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

Abstract

A data transmission method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product. The method comprises: sending a medium access control control element (MAC CE), the MAC CE being configured for carrying user plane control information.

Description

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

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202510121805.X, 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. A PDU contains user data and control information. Control information is typically transmitted as control PDUs at each layer, while forwarded data is typically transmitted as data PDUs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] On the one hand, a data transmission method is provided, including: sending a Media Access Control and Controller (MAC CE), wherein the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0005] On the other hand, another data transmission method is provided, including: acquiring a Media Access Control Cell (MAC CE), whereby the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0006] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is used to transmit a media access control unit (MAC CE), and the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0007] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is used to acquire a Media Access Control Cell (MAC CE), and the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0008] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor being coupled; the memory being used to store a computer program; and the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of any of the above embodiments.

[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 method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0010] In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method described in any of the above embodiments. 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 structural diagram of a MAC CE according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of another MAC CE according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of another MAC CE according to some embodiments;

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

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

[0022] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a first network element according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a second network element according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] At the MAC layer, MAC layer entities have difficulty distinguishing between RLC data PDUs and RLC control PDUs. Therefore, they are typically mapped to the same MAC PDU for transmission. At the physical layer, one MAC PDU corresponds to one transport block (TB). That is, RLC data PDUs and RLC control PDUs may be transmitted as a single TB at the physical layer. To reduce control signaling overhead and to transmit control information and parameters between the MAC and physical layers, the MAC layer introduces a MAC control element (CE). The MAC PDU corresponding to the MAC CE has a higher priority. However, in related technologies, the MAC CE only carries control plane control information and not user plane control information.

[0034] In summary, the existing technologies cannot distinguish between data PDUs and control PDUs at the underlying level, making it difficult to achieve high-priority transmission of control PDUs. If a control PDU transmission fails, it will affect the transmission of multiple data PDUs, resulting in a decrease in the overall system transmission performance.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network element can send a MAC control element (CE), which is used to carry user plane control information. In this way, the first network element carries user plane control information through the MAC CE, thereby ensuring high-priority transmission of user plane control information, improving the success rate of user plane control information transmission, and reducing the possibility of overall system transmission performance degradation due to errors in user plane control information transmission.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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 (e.g., including but not limited to the MAC layer) entities in a communication system. This module can be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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 a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a MAC layer, and a physical layer. Each protocol layer entity encapsulates or decapsulates data according to its corresponding protocol layer. When the communication device acts as a data transmitter, data is transmitted layer by layer from upper to lower layers. During transmission, each protocol layer entity performs encapsulation operations and ultimately sends the data to the data receiver. When the communication device acts as a data receiver, data is transmitted layer by layer from lower to upper layers. During transmission, each protocol layer entity performs decapsulation operations.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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:

[0045] Step 301: Send MAC CE.

[0046] Here, the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first network element can be a transmitter, such as a communication device, 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] In some embodiments, user plane control information corresponds to user plane control PDUs from the upper layer of the MAC.

[0049] 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 Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer user plane control information.

[0050] For example, user plane control information corresponds to at least one of the following: RLC control PDU, PDCP control PDU, and SDAP control PDU. For instance, control information from the SDAP layer is transmitted to the lower layer using a control PDU.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the first network element encapsulates the user plane control information in a MAC CE and sends it.

[0052] In related technologies, MAC CE is a special type of PDU used by the MAC layer to transmit control information, carrying control information such as scheduling allocation, uplink / downlink control, and measurement configuration updates. Compared to service data transmission, MAC CE typically has a higher priority. This disclosure uses MAC CE to transmit user plane control information, which allows user plane control information to have a higher transmission priority. Taking RLC control PDU as an example, in the embodiments of this disclosure, the RLC control PDU is no longer mapped to a MAC SDU but is independently mapped to a MAC CE for transmission, giving the RLC control PDU a higher priority in scheduling and physical layer transmission.

[0053] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the first network element can send a MAC CE, which is used to carry user plane control information. In this way, the first network element carries user plane control information through the MAC CE, thereby ensuring high-priority transmission of user plane control information, improving the success rate of user plane control information transmission, and reducing the possibility of overall system transmission performance degradation due to errors in user plane control information transmission.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a base station, which sends a MAC CE carrying user plane control information to the terminal.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a terminal, which sends a MAC CE carrying user plane control information to the base station.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a MAC entity, which is responsible for constructing a MAC PDU from the MAC CE carrying user plane control information and scheduling its transmission.

