Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus. In the method, an automatic repeat request mechanism is implemented by means of a media access control (MAC) entity, that is, a MAC entity at a data receiving end flexibly triggers a status report on the basis of a reception status, and feeds back the status report to a data sending end so as to instruct the data sending end to implement data retransmission on the basis of the status report. By flexibly configuring the triggering manner of the status report, the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering can be improved, thereby reducing data retransmission latency.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510211797.8, filed on February 24, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In wireless communication systems, the automatic repeat request (ARQ) mechanism can be used to improve the reliability of data transmission. For example, if the radio link control (RLC) entity at the transmitting end does not receive a status report (such as an indication that the data packet was successfully received or failed to receive) from the receiving end after a certain period of time, the transmitting end considers the data packet lost and can retransmit it, thereby ensuring the integrity of data transmission.

[0004] Currently, there are two ways for the receiving end to trigger the feedback status report. One is that the sending end sends an inquiry request to the receiving end, and the receiving end passively triggers the feedback status report based on the inquiry request. The other is to trigger it according to the monitoring timer of the receiving window configured by the receiving end. If the monitoring timer expires, the feedback status report will be triggered. Usually, the monitoring period is relatively fixed. Therefore, both of the above triggering methods may lead to untimely feedback of status reports, resulting in a large delay in data retransmission. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for flexibly setting the triggering mode of status reports, improving the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering, reducing data retransmission latency, and improving communication efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication device. This communication device can be a data receiving end, such as a terminal or network device, or a module (such as a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the terminal or network device, or a module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal or network device. The method includes: a Media Access Control (MAC) entity determining status information based on first information, the status information indicating the transmission status of a Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU), the transmission status including successful reception and / or reception failure, wherein the first information includes the update status of the MAC entity's receive window and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the MAC entity's receive window; and the MAC entity sending the status information.

[0008] In the above embodiments, the receiving device can implement status report feedback through the MAC entity. By configuring the triggering conditions for status report feedback, such as triggering based on the status of the receiving window, the receiving device can send status reports more proactively, thereby improving the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering, reducing data retransmission latency, and improving communication efficiency.

[0009] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, including: when the duration for which the MAC entity's receive window has not been updated is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information. In other words, the MAC entity of the receiving device can determine whether to trigger a status report based on the duration for which the receive window has not been updated, thereby enabling the receiving device to proactively send status reports. This improves the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering, reduces data retransmission latency, and enhances communication efficiency.

[0010] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, including: when the number of unreceived MAC SDUs within the MAC entity's receive window is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information. That is, the MAC entity of the receiving device can determine whether to trigger a status report based on the number of unreceived MAC SDUs within the receive window, thereby enabling the receiving device to proactively send status reports. This improves the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering, reduces data retransmission latency, and enhances communication efficiency.

[0011] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, and the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first information to determine the status information.

[0012] In the above embodiments, the transmitting device can activate or deactivate the method of determining the trigger status information based on the first information by indicating the second information, so that the receiving device can configure the trigger conditions for status report feedback according to the indication of the second information, thereby improving the flexibility of configuring the trigger conditions for status report.

[0013] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the content included in the first information, and determining the effective duration corresponding to the status information based on the first information.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending third information, the third information being used to request activation of determining the status information based on the first information. In the above embodiments, the receiving device can improve the flexibility of configuring the triggering conditions for status report feedback by sending third information to request activation of determining the triggering status information based on the first information.

[0015] In one implementation, after the MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, the method further includes: the MAC entity updating the monitoring threshold, updating the reporting threshold, and restarting the first timer.

[0016] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication device. This communication device can be a data sending end, such as a terminal or network device, or a module (such as a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the terminal or network device, or a module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal or network device. The method includes: sending second information, the second information used to indicate activation or deactivation based on first information to determine status information, the status information used to indicate the transmission status of a Media Access Control (MAC) Service Data Unit (MAC SDU), the transmission status including successful reception and / or reception failure, the first information including the update status of the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity, and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity; and the Media Access Control (MAC) entity receiving the status information.

