Rate control apparatus and communication system

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a rate control apparatus and a communication system. The rate control apparatus comprises: a transmitter, which sends a first media access control control element (MAC CE) to a terminal device, the first MAC CE being used for indicating bit rate information related to at least one logical channel, or data radio bearer, or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

Description

Rate control device and communication system Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to the field of wireless communication technology. Background Technology

[0002] In Release 18, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) began researching enhancements for Extended Reality (XR) services. XR services refer to all real-virtual environments and human-computer interactions created by computer technology and wearable devices. XR services can include Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

[0003] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solutions of this application and facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that these technical solutions are known to those skilled in the art simply because they have been described in the background section of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Network conditions in the Radio Access Network (RAN) affect the Quality of Service (QoS) of XR applications. These network conditions include, for example, channel conditions, cell load, and congestion information. Therefore, RAN congestion information is helpful for the performance of rate control in XR applications. 3GPP agrees to specify signaling related to uplink congestion, including specifying downlink XR rate control signaling at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer for each QoS flow or each Data Radio Bearer (DRB) to achieve faster source rate adjustment for uplink congestion. However, the specific format of the signaling used for XR rate control is not yet specified.

[0005] To address the above-mentioned problems or other similar issues, embodiments of this application provide a rate control device and a communication system.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a rate control device is provided, configured in a network device, the device comprising:

[0007] A transmitter that sends a first Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to a terminal device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0008] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a rate control device is provided, configured in a terminal device, the device comprising:

[0009] The receiver receives a first Media Access Control (MAC) CE from the network device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0010] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, a communication system is provided, including the rate control device described in the preceding aspect and / or the other aspect.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application include: the embodiments of this application provide a format for MAC CE for XR rate control, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant functions of rate control. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network device is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0012] Specific embodiments of this application are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of this application can be adopted. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application are not limited in scope. Within the scope of the appended claims, embodiments of this application include many changes, modifications, and equivalents.

[0013] Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0014] It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprises" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, or components. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The elements and features described in one drawing or embodiment of this application may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Furthermore, in the drawings, similar reference numerals denote corresponding parts in several drawings and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification, are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of this application and illustrate the implementation methods of this application, together with the textual description, to explain the principles of this application. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a rate control method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the first MAC CE format according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a rate control method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a rate control device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a rate control device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the network device configuration according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other features of this application will become apparent from the following description. Specific embodiments of this application are specifically disclosed in the description and drawings, illustrating partial implementations in which the principles of this application can be adopted. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the described embodiments; rather, it includes all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Various embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0031] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish different elements by name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one or more of the terms listed in association and all combinations thereof. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc., refer to 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.

[0032] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc., including the plural forms, should be broadly understood as "a kind" or "a class" rather than limited to the meaning of "an." Furthermore, the term "the" should be understood to include both the singular and plural forms, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on…," unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that conforms to any of the following communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0034] Furthermore, communication between devices in a communication system can be carried out according to communication protocols at any stage, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), 6G and future communication, and / or other currently known or future communication protocols.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, the term "network device" refers, for example, to a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to a communication network and provides services to that terminal device. Network devices may include, but are 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), etc.

[0036] The term "base station" can include, but is not limited to, NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs or eNBs), 5G base stations (gNBs), 6G base stations, and future base stations, etc. It can also include Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), Remote Radio Units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can encompass some or all of its functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage to 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.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "User Equipment" (UE) or "Terminal Equipment" (TE) refer, for example, to a device that accesses a communication network and receives network services through a network device. User equipment can be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), etc.

[0038] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, the following devices: cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, machine-type communication device, laptop computer, cordless phone, smartphone, smartwatch, digital camera, XR device, etc.

[0039] For example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), user devices can also be machines or devices used for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, terminals supporting sidelink communication, terminals supporting XR services, and so on.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms "network side" or "network equipment side" refer to one side of the network, which can be a base station or include one or more network devices as described above. The terms "user side," "terminal side," or "terminal equipment side" refer to the side of the user or terminal, which can be a UE or include one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified, "equipment" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0041] Without causing confusion, the terms “uplink control signal” and “uplink control information (UCI)” or “physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)” are interchangeable, as are the terms “uplink data signal” and “uplink data information (PUSCH)”.

[0042] The terms “downlink control signal” and “downlink control information (DCI)” or “physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)” are interchangeable, as are the terms “downlink data signal” and “downlink data information (PDSCH)” or “physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)”.