[0057] As one embodiment of this disclosure, user plane control information is transmitted through a first channel of a plurality of channels.

[0058] For example, user plane control information is transmitted through a first channel among multiple channels, including one of the following: user plane control information is received from an upper layer through the first channel; or, user plane control information is transmitted to a lower layer through the first channel.

[0059] For example, an RLC control PDU containing user plane control information is received from the RLC layer through a logical channel and passed to the MAC layer.

[0060] In some embodiments, the MAC CE includes identification information for a first channel. For example, if the first channel is a logical channel between the MAC layer and the RLC layer, the MAC CE may include identification information for the logical channel, such as a logical channel identifier (LCID).

[0061] In some embodiments, the multiple channels further include a second channel. The second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

[0062] For example, user plane service data is a data PDU. The data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC SDU. This service data can also be referred to as user data.

[0063] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data.

[0064] 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.

[0065] The first network element uses MAC CE to transmit user plane control PDUs. This can be achieved by using different channels to pass / receive user plane data PDUs and user plane control PDUs to / from the lower layer. In other words, user plane control PDUs are transmitted using independent channels, thereby achieving independent mapping to MAC CE at the MAC layer.

[0066] Here, control PDUs can be passed to / received from lower layers via the first channel, while data PDUs can be passed to / received from lower layers via the second channel. At the MAC layer, user plane data PDUs can be encapsulated in MAC SDUs, and user plane control PDUs can be encapsulated in MAC CEs.

[0067] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned channel includes at least one of the following: radio bearer, logical channel, logical channel group, and RLC channel.

[0068] In wireless communication networks, control information is typically of higher importance. Prioritizing control information and ensuring its reliable and timely transmission is crucial for improving system performance. Therefore, in this embodiment, user plane control information can be transmitted on the MAC CE to prioritize control information and improve its transmission success rate.

[0069] In some embodiments, the aforementioned multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

[0070] For example, the signaling can be a radio resource control (RRC) message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0071] 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 channels. After receiving this RRC message, the terminal can send / receive data PDUs and control PDUs through different channels respectively based on this RRC message.

[0072] For example, the signaling may include RLC configuration information and logical channel indication information. The logical channel indication information is used to indicate the data type transmitted for each configured logical channel.

[0073] For example, the signaling may include data radio bearer (DRB) configuration information, which includes RLC configuration parameters of 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.

[0074] In some embodiments, a MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

[0075] In one example, each control PDU corresponds to an independent MAC CE for transmission. Each MAC CE includes a unique logical channel identifier to facilitate accurate identification of the corresponding control PDU. As shown in Figure 4, one MAC CE includes the logical channel identifier of control PDU1 and the control PDU1 itself.

[0076] In another example, multiple control PDUs can correspond to a single MAC CE. Multiple control PDUs can be encapsulated together within a single MAC CE for transmission. For instance, a MAC CE can include multiple control PDUs and a logical channel identifier corresponding to each control PDU. Here, the control PDUs and logical channel identifiers can have different arrangements.

[0077] For example, the control PDU and the logical channel identifier can be arranged in adjacent positions. As shown in Figure 5, one MAC CE includes the logical channel identifier of control PDU1, control PDU1, the logical channel identifier of control PDU2, and control PDU2. Here, the logical channel identifier of control PDU1 and control PDU1 are arranged in adjacent positions, and the logical channel identifier of control PDU2 and control PDU2 are arranged in adjacent positions.

[0078] For example, multiple logical channel identifiers can be arranged in adjacent positions, and multiple control PDUs can be arranged in adjacent positions. As shown in Figure 6, one MAC CE includes a logical channel identifier for control PDU1, control PDU1, a logical channel identifier for control PDU2, and control PDU2. Here, the logical channel identifiers for control PDU1 and control PDU2 are arranged in adjacent positions, and control PDU1 and control PDU2 are arranged in adjacent positions. Here, the logical channel identifiers can be arranged before the control PDUs; in some embodiments, the logical channel identifiers can also be arranged after the control PDUs.

[0079] In some embodiments, user plane control information is transmitted at the physical layer via a first type of transport block (TB), and the first type of transport block (TB) carries only user plane control information.

[0080] Since the MAC CE is processed at the MAC layer to form a MAC PDU, and one MAC PDU corresponds to one TB at the physical layer, it can be understood that the MAC PDU corresponding to the MAC CE used to carry user plane control information only carries user plane control information.

[0081] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs for carrying user plane control information, these MAC CEs may correspond to the same MAC PDU or different MAC PDUs.

