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss threshold.

[0164] Please note that discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set may mean discarding data packets within the protocol data unit set that were not discarded.

[0165] Discarding undiscarded data packets within a protocol data unit set may involve two cases: (1) a client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) discarding data packets within a protocol data unit set that have been received, or (2) a client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) discarding data packets within a protocol data unit set that have not been received. In other words, once it is determined that a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately upon receiving subsequent data packets to the protocol data unit set. In some embodiments, the UE may release the count value of the packet loss counter or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the count value of the packet loss counter reaches the packet loss threshold. Alternatively, the UE may release the count value of the packet loss counter or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the transmission of the protocol data unit set is complete and the count value of the packet loss counter corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss threshold.

[0166] In some embodiments, if a data packet is dropped after being successfully transmitted to a network device (for example, if the UE receives a status report with respect to the data packet, it indicates that the packet was successfully transmitted), this packet loss is not counted in the packet loss counter because it does not affect the network device's acquisition of the information unit. In other words, the packet loss counter does not count data packets that are dropped after successful transmission.

[0167] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of a protocol data unit set is complete can be determined in several ways, such as: Method 1: Depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, it is determined that the transmission is complete; Method 2: Based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, it is determined whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set is complete, and all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are discarded based on a discard timer, or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are transmitted to the next layer.

[0168] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the packet loss counter is configured in acknowledgment mode. Acknowledgment mode involves receiving instruction information (or status report) fed back by the receiving end after transmitting a data packet, indicating whether the data packet was successfully transmitted or whether the data packet needs to be retransmitted. The acknowledgment mode may be, and is not limited to, AM mode, HARQ transmission mode, or SN status report.

[0169] The discard process according to the aforementioned decision method 1 is further illustrated using an example where the entity is a PDCP entity and the protocol data unit set is a PDU set.

[0170] For example, in the case of AM DRB, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the UE's PDCP entity may determine that the PDU set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is PDU Set 1, based on the PDU Set Sequence Number (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, and may determine that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in PDU Set 1, based on the PDU SN (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU. The UE then starts a discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and maintains a packet loss counter for PDU Set 1. Subsequently, the UE's PDCP entity continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in PDU Set 1, and the PDCP entity starts the corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0171] Note that the discard timer here may be measured in relation to the time it takes for the UE to receive a status report fed back by the network device regarding a data packet, or it may be measured in relation to the time it takes for the UE to discard a data packet that has been buffered in the UE. When the network device receives a data packet (in other words, the data packet has been successfully transmitted to the network device), the network device feeds back a status report (or feedback message) corresponding to the data packet to the UE, informing the UE that the data packet was successfully transmitted. After obtaining this information, the UE discards the data packet that has been buffered in the UE. If the UE discards the corresponding data packet when the discard timer has expired, it means that the data packet was not successfully transmitted.

[0172] In some embodiments, if a status report corresponding to a PDCP SDU is received indicating that the PDCP SDU was successfully transmitted, the PDCP discards the PDCP SDU. In this case, packet loss occurs after the successful transmission of the data packet, and therefore this packet loss is not counted by the packet loss counter. In other words, the counter in the embodiments of this application counts packet loss in the case of unsuccessful transmission.

[0173] In some embodiments, a PDCP SDU is discarded when the discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU expires. It can be noted that if the PDCP has not received a status report fed back by a network device regarding the PDCP SDU when the discard timer expires, the PDCP entity may determine that the PDCP SDU has been discarded in the case of abnormal transmission. Based on this, if a PDCP SDU is discarded because the discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU has expired, or in other cases, if the protocol introduces another data packet discarding method, which does not involve discarding data packets due to normal transmission of data packets, and which results in discarded packets, the packet loss counter counts the packet loss and the count value increases by 1. When the packet loss counter maintained by the PDCP entity for PDU set 1 exceeds the packet loss threshold, it is considered that the data packets in PDU set 1 should be discarded. The discard process may include (1) discarding any received, undiscarded data packets in PDU set 1, and (2) determining whether any subsequently received data packets belong to PDU set 1, and if so, discarding the data packets. In some other embodiments, the UE may release or clear the packet loss counter once transmission of the data packets in PDU set 1 is complete and the number of discarded data packets does not exceed a packet loss threshold.

[0174] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set or data packets are discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, can save air interface resources.

[0175] For example, Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 2 described above, and specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined based on the packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps.

[0176] S501: The network device sends the packet loss rate threshold to the UE.

[0177] The network device sending a packet loss rate threshold to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring a packet loss rate threshold for the UE.

[0178] The packet loss threshold indicates the maximum percentage of data packets that are permitted to be dropped within a protocol data unit set. This maximum percentage of data packets permitted to be dropped means that when the ratio of the number of dropped data packets to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set is less than the packet loss threshold, the network device's application layer cannot be affected in obtaining the information unit carried by the protocol data unit set. For example, if the number of dropped data packets is small, the network device can obtain the content carried by the dropped data packets by calculation based on the content of the undropped data packets, and as a result, obtain the complete information unit. When the ratio of the number of dropped data packets to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set is greater than or equal to the packet loss threshold, the network device cannot obtain the complete information unit based on the payload carried by the remaining data packets.

[0179] Regarding determination method 2, the embodiment shown in Figure 5 of this application provides a process for configuring a packet loss rate threshold using a network device. However, it should be noted that in actual applications, the packet loss rate threshold may also be configured by a higher layer of the UE (such as the application layer or transport layer), or by the core network. This is not limited to this embodiment of this application.

[0180] In some embodiments, the packet loss rate threshold is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB), in other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB, specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold is configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity, specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold is configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set, in other words, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. Alternatively, the packet loss rate threshold is configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss rate threshold is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss rate thresholds. The granularity of the packet loss rate threshold is not particularly limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0181] It should be noted that the aforementioned types of protocol data unit sets may also be the importance of the data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, or the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, etc. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application.

[0182] In some embodiments, network devices may configure packet loss thresholds by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0183] In some embodiments, the packet loss rate threshold configured by the network device may be included in the data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0184] S502: Obtain the packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set. If the packet loss rate of the protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold, discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it.

[0185] In some embodiments, the UE may determine a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to the current set of protocol data units based on the packet loss threshold transmitted by the network device.

