Discard parameter adaptation

Abstract

Autonomous adjustment of configurable parameters at User Equipment (UE). In an embodiment, an apparatus (e.g., UE) is configured to receive information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure, detect a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node, adjust a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations, and perform the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

Description

[0001] DISCARD PARAMETER ADAPTATION

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure is related to the field of communication systems and, in particular, to next generation networks.

[0004] Background

[0005] A mobile telecommunication network or cellular network (generally referred to herein as a communication network or a mobile network) enables communications between two or more communication devices, provides communication devices access to a data network, delivers services provided by third-party applications to communication devices, and / or provides services offered by the communication network to communication devices. A communication network and communication devices may operate in accordance with cellular technologies (otherwise referred to as radio access technologies), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UTMS), Long-term Evolution (LTE or LTE-A), and New Radio (NR). Cellular technologies are standardized by various standards organizations, such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). 3GPP is currently developing standards for 5th Generation cellular technologies (generally referred to a 5G or NR standards) and 6th Generation cellular technologies (generally referred to a 6G standards). Communication networks that operate in accordance with 5G or NR standards are generally referred to as 5G networks or 5G systems, and communication networks that operate in accordance with 6G standards are generally referred to as 6G networks or 6G systems; both of which may be referred to generally as next generation networks (i.e., beyond Fourth Generation (4G) standards).

[0006] It may be beneficial to identify improvements where a communication network and / or communication device are aware of the network conditions (e.g., congestion), and adjust behavior accordingly.

[0007] Summary

[0008] Described herein are improvements to mechanisms in a communication network and / or communication device that address network conditions, such as bit rate changes, congestion, etc. As an overview, different layers of a radio protocol stack between a communication device (also referred to generally herein as User Equipment (UE)) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) node operate based onconfigurable parameters. As an example, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer at a UE may include configurable parameters for PDCP procedures, such as a discard procedure. In another example, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer at a UE may include configurable parameters for MAC procedures, such as delay status reporting. In embodiments provided herein, a UE is configured and / or authorized to act autonomously to adjust one or more configurable parameters, such as to respond to network conditions. Conventionally, the configurable parameters in a UE are static until a RAN node updates the configurable parameters via signaling. This may result in high signaling overhead when responding to network conditions, and may cause an impact on user experience. In embodiments provided herein, the configurable parameters are adjusted autonomously at the UE side without the need for further interaction with the RAN node. One technical benefit is signaling overhead is minimized when adjusting the configurable parameters at a UE.

[0009] In an embodiment (also referred to as an aspect), an apparatus comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure, detecting a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node, adjusting a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations, and performing the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

[0010] In an embodiment, a method comprises receiving information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure, detecting a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node, adjusting a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations, and performing the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

[0011] In an embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for receiving information defining preconfigured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure, means for detecting a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node, means for adjusting a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations, and means for performing the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.Other embodiments may include computer readable media, other systems or apparatus, or other methods or means as described below. Also, one or more embodiments as described above may be combinable as described herein.

[0012] The above summary provides a basic understanding of some aspects of the specification. This summary is not an extensive overview of the specification. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the specification nor delineate any scope of the particular embodiments of the specification, or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the specification in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0013] Description of the Drawings

[0014] Some embodiments of the disclosure are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference number represents the same element or the same type of element on all drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level architecture of a 5G system.

[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a non-roaming architecture of a 5G system.

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates an NG-RAN architecture.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a 5G NR radio protocol stack.

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates the control plane over a RAN.

[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates the user plane over a RAN.

[0021] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system in an illustrative embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a UE in an illustrative embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a UE in another illustrative embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 10 is a structural view of a PDCP layer.

[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates a functional view of a PDCP entity.

[0026] FIG. 12 is a structural view of a MAC layer.

[0027] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE and a RAN node in an illustrative embodiment.

[0028] FIGS. 14A-14B are flow charts illustrating methods of providing automated adjustments to configurable parameters in illustrative embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 15 illustrates discard procedures for a transmit operation at the PDCP layer.

[0030] FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a discard procedure according to a discard timer.

[0031] FIG. 17 illustrates a PDU set.FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a discard procedure according to a discard timer and a low importance discard timer.

[0032] FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a method of performing a transmit operation in an illustrative embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a method of performing a discard operation in an illustrative embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE and a RAN node in an illustrative embodiment.

[0035] FIGS. 22A-22B are flow charts illustrating methods of providing adjustments to low importance discard timers in illustrative embodiments.

[0036] FIG. 23 is a flow chart illustrating a method of adjusting a discard procedure at a UE in an illustrative embodiment.

[0037] FIGS. 24-25 are diagrams illustrating interaction between a UE and a RAN node in an illustrative embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a MAC PDU.

[0039] FIG. 27 illustrates a discard timer configuration in an illustrative embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 28 illustrates a discard timer configuration in another illustrative embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 29 illustrates discard timer configurations in another illustrative embodiment.

[0042] FIG. 30 illustrates additional details of adjusting a low importance discard timer in an illustrative embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 31 illustrates a DSR procedure at the MAC layer.

[0044] FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating a method of performing delay status reporting in an illustrative embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE and a RAN node in an illustrative embodiment.

[0046] FIGS. 34A-34B are flow charts illustrating methods of providing adjustments to remaining time thresholds in illustrative embodiments.

[0047] FIG. 35 is a flow chart illustrating a method of performing delay status reporting at a UE in an illustrative embodiment.

[0048] FIGS. 36-37 are diagrams illustrating interaction between a UE and a RAN node in an illustrative embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 38 illustrates a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in an illustrative embodiment. FIG. 39 illustrates a remaining time threshold configuration in another illustrative embodiment.FIG. 40 illustrates remaining time threshold configurations in another illustrative embodiment. FIG. 41 illustrates additional details of adjusting a remaining time threshold in an illustrative embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 42 illustrates an RRC message in an illustrative embodiment.

[0051] FIG. 43 illustrates an RRC message in another illustrative embodiment.

[0052] FIG. 44 illustrates a PDCP configuration Information Element (IE) in an illustrative embodiment. FIG. 45 illustrates an RRC message in another illustrative embodiment.

[0053] FIG. 46 illustrates a MAC configuration Information Element (IE) in an illustrative embodiment. FIGS. 47A-47B are flow charts illustrating methods of RRC handling in illustrative embodiments.

[0054] Description of Embodiments

[0055] The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the embodiments and are included within the scope of the embodiments. Furthermore, any examples described herein are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the embodiments, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. As a result, the inventive concept(s) is not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below, but by the claims and their equivalents.

[0056] FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level architecture of a 5G system 100. A 5G system (5GS) 100 is a communication system (e.g., a 3GPP system) comprising an Access Network ((R)AN) 102 (also referred to generally herein as a RAN, a 5G access network, etc.) and a core network 104 (also referred to generally as a 5G core network or 5GC) that communicate with User Equipment (UE) 106 (e.g., 5G-enabled UE). The RAN 102 and core network 104 together may be referred to as a 5G network 101, a 5G mobile network, a 5G communication network, a next generation network, etc. Although the term “5G” is used herein as an example, any next generation or future generation networks beyond 4G are considered, such as 6G. Thus, a “mobile network” and the concepts described herein apply to 5G and beyond.

[0057] RAN 102 provides radio or wireless connectivity to a UE 106, and connects the UE 106 to the core network 104. RAN 102 may comprise a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a non-3GPP access network (N3AN), a nonterrestrial access network (NTN), and / or another type of RAN connecting to core network 104. RAN 102 may support access through at least one RAN node, e.g., a gNodeB (gNB), an ng-eNodeB (ng-eNB)), an eNodeB (eNB), and / or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point. RAN 102 may support satellite radio access, new Radio Access Technologies (RATs), etc. A 5G access network may also support fixed access. The core network 104 interconnects RAN 102 with a data network (DN) 108. The core network104 is comprised of Network Functions (NF) 110, which may be implemented either as a network element on dedicated hardware, as a chip or chipset comprised in a network element, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, as a virtualized network function (VNF) instantiated on a dedicated or generic virtualization platform (e.g., a cloud infrastructure), etc. Data network 108 may be an operator external public or private data network, or an intra-operator data network (e.g., for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services). A UE 106 (also referred to as a mobile terminal) includes a 5G capable device configured to register with core network 104 to access services. UE 106 may include an end user device, such as a mobile phone (e.g., smartphone), a tablet, a computer with a mobile broadband adapter, etc. UE 106 may be enabled for voice services, data services, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) or Machine Type Communications (MTC) services, and / or other services.

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates a non-roaming architecture 200 of a 5G system 100. The architecture 200 in FIG.

[0059] 2 is a service-based representation, as is further described in 3GPP TS 23.501 (Release 19), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein. Architecture 200 is comprised of Network Functions (NF) for a core network 104, and the NFs for the control plane (CP) are separated from the user plane (UP). The control plane of the core network 104 includes an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 210, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 212, a Session Management Function (SMF) 214, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 216, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 218, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 220, and an Application Function (AF) 222. The control plane of the core network 104 further includes a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 224, a NF Repository Function (NRF) 226, a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) 228, a Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) 230, a Network Slice-specific and SNPN Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF) 232, and an Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF) 234. The user plane of the core network 104 includes one or more User Plane Functions (UPF) 240 that communicate with data network 108. A UE 106 is able to access the control plane and the user plane of the core network 104 through RAN 102.

[0060] FIG. 3 illustrates an NG-RAN architecture 300. An NG-RAN 302 is an example of a RAN 102 as described above, and comprises a plurality of RAN nodes 304 (also referred to as NG-RAN nodes). A RAN node 304 may be a gNB 306 configured to provide new-radio user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards a UE 106, or an ng-eNB 308 configured to provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards a UE 106. The gNBs 306 and ng-eNBs 308 are interconnected with each other by means of the Xn interface. The gNBs 306 and ng-eNBs 308 are also connected by means of the NG interfaces to the core network 104, more specifically to the AMF 212 by means of the NG-C interface and to the UPF 240 by means of the NG-U interface.FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a 5G NR radio protocol stack 400. The RAN protocol architecture is further described in 3GPP TS 38.300 (Release 19), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein. The radio protocol stack 400 is divided into a protocol stack for the control plane 401 and a protocol stack for the user plane 402. The radio protocol stack 400 is mainly divided into three layers: the physical (PHY) layer 404 (L1), the data link layer 406 (L2), and the network layer 408 (L3). The data link layer 406 comprises the following layers or sublayers: the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer 410, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer 412, and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer 414. In the protocol stack for the control plane 401, the network layer 408 (L3) comprises the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer 416 (or sublayer). The protocol stack for the control plane 401 further comprises the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer 418 (i.e., NAS control protocol), which is terminated in an AMF 212 on the network side. The RRC layer 416, PDCP layer 414, RLC layer 412, and MAC layer 410 are terminated in a gNB 306 on the network side. In the protocol stack for the user plane 402, the network layer 408 (L3) comprises the Service Data Adaption Protocol (SDAP) layer 420 (or sublayer). The SDAP layer 420, PDCP layer 414, RLC layer 412, and MAC layer 410 are terminated in a gNB 306 on the network side.

[0061] FIG. 5 illustrates the control plane 401 over a RAN 102. Communication for the control plane 401 occurs over radio bearers between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304, referred to as signaling radio bearers (SRB) 502. An SRB 502 is a type of radio bearer that carries signaling messages (i.e., RRC or / and NAS messages). For example, the SRBs 502 may comprise SRB0504 for RRC messages using the Common Control Channel (CCCH), SRB1 506 for RRC messages and NAS messages (prior to the establishment of SRB2) using the Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), and SRB2508 for NAS messages using the DCCH logical channel. Communication between the RAN node 304 and the core network 104 (i.e., AMF 212) occurs over the NG control plane interface (NG-C) 510.

