Radio link control status report sending method and sending device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a radio link control (RLC) status report sending method. The method comprises: a receiving end of an RLC entity determines a discarded SDU on the basis of a timer, or a counter, or an indication from a PDCP entity; and the receiving end of the RLC entity sends an RLC status report to a sending end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU. Therefore, the advancement of a sending window of the sending end of the RLC entity is facilitated, radio resources occupied by RLC retransmission are saved, power consumption of a terminal device and a network device is reduced; in addition, the method is simple and easy to implement.

Description

Method and apparatus for transmitting radio link control status report TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology. BACKGROUND

[0002] 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) started to study enhancements for Extended Reality (XR) services in Release 18, which refers to all reality and virtual combinations of environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearable devices. The XR services can include Virtual reality (VR) services, Augmented reality (AR) services and Mixed reality (MR) services.

[0003] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of clearly and completely describing the technical solutions of the present application, and for the convenience of understanding by those skilled in the art. The above technical solutions cannot be considered as known to those skilled in the art only because they are described in the background section of the present application.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] The inventors found that for XR services with small packet delay budget (PDB), if Radio Link Control (RLC) Acknowledged Mode (AM) is used, the following problems can exist: 1) the triggering of retransmission at RLC layer is triggered by receiving a status report indicating negative acknowledgment (NACK) from the peer, which can not be received by the RLC sender soon, 2) the RLC sender will not give up retransmission, and after the PDB of the retransmitted data is reached, the retransmitted data has expired or become invalid, and the continued retransmission will waste radio resources, so the retransmission after the PDB is reached is unnecessary, 3) the unnecessary retransmission at RLC layer will occupy radio resources and hinder the transmission of new data.

[0006] In some solutions, in order to avoid unnecessary RLC retransmission of the RLC transmitting end and move the sending window of the RLC transmitting end forward, the RLC AM mode can be enhanced to enable the RLC receiving end to send a status report to the RLC transmitting end, the status report indicating the discarded service data unit (SDU), and the RLC transmitting end can stop sending unnecessary retransmission according to the legacy method.

[0007] However, in the prior art, it is not clear how the RLC receiving end determines that an SDU should be discarded.

[0008] To solve at least one of the above problems or other similar problems, embodiments of the present application provide a method and a device for sending a radio link control (RLC) status report, which can avoid unnecessary RLC retransmission when the service transmission time exceeds the PDB of XR service, save the radio resources occupied by the RLC retransmission, reduce the power consumption of the UE (User Equipment) and / or network device, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0009] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a device for sending a radio link control (RLC) status report is provided, which is configured in a receiving end of an RLC entity, and the device comprises:

[0010] a determining unit configured to determine a discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity;

[0011] a sending unit configured to send an RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU.

[0012] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a triggering device for a radio link control (RLC) status report is provided, which is configured in a receiving end of an RLC entity, and the device comprises:

[0013] a processing unit configured to trigger an RLC status report when or after determining a discarded RLC SDU, or when or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or after determining a first time when an RLC SDU is discarded.

[0014] One of beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that according to the embodiments of the present application, the receiving end of the RLC entity can determine the discarded SDU according to the timer or the counter or the indication from the PDCP entity, trigger the RLC status report, and send the RLC status report to the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity, so that the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity stops the retransmission of the RLC AM mode, helps to move the sending window of the sending end of the RLC entity forward, saves the wireless resources occupied by the RLC retransmission, reduces the power consumption of the UE and the network device, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0015] Specific embodiments of the application are disclosed herein, and represented in the accompanying drawings, indicating the ways in which the principles of the application can be employed. It is understood that the embodiments of the application are not limited in scope to the specific embodiments described herein. Embodiments of the application include many alterations, modifications and equivalents within the scope of the appended claims and their spirit.

[0016] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one implementation can be used in one or more other implementations in the same or similar way, in combination with or in place of features in other implementations.

[0017] It should be emphasized that the term "comprises / comprising" when used in this text, refers to the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Elements and features described with respect to one drawing or implementation of the application can be combined with elements and features illustrated in one or more other drawings or implementations of the application. Also, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and can be used to indicate corresponding parts in more than one implementation.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the receiving end of the RLC entity sending the RLC status report to the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity;

[0020] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the sending method of the RLC status report according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the sending process of the RLC status report according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 4 is another schematic diagram of the sending process of the RLC status report according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 5 is still another schematic diagram of the sending process of the RLC status report according to the embodiments of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a method for triggering an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a format of a STATUS PDU according to the prior art;

[0026] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a format of a STATUS PDU according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a method for receiving an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a transmitting device for an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of an example of a triggering device for an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The foregoing and other features of the present application will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description of specific embodiments of the present application, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals identify like elements throughout the several views. The specific embodiments of the present application described herein are indicative of the principles of the present application, which are to be understood broadly to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish different elements, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or the time sequence of the elements, and the elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprise", "include", "have", and the like are intended to mean the presence of the stated features, elements, components, or assemblies, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or assemblies.

[0034] In the embodiments of the present application, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include the plural forms, and should be broadly understood as "one" or "one type" rather than the meaning of "one" only; in addition, the term "said" should be understood as including both the singular form and the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least partially according to", and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" can refer to a network conforming to any communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), and the like.

[0036] In addition, the communication between devices in the communication system can be performed according to any phase communication protocol, which can include but is not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G, New Radio (NR), and 6G, and the like, and / or other currently known or to be developed in the future communication protocols.

[0037] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to a device that accesses a terminal device to a communication network and provides services for the terminal device in the communication system. The network device can include but is not limited to the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), and the like.

[0038] A base station can include, but is not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), and a 6G base station, etc., and can further include a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio unit (RRU), a relay, or a low-power node (e.g., femto, pico, etc.), an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) node or IAB-DU or IAB-donor. Also, the term “base station” can include some or all of their functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. The term “cell” can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area depending on the context in which the term is used. The terms “cell” and “base station” can be used interchangeably without causing confusion.

[0039] In embodiments of the present application, the term “user equipment” (UE) or “terminal equipment” (TE or Terminal Device) refers to a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services, for example. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile, and can also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), an IAB-MT (Mobile Terminal), a station (station), etc.

[0040] A terminal device can include, but is not limited to, the following devices: a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a machine type communication device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a digital camera, a wearable device, a game device, an XR device, etc.