[0017] In one implementation, determining status information based on first information includes: the duration for which the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity has not been updated is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

[0018] In one implementation, determining status information based on first information includes: the number of MAC SDUs not received within the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0019] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the content included in the first information, and determining the effective duration corresponding to the status information based on the first information.

[0020] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to request activation of determining the state information based on the first information.

[0021] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication device, which can be a terminal, a module (such as a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the terminal, or a module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal's functions. The method includes: a Media Access Control (MAC) entity determining fourth information based on a first condition, the fourth information being used to request an update of a first duration corresponding to a first timer, wherein the MAC entity determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC) of the Media Access Control (MAC) in the receiving window within the first duration, the first condition including the number of updates to the receiving window within a second duration, and / or the interval duration of the receiving window updates within the second duration; the MAC entity sending the fourth information.

[0022] In the above embodiments, the terminal can dynamically request the network side to update the duration of the monitoring timer on the terminal side according to the update status of the receiving window. For example, the transmission overhead of the status report can be reduced by increasing the duration of the monitoring timer; or the transmission latency of the status report can be reduced and the data retransmission latency can be reduced by decreasing the duration of the monitoring timer.

[0023] In one implementation, the fourth information is used to request a reduction in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the number of updates to the receiving window within the second duration is less than or equal to a first threshold, the interval between two adjacent receiving window updates within the second duration is greater than or equal to a second threshold, or the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is greater than or equal to a third threshold within the second duration is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold.

[0024] In the above implementation, the terminal can request the network side to reduce the duration of the terminal's monitoring timer based on the update status of the receiving window, such as the number of updates of the receiving window within the second time period and / or the interval between two adjacent receiving window updates, so as to reduce the transmission latency of the status report and reduce the data retransmission latency.

[0025] In one implementation, the fourth information is used to request an increase in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the number of times the receiving window is updated within the second duration is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold, the interval between two adjacent receiving window updates within the second duration is less than or equal to a sixth threshold, or the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is less than or equal to a seventh threshold within the second duration is greater than or equal to an eighth threshold.

[0026] In the above implementation, the terminal can request the network side to increase the duration of the terminal's monitoring timer based on the update status of the receiving window, such as the number of updates of the receiving window within the second time period and / or the interval between two adjacent receiving window updates, so as to reduce the transmission overhead and resource consumption of status reports and improve data retransmission efficiency.

[0027] In one embodiment, the fourth information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: updating the first timer on the terminal side, decreasing or increasing the first duration, and the desired update duration of the first timer. In the above embodiments, the terminal can use the fourth information to...

[0028] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving fifth information from the network side, the fifth information being used to indicate the updated duration of the first timer and / or the valid time period of the updated duration.

[0029] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication device. This device can be a terminal, a module within the terminal (such as a chip, chip system, or circuit), or a module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The method includes: a Media Access Control (MAC) entity determining sixth information based on a first condition, the sixth information being used to request an update of a first duration corresponding to a first timer on the network side; wherein the MAC entity on the network side determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC SDU) of the Media Access Control in the receiving window within the first duration, the first condition including the number of times status information is received within a third duration, and / or the interval duration of the received status information within the third duration; and the MAC entity sending the sixth information.

[0030] In one implementation, the sixth information is used to request a reduction in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the number of times the status information is received within the third duration is less than or equal to threshold 1, the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration is greater than or equal to threshold 2, or the number of times the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration is greater than or equal to threshold 3 is greater than or equal to threshold 4.

[0031] In one implementation, the sixth information is used to request an increase in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the number of times the status information is received within the third duration is greater than or equal to threshold 5, the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration is less than or equal to threshold 6, or the number of times the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration is less than or equal to threshold 7 is greater than or equal to threshold 8.

[0032] In one implementation, the sixth information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: updating the first timer on the network side, decreasing or increasing the first duration, and the desired update duration of the first timer.

[0033] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving seventh information from the network side, the seventh information being used to indicate the updated duration of the first timer and / or the valid time period of the updated duration.

[0034] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising a unit or module for implementing the method as described in any one aspect. The communication apparatus may be a terminal or a component within a terminal, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions, or a network device or a component within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions.

