Method to prioritize protocol data unit (PDU) sets with transport level marking based on PDU set importance

Abstract

A method includes obtaining a first packet data unit (PDU) set importance value of a first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow. A first differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) value is assigned for the first PDU set based on the first PDU set importance value. A header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set is marked with the assigned first DSCP value, and transmission of PDUs of first the PDU set is prioritized based on the assigned first DSCP value.

Description

METHOD TO PRIORITIZE PROTOCOL DATA UNIT (PDU) SETS WITH TRANSPORT LEVEL MARKING BASED ON PDU SET IMPORTANCERELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of GB Application No. 2312300.3 filed August 11, 2023, which is incorporated by reference as if included herein in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] Various example embodiments relate generally to wireless networks and, more particularly, to assignment of a differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) based on a protocol data unit (PDU) set importance.BACKGROUND

[0003] To support extended reality (XR) applications, mechanisms for integrated and differentiated protocol data unit (PDU) set handling may be employed. Current mechanisms proposed for handling differentiated PDU sets include marking all PDUs for all PDU sets within quality of service (QoS) flow with a differentiated services codepoint (DSCP).SUMMARY

[0004] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes obtaining a first packet data unit (PDU) set importance value of a first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow. A first differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) value is assigned for the first PDU set based on the first PDU set importance value. A header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set is marked with the assigned first DSCP value, and transmission of PDUs of first the PDU set is prioritized based on the assigned first DSCP value.

[0005] In an aspect of the method, a second PDU set within the QoS flow may include a secondPDU set importance value.

[0006] In an aspect of the method, the first PDU set importance value may indicate a lower discard eligibility than the second PDU set importance value.

[0007] In an aspect of the method, the method may include assigning a second DSCP value for the second PDU set.

[0008] In an aspect of the method, the first DSCP value may include a lower drop precedence for PDUs than the second DSCP value.

[0009] In an aspect of the method, the marking the header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set may include marking an IP header of the each transport network packet with the first DSCP value.

[0010] In an aspect of the method, the method may include marking a header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the second PDU set with the second DSCP value.

[0011] In an aspect of the method, the prioritizing transmission may include prioritizing transmission of PDUs of the first PDU set over PDUs of the second PDU set at the transport level.

[0012] In an aspect of the method, the transport level may include an N3 or N9 transport layer.

[0013] In an aspect of the method, the assigning the first DSCP value may be based upon a Forwarding Action Rule (FAR).

[0014] In an aspect of the method, the marking the header of each transport network packet may be performed by a user plane function (UPF), and the FAR may be received from a session management function (SMF).

[0015] In an aspect of the method, the FAR may indicate that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF.

[0016] In an aspect of the method, the FAR may indicate that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using an assured forwarding (AF) traffic class.

[0017] In an aspect of the method, the FAR may indicate that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using a mapping between PDU set importance and DSCP values.

[0018] In an aspect of the method, the mapping may be contained in a QoS enforcement rule (QER).

[0019] In an aspect of the method, the obtaining the first PDU set importance value of the first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow may include determining the first PDU set importance value based on a value of a PDU set importance header field in the PDU set.

[0020] In an aspect of the method, the PDU set importance header field in a PDU set may be a field in a real-time transport protocol (RTP) header extension.

[0021] In an aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform any of the foregoing methods.

[0022] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a processor-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus at least to perform any of the foregoing methods.

[0023] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example embodiment of wireless networking between a network system and a user equipment (UE), according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram of example components of a network system, according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example quality of service (QoS) flow including example protocol data unit (PDU) sets, according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example method of marking PDUs in a PDU set in accordance with an illustrated aspect of the disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example method of marking PDUs in a PDU set in accordance with another illustrated aspect of the disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram of example embodiment of components of a UE or of a network apparatus, according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of disclosed aspects. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that aspects may be practiced without one or more of these specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with transmitters, receivers, or transceivers have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the aspects.

[0032] Reference throughout this specification to “one aspect” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one aspect” or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

[0033] Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented in wireless networking apparatuses, such as, without limitation, apparatuses utilizing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G Advance, 6G (and beyond) and 802.1 lax (Wi-Fi 6), among other wireless networking systems. The term ‘eLTE’ here denotes the LTE evolution that connects to a 5G core. LTE is also known as evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access (EUTRA) or as evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN).

[0034] The present disclosure may use the term “serving network device” to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) that services a UE. As used herein, the terms “transmit to,” “receive from,” and “cooperate with,” (and their variations) include communications that may or may not involve communications through one or more intermediate devices or nodes. The term “acquire” (and its variations) includes acquiring in the first instance or reacquiring after the first instance. The term “connection” may mean a physical connection or a logical connection.

