Communication method, apparatus and device, chip, storage medium and program product

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and device, a chip, a storage medium, and a program product. The method is applied to a first device, and the first device comprises a first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity, a first radio link control (RLC) entity, and a first protocol layer entity. The method comprises: sending first indication information to a second device, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets comprise data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; and the one or more first data packets are data packets that the first PDCP entity instructs to delete. According to the present application, the resource utilization can be optimized, improving the communication performance.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment, chip, storage medium and program product Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, and program product. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, when the Radio Link Control (RLC) is in Acknowledged Mode (AM), data packets that have been sent to the lower layer may have been used by the lower layer of the RLC or associated with other related data packets. Therefore, even if these data packets become useless or exceed the delay requirement or other related data packets have been deleted, these data packets cannot be directly deleted. Deleting these sent data packets may cause data inconsistency or communication errors, thereby affecting communication performance.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, and program product that can optimize resource utilization and improve communication performance.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first device, wherein the first device includes a first Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, a first RLC entity, and a first protocol layer entity, the method including:

[0006] Sending first indication information to the second device; wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a second device, where the second device includes a second RLC entity, the method including:

[0008] Receive first indication information sent by a first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that the second RLC entity has not successfully received.

[0009] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a communication system, the communication system including a first device and a second device, the method including:

[0010] The first device sends first indication information to the second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets that the first PDCP entity indicates to delete;

[0011] The second device receives the first indication information.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprising:

[0013] A first communication unit is configured to send first indication information to a second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to a first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of a first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprising:

[0015] The second communication unit is configured to receive first indication information sent by the first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that the second RLC entity has not successfully received.

[0016] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0017] a memory for storing computer-executable instructions;

[0018] A processor, connected to the memory, is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect, or the method described in the second aspect, by executing the computer-executable instructions.

[0019] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising:

[0020] The processor is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method described in the first aspect, or executes the method described in the second aspect.

[0021] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the method as described in the first aspect, or implements the method as described in the second aspect.

[0022] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in the first aspect, or, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in the second aspect.

[0023] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium and program product. On the first device side, the first device includes a first PDCP entity, a first RLC entity and a first protocol layer entity. The method includes: sending first indication information to a second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; and the one or more first data packets are data packets that the first PDCP entity indicates to delete. On the second device side, the second device includes a second RLC entity. The method includes: receiving first indication information sent by the first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that the second RLC entity has not successfully received. The first device sends first indication information to the second device, indicating the deletion of one or more first data packets that have been sent to the lower layer entity of the first RLC entity of the first device. The embodiments of the present application can reduce network load and bandwidth occupancy by deleting unnecessary data packets, thereby saving network resources and improving network efficiency, thereby optimizing resource utilization and improving communication performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. These drawings illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the specification, serve to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can, without inventive effort, derive other drawings from these drawings.

[0025] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be decomposed, while others may be combined or partially combined. Therefore, the actual execution order may vary depending on the actual situation.

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an optional application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG2 is a flow chart of an optional communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG3 is a second flow chart of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG4 is a data flow diagram of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG5 is a third flow chart of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG6 is a fourth flow chart of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG7 is a first schematic diagram of the structural composition of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of the structural composition of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of an optional communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to enable a more detailed understanding of the features and technical contents of the embodiments of the present application, the implementation of the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are for reference only and are not used to limit the embodiments of the present application.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0039] In the following description, reference is made to “some embodiments”, which describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0040] It should also be pointed out that the terms "first\second\third" involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects. It can be understood that "first\second\third" can be interchanged with a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of the present application described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here.

[0041] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an optional application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110 (also referred to as a terminal) and a network device (NW) 120. The network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via an air interface. The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 support multi-service transmission.

[0043] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are only illustrative of the communication system 100, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. That is, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine-Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as New Radio (NR) communication system), or future communication systems.

[0044] In the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, the network device 120 may be an access network device that communicates with the terminal device 110. The access network device may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 110 located within the coverage area.

[0045] In some embodiments, the network device may be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, or a gNB in ​​an NR system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station (also known as a small station), a satellite, a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., Home Evolved NodeB, or Home Node B, HNB), a Baseband Unit (BBU), an Access Point (AP) in a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a Transmission Point (TP) or a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), etc. The network device may also be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0046] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be any terminal device, including but not limited to a terminal device that is connected to the network device 120 or other terminal devices by wire or wireless.

[0047] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, 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, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolution network, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0049] FIG1 exemplarily shows a network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include another number of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0050] It should be noted that FIG1 is only an example of a system to which this application is applicable. Of course, the method shown in the embodiment of this application can also be applied to other systems. In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this application.

[0051] It should be noted that Figure 1 is merely an example of the system to which this application applies. Of course, the methods described in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other systems. In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this application. The term "and / or" in this application is simply a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, A indicating B can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain it through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain it through C; it can also mean that there is an association relationship between A and B. It should also be understood that the “correspondence” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc. It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include LTE protocols, NR protocols, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0052] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0053] It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0054] It should also be understood that the "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0055] It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0056] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0057] Related technologies 1. RLC AM mode

[0058] RLC AM mode, also known as acknowledged mode, provides unacknowledged mode (UM) functionality and supports data reception status feedback. AM is suitable for dedicated control and service logic channels, and generally requires high reliability.

[0059] For the RLC AM entity, the sender has a Transmission Buffer and a Retransmission Buffer. In the Transmission Buffer are the RLC SDUs (Service Data Units) received from the upper layer (Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) / Bootstrap Application Protocol (BAP)), and in the Retransmission Buffer are the RLC SDUs that have been sent but not yet acknowledged. The receiver has only a Reception Buffer. Therefore, for the RLC PDUs (Protocol Data Units) received from the lower layer, if they are within the reception window, they are first placed in the Reception Buffer and then processed.

[0060] In some embodiments, the three state variables maintained by the sender include:

[0061] 1), the next acknowledgment sequence number (TX_Next_Ack):

[0062] In some embodiments, the initial value of TX_Next_Ack is 0. TX_Next_Ack represents the Acknowledge (ACK) SN (Sequence Number) of the next sequential data packet expected by the sender, and is also the lower bound value of the transmit window. The transmit window is [TX_Next_Ack, TX_Next_Ack + AM_Window_Size).

[0063] 2), the sequence number of the next data packet (TX_Next):

[0064] In some embodiments, the initial value of TX_Next is 0. TX_Next represents the SN value of the next data packet to be allocated by the sender, which means that all SNs where TX_Next_Ack <= SN < TX_Next have been allocated. If a large number of RLC SDUs are sent down by the upper layer instantaneously, this TX_Next value may cross the transmit window.

[0065] 3), the poll sequence number (POLL_SN):

[0066] In some embodiments, the initial value of POLL_SN is 0. POLL_SN represents the highest sequence number of packets sent by the transmitter. If the t-PollRetransmit Timer is not active, its value is meaningless. When the t-PollRetransmit Timer is active, the value is set to the highest SN of all RLC SDUs sent.

[0067] In some embodiments, the four state variables maintained by the receiving end include:

[0068] 1) The sequence number of the next data packet (RX_Next):

[0069] In some embodiments, the initial value of RX_Next is 0. RX_Next represents the SN of the next complete RLC SDU (data packet) that the receiver expects to receive in sequence, and is also the lower bound of the receive window. The receive window is [RX_Next, RX_Next + AM_Window_Size).

[0070] 2) Maximum sequence number of the data packet (RX_Highest_Status):

[0071] In some embodiments, the initial value of RX_Highest_Status is 0. RX_Highest_Status represents the maximum value that the ACK_SN (Acknowledgment Sequence Number) of the packet in the current Status Report at the receiving end can be set to. At the receiving end, RLC SDUs in the range [TX_Next_Ack, ACK_SN) are either Acked (Acknowledged) or Nacked (Not Acknowledged).

[0072] 3) Next trigger sequence number (RX_Next_Status_Trigger):

[0073] In some embodiments, the value of RX_Next_Status_Trigger represents the next sequence number SN of the sequence number SN of the data packet that triggers the t-Reasembly Timer.

[0074] 4) The sequence number of the next data packet (RX_Next_Highest):

[0075] In some embodiments, the initial value of RX_Next_Highest is 0, and RX_Next_Highest represents the next sequence number SN of the maximum SN of all received RLC SDUs.

[0076] In some embodiments, the RLC layer does not explicitly acknowledge each RLC SDU when providing a status report. The receiving end sends a status report only in two situations: when the transmitting end polls, or when the receiving end detects that an RLC SDU is lost when the t-Reasembly Timer expires.

[0077] In some embodiments, for Polling, the transmitter maintains the following two counters when sending each RLC_SDU / RLC_SDU Segment (non-retransmission):

[0078] 1) The number of packets not polled (PDU_WITHOUT_POLL) records the number of PDUs not polled. When PDU_WITHOUT_POLL >= PollPDU, the sender sets the Polling Bit in the header of the RLC_SDU (Segment) to be sent. This triggers polling based on the number of packets sent.

[0079] 2) The byte count parameter (PollByte parameter) indicates that polling is triggered by the number of bytes sent. When BYTE_WITHOUT_POLL >= pollByte, the sender sets the Polling Bit in the header of the RLC_SDU (Segment) to be sent.

[0080] Related Technology 2: RLC Data Packet Discard Operation

[0081] In some embodiments, when indicated from upper layer (e.g., PDCP) to discard a particular RLC SDU, the transmitting side of an AM RLC entity or the transmitting UM RLC entity shall discard the indicated RLC SDU, if neither the RLC SDU nor asegment thereof has been submitted to the lower layers. The transmitting side of an AM RLC entity shall not introduce an RLC SN gap when discarding an RLC SDU.

[0082] Related Technology 3: Radio Link Failure (RLF) Judgment Based on RLC Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ)

[0083] When an RLC SDU or an RLC SDU segment is considered for retransmission, the transmitting side of the AM RLC entity shall:

[0084] Case 1: If an RLC SDU or RLC SDU segment is considered for retransmission for the first time:

[0085] Establish RETX_COUNT and set the RETX_COUNT associated with the RLC SDU to zero.

[0086] Case 2: If the RLC SDU or the RLC SDU segment that is considered for retransmission is not pending for retransmission already and the RETX_COUNT associated with the RLC SDU has not been incremented due to another negative acknowledgment (NACK) in the same STATUS PDU, increase (or increment) the RETX_COUNT.