[0035] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one aspect. The communication device may be a terminal or a component within a terminal, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions, or a network device or a component within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The at least one processor may execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the described method to be performed. The memory may be included in the communication device or located externally to the communication device. Furthermore, the communication device may also include an interface.

[0036] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method as described in any one aspect.

[0037] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program or program that, when run by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one aspect.

[0038] A ninth aspect provides a chip including at least one processor for executing computer instructions or programs that, when run, cause the chip to perform the method described in any one aspect. The processor may execute a computer program or instructions stored in memory to cause the method to be performed. The memory may be included in the chip or located externally. Furthermore, the chip may include an interface.

[0039] A tenth aspect provides a communication system comprising a receiving device for performing the method as described in any one of the first aspects and a transmitting device for performing the method as described in any one of the second aspects, or may include a terminal and a network device for instructing the method described in any one of the third or fourth aspects.

[0040] The technical effects of any of the possible implementations in aspects two through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different possible implementations in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] Understandably, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other, the solutions in the above aspects can be combined. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the receiving window update of a receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the receiving window of a receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the triggering conditions for updating status information on the receiving device side according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a receiving device-side update monitoring timer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another receiving device-side update monitoring timer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the receiving window update of a receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the receiving window update interval of a receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal receiving a status report according to an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. The communication system 1000 may also include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Communication system 1000 may also include Internet 300.

[0056] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), or it can be a WiFi system. RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0057] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), relay nodes, or donor nodes.

[0058] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0059] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0060] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0061] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0062] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0063] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0065] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also susceptible to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0066] To facilitate understanding of the content of this solution, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below, so that those skilled in the art can understand them. This part is only for the purpose of understanding and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0067] Communication between network devices and terminals follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc. For detailed descriptions of each protocol layer, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications, which will not be elaborated here.

[0068] When different RAN nodes implement partial functions of network devices, each RAN node can implement the functions of its corresponding protocol layer. For example, a CU may be configured to implement the functions of PDCP layer and above (e.g., RRC layer and / or SDAP layer). A DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below PDCP layer (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and / or PHY layer). Alternatively, a CU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above PDCP layer (e.g., RRC layer and / or SDAP layer), and a DU may be configured to implement the functions of PDCP layer and below (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and / or PHY layer).

[0069] The above CU and DU configurations are just examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Alternatively, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions that need to meet low latency requirements can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not need to meet this latency requirement can be placed in the CU.

[0070] For network elements in an ORAN system, the corresponding protocol layer functions they can implement can be found in Table 1. In Table 1, O-CU-CP is configured to implement RRC layer functions and PDCP layer control plane functions; O-CU-UP is configured to implement SDAP layer functions and PDCP layer user plane functions; O-DU is configured to implement RLC layer functions, MAC layer functions, and higher-level (PHY-high) functions in the PHY layer; and O-RU is configured to implement lower-level (PHY-low) functions in the PHY layer. Higher-level physical layer functions may include a portion of the physical layer's functions, which are closer to the MAC layer; lower-level physical layer functions may include another portion of the physical layer's functions, which are closer to the mid-radio frequency side.

[0071] Table 1

[0072] Some of the aforementioned protocol layers can provide corresponding transmission modes, such as acknowledgement mode (AM). For example, to adapt to the quality of service (QoS) requirements of different types of service data, the RLC entity can employ an automatic repeat request (ARQ) mechanism to ensure lossless data transmission. The basic idea of ​​ARQ is that the data receiving device (hereinafter referred to as the receiving device or receiving end) can send an RLC status report to the data sending device (hereinafter referred to as the sending device or sending end), indicating which data was successfully received and which data failed to be received. The sending device can then retransmit the failed data based on the RLC status report.

[0073] This application provides a communication method that implements the ARQ mechanism through a MAC entity. Specifically, the MAC entity generates a status report for MAC SDU transmission and feeds the status report back to the sending end to instruct the sending end to retransmit the data according to the status report. By flexibly setting the triggering method of the status report, such as flexibly triggering the sending of the status report according to the receiving status of the MAC SDU in the receiving window, the timeliness and flexibility of triggering the status report are improved, the data retransmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

[0074] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0075] As shown in Figure 2, a communication method is provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0076] 201: The MAC entity of the transmitting device generates a MAC PDU based on the MAC SDU and sends the MAC PDU to the receiving device. Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the MAC PDU.