[0035] The present disclosure uses 5G NR as an example of a wireless network and may use smartphones and / or extended reality headsets as an example of UEs. It is intended and shall be understood that such examples are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure is applicable to other wireless networks and user equipment.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example of wireless networking between a network system 100 and a user equipment (UE) 150. The network system 100 may include one or more network nodes 120, one or more servers 110, and / or one or more network equipment 130 (e.g., test equipment). The network nodes 120 will be described in more detail below. As used herein, the term “network apparatus” may refer to any component of the network system 100, such as the server 110, the network node 120, the network equipment 130, any component(s) of the foregoing, and / or any other component(s) of the network system 100. Examples of network apparatuses include, without limitation, apparatuses implementing aspects of 5G NR, among others. The present disclosure describes embodiments related to 5G NR and embodiments that involve aspects defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). However, it is contemplated that embodiments relating to other wireless networking technologies are encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] The following description provides further details of examples of network nodes. In a 5G NR network, a gNodeB (also known as gNB) may include, e.g., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and that is connected via a NG interface to the 5G core (5GC), e.g., according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 3.2, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0038] A gNB supports various protocol layers, e.g., Layer 1 (LI) - physical layer, Layer 2 (L2), and Layer 3 (L3).

[0039] The layer 2 (L2) of NR is split into the following sublayers: Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), where, e.g.: o The physical layer offers to the MAC sublayer transport channels; o The MAC sublayer offers to the RLC sublayer logical channels; o The RLC sublayer offers to the PDCP sublayer RLC channels; o The PDCP sublayer offers to the SDAP sublayer radio bearers; o The SDAP sublayer offers to 5GC quality of service (QoS) flows;o Control channels include broadcast control channel (BCCH) and physical control channel (PCCH).

[0040] Layer 3 (L3) includes, e.g., radio resource control (RRC), e.g., according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 6, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0041] A gNB central unit (gNB-CU) includes, e.g., a logical node hosting, e.g., radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, that controls the operation of one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs). The gNB-CU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU. A gNB-CU may also be referred to herein as a CU, a central unit, a centralized unit, or a control unit.

[0042] A gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) includes, e.g., a logical node hosting, e.g., radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of the gNB or en- gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-DU supports one or multiple cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-CU. A gNB-DU may also be referred to herein as DU or a distributed unit.

[0043] As used herein, the term “network node” may refer to any of a gNB, a gNB-CU, or a gNB-DU, or any combination of them. A RAN (radio access network) node or network node such as, e.g., a gNB, gNB-CU, or gNB-DU, or parts thereof, may be implemented using, e.g., an apparatus with at least one processor and / or at least one memory with processor-readable instructions (“program”) configured to support and / or provision and / or process CU and / or DU related functionality and / or features, and / or at least one protocol (sub-)layer of a RAN (radio access network), e.g., layer 2 and / or layer 3. Different functional splits between the central and distributed unit are possible. An example of such an apparatus and components will be described in connection with FIG. 10 below.

[0044] The gNB-CU and gNB-DU parts may, e.g., be co-located or physically separated. The gNB-DU may even be split further, e.g., into two parts, e.g., one including processing equipment and one including an antenna. A central unit (CU) may also be called baseband unit / radio equipment controller / cloud-RAN / virtual-RAN (BBU / REC / C-RAN / V-RAN), open-RAN (O- RAN), or part thereof. A distributed unit (DU) may also be called remote radio head / remote radio unit / radio equipment / radio unit (RRH / RRU / RE / RU), or part thereof. Hereinafter, in variousexample embodiments of the present disclosure, a network node, which supports at least one of central unit functionality or a layer 3 protocol of a radio access network, may be, e.g., a gNB-CU. Similarly, a network node, which supports at least one of distributed unit functionality or a layer 2 protocol of the radio access network, may be, e.g., a gNB-DU.

[0045] A gNB-CU may support one or multiple gNB-DUs. A gNB-DU may support one or multiple cells and, thus, could support a serving cell for a user equipment (UE) or support a candidate cell for handover, dual connectivity, and / or carrier aggregation, among other procedures.

[0046] The user equipment (UE) 150 may be or include a wireless or mobile device, an apparatus with a radio interface to interact with a RAN (radio access network), a smartphone, an in-vehicle apparatus, an loT device, or a M2M device, among other types of user equipment. Such UE 150 may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including program code; where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform certain operations, such as, e.g., RRC connection to the RAN. An example of components of a UE will be described in connection with FIG. 6. In embodiments, the UE 150 may be configured to generate a message (e.g., including a cell ID) to be transmitted via radio towards a RAN (e.g., to reach and communicate with a serving cell). In embodiments, the UE 150 may generate and transmit and receive RRC messages containing one or more RRC PDUs (packet data units). Persons skilled in the art will understand RRC protocol as well as other procedures a UE may perform.

[0047] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, in the example of a 5G NR network, the network system 100 provides one or more cells, which define a coverage area of the network system 100. As described above, the network system 100 may include a gNB of a 5G NR network or may include any other apparatus configured to control radio communication and manage radio resources within a cell. As used herein, the term “resource” may refer to radio resources, such as a resource block (RB), a physical resource block (PRB), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a sub-band, a frequency region, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. In embodiments, the network node 120 may be called a base station.