[0087] If RETX_COUNT is equal to the maximum retransmission threshold (if RETX_COUNT=maxRetxThreshold), it indicates to the upper layers that the maximum retransmission has been reached, and it is determined as RLF (indicates to upper layers that max retransmission has been reached. =>RLF).

[0088] In the related art, when RLC is in AM mode, packets such as SDUs and PDUs that have already been sent to lower layers may already be used by the lower RLC layer or depend on other related packets. Therefore, even if they are no longer useful, exceed latency requirements, or other related packets have been deleted, these packets cannot be directly deleted. Deleting these already sent packets may cause data inconsistency, communication errors, or waste resources. Therefore, because the RLC layer does not support the deletion of packets that have been transmitted to lower layers, resources are wasted, thereby affecting communication performance.

[0089] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method, the main idea of ​​which is that the first device sends a first indication message to the second device, indicating the deletion of one or more first data packets of the lower-layer entity of the first RLC entity that have been sent to the first device. On the one hand, deleting unnecessary data packets can reduce network load and bandwidth occupancy, thereby saving network resources and improving network efficiency. On the one hand, deleting unnecessary data packets can reduce transmission delay and improve the real-time and response speed of data transmission. On the one hand, deleting some unnecessary data packets can reduce network congestion and fragmentation, thereby reducing the data packet loss rate and improving the reliability of data transmission. On the one hand, by deleting some useless data packets, the overall performance and resource utilization of the system can be optimized, and the stability and maintainability of the system can be improved. In general, sending a first indication message to the second device, indicating the deletion of data packets that have been sent to the lower layer of the RLC layer of the first device, can optimize the operation and resource utilization of the communication system and improve the performance and reliability of the system.

[0090] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0091] FIG2 is a flow diagram of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. The first device includes a first Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity, and a first protocol layer entity. As shown in FIG2 , the method may include S101:

[0092] S101. The first device sends first indication information to the second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity of the first device; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

[0093] FIG3 is a second flow diagram of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a second device. The second device includes a second RLC entity. As shown in FIG3 , the method may include S201:

[0094] S201. A second device receives first indication information sent by a first device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that were not successfully received by the second RLC entity.

[0095] In the embodiments of the present application, a data packet sent to the first protocol layer entity can be understood as a data packet sent to the first protocol layer entity. The first RLC entity is an entity corresponding to the first RLC layer, the second RLC entity is an entity corresponding to the second RLC layer, the first PDCP entity is an entity corresponding to the first PDCP layer, and the second PDCP entity is an entity corresponding to the second PDCP layer.

[0096] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device is a transmitting end (TX), which is also referred to as a transmitting side, a transmitting device, etc. The second device is a receiving end (RX), which is also referred to as a receiving side, a receiving device, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first device serves as a transmitting end and the second device serves as a receiving end, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device; or the first device is a network device and the second device is a terminal device; or the first device and the second device are both terminal devices, to implement D2D communication. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present application, a first device sends first indication information to a second device, and accordingly, the second device receives the first indication information sent by the first device. The first indication information is used to instruct an upper layer of the first RLC entity (i.e., a first PDCP entity) to indicate a packet to be deleted. The upper layer of the first RLC includes: a PDCP layer, a BAP layer, and an SRAP layer. Therefore, the first indication information can also be sent by the BAP layer or the SRAP layer to the lower layer.

[0099] In an embodiment of the present application, for a first device, one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to a first protocol layer entity, that is, one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to a lower layer of a first RLC entity. For a second device, one or more first data packets include data packets that were not successfully received by a second RLC entity. The data packets that were not successfully received by the second RLC entity can be understood as data packets that were not successfully sent to an upper layer entity of the second RLC entity (e.g., a second PDCP entity).

[0100] In the embodiment of the present application, the first data packet may include: a packet data unit (Packet Data Unit, PDU) and / or a service data unit (Service Data Unit, SDU).

[0101] In an embodiment of the present application, a first device sends first indication information to a second device, which is used to indicate one or more first data packets that have been sent to a lower-layer entity of a first RLC entity of the first device. These data packets are data packets that an upper-layer entity of the first RLC entity indicates are to be deleted. In other words, in a communication system, the RLC entity of the first device receives an indication from an upper layer to delete some data packets. These data packets have been transmitted to a communication link via a lower-layer entity of the RLC entity. The first device then conveys the instruction to delete the data packets to the second device via the first indication information. In this way, the second device knows which data packets need to be deleted in response to the indication of the first device.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, the data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity include: deleted data packets and / or data packets to be deleted. A deleted data packet is a data packet that has been deleted by the first protocol layer entity before the first indication message is sent; a data packet to be deleted is a data packet that needs to be deleted after the first indication message is sent. That is, a deleted data packet can be understood as a data packet that is first deleted and then indicated, and a data packet to be deleted can be understood as a data packet that is first indicated and then deleted.

[0103] For example, for a deleted data packet, before the first device sends the first indication information, the data packet may have been deleted in the lower-layer entity of the first RLC, but the second device is unaware that the data packet has been deleted. After the second device receives the first indication information, the second device knows that the data packet has been deleted in a layer after the first RLC entity. However, the second RLC entity of the second device still displays the sequence number of the deleted data packet (such as the RLC sequence number), which may cause an SN gap problem. Therefore, the second RLC entity of the second device needs to adjust the relevant parameters for receiving data (moving the receiving window), that is, the state parameters of the second device, to avoid the SN gap problem, thereby ensuring the sequence and integrity of the data packets transmitted, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the communication system.

[0104] Exemplarily, for the undeleted data packets, after the first device sends the first indication information, the second device receives the first indication information. The second RLC entity of the second device deletes (discards) the undeleted data packets. Subsequently, the second RLC entity needs to adjust parameters related to receiving data (i.e., moving the receive window) to avoid the SN gap problem after deleting the data packets.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present application, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a communication system, where the communication system includes a first device and a second device. The method includes:

[0106] The first device sends first indication information to the second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDPC entity.

[0107] The second device receives the first indication information.

[0108] In an embodiment of the present application, one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to a first protocol layer entity. FIG4 is a data flow diagram of an optional communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity of the first device, the third protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the second RLC entity of the second device, the upper layer entity of the first RLC may include a first PDCP entity and an upper layer entity of the first PDCP entity, and the upper layer entity of the second RLC entity may include a second PDCP entity and an upper layer entity of the second PDCP entity. The one or more first data packets corresponding to the first device side and the second device side are described below.

[0109] On the first device side, the one or more data packets that the first PDCP entity instructs to delete may include the following two situations:

[0110] Case 1: Data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity

[0111] In the embodiment of the present application, the data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity may include: data packets sent to the third protocol layer entity, and / or data packets not sent to the third protocol layer entity.

[0112] Specifically, here, the data packet that is not sent to the third protocol layer entity is explained by taking data packet 1 as an example: the first PDCP entity instructs the first RLC entity to delete data packet 1. At this time, data packet 1 has been sent to the first protocol layer entity by the first RLC entity, but due to transmission reasons or other reasons, data packet 1 is not successfully sent to the second device. At this time, the second RLC entity of the second device will adjust the receiving parameters after receiving the first indication information to avoid the SN gap problem.

[0113] Specifically, here, the data packets sent to the third protocol layer entity include: data packets sent to the second RLC entity, and / or data packets not sent to the second RLC entity.

[0114] For data packets sent to the second RLC entity, using Data Packet 2 as an example, the first PDCP entity instructs the first RLC entity to delete Data Packet 2. Data Packet 2 is then sent by the first RLC entity to the first protocol layer entity. The first protocol layer entity then sends Data Packet 2 to the third protocol layer entity, which in turn sends Data Packet 2 to the second RLC entity. At this point, based on the first indication sent by the first device, the second device knows that Data Packet 2 needs to be deleted. Therefore, the second RLC entity deletes Data Packet 2 and adjusts its reception parameters to avoid the SN gap issue.

[0115] For packets not sent to the second RLC entity, let's take packet 3 as an example: the first PDCP entity instructs the first RLC entity to delete packet 3. Packet 3 is then sent by the first RLC entity to the first protocol layer entity. The first protocol layer entity then sends packet 3 to the third protocol layer entity. However, due to transmission or other reasons, packet 3 is not successfully sent to the second RLC entity. At this point, based on the first indication information sent by the first device, the second device is aware of the deletion of packet 3. Therefore, the second RLC entity adjusts its reception parameters to avoid the SN gap issue.

[0116] Case 2: Data packets not sent to the first protocol layer entity

[0117] In the embodiment of the present application, here, the data packet not sent to the first protocol layer entity is described using data packet 4 as an example: the first PDCP entity instructs the first RLC entity to delete data packet 4. After data packet 4 reaches the first RLC entity, the first RLC entity deletes data packet 4. Therefore, data packet 4 is not received by the second device.

[0118] On the second device side, one or more data packets may include the following two situations:

[0119] Case 1: Data packet received by the third protocol layer entity but not successfully received by the second RLC entity

[0120] In the embodiment of the present application, the data packets received by the third protocol layer entity and not successfully received by the second RLC entity include: data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity by the first device side and data packets sent to the third protocol layer entity. The data packets sent to the third protocol layer entity include: data packets sent to the second RLC entity (such as data packet 2 described above) and / or data packets not sent to the second RLC entity (such as data packet 3 described above).

[0121] Specifically, for the data packet (data packet 2) that has been sent to the second RLC entity, the second RLC entity will delete data packet 2 and adjust the reception parameters to avoid the SN gap problem. For the data packet (data packet 3) that has been sent to the third protocol layer entity but not to the second RLC entity, the second RLC entity will adjust the reception parameters to avoid the SN gap problem.

[0122] Case 2: Data packets not received by the third protocol layer entity

[0123] In an embodiment of the present application, the data packets not received by the third protocol layer entity include: data packets on the first device side that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity but have not been sent to the third protocol layer entity (such as the above-mentioned data packet 1), and / or data packets that have not been sent to the first protocol layer entity (such as the above-mentioned data packet 4).

[0124] Specifically, for data packets not received by the third protocol layer entity, the second RLC entity adjusts reception parameters to avoid the SN gap problem.

[0125] It is understood that deleting timed-out, unsuccessfully transmitted packets in this application can avoid unnecessary retransmissions and waste of network resources, saving bandwidth and reducing network congestion. By promptly deleting timed-out packets, transmission efficiency and data transmission speed can be improved, and packet transmission delays can be reduced. Avoiding retransmissions of timed-out packets can reduce the number of retransmissions in the system, alleviating network burden and transmission delays. Furthermore, deleting timed-out packets can optimize overall system performance and resource utilization, improving system stability and maintainability, and reducing unnecessary resource overhead.