[0077] In this application, the transmitting device and the receiving device can be either the RAN node 110 or the terminal 120 in Figure 1. As an example, the transmitting device can be a terminal, a component within a terminal, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The receiving device can be a network device, a component within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. As yet another example, the transmitting device can be a network device, a component within a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions, and the receiving device can be a terminal, a component within a terminal, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. As yet another example, the transmitting device and the receiving device can be different terminals or network devices, etc. Specific forms of the transmitting and receiving devices are not listed here. Here, 'component' can be a module, a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions. The chip can be a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.

[0078] The MAC entity is primarily responsible for handling various transport channels, such as broadcast channels, downlink shared channels, call channels, uplink shared channels, and random access channels. The MAC entity is used to map logical channels to transport channels. For data transmission, the sending end's MAC entity acquires MAC SDUs, multiplexes the MAC SDUs corresponding to one or more logical channels into MAC PDUs, and one MAC PDU corresponds to one or more transport blocks (TBs), which are then sent to the physical layer through the transport channels. For data reception, the receiving end's MAC entity demultiplexes the transport blocks transmitted from the transport channels into MAC SDUs and submits them to the upper layer through the corresponding logical channels.

[0079] It should be understood that the logical channel described above can also be named other channels, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0080] Based on resource scheduling results, the MAC entity at the sending end determines the logical channels through which data can be transmitted and the amount of data that can be transmitted on each logical channel. The MAC entity generates a medium access control element (MAC CE) to be transmitted and assembles it together with MAC SDU(s) to form a MAC PDU. A MAC PDU includes one or more MAC SDUs. The MAC PDU is then passed down to the physical layer for transmission over the air interface.

[0081] When multiple logical channels are transmitting data and the total amount of data exceeds the transmission capacity of the current transmission time interval (TTI), the MAC entity at the sending end can perform logical channel priority processing to determine which logical channel's data should be transmitted first.

[0082] 202: The MAC entity of the receiving device determines the status information based on the first information, which includes the update status of the receiving window of the MAC entity and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the receiving window of the MAC entity.

[0083] The status information is used to indicate the transmission status of the MAC SDU for media access control. The transmission status includes successful reception and / or failed reception, and is used by the receiving device to indicate to the transmitting device whether the reception of the MAC SDU was successful or failed. The status information can also be called a status report, and this application does not limit its name.

[0084] Alternatively, it can be described as follows: The first information can serve as a trigger condition for the MAC entity of the receiving device to determine whether to send status information. This first information is related to the update status of the MAC entity's receiving window and / or the reception status of MAC SDUs within the receiving window. For example, the trigger condition is related to the duration for which the MAC entity's receiving window has not been updated, and / or the number of MAC SDUs not received within the MAC entity's receiving window, etc. In this application, the receiving device can flexibly trigger status report feedback based on the reception status, thereby improving the timeliness and flexibility of triggering status reports, reducing data retransmission latency, and improving communication efficiency.

[0085] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, which may include satisfying condition 1: when the duration for which the MAC entity's receive window has not been updated is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the MAC entity of the receiving device determines the status information, i.e., triggers the feedback of status information to the transmitting device. Optionally, under this condition, it indicates that the receive window of the receiving device may be blocked, and a status report needs to be sent as soon as possible to trigger the retransmission of the MAC SDU, thus triggering a status report.

[0086] For example, as shown in Figure 3, the last update time of the receive window is t1. If the MAC entity's receive window has not been updated before time t2, that is, the time interval since the last receive window update reaches or exceeds a first threshold, the MAC entity of the receiving device determines the status information, i.e., triggers the feedback of the status information to the sending device. Optionally, under this condition, it indicates that the receive window may be blocked, and a status report needs to be sent as soon as possible to trigger the retransmission of the MAC SDU, thus triggering the status report.