[0041] For another example, in scenarios such as Internet of Things (IoT), terminal devices can also be machines or apparatuses for monitoring or measurement, which can include but are not limited to machine type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, terminals supporting XR services, and the like.

[0042] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to the side of the network, which can be a certain base station, or can include one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the side of the user or terminal, which can be a certain UE, or can include one or more terminal devices as described above. In this article, "device" can refer to a network device or a terminal device without special indication.

[0043] In 3GPP R19 specifications, regarding the enhancement of RLC retransmission related to RLC Acknowledged Mode (AM) operation with small PDB, the following is described:

[0044] In addition, in order to avoid unnecessary retransmission of RLC AM mode, one of the Rx initiated approach and the Tx initiated approach is selected to enhance RLC AM, and regarding the two approaches, the following is described in RAN2 specifications:

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the AM RLC entity (referred to as RLC entity for short) can be configured in a network device or a terminal device, including a sending end and a receiving end. The sending end of one RLC entity can interact with the receiving end of another RLC entity (referred to as opposite RLC entity). Correspondingly, the receiving end of one RLC entity can interact with the sending end of another RLC entity (referred to as opposite RLC entity). For example, the sending end of the RLC entity configured in the network device can interact with the receiving end of the RLC entity configured in the terminal device, or the receiving end of the RLC entity configured in the network device can interact with the sending end of the RLC entity configured in the terminal device.

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a receiving end of an RLC entity sending an RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity. As shown in Figure 1, the receiving end of the RLC entity sends an RLC status report to the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity, the status report containing discarded RLC SDUs, and the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity processes the status report according to the legacy method after receiving the RLC status report, whereby the transmitting window of the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity is moved forward.

[0047] The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0048] In the following description, "if" can be replaced by "when" or "in the case of" without causing confusion; "RLC AM" and "AM RLC" can be interchangeable; "RLC entity" and "AM RLC entity" can be interchangeable; "receiving end PDCP entity" and "PDCP entity receiving end" can be interchangeable; "transmitting end PDCP entity" and "PDCP entity transmitting end" can be interchangeable; "discard" and "abandon" or "abandon" can be interchangeable.

[0049] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0050] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for sending a wireless link control status report, which is described from the side of a receiving end of an RLC entity.

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a method for sending an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2, the method comprises:

[0052] 201: The receiving end of the RLC entity determines the discarded SDUs according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity.

[0053] 202: The receiving end of the RLC entity sends an RLC status report to the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDUs.

[0054] It is worth noting that the above Figure 2 only schematically describes the embodiments of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, some other operations can be added or some operations can be reduced. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications according to the above description, and the present application is not limited to the description of the above Figure 2.

[0055] In the present embodiment, the SDU can be an RLC SDU and / or an RLC SDU segment.

[0056] According to the above embodiments, the receiving end of the RLC entity determines the discarded SDU according to the timer or the counter or the indication from the PDCP entity, and sends an RLC status report to the transmitting end of the opposite RLC entity, indicating the discarded SDU, so that the transmitting end of the opposite RLC entity stops the retransmission of the RLC AM, helps to move the transmitting window of the transmitting end of the opposite RLC entity, avoids unnecessary RLC retransmission in the case that the service transmission time exceeds the PDB of the XR service, saves the unlimited resources occupied by the RLC retransmission, reduces the power consumption of the UE and the network device, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0057] In 201, in some embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity determines whether a RLC SDU and / or RLC SDU segment should be discarded according to a timer.

[0058] For example, the timer is referred to as t-Discard, and the following description can be added in 3GPP:

[0059] In the above embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity starts the timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) when receiving a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment).

[0060] In the above embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity stops the timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) when receiving the first RLC SDU if the timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) has been started.

[0061] In the above embodiments, when the timer associated with the first RLC SDU expires, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity can consider the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) as ACK state or positive acknowledgement (ACK) or consider the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) as discarded, at which time an RLC status report (RLC STATUS PDU) is triggered and sent to the transmitting end. Thus, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity can determine the discarded SDU through the timer.

[0062] In 201, in some embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity determines whether the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment should be discarded according to a counter associated with the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment.

[0063] For example, when a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a SN higher than the SN of the first RLC SDU is received, the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) starts counting, i.e. the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is incremented by 1.

[0064] In the above embodiments, when a second time elapses, if the first RLC SDU has not been received, the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is incremented by 1. Here, the second time can be the time of the reassembly timer (t-Reassembly) in the existing RLC specification, can be an RLC round-trip-time (i.e. the time from sending a RLC SDU to receiving a RLC status report), or can be a pre-defined time or a time configured by a network device (e.g. configured by an RRC message, which can be configured for each terminal device, or can be configured for each radio bearer or RLC bearer or RLC entity of the terminal device), which is not limited in the present application.

[0065] Here, the reassembly timer (t-Reassembly) is described in 3GPP as follows:

[0066] In the above embodiments, if the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) has started counting, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity stops counting the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) when the first RLC SDU is received, e.g. resets the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) to 1 or 0.

[0067] In the above embodiments, if the counter associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) reaches the maximum value, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity can consider the first RLC SDU as ACK state or positive acknowledgement or consider the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) as discarded, at this time, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity triggers the RLC status report (RLC STATUS PDU) and sends the RLC status report to the sending end. Thus, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity can determine the discarded SDU through the counter.

[0068] In some embodiments, the value of the timer or the maximum value of the counter described above can be configured by the network device, can be determined by the terminal device, or can be predefined.

[0069] For example, in the above embodiments, the terminal device can determine the value of the timer according to the value of the PDCP discard Timer and / or the PDB, and the terminal device can also determine the maximum value of the counter according to the value of the PDCP discard Timer and / or the PDB.

[0070] In 201, in yet some embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity can also introduce two timers (for example, referred to as a first timer and a second timer) to determine the discarded SDU.

[0071] For example, in the above embodiments, the sending end of the peer RLC entity can send the receiving end of the RLC entity the first indication information, which indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment it sends uses the first timer or the second timer, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment it sends is associated with the PDCP discard Timer or the PDCP discard Timer for low importance, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment it sends is low importance. Thus, the receiving end of the RLC entity can determine whether to discard the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment according to the first indication information.