[0126] In an embodiment of the present application, a communication method is provided, comprising: a second device receiving first indication information sent by a first device; wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the second device to delete one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that were not successfully received by the second radio link control (RLC) layer of the second device. Deleting unnecessary data packets can reduce network load and bandwidth usage, thereby saving network resources and improving network efficiency. Deleting unnecessary data packets can reduce transmission latency and improve the real-time and responsiveness of data transmission. Deleting some unnecessary data packets can reduce network congestion and fragmentation, thereby reducing packet loss and improving data transmission reliability. Deleting some useless data packets can optimize the overall performance and resource utilization of the system, improving system stability and maintainability. In summary, sending the first indication information to the second device to instruct it to delete data packets sent to the lower layer of the RLC layer of the first device can optimize the operation and resource utilization of the communication system, improving system performance and reliability.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present application, for the first device, the one or more first data packets further include: a data packet that is not sent to the first protocol layer entity.

[0128] In the embodiment of the present application, the data packet not sent to the first protocol layer entity is a data packet not sent to a lower layer of the first RLC entity. That is, the data packet not sent to the first protocol layer entity is a data packet in the first RLC entity and / or a data packet in an upper layer of the first RLC entity (such as the first PDCP layer).

[0129] In an embodiment of the present application, the one or more first data packets include: data packets sent to a lower layer of the first RLC entity, and / or data packets not sent to a lower layer of the first RLC entity.

[0130] It should be noted that for data packets that are not sent to the lower layer of the first RLC entity, there are the following two situations:

[0131] Case 1: The first RLC entity directly deletes the data packet that has not been sent to the lower layer of the first RLC entity and the RLC sequence number corresponding to the data packet (which can also be understood as adjusting the sending window or the first window).

[0132] Case 2: The first RLC entity directly deletes the data packets that are not sent to the lower layer of the first RLC entity, and the second RLC entity adjusts the receiving parameters (moves the receiving window).

[0133] In an embodiment of the present application, the first RLC entity checks the data packets to be sent and deletes those that have not yet been sent to the lower layer of the first RLC entity (such as the PDCP layer). These data packets have not yet been sent to the lower layer through the RLC layer and can therefore be directly deleted without affecting the normal transmission of the network. The second RLC entity adjusts the receiving parameters, including the position of the mobile receiving window. The mobile receiving window is a window used to manage the range of data that the receiving end can receive. By adjusting its position, it can flexibly adapt to changes in the network and data transmission requirements.

[0134] In the embodiments of the present application, a receive window is a window used by the receiving end to manage received data packets, typically expressed as a sequence number range. Moving the receive window refers to adjusting the starting and ending positions of the receive window based on factors such as network conditions and the receiving end's processing capabilities. By moving the receive window, the receiving end can ensure that it receives the correct data packets in a timely manner and can handle network data transmission variations, such as packet loss or delays.

[0135] It is understandable that the above steps can optimize the efficiency and reliability of data transmission, ensure that data in the network can be transmitted and received as expected, and thus improve the overall network performance and user experience.

[0136] In some embodiments of the present application, for the second device, the one or more first data packets further include: a data packet that is not received by the third protocol layer entity.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present application, the data packet not received by the third protocol layer entity is the data packet not received by the second device. The data packet not received by the third protocol layer entity has the following two situations:

[0138] Case 1: The data packet is not sent to the first protocol layer entity.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, for situation 1, since the first RLC entity of the first device deletes the data packet that has not been sent to the first protocol layer entity, the second device cannot receive the data packet. In this case, the second device needs to adjust the receiving parameters (move the receiving window).

[0140] Case 2: Data packets are deleted at the lower layer of the first protocol layer entity.

[0141] In the embodiment of the present application, for situation 1, the first RLC entity of the first device sends a data packet to the first protocol layer entity, but the data packet at the first protocol layer entity is deleted. Therefore, the second device cannot receive the data packet deleted at the lower layer of the first protocol layer entity. In this case, the second device needs to adjust the receiving parameters (move the receiving window).

[0142] In some embodiments of the present application, the transmission method of the first indication information includes the following three methods:

[0143] Method 1: In the control protocol data unit PDU.

[0144] In the embodiments of the present application, a Control Protocol Data Unit (Control PDU) is a data unit used to transmit control information, and is generally used to transmit control commands, status information, configuration information, etc. in a network so that various devices in the network can be coordinated and managed.

[0145] In some embodiments of the present application, when the transmission mode of the first indication information is a control PDU, the representation mode of the first indication information includes:

[0146] 1) Bitmap.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, a bitmap is generally used to indicate a certain state or to mark a data packet. A bitmap can be used to mark the state of a data packet, for example, to indicate whether a data packet has been deleted.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first indication information is represented by a bitmap, the control PDU includes identification information of the first data packet among the one or more first data packets.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present application, a bitmap is used to indicate which data packets are the first data packets in the first data packet, allowing the receiving end to quickly identify and process these data packets. Each bit in the bitmap generally corresponds to a data packet. If a bit is 1, it indicates that the corresponding data packet is a data packet that has been instructed to be deleted; if the bit is 0, it indicates that the data packet is not a data packet that has been instructed to be deleted. This representation method can effectively transmit identification information and can be quickly parsed and processed at the receiving end.

[0150] In some embodiments of the present application, the length of the bitmap is variable or fixed.

[0151] In the embodiments of the present application, in a variable-length bitmap, the length of the bitmap can be dynamically changed as needed. This means that the bitmap can expand or contract based on the number of marked packets to accommodate different amounts of packet status flags or control information. Variable-length bitmaps typically require the inclusion of additional length information in the bitmap to allow the receiving end to correctly interpret the bitmap's contents.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, in a fixed-length bitmap, the length of the bitmap is fixed and does not change with the number of marked packets. The advantage of a fixed-length bitmap is that it can be processed more simply and quickly because the receiving end knows the length of the bitmap and does not need additional length information to parse the bitmap. However, a fixed-length bitmap may waste some space, especially when the number of marked packets is small.

[0153] It should be noted that the choice of variable-length or fixed-length bitmap depends on the specific communication requirements and design considerations. Generally speaking, if dynamic adaptation to varying amounts of packet status flags or control information is required, a variable-length bitmap may be more suitable; whereas if simplicity and efficiency are required, a fixed-length bitmap may be more appropriate.

[0154] In an embodiment of the present application, when the length of the bitmap is variable, it starts from the first data packet indicated for deletion (including or excluding the first data packet indicated for deletion) to the last data packet indicated for deletion (including the last deleted data packet); in this case, the bitmap length needs to be additionally indicated; the indication method is such as setting the bit of the deleted data packet to 1, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0155] For example, assuming that there are 6 data packets and the 3rd and 4th data packets are indicated to be deleted, the first indication information can be represented as 001100. Alternatively, the first indication information can be represented as 1100 or 11. In this case, the control PDU needs to carry the identification information (3) of the first data packet indicated to be deleted.

[0156] In an embodiment of the present application, when the length of the bitmap is fixed, it starts from the first data packet indicated for deletion (including or excluding the first data packet indicated for deletion) and ends at the defined length; the defined length can be specified by the protocol (default length) and / or configurable (network configuration); the indication method is such that the bit of the deleted data packet is set to 1, otherwise it is set to 0, and if the number of data packets actually deleted from the first to the last is less than the defined length, the subsequent bits are all set to zero.

[0157] For example, assuming that there are 6 data packets, the 3rd data packet and the 4th data packet are indicated to be deleted, and the defined bitmap length is 10, the first indication information can be expressed as 0011000000.

[0158] It is understood that variable-length bitmaps can dynamically adjust their length as needed, thus offering greater flexibility and being able to accommodate varying numbers of packet status flags or control information. When a small number of packets require marking, a variable-length bitmap can save space because it only uses the necessary bits to represent the marked packets. A variable-length bitmap can more efficiently utilize communication resources because it adjusts its length based on actual needs, avoiding unnecessary waste of space. Furthermore, fixed-length bitmaps have a simpler structure and are more intuitive and efficient to process because the receiving end knows the length of the bitmap and does not require additional information to parse it. Fixed-length bitmaps can be processed more quickly because the length of the bitmap is fixed, allowing the receiving end to quickly and accurately identify and process the content of the bitmap.

[0159] 2) Second indication information and first quantity, the second indication information indicates a second data packet, the second data packet is the first data packet in one or more consecutive first data packets, and the first quantity is the quantity of the one or more consecutive first data packets.

[0160] In the embodiment of the present application, the second indication information and the first quantity are expressed in a range manner.

[0161] For example, assuming that 1 / 2 / 3, 6 / 7, and 9 are deleted in data packets 1-10, the first indication information can be expressed as 1 (second indication information)+3 (first quantity), 6+2, and 9+1.

[0162] It should be understood that the representation of the second indication information and the first quantity is applicable to the situation where data packets need to be represented in a continuous range, which can reduce the length of the bitmap and improve transmission efficiency.

[0163] Method 2: In data PDU.

[0164] In the embodiments of the present application, a Data Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is a data unit used to transmit actual data content. The Data PDU is responsible for carrying valid data from the upper layer protocol and passing it to other devices or nodes in the network to complete the exchange and transmission of information.

[0165] In the embodiment of the present application, the data PDU carries the first indication information in the form of a data packet containing only a header (excluding the Data part).

[0166] Method 3: The first indication information includes: identification information of one or more first data packets, and / or identification information of one or more second data packets; wherein, the one or more second data packets are data packets other than the one or more first data packets in the first window; the first window is less than or equal to the sending window.

[0167] In the embodiment of the present application, the one or more second data packets are data packets not indicated for deletion, that is, data packets not indicated for deletion by an upper layer entity of the first RLC entity.

[0168] In the embodiments of the present application, the identification information of a data packet is a unique identifier of the data packet, which is used to distinguish different data packets. The sequence number can be used to determine the order in which the data packets are sent, ensuring the correct order of data during transmission. Exemplarily, the identification information of the data packet can be a sequence number.

[0169] In the embodiment of the present application, the first window is a window determined based on the sending window, and the range of the first window is smaller than or equal to the sending window. In other words, the sending window includes the first window.

