Methods and apparatus for logical channel prioritization enhancements in mobile communications

Abstract

This application proposes an optimization method and apparatus for Logical Channel Prioritization (LCP) in mobile communications. The apparatus can select a plurality of logical channels for uplink authorization, and can allocate uplink authorization resources to one or more of these logical channels in descending priority order. Each allocated logical channel carries delay-critical data or is associated with a positive number of tokens. Next, for each allocated logical channel, the apparatus can decrease the corresponding number of tokens based on the total size of the plurality of Medium Access Control (MAC) Service Data Units (SDUs) serving the corresponding logical channel. Then, the apparatus can multiplex these MAC SDUs into a single MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to network nodes via uplink authorization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to mobile communications, and more particularly to an optimization method and apparatus for Logical Channel Prioritization (LCP) in mobile communications. Prior Technology

[0002] Unless otherwise stated herein, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the following claims, and their inclusion in this section does not imply an admission that they are prior art.

[0003] Wireless communication networks have experienced exponential growth in recent years. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems offer high peak data rates, low latency, and increased system capacity, while reducing operating costs due to simplified network architecture. Also known as fourth-generation (4G) systems, LTE systems can seamlessly integrate with existing wireless networks, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). In LTE systems, the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) can contain multiple evolved Node Bs (eNodeBs / eNBs) that communicate with multiple mobile devices (also known as User Equipment (UEs)). Alternatively, the wireless network can be a hybrid architecture incorporating second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), and fourth-generation systems. Within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Committee has resolved to focus future NGMN activities on defining end-to-end requirements for 5G New Radio (NR) systems, 5G-Advanced systems, and 6G systems.

[0004] LCP, a procedure within the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, is primarily responsible for selecting data to be transmitted when uplink radio resources are limited. In 3GPP Release 18 for 5G NR systems, the LCP procedure employs a priority-based token bucket algorithm for uplink resource allocation. In this algorithm, each logical channel is associated with a priority, a Prioritized Bit Rate (PBR), and a Bucket Size Duration (BSD). The basic concept of the algorithm is to satisfy the PBRs of all selected logical channels by sorting them in descending order of priority, based on whether each logical channel's token bucket contains tokens. After all selected logical channels' PBRs have been satisfied, if there are still remaining uplink resources, all selected logical channels will be served in a strict descending priority order, regardless of whether tokens remain in the token bucket. Therefore, this priority-based token bucket algorithm achieves PBR-based fairness.

[0005] However, the priority-based scepter bucket algorithm may have some problems. For example, this algorithm does not consider the transmission requirements of delayed critical data in logical channels. Therefore, if a logical channel contains delayed critical data and its scepter bucket has no positive scepter count (i.e., the scepter count is zero or negative), even if the logical channel has a high priority, it may still fail to obtain resource allocation to transmit its delayed critical data, thus failing to meet latency requirements. In other words, existing LCP programs cannot guarantee that delayed critical data will be transmitted in a timely manner according to priority, which is detrimental to applications or services that require low-latency communication, such as: Extended Reality (XR), remote control and remote operation (such as telesurgery), industrial automation, and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) applications.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide appropriate solutions to address the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This section is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. That is, this section is used to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further described in the subsequent detailed description. Therefore, this illustrative section is not intended to define the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor to determine its scope of claims.

[0008] One purpose of this specification is to provide solutions, concepts, designs, systems, methods, and / or devices related to the optimization of LCP in mobile communications. It is believed that by implementing one or more of the solutions described herein, the aforementioned problems can be avoided or at least mitigated.

[0009] One embodiment of this application provides an apparatus that may include a radio transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network node during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor may perform the following operations: selecting a plurality of logical channels for an uplink grant; allocating resources of the uplink grant to one or more of the logical channels in descending order of priority, wherein each of the one or more logical channels carries delay-critical data or is associated with a positive number of scepters; for each of the one or more logical channels, decreasing the corresponding number of scepters based on the total size of a plurality of MAC Service Data Units (SDUs) serving the corresponding logical channel; and multiplexing the MAC SDUs into a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the network node via the transceiver over the uplink grant.