[0062] FIG. 6 illustrates the user plane 402 over a RAN 102. Communication for the user plane 402 occurs over radio bearers between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304, referred to as data radio bearers (DRB) 602. A DRB 602 is a type of radio bearer that carries user plane messages or traffic (e.g., packets).

[0063] Communication between the RAN node 304 and the core network 104 (i.e., UPF 240) occurs over the GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) user plane interface (GTP-U) 610.

[0064] Quality of service (QoS) 608 refers to the measurement of the overall performance of a service experienced by the users of a network. In 5G NR, QoS 608 is enforced at the QoS-flow level. A QoS flow 604 is a logical pipeline defined for a data flow or data stream between a RAN node 304 and UPF 240 (i.e., over N3 interface). For the radio part, the data flow is managed in a DRB 602. There is a linking or mapping between a QoS flow 604 and a DRB 602, and the mapping is informed to a UE 106 via a signalingmessage(s), such as RRCSetup or RRCReconfiguration. The mapping is managed with a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI). The core network 104 establishes a PDU session 606 for a UE 106, and a RAN node 304 and a UE 106 exchange signaling messages to establish a DRB(s) 602 for a QoS flow(s) 604 of the PDU session 606. The RAN node 304 maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions 606 to the different DRBs 602.

[0065] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system 700 in an illustrative embodiment. More particularly, system 700 of FIG. 7 comprises at least one UE 106, at least one RAN node 304, and a plurality of network elements / functions 110 (i.e., a first network element / function 110-1 and a second network element / function 110-N). It is to be appreciated that UE 106, RAN node 304, and the network elements / functions 110 are configured to interact to provide communication management. Examples of network elements / functions 110 (referred to generally as core NFs) may include, but are not limited to, an AMF 212, AUSF 210, UDM 218, UPF 240, etc. A RAN node 304 is an element / function of a RAN configured to provide a UE access to a core network 104. Examples of a RAN node 304 may include a gNB 306, ng-eNB 308, eNB, etc.

[0066] Network element / function 110-1 comprises a processor 722-1 coupled to a memory 726-1 and interface circuitry 720-1. The processor 722-1 of network element / function 110-1 includes a communication management processing module 724-1 that may be implemented at least in part in the form of software executed by the processor 722-1. The communication management processing module 724-1 performs communication management described in conjunction with subsequent figures and otherwise herein. The memory 726-1 includes a communication management storage module 728-1 that stores data generated or otherwise used during communication management operations.

[0067] Network element / function 110-N comprises a processor 722-N coupled to a memory 726-N and interface circuitry 720-N. The processor 722-N of network element / function 110-N includes a communication management processing module 724-N that may be implemented at least in part in the form of software executed by the processor 722-N. The communication management processing module 724-N performs communication management described in conjunction with subsequent figures and otherwise herein. The memory 726-N includes a communication management storage module 728-N that stores data generated or otherwise used during communication management operations.

[0068] The processors 722-1 and 722-N of the respective network elements / functions 110-1 and 110-N may comprise, for example, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs) or other types of processing devices or integrated circuits, as well as portions or combinations of such elements. Such integrated circuit devices, as well as portions or combinations thereof, are examples of “circuitry” as that term is used herein.A wide variety of other arrangements of hardware and associated software or firmware may be used in implementing the illustrative embodiments.

[0069] The memories 726-1 and 726-N of the respective network elements / functions 110-1 and 110-N may be used to store one or more software programs that are executed by the respective processors 722-1 and 722-N to implement at least a portion of the functionality described herein. For example, communication management operations and other functionality as described in conjunction with subsequent figures and otherwise herein may be implemented in a straightforward manner using software code executed by processors 722-1 and 722-N.

[0070] A given one of the memories 726-1 and 726-N may therefore be viewed as an example of what is more generally referred to herein as a computer program product or still more generally as a processor-readable non-transitory storage medium that has executable program code embodied therein. Other examples of processor-readable non-transitory storage media may include disks or other types of magnetic or optical media, in any combination. Illustrative embodiments can include articles of manufacture comprising such computer program products or other processor-readable storage media.

[0071] The memories 726-1 and 726-N may more particularly comprise, for example, an electronic random-access memory (RAM), such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), or other types of volatile or non-volatile electronic memory. The latter may include, for example, non-volatile memories such as flash memory, magnetic RAM (MRAM), phase-change RAM (PC-RAM) or ferroelectric RAM (FRAM). The term “memory” as used herein is intended to be broadly construed, and may additionally or alternatively encompass, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a disk-based memory, or other type of storage device, as well as portions or combinations of such devices.

[0072] Interface circuitry 720-1 and 720-N of the respective network elements / functions 110-1 and 110-N illustratively comprise transceivers or other communication hardware or firmware, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc., that allows the associated system elements to communicate with one another in the manner described herein.

[0073] Network element / function 110-1 is configured for communication with network element / function 110-N, and vice-versa, via their respective interface circuitry 720-1 and 720-N. This communication involves network element / function 110-1 sending data to the network element / function 110-N, and the network element / function 110-N sending data to the network element / function 110-1. However, in alternative embodiments, other network elements may be operatively coupled between the network elements / functions 110-1 and 110-N. The term “data” as used herein is intended to be construed broadly, so as to encompass any type of information that may be sent between network elements / functions (as well as between UE 106and a core network 104) including, but not limited to, messages, identifiers, keys, indicators, user data, control data, etc.

[0074] RAN node 304 comprises a processor 712 coupled to a memory 716 and interface circuitry 710. The processor 712 of RAN node 304 includes a communication management processing module 714 that may be implemented at least in part in the form of software executed by the processor 712. The communication management processing module 714 performs communication management described in conjunction with subsequent figures and otherwise herein. The memory 716 includes a communication management storage module 718 that stores data generated or otherwise used during communication management operations. RAN node 304 is configured for communication with UE 106 and one or more network element / functions 110 via interface circuitry 710. For example, interface circuitry 710 may be configured for radio communication over an air interface to communicate with a UE 106, and may be configured for backhaul communication with one or more network element / functions 110 of the core network 104.

[0075] It is to be appreciated that the particular arrangement of components shown in FIG. 7 is an example, and numerous alternative configurations may be used in other embodiments. For example, any given network element / function can be configured to incorporate additional or alternative components and to support other communication protocols.

[0076] Other system elements may each also be configured to include components such as a processor, memory, and network interface. These elements need not be implemented on separate stand-alone processing platforms, but could instead, for example, represent different functional portions of a single common processing platform.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a UE 106 in an illustrative embodiment. From a functional standpoint, the UE 106 is composed of at least two parts: Mobile Equipment (ME) 800 and a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) 860. ME 800 comprises a radio interface component 802, one or more processors 804, and a memory 806, and may also comprise a user interface component 808. The UE 106 may also comprise a battery 810. Radio interface component 802 is a hardware component or means that represents the local radio resources of the UE 106, such as a Radio Frequency (RF) unit 820 (e.g., one or more radio transceivers) and one or more antennas 822. Radio interface component 802 may be configured for 5G New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Processor 804 represents the internal circuitry, logic, hardware, means, etc., that provides the functions of the UE 106. Processor 804 may be configured to execute instructions 840 for software that are loaded into memory 806. Processor 804 may execute an Operating System (OS) 834 for the UE 106 that manages hardware and software resources, and one or more application clients 835 for an application. Processor 804 mayalso execute a communication management controller 836, which comprises a component or means for establishing and / or performing communications with a RAN node 304. User interface component 808 is a hardware component for interacting with an end user. For example, user interface component 808 may comprise a display 850, screen, touch screen, and / or the like (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, etc.). User interface component 808 may include a keyboard or keypad, a tracking device (e.g., a trackball or trackpad), a speaker, a microphone, etc.

[0078] USIM 860 is an integrated circuit that provides security and integrity functions for the UE 106. USIM 860 includes or is provisioned with a subscription profile associated with a subscription of a subscriber. A subscription profile may include a variety of information, such as subscription credentials (e.g., Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI)) used to uniquely identify a subscription and to mutually authenticate the UE 106 and a network.

[0079] The UE 106 may comprise various other components not specifically illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0080] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a UE 106 in another illustrative embodiment. In this embodiment, the UE 106 is configured with or operates one or more PDCP entities 914 in the PCDP layer 414. The UE 106 is also configured with or operates one or more MAC entities 910 in the MAC layer 410. These and / or other layers of the radio protocol stack 400 operate based on one or more configurable parameters 904. More particularly, the PCDP layer 414 may operate based on one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916, and the MAC layer 410 may operate based on one or more MAC configurable parameters 912.

[0081] In embodiments described herein, the UE 106 is configured to operate autonomously to adjust, change, modify, or update one or more configurable parameters 904, such as to respond to network conditions (e.g., bit rate changes, congestion, etc.). In other words, the UE 106 does not need to receive signaling from a RAN node 304 to adjust a configurable parameter(s) 904, and uses a local configuration at the UE 106 to adjust the configurable parameter(s) 904. A local configuration may comprise one or more autonomous configurations 902 stored at the UE 106 that set forth information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, attributes, etc., regarding autonomous adjustment, changing, or modification of configurable parameters 904. An autonomous configuration 902 may describe one or more automated actions at a UE 106 to adjust (e.g., automatically) one or more configurable parameters 904 upon occurrence of a trigger or trigger condition. One technical benefit is signaling overhead is minimized when adjusting configurable parameters 904 at a UE 106, such as when responding to network conditions.

[0082] FIG. 10 is a structural view of a PDCP layer 414. PDCP in general is further described in 3GPP TS 38.323 (Release 18), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein. A PDCP layer 414 such as this may be implemented in a UE 106 and / or RAN node 304 as described herein. As described above, the PDCP layer 414 resides between the RRC layer 416 on the upper side and the RLC layer 412 on thelower side of the control plane 401, and between the SDAP layer 420 and the RLC layer 412 of the user plane 402. Thus, the upper layer 1030 may comprise the RRC layer 416 or the SDAP layer 420, and the lower layer 1032 may comprise the RLC layer 412.

[0083] The PDCP layer 414 provides following services to an upper layer 1030 (i.e., RRC or SDAP): transfer of user plane data, transfer of control plane data, header compression, ciphering, and integrity protection. The PDCP layer 414 expects at least the following services from a lower layer 1032 (i.e., RLC): acknowledged data transfer service (including indication of successful delivery of PDCP PDUs), and unacknowledged data transfer service. The following lists examples of PDCP functionality performed in the PDCP layer 414: transfer of data (user plane or control plane), maintenance of PDCP sequence numbers, header compression and decompression, ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection and integrity verification, timer based SDU discard, routing for split bearers, duplication, reordering and in-order delivery, out-of-order delivery, and duplicate discarding.