[0072] In the above embodiments, when the second RLC SDU and / or the second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the receiving end of the RLC entity starts the first timer or the second timer according to different situations, respectively.

[0073] For example, the first timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is started in the following cases:

[0074] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment uses the first timer;

[0075] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is associated with the PDCP discard timer;

[0076] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is high importance.

[0077] In the above cases, when a second RLC SDU or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is received, the receiving end of the RLC entity starts the first timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment).

[0078] For another example, the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is started in the following cases:

[0079] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment uses the second timer;

[0080] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is associated with the PDCP discard timer for low importance;

[0081] The first indication information indicates that the data in the transmitted first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is low importance.

[0082] In the above cases, when a second RLC SDU or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is received, the receiving end of the RLC entity starts the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment).

[0083] In some embodiments, when the first RLC SDU is received, the receiving end of the RLC entity stops the counting of the first timer or the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment.

[0084] In some embodiments, the receiving end of the RLC entity considers the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment as ACKed or acknowledged or discarded when the first timer or the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment expires.

[0085] The method of the above embodiments is described below with respect to the uplink service and the downlink service, respectively.

[0086] For example, for the uplink service, the transmitting end of the AM RLC entity is at the UE side, and the receiving end of the AM RLC entity is at the network side. The UE can indicate to the network device whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment uses the first timer or the second timer, and the network device starts or stops the first timer or the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU. When the first timer or the second timer expires, the network device sends an RLC status report to the UE.

[0087] For example, for the uplink service, the transmitting end of the AM RLC entity is at the UE side, and the receiving end of the AM RLC entity is at the network side. The UE can indicate to the network device whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment uses the first timer or the second timer, and the network device starts or stops the first timer or the second timer associated with the first RLC SDU. When the first timer or the second timer expires, the network device sends an RLC status report to the UE.

[0088] In some embodiments, the values of the first timer and the second timer can be configured by the network device, can be determined by the terminal device, or can be predefined.

[0089] For example, in the above embodiments, the value of the first timer that expires can be determined by the terminal device according to the value of the PDCP discard timer, and the value of the second timer can be determined by the terminal device according to the value of the PDCP discard timer for low importance.

[0090] In 201, in yet other embodiments, the receiving end of the AM RLC entity determines the RLC SDU and / or the RLC SDU segment that is discarded according to an indication from the PDCP entity.

[0091] For example, the receiving end PDCP entity indicates the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the discarded RLC SDU to the receiving end of the RLC entity, for example, can indicate the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the SN of the discarded RLC SDU. The present application does not limit the specific indication manner.

[0092] In some possible implementation manners, the receiving end of the RLC entity receives indication information (referred to as second indication information) sent by the receiving end PDCP entity, and the second indication information indicates the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the discarded RLC SDU, so that the receiving end of the RLC entity can determine the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the discarded RLC SDU according to the second indication information.

[0093] In the above embodiment, when the receiving end of the RLC entity determines the discarded RLC SDU, at least one of the following operations can be performed: considering the discarded RLC SDU as ACK, not considering the discarded RLC SDU as NACK, considering the segment of the discarded RLC SDU as discarded, advancing the receiving window, updating the variable RX_Highest_Status as the SN of the first RLC SDU whose first byte has not been received and whose SN is greater than the current RX_Highest_Status, and updating the variable RX_Next as the SN of the first RLC SDU whose first byte has not been received and whose SN is greater than the current RX_Next.

[0094] In some embodiments, the receiving end PDCP entity can determine the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the discarded RLC SDU according to the PDCP sequence number gap report (PDCP SN gap report) sent by the sending end PDCP entity, or determine the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the discarded RLC SDU according to a certain timer (referred to as third timer).

[0095] The third timer described above is, for example, the t-reordering timer or the discardTimer timer in the standard, or other newly defined timers, etc.

[0096] The PDCP SN gap report described above refers to the SN gap report of the PDCP layer, includes the SN and / or COUNT value related information of the discarded PDCP SDU that has not been delivered to the lower layer by the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity, and can also include the SN and / or COUNT value related information of the discarded PDCP SDU that has been delivered to the lower layer by the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity. The PDCP SN gap report is described in the standard as follows:

[0097] In some embodiments, the transmitting PDCP entity triggers the PDCP SN gap report when the following conditions are met:

[0098] - the PDCP SDU is discarded;

[0099] - there is at least one stored PDCP SDU whose associated COUNT value is greater than the COUNT value associated with the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0100] In the standard, the following description can be found:

[0101] wherein the COUNT value associated with the PDCP SDU represents the COUNT of the PDCP SDU, with a length of 32 bits, composed of a Hyper Frame Number (HFN) and a PDCP SN (with a length of 12 bits or 18 bits), in this case, even if the PDCP SDU that needs to be discarded has been transmitted to the lower layer by the RLC layer, the transmitting PDCP entity can trigger the PDCP SN gap report to indicate the receiving PDCP entity to discard the PDCP SDU and / or its associated RLC SDU if the PDCP SDU meets the above two triggering conditions.

[0102] wherein the above COUNT value is described in the standard as follows:

[0103] In at least one example, the receiving PDCP entity can also determine the discarded PDCP SDU and / or the abandoned RLC SDU according to a third timer. For example, the receiving PDCP entity starts a third timer associated with the first PDCP SDU when receiving a second PDCP SDU with a higher SN than the SN of the first PDCP SDU; and / or, stops the third timer associated with the first PDCP SDU when receiving the first PDCP SDU; and / or, determines that the first PDCP SDU is discarded when the third timer associated with the first PDCP SDU expires; and / or, determines that the RLC SDU related to the first PDCP SDU is abandoned, i.e., considers that the RLC SDU including the first PDCP SDU is abandoned.

[0104] In some embodiments, in the PDCP SN gap report sent by the transmitting PDCP entity, not only the discarded PDCP SDU is indicated, but also the SN of the RLC SDU associated with the discarded PDCP SDU, i.e. the RLC SDU that has been sent by the RLC (the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity) to the lower layer. Thus, the second indication information comprises the discarded RLC SDU, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the discarded RLC SDU to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

[0105] In the above embodiments, the discarded RLC SDU can be at least one of the discarded RLC SDUs included in the PDCP SN gap report. The present application is not limited thereto, and the discarded RLC SDU can also be all of the discarded RLC SDUs included in the PDCP SN gap report.