[0048] FIG. 1 provides an example and is merely illustrative of a network system 100 and a UE 150. Persons skilled in the art will understand that the network system 100 includes components not illustrated in FIG. 1 and will understand that other user equipment may be in communication with the network system 100.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of example components of the network system 100 of FIG. 1. A 5G NR network may be described as an example of the network system 100, and it is intended that aspects of the following description shall be applicable to other types of network systems, as well. The network system may operate in accordance with the signals and connections shown in FIG. 1 such that the UE 150 is in communication with the network system 100 through the radio access network 225. Additionally, the network system may be divided into user plane components and functions and control plane components and functions, as shown and described herein. Unless indicated otherwise, the terms “component”, “function”, and “service” may be used interchangeably herein, and they may refer to and be implemented by instructions executed by one or more processors.

[0050] Example functions of the components are described below. The example functions are merely illustrative, and it shall be understood that additional operations and functions may be performed by the components described herein. Additionally, the connections between components may be virtual connections over service-based interfaces such that any component may communicate with any other component. In this manner, any component may act as a service “producer,” for any other component that is a service “consumer,” to provide services for network functions.

[0051] For example, a core network 210 is described in the control plane of the network system. The core network 210 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 211, an access and mobility function (AMF) 212, and a session management function (SMF) 213. The core network 210 may also include a network slice selection function (NSSF) 214, a network exposure function (NEF) 215, a network repository function (NRF) 216, and a unified data management function (UDM) 217, which may include a uniform data repository (UDR) 224.

[0052] Additional components and functions of the core network 210 may include an application function 218, policy control function (PCF) 219, network data analytics function (NWDAF) 220, analytics data repository function (ADRF) 221, management data analytics function (MDAF) 222, and operations and management function (0AM) 223.

[0053] The user plane includes the UE 150, a radio access network (RAN) 225, a user plane function (UPF) 226, and a data network (DN) 227. The RAN 225 may include one or more components described in connection with FIG. 1, such as one or more network nodes. However, the RAN 225 may not be limited to such components. The UPF 226 provides connection for databeing transmited over the RAN 225. The DN 226 identifies services from service providers, Internet access, and third party services, for example.

[0054] The AMF 212 processes connection and mobility tasks. The AUSF 211 receives authentication requests from the AMF 212 and interacts with UDM 217 to authenticate and validate network responses for determination of successful authentication. The SMF 213 conducts packet data unit (PDU) session management, as well as manages session context with the UPF 226.

[0055] The NSSF 214 may select a network slicing instance (NSI) and determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI). This selection and determination is utilized to set the AMF 212 to provide service to the UE 150. The NEF 215 secures access to network services for third parties to create specialized network services. The NRF 216 acts as a repository to store network functions to allow the functions to register with and discover each other.

[0056] The UDM 217 generates authentication vectors for use by the AUSF 211 and ADM 212 and provides user identification handling. The UDM 217 may be connected to the UDR 224 which stores data associated with authentication, applications, or the like. The AF 218 provides application services to a user (e.g., streaming services, etc.). The PCF 219 provides policy control functionality. For example, the PCF 219 may assist in network slicing and mobility management, as well as provide quality of service (QoS) and charging functionality.

[0057] The NWDAF 220 collects data (e.g., from the UE 150 and the network system) to perform network analytics and provide insight to functions that utilize the analytics in the providing of services. The ADRF 221 allows the storage, retrieval, and removal of data and analytics by consumers. The MDAF 222 provides additional data analytics services for network functions. The 0AM 223 provides provisioning and management processing functions to manage elements in or connected to the network (e.g., UE 150, network nodes, etc.).

[0058] FIG. 2 is merely an example of components of a network system, and variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In embodiments, the network system may include other components not illustrated in FIG. 2. In embodiments, the network system may not include every component illustrated in FIG. 2. In embodiments, the components and connections may be implemented with different connections than those illustrated in FIG. 2. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] Recent advancements in wireless communication technologies, such as 5G NR, can provide fast connectivity speeds, high bandwidths, and ultra-reliable, low-latency communications. These advancements can enable a wide variety of applications and / or services.

[0060] The terms “service” and “application” may be used interchangeably herein, such that a description referring to one of the terms shall be treated as though the description also referred to the other term.

[0061] Certain services, such as extended reality (XR) applications, video streaming, cloudbased gaming, may have special traffic characteristics that are different from traditional applications. For example, one unit of information at an application level (e.g., a video frame or a video slice from an encoder) may be carried in a set of protocol data units (PDUs), which may be referred to as a PDU set.

[0062] Another special traffic characteristic of those services is that one PDU set may have a higher importance level than another PDU set at an application level. For example, a media streaming application may generate data or information in units of I-frames, B-frames, and P-frames, where each of these frames may correspond to a PDU set. An I-frame is a reference frame (a complete frame on its own). A P-frame may carry changes from a previous frame. A B- frame may carry changes between the current frame and a previous frame and / or changes between the current frame and a following frame. Because a P-frame or a B-frame may rely on a reference frame (an I-frame) for decoding, a PDU set corresponding to an I-frame may be more important than a PDU set corresponding to a P-frame or a B-frame. Furthermore, an application may use layered encoding of the data where certain information units (such as frames) form a base quality layer for the overall data stream while other information units provide enhancement quality layers on top of the base layer. The enhancement layer information units depend on the base layer. Thus, from the network perspective the PDU sets carrying the base layer information units should be treated with higher importance than the enhancement layer information units. Considering there may be different information unit (e.g., frame) and layer types also multiple importance levels may exists for PDU sets. Usually, this type of importance differentiation should impact mainly the probability of successful delivery of the PDU sets rather than for instance the delivery latency.