[0043] Additionally, uplink signals can include uplink data signals and / or uplink control signals and / or PRACH and / or SRS, etc., and can also be referred to as uplink transmission (UL transmission), uplink information, or uplink channel. Sending / receiving uplink transmission on uplink resources can be understood as using that uplink resource to send / receive the uplink transmission. Downlink signals can include downlink data signals and / or downlink control signals and / or synchronization signals (SS, such as PSS / SSS) and / or broadcast channel (PBCH) and / or SSB (SS / PBCH block, including PSS, SSS, and PBCH and their DMRS) and / or CSI-RS, etc., and can also be referred to as downlink transmission (DL transmission), downlink information, or downlink channel. Sending / receiving downlink transmission on downlink resources can be understood as using that downlink resource to send / receive the downlink transmission. In the embodiments of this application, higher-layer signaling may be, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; RRC signaling may include, for example, RRC messages, such as broadcast / public RRC messages / signaling (e.g., Master Indication Block (MIB), system information (SI), private RRC messages / signaling; or RRC information element (RRC IE); or information fields (or information fields included in information fields) included in RRC messages or RRC information elements. Higher-layer signaling may also be, for example, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling; or referred to as MAC control element (MAC CE). However, this application is not limited to this.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" and "one or more" can be used interchangeably, and "multiple" and "more than one" can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" means at least two, or two or more.

[0045] In this application embodiment, "predefined" refers to what is specified by the protocol or determined according to the rules specified by the protocol, and does not require additional configuration. "Configuration / instruction" refers to what the network device directly or indirectly configures / instructs through higher-layer signaling and / or physical layer signaling. Configuration / instruction can be achieved by introducing higher-layer parameters into the higher-layer signaling. Higher-layer parameters refer to information fields and / or information elements / information units / information cells (IEs) in the higher-layer signaling. Physical layer signaling refers to, for example, control information (DCI) carried by the physical downlink control channel or control information carried by the sequence, but is not limited to these.

[0046] In this embodiment of the application, network device configuration includes, for example, network device pre-configuration and network device dynamic indication. Network device pre-configuration is performed, for example, through higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling); network device dynamic indication is performed, for example, through physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI and / or MAC CE).

[0047] For ease of description, the following description uses a base station as an example of an access network device. In the following description, without causing confusion, "if," "in the case of," and "when," "identifier" and "index" may be used interchangeably.

[0048] The following examples illustrate the scenarios of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application, illustrating the case of a terminal device and a network device as examples. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 101, a terminal device 102, and a terminal device 103. For simplicity, Figure 1 only illustrates the case of two terminal devices and one network device, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0050] In this embodiment, network device 101, terminal device 102, and terminal device 103 can transmit existing services or services that may be implemented in the future. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), Internet of Things (IoT) communication, and related communication of terminal devices with reduced capabilities, etc.

[0051] Terminal devices 102 and 103 can communicate with network device 101. For example, taking terminal device 102 as an example, terminal device 102 can send data to network device 101, such as using dynamic authorization or configured authorization transmission methods. Network device 101 can receive data sent by one or more terminal devices 102 and provide feedback or uplink scheduling information to terminal device 102, such as ACK / NACK confirmation information or uplink new transmission or retransmission scheduling information. Based on the feedback or uplink scheduling information, terminal device 102 can confirm the end of the transmission process, or can initiate new data transmission, or can retransmit data. Network device 101 can also send data to terminal device 102, and terminal device 102 can receive data sent by network device 101. In addition, different terminal devices can also communicate with each other; for example, terminal device 102 and terminal device 103 can exchange data.

[0052] It is worth noting that Figure 1 shows that both terminal device 102 and terminal device 103 are within the coverage area of ​​network device 101, but this application is not limited to this. Terminal device 102 and terminal device 103 may both be outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101, or one of terminal device 102 and terminal device 103 may be within the coverage area of ​​network device 101 while the other is outside the coverage area of ​​network device 101.

[0053] The following description is based on specific examples.

[0054] First aspect of the embodiments

[0055] This application provides a rate control method, which is described from the perspective of a network device.

[0056] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a rate control method according to an embodiment of this application. The method is applied to a network device. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes:

[0057] 201. The network device sends a first Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to the terminal device. The first MAC CE is used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0058] According to the above embodiments, a format for MAC CE for XR rate control is provided, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant rate control functions. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network devices is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0059] It is worth noting that Figure 2 above is only an illustrative description of the embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description in Figure 2 above.

[0060] In some embodiments, a new format of MAC CE, namely the first MAC CE, can be designed for XR applications to indicate bit rate information related to at least one (M, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1) logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow, also referred to as the first LCH or first DRB or first QoS flow) to help the terminal device select or adjust the bit rate suitable for XR applications.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first MAC CE is a MAC CE for XR service rate control. To distinguish it from other MAC CE formats, the MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE further includes a Logical Channel Identifier (LCID) or an Extended Logical Channel Identifier (eLCID) corresponding to the first MAC CE. The LCID corresponding to the first MAC CE is a different value from the existing LCID field, and the eLCID corresponding to the first MAC CE is also a different value from the existing LCID field. That is, the MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE uses a new LCID or eLCID value to identify the first MAC CE. After receiving a MAC CE, if the LCID or eLCID in the MAC header corresponding to the MAC CE is the same as the LCID or eLCID corresponding to the first MAC CE, the terminal device determines that the received MAC CE is the first MAC CE for XR service rate control, and then selects or adjusts the bit rate suitable for XR applications based on the bit rate information indicated by the first MAC CE.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first MAC CE can indicate bit rate information at the LCH level, DRB level, or QoS stream level. For example, the first MAC CE can indicate at least one LCH-related bit rate information; or, for example, the first MAC CE can indicate at least one QoS stream-related bit rate information; or, for example, the first MAC CE can indicate at least one DRB-related bit rate information, while indicating bit rate information at both the LCH level and the QoS stream level via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; the embodiments of this application are not intended to be limiting.