[0106] In the above embodiments, optionally, the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity can also indicate the SN of the discarded RLC SDU (i.e. the SN of the RLC SDU associated with the discarded PDCP SDU) to the transmitting PDCP entity, for example, the transmitting PDCP entity can receive third indication information sent by the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity, which indicates the discarded RLC SDU.

[0107] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a sending process of the RLC status report according to the above embodiments. As shown in FIG. 3, the process comprises:

[0108] 310: The transmitting PDCP entity (TX PDCP) determines a discarded SDU (discard SDU), i.e. a discarded PDCP SDU;

[0109] 320 (optional operation): The transmitting side of the peer RLC entity (TX side of RLC) indicates the SN of the RLC SDU associated with the discarded PDCP SDU to the transmitting PDCP entity;

[0110] 330: The transmitting PDCP entity sends a PDCP SN gap report to the receiving PDCP entity (RX PDCP), which comprises the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU and the SN of the discarded RLC SDU associated therewith, which has been sent by the transmitting side of the RLC entity to the lower layer;

[0111] 340: Upon receiving the PDCP SN gap report from the transmitting PDCP entity, the receiving PDCP entity indicates to the receiving side of the RLC entity the RLC SDU(s) associated with the discarded PDCP SDU(s), e.g., indicates the SN of the associated RLC SDU(s), which can be one or more, and correspondingly, the indicated discarded RLC SDU(s) are one or more of the discarded RLC SDUs included in the PDCP SN gap report.

[0112] 350: Upon receiving the RLC SDU indicated by the receiving PDCP entity at the receiving side of the RLC entity, the RLC SDU is considered as ACK or positive acknowledgement or the RLC SDU (or RLC SDU segment) is considered as discarded (optional operation), and a RLC status report is triggered and sent to the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity.

[0113] In the example of FIG. 3, the PDCP SN gap report sent by the transmitting PDCP entity to the receiving PDCP entity includes the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU 2, i.e., PDCP SN 2, and the SN of the discarded RLC SDU 8, i.e., RLC SN 8. Upon receiving the PDCP SN gap report, the receiving PDCP entity indicates to the receiving side of the AM RLC entity the RLC SN 8 corresponding to the PDCP SN 2. Upon receiving the RLC SN 8 indicated by the receiving PDCP entity, the receiving side of the AM RLC entity considers the RLC SDU 8 as ACK or positive acknowledgement, triggers a RLC status report, and sends the RLC status report to the transmitting side of the peer AM RLC entity, wherein the RLC SDU 8 is not included in the NACK of the status report.

[0114] In some other embodiments, only the discarded PDCP SDU is indicated in the PDCP SN gap report sent by the transmitting PDCP entity, and the receiving PDCP entity determines the discarded RLC SDU(s) according to the discarded PDCP SDU. Thus, the second indication information includes the discarded RLC SDU(s), or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the discarded RLC SDU(s) to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

[0115] FIG. 4 is an example of a process of sending a RLC status report according to the above embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, the process includes:

[0116] 410: The transmitting PDCP entity (TX PDCP) determines the discarded SDU, i.e., PDCP SDU;

[0117] 420: The transmitting PDCP entity sends a PDCP SN gap report to the receiving PDCP entity (RX PDCP), which includes the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU, i.e., PDCP SN;

[0118] 430: The receiving PDCP entity determines the abandoned RLC SDU according to the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU;

[0119] 440: The receiving PDCP entity indicates the SN of the abandoned RLC SDU, i.e., RLC SN, to the receiving side of the RLC entity;

[0120] 450: When the receiving side of the RLC entity receives the SN of the RLC SDU indicated by the receiving PDCP entity, it can be considered that the RLC SDU is ACK or positive acknowledgement or that the RLC SDU (or RLC SDU segment) is abandoned (optional operation), and triggers the RLC status report to be sent to the transmitting side of the RLC entity.

[0121] In the example of FIG. 4, the PDCP SN gap report sent by the transmitting PDCP entity to the receiving PDCP entity includes the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU2, i.e., PDCP SN 2, and the receiving PDCP entity determines the corresponding RLC SDU, i.e., RLC SDU 8, according to the PDCP SN 2 after receiving the PDCP SN gap report, and then indicates the abandoned RLC SDU or its SN, i.e., RLC SDU 8 or RLC SN 8, to the receiving side of the RLC entity, which in turn sends the RLC status report to the transmitting side of the RLC entity, and the NACK of the RLC status report does not include RLC SDU 8.

[0122] In other embodiments, the PDCP SN gap report sent by the transmitting PDCP entity only indicates the discarded PDCP SDU, and the second indication information includes the abandoned RLC SDU, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the abandoned RLC SDU to the receiving side of the RLC entity, so that the receiving side of the RLC entity determines the abandoned RLC SDU according to the discarded RLC SDU.

[0123] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a sending procedure of the RLC status report according to the above embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the procedure comprises:

[0124] 510: The sending PDCP entity (TX PDCP) determines the discarded SDU, i.e. PDCP SDU;

[0125] 520: The sending PDCP entity sends a PDCP SN gap report to the receiving PDCP entity (RX PDCP), the PDCP SN gap report including the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU, i.e. PDCP SN;

[0126] 530: The receiving PDCP entity indicates the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU to the receiving side of the RLC entity;

[0127] 540: The receiving side of the RLC entity determines the discarded RLC SDU according to the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU;

[0128] 550: After the receiving side of the RLC entity receives the SN of the PDCP SDU indicated by the receiving PDCP entity and determines the corresponding discarded RLC SDU, the RLC SDU (or RLC SDU segment) is considered as ACK or positive acknowledgement or discarded (optional operation), and the RLC status report is triggered and sent to the sending side of the RLC entity.

[0129] In the example of Figure 5, the sending PDCP entity sends the PDCP SN gap report to the receiving PDCP entity, the PDCP SN gap report including the SN of the discarded PDCP SDU, i.e. PDCP SN 2. After receiving the PDCP SN gap report, the receiving PDCP entity sends the PDCP SN 2 to the receiving side of the RLC entity, which determines the corresponding RLC SDU, i.e. RLC SDU 8, according to the PDCP SN 2, and sends the RLC status report to the sending side of the RLC entity, the RLC status report not including the NACK of the RLC SDU 8, i.e. the RLC status report including a false ACK of the RLC SDU 8, so that the sending side of the AM RLC considers that the receiving side of the AM RLC has successfully received the RLC SDU 8.