[0186] In some embodiments, the UE may determine the number of lost packets in the current protocol data unit set based on the count value of a packet loss counter, determine the packet loss rate based on the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets in the protocol data unit set, and discard the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set when the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold. For example, this process may include the UE maintaining a packet loss counter for the current protocol data unit set, and when the UE determines that data packets have been discarded with respect to the protocol data unit set, the count value of the packet loss counter increments by 1 and the packet loss rate for the protocol data unit set is obtained. As the number of lost packets increases, the packet loss rate also increases. When the packet loss rate is equal to or greater than the packet loss rate threshold, the UE may discard any undiscarded data packets contained in the protocol data unit set. The protocol data unit set is not discarded when the transmission of the protocol data unit set is complete and the packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss rate threshold.

[0187] Data packets that have not been discarded within a protocol data unit set but can be discarded by the UE may include (1) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have been received by the protocol layer, and (2) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have not been received by the protocol layer. In other words, if it is determined that a protocol data unit set should be discarded, the protocol layer may immediately discard the protocol data unit set when it receives subsequent data packets.

[0188] In some embodiments, the UE may release the count value of the packet loss counter or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the packet loss rate reaches the packet loss rate threshold. Alternatively, the UE may release the count value of the packet loss counter or clear the count value of the packet loss counter when the transmission of the protocol data unit set is complete and the packet loss rate corresponding to the protocol data unit set has not reached the packet loss rate threshold.

[0189] In some embodiments, if the protocol layer actively discards a data packet that has been successfully transmitted to a network device (for example, if the UE receives a status report with respect to the data packet, it indicates that the packet was successfully transmitted), this packet loss is not counted in the packet loss counter, which is reflected by the protocol layer, because the packet loss in this case does not affect the network device's acquisition of the information unit. In other words, the packet loss counter does not count data packets that are discarded after successful transmission.

[0190] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of a protocol data unit set is complete can be determined in several ways, such as: Method 1: Depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, it is determined that the transmission is complete; Method 2: Based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, it is determined whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set is complete, and all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are discarded based on a discard timer, or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded by the protocol layer after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are transmitted to the next layer.

[0191] The discard process according to the aforementioned decision method 2 is further illustrated using an example where the entity is a PDCP entity and the protocol data unit set is a PDU set.

[0192] For example, in the case of AM DRB, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the UE's PDCP entity may determine that the PDU set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is PDU Set 1, based on the PDU Set Sequence Number (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, and may determine that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in PDU Set 1, based on the PDU SN (assumed to be 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU. The UE then starts a discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and maintains a packet loss counter for PDU Set 1. Subsequently, the UE's PDCP entity continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in PDU Set 1, and the PDCP entity starts the corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0193] Note that the discard timer here may be timed to the time it takes for the UE to receive a status report fed back by the network device regarding the data packet, or it may be timed to the time it takes for the UE to discard a data packet that has been buffered in the UE. When the network device receives a data packet (in other words, the data packet has been successfully transmitted to the network device), the network device feeds back a status report (or feedback message) corresponding to the data packet to the UE, informing the UE that the data packet was successfully transmitted. After obtaining this information, the UE discards the data packet that has been buffered in the UE. If the UE discards the corresponding data packet when the discard timer has expired, it means that the data packet was not successfully transmitted.

[0194] In some embodiments, if a status report corresponding to a PDCP SDU is received indicating that the PDCP SDU was successfully transmitted, the PDCP discards the PDCP SDU. In this case, packet loss occurs after the successful transmission of the data packet, and therefore this packet loss is not counted by the packet loss counter. In other words, the counter in the embodiments of this application counts packet loss in the case of unsuccessful transmission.

[0195] In some embodiments, a PDCP SDU is discarded when the discard timer corresponding to that PDCP SDU expires. It can be noted that if the PDCP has not received a status report fed back by a network device regarding the PDCP SDU when the discard timer expires, the PDCP entity may determine that the PDCP SDU has been discarded in the case of abnormal transmission. Based on this, if a PDCP SDU is discarded because the discard timer corresponding to that PDCP SDU has expired, or in other cases, if the protocol introduces another data packet discarding method, which does not involve discarding data packets due to normal transmission of data packets, and which results in discarded packets, the packet loss counter counts the packet loss and the count value increases by 1. When the ratio of the count value of the packet loss counter maintained by the PDCP entity for PDU set 1 to the total number of PDCP SDUs included in the PDU set exceeds the packet loss rate threshold, it is considered that data packets in PDU set 1 should be discarded. The discard process may include (1) discarding any received, undiscarded data packets in PDU set 1, and (2) determining whether any subsequently received data packets belong to PDU set 1, and if so, discarding the data packets. In some other embodiments, the UE may release or clear the packet loss counter once transmission of the data packets in PDU set 1 is complete and the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of PDCP PDUs does not exceed the packet loss threshold.

[0196] It should be noted that the UE may first determine whether at least one data packet in the protocol data unit set was successfully received before configuring a packet loss counter, and may only configure a packet loss counter after determining that one or more data packets in the protocol data unit set were successfully received by the UE. Alternatively, the UE may first determine whether at least one data packet in the protocol data unit set was successfully transmitted to a network device before configuring a packet loss counter (for example, by determining whether a feedback message indicating a successful data packet sent by the network device was received), and may only configure a packet loss counter after determining that one or more data packets in the protocol data unit set were successfully transmitted to a network device.

[0197] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set or data packets are discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, can save air interface resources.

[0198] For example, Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 3 described above, and specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet contained in a protocol data unit set is determined depending on whether the packet loss timer set for the protocol data unit set has expired. This procedure may include the following steps.

[0199] S601: The network device sends a packet loss timer to the UE.

[0200] The network device sending a packet loss timer to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring a packet loss timer for the UE.

[0201] The packet loss timer is configured to indicate the packet loss time of a set of protocol data units. In an embodiment, the packet loss time may be understood as the acceptable transmission time of a set of protocol data units.

[0202] Regarding method 3 for determining whether to discard a packet, the embodiment in Figure 6 of this application provides a process for configuring a packet loss timer by a network device. However, it should be noted that in practical applications, the packet loss timer may also be configured by a higher layer of the UE (such as the application layer or transport layer), or by the core network. This is not limited to this embodiment of this application.

