Data transmission method, communication device, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

A data transmission method, a communication device, a storage medium, and a program product. The method comprises: transmitting a data PDU to a lower layer by means of a first logical channel; and transmitting a control PDU to the lower layer by means of a second logical channel.

Description

Data transmission methods, communication devices, storage media and software products

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202510123304.5, filed on January 24, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a data transmission method, communication device, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] A protocol data unit (PDU) is the basic unit used to transmit data packets in a communication network. At the radio link control (RLC) layer, RLC entities transmit PDUs through the same logical channel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] On the one hand, a data transmission method is provided, applied to a first network element, including: transmitting data PDUs to the lower layer through a first logical channel; and transmitting control PDUs to the lower layer through a second logical channel.

[0005] On the other hand, another data transmission method is provided for application to the second network element, including: receiving data PDUs from the lower layer through a first logical channel; and receiving control PDUs from the lower layer through a second logical channel.

[0006] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is used to transmit data PDUs to a lower layer through a first logical channel; the communication unit is used to transmit control PDUs to a lower layer through a second logical channel.

[0007] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is configured to receive data PDUs from a lower layer via a first logical channel; the communication unit is configured to receive control PDUs from a lower layer via a second logical channel.

[0008] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor implements the above-described data transmission method when executing the computer program.

[0009] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the above-described data transmission method.

[0010] In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement any of the above-described data transmission methods. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in some embodiments of this disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 2 is an architecture diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a data transmission method according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 5 is a flowchart of another user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 6 is a flowchart of another user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 7 is a flowchart of another data transmission method according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 8 is a flowchart of yet another user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another data transmission method according to some embodiments;

[0021] Figure 10 is a flowchart of another user plane transmission according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 11 is a flowchart of another data transmission method according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 12 is a flowchart of another data transmission method according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a first network element according to some embodiments;

[0025] Figure 14 is a block diagram of a second network element according to some embodiments;

[0026] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0028] It should be noted that, in this disclosure, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0029] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0030] In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more.

[0031] A PDU is the basic unit used to transmit data packets in a communication network. At each protocol layer of the communication protocol stack, when an upper layer passes data to a lower layer, this data unit is called a service data unit (SDU). When data is passed from one layer to another, the lower layer receives the SDU from the upper layer and encapsulates it into a PDU.

[0032] PDUs can carry user plane service data and control information. Control information is typically transmitted as control PDUs at each layer, while forwarded service data is typically transmitted as data PDUs. Generally, control information is more important than service data; if control information is transmitted incorrectly, it will affect the transmission of multiple data PDUs / service data packets.

[0033] Taking the RLC layer as an example, an RLC entity is a logical entity in a communication device used to execute the RLC protocol. The RLC layer includes three transmission modes: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM). Here, PDUs in TM and UM modes include data PDUs, while PDUs in AM mode include both data PDUs and control PDUs. For example, an RLC control PDU may include a status PDU, which indicates the status of the transmitted data. For instance, in AM mode, the receiving end's RLC entity uses a status PDU to notify the transmitting end's AM mode RLC entity whether multiple RLC data PDUs sent have been correctly received. RLC data PDUs are constructed from RLC SDUs received from higher layers, while RLC control PDUs are control information generated at the RLC layer.

[0034] In current communication networks, the RLC entity is responsible for receiving or submitting / delivering RLC SDUs from or to higher layers, and sending or receiving RLC PDUs from lower layers to the peer RLC entity. As shown in Figure 1, if the RLC entity receives RLC SDUs from a higher layer, it receives them through a single channel between the RLC layer and the higher layer. After reassembling the received RLC SDUs into RLC data PDUs, it transmits these RLC data PDUs to the lower layer through a single logical channel. Conversely, if the RLC entity receives RLC data PDUs from a lower layer, it receives these data units through a single logical channel, reassembles the received RLC data PDUs into RLC SDUs, and transmits them to the higher layer through the same channel between the RLC and the higher layer. If the RLC entity transmits or receives RLC control PDUs from a lower layer, it does so through the same logical channel used for processing RLC data PDUs. Therefore, in related technologies, RLC data PDUs and their associated RLC control PDUs are multiplexed and transmitted on the same logical channel.