[0130] The above describes the embodiments of the present application by way of example, but the present application is not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified on the basis of the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone or in combination.

[0131] According to the method of the embodiments of the present application, the receiving end of the RLC entity can determine the discarded SDU according to the timer or the counter or the indication from the PDCP entity, trigger the RLC status report, and send the RLC status report to the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity, so that the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity stops the retransmission of the RLC AM mode, which helps to move the sending window of the sending end of the RLC entity forward, saves the wireless resources occupied by the RLC retransmission, reduces the power consumption of the UE and the network device, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0132] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0133] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for triggering an RLC status report from the receiving end of an RLC entity.

[0134] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a method for triggering an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 6, the method comprises:

[0136] 601: The receiving end of the RLC entity triggers an RLC status report when or after determining a discarded RLC SDU, or when or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or after determining the first time when the RLC SDU is discarded.

[0137] In 601, how the receiving end of the RLC entity determines the discarded RLC SUD can refer to the embodiments of the first aspect described above, and the same content as the embodiments of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0138] According to the above embodiments, the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity can receive the RLC status report sent by the receiving end of the RLC entity in time, and no longer retransmit the RLC SDU that has been discarded, thereby avoiding unnecessary RLC retransmission, saving wireless resources, and facilitating the sending of new RLC data.

[0139] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the method further comprises:

[0140] 602: When the above RLC status report is triggered, a STATUS PDU is constructed and submitted to the lower layer at the first sending opportunity indicated by the lower layer.

[0141] In the above embodiments, the lower layer can be, for example, a MAC layer. At this time, a status prohibit timer (t-StatusProhibit) can be started to send the RLC STATUS PDU to avoid occupying too many wireless resources, or the status prohibit timer can not be started and the RLC STATUS PDU can be sent in time.

[0142] In the above embodiments, since at least one RLC SDU is discarded, when the STATUS PDU is constructed, for the discarded RLC SDU, the SN of the RLC SDU can not be included in the NACK_SN field of the constructed STATUS PDU; or the SN of the RLC SDU can not be included in the ACK_SN field of the constructed STATUS PDU; or the SN of the discarded RLC SDU can be included in the constructed STATUS PDU (for example, in other fields).

[0143] In the above embodiments, if the SN of the discarded RLC SDU is included in the constructed STATUS PDU, the constructed STATUS PDU can include a DISCARD_SN field and an extension bit 4 field, and the extension bit 4 field can be used to indicate whether there is a DISCARD_SN field afterwards.

[0144] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the format of an existing STATUS PDU, and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the format of a STATUS PDU constructed according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 8, according to an embodiment of the present application, a DISCARD_SN field and an extension bit 4 (E4) field are newly added, wherein the newly added DISCARD_SN field can have a length of 12 bits or 18 bits (in the case of 18 bits, the DISCARD_SN field occupies 2 bytes plus 2 bits in the format); and the newly added extension bit 4 (E4) field is used to indicate whether there is a DISCARD_SN field afterwards.

[0146] The above embodiments are only exemplary and the present application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made on the basis of the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0147] According to the above embodiments, the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity can receive the RLC status report sent by the receiving end of the RLC entity in time, and the already discarded RLC SDU is no longer retransmitted, thereby avoiding unnecessary RLC retransmission, saving wireless resources, and being conducive to the transmission of new RLC data.

[0148] It should be noted that the embodiments of the first aspect and the embodiments of the second aspect can be implemented separately or together, and details are not repeated here.

[0149] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0150] Embodiments of the present application provide a receiving method of RLC status report, which is described from the sending side of the RLC entity. The same content as the embodiments of the first aspect is not repeated.

[0151] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a receiving method of RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the method comprises:

[0152] 901: The sending side of the RLC entity receives the RLC status report sent by the receiving side of the opposite RLC entity, and the RLC status report indicates the discarded SDU.

[0153] In some embodiments, the sending side of the RLC entity can send first indication information to the receiving side of the opposite RLC entity, which indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending side uses the first timer or the second timer, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending side is associated with the PDCP discard timer or the PDCP discard timer for low importance, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending side is low importance. Thus, the receiving side of the opposite RLC entity can determine whether to discard the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment according to the first indication information.

[0154] For example, in the case that the first indication information indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it uses a timer, or that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it is associated with a PDCP discard timer, or that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it is of high importance, when a second RLC SDU or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the receiving end of the peer RLC entity starts a first timer related to the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment); and / or, when the first timer expires, the receiving end of the peer RLC entity considers the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment as ACK or positive acknowledgement or abandoned.

[0155] For example, in the case that the first indication information indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it uses a second timer, or that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it is associated with a PDCP discard timer for low importance, or that the data in the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment sent by it is of low importance, when a second RLC SDU or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the receiving end of the peer RLC entity starts the second timer related to the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment); and / or, when the second timer expires, the receiving end of the peer RLC entity considers the first RLC SDU or the first RLC SDU segment as ACK or positive acknowledgement or abandoned.

[0156] The specific content of the first indication information will be described in detail in the embodiments of the first aspect, and will not be described here.

[0157] In some embodiments, the sending end of the RLC entity can also indicate the RLC SDU abandoned by the sending end PDCP entity, for example, the sending end of the RLC entity sends third indication information to the sending end PDCP entity, and indicates the abandoned RLC SDU through the third indication information. See step 320 in FIG. 3 for details, which will not be described here.

[0158] The above embodiments are only exemplary, but the present application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made on the basis of the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0159] According to the method of the embodiments of the present application, the receiving end of the RLC entity determines the discarded SDU according to the timer or the counter or the indication from the PDCP entity, and sends an RLC status report to the sending end of the opposite end RLC entity, so that the sending end of the RLC entity stops the retransmission of the RLC AM, which helps to move the sending window of the sending end of the RLC entity, avoids unnecessary RLC retransmission in the case that the service transmission time exceeds the PDB of the XR service, saves the unlimited resources occupied by these RLC retransmissions, reduces the power consumption of the UE and the network device, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0160] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0161] The embodiments of the present application provide a sending device of an RLC status report. The device is configured at the receiving end of an RLC entity, which can be a terminal device or a network device, or can be one or more components or assemblies configured at a terminal device or a network device. The device of the embodiments of the present application corresponds to the method of the embodiments of the first aspect, and the same content as the embodiments of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0162] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a sending device of an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0163] As shown in FIG. 10, the sending device 1000 of the RLC status report according to the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0164] a processing unit 1001 configured to determine a discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0165] a sending unit 1002 configured to send an RLC status report, wherein the RLC status report indicates the discarded SDU.