[0203] In some embodiments, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each data radio bearer (DRB), in other words, the configuration granularity is per DRB, specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the DRB configuration, and different DRBs may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each protocol layer entity, specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the protocol layer entity configuration, and different types of protocol layer entities (such as SDAP, PDCP, and RLC) may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each protocol data unit set, in other words, the configuration granularity is per protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the protocol data unit set configuration, and different protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss timers. Alternatively, the packet loss timer is configured at the granularity of each type of protocol data unit set, specifically, the packet loss timer is included in the type configuration of the protocol data unit set, and different types of protocol data unit sets may correspond to different packet loss timers. The granularity of the packet loss timer configuration is not particularly limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0204] In some embodiments, the network device may configure the packet loss timer by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0205] In some embodiments, the packet loss timer configured by the network device may be included in a data radio bearer (DRB) or protocol layer entity configuration.

[0206] S602: When the first data packet in a protocol data unit set is received, the packet loss timer is started. When the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of data packets in the protocol data unit set is not completed, or when the packet loss timer expires, the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set are discarded.

[0207] In some embodiments, a packet loss timer is started when the first data packet in a protocol data unit set is received. A method for determining that a received data packet is the first data packet in a protocol data unit set may include, after receiving the data packet, determining whether the data packet is the initiating data packet of a protocol data unit set, and if so, indicating that the data packet is the first data packet in a protocol data unit set; or, after receiving the data packet, determining whether the data packet sequence number corresponding to the data packet is the first data packet in a protocol data unit set; or, after receiving the data packet, if a protocol layer entity determines that no data packets in a protocol data unit set have been previously received, then the data packet is the first data packet in a protocol data unit set. This is not limited to the present application.

[0208] In some embodiments, a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set are discarded when the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of data packets within the protocol data unit set is not completed. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set may be discarded when the packet loss timer expires. It can be determined that data packets within a protocol data unit set have not been transmitted by the following means:

[0209] In some embodiments, whether the transmission of a protocol data unit set is complete can be determined in several ways, such as: Method 1: Depending on whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received or transmitted to the next layer, if so, it is determined that the transmission is complete; Method 2: Based on the received data packets belonging to the protocol data unit set, it is determined whether the last data packet in the protocol data unit set has been received and whether the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set is complete, and all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are discarded based on a discard timer, or all data packets include successfully transmitted data packets that are actively discarded by the protocol layer after a feedback message is received from a network device and data packets that are transmitted to the next layer.

[0210] It should be noted that the packet loss timer and discard timer in the embodiments of this application are two different concepts that need to be understood separately.

[0211] In some embodiments, if the transmission of data packets within a protocol data unit set is completed before the packet loss timer has expired, the packet loss timer may be stopped, released, or cleared.

[0212] In some embodiments, the protocol data unit set may be discarded when the packet loss timer expires.

[0213] In some embodiments, discarding a protocol data unit set may specifically mean discarding data packets within the protocol data unit set that have not been discarded. Data packets within a protocol data unit set that have not been discarded may include (1) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have been received by the client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) and (2) data packets within the protocol data unit set that have not been received by the client. In other words, if it is determined that a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the client (e.g., the client's protocol layer) may immediately discard the protocol data unit set when it receives subsequent data packets.

[0214] A discard process corresponding to Method 3 described above for determining whether to discard a packet is further illustrated using an example of a PDCP entity.

[0215] For example, after receiving a PDCP SDU, the UE's PDCP entity may determine that the protocol data unit set to which the PDCP SDU belongs is protocol data unit set 1, based on the protocol data unit set sequence number (assuming it is 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU, and may determine that the PDCP SDU is the first data packet in protocol data unit set 1, based on the PDU SN (assuming it is 1) corresponding to the PDCP SDU. The UE then starts the discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU and the corresponding packet loss timer for protocol data unit set 1. Subsequently, the UE's PDCP entity continues to receive other PDCP SDUs in protocol data unit set 1, and the PDCP entity starts the corresponding discard timer for each PDCP SDU.

[0216] In some embodiments, if the packet loss timer expires and there are data packets in protocol data unit set 1 that have not been discarded at the PDCP layer, the undiscarded data packets in protocol data unit set 1 are immediately discarded in order to discard protocol data unit set 1.

[0217] In some embodiments, in modes where data packet transmission is acknowledged (specifically, where a network device provides feedback to the UE after receiving a data packet), the packet loss timer is stopped when the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set 1 (including data packets discarded by the PDCP entity or data packets that were successfully transmitted) is complete. In modes where data packets are not acknowledged, the packet loss timer is stopped when the transmission of all data packets in the protocol data unit set 1 is complete (all data packets have been transmitted to the next layer or have been discarded).

[0218] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, saves air interface resources.

[0219] For example, Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 4 described above, and specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined comprehensively based on the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set and the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps.

[0220] S701: The network device sends the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer to the UE.

[0221] The network device sending the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer for the UE. For the meanings of the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer, see the descriptions of the embodiments in Figure 4 and Figure 6, respectively. This will not be explained in detail here.

[0222] With respect to method 4 for determining whether to discard a packet, the embodiment in Figure 7 of this application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold by a network device. However, it should be noted that in practical applications, the packet loss threshold may also be configured by a higher layer of the UE (such as the application layer or transport layer), or by a core network device. This is not limited to this embodiment of this application.

[0223] For details on the configuration granularity of the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer, please refer to the descriptions of the embodiments in Figure 4 and Figure 6. This will not be explained in detail here.

[0224] For details on how network devices transmit packet loss thresholds and packet loss timers to the UE, please refer to the descriptions of the embodiments in Figure 4 and Figure 6, respectively. This will not be explained in detail here.

[0225] S702: When the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packets is not complete, and / or when the number of lost packets in a protocol data unit set reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold, the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set are discarded.

[0226] It should be noted that the main difference between this embodiment of the present application and the embodiments of Figure 4 and Figure 6 is that the UE comprehensively determines whether to discard the protocol data unit set by using two methods: namely, using a packet loss counter to count whether the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set has reached a packet loss threshold, and using a packet loss timer to count whether the transmission of data packets in the protocol data unit set has been completed during the timing time.

