Communication method and apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The communication method comprises: in response to the timeout of a first timer, re-transmitting a radio link control (RLC) protocol data unit (PDU), wherein the first timer is started in response to an RLC entity receiving an SDU; or, in response to the timeout of a second timer, sending a status report, wherein the second timer is configured on the basis of a service corresponding to the RLC entity. The present application provides a solution that reduces the transmission delay of an RLC PDU.

Description

Communication method and device, and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on March 8, 2024, with application number 202410267192.6 and invention name “Communication method and device, computer-readable storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] The Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol layer has three modes: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM) and Acknowledged Mode (AM). In the transparent mode, the RLC transmitter delivers the RLC Service Data Unit (SDU) as an RLC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) to the underlying protocol layer without any processing. RLC SDU refers to the PDU from the upper protocol layer. In the unacknowledged mode, the RLC transmitter adds an RLC header to the RLC SDU and performs possible segmentation operations to generate an RLC PDU and deliver it to the underlying protocol layer. In the unacknowledged mode, there is no need to ensure that every RLC PDU can be transmitted successfully. In the acknowledged mode, the RLC transmitter adds an RLC header to the RLC SDU and performs possible segmentation and retransmission operations to ensure that every RLC PDU can be transmitted successfully.

[0004] In acknowledged mode, at the receiving end, when there is a gap (i.e., discontinuity) between the sequence numbers (SN) of the received RLC PDUs, a timer is started. After the timer expires, the receiving end sends a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) status report to the transmitting end, indicating the RLC PDUs that were successfully and unsuccessfully received in the status report. The transmitting end can retransmit the RLC PDU based on the content of the status report until each RLC PDU is successfully transmitted. When the retransmission of the RLC PDU reaches the maximum number of retransmissions, a failure is triggered.

[0005] However, the timer will only start when there is a gap between the sequence numbers of the received RLC PDUs, resulting in slow RLC PDU reception confirmation, which in turn limits the transmission speed of RLC PDUs. For data packets with a small delay budget, it is difficult to ensure fast and timely data transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, and a solution for reducing the transmission delay of RLC PDU.

[0007] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: retransmitting a radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to a first timer expiring, wherein the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; or sending a status report in response to a second timer expiring, wherein the second timer is based on a service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0009] Optionally, the duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0010] Optionally, the duration of the first timer is the difference between the remaining time and a preset threshold.

[0011] Optionally, in response to the first timer expiring, before retransmitting the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU, the method further includes: receiving first signaling, where the first signaling includes the duration of the first timer.

[0012] Optionally, in response to the first timer expiring, before retransmitting the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU, the method also includes: receiving first information for the RLC entity, the first information indicating the configuration of an automatic retransmission function, and the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

[0013] Optionally, the communication method further includes: receiving second information for the RLC entity, where the second information indicates whether to turn off or on an automatic retransmission function.

[0014] Optionally, the communication method further includes: stopping the first timer in response to successful transmission of the RLC PDU; or, stopping the first timer in response to the state of the RLC PDU automatic retransmission function being off; or, stopping the first timer in response to cell switching being performed.

[0015] Optionally, the retransmitting of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit (PDU) includes: automatically retransmitting an important RLC PDU, or automatically retransmitting an RLC PDU with a high importance level and / or a medium importance level. Further, only starting a first timer for an RLC SDU with a high importance level and / or a medium importance level.

[0016] Optionally, the communication method further includes: the RLC entity obtains the importance level of the RLC PDU through information in the RLC SDU header.

[0017] Optionally, the retransmitting the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU includes: performing retransmission of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU when the wireless network is not congested.

[0018] Optionally, the retransmitting a radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU further includes: retransmitting all segments in the RLC PDU that were not successfully transmitted.

[0019] Optionally, the duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter time of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet and data packet delay budget.

[0020] Optionally, before sending the status report, the method further includes: receiving third information for the RLC entity, where the third information includes the start position and / or duration of the second timer.

[0021] Optionally, the communication method further includes: receiving fourth information for the RLC entity, the fourth information including an adjustment amount of the start position of the second timer.