[0087] In another implementation, the MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, which may include satisfying condition 2: when the number of unreceived MAC SDUs within the MAC entity's receive window is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the MAC entity of the receiving device determines the status information, i.e., triggers the feedback of status information to the transmitting device. Optionally, under this condition, it indicates that a large number of MAC SDUs have not been received, and a status report needs to be sent as soon as possible to trigger the retransmission of MAC SDUs, thus triggering a status report.

[0088] It should be understood that in the specific transmission of a MAC SDU, the MAC entity at the sending end can divide a large MAC SDU into one or more smaller parts for transmission. For example, an SDU can be divided into multiple segments (SGs). A MAC SDU can be identified by an SDU serial number (SN), and each segment of an SDU can be identified by an SG. In other words, an SN can be associated with a complete SDU, and an SG can be associated with a specific segment included in a segmented SDU.

[0089] Therefore, it should be noted that the number of MAC SDUs in this application can be represented by the number of SNs corresponding to at least one MAC SDU, or by the number of SGs of the segments corresponding to the MAC SD. Wherein, if a MAC SDU is not divided into multiple segments, it can be considered as corresponding to one segment.

[0090] For example, as shown in Figure 4, if in condition 2, the number of MAC SDUs not received within the MAC entity's receive window is calculated based on the number of MAC SDUs, and the number of unreceived MAC SDUs is 5, the corresponding SNs are SN = 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8. If the number of MAC SDUs not received within the MAC entity's receive window is calculated based on the number of MAC SDU segments, and the number of unreceived MAC SDU segments is 6, the corresponding SNs are SN = 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8, where the MAC SDU with SN = 3 includes two segments, namely SG = 1 and 3.

[0091] In another implementation, the MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, which may include satisfying condition 3: the number of unreceived MAC SDUs is greater than or equal to a third threshold and is less than the sequence number of the first MAC SDU already received. Here, the first MAC SDU sequence number is the next sequence number after the sequence number of the largest MAC SDU already received by the MAC entity, and can be represented by adding 1 to the largest sequence number of the already received MAC SDUs. Optionally, under this condition, it indicates that a large number of MAC SDUs have not been received, and a status report needs to be sent as soon as possible to trigger MAC SDU retransmission; therefore, a status report can be triggered.

[0092] For example, as shown in Figure 4, in the MAC entity's receiving window, the highest SN of the received MAC SDU is SN=6, and the next MAC SDU is SN=7. If calculated by the number of MAC SDUs, there are 3 MAC SDUs with a SN less than 7 that have not been received, with corresponding SNs of SN=5, 3, and 2. If calculated by the number of segments of the MAC SDU, there are 4 segments of the MAC SDU with a SN less than 7 that have not been received, with corresponding SNs of SN=2, 3, and 5. Among them, the MAC SDU with SN=3 includes two segments, namely SG=1 and 3.

[0093] It should be understood that the conditions 1, 2, or 3 for determining the status information based on the first information, i.e., triggering the status information, can be used individually as triggering conditions, or they can be combined to form new triggering conditions or triggering events for triggering status reports. The solution provided in this application supports flexible configuration of the triggering conditions for status reports according to needs. For example, the triggering conditions can be configured to include: condition 1, condition 2, condition 3, condition 1 + condition 2, condition 1 + condition 3, condition 2 + condition 3, or condition 1 + condition 2 + condition 3. A combination of some of the above conditions can be referred to as an event.

[0094] In one embodiment, if the receiving device is a terminal, the network device can indicate the triggering conditions for status information to the terminal. The method further includes the following steps: the sending device sends second information to the receiving device, the second information being used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first information to determine the status information. Correspondingly, the receiving device receives the second information.

[0095] In other words, the network device can instruct the terminal whether to determine the status information based on the first information. If the second information indicates activation of determining the status information based on the first information, the terminal can determine the status information based on the aforementioned optional methods or conditions. If the second information indicates deactivation of determining the status information based on the first information, the terminal can execute the existing status report triggering method.

[0096] Optionally, the second information can be used to indicate at least one of the following: the content included in the first information, and the effective duration corresponding to the status information determined based on the first information. That is, when the network device instructs the terminal to activate or deactivate based on the status information determined by the first information, it can also indicate the content included in the first information, i.e., the specific triggering method or condition. For example, the content included in the first information can be condition 1, condition 2, condition 3, or any possible combination of conditions mentioned above. Optionally, it can also indicate the triggering method of the activated status information, the effective time period corresponding to the triggering condition or triggering event, which can be specifically indicated by time offset and activation duration.