[0010] Another embodiment of this application provides a network node that may include a radio transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a device during operation. The network node may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor may perform the following operations: transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) command to the device via the transceiver, wherein the RRC command includes a Logical Channel Configuration (IE) information element that includes a first threshold value; and receiving, via the transceiver, a MAC PDU from the device, wherein a plurality of MAC SDUs are multiplexed therein, wherein the MAC SDUs serve one or more logical channels within the device, each of the one or more logical channels carrying delay key data or associated with a positive number of scepters, and the delay key data being associated with a remaining time of a discard timer, the remaining time being less than the first threshold value.

[0011] Another embodiment of this application provides an apparatus that may include a radio transceiver that wirelessly communicates with a network node during operation. The apparatus may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor may perform the following operations: selecting a plurality of logical channels for an uplink grant; allocating resources of the uplink grant to one or more of the logical channels in descending priority order, wherein each of the one or more logical channels is associated with a positive number of scepters; deciding not to decrease the corresponding positive number of scepters for each of the one or more logical channels that still carries latency-critical data after the resource allocation; and multiplexing a plurality of MAC SDUs serving the one or more logical channels into a MAC PDU for transmission to the network node over the uplink grant via the transceiver.

[0012] It is worth noting that although the descriptions provided herein are based on certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, NR, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G), and 6G, the concepts, solutions, and any variations or derivatives thereof can also be applied to other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of this specification should not be limited to the examples described herein. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0013] The accompanying drawings are provided to enhance understanding of this application and are incorporated into the overall content of this specification. These drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, in conjunction with the specification, illustrate the principles of the disclosure. It is understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some components may differ in size from their actual counterparts, in order to clearly express the concepts of this specification.

[0014] [Figure 1] is a schematic diagram of the priority-based scepter bucket algorithm used for uplink resource allocation in the LCP program under the current 5G NR framework. [Figure 2] is a schematic diagram of the communication environment to which the various solutions and schemes disclosed in this specification are applicable. [Figure 3] is a schematic diagram of an optimized LCP program according to an embodiment of this specification. [Figure 4] is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of this specification. [Figure 5] is a schematic diagram of an example program according to an embodiment of this specification. [Figure 6] is a schematic diagram of another exemplary procedure according to an embodiment of this specification. Implementation

[0015] This section discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are illustrative in nature, and the claimed subject matter may have many different embodiments. This specification should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. The disclosure of these exemplary embodiments and implementations is intended to make the description of this specification complete and sufficient, and to fully convey the scope of this specification to those skilled in the art. In the following description, features and technical details well known to those skilled in the art may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosed embodiments and implementations.

[0016] [Overview]

[0017] The implementation methods disclosed in this specification involve various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions for optimizing LCP in mobile communications. According to this specification, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described individually below, two or more solutions may also be implemented in some combination.

[0018] In the current LCP procedure under the 5G NR framework, each logical channel is associated with a priority, a PBR, and a BSD. When a logical channel is established, the number of scepters (represented by Bj) in its corresponding bucket is initialized to zero. Then, for each logical channel, the MAC entity increments Bj by PBR × T based on the time T elapsed since the last Bj increment. If the value of Bj exceeds the bucket limit (i.e., PBR × BSD), then Bj will be set to the bucket limit. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the priority-based scepter bucket algorithm used for uplink resource allocation in the current 5G NR framework's LCP procedure. As shown in example scenario 100 in Figure 1, after selecting a logical channel for uplink authorization, all selected logical channels with Bj > 0 are allocated resources in descending priority order to satisfy the PBR of all selected logical channels. After resource allocation, the Bj value of each logical channel j will be reduced by the total MAC SDU size allocated to that logical channel. Then, if there are still remaining uplink resources, all selected logical channels will be served strictly in descending priority order (regardless of the Bj value) until the data of that logical channel is exhausted or the uplink license is exhausted (whichever occurs first). It is worth noting that the logical channel selection in the LCP procedure in this specification is based on the rules specified in the 3GPP standard; for the sake of brevity, the relevant detailed explanations are omitted here.