[0063] Accordingly, it may be desirable to add traffic characteristic awareness (e.g., XR- awareness) at a transmitter side to enhance capacity. This awareness may be achieved via several traffic assistance information. One of the traffic assistance information elements may be a PDUset importance (PSI). A PSI may identify the relative importance of a PDU set compared to other PDU sets within a quality of service (QoS) flow. That is, different PDU sets in a QoS flow can have different PSIs to impact the probability of successful delivery within the QoS flow.

[0064] In some examples, PDU set-based QoS handling in a downlink (DL) direction can be performed as defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS 23.501 V18.2.2 (2023-07) (“TS 23.501 document”) section 5.37.5.2, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. For instance, a PDU session anchor (PSA) user plane function (UPF) (e.g., at a core network) may identify PDUs that belong to PDU sets and determine PDU set information for each of the PDU sets. The PDU set information may include, for example, but is not limited to, a PDU set sequence number, an indication of an end PDU of the respective PDU set, PDU sequence numbers within a PDU set, a PDU set size in bytes, and a PSI. In some instances, the PSA UPF may send the PDU sets along with corresponding PDU set information to a respective next generation-radio access network (NG-RAN). For instance, the PSA UPF may transmit a PDU set to the NG-RAN using a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunnelling protocol (GTP) and may include the PDU set information in a GTP-user plane (GTP-U) header. The priority level associated with a QoS flow may indicate a priority in scheduling resources among QoS flows and may be used to differentiate between QoS flows of the same UE and / or from different UEs, for example, as defined in the TS 23.501 document section 5.7.3.3.

[0065] In some examples, PDU set information can be different for different PDU sets within a QoS flow.

[0066] As described above, mechanisms for differentiated protocol data unit (PDU) set handling may be employed to support XR applications. The term “PDU set” may refer to one or more PDUs carrying the payload of one unit of information generated at the application level (e.g., a video frame or video slice for XR Services). For downlink XR traffic, the detection of PDU sets may be performed by the UPF and subsequent marking of downlink packets sent to the NG-RAN by the UPF. Integrated and differentiated handling may be performed according to QoS parameters that are applicable to the group of PDUs that form a PDU set.

[0067] The AF may send a request to the NEF / PCF for the NEF / PCF to provide values for the PDU set QoS parameters and to provide information indicating the application protocol (e.g., Real- Time Transport Protocol (RTP) / Secure RTP (SRTP)), header information (e.g., frame markingheader extension), and payload type (e.g., H.264) used by the service data flow sent on the downlink to the UPF.

[0068] As used herein, the term “QoS flow” may refer to a level of granularity that differentiates QoS’s of traffic flows within or across PDU sessions, which are established logical connections within a network. Each QoS flow may be identified by the QoS parameters that describe the characteristics of the traffic flow for that QoS. Mapping packets or traffic flows to QoS flows is usually based on the layer 2 / 3 / 4 packet headers (Ethernet, IP, TCP / UDP).

[0069] As used herein, a communication with a radio access network (RAN) may refer to and mean a communication with a portion of a RAN, such as with a network node (e.g., a DU and / or a CU), or another portion of a RAN. As used herein, a communication with a core network may refer to and mean a communication with one or more services / applications of the core network, such as AMF or another service of a core network.

[0070] In order to manage QoS, PDU sets may include a PDU set importance value such that PDUs within a PDU set may be handled based upon the PDU set importance value. For example, the PDU set importance value may be utilized for downlink traffic to determine a PDU’s eligibility for discard depending on the PDU set the PDU belongs to and the PDU set importance value of that PDU set.

[0071] Further, the PDU set importance value may identify the relative importance of a PDU set compared to other PDU sets within a QoS flow. For example, the PDU set importance value may differentiate different PDU sets according to the type of application / media layer payload / attributes that are represented in the PDU set (e.g., a different PDU set importance value may be given to a PDU set with PDUs carrying I-Frames of a video datastream as opposed to a PDU set with PDUs carrying F-Frames of a video datastream, or to PDU set with PDUs carrying base quality layer information units as opposed to a PDU set with PDUs carrying enhancement quality layer information units).

[0072] Accordingly, in order to differentiate PDU sets from one another, PDUs in a PDU set may be marked with a differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) value in the transport layer (e.g., the Internet Protocol (IP) network connecting UPFs and RAN nodes). Persons skilled in the art will understand DSCP. The DSCP value marking may provide a priority level for the marked PDU and, in some example embodiments, may be included as an information element (IE) in the forwarding action rule (FAR).