[0022] Optionally, the status report includes: the reception status of all or part of the RLC PDUs in the reception buffer of the current RLC entity, and the reception status of the RLC PDU is successful reception or unsuccessful reception.

[0023] Optionally, the status report includes one or more of the following: first indication information, used to indicate that the maximum received RLC sequence number is empty; second indication information, used to indicate the reception status of the RLC PDU of each received data cluster; third indication information, used to indicate the reception status of the RLC PDU of each received data packet set.

[0024] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a communication method, which includes: receiving a retransmitted RLC PDU, wherein the RLC PDU is retransmitted in response to a first timer expiration, and the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; or, receiving a status report, wherein the status report is sent in response to a second timer expiration, and the second timer is based on the service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0025] Optionally, the duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0026] Optionally, before receiving the retransmitted RLC PDU, the method further includes: sending a first signaling, where the first signaling includes the duration of the first timer.

[0027] Optionally, before receiving the retransmitted RLC PDU, the method further includes: sending first information for the RLC entity, where the first information indicates configuring an automatic retransmission function, and the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

[0028] Optionally, the duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter time of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet and data packet delay budget.

[0029] Optionally, before receiving the status report, at least one of the following items is also included: sending third information to the RLC entity, the third information including the start position and / or duration of the second timer; sending fourth information to the RLC entity, the fourth information including the adjustment amount of the start position of the second timer.

[0030] In a third aspect, the present application also discloses a communication device, which includes: a communication module for retransmitting a radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to a first timer expiring, wherein the first timer is initiated in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; or, the communication module sends a status report in response to a second timer expiring, wherein the second timer is based on the service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, the present application also discloses a communication device, which includes: a communication module for receiving a retransmitted RLC PDU, wherein the RLC PDU is retransmitted in response to a first timer timing out, and the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; or, the communication module receives a status report, wherein the status report is sent in response to a second timer timing out, and the second timer is based on the service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. The computer program is executed by a processor to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor runs the computer program to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0034] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and the processor runs the computer program to execute any one of the methods provided in the second aspect.

[0035] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0036] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the above-mentioned terminal device and the above-mentioned network device.

[0037] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip (or a data transmission device) on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by the chip, the steps of the above method are implemented.

[0038] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a system chip for use in a terminal, wherein the chip system includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit and the at least one processor are interconnected through lines, and the at least one processor is used to execute instructions to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0039] Compared with the existing technology, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0040] In the technical solution of the present application, in response to the expiration of the first timer, the terminal device retransmits the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU, and the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU. In the technical solution of the present application, the terminal device, as the transmitting end, can automatically retransmit the RLC PDU according to the first timer before receiving the status report, which can achieve the fastest retransmission of the RLC PDU, improve the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reduce the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with high requirements on delay and reliability.

[0041] In the technical solution of the present application, in response to the expiration of the second timer, the terminal device sends a status report, and the second timer is based on the service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity. In the technical solution of the present application, the terminal device, as the receiving end, sends a status report through the second timer. Since the second timer is based on the service configuration corresponding to the RLC entity, the second timer can realize the early reporting of the status report, so that the transmitting end can retransmit the RLC PDU based on the status report as soon as possible, realize the early retransmission of the RLC PDU, improve the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reduce the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with high requirements for delay and reliability.

[0042] Furthermore, the duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. Since the remaining time indicated by the PDCP layer represents the latency requirement of the PDCP PDU, the technical solution of the present application determines the duration of the first timer based on the remaining time indicated by the PDCP layer, enabling the RLC PDU to meet the PDCP latency requirement while achieving the fastest retransmission.

[0043] Furthermore, the duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter time of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet, and data packet delay budget. The technical solution of the present application determines the duration of the second timer based on the service parameters corresponding to the RLC entity, thereby ensuring that the status report is sent within the service delay requirements and thus enabling retransmission of the RLC PDU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG1 is an interactive flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG2 is an interactive flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG3 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG4 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG5 is an interaction flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG6 is an interactive flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The communication systems to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable include, but are not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, fifth-generation (5G) systems, new radio (NR) systems, and future evolution systems or multiple communication convergence systems. Among them, the 5G system can be a non-standalone (NSA) 5G system or a standalone (SA) 5G system. The technical solution of the present application is also applicable to different network architectures, including but not limited to a relay network architecture, a dual-connection architecture, a vehicle-to-everything communication architecture, and the like.