[0084] The PDCP sublayer 1014 is configured by upper layers 1030, and is used for radio bearers mapped on a DCCH, Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH), MBS Traffic Channel (MTCH), Sidelink Control Channel (SCCH), and Sidelink Traffic Channel (STCH) type of logical channels. PDCP entities 914 are located in the PDCP sublayer 1014, and each radio bearer (except for SRB0 for the Uu interface) is associated with one PDCP entity 914. Several PDCP entities 914 may be defined for a UE 106. A PDCP entity 914 is associated either to the control plane 401 or the user plane 402 depending on which radio bearer it is carrying data for. A Service Access Point (SAP) is a logical connection (interface) between any two layers. A PDCP Service Access Point (PDCP-SAP) 1004 is a logical connection (interface) between the PDCP layer 414 and the SDAP layer 420. A Control Service Access Point (C-SAP) 1006 is a logical connection (interface) between the PDCP layer 414 and RRC layer 416. For further reference in FIG. 10, the RLC Unacknowledged Mode SAP (RLC UM-SAP) is a logical connection (interface) between the RLC layer 412 and the PDCP layer 414, and the RLC Acknowledged Mode SAP (RLC AM-SAP) is a logical connection (interface) between the RLC layer 412 and the PDCP layer 414. The PDCP layer 414 (and other layers) operates based on data units referred to as Service Data Units (SDU) and Packet Data Units (PDU). Input of the PDCP sublayer 1014 is referred to as a PDCP SDU 1008 and the output of the PDCP sublayer 1014 is referred to as a PDCP PDU 1010 or RLC SDU 1034. One example of the PDCP layer 414 is provided in FIG. 10, and other structural or functional configurations of the PDCP layer 414 are considered herein.

[0085] FIG. 11 illustrates a functional view of a PDCP entity 914. As an example of the functions performed in the PDCP sublayer 1014, a PDCP SDU 1008 coming into the PDCP sublayer 1014 is first stored in a transmission buffer 1108 of the transmitting PDCP entity 1102, then goes through sequencenumbering functionality where the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 adds a sequence number to each of the incoming PDCP SDUs 1008. The transmitting PDCP entity 1102 is configured to perform a header compression procedure on user plane data. After header compression, there are two paths: 1) through integrity / ciphering procedures, and 2) directly to an add PDCP header procedure. The add PDCP header procedure adds a PDCP header to the data to generate a PDCP PDU 1010. The PDCP routing function routes the PDCP PDU 1010 to the intended bearer. The receiving PDCP entity 1104 reverses the transmission process as described above.

[0086] FIG. 12 is a structural view of a MAC layer 410. A MAC entity 910 of the MAC layer 410 handles the following transport channels 1202: Broadcast Channel (BCH), Downlink Shared Channel(s) (DL-SCH), Paging Channel (PCH), Uplink Shared Channel(s) (UL-SCH), and Random Access Channel(s) (RACH). A MAC entity 910 of the MAC layer 410 handles the following logical channels 1204: Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH), Paging Control Channel (PCCH), Common Control Channel (CCCH), Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH), MBS Control Channel (MCCH), and MBS Traffic Channel (MTCH). The MAC layer 410 expects the following services from the physical layer 404: data transfer services, signaling of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback, signaling of Scheduling Request (SR), and measurements (e.g., Channel Quality Indication (CQI)). The MAC layer 410 supports at least the following functions: mapping between logical channels 1204 and transport channels 1202, multiplexing of MAC SDUs from one or different logical channels 1204 onto transport blocks (TB) to be delivered to the physical layer 404 on transport channels 1202, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs to one or different logical channels 1204 from transport blocks (TB) delivered from the physical layer 404 on transport channels 1202, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, logical channel prioritization, priority handling between overlapping resources of one UE, and radio resource selection. One example of the MAC layer 410 is provided in FIG. 12, and other structural or functional configurations of the MAC layer 410 are considered herein.

[0087] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304 in an illustrative embodiment. FIGS. 14A-14B are flow charts illustrating methods 1400 / 1430 of providing automated adjustments to configurable parameters 904 in illustrative embodiments. The steps of method 1400 are described with reference to a RAN node 304 and the steps of method 1430 are described with reference to a UE 106, although the methods may be performed in other systems or devices. The steps of the flow charts described herein are not all inclusive and may include other steps not shown, and the steps may be performed in an alternative order.

[0088] In FIG. 13, the UE 106 is pre-configured or pre-provisioned with one or more autonomous configurations 902 from a RAN node 304 to adjust (e.g., automatically) one or more configurableparameters 904. In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send a control plane message 1302 to the UE 106 containing the autonomous configuration(s) 902 (see step 1402 in FIG. 14A). For example, the RAN node 304 may send an RRC message to the UE 106 containing the autonomous configuration(s) 902 (see optional step 1404 in FIG. 14A). As will be described in further detail below, a new RRC Information Element (IE) may be defined for the autonomous configuration(s) 902 or an RRC IE may be extended to include or describe the autonomous configuration(s) 902. The UE 106 receives the control plane message 1302 from the RAN node 304 containing the autonomous configuration(s) 902 (see step 1432 in FIG. 14B). For example, the UE 106 may receive an RRC message from the RAN node 304 containing the autonomous configuration(s) 902 (see optional step 1434 in FIG. 14B). The UE 106 parses the control plane message 1302 to extract the autonomous configuration(s) 902, and stores the autonomous configuration(s) 902 in local memory (see step 1436 in FIG. 14B). With the autonomous configuration(s) 902 stored locally, the UE 106 is able to act autonomously in response to one or more triggers or trigger conditions.

[0089] After the UE 106 is pre-configured in FIG. 13, the UE 106 detects a network condition 1304 (see step 1438 in FIG. 14B). A network condition 1304 (also referred to as an update condition) comprises a condition or conditions related to communication between the UE 106 and RAN node 304. The UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 in response to condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 1406 in FIG. 14A). In an embodiment, the UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 as a change to recommended bit rate (RBR) received from the RAN node 304. For example, the RAN node 304 may send or provide a recommended bit rate 1310 (RBR) (e.g., representing a change to RBR) to the UE 106 (see optional step 1408 in FIG. 14A). As will be described in further detail below, the RAN node 304 may send a recommended bit rate 1310 to the UE 106 in a MAC Control Element (CE). In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send or provide a congestion indication to the UE 106. The congestion indication comprises a message, data, information, signaling, etc., that indicates a congestion condition, such as in a RAN, the RAN node 304, in a backhaul to a core network, etc. For example, the RAN node 304 may send an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 to the UE 106 (see optional step 1410 in FIG. 14A). In another example, the RAN node 304 may send a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 to the UE 106 (see optional step 1412 in FIG. 14A).

[0090] To detect the network condition 1304, the UE 106 may receive the condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304. For example, the UE 106 may receive a recommended bit rate (RBR) (e.g., representing a change to RBR) from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 1440 in FIG. 14B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 from the RAN node 304(see optional step 1442 in FIG. 14B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 1444 in FIG. 14B).

[0091] In response to the network condition 1304, the UE 106 adjusts one or more configurable parameters 904 based on the autonomous configuration 902 pre-configured on the UE 106 (see step 1446 in FIG. 14B), or based on a selected one of multiple autonomous configuration 902 pre-configured on the UE 106. In other words, the UE 106 triggers on the network condition 1304, and uses the autonomous configuration 902 (or one of multiple autonomous configurations 902) to adjust one or more configurable parameters 904 without further outside control from the RAN node 304. In one example, the UE 106 may adjust one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916 based on the autonomous configuration 902 (see optional step 1448 in FIG. 14B). In another example, the UE 106 may adjust one or more MAC configurable parameters 912 based on the autonomous configuration 902 (see optional step 1450 in FIG.

[0092] 14B).

[0093] The RAN node 304 updates its local configuration parameters associated with the UE 106 to align with the adjustments made by the UE 106 (see step 1414 in FIG. 14A). For example, when the RAN node 304 provisions the UE 106 with the autonomous configuration(s) 902, the RAN node 304 may store a copy of the autonomous configuration(s) 902 (or a portion thereof) associated with the UE 106. Thus, the RAN node 304 is able to predict or determine the adjustments made on the UE side in response to the network condition 1304.

[0094] After adjusting one or more configurable parameters 904, the UE 106 performs uplink (UL) processing (i.e., uplink transmissions 1306) based on the configurable parameters 904 as adjusted (see step 1452 in FIG. 14B). Likewise, the RAN node 304 performs uplink processing based on the configuration parameters as adjusted (see step 1416 in FIG. 14A). A technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to adapt to network conditions automatically while minimizing signaling overhead.

[0095] In the following examples, additional processes, systems, and methods may be described in the context of autonomous adjustment of configurable parameters 904 at a UE 106. The processes, systems, and methods described in these examples may be incorporated in embodiments described above as desired.

[0096] Discard timer

[0097] In an embodiment, one or more configurable parameters 904 may be associated with discard procedures performed in the PDCP layer 414 (i.e., PDCP configurable parameters 916 for a discard procedure). FIG. 15 illustrates discard procedures 1500 for a transmit operation at the PDCP layer 414. At reception of a data unit 1504 (e.g., PDCP SDU 1008) from upper layers 1030, the transmitting PDCP entity1102 buffers the data unit 1504 (i.e., in buffer 1506) and starts a discard timer 1508. The data units 1504 buffered in the PDCP layer 414 may be referred to generally as buffered data units. The transmitting PDCP entity 1102 monitors the discard timer 1508 and discards (at least) the data unit 1504 if / when the discard timer 1508 expires. There may be different discard timers 1508 configured or maintained in the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 depending on the discard procedure 1500 or what functions are activated for the discard procedure. One discard procedure 1500 is a timer-based discard procedure 1510. For the timer-based discard procedure 1510, a transmitting PDCP entity 1102 maintains a discard timer 1512 (e.g., “discardTimer”), which may be referred to herein as a first discard timer, a PDCP discard timer, an SDU discard timer, etc. The discard timer 1512 mainly reflects the QoS requirements of packets belonging to a service. The discard timer 1512 is configured for one or more DRBs 602. The duration 1514 of the discard timer 1512 is configured by upper layers 1030, and the discard timer 1512 is started upon reception of a data unit 1504. When the discard timer 1512 associated with the data unit 1504 expires or successful delivery of the data unit 1504 is confirmed by a PDCP status report 1530, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the data unit 1504. In other words, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 deletes or removes the data unit 1504 from the buffer 1506.

[0098] FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a discard procedure 1500 according to the discard timer 1512. The discard timer 1512 is started upon reception of an SDU 1602 (e.g., SDU-1) at the transmitting PDCP entity 1102. When the discard timer 1512 associated with the SDU 1602 expires, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the SDU 1602.

[0099] In FIG. 15, another discard procedure 1500 is an importance-based discard procedure 1520, also referred to as a PSI-based SDU discard procedure. Importance may refer to PDU Set Importance (PSI), which identifies the relative importance of a PDU set compared to other PDU sets within the same QoS flow 604. FIG. 17 illustrates a PDU set 1704. A PDU set 1704 comprises one or more PDUs 1706 (e.g., PDU-1, PDU-2, PDU-3, etc.) carrying the payload of one unit of information generated at the application level (e.g., frame(s), video slice(s), etc., for extended Reality (XR) services). A PDU 1706 in a PDU set 1704 corresponds to a PDCP SDU 1008. A PS1 1708 (also referred to as PSI indicator or PSI field) is an importance value that may be associated with the PDU set 1704. Lower values may indicate a higher importance PDU set, with the highest importance PDU set indicated by a value of “1” and the lowest importance PDU set indicated by a value of “15”, for example.