[0097] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the network device activates condition 1 at time t0 and indicates the activation time period 1 corresponding to condition 1, indicated by time offset 1 and activation duration 1; the network device switches to activation condition 2 at time t2 and indicates the activation time period 2 corresponding to the switched condition 2, indicated by time offset 2 and activation duration 2.

[0098] In another possible implementation, if the receiving device is a terminal, the terminal can request the network device to activate the trigger condition for any of the aforementioned state information, so that the network device can instruct the terminal to activate the trigger condition. The method further includes: the receiving device sending third information, which is used to request activation of the state information determined based on the first information. Optionally, the third information may carry the trigger condition requested by the terminal, i.e., an indication of the content included in the first information, and / or the effective time period corresponding to the trigger condition or trigger event of the requested state information. Specifically, the effective time period can be indicated by a time offset and an activation duration.

[0099] In one embodiment, after the monitoring timer of the receiving device, such as the first timer, expires or times out, the receiving device feeds back status information to the transmitting device, and the MAC entity of the receiving device updates the monitoring threshold, updates the reporting threshold, and restarts the first timer. In conjunction with the embodiments of this application described above, the triggering conditions or triggering events for the status information provided in this application can be activated simultaneously with the monitoring timer. After the MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, that is, after the MAC entity determines that the triggering conditions for the status information are met, when sending the status information to the transmitting device, the process further includes: the MAC entity updating the monitoring threshold, updating the reporting threshold, and restarting the first timer.

[0100] It should be noted that the MAC entity can be configured with a receive window monitoring timer (such as the first timer). The duration of this timer is the duration of the receive window monitoring timer, which can be configured through radio resource control (RRC) messages.

[0101] For example, the monitoring timer is used by the receiving end's MAC entity to determine the reception status of the PDU within a certain period of time. If the PDU is not received within the configured duration of the monitoring timer, the receiving end considers the PDU to have been lost. If the monitoring timer expires or times out, a status report will be triggered, that is, the receiving end sends a status report to the sending end to notify the sending end of the information about the potentially lost PDU and request retransmission.

[0102] For example, if the duration of the monitoring timer configured for the receiving end via an RRC message is a first duration, for one monitoring cycle, the receiving device starts the first timer, monitors and records the reception status of MAC SDUs within the receiving window within the first duration, and triggers a feedback status report, such as the receiving end sending status information to the sending end. Furthermore, at the moment the first timer expires or times out, the next monitoring cycle begins, such as restarting the first timer, monitoring and recording the reception status of MAC SDUs within the receiving window within the first duration, and repeating this process.

[0103] For example, as shown in Figure 6, if the monitoring timer of the receiving device expires at time t1, the MAC entity updates the monitoring threshold and the reporting threshold, restarts the monitoring timer, and sends status report 0 to the transmitting device. Subsequently, if the receiving device determines that the conditions for triggering status information are met at time t1', the receiving device updates the monitoring threshold and the reporting threshold again, restarts the monitoring timer, and sends status report 1 to the transmitting device. If the conditions for triggering status information are not met in the next monitoring cycle, the receiving device can update the monitoring threshold and the reporting threshold again after the monitoring timer expires, such as at time t2, restart the monitoring timer, and send status report 2 to the transmitting device.

[0104] In another possible implementation, the transmitting device can send a polling request message to the receiving device to instruct the receiving device to send status information. Upon receiving the polling request, the receiving device stops monitoring timers, such as a first timer, and feeds back the status information to the transmitting device. The receiving device's MAC entity also updates the monitoring threshold, updates the reporting threshold, and restarts the first timer. In the embodiments described above, when the triggering conditions or events for the status information provided in this application are activated, the MAC entity can determine the status information based on first information before the receiving device receives the polling request. That is, the MAC entity determines that the triggering conditions for the status information are met. When sending the status information to the transmitting device, the MAC entity also updates the monitoring threshold, updates the reporting threshold, and restarts the first timer. In this implementation, the monitoring scope of the receiving device's status report can be extended to before receiving the polling request.