[0073] The DSCP may be associated with an assured forwarding (AF) traffic class, which persons skilled in the art will understand. The DSCP allows for differentiated services to be provided based upon the DSCP value, as provided, for example, by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2597. Additionally, IETF RFC 7657, for example, describes the techniques by which real-time traffic such as RTP streams may utilize differentiated services for the AF traffic classes for QoS differentiation.

[0074] In some example embodiments, several AF classes may be defined. For example, four AF classes may be defined (designated AFlx-AF4x). Further, in some embodiments, some AF classes (e.g., higher numbered classes) may receive higher priority forwarding treatment than other AF classes (e.g., lower numbered classes).

[0075] In some examples, the PDU set importance value and DSCP marking of all PDUs in the QoS flow may be performed at the QoS flow level. That is, all PDUs within a QoS flow may include the same DSCP, which means their discard eligibility / probability is equal within the transport network. However, marking PDUs for a PDU set with a DSCP value within a QoS flow based upon the PDU set importance value may allow for PDUs of different PDU sets to be marked with different DSCPs within the same QoS flow. In this manner, drop eligibility / probability of PDUs for the backhaul network (e.g., N3 / N9 networks) may be impacted.

[0076] Accordingly, as described herein for example, a DSCP value may be assigned for each PDU set within a QoS flow based upon the PDU set importance value and the PDUs of the PDU set may be marked with the DSCP value. The DSCP value may be utilized (e.g., for transmission over the backhaul network) by prioritizing transmission of PDUs based upon the DSCP value with which they are marked.

[0077] FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example QoS flow including example PDU sets 300, according to one illustrated aspect of the disclosure. Any number of PDU sets 300 (e.g., 300a, 300b, ..., 300n) may be provided within the QoS flow. In some example embodiments, each PDU set 300 may include a number of PDUs 310 (e.g., PDU1, PDU2, ..., PDUn). Further, each PDU 310 may include a DSCP value marking 320. In various example embodiments, the DSCP value 320 marking may be included in an information element (IE) transmitted along with the PDU 310 that the DSCP value 320 marks. Persons of skill in the art will understand the including of the DSCP value 320 in an IE. The PDUs may be carried within IP transport network packets by means of tunneling in which case the DSCP IE is included in the transport network header.

[0078] As illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, PDU set 300a includes PDUs 310a. PDU set 300b includes PDUs 310b. PDU set 300n includes PDUs 3 lOn. Further, the transport network IP header associated with each PDU 310 is marked with a DSCP 320 based upon the PDU set importance value for that PDU set 300. As used herein, marking a transport network header (e.g., IP header) associated with each PDU of a PDU set with a DSCP may include generating each transport network header with an identifier indicating the assigned DSCP value included therein.

[0079] For example, PDUs 310a are marked with DSCP value 320a. PDUs 310b are marked with DSCP value 320b. PDUs 31 On are marked with DSCP value 320n. In some example embodiments, DSCP value 320a, DSCP value 320b and DSCP value 320n may include different values. Accordingly, the transmission of PDUs 310a may be handled differently at the transport level than the transmission of PDUs 3 lOn, based on the DSCP values 320 for the respective PDUs 310 notwithstanding that the PDUs 310a and PDUs 31 On are included within the same QoS flow.

[0080] For purposes of example, the use of “n” in FIG. 3 (e.g., 300n) indicates a last entity of a same reference element from element “a” (e.g., 300a). That is, there is not a set number of PDU sets 300 intended to be shown in FIG. 3, for example, between PDU set 300b and PDU set 300n.

[0081] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, flow diagrams of various operations will be described. As described below, the UPF 226 described in FIG. 2 may perform the operations described in FIGS. 4 and 5. In some example embodiments, the UPF 226 may receive information from other components, such as the SMF 213, as described below. The UPF and the SMF are merely examples, and it is contemplated that one or more operations of FIG. 4 and / or FIG. 5 may be performed by one or more other components, such as by one or more other components of the core network shown in FIG. 2.

[0082] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example method 400 of marking PDUs in a PDU set in accordance with an illustrated aspect of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, the marking of the PDUs includes marking the PDUs with a DSCP assigned for the PDU set. In block 410, a PDU set and its importance (e.g., the PDU set importance value (PSI value)) within a QoS flow are obtained. For example, as described above, each PDU set within the QoS flow includes a PDU set importance value that identifies a drop eligibility / probability for PDUs that belong to that PDU set. Referring again to FIG. 3, in various example embodiments, PDU set 300a may receive a first PDU set value, while PDU set 300b may receive a second PDU set value. In some examples, the first PDU set value may include a value that indicates a higher level of importance than thesecond PDU set value, such that the importance of the PDUs belonging to PDU set 300a is of higher importance than the PDUs belonging to PDU set 300b, and therefore the PDUs belonging to PDU set 300b may receive a higher drop eligibility / probability than PDUs belonging to PDU set 300a. That is, generally, a higher level of importance may be associated with lower drop eligibility, and a lower level of importance may be associated with higher drop eligibility.