[0170] Exemplarily, the sending window is [1,6] (i.e., the sequence numbers of the data packets are 1 to 6), that is, the sending window includes: data packet 1, data packet 2, data packet 3, data packet 4, data packet 5, and data packet 6. Assume that data packet 3 and data packet 4 are deleted, and data packet 1, data packet 2, data packet 5, and data packet 6 are not indicated for deletion. The first indication information can indicate that the sequence number of the data packet indicated for deletion can be directly carried, such as 1256. In addition, the first indication information can also be expressed as: 001100, where the data packet indicated for deletion is represented as 1, and the data packet not indicated for deletion is represented as 0. Since data packet 1 and data packet 2 are not indicated for deletion, the first window can be [3,6]. In this case, the first indication information can be expressed as: 1100. Therefore, the first window belongs to the sending window.

[0171] In the embodiment of the present application, the range of the first window has the following two situations:

[0172] Case 1: The range of the first window is smaller than the sending window

[0173] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first window is smaller than the sending window, the first window may include data packets between the first data packet to be deleted in the sending window and the last data packet to be deleted (including the last data packet to be deleted), or the first window may also include the first data packet to be deleted in the sending window to the upper edge of the sending window (i.e., the upper boundary of the sending window).

[0174] For example, assuming that the sending window includes 10 data packets, the sending window is expressed as [1,10]. Assuming that data packets 3, 4 and 7 are instructed to be deleted, then the first window can be expressed as [3,7], or the first window can be expressed as [3,10].

[0175] Case 2: The range of the first window is equal to the sending window

[0176] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first window is equal to the sending window, the first window is the sending window.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present application, for the second device, the one or more second data packets are data packets in a second window excluding the one or more first data packets; the second window is smaller than or equal to the receiving window.

[0178] In the embodiment of the present application, the range of the second window has the following two situations: the range of the second window is smaller than the receiving window; or the range of the second window is equal to the receiving window.

[0179] In the embodiment of the present application, the second window corresponds to the first window, and the receiving window corresponds to the sending window.

[0180] It should be understood that carrying the first indication information in a data PDU in the form of a data packet containing only a header can achieve rapid data transmission and efficient use of network resources. This approach can reduce the size of the data packet because only the header information is required, not the actual data content. Furthermore, the smaller data packet size can reduce transmission latency and network bandwidth usage.

[0181] In the embodiment of the present application, when the transmission mode of the first indication information is a control protocol data unit (PDU), the priority of the control PDU is higher than that of other types of data packets. That is, the first device will give priority to sending the control PDU to the second device.

[0182] In some embodiments of the present application, the first indication information includes the following two situations:

[0183] Case 1: The first indication information is RLC layer signaling.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first indication information is an RLC instruction, the first indication information includes RLC sequence numbers (RLC SNs) of one or more first data packets.

[0185] In an embodiment of the present application, the first indication information may directly carry the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present application, the triggering condition of the first indication information includes:

[0187] The first RLC entity receives third indication information sent by the second protocol layer entity; the third indication information is used to instruct the first RLC entity to delete one or more first data packets; the second protocol layer entity is an upper layer of the first RLC entity; and / or,

[0188] The first RLC entity has one or more first data packets.

[0189] In this embodiment of the present application, the third indication information is used to instruct the first PDCP entity to instruct the first RLC entity to delete one or more first data packets.

[0190] In an embodiment of the present application, the second protocol layer entity includes a first PDCP entity and an upper layer of the first PDCP entity.

[0191] In this embodiment of the present application, the triggering conditions of the first indication information include the following three methods:

[0192] 1) The first RLC entity receives third indication information.

[0193] 2) The first RLC entity determines that there are one or more first data packets.

[0194] 3) The first RLC entity receives the third indication information, and the first RLC entity determines that there are one or more first data packets.

[0195] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG5 , the communication method includes S301 to S304:

[0196] S301. A first PDCP entity instructs a first RLC entity to discard an RLC SDU.

[0197] In the embodiment of the present application, PDCP instructing RLC to discard an RLC SDU can be expressed as PDCP indicate RLC to discard a RLC SDU RLC SDU / PDU discard.

[0198] In the embodiment of the present application, S301 corresponds to the third indication information mentioned above. Here, one RLC SDU corresponds to one or more first data packets mentioned above.

[0199] S302. The first RLC entity indicates the RLC sequence number of the discarded SDU / PDU.

[0200] In the embodiment of the present application, the RLC sequence number of the discarded SDU / PDU indicated by the first RLC entity can be expressed as indicate the RLC SN of the discarded SDU / PDU.

[0201] In the embodiment of the present application, the RLC sequence number of the SDU / PDU that the first RLC entity indicates to discard corresponds to the first indication information mentioned above. The RLC sequence number corresponds to the identification information mentioned above.

[0202] S303: The second RLC entity discards the data packet / data segment of the indicated SN.

[0203] In the embodiment of the present application, the second RLC entity discarding the data packet / data segment of the indicated SN can be expressed as Discard the sgment of the SN indicated.

[0204] S304: The second RLC entity moves the receiving window.

[0205] In the embodiment of the present application, moving the receiving window may be expressed as moving the reception window.

[0206] Case 2: The first indication information is packet data convergence protocol PDCP layer signaling

[0207] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first indication information is PDCP layer signaling, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of one or more first data packets; or, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number of one or more first data packets.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present application, the first indication information may directly carry the RPDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or the PDCP sequence number.

[0209] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of one or more first data packets, the first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or a first offset, and the first offset is the offset between the PDCP sequence number of the first data packet and the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

[0210] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first indication information is represented by a bitmap, the first indication information carries the corresponding RLC SN number or the first offset between the RLC SN number and the PDCP SN number in a one-to-one correspondence order of the bitmap.

[0211] For example, assuming that the RLC SN number of a data packet instructed to be deleted is 3 and the PDCP SN number is 2, the first offset corresponding to the data packet is 1. In this case, the second device knows the PDCP SN number and only needs to determine the corresponding RLC SN number based on the first offset.

[0212] In this embodiment of the present application, the triggering conditions of the first indication information include:

[0213] The first PDCP entity of the first device receives fourth indication information reported by the first RLC entity; wherein the fourth indication information includes RLC sequence numbers of one or more first data packets; and / or,

[0214] The first PDCP entity determines that one or more first data packets exist.

[0215] In some embodiments of the present application, the triggering conditions of the first indication information include the following three methods:

[0216] 1) The first PDCP entity receives fourth indication information.

[0217] 2) The first PDCP entity determines that there are one or more first data packets.

[0218] 3) The first PDCP entity receives the fourth indication information, and the first PDCP entity determines that there are one or more first data packets.

[0219] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes:

[0220] The first PDCP entity sends fifth indication information to the first RLC entity; wherein the fifth indication information is used to instruct the first RLC entity to delete one or more first data packets;

[0221] The first RLC entity reports fourth indication information to the first PDCP entity.

[0222] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes:

[0223] When the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number of one or more first data packets, the second RLC entity determines the RLC sequence number of one or more first data packets based on the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets and the reception status of the data packets of the second RLC entity, so that the second device deletes one or more first data packets according to the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

[0224] In an embodiment of the present application, when the second device receives the first indication information, if the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number of one or more first data packets, the second RLC entity determines the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets based on the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets and the reception status of the data packets of the second RLC entity. For example, if PDCP SN=1 and PDCP SN=4 have been received, the corresponding RLC SNs are 1 and 5 respectively, RLC SN=2 is a control PDU, and the first device indicates that PDCP SN=2 / 3 is deleted, the second device can determine that RLC SN=3 / 4 is deleted.

[0225] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes:

[0226] The second PDCP entity of the second device sends seventh indication information to the second RLC entity; wherein the seventh indication information is used to instruct the second RLC entity to delete one or more first data packets.

[0227] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes:

[0228] The second RLC entity deletes the fourth data packet, where the fourth data packet is a data packet received by the second RLC entity but not sent to the second PDCP entity.

[0229] In this embodiment of the present application, the second PDCP entity is an entity in the fourth protocol layer entity, and the fourth protocol layer entity is an upper layer entity of the second RLC entity.

[0230] In this embodiment of the present application, the fourth protocol layer entity may include a second PDCP entity and an upper layer entity of the second PDCP entity.

[0231] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG6 , the communication method includes S401 to S405:

[0232] S401. A first PDCP entity instructs a first RLC entity to discard an RLC SDU.

[0233] In this embodiment of the present application, PDCP instructing RLC to discard an RLC SDU can be expressed as PDCP indicate RLC to discard a RLC SDU.

[0234] In the embodiment of the present application, S401 corresponds to the fifth indication information mentioned above. Here, one RLC SDU corresponds to one or more first data packets mentioned above.

[0235] S402. The first RLC entity indicates the related RLC sequence number of the indicated SDU / PDU to the first PDCP entity.

[0236] In an embodiment of the present application, the first RLC entity indicates to the first PDCP entity that the associated RLC sequence number of the indicated SDU / PDU can be expressed as RLC indicate PDCP the associated RLC SN of the indicated SDU / PDU.

[0237] In this embodiment of the present application, the first RLC entity indicates to the first PDCP entity that the RLC sequence number associated with the indicated SDU / PDU corresponds to the fourth indication information mentioned above.

[0238] S403. The first PDCP entity indicates the PDCP sequence number of the discarded SDU / PDU.

[0239] In an embodiment of the present application, the RLC sequence number of the discarded SDU / PDU indicated by the first PDCP PC layer can be expressed as indicate the PDCP SN of the discarded SDU / PDU.

[0240] In an embodiment of the present application, the RLC sequence number of the discarded SDU / PDU indicated by the first PDCPC layer corresponds to the first indication information mentioned above.

[0241] S404. The second PDCP entity instructs the second RLC entity to discard the data packet / data segment of the indicated SN.

[0242] In this embodiment of the present application, the second PDCP entity instructs the second RLC entity to discard the data packet / data segment of the indicated SN, which can be expressed as PDCP indicate RLC the SDU has been discarded by TX.

[0243] S405: The second RLC entity moves the receiving window.

[0244] In the embodiment of the present application, moving the receiving window may be expressed as moving the reception window.

[0245] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes S501:

[0246] In the case that the second data packet is deleted, the first device determines whether a radio link failure RLF occurs; wherein the second data packet is a retransmitted data packet in one or more first data packets.

[0247] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the system is congested is determined based on the number of retransmissions. If the number of retransmissions is greater than the threshold, RLF is triggered. In AM mode, data will be sent continuously until ARQ is received or the number of times meets the threshold. If it cannot be sent, RLF is triggered. Since the data packet is deleted halfway through the sending process, the maximum number of times cannot be reached, and the attempt to send is kept until it times out, resulting in an infinite loop (deadlock). The reason for this phenomenon is that after the data packet is deleted, the exit for triggering RLF cannot be met. The solutions are: one is to adjust (lower) the threshold, and the other is to not reset RETX_COUNT and accumulate it. After determining RLF, the sending end triggers RLC reconstruction. After reconstruction, the network continues to perform optimization operations such as reconfiguration.