[0166] In some embodiments, when the receiving end of the RLC entity receives a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment having a sequence number higher than that of a first RLC SDU, the processing unit 1001 starts a timer related to the first RLC SDU (or a first RLC SDU segment) or adds 1 to a counter related to the first RLC SDU (or a first RLC SDU segment); and / or

[0167] When the timer times out or the counter reaches a maximum value, the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is considered as an ACK (acknowledgement) or is considered to be discarded.

[0168] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1001 stops the counting of the timer or the counting of the counter when the receiving end of the RLC entity receives the first RLC SDU.

[0169] In some embodiments, the value of the timer timeout or the maximum value of the counter is configured by the network device or determined by the terminal device or predefined.

[0170] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the value of the timer timeout according to the value of the PDCP discard Timer and / or the Packet Delay Budget (PDB), and determines the maximum value of the counter according to the value of the PDCP discard Timer and / or the PDB.

[0171] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0172] The first receiving unit 1003 receives first indication information sent by the sending end of the opposite RLC entity, and the first indication information indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end uses the first timer or the second timer, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is associated with the PDCP discard timer or the PDCP discard timer for low importance, or indicates whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is low importance.

[0173] In some embodiments, in the case where the first indication information indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end uses the first timer or indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is associated with the PDCP discard timer or indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is high importance, when a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the first timer related to the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is started; and / or, when the first timer times out, the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is considered as ACK or positive confirmation or abandoned.

[0174] and / or

[0175] In the case that the first indication information indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment transmitted by it uses the second timer or indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment transmitted by it is associated with the PDCP discard timer for low importance or indicates that the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment transmitted by it is of low importance, when a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the second timer related to the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is started; and / or, when the second timer expires, the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is considered as ACK or positive acknowledgement or abandoned.

[0176] In some embodiments, when a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received, the first timer or the second timer related to the first RLC SDU (or the first RLC SDU segment) is started; and / or,

[0177] When the first timer or the second timer expires, the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment is considered as ACK or positive acknowledgement or abandoned.

[0178] In some embodiments, when the first RLC SDU is received, the counting of the first timer or the second timer is stopped.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first timer and the second timer are configured by a network device or determined by a terminal device or predefined.

[0180] In some embodiments, the value of the first timer is determined by the terminal device according to the value of the PDCP discard timer, and / or the value of the second timer is determined by the terminal device according to the value of the PDCP discard timer for low importance.

[0181] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the apparatus further includes:

[0182] The second receiving unit 1004 receives the second indication information transmitted by the receiving end PDCP entity;

[0183] The processing unit 1001 determines the abandoned RLC SDU according to the second indication information.

[0184] In some embodiments, the receiving PDCP entity indicates the discarded PDCP SDUs and / or the discarded RLC SDUs to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

[0185] In some embodiments, the receiving PDCP entity determines the discarded PDCP SDUs and / or the discarded RLC SDUs according to the PDCP SN gap report of the transmitting PDCP entity, or determines the discarded PDCP SDUs and / or the discarded RLC SDUs according to the third timer.

[0186] In some embodiments, the transmitting PDCP entity triggers the PDCP SN gap report when the following conditions are met:

[0187] - the PDCP SDU is discarded;

[0188] - there is at least one stored PDCP SDU whose associated COUNT value is greater than the associated COUNT value of the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0189] In some embodiments, the PDCP SN gap report includes the related information of the COUNT value of the discarded PDCP SDU that has been delivered to the lower layer by the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity.

[0190] In some embodiments, the transmitting PDCP entity receives third indication information sent by the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity, and the third indication information indicates the discarded RLC SDU.

[0191] In some embodiments, the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity indicates the discarded RLC SDU to the transmitting PDCP entity.

[0192] In some embodiments, the PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDU and the discarded RLC SDU.

[0193] The second indication information includes the discarded RLC SDU, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the discarded RLC SDU to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

[0194] In some embodiments, the discarded RLC SDU is at least one of the discarded RLC SDUs included in the PDCP SN gap report.

[0195] In some embodiments, the PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0196] The receiving end PDCP entity determines the abandoned RLC SDU according to the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0197] The second indication information includes the discarded PDCP SDU, or the receiving end PDCP entity indicates the discarded PDCP SDU to the receiving end of the RLC entity.

[0198] In some embodiments, the PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0199] The second indication information includes the discarded PDCP SDU, or the receiving end PDCP entity indicates the discarded PDCP SDU to the receiving end of the RLC entity.

[0200] The processing unit 1001 determines the abandoned RLC SDU according to the discarded PDCP SDU.

[0201] In some embodiments, when the processing unit 1001 determines the abandoned RLC SDU, the receiving end of the RLC entity considers the abandoned RLC SDU as ACK, or does not consider the abandoned RLC SDU as NACK, or considers the segments of the abandoned RLC SDU as abandoned.

[0202] Embodiments of the present application also provide a device for triggering an RLC status report. The device is configured at the receiving end of an RLC entity, which can be a terminal device or a network device, or a certain component or assembly configured at a terminal device or a network device. The device of the embodiments of the present application corresponds to the method of the embodiments of the second aspect, and the same content as the embodiments of the second aspect will not be repeated.

[0203] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an example of the device for triggering an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the device 1100 for triggering an RLC status report according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0204] The processing unit 1101 triggers the RLC status report when or after determining the abandoned RLC SDU, or when or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are abandoned, or after determining the first time when the RLC SDU is abandoned.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the RLC status report is triggered, the processing unit 1101 constructs a STATUS PDU at the first transmission opportunity indicated by the lower layer and submits it to the lower layer.

[0206] In the above embodiments, the processing unit 1101 starts or does not start the status prohibit timer.