[0083] Accordingly, in block 420, a transport network (e.g., IP network) DSCP value is assigned for each PDU set based upon the PDU set importance value for that PDU set. For example, given the case where PDU set 300a includes a higher PDU set importance value than PDU set 300b, a DSCP having a higher value as described above may be assigned to PDU set 300a than PDU set 300b. In this example, the AF drop precedence for PDUs belonging to PDU set 300b may include a higher probability for being dropped than PDUs belonging to PDU set 300a, even though both PDU sets 300a and 300b are included in the same QoS flow.

[0084] In various example embodiments, the DSCP value for PDUs of a PDU set may be assigned based on a determination of the PDU set importance value (e.g., as determined by the UPF 226 described in FIG. 2), where a mapping is applied from the PDU set importance value to assign the DSCP value (e.g., AF41, AF42, AF43). In various example embodiments, a forwarding action rule (FAR) may indicate that DSCP marking is to be performed based on the PDU set importance as determined by, for example, the UPF 226 described in FIG. 2.

[0085] In other example embodiments, the DSCP values may be predefined as to an AF class (e.g., AF4x). The drop precedence for PDUs of that PDU set may then be set (e.g., AF41, AF42, AF43) based upon the PDU set importance value of that PDU set, where AF41 may indicate a higher importance PDU than AF42, and so on. In this example, the FAR may indicate that the DSCP is to be assigned as to the AF class described above, while the UPF 226 described in FIG. 2 applies the mapping within the AF class (e.g., AF41, AF42, AF43) based upon the PDU set importance value of that PDU set.

[0086] Once the DSCP value for the PDU set is assigned, in block 430, the IP transport network header related to each PDU set is marked with the DSCP value that is assigned for the PDU set for which the PDU belongs. For example, PDUs 310a of PDU set 300a may be marked with a first DSCP value and PDUs 310b may be marked with a second DSCP value. The first DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310a than the second DSCP value may indicate for PDUs 310b of PDU set 310b. However, the above is provided for example purposesonly, and in some examples, the second DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310b than the first DSCP value for PDUs 310a.

[0087] In block 440, the transmission of PDUs may be prioritized based upon the DSCP value for the PDU set for which the PDUs belong. For example, where the first DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310a than the second DSCP value may indicate for PDUs 310b of PDU set 310b as described above, PDUs 310a may receive a higher priority for transmission (e.g., at the transport layer) than PDUs 310b. Further, the drop precedence for PDUs 310a may be lower than the drop precedence for PDUs 310b. Accordingly, PDUs 310b may be subject to a higher probability of being dropped during transmission than PDUs 310a.

[0088] The operations of FIG. 4 are merely illustrative, and variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In embodiments, the operations may include other blocks not illustrated in FIG. 4. In embodiments, the operations may not include every block illustrated in FIG. 4. In embodiments, the operations may be implemented in a different order than that illustrated in FIG. 4. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Persons of skill in the art will appreciate that, although various example components are described as perform various functions, other components may perform those functions described in the method 400.

[0089] In additional example embodiments, the PDU set importance value may be set based upon a predefined knowledge of the importance of the PDU set. For example, the PDU set importance may be provided by the application function 218. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example method 500 of marking PDUs in a PDU set in accordance with another illustrated aspect of the disclosure. In particular, the example method 500 may include deriving the DSCP marking from a PDU set importance that is already specified in the PDU set, e.g., specified in a header field carried in the PDU set, such as a header field in a real-time transport protocol (RTP) header extension.

[0090] In various example embodiments, the SMF 213 may derive the transport DSCP marking from the PDU set importance value for a given PDU set, communicate it to UPF 226 and the UPF 226 marks this DSCP in the downlink packets (e.g., N3 / N9 interface) correspondingly. The SMF 213 may be configured with the necessary information based on subscription information of the UE (e.g., UE 150) for a given Data Network Name (DNN), Single-Network Slice SelectionAssistance Information (S-NSSAI), application, local policies or policies provided by the PCF 219, for example.

[0091] In other various example embodiments, the application function 218 may provide the 5GS (NEF / PCF) a list of importance values used by an application. The SMF 213, upon receiving this information as part of the PCC rule, may use the PDU set importance values to derive the DSCPs and provide the UPF 226 a mapping from the Application importance values to the DSCPs. The SMF 213 may indicate to the UPF 226 that the UPF 226 utilize PDU set importance values directly from the protocol description specific protocol header (e.g., the SA4 RTP PDU set header extension importance field).

[0092] In block 510, a transport network (e.g., IP network) DSCP value is assigned for each PDU set based upon the PDU set importance value specified for that PDU set. Similar to method 400 above, for example, given the case where PDU set 300a includes a higher PDU set importance value than PDU set 300b, a DSCP having a higher value as described above may be assigned to PDU set 300a than PDU set 300b. In this example, the AF drop precedence for PDUs belonging to PDU set 300b may include a higher probability for being dropped than PDUs belonging to PDU set 300a, even though both PDU sets 300a and 300b are included in the same QoS flow.

[0093] In various example embodiments, a FAR may indicate that DSCP marking is to be performed based on the PDU set importance as determined by, for example, the UPF 226 described in FIG. 2. In additional various example embodiments, a QoS Enforcement Rule (QER) may provide specific mapping rules. For example, an importance value of 0-5 may be mapped to AF43, an importance value of 6-11 may be mapped to AF42 and / or an importance value of 12-15 may be mapped to AF41. These rules are exemplary only and a person skilled in the art will understand that variations of these mappings may be utilized.