[0063] The following describes the format of the first MAC CE.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first MAC CE includes first information indicating at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow and bit rate information indicating at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first information may explicitly or implicitly indicate an index (or identifier) ​​of at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow. For example, the first information may be a first bitmap implicitly indicating an index (or identifier) ​​of at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow, or the first information may be at least one first field explicitly indicating an index (or identifier) ​​of at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow, as will be described later. The at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow indicated by the first information is a rate-controlled LCH, DRB, or QoS flow configured by the network device for the terminal device using configuration information described later, and / or an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow associated with an RLC entity associated with the MAC entity of the terminal device.

[0066] In some embodiments, the bit rate information includes at least one of the following: the direction of rate control, the bit rate, the bit rate amplification factor, and a bit rate reference table index. The direction of rate control includes uplink and / or downlink, indicating whether the bit rate is applied to uplink data transmission, downlink data transmission, or both. The bit rate reference table can be predefined or configured by the network device. For example, the network device can configure or predefine at least one bit rate reference table. When multiple bit rate reference tables are available, each bit rate reference table has a corresponding table index. Furthermore, the contents of each bit rate reference table are shown in Table 1 below. The bit rate can indicate the absolute value of the bit rate (e.g., in bits / s or kbit / s), or it can indicate the index value of the bit rate value in the indicated bit rate reference table. When a bit rate amplification factor is indicated, the actual bit rate value is equal to the bit rate value corresponding to the index value or the absolute value of the bit rate multiplied by the amplification factor.

[0067] Table 1 (This is merely an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments described in this application).

[0068] The following examples illustrate this.

[0069] Example 1

[0070] In some embodiments, the first information included in the first MAC CE is a first bitmap, which indicates the at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream. Alternatively, the first bitmap indicates whether bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream appears in the first MAC CE. Alternatively, the first bitmap indicates which logical channels or data radio bearers or quality of service streams have bit rate information appearing in the first MAC CE. Alternatively, the first bitmap indicates which logical channels or data radio bearers or quality of service streams are the aforementioned at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream (the first logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream).

[0071] In some embodiments, the first bitmap includes N bits, each bit corresponding to a logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream. N can be a multiple of 8, for example, N is 8, 16, or 64. The logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream corresponding to a bit with a first value is the at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream (the first logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream). Alternatively, the bit rate information related to the logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream corresponding to a bit with a first value appears in the first MAC CE, i.e., the number of bits with the first value is M. The logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream corresponding to a bit with a second value is not the at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream (the first logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream). Alternatively, the bit rate information related to the logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream corresponding to a bit with a second value does not appear in the first MAC CE. The first value can be 1, and the second value can be 0, or vice versa; this embodiment is not intended to limit the implementation.

[0072] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of the format of the first MAC CE according to an embodiment of this application. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, D7D6D5D4D3D2D1D0 represents the first bitmap, and D7, D6, D5, D4, D3, D2, D1, and D0 correspond to eight logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service flows, respectively. For example, Di (where i is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) corresponds to the identifier or index i of the logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow. A Di value of 1 indicates that the rate control information of LCH i, DRB i, or QoS flow i appears in the first MAC CE, or in other words, LCH i, DRB i, or QoS flow i is the first logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow, and vice versa. For example, if the first bitmap is 10001001, it means that the first MAC CE includes the bit rate information of the logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow with index or identifier 7, 3, or 0.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first MAC CE may further include bit rate information. The length of the bit rate information corresponding to each logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream may be 1 byte (8 bits) or 2 bytes (16 bits), and this application embodiment is not intended to limit it.

[0074] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE may include at least one fifth field (UL / DL field) corresponding to a bit with a first value. This fifth field indicates whether the rate control direction of the logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream is uplink, downlink, or both. The number of fifth fields is M, and each of the M fifth fields corresponds one-to-one with one of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams (or, in other words, with a bit having a first value). Each fifth field indicates whether the rate control direction of the bit rate of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams is uplink, downlink, or both. In other words, the bit rate information corresponding to each logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream includes one fifth field. The fifth field can be 1 bit long. For example, a value of 1 indicates uplink rate control, and a value of 0 indicates downlink rate control, and vice versa. Alternatively, the fifth field can be 2 bits long. For example, a third value indicates both uplink and downlink rate control, a fourth value indicates uplink rate control, and a fifth value indicates downlink rate control. Examples include 00 for the third value, 01 for the fourth value, and 10 for the fifth value. These are just examples and are not intended to be limiting. The rate information may also exclude the fifth field, and the rate control direction can be indicated by the network device through configuration information, which will be explained later.