[0227] In some embodiments, a protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it may be discarded when it is determined that the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded the packet loss threshold, and / or when it is determined that the transmission of data packets in the protocol data unit set has not been completed when the packet loss timer expires. Alternatively, a protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it may be discarded when it is determined that the number of lost packets in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded the packet loss threshold, and / or when the packet loss timer expires. In other words, a protocol data unit set may be discarded when at least one of two discard conditions is met. Specifically, if the packet loss timer expires, but the count value counted by the packet loss counter has not reached the packet loss threshold, the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it are discarded. Similarly, if the count value counted by the packet loss counter has reached or exceeded the packet loss threshold, but the packet loss timer has not expired, the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within it are discarded. If the count value counted by the packet loss counter reaches the packet loss threshold and the packet loss timer expires, the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set are similarly discarded. It should be understood that the discard process in the embodiments of this application may mean discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set.

[0228] In one example, a protocol data unit set is a PDU set, and a data packet is a PDU. In the data packet discarding method corresponding to determination method 4, the exemplary process is as follows: (1) determine the packet loss threshold and packet loss timer for the PDU set, and immediately discard the data packets in the PDU set when the number of discarded data packets in the PDU set (in other words, the number of lost packets in the PDU set) reaches (or exceeds) the packet loss threshold, or discard the undiscarded data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss timer expires; and (2) start the packet loss timer after receiving the first data packet in the PDU set, wherein the method for determining the first data packet is start The steps may include: (3) maintaining a packet loss counter for the PDU set when a packet loss timer is started, the packet loss counter increasing by 1 when a data packet in the PDU set is dropped, and immediately dropping any undropped data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss counter exceeds a packet loss threshold (the timer has not expired); (4) dropping any undropped data packets in the PDU set when the packet loss timer has expired, but the packet loss counter has not exceeded a packet loss threshold; and (5) dropping the PDU set when either of the two conditions is met, or dropping the PDU set only when both conditions are met, based on the two conditions described above.

[0229] For detailed processes for implementing the embodiments of this application, such as how to configure the packet loss threshold, how to start the packet loss timer, and how to perform the discard process, please refer to the above-mentioned descriptions of the embodiments in Figures 4 and 6. This will not be described in detail again here.

[0230] It should be noted that the embodiment in Figure 7 merely uses an example in which the decision of whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined based on a packet loss timer and a packet loss threshold. In some other embodiments, the decision of whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set may be determined based on a packet loss timer and a packet loss percentage threshold, or on a different combination of the two criteria. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0231] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, saves air interface resources.

[0232] For example, Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 5 described above, and specifically, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet contained in a protocol data unit set is determined depending on whether a data packet having specific attribute information contained in the protocol data unit set has been discarded, and the specific attribute is associated with the denial of discarding. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0233] S801: The network device sends first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet to the UE.

[0234] The first attribute information is associated with permission or denial of discarding, and the second attribute information is associated with permission or denial of discarding. The network device sending the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring the first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set and / or the second attribute information corresponding to the data packet to the UE.

[0235] In some embodiments, there may be multiple ways in which a network device configures a set of protocol data units and / or data packets having attribute information associated with permission to discard, including: (1) the network device may perform configuration based on the priority or importance of the set of protocol data units and / or data packets, for example, associating a set of protocol data units and / or data packets with higher priority or higher importance with disallowance of discard, in other words, configuring a set of protocol data units and / or data packets with higher priority or higher importance as a set of protocol data units and / or data packets that are not permitted to be discarded; (2) the network device may perform configuration based on the location of a data packet within a set of protocol data units, for example, associating a start PDU with disallowance of discard, in other words, configuring a data packet used as a start PDU as a data packet that is not permitted to be discarded; and (3) the network device may perform configuration based on the sequence number of the set of protocol data units and / or data packets, for example, associating a PDU SN1~m (where m is an integer greater than 1) with disallowance of discard, in other words, configuring a data packet having PDU SN1~m as a data packet that is not permitted to be discarded. Similarly, a network device may configure which protocol data unit sets and / or data packets are permitted to be discarded within a protocol data unit set, based on the priority, importance, and sequence number of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets.

[0236] When a network device optionally configures data packets within a protocol data unit set to be discarded, data packets within the protocol data unit set that are not configured to be discarded may be considered data packets that are not permitted to be discarded. For example, a network device configures PDUs whose PDU SNs lie within a~b (where both a and b are integers greater than or equal to 1, and b is greater than a) in the protocol data unit set as discardable data packets. In this case, other PDUs whose PDU SNs are not sequence numbers within a~b in the protocol data unit set may be considered data packets that are not permitted to be discarded.

[0237] With respect to determination method 5, the embodiment shown in Figure 8 of this application provides a process for configuring a packet loss threshold using a network device. However, it should be noted that in actual applications, the packet loss threshold may also be configured by a higher layer of the UE (such as the application layer or transport layer), or by the core network. This is not limited to this embodiment of this application.

[0238] S802: After the UE determines that a data packet in a protocol data unit set has attribute information associated with the denial of discarding, the UE discards the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained within the protocol data unit set.

[0239] In some embodiments, when the UE receives discardable data packets transmitted by a network device, the UE may discard the protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more data packets that do not belong to the discardable data packets have been discarded. Alternatively, when the UE receives discardable data packets transmitted by a network device, the UE may determine the non-discardable data packets based on all PDUs included in the protocol data unit set, and then discard the protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more non-discardable data packets have been discarded. Alternatively, when the UE receives non-discardable data packets transmitted by a network device, the UE may immediately discard the protocol data unit set when it detects that one or more non-discardable packets have been discarded.

[0240] For information on how the UE discards the protocol data unit set, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments from Figure 4 to Figure 6. This will not be explained in detail here again.

[0241] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, saves air interface resources.

[0242] For example, Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of yet another data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. In this procedure, the method for determining whether to discard a packet may correspond to the determination method 6 described above, and specifically, with respect to a dependent protocol data unit set, whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set is determined depending on whether there is packet loss in the relevant protocol data unit set or the number of lost packets in the relevant protocol data unit set. This procedure may include the following steps:

[0243] S901: The network device sends dependency identification information for the first set of protocol data units to the UE.

[0244] The protocol data unit set on which the first protocol data unit set depends is called the second protocol data unit set. The network device sending dependency identifiers for the first protocol data unit set to the UE may be understood as the network device constituting dependency identifiers for the first protocol data unit set to the UE.