[0100] In FIG. 15, for the importance-based discard procedure 1520, a transmitting PDCP entity 1102 maintains another discard timer 1508, referred to as a low importance (LI) discard timer 1522 (e.g., “discardTimerForLowImportance”). A low importance discard timer 1522 may be referred to herein as a second discard timer, an importance discard timer, an importance-dependent discard timer, etc. The term“low importance” as used herein is a term of art for a type of data having lower importance relative to other data. The determination of what qualifies as “low importance” is left up to implementation. A low importance discard timer 1522 therefore refers to a timer used for the discarding of “low importance” data. The low importance discard timer 1522 is configured for one or more DRBs 602. The duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522 is configured by upper layers 1030. The transmitting PDCP entity 1102 starts the low importance discard timer 1522 upon reception of a data unit 1504 belonging to a low importance PDU set from an upper layer 1030, where a low importance PDU set has a lower relative importance compared to other PDU sets within the same QoS flow 604, such as based on a threshold importance. For example, a low importance PDU set may have a PS1 1708 within a threshold importance range (e.g., in a range of “10-15”), above a threshold importance value (e.g., above “8”, “9”, “10”, etc.), etc. When the low importance discard timer 1522 associated with the data unit 1504 expires or successful delivery of the data unit 1504 is confirmed by a PDCP status report 1530, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the data unit 1504. In other words, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 deletes or removes the data unit 1504 from the buffer 1506.

[0101] FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a discard procedure 1500 according to the discard timer 1512 and the low importance discard timer 1522. The duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522 is set or configured shorter than the duration 1514 of the discard timer 1512. The low importance discard timer 1522 is started upon reception of an SDU 1602 (e.g., SDU-2) belonging to a low importance PDU set at the transmitting PDCP entity 1102. When the low importance discard timer 1522 associated with the SDU 1602 expires, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the SDU 1602.

[0102] For the discard procedures 1500 described above, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 may be configured with one or more PDU set discard parameters 1532 (e.g., pdu-SetDiscard) indicating whether PDU set discard is activated or deactivated. When the PDU set discard parameter 1532 is deactivated, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 may discard a PDCP SDU 1008 along with the corresponding PDCP PDU 1010 upon expiration of the discard timer 1512 or the low importance discard timer 1522. When the PDU set discard parameter 1532 is activated, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 may discard PDCP SDUs 1008 (i.e., all) belonging to the PDU set 1704 to which the PDCP SDU 1008 belongs along with the corresponding PDCP PDUs 1010 upon expiration of the discard timer 1512 or the low importance discard timer 1522.

[0103] FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1900 of performing a transmit operation in an illustrative embodiment. The steps of method 1900 are described with reference to a transmitting PDCP entity 1102, although the method may be performed in other systems or devices. The transmitting PDCP entity 1102 receives a PDCP SDU 1008 from upper layers 1030 (step 1902). At reception of the PDCPSDU 1008, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 determines whether the low importance discard timer 1522 is configured (and PSI based SDU discard is activated) and whether the PDCP SDU 1008 belongs to a low importance PDU set 1704 (step 1904). When the low importance discard timer 1522 is configured and the PDCP SDU 1008 belongs to a low importance PDU set 1704, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 starts the low importance discard timer 1522 associated with the PDCP SDU 1008 (step 1906). Else, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 starts the discard timer 1512 associated with the PDCP SDU 1008 (step 1908).

[0104] Although one example of a transmit operation is provided above, variations of a transmit operation are considered herein.

[0105] FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a method 2000 of performing a discard operation in an illustrative embodiment. The steps of method 2000 are described with reference to a transmitting PDCP entity 1102, although the method may be performed in other systems or devices. The transmitting PDCP entity 1102 determines whether successful delivery of a PDCP SDU 1008 is confirmed by PDCP status report 1530 (step 2002). When successful delivery of a PDCP SDU 1008 is confirmed by PDCP status report 1530, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the PDCP SDU 1008 (step 2006) along with the corresponding PDCP PDU 1010. When successful delivery of a PDCP SDU 1008 is not confirmed by PDCP status report 1530, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 determines whether the discard timer 1512 or the low importance discard timer 1522 expires for a PDCP SDU 1008 (step 2004). When the discard timer 1512 or the low importance discard timer 1522 expires, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards the PDCP SDU 1008 (step 2006) along with the corresponding PDCP PDU 1010. More particularly, when the PDU set discard parameter 1532 (e.g., pdu-SetDiscard) is configured or activated, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards PDCP SDUs 1008 (i.e., all) belonging to the PDU set 1704 to which the PDCP SDU 1008 belongs along with the corresponding PDCP PDUs 1010. When the PDU set discard parameter 1532 is not configured or is deactivated, the transmitting PDCP entity 1102 discards a PDCP SDU 1008 along with the corresponding PDCP PDU 1010. Although one example of a discard procedure 1500 is provided above, variations of a discard procedure 1500 are considered herein.

[0106] In embodiments described herein, a UE 106 is configured to adjustor update a low importance discard timer(s) 1522, and more particularly, the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer(s) 1522. In the following description, adjustments to the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 may generally be referred to as adjustments to a low importance discard timer. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304 in an illustrative embodiment. FIGS. 22A-22B are flow charts illustrating methods 2200 / 2230 of providing adjustments to low importance discard timers 1522 in illustrative embodiments. The steps of method 2200 are described with reference to a RAN node 304 andthe steps of method 2230 are described with reference to a UE 106, although the methods may be performed in other systems or devices.

[0107] In FIG. 21, the UE 106 is pre-configured or pre-provisioned with one or more discard timer configurations 2110 to adjust (e.g., automatically) one or more low importance discard timers 1522 for a discard procedure 1500 in the PDCP layer 414. In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send a control plane message 1302 (or control plane signaling) to the UE 106 containing information defining the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 (see step 2202 in FIG. 22A). For example, the RAN node 304 may send an RRC message to the UE 106 containing the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 (see optional step 2204 in FIG. 22A). The UE 106 receives the control plane message 1302 from the RAN node 304 containing the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 (see step 2232 in FIG. 22B). For example, the UE 106 may receive an RRC message from the RAN node 304 containing the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 (see optional step 2234 in FIG. 22B). The UE 106 parses the control plane message 1302 to extract the discard timer configuration(s) 2110, and stores the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 in local memory (see step 2236 in FIG. 22B). With the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 stored locally, the UE 106 is able to act autonomously in response to one or more triggers or trigger conditions.

[0108] After the UE 106 is pre-configured in FIG. 21, the UE 106 detects a network condition 1304 (see step 2238 in FIG. 22B). The UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 in response to condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 2206 in FIG. 22A). In an embodiment, the UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 as a change to recommended bit rate (RBR) received from the RAN node 304. For example, the RAN node 304 may send a recommended bit rate 1310 (e.g., representing a change to RBR) to the UE 106 (see optional step 2208 in FIG. 22A) for a specific logical channel 1204 and a specific direction, such as uplink or downlink. In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send or provide a congestion indication to the UE 106. For example, the RAN node 304 may send an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 to the UE 106 (see optional step 2210 in FIG. 22A). In another example, the RAN node 304 may send a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 to the UE 106 (see optional step 2212 in FIG. 22A). However, it is understood that other types of condition information 1305 or network conditions 1304 are considered herein.

[0109] To detect the network condition 1304, the UE 106 may receive the condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304. For example, the UE 106 may receive a recommended bit rate 1310 (e.g., representing a change to RBR) from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 2240 in FIG. 22B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 2242 in FIG. 22B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 2244 in FIG. 22B).In response to the network condition 1304, the UE 106 adjusts one or more low importance discard timers 1522 based on the discard timer configuration 2110 pre-configured on the UE 106 (see step 2246 in FIG. 22B), or based on a selected one of multiple discard timer configurations 2110 pre-configured on the UE 106. In other words, the UE 106 triggers on the network condition 1304, and uses the discard timer configuration 2110 (or one of multiple discard timer configurations 2110), information of the network condition 1304, etc., to adjust the duration 1524 of one or more low importance discard timers 1522 without further outside control from the RAN node 304.

[0110] The RAN node 304 updates low importance discard timers 1522 associated with one or more DRBs of the UE 106 to align with the adjustments made by the UE 106 (see step 2214 in FIG. 22A). For example, when the RAN node 304 provisions the UE 106 with the discard timer configuration(s) 2110, the RAN node 304 may store a copy of the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 (or a portion thereof) associated with the UE 106. Thus, the RAN node 304 is able to predict or determine the adjustments made on the UE side in response to the network condition 1304. After adjusting the low importance discard timer(s) 1522, the UE 106 performs a discard procedure 1500 based on the adjusted low importance discard timer(s) 1522 (see step 2248 in FIG. 22B) for uplink transmissions 1306. One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to adapt to network conditions automatically while minimizing signaling overhead.

[0111] FIG. 23 is a flow chart illustrating a method 2300 of adjusting a discard procedure 1500 at a UE 106 in an illustrative embodiment. The steps of method 2300 are described with reference to a UE 106, although the method may be performed in other systems or devices. Method 2300 describes adjustment of the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 for an individual DRB or multiple DRBs, but it is understood that a similar process may occur for low importance discard timers 1522 associated with other DRBs.

[0112] As described above, the UE 106 (through the PDCP layer 414) is configured to perform one or more discard procedures 1500, such as an importance-based discard procedure 1520. The UE 106 receives information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations 2110 for a discard procedure 1500 (step 2302). As described above, the UE 106 may receive a control plane message 1302 (or control plane signaling) from the RAN node 304 containing information defining a plurality of discard timer configurations 2110. After the UE 106 is pre-configured, the UE 106 detects a network condition 1304 based on communications from the RAN node 304 (step 2304). As described above, the UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 in response to condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304.

[0113] In response to the network condition 1304, the UE 106 adjusts the duration of a discard timer (e.g., the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522) based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations 2110 (see step 2306). In an example, as part of a discard procedure 1500, the UE 106 isconfigured to maintain a discard timer 1508, such as a low importance discard timer 1522 in the PDCP layer 414. The UE 106 may trigger on the network condition 1304, and use one of the discard timer configurations 2110, information of the network condition 1304, etc., to adjust the duration 1524 of the low importance discard timers 1522 without further outside control from the RAN node 304. Thus, the UE 106 is able to adjust the duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522 based on a local configuration of the UE 106 (e.g., discard timer configuration 2110) instead of receiving additional signaling from the RAN node 304. The UE 106 then performs the discard procedure 1500 to discard one or more buffered data units (e.g., PCDP SDUs 1008) based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer (e.g., adjusted duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522) (step 2308). One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to act autonomously to modify discard timers at the PDCP layer 414, which minimizes signaling overhead. For example, if there is congestion in the RAN, the UE 106 may automatically shorten or reduce the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 so that PDCP SDUs 1008 associated with low importance PDU sets are discarded faster.

[0114] FIGS. 24-25 are diagrams illustrating interaction between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304 in an illustrative embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the PDCP layer 414 includes PDCP configurable parameters 916, such as parameters that are used for discard procedures 1500. PDCP configurable parameters 916 of a UE 106 may be configured or provisioned by a RAN node 304 in control plane signaling. FIG. 24 illustrates conventional provisioning of a UE 106. The RAN node 304 may configure the PDCP layer 414 of a UE 106 with an RRC message 2402. The RRC message 2402 contains a PDCP configuration Information Element (IE) that includes a field description for one or more discard timers 1512 (e.g., discardTimer) indicating a value or duration 1514 for the discard timers 1512 (e.g., ms10, ms20, ms30, ms40, ms50, ms60, ms75, ms100, ms150, ms200, ms250, ms300, ms500, ms750, ms1500, infinity). Likewise, the PDCP configuration IE includes a field description for one or more low importance discard timers 1522 (e.g., DiscardTimerForLowImportance) indicating a value or duration 1524 for the low importance discard timers 1522 (e.g., msO, ms2, ms4, ms6, ms8, ms10, ms12, ms14, ms18, ms22, ms26, ms30, ms40, ms50, ms75, ms100). It is noted again that the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 is configured shorter than the duration 1514 of a discard timer 1512. The UE 106 stores the information from the PDCP configuration IE in memory as a legacy or default discard timer configuration 2410. The UE 106 will therefore perform discard procedures 1500 based on the durations for the low importance discard timer 1522 and the discard timer 1512 as specified in the PDCP configuration IE.