[0035] Currently, because data PDUs and control PDUs use the same logical channel for transmission, it is impossible to distinguish between them at the underlying level, making it difficult to achieve differentiated transmission guarantees for different types of PDUs. This results in control PDUs not receiving higher priority transmission quality guarantees than data PDUs. If a control PDU transmission fails, it will affect the transmission of multiple data PDUs, causing a decline in the overall system transmission performance.

[0036] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network element can transmit data PDUs to the lower layer through the first logical channel and control PDUs to the lower layer through the second logical channel. In this way, the first network element can transmit data PDUs and control PDUs through different logical channels, which can realize differentiated transmission of service data and control information, facilitate the high-priority transmission guarantee of control PDUs, improve the transmission success rate of control PDUs, and reduce the situation where the overall transmission performance of the system degrades due to transmission errors of control PDUs.

[0037] In this disclosure, the mobile communication network includes, but is not limited to, wireless local area network (WiFi), third-generation mobile communication technology (3G), fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G), fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G), and future mobile communication networks. The network architecture of the mobile communication network may include at least a first network element and a second network element.

[0038] It should be understood that in this example, the first network element can be a transmitter, and the second network element can be a receiver. For example, in the downlink, the first network element can be a network-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a base station), and the second network element can be a terminal-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a terminal). Of course, in the uplink, the first network element can also be a terminal-side device, and the second network element can also be a network-side device. Furthermore, the first and second network elements can also be modules of a device in a communication system, or protocol layer entities (e.g., including but not limited to the RLC layer) in a communication system. This module can be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0039] As exemplarily shown in FIG2, a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a base station 201 and a terminal 202. There may be one or more base stations 201 and terminals 202, and the number is not limited.

[0040] Base station 201 is a device located on the access network side of the aforementioned communication system, possessing wireless transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed on such device. Base station 201 includes, but is not limited to: access points (APs) in WiFi systems, such as home gateways, routers, servers, switches, bridges, etc.; evolved NodeBs (eNBs), radio network controllers (RNCs), NodeBs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved NodeBs, or home NodeBs, HNBs), base band units (BBUs), wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes (e.g., integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes), transmission and reception points (TRPs or transmission points, TPs), etc., and can also be 5G base stations, such as new radio (NR) stations. In a 5G radio (NR) system, a gNB, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), can be a gNB or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a base station, or it can be a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), a distributed unit (DU), a roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality, or 5G radio access network (NG-Ran) equipment. Base station 201 also includes base stations in different networking modes, such as a master evolved NodeB (MeNB) and a secondary eNB (SeNB, or secondary gNB, SgNB). Base station 201 also includes different types, such as terrestrial base stations, airborne base stations, and satellite base stations.

[0041] Terminal 202 is a device with wireless communication capabilities that can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted. It can also be deployed on water (such as on ships) and in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal 202 is also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), and terminal equipment, and is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal 202 includes handheld devices and vehicle-mounted devices with wireless connectivity. Currently, terminal 202 can be: mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, smart bracelet, pedometer, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (e.g., car, bicycle, electric vehicle, airplane, ship, train, high-speed rail, etc.), virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless terminal in industrial control, smart home device (e.g., refrigerator, television, air conditioner, electricity meter, etc.), smart robot, workshop equipment, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, or wireless terminal in smart home, flying equipment (e.g., smart robot, hot air balloon, drone, airplane), etc. In one possible application scenario disclosed in this disclosure, the terminal is a terminal that frequently operates on the ground, such as in-vehicle equipment. In this disclosure, for ease of description, the chip deployed in the above-mentioned device, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a baseband chip, or other chip with communication functions, may also be referred to as a terminal.

[0042] In some embodiments, communication devices (such as base station 201 and terminal 202 described above) can communicate based on a communication protocol stack. The communication protocol stack includes multiple protocol layers, such as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Relational Data Capture (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and the physical layer. Each protocol layer entity encapsulates or decapsulates data according to its corresponding protocol layer. When the communication device acts as a data sender, data is transmitted from upper layers to lower layers, with each protocol layer entity performing encapsulation operations during transmission, and finally sent to the data receiver. When the communication device acts as a data receiver, data is transmitted from lower layers to upper layers, with each protocol layer entity performing decapsulation operations during transmission.