[0245] The dependency described here can also be described as a dependency. Two or more protocol data unit sets that have a dependency may have the same dependency identifier, which indicates another protocol data unit set that is interdependent with the protocol data unit set. The terms "first protocol data unit set" and "second protocol data unit set" here are used only to distinguish them from one another, and "first" and "second" do not represent the order or number of protocol data unit sets. Specifically, the dependency between the first protocol data unit set and the second protocol data unit set can be understood as the application or operation of the first protocol data unit set depending on the successful transmission of the second protocol data unit set, the transmission of the first protocol data unit set is only necessary when the second protocol data unit set has been successfully transmitted, and if the second protocol data unit set has not been successfully transmitted, the first protocol data unit set is not worth using, even if it had been successfully transmitted. For example, I-frames and P-frames are used as examples, and the application of a P-frame must be carried out based on the data in the I-frame. Specifically, a P-frame should only be transmitted if the I-frame has been successfully transmitted; if the I-frame has not been successfully transmitted, the P-frame should not be transmitted afterward either.

[0246] Optionally, there may be one or more second protocol data unit sets on which the first protocol data unit set depends. When there are multiple second protocol data unit sets on which the first protocol data unit set depends, and one of the second protocol data unit sets is discarded, the first protocol data unit set does not need to be transmitted thereafter, and the first protocol data unit set may be discarded.

[0247] In some embodiments, there may be multiple ways for a network device to configure dependencies between protocol data unit sets. For example, (1) a step of configuring dependency identification information (identification, ID) for a protocol data unit set having dependencies, where protocol data unit sets configured to have the same dependency ID are interdependent; (2) a step of configuring identification information of a protocol data unit set (such as a second protocol data unit set) on which a specific protocol data unit set (such as a first protocol data unit set) depends. For example, the ID of the second protocol data unit set is carried in the first protocol data unit set; and (3) a step of configuring the number of data packets permitted to be discarded within a protocol data unit set having a dependency relationship. It should be understood that all three dependency configuration methods described above may be configured in a protocol data unit set or may be partially configured in a protocol data unit set. This is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0248] S902: When the UE determines that packet loss has occurred in the second protocol data unit set, discard the first protocol data unit set.

[0249] In some embodiments, the UE may determine, based on the received dependencies (such as dependency identification information) of the first protocol data unit set, that the first protocol data unit set has a dependency relationship with the second protocol data unit set. Next, whether to discard the first protocol data unit set may be determined based on the dependency relationship.

[0250] For example, there are multiple ways for a UE to determine whether to discard a first set of protocol data units based on a dependency relationship. For example, (1) when the UE determines that a second set of protocol data units has been discarded (for the determination method, refer to the related embodiments described above), based on the dependency identification information of the second set of protocol data units, the step of discarding subsequent first sets of protocol data units having the same dependency identification information; (2) when the UE receives a first set of protocol data units, based on the dependency identification information corresponding to the first set of protocol data units, if it is determined that the first set of protocol data units depends on a second set of protocol data units and it is determined that the second set of protocol data units has been discarded, the step of discarding the first set of protocol data units; and (3) based on the dependency identification information of the first set of protocol data units, determining whether the number of lost packets in the set of protocol data units having the same dependency identification information as the first set of protocol data units exceeds a preset threshold, and if the number of lost packets exceeds the preset threshold, the step of discarding the first set of protocol data units. There may exist multiple methods that may include these steps.

[0251] For the method by which the UE discards a set of protocol data units, refer to the related descriptions of the embodiments from FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. This will not be elaborated again here.

[0252] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, saves air interface resources.

[0253] It should be noted that after a protocol layer (such as the PDCP layer) discards a specific set of protocol data units, the protocol layer must also notify the lower layers to discard the data packets within that set. For example, after the PDCP layer discards a set of protocol data units, the PDCP layer notifies the RLC layer to discard any data packets associated with that set that were buffered by the RLC layer.

[0254] However, in some embodiments, if data packets within a protocol data unit set are being transmitted to the next layer (MAC layer) by the RLC, the RLC may notify the MAC layer of attribute information of the protocol data unit set (e.g., the sequence number of the protocol data unit set, the sequence numbers of the PDUs within the protocol data unit set, or the start / end PDUs within the protocol data unit set), and may notify the MAC layer that if data packets associated with the protocol data unit set are not being transmitted via the air interface, there is no need to schedule the protocol data unit set or wait for a scheduling resource corresponding to the protocol data unit set. In response to the notification from the RLC layer, the MAC may determine whether the protocol data unit set is being transmitted via the air interface, and if the protocol data unit set is not being transmitted via the air interface, the MAC may no longer wait for a scheduling resource corresponding to the protocol data unit set or no longer schedule the protocol data unit set.

[0255] In some other embodiments, if data packets within a protocol data unit set have already been transmitted to the next layer (MAC layer) by the RLC, the MAC layer does not need to discard the associated data packets. For example, when a protocol data unit set in the MAC layer is transmitted via an air interface, the protocol data unit set is not discarded.

[0256] It should be noted that the aforementioned disposal procedure shown in the embodiments of Figures 4 to 9 is merely illustrative, and in actual applications, the disposal procedure may include more or fewer steps. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0257] The process for triggering the discarding of a protocol data unit set is described below with reference to the attached drawings. For example, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the procedure for triggering the discarding process by the data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. This procedure may include the following steps.

[0258] S1001: The network device sends a discard instruction for the protocol data unit set to the transmission end device.

[0259] The transmission of protocol data unit set discard instruction information by a network device to the UE may be understood as the network device configuring protocol data unit set discard instruction information for the UE. For example, the data structure corresponding to the protocol data unit set discard instruction information configured by the network device may be, for example, an enumeration type or a Boolean type. The enumerated contents may be true, and may be represented, for example, as PDUsetDiscard ENUMERATED{true}. However, the specific data structure of the discard instruction information is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0260] For example, discard instruction information may be carried in multiple messages transmitted by the network device to the transmission end device, or it may be transmitted to the transmission end device as a separate message. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application.

[0261] S1002: The transmission end device receives information instructing it to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet and triggers the discarding of the protocol data unit set or data packet.

[0262] In some embodiments, upon receiving discard instruction information, the transmission end device may enable a service to discard the protocol data unit set in response to the discard instruction information. If, during the transmission of the protocol data unit set, it is determined that the protocol data unit set satisfies the conditions for discard processing, the discarding of the protocol data unit set may be triggered at the protocol layer. For methods of determining whether a protocol data unit set satisfies the conditions for discard processing and the process of discarding the protocol data unit set, please refer to the relevant descriptions above, respectively. These are not described again here.