[0094] For example, where the SMF 213 provides the rules, knows or controls the importance value assignment by the UPF 226, the UPF 226 may utilize the importance values set by the application (e.g., in the RTP PDU set Header extension). In other various example embodiments, the QER may indicates that UPF 226 perform the importance determination based on the importance header according to the protocol description. This may apply, for example, to the protocol description RTP / SRTP + RTP PDU set Header Extension (or any protocol / header which has an explicit importance value.

[0095] In additional various example embodiments, the application function 218 may provide a list of importance values used by the application. The SMF 213, upon receiving this information as part of the PCC rule, may utilize the information to provide the UPF 226 a mapping from the Application importance values to the DSCPs. As described above, the SMF 213 may be configured with the necessary information based on UE’s (e.g., UE 150) subscription information for a given DNN, S-NSSAI, application, local policies or policies provided by PCF for a given application.

[0096] Once the DSCP value for the PDU set is assigned, in block 520, the IP transport network header related to each PDU set is marked with the DSCP value that is assigned for the PDU set for which the PDU belongs. For example, similar to method 400, PDUs 310a of PDU set 300a may be marked with a first DSCP value and PDUs 310b may be marked with a second DSCP value. The first DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310a than the second DSCP value may indicate for PDUs 310b of PDU set 310b. However, the above is provided for example purposes only, and in some examples, the second DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310b than the first DSCP value for PDUs 310a.

[0097] In block 530, the transmission of PDUs may be prioritized based upon the DSCP value for the PDU set for which the PDUs belong. For example, where the first DSCP value may indicate a higher prioritization for PDUs 310a than the second DSCP value may indicate for PDUs 310b of PDU set 310b as described above, PDUs 310a may receive a higher priority for transmission (e.g., at the transport layer) than PDUs 310b. Further, the drop precedence for PDUs 310a may be lower than the drop precedence for PDUs 310b. Accordingly, PDUs 310b may be subject to a higher probability of being dropped during transmission than PDUs 310a.

[0098] The operations of FIG. 5 are merely illustrative, and variations are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. In embodiments, the operations may include other blocks not illustrated in FIG. 5. In embodiments, the operations may not include every block illustrated in FIG. 5. In embodiments, the operation may be implemented in a different order than that illustrated in FIG. 5. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Persons of skill in the art will appreciate that, although various example components are described as perform various functions, other components may perform those functions described in the method 400.

[0099] Accordingly, utilizing method 400 and / or 500, transport level marking may operate as function of the PDU set importance within a QoS flow and performed on a PDU set basis withinthe QoS flow. Different importance values can be extended to the backhaul transport level (e.g., N3 / N9) with different Assured Forwarding (AF) drop precedence. Furthermore, different PDU sets can be assigned different DSCP marking values and therefore prioritized differently in the transport level based on PDU set importance. Appropriate handling for a given application PDU that belongs to a PDU set may be performed dynamically as opposed to it being based on a static configuration (e.g. in the UPF) which may not suit all the applications. Individual PDUs may be mapped to separate QoS flows or the same QoS flow.

[0100] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a block diagram of example components of a UE or a network apparatus (e.g., of a RAN or a core network). The apparatus includes an electronic storage 610, a processor 620, a network interface 640, and a memory 650. The various components may be communicatively coupled with each other. The processor 620 may be and may include any type of processor, such as a single-core central processing unit (CPU), a multi-core CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a System-on-Chip (SoC), or any other type of processor. The memory 650 may be a volatile type of memory, e.g., RAM, or a non-volatile type of memory, e.g., NAND flash memory. The memory 650 includes processor-readable instructions that are executable by the processor 620 to cause the apparatus to perform various operations, including those mentioned herein, such as the operations of FIGS. 4-5.

[0101] The electronic storage 610 may be and include any type of electronic storage used for storing data, such as hard disk drive, solid state drive, optical disc, and / or other non-transitory computer-readable mediums, among other types of electronic storage. The electronic storage 1010 stores processor-readable instructions for causing or configured for causing the apparatus to perform its operations and also stores data associated with such operations, such as storing data relating to 5G NR standards, among other data. The network interface 640 may implement wireless networking technologies such as 5G NR and / or other wireless networking technologies.

[0102] The components shown in FIG. 6 are merely examples, and persons skilled in the art will understand that an apparatus includes other components not illustrated and may include multiples of any of the illustrated components. Such and other embodiments are contemplated to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0103] Further embodiments of the present disclosure include the following examples.

[0104] Example 1.1. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining a first packet data unit (PDU) set importance value of a first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow; means for assigning a first differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) value for the first PDU set based on the first PDU set importance value; means for marking a header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set with the assigned first DSCP value; and means for prioritizing transmission of PDUs of first the PDU set based on the assigned first DSCP value.

[0105] Example 1.2. The apparatus of example 1.1, wherein a second PDU set within the QoS flow includes a second PDU set importance value.