[0248] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first retransmission count of the second data packet is not equal to the first preset value and the first retransmission count is less than the first retransmission count threshold, a method for determining whether RLF occurs includes the following cases:

[0249] Case 1: judging based on the first retransmission number and the second retransmission number threshold; wherein the second retransmission number threshold is obtained by reducing the first retransmission number threshold.

[0250] In the embodiment of the present application, the first preset value is a value specified by the protocol or configured by the network. Exemplarily, the first preset value is 0.

[0251] In the embodiment of the present application, the first retransmission number threshold can be expressed as maxRetxThreshold, that is, the current retransmission number threshold.

[0252] In the embodiment of the present application, the second retransmission number threshold may be expressed as maxRetxThreshold-m, where m is a second preset value.

[0253] As an implementation method, when the first retransmission number of the second data packet is not equal to the first preset value and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, the first device reduces the first retransmission number threshold according to the second preset value to obtain the second retransmission number threshold.

[0254] As another implementation, if the first retransmission count for N consecutive second data packets satisfies the condition that the first retransmission count is not equal to the first preset value and is less than the first retransmission count threshold, the first device reduces the first retransmission count threshold according to the second preset value to obtain a second retransmission count threshold. N is a value specified by the protocol or configured by the network, and exemplarily, N is 4. In this case, a new timer is required to record the number of consecutive second data packets that meet this condition.

[0255] In the embodiment of the present application, if the first retransmission number is equal to and / or greater than the second retransmission number threshold, RLF occurs; if the first retransmission number is less than and / or equal to the second retransmission number threshold, RLF does not occur.

[0256] Case 2: judging based on the first retransmission number and the first retransmission number threshold, wherein, when retransmitting the third data packet, the first retransmission number is not set to zero.

[0257] In the embodiment of the present application, the first number of retransmissions has an inheritance characteristic.

[0258] For example, if the retransmission count of the previous data packet of the second data packet is not equal to the first preset value, the retransmission count of the previous data packet is less than the first retransmission count threshold, and the previous data packet has been deleted, the retransmission count of the previous data packet is used as the first retransmission count corresponding to the second data packet. Furthermore, if a third data packet (the data packet following the second data packet) needs to be retransmitted, the retransmission count of the third data packet inherits the first retransmission count.

[0259] In the embodiment of the present application, for situation 2, whether RLF occurs can be determined based on the first retransmission number and the third retransmission number threshold; wherein the third retransmission number threshold is greater than the first retransmission number threshold.

[0260] In the embodiment of the present application, if the first retransmission number is equal to and / or greater than the first retransmission number threshold, RLF occurs; if the first retransmission number is less than and / or equal to the first retransmission number threshold, RLF does not occur.

[0261] Case 3: judging based on the second retransmission number and the first retransmission number threshold; wherein, the second retransmission number is the first retransmission number plus the second offset.

[0262] In the embodiment of the present application, the second offset is a value specified by the protocol or configured by the network. Exemplarily, the second offset is 1.

[0263] In the embodiment of the present application, if the second retransmission number is greater than the first retransmission number threshold, RLF occurs; if the second retransmission number is less than or equal to the first retransmission number threshold, RLF does not occur.

[0264] In an embodiment of the present application, if the first retransmission number is equal to and / or greater than the first retransmission number threshold minus the second offset, RLF occurs; if the first retransmission number is less than and / or equal to the first retransmission number threshold minus the second offset, RLF does not occur.

[0265] Case 4: judging based on the first retransmission number and the third retransmission number threshold; wherein, the third retransmission number threshold is specified by the protocol or configured by the network, and the third retransmission number threshold is smaller than the first retransmission number threshold.

[0266] In the embodiment of the present application, if the first retransmission number is greater than and / or equal to the third retransmission number threshold, RLF occurs; if the first retransmission number is less than and / or equal to the third retransmission number threshold, RLF does not occur.

[0267] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration granularity of the network parameters in the above-listed judgment methods for determining whether RLF occurs may include any one of the following: configuration according to each RLC bearer, configuration according to each network bearer, configuration according to each terminal (first device), and configuration according to each cell.

[0268] It should be noted that the above-listed methods for determining whether RLF occurs can be combined arbitrarily, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on this.

[0269] It is understandable that, if the second data packet is deleted, the first device determines whether a radio link failure (RLF) has occurred. This improves the real-time monitoring capability of the radio link status, enabling timely detection of link problems. This reduces the likelihood of RLFs, improving the reliability and stability of data transmission. Furthermore, it optimizes network resource utilization, avoiding unnecessary data retransmissions and network congestion. This improves the system's ability to respond to abnormal situations and enhances network robustness and manageability.

[0270] In some embodiments of the present application, a reset condition for the first retransmission number threshold includes:

[0271] When the first retransmission number is equal to a first preset value (such as 0), resetting the first retransmission number threshold to an initial configuration value; or,

[0272] When the first retransmission number is not equal to the first preset value, and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, and the sixth indication information (ACK) is received, the first retransmission number threshold is reset to the initial configuration value; wherein the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the second device has successfully received the second data packet.

[0273] It can be understood that the reset condition for the first retransmission threshold maintains the rationality and accuracy of the retransmission threshold, ensuring the control and management of data retransmissions. Resetting the threshold when the preset retransmission count is reached helps the system promptly restore to a normal retransmission strategy in abnormal situations. Furthermore, triggering the threshold reset by receiving the sixth indication information enhances confirmation of successful data transmission, improving network stability and reliability. This optimizes data transmission performance and efficiency, avoids unnecessary data retransmissions and resource waste, and enhances overall network quality.

[0274] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method further includes S601:

[0275] S601: For a first data packet, when identification information of the first data packet is within a second window and the first data packet is indicated as deleted, the second device adjusts a receiving parameter according to the identification information of the first data packet.

[0276] In the embodiment of the present application, adjusting the receiving parameters is to move the receiving window. The receiving window refers to a mechanism used by the second device to manage and process data packets, and is generally used to control the number of data packets or the range of sequence numbers that the second device can receive.

[0277] In the embodiment of the present application, the second window is also referred to as a receiving window.

[0278] In some embodiments of the present application, the adjustment methods of the reception parameters include the following situations:

[0279] Case 1: If the identification information of the first data packet is greater than or equal to the first parameter, the first parameter is updated according to the third preset value; wherein the first parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information in the identification information of the data packet received by the second device.

[0280] In the embodiment of the present application, the first parameter can be expressed as RX_Next_Highest.

[0281] As an implementation, when a first data packet is within a receiving window, if the identification information X of the first data packet is greater than or equal to a first parameter, the first parameter is updated according to a third preset value to obtain an updated first parameter; wherein the third preset value is a value specified by the protocol or configured by the network. Exemplarily, the third preset value is 1. The updated first parameter can be expressed as X+1.

[0282] As another implementation, when the first data packet is within the receive window, if the identification information X of the first data packet is greater than or equal to the first parameter, and the first indication information uses the second indication information and the first quantity representation, then the first parameter is updated based on the first quantity corresponding to the first data packet to obtain an updated first parameter. For example, if the first quantity is M, the updated first parameter can be expressed as X+N.

[0283] Case 2: If the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the second parameter, the second parameter is updated to the identification information of the fifth data packet; wherein, the fifth data packet is the next data packet that is not received by the second device and is not instructed to be deleted by the first device; the second parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information of the confirmed received data packets in the current status report (Status Report) of the second device.

[0284] In the embodiment of the present application, the second parameter can be expressed as RX_Highest_Status.

[0285] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first data packet is within the receiving window, if the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the second parameter, the second parameter is updated to the identification information of the next data packet that is not received by the second device and is not instructed to be deleted by the first device.

[0286] Case 3: If the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the third parameter, the third parameter is updated to the identification information of the fifth data packet; the third parameter is used to indicate the identification information of the data packet that the second device expects to receive.

[0287] In the embodiment of the present application, the third parameter can be expressed as RX_Next.

[0288] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first data packet is within the receiving window, if the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the third parameter, the third parameter is updated to the identification information of the next data packet that is not received by the second device and is not instructed to be deleted by the first device.

[0289] It should be noted that the adjustment methods of the relevant parameters of the received data listed above can be combined in any way, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0290] It can be understood that by adjusting the parameters related to data reception described above and updating the relevant parameters, the receiving end can accurately identify and process received data packets, reducing the risk of data transmission errors and loss. Furthermore, updating the relevant parameters helps the receiving end effectively manage the reception state, including maintaining maximum identification information and information indicating the expected data packets, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of data reception. Furthermore, updating the parameters can help strengthen the flow control and confirmation mechanisms for data packets, ensuring that data packets are transmitted and received in the correct order, thereby improving the stability and performance of communications.

[0291] In some embodiments of the present application, the first device is a terminal device, and the method further includes:

[0292] The first device receives eighth indication information sent by the network device, where the eighth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off the RLF judgment function.

[0293] In an embodiment of the present application, when the eighth indication information indicates that the RLF judgment function is in the on state, the step of judging whether RLF occurs when the second data packet is deleted is performed; or, when the eighth indication information indicates that the RLF judgment function is in the off state, the step of judging whether RLF occurs when the second data packet is deleted is not performed.

[0294] In the embodiment of the present application, the RLF judgment function of the first device is optional, that is, the RLF judgment function is configured by the network.

[0295] For example, when the eighth indication information is a first value (assuming 1 or True), it indicates that the RLF determination function is enabled. In this case, the first device will determine whether an RLF has occurred when the second data packet is deleted. Alternatively, when the eighth indication information is a second value (assuming 0 or False), it indicates that the RLF determination function is disabled. In this case, the first device will not determine whether an RLF has occurred.

[0296] It should be noted that the first value is different from the second value, and the configuration of the first value and the second value can be in digital form or symbolic form, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0297] In some embodiments of the present application, the first device is a terminal device, and the method further includes:

[0298] The first device receives ninth indication information sent by the network device, where the ninth indication information is used to indicate whether to enable or disable a function of allowing deletion of a data packet that has been sent to the first protocol layer entity.

[0299] In an embodiment of the present application, when the ninth indication information indicates that deletion of the data packet sent to the first protocol layer entity is allowed, the step of the first device sending the first indication information to the second device is executed; or, when the ninth indication information indicates that deletion of the data packet sent to the first protocol layer entity is not allowed, the step of sending the first indication information to the second device is not executed.