[0263] According to the data packet discarding method provided in this application, when packet loss occurs during the transmission of a protocol data unit set, whether the remaining data packets or protocol data unit set need to be transmitted is determined by a calculation based on information regarding the number of lost packets, information regarding the arrival time of the data packets, and the dependencies between protocol data unit sets. If transmission does not need to continue, the protocol data unit set is discarded. This method avoids the transmission of invalid data packets or protocol data unit sets, and as a result, saves air interface resources.

[0264] It should be noted that the aforementioned disposal procedure shown in the embodiment of Figure 10 is merely illustrative, and in actual applications, the disposal procedure may include more or fewer steps. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0265] For example, Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a data packet discarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. This procedure may be performed by a transmission end device, and this procedure may specifically include the following steps.

[0266] S1101: Determine whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured decision method, the decision criteria used in the pre-configured decision method include at least one of the following: the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set, the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, first attribute information corresponding to the protocol data unit set, second attribute information corresponding to the data packets, and dependencies between one protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, the attribute information being associated with allowing or denying discarding, and the protocol data unit set containing one or more data packets.

[0267] In the embodiments, the data packets may be PDU data packets or SDU data packets, but are not limited to these in this application.

[0268] In this embodiment, discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet within a protocol data unit set may include discarding an undiscarded data packet within the protocol data unit set. An undiscarded data packet here may be a data packet received by the transmission end but not discarded, or an unreceived data packet within the protocol data unit set. In other words, if it is determined that a data packet within a protocol data unit set needs to be discarded, the data packet within the protocol data unit set may be discarded immediately after it is received.

[0269] In some embodiments, the protocol data unit set may correspond to a PDU set, but this is not limited to that.

[0270] In some embodiments, permission to discard means that a protocol data unit set or data packet may be permitted to be discarded, and the protocol data unit set or data packet within the protocol data unit set is not discarded. Prohibition of discarding means that a protocol data unit set or data packet is not permitted to be discarded, and if discarded, it causes the discard of the protocol data unit set or data packet within the protocol data unit set.

[0271] In some embodiments, the fact that attribute information is associated with permission to discard or prohibition of discarding means that a data packet or protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or protocol data unit that permits discarding, or a data packet or protocol data unit set having the attribute information belongs to a type of data packet or protocol data unit set that does not permit discarding. For example, an attribute of high priority is associated with prohibition of discarding. In this case, a packet protocol data unit set having a high priority is a data packet or protocol data unit set that does not permit discarding, and if discarding occurs, discarding is required and another data packet within the corresponding protocol data unit set or protocol data unit set is discarded.

[0272] In some embodiments, the transmitting end may be a user device, but is not limited thereto.

[0273] In some embodiments, determining whether to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method may mean determining whether a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set satisfy a discard condition according to a pre-configured determination method, and discarding the protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set if the discard condition is satisfied.

[0274] S1102: If it is determined to discard a protocol data unit set or data packets contained within a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured decision method, the protocol data unit set or data packets are discarded.

[0275] In the embodiment, the first attribute information includes at least one of the following: a sequence number corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, the priority of the protocol data unit set, and the dependencies of the protocol data unit set; and the second attribute information includes at least one of the following: a data packet sequence number corresponding to a data packet, the location of the data packet within the protocol data unit set, the importance of the data packet, and the priority of the data packet.

[0276] In the embodiment, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set; and discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets if the number of lost packets reaches or exceeds the packet loss threshold.

[0277] In the embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of: receiving first configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the first configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a packet loss threshold preconfigured by a transmitting end; using the protocol layer of the transmitting end to receive a packet loss threshold transmitted by a higher layer of the transmitting end; or receiving second configuration information transmitted by a core network, wherein the second configuration information indicates a packet loss threshold.

[0278] In this embodiment, the packet loss threshold pre-configured by the transmission end may be a statically configured packet loss threshold, and the packet loss threshold transmitted by the upper layer of the transmission end may be a dynamically configured packet loss rate threshold.

[0279] In embodiments, when a transmission end constitutes a packet loss threshold, the method further includes the steps of: configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity; configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a data radio bearer DRB; configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set; or configuring a packet loss threshold at the granularity of a type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of a protocol data unit set, the importance of a protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of a protocol data unit set.

[0280] In an embodiment, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set; obtaining a packet loss rate corresponding to a protocol data unit set based on the ratio of the number of lost packets to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set; and discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets if the packet loss rate reaches or exceeds the packet loss rate threshold.

[0281] In the embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss rate threshold corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of: receiving a third configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the third configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a packet loss rate threshold preconfigured by a transmitting end; using the protocol layer of the transmitting end to receive a packet loss rate threshold transmitted by a higher layer of the transmitting end; or receiving a fourth configuration information transmitted by a core network, wherein the fourth configuration information indicates a packet loss rate threshold.

[0282] In embodiments, when a transmission end constitutes a packet loss rate threshold, the method further includes the steps of: configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol layer entity; configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a DRB; configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a protocol data unit set; or configuring a packet loss rate threshold at the granularity of a type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of a protocol data unit set, the importance of a protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of a protocol data unit set.

[0283] In the embodiment, the step of obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of setting a packet loss counter, wherein the packet loss counter is configured to count the number of discarded data packets in the protocol data unit set; adding 1 to the count value of the packet loss counter when the discard of one data packet in the protocol data unit set is detected; and obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to the protocol data unit set based on the count value of the packet loss counter.

[0284] In an embodiment, when the packet loss counter counts the number of dropped data packets in a set of protocol data units, the method further includes the step of the packet loss counter skipping the counting of dropped data packets that were successfully transmitted.

[0285] In embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when a protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded; releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set has not reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold, and the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is completed; releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when the ratio of the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set has not reached or exceeded a packet loss rate threshold, and the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packets is completed; releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when the ratio of the counter's count value to the total number of data packets included in the protocol data unit set has reached or exceeded a corresponding packet loss rate threshold; or releasing or clearing a packet loss counter when the counter's count value has reached or exceeded a packet loss threshold.

[0286] In the embodiment, the method further includes the step of setting a packet loss counter when there are data packets that have been successfully transmitted.

[0287] In the embodiment, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is a packet loss timer for a protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set; discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet when the packet loss timer expires; or discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet when the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of the protocol data unit set or data packet has not been completed.

[0288] In an embodiment, the method further includes the step of starting a packet loss timer when the first data packet in a protocol data unit set is received.