[0207] In the above embodiments, for the discarded RLC SDU, the SN of the RLC SDU is not included in the NACK_SN field of the constructed STATUS PDU, or the SN of the RLC SDU is not included in the ACK_SN field of the constructed STATUS PDU, or the SN of the discarded RLC SDU is included in the constructed STATUS PDU.

[0208] In the above embodiments, if the SN of the discarded RLC SDU is included in the constructed STATUS PDU, the constructed STATUS PDU includes the DISCARD_SN field and the extension bit 4 field, and the extension bit 4 field is used to indicate whether the DISCARD_SN field exists subsequently.

[0209] The above has exemplarily described the embodiments of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified on the basis of the above various embodiments. For example, the above various embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above various embodiments can be combined.

[0210] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The apparatuses 1000 and 1100 of the embodiments of the present application can also include other components or modules, and the specific content of these components or modules can be referred to the related technology. In addition, the above various components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc.; the implementation of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0211] According to the apparatus of the embodiments of the present application, unnecessary RLC retransmission can be avoided in the case that the service transmission time exceeds the PDB of the XR service, the unlimited resources occupied by these RLC retransmissions are saved, the power consumption of the UE and the network device is reduced, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0212] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0213] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system including a network device and a terminal device.

[0214] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device as the receiving end of the RLC entity can include the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, which is configured to execute the method of the embodiments of the first aspect; or can include the apparatus shown in FIG. 10 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, which is configured to execute the method of the embodiments of the second aspect. Since the method has been described in detail in the embodiments of the first aspect and the second aspect, the content is incorporated herein, and will not be described repeatedly.

[0215] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device as the receiving end of the RLC entity can include the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, and is configured to perform the method of the embodiments of the first aspect; or can include the apparatus shown in FIG. 10 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect, and is configured to perform the method of the embodiments of the second aspect. Since the method has been described in detail in the embodiments of the first aspect and the second aspect, the contents are incorporated herein, and will not be described repeatedly.

[0216] In addition, the terminal device and the network device can also perform respective conventional operations, and the network device can also perform operations corresponding to the operations of the terminal device, for example, the network device receives information / signals from the terminal device, and / or the network device sends information / signals to the terminal device, which is omitted here.

[0217] The embodiments of the present application also provide a terminal device, which can be, for example, a UE, but the present application is not limited thereto, and can also be other terminal devices.

[0218] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal device 1200 can include a processor 1201 and a memory 1202; the memory 1202 stores data and programs, and is coupled to the processor 1201. It is worth noting that this figure is exemplary; other types of structures can also be used to supplement or replace this structure to achieve telecommunication functions or other functions.

[0219] In some embodiments, the functions of the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect can be integrated into the processor 1201, wherein the processor 1201 can be configured to execute programs to implement the method as described in the embodiments of the first aspect, and the contents are incorporated herein, which will not be described repeatedly here.

[0220] In other embodiments, the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect can be configured separately from the processor 1201, for example, the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect can be configured as a chip connected to the processor 1201, and the functions of the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiments of the fourth aspect are realized through the control of the processor 1201.

[0221] As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal device 1200 can also include a communication module 1203, an input unit 1204, a display 1205, and a power supply 1206. The functions of the above-mentioned components are similar to those of the prior art, which will not be described repeatedly here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1200 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG. 12, and the above-mentioned components are not essential; in addition, the terminal device 1200 can also include components not shown in FIG. 12, which can be referred to related technologies.

[0222] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which can be a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto, and can also be other network devices.

[0223] Fig. 13 is a structural schematic diagram of the network device according to the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 13, the network device 1300 can include a processor 1301 and a memory 1302, wherein the memory 1302 is coupled to the processor 1301. The memory 1302 can store various data, and further store programs for information processing, and execute the programs under the control of the processor 1301.

[0224] In some embodiments, the functions of the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiment of the fourth aspect can be integrated into the processor 1301, wherein the processor 1301 can be configured to execute programs to realize the method of the embodiment of the second aspect, the content of which is incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0225] In other embodiments, the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiment of the fourth aspect can be configured separately from the processor 1301, for example, the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiment of the fourth aspect can be configured as a chip connected to the processor 1301, and the functions of the apparatus 1000, 1100 of the embodiment of the fourth aspect are realized through the control of the processor 1301.

[0226] In addition, as shown in Fig. 13, the network device 1300 can further include transceivers 1303 and 1304. The functions of the above-mentioned components are similar to those of the prior art, and will not be repeated here. It is worth noting that the network device 1300 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Fig. 13; in addition, the network device 1300 can also include components not shown in Fig. 13, which can be referred to the prior art.

[0227] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to execute the method of the embodiment of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0228] The embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a terminal device to execute the method of the embodiment of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0229] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to execute the method of the embodiment of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0230] The embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes the network device to perform the method in the embodiments of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0231] The apparatus and method described above can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware in combination with software. The present application relates to a computer readable program, which, when executed by a logic component, causes the logic component to implement the apparatus or component described above, or causes the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, and the like.

[0232] The method / apparatus described in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional blocks shown in the figure and / or a combination of one or more of the functional blocks can correspond to a software module of a computer program flow, or can correspond to a hardware module. The software modules can correspond to the respective steps shown in the figure. The hardware modules can be implemented by, for example, fixing the software modules with a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0233] The software modules can be located in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium can be coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. The software modules can be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal, or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software modules can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0234] One or more of the functional blocks described in the figures and / or one or more combinations of the functional blocks can be implemented as 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 device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any appropriate combination of the foregoing, performing the functions described herein. One or more of the functional blocks described in the figures and / or one or more combinations of the functional blocks can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0235] The application has been described in relation to particular embodiments, but those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the descriptions are illustrative of the application and are not meant to limit the scope of the application. Various modifications and changes can be made to the application by those skilled in the art which will achieve like results without departing from the true spirit and scope of the application.

[0236] In connection with the embodiments including the above, the following supplementary notes are also disclosed:

[0237] 1. A terminal device as a receiving end of an RLC entity, the terminal device comprising a memory storing a computer program and a processor configured to execute the computer program to implement the following method:

[0238] determining the discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0239] sending an RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU, and / or

[0240] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining the discarded RLC SDU, or upon or after determining a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining the discarded RLC SDU.