[0300] Exemplarily, when the ninth indication information is a third value (assuming it is 1 or True), it indicates that the first indication information is allowed to be sent (i.e., the RLC enhancement function is in the enabled state), and in this case, the first device may send the first indication information to the second device. Alternatively, when the ninth indication information is a fourth value (assuming it is 0 or False), it indicates that the first indication information is not allowed to be sent (i.e., the RLC enhancement function is in the disabled state), and in this case, the first device will not send the first indication information to the second device.

[0301] It should be noted that the third value is different from the fourth value, and the configuration of the third value and the fourth value can be in digital form or symbolic form, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitations on this.

[0302] In some embodiments of the present application, the second device is a terminal device, and the method further includes:

[0303] The second device receives tenth indication information sent by the network device, where the tenth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off a function of adjusting a receiving parameter.

[0304] In an embodiment of the present application, when the tenth indication information indicates that the function of adjusting the receiving parameters is in the on state, the step of adjusting the receiving parameters is performed for the first data packet according to the identification information of the first data packet when the identification information of the first data packet is within the second window and the first data packet is indicated as deleted; or, when the tenth indication information indicates that the function of adjusting the receiving parameters is in the off state, the step of adjusting the receiving parameters is not performed.

[0305] In the embodiment of the present application, the function of adjusting the receiving parameters of the second device is optional, that is, the function of adjusting the receiving parameters can be network configured.

[0306] Exemplarily, when the tenth indication information is a fifth value (assuming it is 1 or True), it indicates that the function of adjusting the reception parameters is in an enabled state. In this case, the second device adjusts the reception parameters for the first data packet based on the identification information of the first data packet when the identification information of the first data packet is within the second window and the first data packet is indicated as deleted. Alternatively, when the tenth indication information is a sixth value (assuming it is 0 or False), it indicates that the function of adjusting the reception parameters is in a disabled state. In this case, the second device does not adjust the reception parameters.

[0307] It should be noted that the fifth value is different from the sixth value, and the configuration of the fifth value and the sixth value can be in digital form or symbolic form, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on this.

[0308] In an embodiment of the present application, the eighth indication information, the ninth indication information, and the tenth indication information are related or unrelated. When the eighth indication information, the ninth indication information, and the tenth indication information are unrelated, the three are independent indication information. When the eighth indication information, the ninth indication information, and the tenth indication information are related, the three are related to each other. For example, when the eighth indication information indicates that the function of allowing the deletion of data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity is enabled, the ninth indication information and the tenth indication information may indicate that the function is enabled.

[0309] The communication method provided by this application is explained below in a specific embodiment.

[0310] The present invention provides a communication method, specifically, an RLC retransmission enhancement method. This method can support RLC to delete data packets that have timed out but have not been successfully sent, saving unnecessary resource overhead. The method specifically includes the following three aspects:

[0311] 1) The sending end (equivalent to the first device) resolves the SN gap (sequence number gap) mechanism after deleting the data packet;

[0312] 2) The behavior of the receiving end (equivalent to the second device) after discovering that the sending end has deleted the data packet;

[0313] 3) The impact of deleting data packets on RLF detection (radio link failure / fault detection).

[0314] Example 1: The Tx (transmitting end) UE (User Equipment) sends an RLC SN gap indication to the Rx (receiving end) UE

[0315] In the embodiment of the present application, the TX UE is equivalent to the first device mentioned above, and the RX UE is equivalent to the second device mentioned above.

[0316] In the embodiment of the present application, the implementation of Example 1 may include the following three steps:

[0317] Step 1: The upper layer (PDCP) of the transmitting end (equivalent to the first PDCP entity) instructs the RLC (equivalent to the first RLC entity) to delete a data packet (RLC SDU) (equivalent to one or more first data packets), and the RLC layer deletes the RLC data packet (SDU and / or PDU) associated with the indicated data packet, including:

[0318] Data packets that have been delivered to the lower layer (equivalent to data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity); and / or,

[0319] Data packets that are not delivered to the lower layer (equivalent to data packets that are not sent to the first protocol layer entity).

[0320] Step 2: The transmitting end sends first information (equivalent to first indication information of RLC layer signaling) to the receiving end, where the first information is used to indicate the deleted data packet.

[0321] In the embodiment of the present application, the deleted data packets include: data packets that have been delivered to the lower layer and / or data packets that have not been delivered to the lower layer.

[0322] In this embodiment of the present application, the triggering conditions of the first information include:

[0323] Receiving an upper layer instruction to delete a data packet (equivalent to the first RLC entity receiving the third instruction information sent by the second protocol layer entity); and / or,

[0324] There are data packets to be deleted / need to be deleted / deleted that have been submitted to the lower layer (equivalent to one or more first data packets in the first RLC entity) (SN numbers cannot be reassigned to such data packets, resulting in an SN gap).

[0325] In an embodiment of the present application, when the sending of the first information is triggered, the first information must include the SN number (RLC sequence number) of the deleted and / or non-deleted data packets. Here, the non-deleted data packets are equivalent to one or more second data packets in the first window in the previous text except for one or more first data packets.

[0326] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the first information includes the following two methods:

[0327] Method 1: In the control PDU.

[0328] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be carried in a control PDU in the form of a bitmap.

[0329] Specifically, the control PDU needs to carry the SN of the first deleted data packet. The bitmap information (ie, the first information) of the control PDU can be of variable length or fixed length.

[0330] Specifically, for variable length, it starts from the first deleted data packet (including or excluding the first deleted data packet) to the last deleted data packet (including the last deleted data packet); in this case, the bitmap length needs to be additionally indicated; the indication method is such as setting the bit of the deleted data packet to 1, otherwise it is set to 0.

[0331] Specifically, for a fixed length, starting from the first deleted data packet (including or excluding the first deleted data packet) up to the defined length; the defined length can be specified by the protocol (default length) and / or configurable (network configuration); the indication method is to set the bit of the deleted data packet to 1, otherwise to 0. If the number of data packets from the first to the last actually deleted is less than the defined length, the subsequent bits are all set to zero.

[0332] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information can be carried in the control PDU in a range manner.

[0333] Specifically, the control PDU needs to carry the first data packet of one or more continuously deleted data packets (equivalent to the second indication information in the foregoing text) and the length of the continuous segment (equivalent to the first quantity in the foregoing text). For example, if packets 1 / 2 / 3, 6 / 7, and 9 are deleted among packets 1 - 10, then it should indicate 1 (the first deleted) + 3 (range), 6 + 2, 9 + 1.

[0334] Method 2: In the data PDU (data PDU).

[0335] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information is carried in the data PDU in the form of a data packet that only contains the packet header (excluding the Data part). [[ID=​​​​​​​​​​​​If X>=RX_Next_Highest (equivalent to the first parameter), then update RX_Next_Highest=X+1; (or, if the range method (equivalent to the second indication information and the first quantity) is used in step 2, and the range corresponding to X is N (equivalent to the first quantity), then RX_Next_Highest=X+N);

[0341] If X=RX_Highest_Status (equivalent to the second parameter), then update RX_Highest_Status to the next SN number that was not completely received successfully and was not instructed to be deleted (equivalent to the identification information of the fifth data packet);

[0342] If X=RX_Next (equivalent to the third parameter), RX_Next is updated to the next SN number that is not completely received successfully and is not instructed to be deleted.

[0343] Example 2: Determining deleted data packets based on inter-layer interaction between PDCP and RLC

[0344] In the embodiment of the present application, the implementation of Example 2 may include the following four steps:

[0345] Step 1: The upper layer (PDCP) of the transmitting end (equivalent to the first PDCP entity) instructs the RLC (equivalent to the first RLC entity) to delete a data packet (RLC SDU) (equivalent to one or more first data packets), and the RLC layer deletes the RLC data packet (SDU and / or PDU) associated with the indicated data packet, including:

[0346] Data packets that have been delivered to the lower layer (equivalent to data packets that have been delivered to the first protocol layer entity); and / or,

[0347] Data packets that are not delivered to the lower layer (equivalent to data packets that are not delivered to the first protocol layer entity).

[0348] Step 2: The RLC at the transmitting end (equivalent to the first RLC entity) indicates the RLC SN number associated with the data packet to be deleted (equivalent to the RLC sequence number of one or more first data packets).

[0349] Step 3: The transmitting end sends the first information shown in the figure (equivalent to the first indication information of the PDCP layer signaling) to the receiving end. The first information is used to indicate the deleted data packet.

[0350] In the embodiment of the present application, the second information can be in the following two forms:

[0351] Method 1: The second piece of information is used to indicate the PDCP SN number of the deleted data packet and the RLC SN number corresponding to the PDCP SN number.

[0352] In the embodiments of the present application, the deleted data packets include the data packets that have been delivered to the lower layer and / or the data packets that have not been delivered to the lower layer.

[0353] In the embodiments of the present application, when the second piece of information is triggered to be sent, the RLC SN numbers associated with the deleted and / or undeleted data packets need to be included in the second piece of information: If the second piece of information is carried in the control PDU in the form of a bitmap, the corresponding RLC SN numbers or the offset (equivalent to the second offset) between the RLC SN number and the PDCP SN number are carried in the order corresponding to the bitmap one by one.

[0354] Method 2: The second piece of information is used to indicate the PDCP SN number of the deleted data packet.

[0355] In the embodiments of the present application, the receiving end can determine that the corresponding RLC PDU / SDU has been deleted according to the PDCP SDU discard report and the receiving situation of the RLC layer. For example, PDCP SN = 1 and PDCP SN = 4 have been received, the corresponding RLC SN numbers are 1 and 5 respectively, RLC SN = 2 is a control PDU, and the sending end indicates that PDCP SN = 2 / 3 has been deleted, then the receiving end can determine that RLC SN = 3 / 4 has been deleted.

[0356] Step 4: After receiving the first piece of information, the receiving end identifies the SN numbers of the deleted data packets and / or undeleted data packets indicated by the first piece of information, and discards the received data packets or data packet segments (not delivered to the upper layer (equivalent to the second protocol layer entity)) that are indicated to be discarded.

[0357] In the embodiments of the present application, the second device needs to adjust the relevant parameters of the received data, that is, move the receiving window.