[0043] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this disclosure can be referenced or learned from each other. For example, the same or similar steps, method embodiments, system embodiments and device embodiments can be referenced from each other without limitation.

[0044] The data transmission method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the communication system shown in Figure 2.

[0045] Taking the first network element as an example, Figure 3 is a flowchart of a data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0046] Step 301: Transmit the data PDU to the lower layer through the first logical channel.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first network element can be a transmitter, such as a communication device acting as a transmitter, a module in the communication device, or a protocol layer entity in the communication device. This module can be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of both.

[0048] For example, the first network element can be an RLC entity.

[0049] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data.

[0050] For example, user-face business data includes at least one of the following:

[0051] User plane service data at the RLC layer, user plane service data at the PDCP layer, and user plane service data at the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer.

[0052] Step 302: Pass the control PDU to the lower layer through the second logical channel.

[0053] In some embodiments, the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

[0054] For example, the user plane control information includes at least one of the following: RLC layer user plane control information, PDCP layer user plane control information, and SDAP layer user plane control information.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel can be logical channels of a logical channel group or logical channels of different logical channel groups.

[0056] It should be understood that this disclosure does not restrict the execution order or execution logic of steps 301 and 302 in the above embodiments. When the first network element has a need to transmit data PDUs to the lower layer, the first network element can transmit data PDUs to the lower layer through step 301, that is, through the first logical channel. When the first network element has a need to transmit control PDUs to the lower layer, the first network element can transmit control PDUs to the lower layer through step 302, that is, through the second logical channel. That is to say, steps 301 and 302 can be executed according to actual needs, and the execution mode can be serial or parallel. For example, step 301 can be executed first, and then step 302 can be executed, or step 302 can be executed first, and then step 301 can be executed. For example, different processing modules can be used to process steps 301 and 302 in parallel.

[0057] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the first network element can transmit data PDUs to the lower layer through a first logical channel and control PDUs to the lower layer through a second logical channel. In this way, the first network element can achieve differentiated transmission of service data and control information by transmitting data PDUs and control PDUs through different logical channels. This facilitates high-priority transmission of control PDUs, thereby improving the transmission success rate of control PDUs and reducing the possibility of overall system transmission performance degradation due to control PDU transmission errors.

[0058] Furthermore, control information involves dynamic interaction factors such as contextual information, state transitions, and the need for feedback and waiting. Its state dependency and real-time requirements significantly increase the complexity and cost of hardware implementation. However, forwarded service data is typically stateless, and the processing logic for service data is usually relatively fixed, making it more suitable for hardware-based pipelined operations. However, because RLC entities in related technologies multiplex the same logical channel to transmit service data and control information, it is difficult to distinguish between different data transmitted on that logical channel, which makes hardware acceleration of RLC entities quite challenging.

[0059] In this embodiment of the disclosure, distinguishing the transmission of data PDUs and control PDUs through different logical channels allows for the separation of control processing and forwarding processing, which is beneficial for hardware implementation of the product and thus improves the forwarding performance of user plane data. For example, different logical channels can be used to separate data PDUs for hardware acceleration.

[0060] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0061] For example, in wireless communication networks, control information is generally of higher importance. Prioritizing control information and ensuring its reliable and timely transmission is crucial for improving system performance. Therefore, the first network element can transmit data PDUs to the lower layer via a first logical channel and control PDUs via a second logical channel. Since the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel, the lower layer can prioritize the scheduling of control PDU data, allocate better transmission resources, and increase power as transmission reliability assurance measures during scheduling. Therefore, this disclosure can achieve priority protection of control information and improve the transmission success rate of control information by transmitting data PDUs and control PDUs to the lower layer via different logical channels.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are based on signaling configuration.

[0063] For example, the signaling can be a radio resource control (RRC) message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message. For example, an RRC message can be a bearer configuration message. Yet another example is a bearer establishment message.

[0064] In one example, the first network element can be a terminal, a protocol layer entity within the terminal, or a module within the terminal. The terminal can receive an RRC message from the base station. This RRC message indicates that data PDUs and control PDUs are transmitted through different logical channels. After receiving the RRC message, the terminal can send / receive data PDUs and control PDUs respectively through different logical channels based on the RRC message.