[0075] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE further includes at least one sixth field corresponding to a bit with a first value, the sixth field being used to indicate a reference table index used for the bit rate of a logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream. The number of sixth fields can be one, that is, M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams (or bits with the first value) applying the same reference table for the bit rate used by this one sixth field. Alternatively, the number of sixth fields can be M, with each of the M sixth fields corresponding one-to-one with the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams (or bits with the first value), respectively used to indicate the reference table for the bit rate used by the bit rate of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams; or, the bit rate information corresponding to each logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream includes one sixth field. The length of the sixth field can be related to the number of predefined or network device configured reference tables; for example, the length of the sixth field can be 1 bit or 2 bits, used to indicate the index or identifier of the reference table used for the bit rate. The bit rate information may also exclude the sixth field. When the bit rate information excludes the sixth field, at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream applies a reference table of default or predefined network device configuration or does not apply a reference table.

[0076] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE further includes at least one second field (bit rate field) corresponding to a bit with a first value. The second field indicates the bit rate of a logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream. The number of second fields can be equal to M, meaning that each of the M second fields corresponds one-to-one with one of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams (bits with the first value), and is used to indicate the bit rate of each of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service streams. In other words, the bit rate information corresponding to each logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream includes one second field. The length of the second field can be 6 bits, 8 bits, 10 bits, or 16 bits, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The value of the second field can be an index corresponding to a bit rate value in a bit rate reference table or the absolute value of the bit rate.

[0077] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE may further include at least one third field (X field) corresponding to a bit with a first value. This third field indicates whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied to a logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow. The number of third fields may be equal to M, meaning that each of the M third fields corresponds one-to-one with one of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service flows (bits with the first value), and each is used to indicate whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied to one of the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service flows. In other words, the bit rate information corresponding to each logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow includes one third field. The length of the third field may be 1 bit to 4 bits. This third field indicates bit rate amplification factor information, which includes indication information of whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied, and / or an index of the applied bit rate amplification factor. For example, the third field can be 1 bit. When this bit is 1, it indicates that a bit rate amplification factor is applied, and the actual bit rate is equal to the bit rate indicated by the second field multiplied by the bit rate amplification factor. When this bit is 0, it indicates that a bit rate amplification factor is not applied, and the actual bit rate is equal to the bit rate indicated by the second field. For example, the third field can indicate the index of one of the more than one bit rate amplification factors configured by the network device, implicitly indicating that a bit rate amplification factor is applied, and the actual bit rate is equal to the bit rate indicated by the second field multiplied by the bit rate amplification factor corresponding to the index indicated by the third field. This third field can be 2 bits, 3 bits, or 4 bits, etc. For example, 1 bit in the third field indicates whether the bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied, and the other bits indicate the index of the applied bit rate amplification factor. This third field can be 2 bits, 3 bits, or 4 bits, etc.

[0078] For example, as shown in Figure 3, the bit rate information for an LCH, DRB, or QoS stream is one byte, where the second field can be 6 bits long and the fifth field 1 bit. If the fifth field is not included, the third field can be 2 bits long, for example, an index indicating one of the amplification factors in a multiplier of more than one bit rate. If the fifth field is included, the third field can be 1 bit long. The length of the bit rate information is equal to 8 × M bits, where M equals the number of bits in the first bitmap where the bit value is the first value. As shown in Figure 4, the difference is that the bit rate information for an LCH, DRB, or QoS stream is two bytes, where the second field is 8 bits long, the third field is 3 bits long, and an additional 4 reserved bits (R field) are included. Alternatively, a sixth field (reference table index used for bit rate, not shown) can be included, and the number of reserved bits can be reduced accordingly. The length of the bit rate information is equal to 16 × M bits.

[0079] In some embodiments, the MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE further includes an information field (L field) for indicating the length of the first MAC CE.

[0080] In some embodiments, bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow in the first MAC CE is arranged in ascending or descending order according to LCH ID or index, or in ascending or descending order according to DRB ID or index, or in ascending or descending order according to QFI (QoS flow ID), or in ascending or descending order according to the combined index of PDU session ID and QFI (e.g., first arranged in ascending or descending order based on PDU session ID, then in ascending or descending order based on QFI, or first arranged in ascending or descending order based on QFI, then in ascending or descending order based on PDU session ID). This embodiment of the application is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0081] Example 2

[0082] In some embodiments, the first information included in the first MAC CE is at least one first field (LCID, DRB ID, or QFI field) for explicitly indicating an index or identifier of at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow, wherein one index or identifier of one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service flow corresponds to one first field. That is, the number of first fields is M, and the M first fields correspond one-to-one with the M logical channels, data radio bearers, or quality of service flows. The length of the first field can be 6 bits or 8 bits, and this embodiment of the application is not limited thereto.