[0358] Specifically, for the data packet X indicating discard (equivalent to the identification information of the first data packet), if X is within the reception window (RX_Next <= SN_X < RX_Next + AM_Window_Size), that is, the identification information of the first data packet is within the reception window, the following adjustments are made:

[0359] If X>=RX_Next_Highest (equivalent to the first parameter), then update RX_Next_Highest=X+1; (or, if the range method (equivalent to the second indication information and the first quantity) is used in step 2, and the range corresponding to X is N (equivalent to the first quantity), then RX_Next_Highest=X+N);

[0360] If X=RX_Highest_Status (equivalent to the second parameter), then update RX_Highest_Status to the next SN number that was not completely received successfully and was not instructed to be deleted (equivalent to the identification information of the fifth data packet);

[0361] If X=RX_Next (equivalent to the third parameter), RX_Next is updated to the next SN number that is not completely received successfully and is not instructed to be deleted.

[0362] Example 3: Impact on the RLF Determination Process (equivalent to the method for determining whether RLF occurs in the previous text)

[0363] In the embodiment of the present application, the following four methods are used to determine whether RLF occurs:

[0364] Method 1: Adjust maxRetxThreshold (equivalent to the first retransmission threshold mentioned above)

[0365] In an embodiment of the present application, each time an interruption occurs due to a discard operation, that is, RETX_COUNT (equivalent to the first retransmission count of the second data packet in the previous text) is not 0 (equivalent to the first preset value) and does not reach maxRetxThreshold (the first retransmission count threshold), and the data packet is deleted (will not be retransmitted), the value of maxRetxThreshold is adjusted.

[0366] In an embodiment of the present application, if RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted, maxRetxThreshold is updated to maxRetxThreshold-m (equivalent to the second retransmission threshold), where m (equivalent to the second preset value) can be a value defined by the protocol (such as 1) or configured by the network;

[0367] In an embodiment of the present application, if RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted for N consecutive times, where N is a value configured by the network or defined by the protocol, then maxRetxThreshold is updated to maxRetxThreshold-m (equivalent to the second retransmission threshold), and a new timer needs to be defined to record this number.

[0368] In an embodiment of the present application, that is, if RETX_COUNT is 0, or RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, but the packet has been successfully transmitted (ACK received) (equivalent to the sixth indication information in the previous text), then the maxRetxThreshold is reset to the network initial configuration value (equivalent to the initial configuration value).

[0369] Method 2: RETX_COUNT does not reset to 0

[0370] In an embodiment of the present application, each time an interruption occurs due to a discard operation, that is, RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted (will not be retransmitted), the RETX_COUNT of the next consecutive SN number of the data packet that needs to be retransmitted (equivalent to the third data packet in the previous text) is not reset.

[0371] In the embodiment of the present application, if the RETX_COUNT of the previous data packet N-1 of data packet N is not 0 and does not reach the maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted, the initial value of RETX_COUNT_N is not 0 but RETX_COUNT_N-1.

[0372] In an embodiment of the present application, another maxRetxThreshold value, i.e., maxRetxThreshold2 (such as greater than maxRetxThreshold), can be configured for this situation. The transmitting end uses the value of maxRetxThreshold2 (larger than the original value) to determine whether RLF occurs when the initial value of RETX_COUNT_N is not 0 but RETX_COUNT_N-1.

[0373] Method 3: RETX_COUNT+offset (equivalent to the second offset in the previous text) determines whether it is greater than maxRetxThreshold, or determines whether RETX_COUNT is less than maxRetxThreshold-offset

[0374] In an embodiment of the present application, each time an interruption occurs due to a discard operation, that is, RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted (will not be retransmitted), the sender directly determines whether the current RETX_COUNT+offset is greater than maxRetxThreshold. The offset value can be specified by the protocol (such as 1) or the network configuration.

[0375] Method 4: RETX_COUNT determines whether it is greater than maxRetxThreshold3 (smaller than the original) (equivalent to the third retransmission threshold)

[0376] In an embodiment of the present application, each time an interruption occurs due to a discard operation, that is, RETX_COUNT is not 0 and has not reached maxRetxThreshold, and the data packet is deleted (will not be retransmitted), the sender uses the maxRetxThreshold3 parameter for judgment. maxRetxThreshold3 is a dedicated parameter in this case, which can be configured by the network.

[0377] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication method provided supports deleting data that has been submitted to the lower layer at the RLC layer, which can optimize resource utilization and improve communication performance.

[0378] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the ideas of the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the relevant technologies, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0379] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in 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. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0380] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. As shown in FIG7 , the communication device 10 includes a first communication unit 11; wherein,

[0381] The first communication unit 11 is configured to send first indication information to the second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity of the first device; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

[0382] In some embodiments, the one or more first data packets further include: data packets that are not sent to the first protocol layer entity.

[0383] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes: identification information of the one or more first data packets, and / or identification information of one or more second data packets; wherein the one or more second data packets are data packets in the first window other than the one or more first data packets.

[0384] In some embodiments, the transmission method of the first indication information includes: in a control protocol data unit PDU; or, in a data PDU.

[0385] In some embodiments, when the transmission method of the first indication information is control PDU, the representation method of the first indication information includes: a bitmap; or, second indication information and a first quantity, the second indication information indicates a second data packet, the second data packet is the first data packet of one or more consecutive first data packets, and the first quantity is the number of the one or more consecutive first data packets.

[0386] In some embodiments, the length of the bitmap is variable length or fixed length.

[0387] In some embodiments, when the first indication information is represented by a bitmap, the control PDU includes identification information of the first data packet among the one or more first data packets.

[0388] In some embodiments, the first indication information is RLC layer signaling.

[0389] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes an RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

[0390] In some embodiments, the triggering condition of the first indication information includes: the first RLC entity receives the third indication information issued by the first PDPC entity; the third indication information is used to instruct the RLC layer to delete the one or more first data packets; and / or the first RLC entity has the one or more first data packets.

[0391] In some embodiments, the first indication information is Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer signaling.

[0392] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number and the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; or, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

[0393] In some embodiments, when the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or a first offset, and the first offset is the offset between the PDCP sequence number of the first data packet and the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

[0394] In some embodiments, the triggering condition of the first indication information includes: the first PDCP entity of the first device receives the fourth indication information reported by the first RLC entity; wherein, the fourth indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; and / or, the first PDCP entity determines the existence of the one or more first data packets.

[0395] In some embodiments, the first communication unit 11 is further configured so that the first PDCP entity sends fifth indication information to the first RLC entity; wherein the fifth indication information is used to instruct the first RLC entity to delete the one or more first data packets; and the first RLC entity reports the fourth indication information to the first PDCP entity.

[0396] In some embodiments, the first communication unit 11 is further configured to determine whether a radio link failure RLF occurs when a second data packet is deleted; wherein the second data packet is a retransmitted data packet among the one or more first data packets.

[0397] In some embodiments, when the first retransmission number of the second data packet is not equal to the first preset value, and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, the method for determining whether RLF occurs includes one or more of the following: judging based on the first retransmission number and the second retransmission number threshold; wherein the second retransmission number threshold is obtained by reducing the first retransmission number threshold; judging based on the first retransmission number and the first retransmission number threshold, wherein, in the case of retransmission of the third data packet, the first retransmission number is not set to zero; judging based on the second retransmission number and the first retransmission number threshold; wherein, the second retransmission number is the first retransmission number plus a second offset; judging based on the first retransmission number and the third retransmission number threshold; wherein the third retransmission number threshold is specified by the protocol or configured by the network, and the third retransmission number threshold is less than the first retransmission number threshold.

[0398] In some embodiments, the reset condition of the first retransmission number threshold includes: when the first retransmission number is equal to the first preset value, resetting the first retransmission number threshold to the initial configuration value; or, when the first retransmission number is not equal to the first preset value, and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, and sixth indication information is received, resetting the first retransmission number threshold to the initial configuration value; wherein the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the second device has successfully received the second data packet.

[0399] In some embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the first communication unit 11 is further configured to receive eighth indication information sent by the network device, where the eighth indication information is used to indicate whether the RLF judgment function is turned on or off.

[0400] In some embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the first communication unit 11 is further configured to receive ninth indication information sent by the network device, and the ninth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off a function allowing deletion of data packets sent to the first protocol layer entity.

[0401] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0402] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a second device. As shown in FIG8 , the communication device 20 includes a second communication unit 21; wherein,

[0403] The second communication unit 21 is configured to receive first indication information sent by the first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that the second RLC entity has not successfully received.

[0404] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes: identification information of the one or more first data packets, and / or identification information of one or more second data packets; wherein, the one or more second data packets are data packets in the second window other than the one or more first data packets; and the second window is less than or equal to the receiving window.

[0405] In some embodiments, the transmission method of the first indication information includes: in a control protocol data unit PDU; or, in a data PDU.

[0406] In some embodiments, when the transmission method of the first indication information is control PDU, the representation method of the first indication information includes: a bitmap; or, second indication information and a first quantity, the second indication information indicates a second data packet, the second data packet is the first data packet of one or more consecutive first data packets, and the first quantity is the number of the one or more consecutive first data packets.

[0407] In some embodiments, the length of the bitmap is variable length or fixed length.

[0408] In some embodiments, when the first indication information is represented by a bitmap, the control PDU includes identification information of the first data packet among the one or more first data packets.

[0409] In some embodiments, the first indication information is RLC layer signaling.

[0410] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes an RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

[0411] In some embodiments, the first indication information is Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer signaling.

[0412] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number and the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; or, the first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

[0413] In some embodiments, when the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or a first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the PDCP sequence number of the first data packet and the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

[0414] In some embodiments, the second communication unit 21 is further configured to, when the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the second RLC entity determines the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets based on the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets and the reception status of the data packets of the second RLC entity, so that the second device deletes the one or more first data packets according to the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

[0415] In some embodiments, the second communication unit 21 is further configured to send seventh indication information to the second RLC entity as the second PDCP entity of the second device; wherein the seventh indication information is used to instruct the second RLC entity to delete the one or more first data packets.

[0416] In some embodiments, the second communication unit 21 is further configured to delete a fourth data packet, where the fourth data packet is a data packet received by the second RLC entity but not sent to the second PDCP entity.

[0417] In some embodiments, the second communication unit 21 is further configured to adjust relevant parameters of received data according to the identification information of the first data packet when the identification information of the first data packet is within the second window and the first data packet is indicated as deleted.

[0418] In some embodiments, the adjustment method of the relevant parameters of the received data includes one or more of the following: if the identification information of the first data packet is greater than or equal to the first parameter, the first parameter is updated according to a third preset value; wherein, the first parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information in the identification information of the data packet received by the second device; if the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the second parameter, the second parameter is updated to the identification information of the fifth data packet; wherein, the fifth data packet is the next data packet that is not received by the second device and is not instructed to be deleted by the first device; the second parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information of the confirmed received data packet in the current status report of the second device; if the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the third parameter, the third parameter is updated to the identification information of the fifth data packet; the third parameter is used to indicate the identification information of the data packet that the second device expects to receive.