[0241] 2. A network device as a receiving end of an RLC entity, the network device comprising a memory storing a computer program and a processor configured to execute the computer program to implement the following method:

[0242] determining the discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0243] sending an RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU, and / or

[0244] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining that the RLC SDU is discarded, or upon or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining that the RLC SDU is discarded.

[0245] 3. A communication system comprising a terminal device according to the terminal device of the preceding claim 1 or a network device according to the network device of the preceding claim 2.

[0246] 4. A storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a terminal device as a receiving end of a RLC entity to perform the following method:

[0247] determining the discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0248] sending a RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU, and / or

[0249] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining that the RLC SDU is discarded, or upon or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining that the RLC SDU is discarded.

[0250] 5. A storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a network device as a receiving end of a RLC entity to perform the following method:

[0251] determining the discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0252] sending a RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU, and / or

[0253] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining that the RLC SDU is discarded, or upon or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining that the RLC SDU is discarded.

[0254] 6. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a terminal device as a receiving end of a RLC entity to perform the following method:

[0255] determining the discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0256] sending an RLC status report to the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDUs, and / or

[0257] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining a discarded RLC SDU, or upon or after determining a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining a RLC SDU is discarded.

[0258] 7. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a network device being a receiving end of a RLC entity to perform the method as follows:

[0259] determining the discarded SDUs according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity;

[0260] sending an RLC status report to the transmitting end of the peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDUs, and / or

[0261] triggering the RLC status report upon or after determining a discarded RLC SDU, or upon or after determining a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or upon or after a first time of determining a RLC SDU is discarded.

Claims

1. A device for sending a radio link control (RLC) status report, configured at a receiving end of an RLC entity, the device comprising: a determining unit configured to determine a discarded SDU according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity; a sending unit configured to send an RLC status report to a sending end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDU.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the discarded SDU according to the timer or the counter comprises: starting a timer related to a first RLC SDU or incrementing a counter related to the first RLC SDU by one when a second RLC SDU and / or a second RLC SDU segment with a sequence number higher than that of the first RLC SDU is received; and / or considering the first RLC SDU and / or a first RLC SDU segment as ACKed or acknowledged or considering the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment as discarded when the timer expires or the counter reaches a maximum value. 3.The device of claim 2, wherein: stopping the timer or the counter when the first RLC SDU is received. 4.The device of claim 2, wherein: a value of the timer or a maximum value of the counter is configured by a network device or determined by a terminal device or predefined.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The timer comprises a first timer and a second timer, and the determining of the discarded SDU according to the timer comprises: the receiving end of the RLC entity receiving first indication information sent by the sending end of the peer RLC entity, the first indication information indicating whether data in a first RLC SDU and / or a first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end uses the first timer or the second timer, or indicating whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is associated with a PDCP discard timer or a PDCP discard timer for low importance, or indicating whether the data in the first RLC SDU and / or the first RLC SDU segment sent by the sending end is low importance.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the discarded SDU according to the indication from the PDCP entity comprises: the receiving end of the RLC entity receiving second indication information sent by a receiving end PDCP entity; the receiving end of the RLC entity determining a discarded RLC SDU according to the second indication information.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the discarded SDU according to the indication from the PDCP entity comprises: the receiving end PDCP entity indicating a discarded PDCP SDU and / or a discarded RLC SDU to the receiving end of the RLC entity. 8.The device of claim 7, wherein: The receiving PDCP entity determines the discarded PDCP SDUs and / or the abandoned RLC SDUs according to the PDCP SN gap report of the transmitting PDCP entity, or determines the discarded PDCP SDUs and / or the abandoned RLC SDUs according to the third timer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The transmitting PDCP entity triggers the PDCP SN gap report when the following conditions are met: - a PDCP SDU is discarded; - there is at least one stored PDCP SDU whose associated COUNT value is greater than the COUNT value associated with the discarded PDCP SDU.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The PDCP SN gap report includes the COUNT value of the discarded PDCP SDU that has been delivered to lower layers by the transmitting side of the peer RLC entity.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDUs and the abandoned RLC SDUs; The second indication information includes the abandoned RLC SDUs, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the abandoned RLC SDUs to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The abandoned RLC SDUs are at least one of the abandoned RLC SDUs included in the PDCP SN gap report.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDUs; The receiving PDCP entity determines the abandoned RLC SDUs according to the discarded PDCP SDUs; The second indication information includes the abandoned RLC SDUs, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the abandoned RLC SDUs to the receiving side of the RLC entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The PDCP SN gap report includes the discarded PDCP SDUs; The second indication information includes the discarded PDCP SDUs, or the receiving PDCP entity indicates the discarded PDCP SDUs to the receiving side of the RLC entity; The receiving side of the RLC entity determines the abandoned RLC SDUs according to the discarded PDCP SDUs.

15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, When the receiving side of the RLC entity determines the abandoned RLC SDUs, the abandoned RLC SDUs are considered as ACK, or the abandoned RLC SDUs are not considered as NACK, or the segments of the abandoned RLC SDUs are considered as abandoned.

16. An apparatus for triggering a radio link control (RLC) status report, configured at a receiving side of an RLC entity, the apparatus comprising: ​ The processing unit triggers the RLC status report when or after determining that the RLC SDUs are discarded, or when or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or after determining the first time that the RLC SDUs are discarded. 17.The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The first transmission opportunity indicated by the lower layer builds the STATUS PDU and submits it to the lower layer when the RLC status report is triggered. 18.The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The status prohibit timer is started or not started.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, For the discarded RLC SDUs, The SN of the RLC SDU is not included in the NACK_SN field of the STATUS PDU built, Or, the SN of the RLC SDU is not included in the ACK_SN field of the STATUS PDU built, Or, the SN of the discarded RLC SDU is included in the STATUS PDU built.

20. A network device, comprising: As a receiving end of an RLC entity, the network device comprises a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the method as follows: Determining the discarded SDUs according to a timer or a counter or an indication from a PDCP entity; Sending an RLC status report to a transmitting end of a peer RLC entity, the RLC status report indicating the discarded SDUs, and / or Triggering the RLC status report when or after determining that the RLC SDUs are discarded, or when or after determining that a predetermined number of RLC SDUs are discarded, or after determining the first time that the RLC SDUs are discarded.

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