[0019] While the priority-based scepter bucket algorithm can achieve fairness based on PBR, it does not consider the transmission requirements of delay-critical data in logical channels. Therefore, when delay-critical data exists in a logical channel, but the scepter count in its bucket is not positive, traditional LCP procedures may not guarantee timely transmission of this delay-critical data, even if the logical channel has high priority. For example, when Bj is greater than 0 but the result of subtracting the size of the Radio Link Control (RLC) SDU to be transmitted from Bj is less than zero, the scepter count of that logical channel will become negative. Since the UE should not segment the RLC SDU if the entire RLC SDU can be fully loaded into the remaining resources of its MAC entity (i.e., sufficient uplink grant), Bj will become negative after the packet construction of the RLC SDU to be transmitted is completed to avoid segmentation. This example also applies to partially transmitted SDUs or retransmitted RLC PDUs. If Bj of a logical channel becomes negative, even if there is delayed critical data waiting to be transmitted in that logical channel, if Bj cannot return to a positive number before the next uplink authorization resource allocation, that logical channel may not be allocated resources.

[0020] In view of the above, this specification proposes several optimization schemes for LCP in mobile communications. According to some schemes in this specification, the UE's MAC entity can allocate resources to logical channels with Bj > 0 and logical channels containing delay-critical data in descending priority order, ensuring that even if a logical channel does not have a positive wand number (i.e., Bj ≤ 0), it can still obtain resource allocation. Furthermore, according to some schemes in this specification, the UE's MAC entity can selectively exempt logical channels containing delay-critical data from the wand number reduction restriction, or allow such logical channels to reduce the wand number reduction magnitude, ensuring that logical channels containing delay-critical data always maintain a positive wand number (i.e., Bj is always greater than zero). Therefore, by implementing the schemes disclosed in this specification, logical channels containing delay-critical data will be eligible for uplink resource allocation regardless of their priority, thereby meeting the latency requirements of applications / services requiring low-latency communication.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the communication environment to which the various solutions and schemes disclosed in this specification are applicable. As shown in the example scenario 200 of Figure 2, a UE 210 communicates wirelessly with a network 220 (e.g., a wireless network including both non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and terrestrial networks (TN)) via at least one terrestrial network node 222 (e.g., a base station (BS), such as an eNB, gNB, or a transmission / reception point (TRP)) and / or at least one non-terrestrial network node 224 (e.g., a satellite). For example, the terrestrial network node 222 may form a TN serving cell for wireless communication with the UE 210; or, the terrestrial network node 222 and the non-terrestrial network node 224 may jointly form an NTN serving cell for wireless communication with the UE 210. In some embodiments, network 220 may be a 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G network, and UE 210 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Alternatively, network 220 may also be an IoT / NB-IoT / IIoT network, and UE 210 may be an IoT device, such as an NB-IoT UE or an enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC) UE (e.g., a bandwidth-reduced low-complexity (BL) UE, or a coverage enhancement (CE) UE). In this communication environment, UE 210, network 220, terrestrial network node 222, and / or non-terrestrial network node 224 may implement the various schemes described below regarding LCP optimization in mobile communications. It is worth noting that although the various proposed schemes may be described separately below, in practice, some or all of the schemes may be used or implemented in combination. Of course, each of the proposed schemes may also be used or implemented individually.

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an optimized LCP procedure according to an embodiment of this specification. As shown in example scenario 300 of Figure 3, in step 302, the UE receives an RRC message from the base station. Specifically, the RRC message includes a logical channel configuration provided to the UE, which can be included in the LogicalChannelConfig Information Element (IE) of the RRC message. The LogicalChannelConfig IE can include multiple parameters common to each logical channel, such as logical channel priority, PBR, BSD, and remainingTimeThreshold. The logical channel priority, PBR, and BSD can be used for UL resource allocation, while remainingTimeThreshold can be used to determine whether data for a given logical channel is delay-critical. Specifically, data for each logical channel is associated with a drop timer (e.g., a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer). If the remaining time of the drop timer is less than remainingTimeThreshold, the corresponding data is considered delay-critical (meaning it should be transmitted with priority over other data). However, if the data is not transmitted before the discard timer expires, the data will be discarded. In step 304, the UE executes an optimized LCP procedure to prioritize logical channels with delay-critical data; details of this will be further explained in subsequent embodiments. Specifically, the optimized LCP procedure is executed based on the uplink resource allocation for the new transmission, which is based on the uplink grant for the new transmission (e.g., a configuration grant received via the same or different RRC signaling, or a dynamic grant received via Downlink Control Information (DCI)). In step 306, the UE multiplexes the MAC SDUs serving each logical channel into a single MAC PDU. Then, in step 308, the MAC PDU is passed through a transport channel to the physical layer (also referred to as Layer-1, L1) for transmission to the base station on the uplink grant.