[0115] FIG. 25 illustrates enhanced provisioning of a UE 106 in an illustrative embodiment. In this embodiment, the RRC message 2402 contains an enhanced or extended PDCP configuration IE that includes a field description of the low importance discard timer 1522 (e.g., DiscardTimerForLowImportance)as described above. The extended MAC configuration IE also includes a field description for one or more discard timer configurations 2110 (also referred to as autonomous discard timer configurations). It is also noted that the enhanced or extended PDCP configuration IE may also include a field description for the discard timer 1512 (e.g., discardTimer) indicating a value or duration 1514 for the discard timer 1512. A discard timer configuration 2110 comprises information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, etc., controlling, describing, or otherwise dictating adjustment of one or more low importance discard timers 1522. However, the UE 106 may receive the discard timer configuration 2110 in other ways or in other types of signaling messages. In any event, the UE 106 is provisioned or pre-provisioned with one or more discard timer configurations 2110, and stores the discard timer configuration(s) 2110 in memory as a local configuration (meaning the UE 106 is authorized to act based on the local configuration without network authorization or intervention).

[0116] In general, it may be beneficial for a UE 106 and / or the network to adjust to various network conditions. One way to adjust to network conditions is using a recommended bit rate procedure at the MAC layer 410. The recommended bit rate procedure is described in further detail in 3GPP TS 38.321 (Release 18), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein. The recommended bit rate procedure is used to provide a MAC entity 910 with information about the bit rate which the RAN node 304 (e.g., gNB) recommends. The bit rate is the recommended bit rate of the physical layer 404.

[0117] One way to provide the recommended bit rate 1310 is with a MAC Control Element (MAC CE) 2504. FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a MAC PDU 2600. A MAC PDU 2600 is a bit string that is byte aligned (i.e., multiple of 8 bits) in length. A MAC PDU 2600 comprises one or more MAC subPDUs 2602. A MAC subPDU 2602 starts with a MAC subheader 2604 (H). A MAC subheader 2604 is followed by subPDU payload 2606. The subPDU payload 2606 may comprise a MAC SDU 2610, a MAC CE 2504, or padding 2614. A MAC SDU 2610 is a unit of data that is passed between layers of the radio protocol stack (i.e., the actual or raw data that an application layer wants to send or receive). A MAC CE 2504 is a specialized data structure within a MAC PDU 2600 used for conveying control information between a UE and a RAN (e.g., gNB 306). 5G NR has defined a list of MAC CEs in 3GPP TS 38.321. MAC CEs facilitate faster signaling and consequently reduce latency in terms of switching of beams, Bandwidth Part (BWP) activation, Serving Cell (SCell) activation / deactivation, etc. Padding 2614 occurs at the end of a MAC PDU 2600. When a set of MAC subPDUs 2602 does not exactly fill a Transport Block (TB), a MAC subPDU 2602 with padding 2614 is included. A MAC subPDU 2602 with only a MAC subheader 2604 implies zerolength padding. The MAC subheaders 2604, MAC SDUs 2610, and MAC CEs 2504 are bit strings that are byte aligned in length. The leftmost bit is the most significant bit. The order of MAC subPDUs 2602 in a MAC PDU 2600 is defined. In sidelink (SL) and uplink (UL), the order of concatenation is MAC SDUs 2610,MAC CEs 2504, and then padding 2614. In downlink (DL), the order is MAC CEs 2504, MAC SDUs 2610, and then padding 2614. In each case, padding 2614 is the last MAC subPDU 2602.

[0118] In FIG. 25, the RAN node 304 may use RBR MAC CEs 2504 to indicate recommended bit rates 1310 to the UE 106 for logical channels 1204. The MAC entity 910 of the UE 106 may request or query the RAN node 304 to indicate the recommended bit rates 1310 for logical channels 1204. The RAN node 304, such as in response to network conditions, may modify or change the recommended bit rate 1310 for one or more logical channels 1204. For example, the RAN node 304 may send an RBR MAC CE 2504 to the UE 106 indicating a change to the recommended bit rate 1310 for a logical channel 1204. Upon reception of a RBR MAC CE 2504, the MAC entity 910 of the UE 106 indicates to upper layers (e.g., the PDCP layer 414) the recommended bit rate 1310 for the indicated logical channel and direction.

[0119] In response to the change in recommended bit rate 1310, the UE 106 (i.e., a PDCP entity 914 within the UE 106) is configured to adjust, change, update, or modify a low importance discard timer 1522 in response to the change to the recommended bit rate 1310. A discard timer configuration 2110 corresponds to a value range of a bit rate indicator, such as the recommended bit rate 1310 from the RAN node 304. The UE 106 is configured to adjust the low importance discard timer 1522 based on the discard timer configuration 2110 (i.e., when the recommended bit rate 1310 falls within the value range of the discard timer configuration 2110), and perform discard procedures 1500 in the PDCP layer 414 based on the adjusted low importance discard timer 1522. In other words, the UE 106 is configured to act autonomously, in response to the change in recommended bit rate 1310, to adjust a low importance discard timer 1522 up or down. One technical benefit is no further signaling is needed between the UE 106 and the RAN node 304 to adjust low importance discard timers 1522, as the UE 106 is configured to act autonomously. For example, the RAN node 304 does not need to send additional RRC signaling to the UE 106 to adjust a low importance discard timer 1522, which saves bandwidth and processing resources. Another benefit is the UE 106 is able to gradually adjust low importance discard timers 1522 to better handle congestion conditions. Yet another benefit is DRB reconfiguration may be avoided when the recommended bit rate 1310 is modified for a DRB, specifically when the delta of the recommended bit rate 1310 is within a configured range.

[0120] FIG. 27 illustrates a discard timer configuration 2110 in an illustrative embodiment. The discard timer configuration 2110 includes configuration information 2702 authorizing adjustment of one or more low importance discard timers 1522 at the UE 106. The configuration information 2702 may authorize adjustment of low importance discard timers 1522 per DRB or group of DRBs. In an embodiment, the configuration information 2702 may include a configuration scope 2704, which may comprise a specific DRB or a group of DRBs for a UE 106. One or multiple configurations may be assigned to a DRB to set amore detailed UE behavior for discarding low importance data in some embodiments. The configuration information 2702 may include a configuration target 2706, where the UE 106 is authorized to take some action(s) without requiring signaling exchanges with the network. For example, the configuration target 2706 may comprise one or more RBR values 2710 (“autonomous” values) that trigger adjustment of a low importance discard timer 1522, a range 2712 of RBR values (“autonomous range”) that triggers adjustment of a low importance discard timer 1522, an RBR threshold 2714 (“autonomous” threshold) where an RBR value above or below the RBR threshold 2714 triggers adjustment of a low importance discard timer 1522, etc. The configuration information 2702 may include a configuration validity. A validity timer 2708 may be assigned to the discard timer configuration 2110 (or each of the discard timer configurations 2110). When a validity timer 2708 expires, the UE 106 may deactivate the discard timer configuration 2110, and fall back or transition to a default configuration 2410 (e.g., legacy behavior / configuration).

[0121] In an embodiment, the configuration information 2702 may include one or more configuration triggers 2720, and one or more corresponding configuration actions 2722. A configuration trigger 2720 may be based on a recommended bit rate 1310. A UE 106, for example, may compare a recommended bit rate 1310 to an RBR threshold 2714, to a range 2712 of RBR values, etc. In an embodiment, configuration triggers indirectly related to network information / conditions (e.g., ECN marks, RAN node congestion indicators, etc.) may be considered as triggers for the configuration actions 2722. The UE 106 and the RAN node 304 are aligned on how the configuration triggers 2720 apply at the UE side (e.g., agreed expected behavior).

[0122] One or more configuration actions 2722 are performed when a configuration trigger 2720 has occurred. For example, the UE 106 may change or adjust a low importance discard timer 1522 when a configuration trigger 2720 has occurred.

[0123] The adjustment to a low importance discard timer 1522 may have multiple alternatives. FIG. 28 illustrates a discard timer configuration 2110 in another illustrative embodiment. The discard timer configuration 2110 may specify values that the UE 106 is authorized to use when adjusting a low importance discard timer 1522. Because the discard timer configuration 2110 is pre-provisioned or preconfigured on the UE 106, the values set forth in the discard timer configuration 2110 may be referred to as pre-configured values.

[0124] In an embodiment, the discard timer configuration 2110 may specify a list or set of duration values 2802. The UE 106 may select a value from the set of duration values 2802 (i.e., different than the current value), and adjust a low importance discard timer 1522 with the selected value. For example, if the duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 is currently assigned a value of 75 milliseconds (ms), then the UE 106 may select a value of 50 ms from the set of duration values 2802. In an embodiment, theset of duration values 2802 may comprise values specified in the 5G specifications (i.e., msO, ms2, ms4, ms6, ms8, ms10, ms12, ms14, ms18, ms22, ms26, ms30, ms40, ms50, ms75, ms100) for a low importance discard timer 1522. In an embodiment, the set of duration values 2802 may comprise additional values (e.g., with a more gradual adaptation) complementing or replacing the values specified in the 5G specifications. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may specify the adjustments made within the UE 106.

[0125] In an embodiment, the discard timer configuration 2110 may specify an offset value 2804. The offset value 2804 subtracts x ms from or adds x ms to the current duration value of a low importance discard timer 1522. For example, assume that the current duration value for a low importance discard timer 1522 is 40 ms. When the offset value 2804 is -5 ms, the value of the adjusted duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 would be 35 ms. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may fine tune the adjustments made within the UE 106 for the configuration in a DRB (e.g., when the DRB was setup).

[0126] In an embodiment, the discard timer configuration 2110 may specify a list or set of duration values 2802, and an offset value 2804. For example, the UE 106 may select a value of 50 ms from the set of duration values 2802, and apply an offset value 2804 of -5 ms. Thus, the value of the adjusted duration 1524 of a low importance discard timer 1522 would be 25 ms. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may fine tune the adjustments made within the UE 106 for the configuration in a DRB (e.g., when the DRB was setup).

[0127] FIG. 29 illustrates discard timer configurations 2110 in another illustrative embodiment. In this example, a first configuration trigger 2720 specifies that when an RBR value is within a range 2712 of RBR values (e.g., V1 to V2), the UE 106 does not adjust a low importance discard timer 1522. A second configuration trigger 2720 specifies that when an RBR value is within another range 2712 of RBR values (e.g., V3 to V4), the UE 106 adjusts a low importance discard timer 1522. As described above, the UE 106 may add or subtract an offset value 2804 from the current duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522 to compute an adjusted duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522. The UE 106 may select a value (different value from the current value) from the set of duration values 2802 as the adjusted duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522. The UE 106 may select a value (different value from the current value) from the set of duration values 2802, and apply an offset value 2804 to compute an adjusted duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522.

[0128] FIG. 30 illustrates additional details of adjusting a low importance discard timer 1522 in an illustrative embodiment. To adjust the duration of a discard timer (see step 2306 in FIG. 23), the UE 106 may adjust the duration based on an offset value 2804 specified in one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations 2110 (optional step 3002). In an alternative embodiment, the UE 106 may adjust theduration by selecting a duration value for the duration from a set of duration values 2802 specified in one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations 2110 (optional step 3004). In an alternative embodiment, the UE 106 may adjust the duration by selecting a duration value for the duration from a set of duration values 2802, and applying an offset value 2804 to the selected duration value as specified in one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations 2110 (optional step 3006). One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to adjust a low importance discard timer 1522 based on pre-configured information.