[0083] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE also includes at least one fifth field corresponding to at least one first field. The meaning of the fifth field can be referred to Example 1. That is, the number of fifth fields is M, with M first fields corresponding to M fifth fields, and the length of the fifth field is 1 bit or 2 bits. The bit rate information may also exclude the fifth field.

[0084] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE also includes at least one sixth field corresponding to at least one first field. The meaning of the sixth field can be found in Example 1. That is, the number of sixth fields is M, with M first fields corresponding to M sixth fields. The bit rate information may also exclude the sixth field, as can be found in Example 1.

[0085] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE also includes at least one second field corresponding to at least one first field. The meaning of the second field can be referred to Example 1. That is, the number of second fields is M, with M first fields corresponding to M second fields, and the length of each second field can be 6 bits or 8 bits.

[0086] In some embodiments, the bit rate information included in the first MAC CE also includes at least one third field corresponding to at least one first field. The meaning of the third field can be referred to Example 1. That is, the number of third fields is M, with M first fields corresponding to M third fields, and the length of each third field can be 1 bit to 4 bits.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first MAC CE has a variable length, and the MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE further includes an information field (L field) for indicating the length of the first MAC CE. Alternatively, the first MAC CE has a fixed length, wherein the number M of at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream is configured by the network device or predefined.

[0088] Figures 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams of the first MAC CE format according to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the length of the first field and bit rate information corresponding to each LCH, DRB, or QoS flow is 2 bytes. If the length of the third field is greater than 1 bit, the number of R fields is reduced accordingly to maintain the byte alignment of the first MAC CE. In Figure 5, the first field, fifth field, second field, and third field are arranged sequentially in two bytes. In Figure 6, the first field, fifth field, third field, and second field are arranged sequentially in two bytes. If the length of the second field is 8 bits, then the two R fields do not exist. In Figure 7, the first field and third field are placed in the first byte, and the second field and fifth field are placed in the second byte. In Figure 8, the first field, fifth field, and third field are placed in the first byte, and the second field is placed in the second byte. However, embodiments of this application are not limited to this, and will not be illustrated here.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first field and bit rate information in the first MAC CE are arranged in ascending or descending order according to the ID or index indicated by the first field, but this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0090] The above embodiments illustrate the format of the first MAC CE.

[0091] In some embodiments, the network device's Master Cell Group (MCG) (or Master Node, MN) sends the first MAC CE to the terminal device, or the network device's Secondary Cell Group (SCG) (or Secondary Node, SN) sends the first MAC CE to the terminal device, or both the network device's Master Cell Group and Secondary Cell Group can send the first MAC CE to the terminal device, or the network device can send the first MAC CE to the terminal device through the node where the terminal device's Primary Radio Link Control (RLC) entity is located.

[0092] In some embodiments, the method may further include (not shown): the network device receiving a query message sent by the terminal device to check whether the bit rate recommended by the peer can be provided by the network device. It is expected that the bit rate applied by the terminal device will not exceed the recommended bit rate of the network device. The query message is carried by a second MAC CE, the fields (or fields) included in the second MAC CE may be the same as those included in the first MAC CE, or the format of the second MAC CE may be the same as that of the first MAC CE, or the second MAC CE may include some fields in the first MAC CE, or the second MAC CE may include all fields in the first MAC CE and also include other fields. The MN or SN of the network device receives the second MAC CE sent by the terminal device, or both the MN and SN of the network device may receive the second MAC CE sent by the terminal device. The network device may configure a query prohibition timer for the terminal device through configuration information described below to limit the frequency at which the terminal device sends query messages. The same query prohibition timer may be used for uplink and downlink, or a separate query prohibition timer may be used to prevent the terminal device from retransmitting the exact same query message to the network device within the configured query prohibition timer period. For example, the terminal device generates the second MAC CE when the query prohibition timer is not running, and / or starts the query prohibition timer when the second MAC CE is generated.

[0093] In some embodiments, the method may further include: (not shown) the network device sending configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including at least one of the following: an identifier and / or index of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow for which rate control is performed; whether the direction of rate control for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow is uplink, downlink, or both; a bit rate query prohibition timer for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; at least two bit rate amplification factors for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; and different bit rate query prohibition timers and / or bit rate amplification factors configured for the uplink and downlink directions of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow. The LCH, DRB, or QoS flow indicated by the first information in the first MAC CE is the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow corresponding to the identifier and / or index of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow for which rate control is performed in the configuration information, and the maximum number of LCH, DRB, or QoS flows configured by the network device for which rate control is performed is 8, 16, or 64. The direction of rate control in the configuration information, whether it is uplink, downlink, or both, can be used to determine whether the bit rate indicated in the first MAC CE applies to uplink, downlink, or both. There is no need to include a fifth field in the first MAC CE to indicate the direction of rate control. The bit rate amplification factor indicated by the third field in the first MAC CE is one of the amplification factors configured in the configuration information.