[0023] According to the first proposal in this specification, when performing a new transmission, the UE's MAC entity can allocate resources to logical channels with Bj > 0 and logical channels containing delay-critical data in a descending priority order. In other words, even if the number of scepters of a logical channel is not positive (i.e., Bj ≤ 0), as long as it contains delay-critical data, it can be allowed to receive resource allocation.

[0024] In some embodiments, only logical channels with higher priority ordering and delayed critical data are allowed to receive resource allocation, regardless of the number of scepters they possess.

[0025] In some embodiments, only logical channels containing latency-critical data whose remaining time is below a threshold are allowed resource allocation, regardless of the number of scepters they possess. This threshold can be set via a parameter added to the LogicalChannelConfig IE (e.g., called CriticalremainingTimeThreshold). In one example, CriticalremainingTimeThreshold can be designed to be more stringent or less stringent than the remainingTimeThreshold used to determine whether the data on the logical channel is latency-critical. That is, CriticalremainingTimeThreshold can be set to be less than remainingTimeThreshold.

[0026] According to the second proposal in this specification, after allocating resources to logical channels selected for uplink authorization and with Bj > 0 in descending priority order, only logical channels that no longer carry latency-critical data after resource allocation will have their Bj reduced based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving that logical channel. In other words, if the resources allocated to logical channel j are insufficient to transmit all its latency-critical data, its Bj will not be reduced based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving that logical channel. In this way, logical channels carrying latency-critical data can maintain a positive wand count (meaning Bj remains greater than 0), ensuring that such logical channels are always eligible for resource allocation.

[0027] In some embodiments, only higher-priority logical channels enjoy the "non-decreasing" privilege described in the second proposal above. That is, even if a lower-priority logical channel still carries delayed critical data after resource allocation, its Bj will still decrease based on the total size of the MAC SDU serving that channel. In other words, only higher-priority logical channels carrying delayed critical data can maintain a positive wand count and thus remain eligible for resource allocation.

[0028] In some embodiments, only logical channels containing delayed critical data whose remaining time is below a threshold (such as CriticalremainingTimeThreshold) are entitled to the "non-decreasing" privilege described in the second proposal above. This remaining time can be an absolute remaining time or a relative remaining delay (e.g., a synchronization threshold for multimodal XR data).

[0029] In some embodiments, only logical channels carrying delay-critical data enjoy the "non-decreasing" privilege described in the second proposal above if their Bj becomes negative after decrementing based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving that logical channel. That is, if the Bj of a logical channel is greater than or equal to the total size of the MAC SDUs serving that logical channel, then even if the logical channel still carries delay-critical data after resource allocation, its Bj will still be decremented based on that total size.

[0030] In some embodiments, the reduction of Bj in the second proposal described above can be flexible. For example, for a higher-priority logical channel that still carries delayed critical data after resource allocation, the reduction of Bj can be less than the total size of the MAC SDU serving that channel; while for a lower-priority logical channel that still carries delayed critical data after resource allocation, Bj will still be reduced according to the total size. In one example, for a higher-priority logical channel that still carries delayed critical data after resource allocation, the reduction of Bj can be half the total size of the MAC SDU serving that logical channel. In this way, logical channels with higher priority and delayed critical data have a higher probability of maintaining a positive number of scepters, and are therefore more likely to continue to qualify for resource allocation.

[0031] [Illustrative Implementation]

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of this specification. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system 400, communication device 410 and network device 420 can each perform various functions to implement the various schemes, technologies, processes and methods for LCP optimization in mobile communications described in this specification, including the scenarios / schemes mentioned above, as well as the procedures 500 and 600 described below.

[0033] The communication device 410 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a dual-steer device containing one or more UEs, such as portable or mobile devices, wearable devices, wireless communication devices, or computing devices. For example, the communication device 410 may be implemented in smartphones, smartwatches, personal digital assistants, electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicles, digital cameras, or computing devices such as tablets, laptops, or notebook computers.

[0034] The communication device 410 may also be part of a machine-type device, such as an IoT, NB-IoT, eMTC, or IIoT UE, including immovable or fixed devices, home appliances, roadside units (RSUs), wired communication devices, or computing devices. For example, the communication device 410 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, smart refrigerator, smart door lock, wireless speaker, or home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 410 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 410 may include at least some of the elements shown in FIG. 4, such as processor 412. The communication device 410 may also include other components unrelated to the scheme described in this specification (e.g., internal power supply, display device and / or user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of simplicity and to avoid redundancy, these components are not shown in Figure 4 and will not be described below.