[0065] For example, the signaling may include RLC configuration information and logical channel indication information. Here, the logical channel indication information is used to indicate the type of PDU transmitted on each configured logical channel. Alternatively, the logical channel indication information indicates that the control PDU uses a high-priority logical channel.

[0066] For example, the signaling may include data radio bearer (DRB) configuration information. The DRB configuration information includes RLC configuration parameters for the RLC layer associated with the DRB. These RLC configuration parameters are used to indicate the transmission / reception of RLC data PDUs and RLC control PDUs through different logical channels.

[0067] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU. For example, as shown in FIG4, the first network element in this embodiment can transmit the RLC data PDU through a first logical channel and the RLC control PDU through a second logical channel, thereby achieving the distinction between control information and service data on the user plane.

[0068] In related technologies, it is also difficult to distinguish between different data at the MAC layer and the physical layer. For example, as shown in Figure 5, an RLC entity transmits RLC data PDUs and RLC control PDUs through the same logical channel. The data of either the RLC data PDU or the RLC control PDU may correspond to the same MAC PDU at the MAC layer and the same transport block (TB) at the physical layer. That is, the data of either the RLC data PDU or the RLC control PDU may use the same TB for transmission at the physical layer. Therefore, control information and service data cannot be distinguished at the MAC layer and the physical layer, and it is impossible to improve the priority of user plane control information through physical layer optimization measures.

[0069] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6, RLC data PDUs are transmitted through different logical channels. The RLC data PDU is mapped to MAC PDU1 via a first logical channel, and the RLC control PDU is mapped to MAC PDU2 via a second logical channel. The subheader of each MAC PDU may include the logical channel identifier of the logical channel used. After adding a MAC subheader at the MAC layer, each MAC PDU corresponds to a TB at the physical layer. At the physical layer, the RLC data PDU corresponds to TB1, and the RLC control PDU corresponds to TB2.

[0070] In some embodiments, after the RLC data PDU and RLC control PDU are transmitted to the MAC layer through different logical channels, the RLC data PDU can be transmitted as a MAC SDU in the MAC layer, and the RLC control PDU can be transmitted as a MAC SDU or as a MAC control element (CE).

[0071] Taking the RLC data PDU and RLC control PDU as different MAC SDUs as an example, and referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 7, the above step 301 can be implemented by the following step 701, and the above step 302 can be implemented by the following step 702.

[0072] Step 701: Map the RLC data PDU to the first MAC SDU through the first logical channel.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first MAC SDU is processed by the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU, and the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel.

[0074] Step 702: Map the RLC control PDU to the second MAC SDU through the second logical channel.

[0075] In some embodiments, the second MAC SDU is processed at the MAC layer to obtain the second MAC PDU, and the subheader of the second MAC PDU includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

[0076] For example, as shown in Figure 8, an RLC data PDU can be mapped to MAC SDU1 through a first logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, MAC SDU1 becomes MAC PDU1, which is finally mapped to TB1 at the physical layer. An RLC control PDU can be mapped to MAC SDU2 through a second logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, MAC SDU2 becomes MAC PDU2, which is finally mapped to TB2 at the physical layer.

[0077] In this way, MAC entities can transmit user plane service data and control information through different MAC PDUs, thereby transmitting them on different TBs at the physical layer and realizing the distinction between user plane service data and control information.

[0078] For example, the identification information of a logical channel can be a logical channel identifier (LCID). For instance, the LCID corresponds to the logical channel priority, and the control PDU uses a higher-priority LCID.

[0079] Taking the mapping of RLC data PDU to MAC SDU and RLC control PDU to MAC CE as an example, and referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 9, the above step 301 can be implemented by the following step 901, and the above step 302 can be implemented by the following step 902.

[0080] Step 901: Map the RLC data PDU to the first MAC SDU through the first logical channel.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first MAC SDU is processed by the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU, and the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel.

[0082] Step 902: Map the RLC control PDU to the first MAC CE through the second logical channel.

[0083] In some embodiments, the subheader of the first MAC CE includes identification information of the second logical channel.

[0084] For example, the first MAC CE is processed at the MAC layer to obtain the second MAC PDU.