[0053] This application mainly relates to the communication between terminal devices and network devices. Among them:

[0054] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as an access network device. The network device is a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions. For example, in the second generation (2nd-Generation, 2G) network, the device providing the base station function includes a base transceiver station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS), in the third generation (3rd-Generation, 3G) network, the device providing the base station function includes a node B (NodeB), in the fourth generation (4th-Generation, 4G) network, the device providing the base station function includes an evolved node B (evolved NodeB, eNB), in the wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN), the device providing the base station function is an access point (Access Point, AP), and the device providing the base station function in NR is the next generation Node Base station (gNB), and the further evolved node B (ng-eNB), wherein the gNB and the terminal device communicate using NR technology, and the ng-eNB and the terminal device communicate using Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) technology, and both gNB and ng-eNB can be connected to the 5G core network. The network device in the embodiment of the present application also includes a device that provides a base station function in a future new communication system, etc.

[0055] The terminal equipment in the embodiments of the present application may refer to various forms of access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobile stations (MS), remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user devices. The terminal equipment may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The terminal equipment may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), a terminal, etc.

[0056] As described in the background, the timer only starts when there are gaps between the sequence numbers of received RLC PDUs, resulting in slow RLC PDU reception confirmation, which in turn limits the transmission speed of RLC PDUs. For data packets with a small delay budget, it is difficult to ensure fast and timely data transmission.

[0057] For example, the Extended Reality (XR) service has a large amount of data, high latency requirements, and high reliability requirements. The existing RLC transmission mode is difficult to meet the QoS requirements of this service.

[0058] In the technical solution of the present application, the terminal device acts as a transmitter and can automatically retransmit the RLC PDU according to the first timer before receiving the status report, which can realize the retransmission of the RLC PDU as soon as possible, improve the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reduce the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with higher requirements on delay and reliability.

[0059] In the technical solution of the present application, the terminal device acts as a receiving end and sends a status report through a second timer. Since the second timer is configured based on the service corresponding to the RLC entity, the second timer can realize early reporting of the status report, so that the sending end can retransmit the RLC PDU based on the status report as soon as possible, realize the fastest retransmission of the RLC PDU, improve the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reduce the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with higher requirements on delay and reliability.

[0060] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] Referring to FIG1 , the method provided in this application specifically includes the following steps:

[0062] Step 101: In response to the first timer expiring, the terminal device retransmits the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU.

[0063] Step 102: In response to the second timer expiring, sending a status report.

[0064] It should be noted that the serial numbers of the steps in this embodiment do not limit the execution order of the steps.

[0065] It is understood that, in a specific implementation, the communication method can be implemented in the form of a software program, which runs in a processor integrated within a chip or chip module. The method can also be implemented in the form of software combined with hardware, which is not limited in this application.

[0066] In this embodiment, the terminal device may selectively execute step 101 or step 102 .

[0067] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present application, the terminal device acts as a transmitter of the RLC PDU and executes step 101.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 2 for details. The terminal device serves as the transmitter of the RLC PDU, and the network device serves as the receiver of the RLC PDU.

[0069] In step 201, the terminal device sends a certain RLC PDU to the network device.

[0070] In step 202, in response to the expiration of the first timer, the terminal device retransmits the RLC PDU to the network device. The first timer is initiated in response to the RLC entity receiving the corresponding RLC SDU. The first timer in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a retransmission timer. The RLC PDU is generated based on the RLC SDU. Upon receiving each RLC SDU, the RLC entity initiates a first timer corresponding to the RLC SDU.

[0071] In step 203, the network device sends a status report to the terminal device.

[0072] Specifically, the network device may trigger the sending of the status report according to an existing timer. If the network device successfully receives all RLC PDUs, the network device does not send the status report. If the network device fails to successfully receive all RLC PDUs, the network device sends the status report.

[0073] Further, in response to receiving the status report, the terminal device retransmits the RLC PDU to the network device.