[0035] Network device 420 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a satellite, base station, small base station, router, or gateway used in 4G / 5G / B5G / 6G, NR, IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT networks. Alternatively, network device 420 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more RISC or CISC processors. Network device 420 may include at least some of the elements shown in FIG. 4, such as processor 422. Network device 420 may also include other elements unrelated to the embodiments described herein (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device); therefore, for simplicity and to avoid redundancy, these elements are not illustrated in FIG. 4 and will not be described further below.

[0036] In one aspect of this application, processor 412 and processor 422 may both be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. In other words, although the singular term "processor" is used to refer to processor 412 and processor 422 in this specification, according to embodiments of this specification, processor 412 and processor 422 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments. In another aspect, processor 412 and processor 422 may both be implemented as hardware (and optionally firmware) containing a variety of electronic components, such as, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactor diodes, which are designed and configured for the specific purposes described in this specification. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processors 412 and 422 are special purpose machines designed, configured, and arranged specifically to perform particular tasks (including optimized LCP programs) in devices (e.g., communication device 410) and network nodes (e.g., network device 420) described in various embodiments of this specification.

[0037] In some embodiments, the communication device 410 may also include a radio transceiver 416 coupled to the processor 412 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. The radio transceiver 416 can support wireless communication with different types of UEs and / or wireless networks using different wireless access technologies. In some embodiments, the radio transceiver 416 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, the radio transceiver 416 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to support Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, the network device 420 may also include a radio transceiver 426 coupled to the processor 422. The radio transceiver 426 includes transceiver devices capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. The radio transceiver 426 can support wireless communication with different types of UEs using different wireless access technologies. In some embodiments, the radio transceiver 426 may also be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, the radio transceiver 426 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to support MIMO wireless communication.

[0038] In some embodiments, the communication device 410 may also include a memory 414 coupled to and accessible by the processor 412 for storing data. In some embodiments, the network device 420 may also include a memory 424 coupled to and accessible by the processor 422 for storing data. Both memory 414 and memory 424 may include a type of random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively or optionally, memory 414 and memory 424 may also include a type of read-only memory (ROM), such as: mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively or optionally, memory 414 and memory 424 may also include a type of non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as: flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0039] Communication device 410 and network device 420 can each be a communication entity, capable of communicating with each other according to the various schemes disclosed in this specification. For illustrative purposes and without any limitation, the following description, in conjunction with procedures 500 and 600, will explain the capabilities of communication device 410 as a UE and network device 420 as a network node (such as a base station).

[0040] [Illustrative Procedure]

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an example procedure according to an embodiment of this specification. Procedure 500 may be a partial or complete embodiment of the above-described scenario / solution under the first proposal for LCP optimization in mobile communications. Procedure 500 may represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 410. Procedure 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in blocks 510 to 540. Although procedure 500 is represented by distributed blocks, each block may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of procedure 500 may be executed in the order shown in Figure 5, or in a different order. Procedure 500 may be implemented or executed by communication device 410 or any applicable UE or machine-type device. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, procedure 500 is described below in the context of communication device 410 as a UE and network device 420 as a network node (e.g., a gNB or other base station). Procedure 500 may begin with block 510.

[0042] In block 510, process 500 may involve the processor 412 of communication device 410 selecting a plurality of logical channels for uplink authorization. Process 500 may continue from block 510 to block 520.

[0043] In block 520, process 500 may involve processor 412 allocating the uplink granted resources to one or more of the logical channels in descending order of priority, wherein each of the one or more logical channels carries latency-critical data or is associated with a positive number of scepters. Process 500 may continue from block 520 to block 530.

[0044] In block 530, process 500 may involve processor 412, for each of the one or more logical channels, decreasing the corresponding number of scepters based on the total size of one of the plurality of MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel. Process 500 may continue from block 530 to block 540.

[0045] In block 540, program 500 may involve processor 412 multiplexing the MAC SDUs into a MAC PDU for transmission over the uplink license to network device 420 via radio 416.