[0419] In some embodiments, the second device is a terminal device, and the second communication unit 21 is further configured to receive tenth indication information sent by the network device, where the tenth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off the function of adjusting the receiving parameters.

[0420] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0421] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 30 can be a first device or a second device. The communication device 30 shown in FIG9 includes a processor 31, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0422] Optionally, as shown in Figure 9, the communication device 30 may further include a memory 32. The processor 31 may call and run a computer program from the memory 32 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0423] The memory 32 may be a separate device independent of the processor 31 , or may be integrated into the processor 31 .

[0424] Optionally, as shown in FIG9 , the communication device 30 may further include a transceiver 33 , and the processor 31 may control the transceiver 33 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0425] The transceiver 33 is also called a communication interface, and is used to receive and send signals during the process of sending and receiving information with other external network elements.

[0426] The transceiver 33 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 33 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0427] Optionally, the communication device 30 may specifically be the first device (mobile terminal / terminal device) of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 30 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0428] Optionally, the communication device 30 may specifically be the second device (network device) of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 30 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0429] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip 40 shown in Figure 10 includes a processor 41, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0430] Optionally, as shown in FIG10 , the chip 40 may further include a memory 42. The processor 41 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 42 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0431] The memory 42 may be a separate device independent of the processor 41 , or may be integrated into the processor 41 .

[0432] Optionally, the chip 40 may further include a transceiver (also called a communication interface) for receiving and sending signals during the process of sending and receiving information with a device or chip.

[0433] Optionally, as shown in Figure 10, the transceiver may include an input interface 43. The processor 41 may control the input interface to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may receive information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0434] Optionally, as shown in Figure 10, the transceiver may include an output interface 44. The processor 41 may control the output interface to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may send information or data to other devices or chips.

[0435] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first device (mobile terminal / terminal device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0436] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the second device (network device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0437] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0438] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, which stores one or more programs. The one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0439] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the communication system 50 includes a first device 51 and a second device 52 .

[0440] Among them, the first device 51 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the first device in the above method, and the second device 52 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the second device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0441] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as a hardware decoding processor, or can be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0442] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0443] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0444] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0445] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device (mobile terminal / terminal device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0446] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the second device (network device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0447] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0448] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first device (mobile terminal / terminal device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0449] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the second device (network device) in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0450] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0451] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the first device (mobile terminal / terminal device) in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0452] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the second device (network device) in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the second device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0453] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0454] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0455] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods 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. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0456] 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.

[0457] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0458] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the relevant technology or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0459] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first device, wherein the first device includes a first Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity, and a first protocol layer entity, the method comprising: Sending first indication information to the second device; wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The one or more first data packets further include: data packets that are not sent to the first protocol layer entity.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The transmission method of the first indication information includes: In a control protocol data unit (PDU); or, In data PDUs.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first indication information includes: identification information of the one or more first data packets, and / or identification information of one or more second data packets; wherein, the one or more second data packets are data packets in the first window other than the one or more first data packets; and the first window is less than or equal to the sending window.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein When the transmission mode of the first indication information is a control PDU, the representation mode of the first indication information includes: bitmap; or, Second indication information and a first quantity, the second indication information indicates a second data packet, the second data packet is the first data packet in one or more consecutive first data packets, and the first quantity is the quantity of the one or more consecutive first data packets.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The length of the bitmap is variable or fixed.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: In a case where the first indication information is represented in a bitmap manner, the control PDU includes identification information of the first data packet among the one or more first data packets.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The first indication information is RLC layer signaling.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The triggering condition of the first indication information includes: The first RLC entity receives third indication information sent by the first PDCP entity; the third indication information is used to instruct the first RLC entity to delete the one or more first data packets; and / or, The first RLC entity stores the one or more first data packets.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The first indication information is PDCP layer signaling.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number and the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; or, The first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: In the case where the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or a first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the PDCP sequence number of the first data packet and the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The triggering condition of the first indication information includes: The first PDCP entity of the first device receives fourth indication information reported by the first RLC entity; wherein the fourth indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; and / or, The first PDCP entity determines that the one or more first data packets exist.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: The first PDCP entity sends fifth indication information to the first RLC entity; wherein the fifth indication information is used to instruct the first RLC entity to delete the one or more first data packets; The first RLC entity reports the fourth indication information to the first PDCP entity.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein: The method further comprises: In the case that the second data packet is deleted, it is determined whether a radio link failure RLF occurs; wherein the second data packet is a retransmitted data packet among the one or more first data packets.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein When the first retransmission number of the second data packet is not equal to the first preset value and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, a determination method for determining whether RLF occurs includes one or more of the following: Determine based on the first retransmission number and the second retransmission number threshold; wherein the second retransmission number threshold is obtained by reducing the first retransmission number threshold; determining, according to the first retransmission number and the first retransmission number threshold, wherein, in the case of retransmitting the third data packet, the first retransmission number is not set to zero; Determine based on a second number of retransmissions and a threshold value of the first number of retransmissions; wherein the second number of retransmissions is the first number of retransmissions plus a second offset; The judgment is made based on the first retransmission number and the third retransmission number threshold; wherein the third retransmission number threshold is specified by the protocol or configured by the network, and the third retransmission number threshold is less than the first retransmission number threshold.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The reset condition of the first retransmission number threshold includes: When the first retransmission number is equal to the first preset value, resetting the first retransmission number threshold to an initial configuration value; or, When the first retransmission number is not equal to the first preset value, and the first retransmission number is less than the first retransmission number threshold, and the sixth indication information is received, the first retransmission number threshold is reset to the initial configuration value; wherein the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the second device has successfully received the second data packet.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein: The first device is a terminal device, and the method further includes: Receive eighth indication information sent by the network device, where the eighth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off the RLF judgment function.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein The first device is a terminal device, and the method further includes: Receive ninth indication information sent by the network device, where the ninth indication information is used to indicate whether to turn on or off a function of allowing deletion of data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity.

21. A communication method, applied to a second device, wherein the second device includes a second radio link control (RLC) entity, the method comprising: Receive first indication information sent by a first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that are not successfully received by the second RLC entity.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The transmission method of the first indication information includes: In a control protocol data unit (PDU); or, In data PDUs.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein The first indication information includes: identification information of the one or more first data packets, and / or identification information of one or more second data packets; wherein, the one or more second data packets are data packets in the second window other than the one or more first data packets; and the second window is less than or equal to the receiving window.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein When the transmission mode of the first indication information is a control PDU, the representation mode of the first indication information includes: bitmap; or, Second indication information and a first quantity, the second indication information indicates a second data packet, the second data packet is the first data packet in one or more consecutive first data packets, and the first quantity is the quantity of the one or more consecutive first data packets.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The length of the bitmap is variable or fixed.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein In a case where the first indication information is represented in a bitmap manner, the control PDU includes identification information of the first data packet among the one or more first data packets.

27. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein The first indication information is RLC layer signaling.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The first indication information is used to indicate the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein: The first indication information is Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer signaling.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number and the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets; or, The first indication information includes the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein In the case where the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number and RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the first indication information includes the RLC sequence number of the first data packet, or a first offset, wherein the first offset is the offset between the PDCP sequence number of the first data packet and the RLC sequence number of the first data packet.

32. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein The method further comprises: In the case where the first indication information indicates the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets, the second RLC entity determines the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets based on the PDCP sequence number of the one or more first data packets and the reception status of the data packets of the second RLC entity, so that the second device deletes the one or more first data packets according to the RLC sequence number of the one or more first data packets.

33. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein The second device further includes a second Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, and the method further includes: The second PDCP entity sends seventh indication information to the second RLC entity; wherein the seventh indication information is used to instruct the second RLC entity to delete the one or more first data packets.

34. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 33, wherein The method further comprises: Delete the fourth data packet, where the fourth data packet is a data packet received by the second RLC entity and not sent to the second PDCP entity.

35. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 34, wherein The method further comprises: For the first data packet, when the identification information of the first data packet is within the second window and the first data packet is indicated as deleted, the receiving parameters are adjusted according to the identification information of the first data packet.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein The adjustment method of the receiving parameter includes one or more of the following: If the identification information of the first data packet is greater than or equal to a first parameter, updating the first parameter according to a third preset value; wherein the first parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information in the identification information of the data packet received by the second device; If the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the second parameter, updating the second parameter to the identification information of the fifth data packet; wherein the fifth data packet is the next data packet that is not received by the second device and is not deleted by the first device; and the second parameter is used to indicate the maximum identification information of the data packets that have been confirmed to be received in the current status report of the second device; If the identification information of the first data packet is equal to the third parameter, the third parameter is updated to the identification information of the fifth data packet; the third parameter is used to indicate the identification information of the data packet that the second device expects to receive.

37. The method according to claim 35 or 36, wherein The second device is a terminal device, and the method further includes: The tenth indication information sent by the receiving network device is used to indicate whether to turn on or off the function of adjusting the receiving parameters.

38. A communication method, applied to a communication system, the communication system comprising a first device and a second device, the method comprising: The first device sends first indication information to the second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to the first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of the first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets that the first PDCP entity indicates to delete; The second device receives the first indication information.

39. A communication device, comprising: A first communication unit is configured to send first indication information to a second device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets; the one or more first data packets include data packets that have been sent to a first protocol layer entity; the first protocol layer entity is a lower layer entity of a first RLC entity; the one or more first data packets are data packets indicated to be deleted by the first PDCP entity.

40. A communication device, comprising: The second communication unit is configured to receive first indication information sent by the first device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more first data packets that the first device indicates to delete; the one or more first data packets include data packets that the second RLC entity has not successfully received.

41. A communication device, comprising: memory for storing computer programs; a processor, connected to the memory, configured to call and execute the computer program from the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 21 to 37; A transceiver is used to send and receive information when sending and receiving information with other external devices.

42. A chip, comprising: memory for storing computer programs; a processor, connected to the memory, configured to call and execute a computer program from the memory, so that a device equipped with the chip performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or performs the method according to any one of claims 21 to 37; A transceiver is used to send and receive information between a device or chip.

43. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by at least one processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or implements the method according to any one of claims 21 to 37.

44. A computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20; or implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 21 to 37.

45. A computer program comprising computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or the method according to any one of claims 21 to 37.

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