[0106] Example 1.3. The apparatus of example 1.2, wherein the first PDU set importance value indicates a lower discard eligibility than the second PDU set importance value.

[0107] Example 1.4. The apparatus of example 1.2-1.3, further comprising means for assigning a second DSCP value for the second PDU set.

[0108] Example 1.5. The apparatus of example 1.4, wherein the first DSCP value includes a lower drop precedence for PDUs than the second DSCP value.

[0109] Example 1.6. The apparatus of example 1.4-1.5, wherein the marking the header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set includes marking an IP header of the each transport network packet with the first DSCP value.

[0110] Example 1.7. The apparatus of example 1.4-1.6, further comprising means for marking a header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the second PDU set with the second DSCP value.

[0111] Example 1.8. The apparatus of example 1.4-1.7 wherein the prioritizing transmission includes prioritizing transmission of PDUs of the first PDU set over PDUs of the second PDU set at the transport level.

[0112] Example 1.9. The apparatus of example 1.8 wherein the transport level includes an N3 or N9 transport layer.

[0113] Example 1.10. The apparatus as in any preceding example wherein the assigning the first DSCP value is based upon a Forwarding Action Rule (FAR).

[0114] Example 1.11. The apparatus of example 1.10, wherein the marking the header of each transport network packet is performed by a user plane function (UPF), and wherein the FAR is received from a session management function (SMF).

[0115] Example 1.12. The apparatus of example 1.11, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF.

[0116] Example 1.13. The apparatus of example 1.12, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using an assured forwarding (AF) traffic class.

[0117] Example 1.14. The apparatus of example 1.11, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using a mapping between PDU set importance and DSCP values.

[0118] Example 1.15. The apparatus of example 1.14, wherein the mapping is contained in a QoS enforcement rule (QER).

[0119] Example 1.16. The apparatus of example 1.1-1.15, wherein the obtaining the first PDU set importance value of the first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow comprises means for determining the first PDU set importance value based on a value of a PDU set importance header field in the PDU set.

[0120] Example 1.17. The apparatus of example 1.16, wherein the PDU set importance header field in a PDU set is a field in a real-time transport protocol (RTP) header extension.

[0121] The embodiments and aspects disclosed herein are examples of the present disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each of the embodiments herein may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments herein. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements throughout the description of the figures.

[0122] The phrases “in an aspect,” “in aspects,” “in various aspects,” “in some aspects,” or “in other aspects” may each refer to one or more of the same or different aspects in accordance with this present disclosure. The phrase “a plurality of’ may refer to two or more.

[0123] The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in embodiments,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” or “in other embodiments” may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure. A phrase in the form “A or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” A phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, or C” means “(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”

[0124] Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes may be converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computer program. The terms “programming language” and “computer program,” as used herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languages and their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, Python, scripting languages, Visual Basic, metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Also included are database and other data schemas, and any other meta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which are interpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches. No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming language could exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, or linked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to a program may encompass the actual instructions and / or the intent of those instructions.

[0125] While aspects of the present disclosure have been shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the present disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular aspects. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method, comprising: obtaining a first packet data unit (PDU) set importance value of a first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow; assigning a first differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) value for the first PDU set based on the first PDU set importance value; marking a header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set with the assigned first DSCP value; and prioritizing transmission of PDUs of first the PDU set based on the assigned first DSCP value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a second PDU set within the QoS flow includes a second PDU set importance value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first PDU set importance value indicates a lower discard eligibility than the second PDU set importance value.

4. The method of claim 2 or claim 3, further comprising assigning a second DSCP value for the second PDU set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first DSCP value includes a lower drop precedence for PDUs than the second DSCP value.

6. The method of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the marking the header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the first PDU set includes marking an IP header of the each transport network packet with the first DSCP value.

7. The method of any of claims 4-6, further comprising marking a header of each transport network packet carrying a PDU of the second PDU set with the second DSCP value.

8. The method of any of claims 4-7 wherein the prioritizing transmission includes prioritizing transmission of PDUs of the first PDU set over PDUs of the second PDU set at the transport level.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the transport level includes an N3 or N9 transport layer.

10. The method as in any preceding claim wherein the assigning the first DSCP value is based upon a Forwarding Action Rule (FAR).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the marking the header of each transport network packet is performed by a user plane function (UPF), and wherein the FAR is received from a session management function (SMF).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using an assured forwarding (AF) traffic class.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the FAR indicates that the assigning the first DSCP value based on the first PDU set importance value is to be performed based on a determination of the UPF using a mapping between PDU set importance and DSCP values.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the mapping is contained in a QoS enforcement rule (QER).

16. The method of any of claims 1-15, wherein the obtaining the first PDU set importance value of the first PDU set within a quality of service (QoS) flow comprises determiningthe first PDU set importance value based on a value of a PDU set importance header field in the PDU set.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the PDU set importance header field in a PDU set is a field in a real-time transport protocol (RTP) header extension.

18. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a method as in any of claims 1-17.

19. A processor-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus at least to perform a method as in any one of claims 1-17.

Images