[0094] For example, for an LCH, the aforementioned configuration information related to the LCH can be included in the LogicalChannelConfig IE corresponding to the LCH. For a DRB, the aforementioned configuration information related to the DRB can be included in the RadioBearerConfig IE or DRB-ToAddMod IE corresponding to the DRB. For a QoS flow, the aforementioned configuration information related to the QoS flow mapped to the DRB can be included in the SDAP-Config IE corresponding to the DRB. A new IE can be added to indicate the aforementioned configuration information, or a new IE can be added to the RRC reconfiguration message to indicate the aforementioned configuration information of the QoS flow identified by the PDU session id and / or QoS flow ID (QFI).

[0095] In some embodiments, the method may further include: (not shown) the network device receiving capability information reported by the terminal device, the capability information including at least one of the following: the terminal device supports rate control (e.g., supports XR rate control); the terminal device supports service rate control query (i.e., supports sending query messages, e.g., supports XR rate control query); the terminal device supports using a bit rate amplification factor (e.g., supports XR rate control amplification factor). The above-mentioned capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indication, where a bit value of 1 indicates support, otherwise it indicates non-support, and vice versa. Alternatively, the presence of the indication indicates support, and its absence indicates non-support, and vice versa. This application does not limit this. The network device generates configuration information and a first MAC CE based on the capability information.

[0096] The above embodiments provide a format for MAC CE used for XR rate control, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant rate control functions. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network devices is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0097] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the steps relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The rate control method of this application may also include other steps, and for details of these steps, please refer to related technologies.

[0098] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0099] Second aspect of the embodiments

[0100] This application provides a rate control method, which will be described from the perspective of a terminal device.

[0101] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a rate control method according to an embodiment of this application, which is applied to a terminal device. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes:

[0102] 901, the terminal device receives a first Media Access Control (MAC) CE from a network device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0103] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the bit rate of the XR service recommended by the network device based on the first MAC CE, and select or adjust the bit rate suitable for XR applications.

[0104] In some embodiments, upon receiving a first MAC CE from a network device, the method may further include: the MAC layer (or MAC entity) of the terminal device instructing the upper layer on rate-related information of the at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow. For example, the rate-related information may include: the logical channel identifier of the at least one logical channel or the DRB ID of the radio bearer or the QFI or QFI with PDU session ID of the QoS flow, and / or the direction of rate control, and / or information about the cell (e.g., cell index or identifier) ​​or node (e.g., MN and / or SN) or MAC entity or frequency to which rate control is applied, and / or information about whether the at least one radio bearer or QoS flow uses PDCP duplication or is a split bearer.

[0105] In some embodiments, the method may further include (not shown): the terminal device sending a query message to the network device to check whether the bit rate recommended by the peer can be provided by the network device. It is expected that the bit rate applied by the terminal device will not exceed the recommended bit rate of the network device. The query message is carried by a second MAC CE. The MAC layer (or MAC entity) of the terminal device triggers the second MAC CE according to an instruction or request from an upper layer. This instruction or request may include the direction of rate control, or information related to the cell (e.g., cell index or identifier) ​​or node (e.g., MN and / or SN) or MAC entity or frequency to which rate control is applied.

[0106] In some embodiments, the method may further include: (not shown) the terminal device receiving configuration information sent by the network device, the configuration information including at least one of the following: an identifier and / or index of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow for which rate control is performed; whether the direction of rate control for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow is uplink, downlink, or both; a bit rate query prohibition timer for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; at least two bit rate amplification factors for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; and different bit rate query prohibition timers and / or bit rate amplification factors configured for the uplink and downlink directions of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow. The terminal device determines a recommended bit rate based on the first MAC CE in conjunction with the configuration information. The frequency at which the terminal device sends query messages is limited according to the configured query prohibition timers.

[0107] In some embodiments, the method may further include: (not shown) a terminal device reporting capability information to a network device, the capability information including at least one of the following: the terminal device supports rate control (e.g., supports XR rate control); the terminal device supports service rate control query (i.e., supports sending query messages, e.g., supports XR rate control query); the terminal device supports using a bit rate amplification factor (e.g., supports XR rate control amplification factor).

[0108] The implementation methods and terminology of the above embodiments are similar to those of the embodiments of the first aspect of this application. The above related content is incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0109] The above embodiments provide a format for MAC CE used for XR rate control, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant rate control functions. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network devices is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0110] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the steps relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The rate control method of this application may also include other steps, and for details of these steps, please refer to related technologies.