[0074] In this embodiment, the terminal device can automatically retransmit the RLC PDU according to the first timer before receiving the status report, which can achieve the fastest retransmission of the RLC PDU, improve the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reduce the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with higher requirements on delay and reliability.

[0075] In a specific embodiment, the duration of the first timer is determined based on a remaining time value indicated by a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0076] Specifically, the RLC entity receives a PDCP PDU from the PDCP layer, that is, an RLC SDU. The PDCP layer may indicate a remaining time, where the remaining time indicates that the PDCP PDU must be successfully transmitted within the time period.

[0077] Furthermore, the remaining time may be the remaining time before a discard timer of the PDCP PDU times out. The transmitter of the PDCP layer starts a discard timer for the PDCP SDU after receiving the PDCP SDU, and discards the PDCP SDU after the discard timer times out.

[0078] More specifically, the duration of the first timer is the difference between the remaining time and a preset threshold, wherein the value of the preset threshold may be 0. In this case, the duration of the first timer is the remaining time.

[0079] It should be noted that the specific value of the preset threshold can be configured by the network device or specified by the communication standard protocol, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0080] In another specific embodiment, the network device configures the duration of the first timer for the terminal device through a first signaling. The first signaling carries the duration of the first timer.

[0081] In another specific embodiment, the duration of the first timer can be set by the terminal device itself. For example, the terminal device sets the duration of the first timer according to the service corresponding to the RLC entity. The specific implementation method is not limited in this application.

[0082] In a specific embodiment, the network device may configure an automatic retransmission function for the terminal device.

[0083] In another specific embodiment, the network device acts as the transmitter of the RLC PDU, and the terminal device acts as the receiver of the RLC PDU to implement the functions of step 201, step 202, and step 203.

[0084] 3 , in step 301, the network device sends first information for an RLC entity to the terminal device, wherein the first information indicates configuration of an automatic retransmission function, and the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

[0085] When the default state of the automatic retransmission function is off, the terminal device executes step 302, step 303 and step 304 in sequence.

[0086] In step 302, the network device sends second information for the RLC entity to the terminal device. The second information indicates to enable the automatic retransmission function.

[0087] In step 303, the terminal device sends an RLC PDU to the network device.

[0088] In step 304, in response to the first timer expiring, the terminal device retransmits the RLC PDU to the network device. Step 304 is performed when the automatic retransmission function is enabled. If the automatic retransmission function is disabled, step 304 is not performed.

[0089] When the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on, the terminal device sequentially executes steps 303 and 304. Furthermore, the network device may selectively execute step 302, that is, selectively send the second information. The second information indicates that the automatic retransmission function is turned off.

[0090] In a specific embodiment, the terminal device may stop the first timer when a certain condition is met.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 4 , in step 401 , the terminal device sends an RLC PDU to the network device.

[0092] In step 402, in response to the first timer expiring, the terminal device retransmits the RLC PDU to the network device. The first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the RLC SDU corresponding to the RLC PDU.

[0093] In step 403, the terminal device stops the corresponding first timer in response to the successful transmission of the RLC PDU; or, stops the first timer in response to the status of the RLC PDU automatic retransmission function being off; or, stops the first timer in response to performing cell switching.

[0094] Specifically, the terminal device can stop the first timer when confirming that the RLC PDU transmission is successful. For example, if the terminal device receives ACK feedback for a certain RLC PDU from the receiving end or receives ACK feedback for all segments of the RLC PDU, it stops the first timer corresponding to the RLC PDU.

[0095] Specifically, if the automatic retransmission function of the RLC entity is stopped, all first timers corresponding to the RLC entity are stopped. For example, when the network is congested or the network side notifies the terminal device to turn off the automatic retransmission function, the terminal device stops the first timer.

[0096] More specifically, the network side may indicate the congestion status of the wireless network to the terminal device through signaling, where the congestion status is congested or non-congested.

[0097] Specifically, when the terminal device performs cell switching, the terminal device stops all first timers.

[0098] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the retransmission of the RLC PDU in the aforementioned embodiment may refer to automatic retransmission of important RLC PDUs, or automatic retransmission of RLC PDUs with high and / or medium importance levels.