[0085] For example, as shown in Figure 10, an RLC data PDU can be mapped to MAC SDU1 through a first logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, MAC SDU1 becomes MAC PDU1, which is finally mapped to TB1 at the physical layer. An RLC control PDU can be mapped to MAC CE1 through a second logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, MAC CE1 becomes MAC PDU2, which is finally mapped to TB2 at the physical layer.

[0086] In this way, MAC entities can transmit user plane service data and control information through different MAC PDUs, thereby transmitting them on different TBs at the physical layer and realizing the distinction between user plane service data and control information.

[0087] As can be seen from the above examples, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the control PDU and data PDU of the RLC layer can be distinguished at the MAC layer and the physical layer. In this way, the MAC layer can take measures such as prioritizing scheduling, allocating better time and frequency domain resources, and increasing power transmission for PDUs carrying control information to ensure the reliability of user plane control information.

[0088] Taking the second network element as an example, Figure 11 is a flowchart of a data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 11, the method includes the following steps:

[0089] Step 1101: Receive data PDUs from the lower layer through the first logical channel.

[0090] In some embodiments, the second network element can be a receiving end, such as a communication device, a module in the communication device, or a protocol layer entity in the communication device that serves as the receiving end. This module can be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of both.

[0091] For example, the second network element can be an RLC entity.

[0092] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data.

[0093] For example, user plane service data includes at least one of the following: RLC layer user plane service data, PDCP layer user plane service data, and SDAP layer user plane service data.

[0094] Step 1102: Receive control PDU from the lower layer through the second logical channel.

[0095] In some embodiments, the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

[0096] For example, the user plane control information includes at least one of the following: RLC layer user plane control information, PDCP layer user plane control information, and SDAP layer user plane control information.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel can be logical channels of a logical channel group or logical channels of different logical channel groups.

[0098] It should be understood that this disclosure does not restrict the execution order or execution logic of steps 1101 and 1102 in the above embodiments. When the second network element needs to receive data PDUs from the lower layer, the second network element can receive data PDUs from the lower layer through step 1101, that is, through the first logical channel. When the second network element needs to receive control PDUs from the lower layer, the second network element can receive control PDUs from the lower layer through step 1102, that is, through the second logical channel. That is to say, steps 1101 and 1102 can be selected for execution according to actual needs, and the execution mode can be serial or parallel. For example, step 1101 can be executed first, followed by step 1102, or step 1102 can be executed first, followed by step 1101. For example, different processing modules can be used to process steps 1101 and 1102 in parallel.

[0099] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the second network element can receive data PDUs from the lower layer through the first logical channel and control PDUs from the lower layer through the second logical channel. In this way, the second network element can transmit data PDUs and control PDUs through different logical channels, which can realize differentiated transmission of service data and control information, facilitate high-priority transmission of control PDUs, improve the transmission success rate of control PDUs, and reduce the situation where the overall transmission performance of the system degrades due to transmission errors of control PDUs.

[0100] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0101] In this embodiment, the transmission of received data PDUs and control PDUs is distinguished by different logical channels. This allows the RLC control PDU on the user plane to obtain a higher logical channel priority than the RLC data PDU, thereby improving the priority of scheduling and underlying transmission. Because of the increased priority of control information, optimization measures such as prioritizing resource allocation, allocating resources with better channel conditions, and increasing transmit power can be implemented during scheduling and transmission. Therefore, the reliability of control information and the transmission latency of control information can be improved, thus enhancing the transmission quality of control information. This improved transmission quality of control information further ensures the transmission quality of service data.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are based on signaling configuration.

[0103] For example, the signaling can be an RRC message. For instance, an RRC message could be an RRC reconfiguration message. Another example is an RRC bearer configuration message. Yet another example is a RRC bearer establishment message.

[0104] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU.

[0105] In some embodiments, after receiving the data PDU / control PDU, the second network element can also pass the data PDU / control PDU to the upper layer.

[0106] Referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 11, as shown in Figure 12, after receiving a data PDU, the second network element can transmit the data PDU to the upper layer through the following step 1201. After receiving a control PDU, the second network element can transmit the control PDU to the upper layer through the following step 1202.

[0107] Step 1201: Combine the RLC data PDUs received through the first logical channel into a first RLC SDU, and pass the first RLC SDU to the upper layer.