[0082] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs for carrying user plane control information, each MAC CE corresponds to a MAC PDU and a first type TB at the physical layer.

[0083] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs carrying user plane control information, the multiple MAC CEs can be multiplexed into a MAC PDU and correspond to a first type TB at the physical layer. The MAC PDU only contains user plane control information and no service data.

[0084] In some embodiments, user plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type TB, which has a lower transmission priority than the first type TB.

[0085] Taking the aforementioned channel as an example of a logical channel, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the RLC control PDU does not share the same logical channel with the RLC data PDU, and the RLC control PDU is carried through an independent MAC CE. Each MAC CE contains a logical channel indicator (or logical channel identifier). The logical channel of the MAC CE has a higher priority, ensuring priority processing of the control PDU at the underlying transmission layer. For example, the information of the RLC control PDU receives priority processing in MAC layer scheduling, resource allocation and power control, and at the physical layer.

[0086] For example, as shown in Figure 7, taking the first channel as the first logical channel and the second channel as the second logical channel, through transmission via different logical channels, the RLC control PDU can be mapped to the MAC CE through the first logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, the MAC CE obtains MAC PDU1, which is finally mapped to TB1 at the physical layer. The RLC data PDU can be mapped to the MAC SDU1 through the second logical channel. After processing at the MAC layer, the MAC SDU1 obtains MAC PDU2, which is finally mapped to TB2 at the physical layer.

[0087] In this way, MAC entities can transmit user plane control information and service data through different MAC PDUs, thereby transmitting them on different TBs at the physical layer and realizing the distinction between user plane control information and service data.

[0088] As can be seen from the above examples, in this embodiment of the 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-frequency domain resources, and increasing power transmission for PDUs carrying control information to ensure the reliability of user plane control information.

[0089] Taking a channel as a radio bearer as an example, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the radio bearer used by the control PDU is different from that used by the data PDU. The radio bearer is associated with a logical channel, and each MAC CE contains a logical channel identifier. The control PDU is mapped to the MAC CE through an independent radio bearer and an independent logical channel.

[0090] For example, as shown in Figure 8, taking the first channel as radio bearer 1 and the second channel as radio bearer 2, the user plane PDCP control PDU is transmitted through radio bearer 1 and mapped to the RLC control PDU. Then, the RLC control PDU is mapped to the MAC CE through logical channel 1. The MAC CE is processed at the MAC layer to obtain MAC PDU1, and finally mapped to TB1 at the physical layer. The user plane PDCP data PDU is transmitted through DRB2 and mapped to the RLC data PDU. Then, the RLC data PDU is mapped to MAC SDU1 through logical channel 2. MAC SDU1 is processed at the MAC layer to obtain MAC PDU2, and finally mapped to TB2 at the physical layer.

[0091] In this way, MAC entities can transmit user plane control information and service data through different MAC PDUs, thereby transmitting them on different TBs at the physical layer and realizing the distinction between user plane control information and service data.

[0092] As can be seen from the above examples, in this embodiment of the disclosure, user plane control information and data information at the PDCP layer can be separated at the MAC layer and the physical layer. In this way, the MAC layer can take measures such as prioritizing scheduling, allocating better time-frequency domain resources, and increasing transmission power to ensure the reliability of user plane control information.

[0093] Taking the second network element as an example, Figure 9 is a flowchart of a data transmission method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the following steps:

[0094] Step 901: Obtain MAC CE.

[0095] Here, the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

[0096] 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.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second network element may be a base station, which receives a MAC CE carrying user plane control information sent from the terminal.

[0098] In some embodiments, the second network element may be a terminal, which receives a MAC CE carrying user plane control information sent from the base station.

[0099] In some embodiments, the second network element may be a MAC entity, which is responsible for receiving the TB corresponding to the MAC CE that carries user plane control information and submitting it upward from the physical layer, thereby obtaining the MAC CE and the user plane control information in the MAC CE.

[0100] In some embodiments, user plane control information corresponds to user plane control PDUs from the upper layer of the MAC.

[0101] 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.

[0102] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the second network element can obtain a MAC CE, which is used to carry user plane control information. Thus, the second network element obtains the user plane control information carried in the MAC CE, thereby ensuring high-priority transmission of the user plane control information, improving the success rate of user plane control information transmission, and reducing the possibility of overall system transmission performance degradation due to errors in user plane control information transmission.