[0099] Furthermore, the RLC entity obtains the importance level of the RLC PDU through information in the RLC SDU header. That is, the RLC entity can receive an importance indication of the PDU from an upper layer. The importance indication is used to indicate whether the RLC SDU's importance level is high, medium, or low, or whether the RLC SDU is an important PDU or a non-important PDU. This importance indication is carried in the RLC SDU header.

[0100] In another specific embodiment of the present application, the retransmission of the RLC PDU in the aforementioned embodiment may refer to retransmission of all segments in the RLC PDU that have not been successfully transmitted.

[0101] In another specific embodiment of the present application, the retransmission of the RLC PDU in the aforementioned embodiment may be performed when the wireless network is not congested, so as to avoid the impact of network congestion on the XR service and further reduce the latency.

[0102] In another non-limiting embodiment of the present application, the terminal device acts as a receiving end of the RLC PDU and executes step 102 shown in Figure 1.

[0103] In another specific embodiment, the network device acts as the transmitter of the RLC PDU, and the terminal device acts as the receiver of the RLC PDU to implement the functions of step 401, step 402, and step 403.

[0104] Please refer to Figure 5 for details. The terminal device serves as the receiving end of the RLC PDU, and the network device serves as the sending end of the RLC PDU.

[0105] In step 501, the network device sends an RLC PDU to the terminal device.

[0106] In step 502, in response to the expiration of the second timer, the terminal device sends a status report to the network device. The second timer is configured based on the service corresponding to the RLC entity. In other words, the second timer can trigger the reporting of the status report.

[0107] Specifically, the status report includes the reception status of the RLC PDU, that is, the reception status of all or part of the RLC PDUs in the reception buffer of the current RLC entity. The reception status of the RLC PDU is successful reception or unsuccessful reception.

[0108] Furthermore, the status report may include one or more of the following:

[0109] The first indication information is used to indicate that the maximum received RLC sequence number is followed by a space, so that the transmitting end can more comprehensively understand the reception status of the RLC PDU;

[0110] Second indication information is used to indicate the reception status of each received RLC PDU of a data burst, so that the transmitting end can understand the reception status of the RLC PDU at the data burst level;

[0111] The third indication information is used to indicate the reception status of the RLC PDU of each received data packet set (PDU set), so that the transmitting end can understand the reception status of the RLC PDU at the data set level.

[0112] In practice, XR data can be divided into data bursts and packet data unit sets (PDU sets). A data burst can contain one or more PDU sets. A PDU set can correspond to a frame or slice of video data.

[0113] Specifically, the header of the last packet of the data cluster received by the terminal device includes an end identifier for indicating the end of the data cluster. The second indication information may indicate the reception status of the RLC PDU of the second to last data cluster received by the terminal device.

[0114] Specifically, the header of the last packet of the data packet set received by the terminal device contains an end identifier, which is used to indicate the end of the data packet set. The third indication information can indicate the second to last data packet set received by the terminal device.

[0115] 5 , in step 503 , the network device retransmits the RLC PDU to the terminal device. That is, in response to receiving the status report, the network device retransmits the RLC PDU.

[0116] In this embodiment, the terminal device sends a status report through the second timer. Since the second timer is configured based on the service corresponding to the RLC entity, the status report can be reported as early as possible through the second timer, so that the sending end can retransmit the RLC PDU based on the status report as soon as possible, thereby realizing the retransmission of the RLC PDU as soon as possible, improving the transmission success rate of the RLC PDU and reducing the transmission delay, thereby meeting the needs of services with higher requirements on delay and reliability.

[0117] In another specific embodiment, the network device acts as the receiving end of the RLC PDU, and the terminal device acts as the sending end of the RLC PDU to implement the functions of step 501, step 502, and step 503.

[0118] Furthermore, the duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter range of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet, and packet delay budget.

[0119] In a specific embodiment, the duration of the second timer may be configured by the network device for the terminal device.

[0120] In step 601, the network device sends third information for the RLC entity to the terminal device. The third information includes the start position and / or duration of the second timer.