[0108] Step 1202: Combine the RLC control PDUs received through the second logical channel into a second RLC SDU, and pass the second RLC SDU to the upper layer.

[0109] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the first MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the second MAC PDU.

[0110] For example, the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes identification information of the first logical channel. The subheader of the second MAC PDU includes identification information of the second logical channel.

[0111] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the first MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the first MAC CE.

[0112] For example, the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes identification information of the first logical channel. The subheader of the first MAC CE includes identification information of the second logical channel.

[0113] It should be understood that this disclosure does not restrict the execution order or execution logic of steps 1201 and 1202 in the above embodiments. When the second network element needs to receive data PDUs from the lower layer, the second network element can receive data PDUs and reassemble them using steps 1101 and 1201, i.e., through the first logical channel. When the second network element needs to receive control PDUs from the lower layer, the second network element can receive control PDUs and reassemble them using steps 1102 and 1202, i.e., through the second logical channel. That is to say, steps 1201 and 1202 can be executed according to actual needs, and the execution method can be serial or parallel. For example, steps 1101 and 1201 can be executed first, followed by steps 1102 and 1202, or steps 1102 and 1202 can be executed first, followed by steps 1101 and 1201. For example, different receiving processing modules can be used to process in parallel, while steps 1201 and 1202 are executed simultaneously.

[0114] For related explanations, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0115] It is understood that, in order to achieve the above-mentioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithmic steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0116] This disclosure embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the module division in this disclosure embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0117] For example, taking a communication device as the first network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 13 is a structural diagram of a first network element 130 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The first network element 130 can execute the data transmission method provided in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 13, the first network element 130 includes: a processing unit 1301 and a communication unit 1302.

[0118] The communication unit 1302 is used to transmit data protocol data units (PDUs) to the lower layer through the first logical channel.

[0119] The communication unit 1302 is used to transmit control PDUs to the lower layer through the second logical channel.

[0120] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data, and the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the user plane control information includes at least one of the following: RLC layer user plane control information, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer user plane control information, and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer user plane control information.

[0122] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU.

[0123] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1302 is configured to map an RLC data PDU to a first Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU) via a first logical channel; the communication unit 1302 is configured to map an RLC control PDU to a second MAC SDU via a second logical channel.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first MAC SDU is processed by the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU, and the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the second MAC SDU is processed by the MAC layer to obtain the second MAC PDU, and the subheader of the second MAC PDU includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

[0125] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1302 is configured to map the RLC data PDU to the first MAC SDU via a first logical channel; the communication unit 1302 is configured to map the RLC control PDU to the first MAC control unit CE via a second logical channel.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first MAC SDU is processed by the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU, and the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the subheader of the first MAC CE includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

[0127] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are based on signaling configuration.

[0129] In some embodiments, the signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first network element is a Radio Link Control (RLC) entity.

[0131] For example, taking a communication device as the second network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 14 is a structural diagram of a second network element 140 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The second network element 140 can execute the data transmission method provided in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 14, the second network element 140 includes: a processing unit 1401 and a communication unit 1402.

[0132] The communication unit 1402 is used to receive data PDUs from the lower layer through the first logical channel.

[0133] The communication unit 1402 is used to receive control PDUs from the lower layer via the second logic channel.

[0134] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU.

[0135] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1401 assembles the RLC data PDUs received through the first logical channel into a first RLC service data unit (SDU), and transmits the first RLC SDU to the upper layer through the communication unit 1402; the processing unit 1401 assembles the RLC control PDUs received through the second logical channel into a second RLC SDU, and transmits the second RLC SDU to the upper layer through the communication unit 1402.

[0136] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data, and the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

[0137] In some embodiments, the user plane control information includes at least one of the following: RLC layer user plane control information, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer user plane control information, and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer user plane control information.

[0138] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to a first media access control MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to a second MAC PDU.

[0139] In some embodiments, the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes identification information of the first logical channel; the subheader of the second MAC PDU includes identification information of the second logical channel.

[0140] In some embodiments, the data PDU corresponds to the first MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the first MAC control unit CE.

[0141] In some embodiments, the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes identification information of the first logical channel; the subheader of the first MAC CE includes identification information of the second logical channel.