[0111] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0112] Third aspect of the embodiments

[0113] This application provides a rate control device applied / configured in a network device. This rate control device is based on the same concept as the rate control method in the first aspect of this application, and the principle of solving the problem is similar. Therefore, the implementation of the rate control device is the same as the implementation of the rate control method in the first aspect of this application, and repeated details will not be described again. As used below, the terms "unit" or "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the system described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0114] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a rate control device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the rate control device 1000 includes:

[0115] Transmitter 1001 sends a first Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to a terminal device. The first MAC CE is used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0116] In some embodiments, the transmitter 1001 is configured to transmit configuration information, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier and / or index of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow for which rate control is performed; whether the data direction of a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow using rate control is uplink, downlink, or both; a bit rate query prohibition timer for a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; at least two bit rate amplification factors for a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; and different bit rate query prohibition timers and / or bit rate amplification factors configured for the uplink and downlink directions of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow.

[0117] In some embodiments, the optional device may further include:

[0118] Receiver 1002 receives capability information reported by a terminal device, the capability information including at least one of the following: the terminal device supports rate control; the terminal device supports service rate control query; the terminal device supports the use of bit rate amplification factor.

[0119] In some embodiments, the receiver 1002 is also configured to receive a query message sent by the terminal device.

[0120] The implementation methods for each piece of information can be referred to the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0121] The above embodiments provide a format for MAC CE used for XR rate control, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant rate control functions. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network devices is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0122] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0123] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the steps relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The rate control method of this application may also include other steps, and for details of these steps, please refer to related technologies.

[0124] Fourth aspect of the embodiment

[0125] This application provides a rate control device applied / configured in a terminal device. This rate control device is based on the same concept as the rate control method in the first aspect and the second aspect of this application, and the principle of solving the problem is similar. Therefore, the implementation of the rate control device is the same as the implementation of the rate control method in the first and second aspects of this application, and repeated details will not be described again. The terms "unit" or "module" used below can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the system described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0126] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a rate control device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the device 1100 includes:

[0127] Receiver 1101 receives a first Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) from a network device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

[0128] In some embodiments, receiver 1101 is further configured to receive configuration information sent by network device, the configuration information including at least one of the following: the identifier and / or index of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow for which rate control is performed; whether the data direction of a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow using rate control is uplink, downlink, or both; a bit rate query prohibition timer for a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; at least two bit rate amplification factors for a LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; and different bit rate query prohibition timers and / or bit rate amplification factors configured for the uplink and downlink directions of the LCH, DRB, or QoS flow.

[0129] In some embodiments, optionally, the device further includes:

[0130] Transmitter 1102 reports capability information to network devices, the capability information including at least one of the following: the terminal device supports rate control; the terminal device supports service rate control query; the terminal device supports the use of bit rate amplification factor.

[0131] In some embodiments, the transmitter 1102 is also configured to send a query message to a network device.

[0132] The implementation methods for each piece of information can be referred to the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0133] The above embodiments provide a format for MAC CE used for XR rate control, which helps network devices and terminal devices to have a consistent understanding of XR rate control information, thereby correctly executing the relevant rate control functions. In addition, the format of the MAC CE is simple, the configuration information of the network devices is also relatively simple, and the signaling overhead is small.

[0134] It is worth noting that the above description only covers the steps relevant to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The rate control method of this application may also include other steps, and for details of these steps, please refer to related technologies.

[0135] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of embodiments of this application, but this application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications can be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments can be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments can be combined.

[0136] Fifth aspect of the embodiment

[0137] This application provides a communication system, which, as shown in FIG1, includes a terminal device and a network device.

[0138] In this embodiment of the application, terminal device 102 or 103 is configured to execute the rate control method in the second aspect of the application.

[0139] In this embodiment of the application, network device 101 is configured to perform the rate control method in the first aspect of the application.

[0140] This application provides a terminal device.

[0141] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The terminal device can be a remote terminal device. As shown in Figure 12, the terminal device 1200 may 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 realize telecommunications functions or other functions.

[0142] For example, processor 1201 may be configured to execute a program to implement the rate control method as described in the second aspect embodiment, such as controlling a transmitter or receiver to implement the rate control method as described in the second aspect embodiment.

[0143] As shown in Figure 12, the terminal device 1200 may further include: a communication module 1203, an input unit 1204, a display 1205, and a power supply 1206. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and will not be described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1200 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 12; these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1200 may also include components not shown in Figure 12, which can be referred to in related technologies.

[0144] This application provides a network device, such as a base station, but this application is not limited to this and may also include other network devices.

[0145] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the network device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the network device 1300 may include: a processor 1310 (e.g., a central processing unit CPU) and a memory 1320; the memory 1320 is coupled to the processor 1310. The memory 1320 can store various data; in addition, it also stores an information processing program 1330, and executes the program 1330 under the control of the processor 1310.

[0146] For example, processor 1310 may be configured to execute a program to implement the rate control method as described in the first aspect embodiment, such as controlling a transmitter or receiver to implement the rate control method as described in the first aspect embodiment.

[0147] In addition, as shown in Figure 13, network device 1300 may also include a transceiver 1340 and an antenna 1350, etc.; the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here. It is worth noting that network device 1300 does not necessarily have to include all the components shown in Figure 13; in addition, network device 1300 may also include components not shown in Figure 13, which can be referred to in the prior art.