[0121] For example, the network device sets the duration of the second timer and the periodic start position according to the jitter time of the service data packet, the arrival time of the data packet and the data packet delay budget, and sends it to the terminal device through the third information.

[0122] In step 603, the network device sends an RLC PDU to the terminal device.

[0123] In step 604, in response to the second timer expiring, the terminal device sends a status report to the network device. The second timer is configured based on the service corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0124] In step 605, the network device retransmits the RLC PDU to the terminal device.

[0125] Furthermore, step 602 may be performed, where the network device sends fourth information for the RLC entity to the terminal device. The fourth information includes an adjustment value for the start position of the second timer. The sending order of step 602 is not limited by the position in the process of FIG6 .

[0126] In this embodiment, the network device can adjust the starting position of the second timer, and the network side indicates the adjustment amount of the starting position of the second timer through the fourth information. The adjustment amount can be a positive or negative number, and can be effective for a single adjustment of the starting position of the second timer or a periodic adjustment of the starting position of the second timer.

[0127] Specifically, the fourth information can be carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, MAC CE, and downlink control information (DCI), and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0128] In another specific embodiment, the network device serves as a receiving end of the RLC PDU and the terminal device serves as a transmitting end of the RLC PDU, and the duration of the second timer can be configured by the network device itself. The terminal device receives a status report from the network device and sends the RLC PDU to the network device.

[0129] For more specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0130] Please refer to FIG. 7 , which shows a communication device 70. The communication device 70 may include:

[0131] The communication module 701 is configured to retransmit a radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to a first timer expiring, where the first timer is started in response to an RLC entity receiving an SDU.

[0132] Alternatively, the communication module 701 sends a status report in response to expiration of a second timer, where the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0133] Furthermore, the duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0134] Furthermore, the communication module 701 receives a first signaling, where the first signaling includes the duration of a first timer.

[0135] Furthermore, the communication module 701 receives first information for the RLC entity, where the first information indicates configuration of an automatic retransmission function, and the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

[0136] Furthermore, the communication module 701 receives second information for the RLC entity, where the second information indicates whether to disable or enable the automatic retransmission function.

[0137] Furthermore, the communication module 701 automatically retransmits important RLC PDUs, or automatically retransmits RLC PDUs with a high importance level and / or a medium importance level.

[0138] Furthermore, the communication module 701 performs retransmission of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU when the wireless network is not congested.

[0139] Furthermore, the communication module 701 retransmits all segments in the RLC PDU that have not been successfully transmitted.

[0140] Furthermore, the communication device 70 also includes: a processing module, used to stop the first timer in response to successful RLC PDU transmission; or, in response to the status of the RLC PDU automatic retransmission function being off, stop the first timer; or, in response to cell switching being performed, stop the first timer.

[0141] Furthermore, the communication module 701 receives third information for the RLC entity, where the third information includes a start position and / or duration of the second timer.

[0142] Furthermore, fourth information for the RLC entity is received, where the fourth information includes an adjustment amount for a start position of the second timer.

[0143] In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned communication device 70 can correspond to a chip with communication function in the terminal equipment, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a baseband chip, etc.; or correspond to a chip module with communication function in the terminal equipment; or correspond to a chip module with a data processing function chip, or correspond to the terminal equipment.

[0144] In another non-limiting embodiment, the communication module 701 is configured to receive a retransmitted RLC PDU, where the RLC PDU is retransmitted in response to a first timer expiring, and the first timer is initiated in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU.

[0145] Alternatively, the communication module 701 receives a status report, where the status report is sent in response to a timeout of a second timer, where the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

[0146] Furthermore, the communication module 701 sends a first signaling, where the first signaling includes the duration of the first timer.

[0147] Furthermore, the communication module 701 sends first information to the RLC entity, where the first information indicates configuration of an automatic retransmission function, and the default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

[0148] Furthermore, the communication module 701 sends third information to the RLC entity, where the third information includes a start position and / or duration of the second timer.

[0149] Furthermore, the communication module 701 sends fourth information to the RLC entity, where the fourth information includes an adjustment value of the start position of the second timer.