[0142] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are based on signaling configuration.

[0144] In some embodiments, the signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second network element is an RLC entity.

[0146] In the case of implementing the functions of the integrated modules described above in hardware, this disclosure provides another structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiments. As shown in FIG15, the communication device 150 includes a processor 1502 and a bus 1504. In some embodiments, the communication device 150 may further include a memory 1501; in some embodiments, the communication device 150 may further include a communication interface 1503.

[0147] Processor 1502 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1502 may be a central processing unit, general-purpose processor, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1502 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a microprocessor, etc.

[0148] The communication interface 1503 is used to connect to other devices via a communication network. This communication network can be Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0149] The memory 1501 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0150] In some embodiments, the memory 1501 may exist independently of the processor 1502. The memory 1501 may be connected to the processor 1502 via a bus 1504 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 1502 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 1501, it can implement the method described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0151] In other embodiments, the memory 1501 may also be integrated with the processor 1502.

[0152] Bus 1504 can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 1504 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used to represent it in Figure 15, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0153] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) storing computer program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0154] Exemplary examples show that the aforementioned computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). The various computer-readable storage media described in this disclosure may represent one or more devices for storing information and / or other machine-readable storage media. The term "machine-readable storage media" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0155] This disclosure provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0156] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, characterized by, Applied to the first network element, the method includes: Data Protocol Data Units (PDUs) are transmitted to the lower layer via the first logical channel; The control PDU is passed down to the lower layer through the second logical channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The data PDU is used to carry user plane service data, and the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The user plane control information includes at least one of the following: User plane control information at the RLC layer, user plane control information at the PDCP layer, and user plane control information at the SDAP layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The transmission of data protocol data unit (PDU) to the lower layer via the first logical channel includes: The RLC data PDU is mapped to the first Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU) via the first logical channel. The transmission of Control Protocol Data Units (PDUs) to the lower layer via the second logical channel includes: The RLC control PDU is mapped to the second MAC SDU via the second logical channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first MAC SDU is processed at the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU, and the subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the second MAC SDU is processed at the MAC layer to obtain the second MAC PDU, and the subheader of the second MAC PDU includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, The transmission of data protocol data unit (PDU) to the lower layer via the first logical channel includes: The RLC data PDU is mapped to the first MAC SDU through the first logical channel; The transmission of Control Protocol Data Units (PDUs) to the lower layer via the second logical channel includes: The RLC control PDU is mapped to the first MAC control unit CE via the second logic channel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first MAC SDU is processed at the MAC layer to obtain the first MAC PDU. The first MAC PDU subheader includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the first MAC CE subheader includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first logical channel and the second logical channel are configured based on signaling.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first network element is a Radio Link Control (RLC) entity.

13. A data transmission method, characterized by, Applied to a second network element, the method includes: Receive data protocol data units (PDUs) from the lower layer through the first logical channel; The control PDU from the lower layer is received through the second logical channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The data PDU corresponds to the Radio Link Control (RLC) data PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the RLC control PDU.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further includes: The RLC data PDUs received through the first logical channel are combined to form a first RLC service data unit (SDU), and the first RLC SDU is transmitted to the upper layer. The RLC control PDUs received through the second logic channel are combined to form a second RLC SDU, and the second RLC SDU is passed to the upper layer.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, The data PDU is used to carry user plane service data, and the control PDU is used to carry user plane control information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The user plane control information includes at least one of the following: User plane control information at the RLC layer, user plane control information at the PDCP layer, and user plane control information at the SDAP layer.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein, The data PDU corresponds to the first media access control MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the second MAC PDU.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first MAC PDU's subheader includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the second MAC PDU's subheader includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein, The data PDU corresponds to the first MAC PDU, and the control PDU corresponds to the first MAC control unit CE.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The subheader of the first MAC PDU includes the identification information of the first logical channel; the subheader of the first MAC CE includes the identification information of the second logical channel.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein, The second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first logical channel and the second logical channel are configured based on signaling.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

25. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The second network element is an RLC entity.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Memory and processor; Memory and processor are coupled; The memory is used to store instructions that can be executed by the processor; When the processor executes the instructions, it performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 25.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 25.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 25.

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