[0129] Delay status reporting threshold

[0130] In an embodiment, one or more configurable parameters 904 may be associated with Delay Status Report (DSR) procedures performed in the MAC layer 410 (i.e., MAC configurable parameters 912 for a DSR procedure). FIG. 31 illustrates a DSR procedure 3100 at the MAC layer 410. As with the PDCP layer 414, the MAC layer 410 operates based on data units referred to as Service Data Units (SDU) and Packet Data Units (PDU). In general, input of the MAC layer 410 is referred to as a MAC SDU 2610 and the output of the MAC layer 410 is referred to as a MAC PDU 2600 or transport block (TB). One example of the MAC layer 410 is provided in FIG. 31, and other structural or functional configurations of the MAC layer 410 are considered herein.

[0131] A DSR procedure 3100 is used to provide a RAN node 304 (e.g., serving gNB 306) with a delay status 3116 of logical channels 1204 or Logical Channel Groups (LCGs) 3104 (e.g., 3104-1, 3104-2, 3104-3, etc.). An LCG 3104 is a group of logical channels 1204 (see FIG. 12) for which delay status 3116 is being reported. The delay status 3116 for an LCG 3104 includes a remaining time 3118, which is the smallest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timers 1512 (e.g., discard timers 1512-1, 1512-2, etc.) among PDCP SDUs 1008 that are buffered for the LCG 3104 but have not been transmitted in any MAC PDU 2600, and the total amount of delay-critical UL data for the LCG 3104 according to the data volume calculation procedure for the RLC layer 412 and the PDCP layer 414. The PDCP data volume 3134 is the amount of data available for transmission in a PDCP entity 914 (PDCP layer 414), and the data volume calculation procedure for PDCP is further described in 3GPP TS 38.323. The RLC data volume 3132 is the amount of data available for transmission in an RLC entity (RLC layer 412). The data volume calculation procedure for RLC is further described in 3GPP TS 38.322 (Release 18), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein.

[0132] The RRC layer 416 (see FIG. 4) controls the DSR procedure 3100 by configuring a MAC configurable parameter 912 referred to as a remaining time threshold (TH) 3122 (e.g., remainingTimeThreshold) per logical channel 1204 or LCG 3104. A remaining time threshold 3122 (alsoreferred to as a DSR remaining time threshold) is the threshold on the remaining time 3118 for triggering a DSR 3120 for a logical channel 1204 within an LCG 3104.

[0133] FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating a method 3200 of performing delay status reporting in an illustrative embodiment. The steps of method 3200 are described with reference to a MAC entity 910, although the method may be performed in other systems or devices. If an LCG 3104 is configured for delay status reporting, the MAC entity 910 determines, for each logical channel 1204 within the LCG 3104, whether the smallest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timers 1512 among (e.g., all) PDCP SDUs 1008 buffered for the logical channel 1204 that have not been transmitted in any MAC PDU 2600 and have not been reported as data volume in a DSR MAC CE 2504 becomes below the remaining time threshold 3122 of the LCG 3104 (step 3202). When the smallest remaining value of the running PDCP discard timers 1512 is below the remaining time threshold 3122, the MAC entity 910 determines whether there is a pending DSR 3120 for the logical channel 1204 (step 3204). When there is no pending DSR 3120, the MAC entity 910 triggers a DSR 3120 for the logical channel 1204 (step 3206). When there is at least one pending DSR 3120, the MAC entity 910 determines whether UL-SCH resources are available for a new transmission and the UL-SCH resources can accommodate a DSR MAC CE 2504 plus its subheader as a result of logical channel prioritization (step 3208). When UL-SCH resources are available, the MAC entity 910 instructs the multiplexing and assembly procedure to generate a DSR MAC CE 2504 (step 3210). When UL-SCH resources are not available, the MAC entity 910 triggers a scheduling request (SR) if there is no pending SR already triggered by the DSR procedure 3100 for the same logical channel 1204 as of this DSR 3120 (step 3212).

[0134] After a DSR 3120 is triggered, the DSR 3120 is considered as pending until it is canceled. The MAC entity 910 cancels a pending DSR 3120 when all the PDCP SDUs 1008 associated with the DSR 3120 have been discarded, or when a MAC PDU 2600 is transmitted and this MAC PDU 2600 includes a DSR MAC CE 2504 that contains the delay information of all the PDCP SDUs 1008 associated with the DSR 3120, or when a MAC PDU 2600 is transmitted and this MAC PDU 2600 includes all the PDCP SDUs 1008 associated with the DSR 3120. Although one example of a DSR procedure 3100 is provided above, variations of a DSR procedure 3100 are considered herein.

[0135] In embodiments described herein, a UE 106 is configured to adjustor update a remaining time threshold(s) 3122 for a DSR procedure 3100. FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating interaction between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304 in an illustrative embodiment. FIGS. 34A-34B are flow charts illustrating methods 3400 / 3430 of providing adjustments to remaining time thresholds 3122 in illustrative embodiments. The steps of method 3400 are described with reference to a RAN node 304 and the steps of method 3430 aredescribed with reference to a UE 106, although the methods may be performed in other systems or devices.

[0136] In FIG. 33, the UE 106 is pre-configured or pre-provisioned with one or more remaining time threshold configurations 3310 to adjust (e.g., automatically) one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 for a DSR procedure 3100 in the MAC layer 410. In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send a control plane message 1302 (or control plane signaling) to the UE 106 containing information defining the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 (see step 3402 in FIG. 34A). For example, the RAN node 304 may send an RRC message to the UE 106 containing the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 (see optional step 3404 in FIG. 34A). The UE 106 receives the control plane message 1302 from the RAN node 304 containing the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 (see step 3432 in FIG. 34B). For example, the UE 106 may receive an RRC message from the RAN node 304 containing the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 (see optional step 3434 in FIG. 34B). The UE 106 parses the control plane message 1302 to extract the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310, and stores the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 in local memory (see step 3436 in FIG. 34B). With the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 stored locally, the UE 106 is able to act autonomously in response to one or more triggers or trigger conditions.

[0137] After the UE 106 is pre-configured in FIG. 33, the UE 106 detects a network condition 1304 (see step 3438 in FIG. 34B). The UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 in response to condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 3406 in FIG. 34A). In an embodiment, the UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 as a change to recommended bit rate (RBR) received from the RAN node 304. For example, the RAN node 304 may send a recommended bit rate 1310 (e.g., representing a change to RBR) to the UE 106 (see optional step 3408 in FIG. 34A) for a specific logical channel 1204 and a specific direction, such as uplink or downlink. In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may send or provide a congestion indication to the UE 106. For example, the RAN node 304 may send an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 to the UE 106 (see optional step 3410 in FIG. 34A). In another example, the RAN node 304 may send a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 to the UE 106 (see optional step 3412 in FIG. 34A). However, it is understood that other types of condition information 1305 are considered herein.

[0138] To detect the network condition 1304, the UE 106 may receive the condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304. For example, the UE 106 may receive a recommended bit rate 1310 (e.g., representing a change to RBR) from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 3440 in FIG. 34B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) 1312 from the RAN node 304(see optional step 3442 in FIG. 34B). In another example, the UE 106 may receive a RAN node congestion indicator 1314 from the RAN node 304 (see optional step 3444 in FIG. 34B).

[0139] In response to the network condition 1304, the UE 106 adjusts one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 based on the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 pre-configured on the UE 106 (see step 3446 in FIG. 34B), or based on a selected one of multiple remaining time threshold configuration 3310 pre-configured on the UE 106. In other words, the UE 106 triggers on the network condition 1304, and uses the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 (or one of multiple remaining time threshold configuration 3310), information of the network condition 1304), etc., to adjust one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 without further outside control from the RAN node 304.

[0140] The RAN node 304 updates the remaining time thresholds 3122 associated with LCGs 3104 to align with the adjustments made by the UE 106 (see step 3414 in FIG. 34A). For example, when the RAN node 304 provisions the UE 106 with the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310, the RAN node 304 may store a copy of the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 (or a portion thereof) associated with the UE 106. Thus, the RAN node 304 is able to predict or determine the adjustments made on the UE side in response to the network condition 1304.

[0141] After adjusting the remaining time threshold(s) 3122, the UE 106 performs a DSR procedure 3100 based on the adjusted remaining time threshold(s) 3122 (see step 3448 in FIG. 34B). For example, the UE 106 may trigger a DSR 3120 for a logical channel 1204 toward the RAN node 304 when the smallest remaining value, of running PDCP discard timers 1512 for logical channels 1204 within a LCG 3104, is below the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122. One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to adapt to network conditions automatically while minimizing signaling overhead. Another technical benefit is adjustment of a remaining time threshold 3122 assists the network in a timely manner to improve the chances of scheduling delay-critical data in time.

[0142] FIG. 35 is a flow chart illustrating a method 3500 of performing delay status reporting at a UE in an illustrative embodiment. The steps of method 3500 are described with reference to a UE 106, although the method may be performed in other systems or devices. Method 3500 describes adjustment of a remaining time threshold 3122 for an individual LCG 3104, but it is understood that a similar process may occur for remaining time thresholds 3122 for other LCGs 3104.

[0143] As described above, the UE 106 (through the PDCP layer 414) is configured to perform a discard procedure 1500. As part of the discard procedure 1500, the UE 106 maintains one or more (running) discard timers 1512 in the PDCP layer 414 regarding PDCP SDUs 1008 buffered for an LCG 3104. The UE 106 (through the MAC layer 410) is also configured to perform a DSR procedure 3100.The UE 106 receives information defining pre-configured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 for a DSR procedure 3100 (step 3502). As described above, the UE 106 may receive a control plane message 1302 (or control plane signaling) from the RAN node 304 containing information defining a plurality of remaining time threshold configurations 3310. After the UE 106 is pre-configured, the UE 106 detects a network condition 1304 based on communications from the RAN node 304 (step 3504). As described above, the UE 106 may detect a network condition 1304 in response to condition information 1305 sent from the RAN node 304.

[0144] In response to the network condition 1304, the UE 106 adjusts a remaining time threshold 3122 corresponding with a DSR procedure 3100 based on one of the pre-configured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (see step 3506). The UE 106 may trigger on the network condition 1304, and use one of the remaining time threshold configurations 3310, information of the network condition 1304, etc., to adjust the remaining time threshold 3122 without further outside control from the RAN node 304. Thus, the UE 106 is able to adjust the remaining time threshold 3122 based on a local configuration of the UE 106 (e.g., remaining time threshold configuration 3310) instead of receiving additional signaling from the RAN node 304. The UE 106 then performs a DSR procedure 3100 based on the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 to trigger a delay status report 3120 to the RAN node 304 when a discard timer 1512 associated with a buffered data unit is below the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 (step 3508). One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to act autonomously to modify the remaining time threshold 3122, which minimizes signaling overhead.

[0145] FIGS. 36-37 are diagrams illustrating interaction between a UE 106 and a RAN node 304 in an illustrative embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the MAC layer 410 includes MAC configurable parameters 912, such as parameters that are used for DSR procedures 3100. MAC configurable parameters 912 of a UE 106 may be configured or provisioned by a RAN node 304 in control plane signaling. FIG. 36 illustrates conventional provisioning of a UE 106. The RAN node 304 may configure the MAC layer 410 of a UE 106 with an RRC message 2402. The RRC message 2402 contains a MAC configuration Information Element (IE) that includes a field description for one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 (e.g., remainingTimeThreshold). The field description indicates a value of a remaining time threshold 3122 for one or more LCGs 3104, such as an integer between 1 and 64. The UE 106 stores the information from the MAC configuration IE in memory as a legacy or default remaining time threshold configuration 3610. The UE 106 will therefore perform DSR procedures 3100 based on the remaining time thresholds 3122 as specified in the MAC configuration IE.