[0150] In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned communication device 50 can correspond to a chip with a power control parameter configuration function in a network device, such as an SOC, a baseband chip, etc.; or correspond to a chip module with a power control parameter configuration function in a network device; or correspond to a chip module with a data processing function chip, or correspond to a network device.

[0151] For other related descriptions about the communication device 70 , reference may be made to the related descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0152] Regarding the various modules / units contained in the various devices and products described in the above embodiments, they can be software modules / units, hardware modules / units, or partly software modules / units and partly hardware modules / units. For example, for various devices and products applied to or integrated into a chip, the various modules / units contained therein can all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of software programs, which run on the processor integrated inside the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for various devices and products applied to or integrated into a chip module, the various modules / units contained therein can all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units can be located in the same component of the chip module (such as a chip, circuit module, etc.) or in different components, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of software programs. It is implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on the processor integrated inside the chip module, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for various devices and products applied to or integrated in the terminal equipment, the various modules / units contained therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (for example, chip, circuit module, etc.) or different components in the terminal equipment, or, at least some modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on the processor integrated inside the terminal equipment, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits.

[0153] The present application also discloses a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is run, the steps of the method shown in the aforementioned embodiment can be executed. The storage medium may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc. The storage medium may also include a non-volatile memory or a non-transitory memory, etc.

[0154] 8 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a hardware structure diagram of a communication device, which includes a processor 801 , a memory 802 , and a transceiver 803 .

[0155] The processor 801 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application. The processor 801 may also include multiple CPUs, and the processor 801 may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0156] The memory 802 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this. The memory 802 can be independent (in this case, the memory 802 can be located outside the device or inside the device), or it can be integrated with the processor 801. Among them, the memory 802 can contain computer program code. The processor 801 is used to execute the computer program code stored in the memory 802, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0157] The processor 801, memory 802, and transceiver 803 are connected via a bus. The transceiver 803 is used to communicate with other devices or a communication network. Optionally, the transceiver 803 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The device used to implement the receiving function in the transceiver 803 can be considered a receiver, and the receiver is used to perform the receiving steps in the embodiments of the present application. The device used to implement the transmitting function in the transceiver 803 can be considered a transmitter, and the transmitter is used to perform the transmitting steps in the embodiments of the present application.

[0158] When the structural diagram shown in FIG8 is used to illustrate the structure of the terminal device involved in the above embodiments, the processor 801 is used to control and manage the actions of the terminal device. For example, the processor 801 is used to support the terminal device in executing the actions performed by the terminal device in other processes described in the embodiments of this application. The processor 801 can communicate with other network entities through the transceiver 803, for example, with the above-mentioned network devices. The memory 802 is used to store program code and data of the terminal device. When the processor runs the computer program, it can control the transceiver 803 to receive one or more of RRC signaling, MAC signaling, and DCI.

[0159] When the structural diagram shown in FIG8 is used to illustrate the structure of the network device involved in the above embodiments, the processor 801 is used to control and manage the actions of the network device. For example, the processor 801 is used to support the network device in executing the actions performed by the network device in other processes described in the embodiments of this application. The processor 801 can communicate with other network entities via the transceiver 803, for example, with the above-mentioned terminal device. The memory 802 is used to store program code and data of the network device. When the processor executes the computer program, it can control the transceiver 803 to send one or more of RRC signaling, MAC signaling, and DCI.

[0160] The embodiment of the present application defines the unidirectional communication link from the access network to the terminal device as a downlink, the data transmitted on the downlink is downlink data, and the transmission direction of the downlink data is called the downlink direction; and the unidirectional communication link from the terminal device to the access network is an uplink, the data transmitted on the uplink is uplink data, and the transmission direction of the uplink data is called the uplink direction.

[0161] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0162] The term "plurality" used in the embodiments of the present application refers to two or more.

[0163] The first, second, etc. descriptions appearing in the embodiments of this application are only for illustration and distinction of the description objects. There is no order, nor does it indicate any special limitation on the number of devices in the embodiments of this application, and cannot constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0164] The "connection" appearing in the embodiments of the present application refers to various connection methods such as direct connection or indirect connection to achieve communication between devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0165] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means.