[0046] In some embodiments, at least one of the one or more logical channels carrying delayed critical data is associated with a non-positive number of scepters.

[0047] In some embodiments, each of the one or more logical channels with delayed key information is associated with a higher priority than other logical channels without delayed key information or without a positive number of scepters.

[0048] In some embodiments, the delay key data is associated with the remaining time of a discard timer, and the remaining time is less than a first threshold value.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is different from a second threshold value used to determine whether data in a logic channel is latency-critical data.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is more stringent or smaller than the second threshold value.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is configured in a LogicalChannelConfig IE of an RRC signal received from the network device 420.

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary procedure according to an embodiment of this specification. Procedure 600 may be a partial or complete embodiment of the above-described scenario / solution under the second proposal for LCP optimization in mobile communications. Procedure 600 may represent one aspect of the functional implementation of communication device 410. Procedure 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in blocks 610 to 640. Although procedure 600 is represented by distributed blocks, each block may be divided into more blocks, merged into fewer blocks, or omitted depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the blocks of procedure 600 may be executed in the order shown in Figure 6, or in a different order. Procedure 600 may be implemented or executed by communication device 410 or any applicable UE or machine-type device. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, procedure 600 is described below in the context of communication device 410 as a UE and network device 420 as a network node (e.g., a gNB or other base station). Procedure 600 may begin with block 610.

[0053] In block 610, process 600 may involve the processor 412 of communication device 410 selecting a plurality of logical channels for uplink authorization. Process 600 may continue from block 610 to block 620.

[0054] In block 620, process 600 may involve processor 412 allocating the uplink granted resources to one or more of the logical channels in descending order of priority, wherein each of the one or more logical channels is associated with a positive number of scepters. Process 600 may continue from block 620 to block 630.

[0055] At block 630, process 600 may involve processor 412 deciding, for each of the one or more logical channels that still carries delayed critical data after the aforementioned resource allocation, not to decrement its corresponding positive number of scepters. Process 600 may continue from block 630 to block 640.

[0056] In block 640, program 600 may involve processor 412 multiplexing multiple MAC SDUs serving the one or more logical channels into a MAC PDU for transmission over the uplink license to network device 420 via radio transceiver 416.

[0057] In some embodiments, program 600 may further involve processor 412 decrementing the corresponding positive number of scepters for each of the one or more logical channels that does not carry delayed critical data after the above resource allocation, based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

[0058] In some embodiments, the operation of determining not to decrease the number of scepters is performed on one or more logical channels that still carry delayed critical data after resource allocation and whose priority is higher than that of each of the other logical channels.

[0059] In some embodiments, program 600 may further involve processor 412 determining, for each of the one or more logical channels that still carries delayed critical data after the aforementioned resource allocation but has a lower priority than each of the other logical channels, to decrease the corresponding positive number of scepters based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

[0060] In some embodiments, the operation of determining not to decrease the number of scepters is performed for each of the one or more logic channels where delayed critical data is associated with the remaining time of a discard timer and the remaining time is less than a first threshold value.

[0061] In some embodiments, program 600 may further involve processor 412 decrementing the number of scepters corresponding to the positive number for each of the one or more logical channels in which latency-critical data is associated with the remaining time being greater than or equal to the first threshold value, based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is different from a second threshold value used to determine whether data in a logic channel is latency-critical data.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is more stringent or smaller than the second threshold value.

[0064] In some embodiments, the operation of determining the number of wands not to decrease is performed when the number of wands is less than the total size of one of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

[0065] In some embodiments, program 600 may further involve processor 412, for each of the one or more logical channels containing delay-critical data, reducing the corresponding positive number of scepters by the total size if the positive number of scepters is greater than or equal to the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

[0066] According to the above embodiments, it is worth noting that by implementing the scheme disclosed in this specification, the LCP procedure is optimized to ensure that logical channels carrying latency-critical data are eligible for uplink resource allocation even if they are not associated with a positive number of wands, thereby meeting the latency requirements of applications / services that require low-latency communication. Therefore, the optimized LCP can provide better support for low-latency services (such as XR services).