[0146] FIG. 37 illustrates enhanced provisioning of a UE 106 in an illustrative embodiment. In this embodiment, the RRC message 2402 contains an enhanced or extended MAC configuration IE. Theextended MAC configuration IE may include a field description for one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 (e.g., remainingTimeThreshold) as described above. The extended MAC configuration IE also includes a field description for one or more remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (also referred to as autonomous remaining time threshold configurations). A remaining time threshold configuration 3310 comprises information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, etc., controlling, describing, or otherwise dictating adjustment of one or more remaining time thresholds 3122. However, the UE 106 may receive the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in other ways or in other types of signaling messages. In any event, the UE 106 is provisioned or pre-provisioned with one or more remaining time threshold configurations 3310, and stores the remaining time threshold configuration(s) 3310 in memory as a local configuration (meaning the UE 106 is authorized to act based on the local configuration without network authorization or intervention).

[0147] The RAN node 304 may use RBR MAC CEs 2504 to indicate recommended bit rates 1310 to the UE 106 for logical channels 1204. The MAC entity 910 of the UE 106 may request or query the RAN node 304 to indicate the recommended bit rates 1310 for logical channels 1204. The RAN node 304, such as in response to network conditions, may modify or change the recommended bit rate 1310 for one or more logical channels 1204. For example, the RAN node 304 may send an RBR MAC CE 2504 to the UE 106 indicating a change to the recommended bit rate 1310 for a logical channel 1204.

[0148] In response to the change in recommended bit rate 1310, the UE 106 (i.e., a MAC entity 910 within the UE 106) is configured to adjust, change, update, or modify a remaining time threshold 3122 for the LCG 3104 in which the logical channel 1204 belongs, in response to the change to the recommended bit rate 1310. A remaining time threshold configuration 3310 corresponds to a value range of a bit rate indicator, such as the recommended bit rate 1310 from the RAN node 304. The UE 106 is configured to adjust the remaining time threshold 3122 based on the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 (i.e., when the recommended bit rate 1310 falls within the value range of the remaining time threshold configuration 3310), and perform DSR procedures 3100 in the MAC layer 410 based on the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122. One technical benefit is no further signaling is needed between the UE 106 and the RAN node 304 to adjust the remaining time threshold 3122, as the UE 106 is configured to act autonomously. For example, the RAN node 304 does not need to send additional RRC signaling to the UE 106 to adjust the remaining time threshold 3122, which saves bandwidth and processing resources.

[0149] FIG. 38 illustrates a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in an illustrative embodiment. The remaining time threshold configuration 3310 includes configuration information 3802 authorizing adjustment of one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 at the UE 106. The configuration information 3802 may authorize adjustment of remaining time thresholds 3122 per logical channel 1204 or LCG 3104.In an embodiment, the configuration information 3802 may include a configuration scope 3804, which may comprise a specific LCG 3104 or multiple LCGs 3104 for a UE 106. The configuration information 3802 may include a configuration target 3806, where the UE 106 is authorized to take some action(s) without requiring signaling exchanges with the network. For example, the configuration target 3806 may comprise one or more RBR values 3810 (“autonomous” values) that trigger adjustment of a remaining time threshold 3122, a range 3812 of RBR values (“autonomous range”) that triggers adjustment of a remaining time threshold 3122, an RBR threshold 3814 (“autonomous” threshold) where an RBR value above or below the RBR threshold 3814 triggers adjustment of a remaining time threshold 3122, etc. The configuration information 3802 may include a configuration validity. A validity timer 3808 may be assigned to the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 (or each of the remaining time threshold configurations 3310). When the validity timer 3808 expires, the UE 106 may deactivate the remaining time threshold configuration 3310, and fall back or transition to a default configuration 3610 (e.g., legacy behavior / configuration).

[0150] In an embodiment, the configuration information 3802 may include one or more configuration triggers 3820, and one or more corresponding configuration actions 3822. A configuration trigger 3820 may be based on a recommended bit rate 1310. A UE 106, for example, may compare a recommended bit rate 1310 to an RBR threshold 3814, to a range 3812 of RBR values, etc. In an embodiment, configuration triggers indirectly related to network information / conditions (e.g., ECN marks, RAN node congestion indicators, etc.) may be considered as triggers for the configuration actions 3822. The UE 106 and the RAN node 304 are aligned on how the configuration triggers 3820 apply at the UE side (e.g., agreed expected behavior).

[0151] One or more configuration actions 3822 are performed when a configuration trigger 3820 has occurred. For example, the UE 106 may change or adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 for an LCG 3104 when a configuration trigger 3820 for the LCG 3104 has occurred.

[0152] The adjustment to a remaining time threshold 3122 may have multiple alternatives. FIG. 39 illustrates a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in another illustrative embodiment. The remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may specify values that the UE 106 is authorized to use when adjusting a remaining time threshold 3122. Because the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 is preprovisioned or pre-configured on the UE 106, the values set forth in the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may be referred to as pre-configured values.

[0153] In an embodiment, the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may specify a list or set of threshold values 3902. The UE 106 may select a value from the set of threshold values 3902 (i.e., different than the current value), and adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 with the selected value. For example,if the remaining time threshold 3122 for an LCG 3104 is currently assigned a value of “45”, then the UE 106 may select a value of “30” from the set of threshold values 3902. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may specify the adjustments made within the UE 106.

[0154] In an embodiment, the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may specify an offset value 3904. The offset value 3904 subtracts x from or adds x to the current value assigned to a remaining time threshold 3122. For example, assume that the current value for a remaining time threshold 3122 is “45”. When the offset value 3904 is “-10”, the value of the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 would be “35”. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may fine tune the adjustments made within the UE 106.

[0155] In an embodiment, the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may specify a list or set of threshold values 3902, and an offset value 3904. For example, the UE 106 may select a value of “40” from the set of threshold values 3902, and apply an offset value 3904 of “-5”. Thus, the value of the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 would be “35”. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may fine tune the adjustments made within the UE 106.

[0156] In an embodiment, the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may specify a multiplier 3906. For example, assume that the current value for a remaining time threshold 3122 is “30”. When the multiplier 3906 is “0.5”, the value of the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 would be “15”. When the multiplier 3906 is “2”, the value of the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122 would be “60”. One technical benefit is the RAN node 304 may specify the adjustments made within the UE 106.

[0157] FIG. 40 illustrates remaining time threshold configurations 3310 in another illustrative embodiment. In this example, a first configuration trigger 3820 specifies that when an RBR value is within a range 3812 of RBR values (e.g., V1 to V2), the UE 106 does not adjust a remaining time threshold 3122. A second configuration trigger 3820 specifies that when an RBR value is within another range 3812 of RBR values (e.g., V3 to V4), the UE 106 adjusts a remaining time threshold 3122. As described above, the UE 106 may add or subtract an offset value 3904 from the current value of a remaining time threshold 3122 to compute the adjusted remaining time threshold 3122. The UE 106 may select a value (different value from the current value) from the set of threshold values 3902 as an adjusted remaining time threshold 3122. The UE 106 may select a value (different value from the current value) from the set of threshold values 3902, and apply an offset value 3904 to compute an adjusted remaining time threshold 3122.

[0158] FIG. 41 illustrates additional details of adjusting a remaining time threshold 3122 in an illustrative embodiment. To adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 (see step 3506 in FIG. 35), the UE 106 may adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 based on an offset value 3904 specified in one of the preconfigured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (optional step 4102). In an alternative embodiment, the UE 106 may adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 by selecting a threshold value from aset of threshold values 3902 specified in one of the pre-configured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (optional step 4104). In an alternative embodiment, the UE 106 may adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 by selecting a threshold value from a set of threshold values 3902, and applying an offset value 3904 to the selected threshold value as specified in one of the pre-configured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (optional step 4106). In an alternative embodiment, the UE 106 may adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 based on a multiplier 3906 specified in one of the pre-configured remaining time threshold configurations 3310 (optional step 4108). One technical benefit is the UE 106 is able to adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 based on pre-configured information.

[0159] Extended RRC signaling

[0160] In embodiments described above, an RRC message 2402 may be used to pre-configure a UE 106 to operate autonomously as described above. RRC protocol is described in 3GPP TS 38.331 (Release 18), which is incorporated by reference as if fully included herein. In order to pre-configure a UE 106, RRC protocol may be extended or enhanced as described below.

[0161] FIG. 42 illustrates an RRC message 2402 in an illustrative embodiment. In general, an RRC message 2402 includes a plurality of RRC Information Elements (IE) 4204. One or more RRC lEs 4204 may be used to set configurable parameters 904 in a UE 106. This is illustrated in FIG. 42 as a default configuration 4210. The default configuration 4210 allows a RAN node 304 to set one or more configurable parameters 904 in a UE 106. In an embodiment, one or more RRC lEs 4204 may be used to configure a UE 106 to adjust, modify, or change one or more configurable parameters 904 in an autonomous manner. This is illustrated in FIG. 42 as one or more autonomous configurations 4212 (also referred to as alternate configurations). An autonomous configuration 4212 allows a RAN node 304 to provide a UE 106 with information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, attributes, etc., allowing, authorizing, supervising, or controlling the UE 106 to act autonomously to modify one or more configurable parameters 904. For example, assume that a RAN node 304 uses the default configuration 4210 to set a configurable parameter 904 (e.g., PARAM-A) in a UE 106 to a value (e.g., VALUE-1). The RAN node 304 may further use an autonomous configuration 4212 to provide the UE 106 with guidance or direction on autonomously modifying the configurable parameter 904. For example, an autonomous configuration 4212 may specify that the UE 106 adjusts the configurable parameter 904 (e.g., PARAM-A) to a different value (e.g., VALUE-2) in response to a trigger condition. An autonomous configuration 4212 is therefore configured to provide the UE 106 with information to adjust one or more configurable parameters 904 at the UE 106 without further assistance from a RAN node 304. One technical benefit is the RRC message 2402 allows a RANnode 304 to “program” a UE 106 to act without additional network control to adjust configurable parameters 904, which reduces signaling overhead.

[0162] In an embodiment, the configurable parameters 904 may comprise one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916. FIG. 43 illustrates an RRC message 2402 in another illustrative embodiment. As above, an RRC message 2402 includes a plurality of RRC lEs 4204. In this embodiment, one or more RRC lEs 4204 may be used to set PDCP configurable parameters 916 in a UE 106. More particularly, an RRC IE 4204 may comprise a PDCP configuration IE 4302. The PDCP configuration IE 4302 may be used by a RAN node 304 to set one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916 in a UE 106. This is illustrated in FIG. 43 as a PDCP default configuration 4310 contained or carried in the PDCP configuration IE 4302. In an embodiment, the PDCP configuration IE 4302 may be used to configure a UE 106 to adjust, modify, or change one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916 in an autonomous manner. This is illustrated in FIG. 43 as one or more PDCP autonomous configurations 4312 (also referred to as PDCP alternate configurations) contained or carried in the PDCP configuration IE 4302. A PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 allows a RAN node 304 to provide a UE 106 with information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, attributes, etc., allowing, authorizing, supervising, or controlling the UE 106 to act autonomously to modify one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916. One technical benefit is the RRC message 2402 allows a RAN node 304 to “program” a UE 106 to act without additional network control to adjust PDCP configurable parameters 916, which reduces signaling overhead.