[0103] In some embodiments, after obtaining the MAC CE, the second network element can also pass the user plane control information carried by the MAC CE to the upper layer. Referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 9, as shown in Figure 10, the method further includes the following steps:

[0104] Step 1001: Obtain user plane control information from MAC CE.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the second network element decapsulates the MAC CE to obtain user plane control information.

[0106] Step 1002: Pass user plane control information to the upper layer through the first channel among multiple channels.

[0107] Here, the first channel is used to transmit user plane control information.

[0108] In some embodiments, the MAC CE includes identification information for the first channel.

[0109] In some embodiments, the multiple channels further include a second channel. The second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

[0110] For example, user plane service data is a data PDU. The data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC SDU.

[0111] In some embodiments, the data PDU is used to carry user plane service data.

[0112] 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.

[0113] For example, the user plane control information corresponds to at least one of the following: RLC control PDU, PDCP control PDU layer, and SDAP control PDU. For instance, the control information of the SDAP layer is transmitted to the lower layer using a control PDU.

[0114] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned channel includes at least one of the following: radio bearer, logical channel, logical channel group, and RLC channel.

[0115] In wireless communication networks, control information is typically of higher importance. Prioritizing control information and ensuring its reliable and timely transmission is crucial for improving system performance. Therefore, in this embodiment, user plane control information and user plane service data can be transmitted through different channels to prioritize control information and improve its transmission success rate.

[0116] In some embodiments, the aforementioned multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

[0117] For example, the signaling can be an RRC message.

[0118] In some embodiments, a MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

[0119] In some embodiments, the second network element can obtain a MAC CE by receiving a first type of transport block (TB) delivered from the physical layer.

[0120] Here, the first type of transport block (TB) only carries user plane control information.

[0121] Since the MAC CE is processed at the MAC layer to form a MAC PDU, and one MAC PDU corresponds to one TB at the physical layer, it can be understood that the MAC PDU corresponding to the MAC CE used to carry user plane control information only carries user plane control information.

[0122] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs for carrying user plane control information, these MAC CEs may correspond to the same MAC PDU or different MAC PDUs.

[0123] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs for carrying user plane control information, each of the multiple MAC CEs corresponds to a MAC PDU and a first type TB at the physical layer.

[0124] In some embodiments, when there are multiple MAC CEs carrying user plane control information, the multiple MAC CEs can be multiplexed into a MAC PDU and correspond to a first type TB at the physical layer. The MAC PDU only carries user plane control information and does not contain service data.

[0125] User plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer through a second type of TB, which has a lower priority than the first type of TB.

[0126] In some embodiments, user plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type TB, which has a lower priority than the first type TB.

[0127] For related explanations, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] For example, taking a communication device as the first network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 11 is a structural diagram of a first network element 110 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The first network element 110 can execute the data transmission method provided in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the first network element 110 includes: a processing unit 1101 and a communication unit 1102.

[0131] The communication unit 1102 is used to transmit the Media Access Control Unit (MAC CE), which is used to carry user plane control information.

[0132] In some embodiments, user plane control information corresponds to a user plane control protocol data unit (PDU) from the upper layer of the MAC.

[0133] In some embodiments, a MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

[0134] In some embodiments, user plane control information is transmitted at the physical layer via a first type of transport block (TB), and the first type of transport block (TB) carries only user plane control information.

[0135] In some embodiments, user plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type TB, which has a lower transmission priority than the first type TB.

[0136] In some embodiments, user plane control information is transmitted through a first channel of a plurality of channels.

[0137] In some embodiments, user plane control information is transmitted through a first channel among multiple channels, including one of the following: user plane control information is received from an upper layer through the first channel; or, user plane control information is transmitted to a lower layer through the first channel.

[0138] In some embodiments, the MAC CE includes identification information for the first channel.

[0139] In some embodiments, the multiple channels further include a second channel; the second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

[0140] In some embodiments, user plane service data is a data PDU; the data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC service data unit (SDU).

[0141] In some embodiments, the channel includes at least one of the following: a radio bearer, a logical channel, a logical channel group, and a radio link control (RLC) channel.

[0142] In some embodiments, multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

[0143] In some embodiments, the signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0144] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1102 is used to encapsulate user plane control information in a MAC CE and send it through the processing unit 1101.

[0145] For example, taking a communication device as the second network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 12 is a structural diagram of a second network element 120 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The second network element 120 can execute the data transmission method provided in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, the second network element 120 includes: a processing unit 1201 and a communication unit 1202.