[0067] 100, 200, 300: Example Scenarios 210: User Equipment 220: Internet 222: Ground network node 224: Non-terrestrial network nodes 302~308: Steps 400: Communication System 410: Communication devices 412, 422: Processors 414, 424: Memory 416, 426: Radio transceivers 420: Network Device 500, 600: Program Blocks 510~540, 610~640

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising: A radio transceiver, during operation, wirelessly communicates with a network node; a processor, communicatively coupled to the radio transceiver, and during operation, capable of performing the following operations: selecting a plurality of logical channels for an uplink grant; allocating resources of the uplink grant to one or more of the logical channels in descending order of priority, wherein each of the one or more logical channels carries delay-critical data or is associated with a positive number of tokens; for each of the one or more logical channels, decreasing the corresponding number of tokens based on the total size of a plurality of Medium Access Control (MAC) Service Data Units (SDUs) serving the corresponding logical channel; and multiplexing the MAC SDUs into a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission over the uplink grant to the network node via the radio transceiver.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more logical channels carrying delayed critical data is associated with a non-positive number of scepters.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the delay key data is associated with the remaining time of a discard timer, and the remaining time is less than a first threshold value.

4. The mobile communication device as requested in item 3, wherein the first threshold value is different from a second threshold value used to determine whether data in a logical channel is delay-critical data.

5. The mobile communication device as described in claim 4, wherein the first threshold value is more stringent or less stringent than the second threshold value.

6. The mobile communication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first threshold value is configured in a LogicalChannelConfig information element (IE) of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signal received from the network node.

7. A network node, comprising: A radio transceiver, during operation, wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device; a processor, communicatively coupled to the radio transceiver, and during operation, can perform the following operations: transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) command to the mobile communication device via the radio transceiver, wherein the RRC command includes a Logical Channel Configuration (IE) information element, the IE including a first threshold value; and receiving, via the radio transceiver, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) from the mobile communication device, wherein the MAC PDU has a plurality of MAC Service Data Units (SDUs) multiplexed therein, wherein the MAC... The SDU serves one or more logical channels within the mobile communication device, each of which carries delay key data or is associated with a positive number of scepters, and the delay key data is associated with the remaining time of a discard timer, the remaining time being less than the first threshold value.

8. As in request item 7, at least one of the logical channels carrying delay-critical data is associated with a non-positive number of scepters.

9. As in request item 7, the first threshold value is different from the second threshold value used to determine whether data in a logical channel is latency-critical data.

10. A mobile communication device, comprising: A radio transceiver, during operation, wirelessly communicates with a network node; a processor, communicatively coupled to the radio transceiver, and during operation, performs the following operations: selecting a plurality of logical channels for an uplink grant; allocating resources of the uplink grant to one or more of the logical channels in descending order of priority, wherein each of the one or more logical channels is associated with a positive number of tokens; deciding not to decrement the corresponding positive number of tokens for each of the one or more logical channels that still carries latency-critical data after the above resource allocation; and multiplexing a plurality of Medium Access Control (MAC) Service Data Units (SDUs) serving the one or more logical channels into a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) for transmission to the network node over the uplink grant via the radio transceiver.

11. The mobile communication device as described in claim 10, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operation: for each of the one or more logical channels that does not carry latency-critical data after the above resource allocation, the number of scepters corresponding to the positive number is reduced based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

12. The mobile communication device as described in claim 10, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: The operation of deciding not to decrease the number of positive scepters is performed for one or more logical channels that still carry delayed critical data after resource allocation and whose priority is higher than each of the other logical channels; or for one or more logical channels that still carry delayed critical data after the above resource allocation but whose priority is lower than each of the other logical channels, the processor decides to decrease the corresponding number of positive scepters based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

13. The mobile communication device as described in claim 10, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: the operation of deciding not to decrement the positive number of scepters is performed for each of the one or more logical channels where delay-critical data is associated with the remaining time of a discard timer and the remaining time is less than a first threshold value; or for each of the one or more logical channels where delay-critical data is associated with the remaining time being greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the corresponding positive number of scepters is decremented based on the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the first threshold value is different from a second threshold value used to determine whether data in a logical channel is delay-critical data.

15. The mobile communication device as described in claim 10, wherein, During operation, the processor further performs the following operations: the operation of deciding not to decrease the number of positive wands is performed when the number of positive wands is less than the total size of one of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel; or for each of the one or more logical channels containing delay-critical data, when the number of positive wands is greater than or equal to the total size of the MAC SDUs serving the corresponding logical channel, the number of positive wands corresponding to that data is decreased by the total size.

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