[0163] As described above, a type of PDCP configurable parameter 916 is a low importance discard timer 1522 for a PDCP discard procedure 1500. In this example, the PDCP default configuration 4310 may comprise a discard timer configuration 4318 configured to set one or more low importance discard timers 1522 for a PDCP discard procedure 1500. Further, the PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 may comprise one or more discard timer configurations 2110 configured to provide a UE 106 with information to adjust one or more low importance discard timers 1522 for the PDCP discard procedure 1500. Thus, a discard timer configuration 2110 may be contained or carried in the PDCP configuration IE 4302. In an embodiment, the PDCP configuration IE 4302 may comprise a new PDCP configuration IE defined for a PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 and / or a discard timer configuration 2110. In an embodiment, an existing PDCP configuration IE 4302 may be extended to include or support a PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 and / or a discard timer configuration 2110. For example, a “PDCP-Config” IE is defined for RRC protocol to set configurable PDCP parameters, such as in 3GPP TS 38.331. In an embodiment, the “PDCP-Config” IE may be enhanced or extended to include or support a PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 and / or a discard timer configuration 2110.FIG. 44 illustrates a PDCP configuration IE 4302 in an illustrative embodiment. The PDCP configuration IE 4302 in FIG. 44 may represent a new IE or an extension to an existing IE. In this example, the contents of the RRC message 2402 are specified using Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1). ASN.1 specifies the message syntax using tables when needed to provide further detailed information about the fields specified in the message syntax. The PDCP configuration IE 4302 may include a field description 4420 of a discard timer configuration 4318 for low importance (e.g., discardTimerForLowImportance), which may be used to set one or more low importance discard timers 1522. The PDCP configuration IE 4302 may include a field description 4422 of a discard timer configuration 2110 for low importance (e.g., discardTimerForLIAdjustConfig), which provides a UE 106 with information to adjust one or more low importance discard timers 1522. For example, the discard timer configuration 2110 may comprise at least one configuration trigger 2720 (e.g., conf riggerType and / or confTriggerValue) and at least one configuration action 2722 (e.g., confAction) to adjust one or more one or more low importance discard timers 1522. The format or content of the discard timer configuration 2110 in FIG. 44 is provided as an example, and other formats or content are considered herein.

[0164] In an embodiment, configurable parameters 904 may comprise one or more MAC configurable parameters 912. FIG. 45 illustrates an RRC message 2402 in another illustrative embodiment. As above, an RRC message 2402 includes a plurality of RRC lEs 4204. In this embodiment, one or more RRC lEs 4204 may be used to set MAC configurable parameters 912 in a UE 106. More particularly, an RRC IE 4204 may comprise a MAC configuration IE 4502. The MAC configuration IE 4502 may be used by a RAN node 304 to set one or more MAC configurable parameters 912 in a UE 106. This is illustrated in FIG. 45 as a MAC default configuration 4510 contained or carried in the MAC configuration IE 4502. In an embodiment, the MAC configuration IE 4502 may be used to configure a UE 106 to adjust, modify, or change one or more MAC configurable parameters 912 in an autonomous manner. This is illustrated in FIG. 45 as one or more MAC autonomous configuration 4512 (also referred to as MAC alternate configurations) contained or carried in the MAC configuration IE 4502. A MAC autonomous configuration 4512 allows a RAN node 304 to provide a UE 106 with information, data, rules, policies, conditions, triggers, actions, attributes, etc., allowing, authorizing, supervising, or controlling the UE 106 to act autonomously to modify one or more MAC configurable parameters 912. One technical benefit is the RRC message 2402 allows a RAN node 304 to “program” a UE 106 to act without additional network control to adjust MAC configurable parameters 912, which reduces signaling overhead.

[0165] As described above, a type of MAC configurable parameter 912 is a remaining time threshold 3122 for a MAC DSR procedure 3100. In this example, the MAC default configuration 4510 may comprise a remaining time threshold configuration 4518 configured to set one or more remaining time thresholds 3122for a MAC DSR procedure 3100. Further, the MAC autonomous configuration 4512 may comprise one or more remaining time threshold configurations 3310 configured to provide a UE 106 with information to adjust one or more remaining time thresholds 3122 for the MAC DSR procedure 3100. Thus, a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may be contained or carried in the MAC configuration IE 4502. In an embodiment, the MAC configuration IE 4502 may comprise a new MAC configuration IE defined for a MAC autonomous configuration 4512 and / or a remaining time threshold configuration 3310. In an embodiment, an existing MAC configuration IE 4502 may be extended to include or support a MAC autonomous configuration 4512 and / or a remaining time threshold configuration 3310. For example, a “MAC-CellGroupConfig” IE is defined for RRC protocol to configure MAC parameters for a cell group, such as in 3GPP TS 38.331. In an embodiment, the “MAC-CellGroupConfig” IE may be enhanced or extended to include or support a MAC autonomous configuration 4512 and / or a remaining time threshold configuration 3310.

[0166] FIG. 46 illustrates a MAC configuration IE 4502 in an illustrative embodiment. The MAC configuration IE 4502 in FIG. 46 may represent a new IE or an extension to an existing IE. The MAC configuration IE 4502 may include a field description 4620 of a remaining time threshold configuration 4518 (e.g., remainingTimeThreshold), which may be used to set one or more remaining time thresholds 3122. The MAC configuration IE 4502 may include a field description 4622 of a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 (e.g., dsrRemainingTimeThresholdAdjustConfig) which provides a UE 106 with information to adjust one or more remaining time thresholds 3122. For example, the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 may comprise at least one configuration trigger 3820 (e.g., confTriggerType and / or confTriggerValue) and at least one configuration action 3822 (e.g., confAction) to adjust one or more one or more remaining time thresholds 3122. The format or content of the remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in FIG. 46 is provided as an example, and other formats or content are considered herein.

[0167] FIGS. 47A-47B are flow charts illustrating methods 4700 / 4730 of RRC handling in illustrative embodiments. The steps of method 4700 are described with reference to a RAN node 304 and the steps of method 4730 are described with reference to a UE 106, although the methods may be performed in other systems or devices.

[0168] In FIG. 47A, the RAN node 304 may format or assemble an RRC message 2402 (step 4702), and send or otherwise provide the RRC message 2402 to a UE 106 (step 4714). In formatting, the RAN node 304 may insert or include an autonomous configuration 4212 in one or more RRC lEs 4204 (step 4704). In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may insert or include a PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 in a PDCP configuration IE 4302 (optional step 4706). For example, the RAN node 304 may insert or include adiscard timer configuration 2110 in a PDCP configuration IE 4302 (optional step 4708). In an embodiment, the RAN node 304 may insert or include a MAC autonomous configuration 4512 in a MAC configuration IE 4502 (optional step 4710). For example, the RAN node 304 may insert or include a remaining time threshold configuration 3310 in a MAC configuration IE 4502 (optional step 4712).

[0169] In FIG. 47B, a UE 106 receives an RRC message 2402 from a RAN node 304 (step 4732). In response to the RRC message 2402, the UE 106 parses the RRC message 2402 to extract information contained in the RRC message 2402 (step 4734). In parsing the RRC message 2402, the UE 106 may extract an autonomous configuration 4212 from one or more RRC lEs 4204 (step 4736). The autonomous configuration 4212 may be associated with a discard procedure 1500 for buffered data units at the PDCP layer 414. For example, the autonomous configuration 4212 may include at least one configuration trigger corresponding to a network condition, and at least one configuration action configured to adjust one or more configurable parameters 904 related to the discard procedure 1500 upon occurrence of the at least one configuration trigger.

[0170] The UE 106 may extract a PDCP autonomous configuration 4312 from a PDCP configuration IE 4302 to adjust, modify, or change one or more PDCP configurable parameters 916 in an autonomous manner (optional step 4738). In an embodiment, a configurable parameter 904 may comprise a low importance discard timer 1522 for a discard procedure 1500. For example, the UE 106 may extract one or more discard timer configurations 2110 from a PDCP configuration IE 4302 (optional step 4740). In a discard timer configuration 2110, a configuration action 2722 may be configured to adjust a duration 1524 of the low importance discard timer 1522 upon occurrence of a configuration trigger 2720 (e.g., a change to recommended bit rate 1310).

[0171] The UE 106 may extract a MAC autonomous configuration 4512 from a MAC configuration IE 4502 to adjust, modify, or change one or more MAC configurable parameters 912 in an autonomous manner (optional step 4742). In an embodiment, a configurable parameter 904 may comprise a remaining time threshold 3122 for a DSR procedure 3100. For example, the UE 106 may extract one or more remaining time threshold configurations 3310 from a MAC configuration IE 4502 (optional step 4744). In a remaining time threshold configuration 3310, a configuration action 3822 may be configured to adjust a remaining time threshold 3122 upon occurrence of a configuration trigger 3820 (e.g., a change to recommended bit rate 1310).

[0172] One technical benefit is the RRC message 2402 allows a RAN node 304 to “program” a UE 106 to act without additional network control to adjust configurable parameters 904, which reduces signaling overhead.Any of the various elements or modules shown in the figures or described herein may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or some combination of these. For example, an element may be implemented as dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware elements may be referred to as “processors”, “controllers”, or some similar terminology. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, a network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other circuitry, field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile storage, logic, or some other physical hardware component or module.

[0173] Also, an element may be implemented as instructions executable by a processor or a computer to perform the functions of the element. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, and firmware. The instructions are operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to perform the functions of the element. The instructions may be stored on storage devices that are readable by the processor. Some examples of the storage devices are digital or solid-state memories, magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media.

[0174] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry);

[0175] (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):

[0176] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware; and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); and

[0177] (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0178] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and ifapplicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0179] Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the following claims and any equivalents thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:receiving information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure;detecting a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node; adjusting a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations; andperforming the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises:adjusting the duration based on an offset value specified in the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises:selecting a different duration value for the duration from a set of duration values specified in the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations corresponds to a value range of a bit rate indicator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises:receiving a change to a recommended bit rate from the radio access network node.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:at least one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations includes authorization to adjust the duration of the discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:at least one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations includes authorization to adjust the duration of the discard timer based on a change to a recommended bit rate from the radio access network node.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:at least one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations includes authorization to adjust the duration of the discard timer per data radio bearer or group of data radio bearers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations indicates one or more recommended bit rate values that trigger adjustment of the duration of the discard timer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations indicates a recommended bit rate threshold where a recommended bit rate value above or below the recommended bit rate threshold triggers adjustment of the duration of the discard timer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:the information includes a validity timer indicating a validity of each of the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:receiving the information from the radio access network node in an extended Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) configuration information element of a radio resource control message that includes at least a field description for the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

13. A method comprising:receiving information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure; detecting a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node; adjusting a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations; andperforming the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjusting comprises:adjusting the duration based on an offset value specified in the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjusting comprises:selecting a different duration value for the duration from a set of duration values specified in the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations corresponds to a value range of a bit rate indicator.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises:receiving a change to a recommended bit rate from the radio access network node.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations indicates one or more recommended bit rate values that trigger adjustment of the duration of the discard timer.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein:the one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations indicates a recommended bit rate threshold where a recommended bit rate value above or below the recommended bit rate threshold triggers adjustment of the duration of the discard timer.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:receive information defining pre-configured discard timer configurations for a discard procedure; detect a network condition based on communications with a radio access network node; adjust a duration of a discard timer corresponding with the discard procedure in response to the network condition and based on one of the pre-configured discard timer configurations; andperform the discard procedure to discard one or more buffered data units based on the adjusted duration of the discard timer.

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