[0148] This application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the computer to perform the rate control method described in the second aspect embodiment of this application in the terminal device.

[0149] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to execute the rate control method described in the second aspect of this application in a terminal device.

[0150] This application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes a computer to perform the rate control method described in the first aspect embodiment of this application in the network device.

[0151] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to execute the rate control method described in the first aspect of this application in a network device.

[0152] The apparatus and methods described above in this application can be implemented in hardware or in combination with software. This application relates to a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the apparatus or components described above, or to implement the various methods or steps described above. This application also relates to storage media for storing the above programs, such as hard disks, magnetic disks, optical disks, DVDs, flash memory, etc.

[0153] The methods / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. For example, one or more and / or combinations of one or more functional block diagrams shown in the figures can correspond to various software modules in a computer program flow, or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figures, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented, for example, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to embed these software modules.

[0154] The software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium can be coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The software module can be stored in the memory of a 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 high-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a high-capacity flash memory device, the software module can be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the high-capacity flash memory device.

[0155] One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. One or more and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0156] The present application has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application based on its spirit and principles, and these modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A rate control device, configured in a network device, the device comprising: A transmitter that sends a first Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to a terminal device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The bit rate information includes at least one of the following: the direction of rate control, the bit rate, the bit rate amplification factor, and the bit rate reference table index.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first MAC CE includes a first bitmap, which is used to indicate the at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The first bitmap includes N bits, each bit corresponding to a logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream. The logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream corresponding to the bit with the first value is at least one logical channel, data radio bearer, or quality of service stream.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow in the first MAC CE is arranged in ascending or descending order according to LCH ID or index, or in ascending or descending order according to DRB ID or index, or in ascending or descending order according to QFI (QoS flow ID), or in ascending or descending order according to the combined index of PDU session ID and QFI.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first MAC CE includes at least one first field for indicating an index of at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow, wherein an index of a logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow corresponds to one first field.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 6, wherein, The first MAC CE further includes at least one second field corresponding to a bit with a first value, the second field being used to indicate the bit rate of a logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream; or, The first MAC CE also includes at least one second field corresponding to at least one first field, the second field being used to indicate the bit rate of the logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 6, wherein, The first MAC CE also includes at least one third field corresponding to a bit with a first value, the third field being used to indicate whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied to the logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow; or, The first MAC CE also includes at least one third field corresponding to at least one first field, the third field being used to indicate whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied to the logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, The third field indicates information about the bit rate amplification factor, which includes an indication of whether a bit rate amplification factor configured by the network device is applied, and / or an index of the applied bit rate amplification factor.

10. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 6, wherein, The first MAC CE also includes at least one fifth field corresponding to a bit with a first value, the fifth field being used to indicate whether the direction of rate control for the logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow is uplink or downlink; or, The first MAC CE also includes at least one fifth field corresponding to at least one first field, the fifth field being used to indicate whether the rate control direction of the logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream is uplink or downlink.

11. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 6, wherein, The first MAC CE also includes at least one sixth field corresponding to a bit with a first value, the sixth field being used to indicate a reference table index used for the bit rate of a logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream; or, The first MAC CE also includes at least one sixth field corresponding to at least one first field, the sixth field being used to indicate a reference table index used for the bit rate of a logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service stream.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE also includes an information field for indicating the length of the first MAC CE.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The MAC subheader corresponding to the first MAC CE also includes the LCID or eLCID corresponding to the first MAC CE.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first MAC CE is used for rate control of extended real-world services.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow is a rate-controlled LCH, DRB, or QoS flow configured by the network device for the terminal device, and / or an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow associated with the RLC entity of the MAC entity of the terminal device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The device further includes: A receiver receives capability information reported by the terminal device, the capability information including at least one of the following: The terminal device supports rate control; The terminal device supports service rate control query. The terminal device supports the use of bit rate amplification factor.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The transmitter is also configured to transmit configuration information, which includes at least one of the following: Identification and / or indexing of LCH, DRB, or QoS flows that perform rate control; For an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow, the direction of rate control is uplink, downlink, or both. A bit rate query disable timer for LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; At least two bit rate amplification factors for an LCH, DRB, or QoS flow; Configure different bit rate query disable timers and / or bit rate amplification factors for the uplink and downlink directions of LCH, DRB, or QoS flow.

18. A rate control device, configured in a terminal device, the device comprising: The receiver receives a first Media Access Control (MAC) CE from the network device, the first MAC CE being used to indicate bit rate information related to at least one logical channel or data radio bearer or quality of service flow (LCH or DRB or QoS flow).

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, The device further includes: A transmitter that reports capability information to a network device, the capability information including at least one of the following: The terminal device supports rate control; The terminal device supports rate control query. The terminal device supports the use of bit rate amplification factor.

20. A communication system comprising the rate control device of claim 1 and / or claim 18.

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