[0289] In the embodiment, the method further includes the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet when the transmission time of the protocol data unit set exceeds the packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer.

[0290] In the embodiment, the step of obtaining a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of: receiving a fifth configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the fifth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a packet loss timer preconfigured by a transmitting end; using the protocol layer of the transmitting end to receive a packet loss timer transmitted by a higher layer of the transmitting end; or receiving a sixth configuration information transmitted by a core network, wherein the sixth configuration information indicates a packet loss timer.

[0291] In the embodiment, the method further includes the steps of releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when a protocol data unit set or data packet is discarded, releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has not expired and the transmission of the protocol data unit set and / or data packet is completed, or releasing or clearing the packet loss timer when the packet loss timer has expired.

[0292] In the embodiment, when the decision criteria used in a pre-configured decision method are the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set and a packet loss timer, the method specifically includes the steps of obtaining a packet loss threshold and a packet loss timer corresponding to a protocol data unit set; obtaining the number of lost packets corresponding to a protocol data unit set; discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or the packet loss timer expires and the transmission of the protocol data unit set or data packet has not been completed; or discarding a protocol data unit set or data packet if the number of lost packets exceeds the packet loss threshold and / or the packet loss timer expires.

[0293] In the embodiment, the fact that the transmission of a protocol data unit set or data packet is not complete specifically includes the presence of a data packet within the protocol data unit set at the transmission end.

[0294] In the embodiment, when the decision criteria used in a pre-configured decision method are first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, the method specifically includes the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet set when a protocol data unit set having the first attribute information is discarded when the first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set is associated with a disallowance of discard, or the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or a data packet when a data packet having the second attribute information is discarded when the second attribute information corresponding to a data packet is associated with a disallowance of discard.

[0295] In an embodiment, the method further includes the steps of: obtaining a seventh configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the seventh configuration information indicates a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets; obtaining a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, which has been pre-configured by a transmitting end; using the protocol layer of the transmitting end, receiving a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, which has been transmitted by a higher layer of the transmitting end; or receiving an eighth configuration information transmitted by a core network, wherein the eighth configuration information indicates a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set and / or a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet.

[0296] In embodiments, when the decision criterion used in a pre-configured decision method is a dependency between one protocol data unit set and another protocol data unit set, the method specifically includes the steps of: obtaining that there is a dependency between a first protocol data unit set and at least one second protocol data unit set; and, if it is obtained based on the dependency that a second protocol data unit set has been discarded, discarding the first protocol data unit set or data packets contained in the first protocol data unit set; or, if it is obtained based on the dependency that the number of discarded second protocol data unit sets has reached a pre-configured threshold, discarding the first protocol data unit set or data packets contained in the first protocol data unit set.

[0297] In the embodiment, the step of obtaining at least one second protocol data unit set having a dependency with a first protocol data unit set specifically includes the steps of: receiving a ninth configuration information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the ninth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets transmitted by a transmitting end; obtaining a dependency identifier pre-configured by a transmitting end; using the protocol layer of the transmitting end to receive a dependency identifier transmitted by a higher layer of the transmitting end; or receiving a tenth configuration information transmitted by a core network, wherein the tenth configuration information indicates a dependency identifier, and the dependency identifier indicates another protocol data unit set that is interdependent with the protocol data unit set.

[0298] In embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by a higher layer at the receiving or transmitting end, wherein the packet loss instruction information is indicated to the transmitting end to trigger the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet; and triggering the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet at the protocol layer.

[0299] In the embodiment, the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set when it is determined to discard the protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method specifically includes the step of discarding a protocol data unit set or data packets when the protocol layer of the transmission end device determines to discard the protocol data unit set or data packets contained in a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method.

[0300] In embodiments, the method further includes the step of the protocol layer entity of a transmission end device sending an alert message to a protocol layer entity of the next layer when the protocol layer entity decides to discard a protocol data unit set or data packet, and the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to the next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, wherein the alert message indicates to the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet.

[0301] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a data packet discarding method applicable to a receiving end. The method includes the step of transmitting configuration information to a transmitting end, thereby the transmitting end deciding whether to discard a protocol data unit set or a data packet contained in a protocol data unit set, based on at least one of the configuration information, according to a pre-configured decision method, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of a packet loss threshold, a packet loss rate threshold, a packet loss timer, a first attribute information corresponding to a protocol data unit set, a second attribute information corresponding to a data packet, and a dependency identifier.

[0302] For example, the method further includes steps of configuring configuration information at the granularity of protocol layer entities, configuring configuration information at the granularity of DRBs, configuring configuration information at the granularity of protocol data unit sets, or configuring configuration information at the granularity of protocol data unit set types, wherein the type of protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of protocol data unit sets, the importance of protocol data unit sets, and the sequence number of protocol data unit sets.

[0303] In one example, the data structure of the configuration information is a sequence structure.

[0304] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a data packet discarding method applicable to a transmission end. The method includes the steps of: receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the packet loss instruction information indicates to the transmission end to trigger the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet; and triggering the discarding of a protocol data unit set or a data packet within a protocol data unit set at the protocol layer, wherein the protocol data unit set includes at least one data packet.

[0305] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a data packet discarding method applicable to a transmission end. The method includes the steps of: receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by a receiving end, wherein the packet loss instruction information indicates to the transmission end to trigger the discarding of a set of protocol data units or a data packet; and triggering the protocol layer to perform the data packet discarding method according to any one of the embodiments described above.

[0306] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a transmission end device comprising one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories store one or more computer programs, one or more computer programs containing instructions, and when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the transmission end is enabled to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0307] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system including a transmission end device and a receiving end device, wherein the transmission end device is configured to perform one or more steps in any one of the methods described above, and the receiving end is configured to receive data packets in a set of protocol data units transmitted by the transmission end.

[0308] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer executable program instructions, and when the computer executable program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer or processor is enabled to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0309] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product including instructions, the computer program product including computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer or processor is enabled to perform one or more steps in any one of the aforementioned methods.