[0146] The communication unit 1202 is used to acquire the Media Access Control Cell (MAC CE), which is used to carry user plane control information.

[0147] In some embodiments, user plane control information corresponds to a user plane control protocol data unit (PDU) from the upper layer of the MAC.

[0148] In some embodiments, a MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

[0149] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1202 is used to obtain the MAC CE by receiving a first type transport block TB delivered from the physical layer, wherein the first type transport block TB only carries user plane control information.

[0150] In some embodiments, user plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type TB; the second type TB has a lower priority than the first type TB.

[0151] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1201 is used to obtain user plane control information from the MAC CE; the communication unit 1202 is used to transmit the user plane control information to the upper layer through a first channel among multiple channels; the first channel is used to transmit user plane control information.

[0152] In some embodiments, the MAC CE includes identification information for the first channel.

[0153] In some embodiments, the multiple channels further include a second channel; the second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

[0154] In some embodiments, user plane service data is a data PDU; the data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC service data unit (SDU).

[0155] In some embodiments, the channel includes at least one of the following: a radio bearer, a logical channel, a logical channel group, and a radio link control (RLC) channel.

[0156] In some embodiments, multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

[0157] In some embodiments, the signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0158] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1201 is used to decapsulate the MAC CE to obtain user plane control information.

[0159] 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 FIG13, the communication device 130 includes a processor 1302 and a bus 1304. In some embodiments, the communication device 130 may further include a memory 1301; in some embodiments, the communication device 130 may further include a communication interface 1303.

[0160] Processor 1302 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1302 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1302 may also be a combination of functions implementing computation, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP), and a microprocessor, etc.

[0161] The communication interface 1303 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.

[0162] The memory 1301 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.

[0163] In some embodiments, the memory 1301 may exist independently of the processor 1302. The memory 1301 may be connected to the processor 1302 via a bus 1304 and may be used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 1302 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 1301, it may implement the method described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0164] In other embodiments, the memory 1301 may also be integrated with the processor 1302.

[0165] Bus 1304 can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 1304 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 13, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0166] 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.

[0167] 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.

[0168] 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.

[0169] 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 in that, The method includes: The Media Access Control Unit (MAC CE) is sent, and the MAC CE is used to carry user plane control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The user plane control information corresponds to the user plane control protocol data unit (PDU) from the upper layer of the MAC.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, A MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The user plane control information is transmitted at the physical layer through a first type of transport block (TB), and the first type of transport block (TB) only carries user plane control information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, User plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type of TB, which has a lower transmission priority than the first type of TB.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The user plane control information is transmitted through the first channel of multiple channels.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The user plane control information is transmitted through the first channel of multiple channels, including one of the following: The user plane control information is received from the upper layer through the first channel; or... The user plane control information is transmitted to the lower layer through the first channel.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes the identification information of the first channel.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The plurality of channels also includes a second channel; the second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The user plane service data is a data PDU; the data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC service data unit (SDU).

11. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The channel includes at least one of the following: Radio bearer, logical channel, logical channel group, radio link control (RLC) channel.

12. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission of the Media Access Control (MAC) CE includes: The user plane control information is encapsulated in the MAC CE and sent.

15. A data transmission method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain the Media Access Control Element (MAC CE), which is used to carry user plane control information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The user plane control information corresponds to the user plane control protocol data unit (PDU) from the upper layer of the MAC.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, A MAC CE encapsulates one or more user plane control PDUs.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The acquisition of the Media Access Control Cell (MAC CE) includes: The MAC CE is obtained by receiving a first type of transport block (TB) delivered from the physical layer, where the first type of transport block (TB) carries only user plane control information.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, User plane service data is transmitted at the physical layer via a second type of TB; the second type of TB has a lower priority than the first type of TB.

20. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the user plane control information from the MAC CE; The user plane control information is transmitted to the upper layer through the first channel among multiple channels; the first channel is used to transmit the user plane control information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The MAC CE includes the identification information of the first channel.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The plurality of channels also includes a second channel; the second channel is used to transmit user plane service data.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The user plane service data is a data PDU; the data PDU is encapsulated in a MAC service data unit (SDU).

24. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The channel includes at least one of the following: Radio bearer, logical channel, logical channel group, radio link control (RLC) channel.

25. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The multiple channels are configured based on signaling.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The signaling is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

27. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the user plane control information from the MAC CE includes: The user plane control information is obtained by decapsulating the MAC CE.

28. 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 14, or the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 27.

29. 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 14, or the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 27.

30. 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 14, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 27.

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