[0166] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0167] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods, devices, and systems can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic; for example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation; for example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0168] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0169] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may be physically included separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0170] The above-mentioned integrated unit implemented in the form of a software functional unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned software functional unit is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform some steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0171] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: retransmitting a radio link control RLC protocol data unit (PDU) in response to a first timer expiring, wherein the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; Alternatively, in response to a second timer expiring, a status report is sent, where the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The duration of the first timer is the difference between the remaining time and a preset threshold.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: Before the retransmission of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to the first timer expiring, the method further includes: A first signaling is received, where the first signaling includes a duration of the first timer.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: Before the retransmission of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to the first timer expiring, the method further includes: First information for an RLC entity is received, where the first information indicates configuration of an automatic retransmission function, where a default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein: Also includes: Second information for an RLC entity is received, where the second information indicates whether to disable or enable an automatic retransmission function.

7. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: In response to the RLC PDU being successfully transmitted, stopping the first timer; or, In response to the state of the RLC PDU automatic retransmission function being disabled, stopping the first timer; or, In response to cell handover being performed, the first timer is stopped.

8. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The retransmitted radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU includes: Automatic retransmission is performed on important RLC PDUs, or on RLC PDUs with a high importance level and / or a medium importance level.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: Also includes: The RLC entity obtains the importance level of the RLC PDU through the information of the RLC SDU header.

10. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The retransmitted radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU includes: Retransmission of the radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU is performed when the wireless network is not congested.

11. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The retransmission radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU also includes: All segments in the RLC PDU that were not successfully transmitted are retransmitted.

12. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter time of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet, and data packet delay budget.

13. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The sending of the status report further includes at least one of the following: receiving third information for an RLC entity, the third information including a start position and / or duration of the second timer; Fourth information for an RLC entity is received, where the fourth information includes an adjustment amount for a start position of the second timer.

14. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The status report includes: The reception status of all or part of the RLC PDUs in the reception buffer of the current RLC entity, where the reception status of the RLC PDUs is successful reception or unsuccessful reception.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, wherein: The status report includes one or more of the following: The first indication information is used to indicate that the maximum received RLC sequence number is followed by a space; The second indication information is used to indicate the reception status of the received RLC PDU of each data cluster; The third indication information is used to indicate the reception status of the RLC PDU of each received data packet set.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a retransmitted RLC PDU, where the RLC PDU is retransmitted in response to a timeout of a first timer, where the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving an SDU; Alternatively, a status report is received, where the status report is sent in response to a second timer timing out, where the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: The duration of the first timer is determined based on the remaining time indicated by the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

18. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: The receiving of the retransmitted RLC PDU also includes: Sending first signaling, where the first signaling includes the duration of the first timer.

19. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: The receiving of the retransmitted RLC PDU also includes: First information for an RLC entity is sent, where the first information indicates configuration of an automatic retransmission function, and a default state of the automatic retransmission function is on or off.

20. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: The duration of the second timer is determined based on one or more of the following parameters of the service corresponding to the RLC entity: jitter time of the data packet, arrival time of the data packet, and data packet delay budget.

21. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: Before receiving the status report, the method further includes: Sending third information to the RLC entity, where the third information includes a start position and / or duration of the second timer.

22. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein: Also includes: Fourth information is sent to the RLC entity, where the fourth information includes an adjustment amount of a start position of the second timer.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a communication module, configured to retransmit a radio link control RLC protocol data unit PDU in response to a first timer expiring, wherein the first timer is started in response to the RLC entity receiving the SDU; Alternatively, the communication module sends a status report in response to a second timer timing out, where the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a communication module, configured to receive a retransmitted RLC PDU, wherein the RLC PDU is retransmitted in response to a timeout of a first timer, wherein the first timer is initiated in response to an RLC entity receiving an SDU; Alternatively, the communication module receives a status report, where the status report is sent in response to a second timer timing out, and the second timer is configured based on a service corresponding to the RLC entity.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 22 are performed.

26. A communication device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor runs the computer program, the processor performs the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

27. A communication device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor runs the computer program, the processor performs the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 16 to 22.

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