[0310] All or part of the embodiments described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used in an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted using a computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions may be transmitted by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center incorporating one or more available media. The usable media may include magnetic media (e.g., soft disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0311] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the method in the embodiments may be carried out using a computer program that instructs the relevant hardware. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, the steps of the embodiments of the method described above may be performed. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium capable of storing program code, such as ROM, random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0312] The foregoing description represents only specific embodiments of the embodiments of this application, and the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of this application shall fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0313] 1 Antenna 2 antennas 10 System Architecture 100 Transmission end devices 110 processors 120 External memory interface 121 Internal Memory 130 USB Interfaces 140 Charging Management Module 141 Power Management Module 142 batteries 150 Mobile Communication Modules 160 Wireless Communication Modules 170 Audio Modules 170A speaker 170B Telephone Handset 170C Microphone 170D headset jack 180 Sensor Modules 190 keys 191 Motor 192 Indicators 193 Camera 194 Display screen 195 SIM card interface 200 Receiving end device

Claims

1. A method for discarding data packets, which is applied at the transmission end, A step of receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by the receiving end or the transmitting end, wherein the packet loss instruction information is configured to enable or disable the transmitting end from performing a discard of a protocol data unit set, and the protocol data unit set comprises one or more data packets. If the transmission end is enabled, the steps include: discarding the protocol data unit set based on the packet loss instruction information, and discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method; Includes, The step of receiving packet loss instruction information transmitted by the receiving end or the transmitting end is: The step of receiving the packet loss instruction information transmitted by the upper layer of the receiving end or the transmitting end. Includes, The step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set is: A step that triggers the discarding of the protocol data unit set or the data packet at the protocol layer. The data packet discarding method includes, If the protocol layer entity at the transmission end decides to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet, and the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to the next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, the protocol layer entity instructs the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet. Further including, method.

2. The decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, and the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set according to the preset decision method is: A step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set, based on whether the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set has expired. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

3. The decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, and the method is Steps to acquire the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set. It further includes, The step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set according to the predetermined determination method is: Based on the expiration of the packet loss timer, the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet, or A step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet based on the expiration of the packet loss timer and the fact that the transmission of the protocol data unit set or the data packet has not been completed. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

4. The decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, and the step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set according to the preset decision method is: A step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packet based on the fact that the transmission time or buffer time of the protocol data unit set exceeds the packet loss timing time of the packet loss timer. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

5. The step of obtaining the packet loss timer corresponding to the protocol data unit set is: A step of receiving a fifth configuration information transmitted by the receiving end, wherein the fifth configuration information indicates the packet loss timer, and the receiving end is configured to receive the data packet, A step of obtaining the packet loss timer pre-configured by the transmission terminal, By using the protocol layer of the transmission end, the step of receiving the packet loss timer transmitted by the upper layer of the transmission end, or A step of receiving a sixth configuration information transmitted by the core network, wherein the sixth configuration information indicates the packet loss timer. The method according to claim 4, including the method described in claim 4.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein different types of protocol data unit sets correspond to different packet loss timers, and the type of the protocol data unit set includes the importance of the protocol data unit set.

7. The different packet loss timers include a first packet loss timer and a second packet loss timer, The first packet loss timer corresponds to a first severity level of protocol data unit set, The second packet loss timer corresponds to a protocol data unit set of second importance, where the first importance is lower than the second importance. The method according to claim 6.

8. The step of discarding the protocol data unit set or the data packets contained in the protocol data unit set according to the predetermined determination method is: The step of discarding all data packets within the protocol data unit set, or After deciding to discard the protocol data unit set according to the pre-configured decision method, the step of discarding any subsequently received data packets within the protocol data unit set. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

9. The decision criterion used in the preset decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set, The granularity of the packet loss timer configuration is a protocol layer entity, and the protocol layer entity is either a PDCP entity or an RLC entity. The granularity of the packet loss timer configuration is either a data radio bearer (DRB) or The granularity of the packet loss timer configuration is either the protocol data unit set or The granularity of the packet loss timer is the type of the protocol data unit set, and the type of the protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, or the sequence number of the protocol data unit set. The method according to claim 1.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein data structures corresponding to the packet loss instruction information are enumerated, the contents of the enumerated items are true, and the data structure is represented as PDUsetDiscard ENUMERATED{true}.

11. A method for discarding data packets, which is applied at the receiving end, A step of sending packet loss instruction information to a transmission end, enabling or disabling the transmission end to discard a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method, wherein the protocol data unit set includes one or more data packets. Includes, If the transmission end enables the discarding of a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method using the packet loss instruction information, then discarding the protocol data unit set according to the pre-configured determination method is: The steps include triggering the discarding of the protocol data unit set or the data packet at the protocol layer, If the protocol layer entity at the transmission end decides to discard the protocol data unit set or the data packet, and the data packet of the protocol data unit set is being transmitted to the next layer corresponding to the protocol layer, the protocol layer entity instructs the protocol layer entity of the next layer to discard the data packet; including, method.

12. The step of configuring the packet loss instruction information at the granularity of protocol layer entities, The step of configuring the packet loss instruction information at the granularity of a data wireless bearer (DRB), A step of configuring the packet loss instruction information at the granularity of the protocol data unit set, or A step of configuring the packet loss instruction information at the granularity of the type of protocol data unit set, wherein the type of the protocol data unit set is at least one of the priority of the protocol data unit set, the importance of the protocol data unit set, and the sequence number of the protocol data unit set. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein different types of protocol data unit sets correspond to different packet loss timers, and the type of the protocol data unit set includes the importance of the protocol data unit set.

14. The different packet loss timers include a first packet loss timer and a second packet loss timer, The first packet loss timer corresponds to a first severity level of protocol data unit set, The second packet loss timer corresponds to a protocol data unit set of second importance, where the first importance is lower than the second importance. The method according to claim 13.

15. If the transmission end uses the packet loss instruction information to enable the discarding of a protocol data unit set according to a pre-configured determination method, then discarding the protocol data unit set according to the pre-configured determination method is: To discard all data packets within the aforementioned protocol data unit set, or After deciding to discard the protocol data unit set according to the pre-configured decision method, the system will cause subsequently received data packets within the protocol data unit set to be discarded. The method according to claim 11, including the method described in claim 11.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the decision criterion used in the pre-set decision method is the packet loss timer of the protocol data unit set.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein data structures corresponding to the packet loss instruction information are enumerated, the contents of the enumerated items are true, and the data structure is represented as PDUsetDiscard ENUMERATED{true}.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the data structure of the packet loss instruction information is a sequence structure.

19. A transmission end device, One or more processors, One or more memory and Equipped with, The one or more memory stores one or more computer programs, each of which includes instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the transmission end device becomes capable of performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Transmission terminal device.

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