[0105] For example, as shown in Figure 7, if the monitoring timer of the receiving device expires at time t1, the MAC entity updates the monitoring threshold and reporting threshold, restarts the monitoring timer, and sends status report 0 to the sending device. If status report 0 fails to be sent, and the sending device sends an inquiry request at time t1', the receiving device can update the monitoring threshold and reporting threshold again at time t1' and send status report 1. The monitoring range corresponding to status report 1 extends to time t1'. If the monitoring threshold and reporting threshold are not updated at time t1', the monitoring range corresponding to status report 1 only extends to time t1. The receiving device can update the monitoring threshold and reporting threshold again after the monitoring timer expires, such as at time t2, restart the monitoring timer, and send status report 2.

[0106] 203: The receiving device's MAC entity sends status information. Correspondingly, the sending device receives status information.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the status information can be used to indicate the reception status of the MAC SDU. It can also be described as follows: the status information is used to indicate the reception status of the MAC SDU sent by the transmitting device. For example, if the reception status of the MAC SDU is an acknowledgement (ACK), it indicates that the MAC SDU has been successfully received by the receiving device. If the reception status of the MAC SDU is a negative acknowledgement (NACK), it indicates that the MAC SDU has not been successfully received by the receiving device, i.e., the receiving device has not successfully received the MAC SDU.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the MAC entity of the receiving device sends status information, including: the MAC entity of the receiving device submits (or sends) status information to the PHY layer of the receiving device (or, the MAC entity of the receiving device instructs the PHY layer of the receiving device to send status information), the PHY layer of the receiving device sends status information to the PHY layer of the transmitting device, and the PHY layer of the transmitting device submits (or sends) status information to the MAC entity of the transmitting device.

[0109] Optionally, step 204 is also included: the sending end retransmits the failed MAC SDU according to the first information.

[0110] Correspondingly, after receiving the first information, the sending end can retransmit the failed MAC SDU according to the information of the successful and / or failed MAC SDUs indicated in the first information.

[0111] In the above embodiments, the receiving device can implement status report feedback through the MAC entity. By configuring the triggering conditions for status report feedback, such as triggering based on the status of the receiving window, the receiving device can send status reports more proactively, thereby improving the timeliness and flexibility of status report triggering, reducing data retransmission latency, and improving communication efficiency.

[0112] In addition, this application also provides another communication method, which can dynamically update the duration of the terminal-side timer or network-side timer according to the update status of the receiving window and the reception status of the status report. For example, increasing the timer duration can reduce the transmission overhead of the status report, and decreasing the timer duration can increase the transmission frequency of the status report as needed, thereby reducing data retransmission latency and improving communication efficiency.

[0113] In one implementation, in a scenario where the terminal acts as a data receiver and the network side, such as a RAN node, sends downlink data to the terminal, the terminal can request to update the duration of the monitoring timer on the terminal side.

[0114] Figure 8 illustrates an example of interaction between a terminal and a RAN node. This communication method may include the following steps.

[0115] 801: The terminal's MAC entity determines the fourth information based on the first condition. The fourth information is used to request an update to the first duration corresponding to the first timer.

[0116] The first timer can be a monitoring timer for the MAC entity's receive window, and its duration is configured as a first duration. The MAC entity determines the status information of the MAC SDU in the receive window within the first duration.

[0117] The MAC entity determines the fourth information based on the first condition. In other words, the terminal's MAC entity can determine whether to update the duration of the first timer based on the first condition. If the first condition is met, the fourth information is determined, that is, a request is made to update the duration of the first timer; otherwise, if the first condition is not met, the duration of the first timer is not updated for the time being.

[0118] The first condition includes the number of times the receiving window is updated within the second time period, and / or the interval between updates of the receiving window within the second time period. In other words, by monitoring the update status of the receiving window within a certain period, it can be determined whether to request an update of the first timer's duration.

[0119] In one implementation, the first condition may include at least one of the following: such as the number of times the receiving window is updated within the second time period, the interval between receiving window updates within the second time period, or the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is greater than or less than a certain threshold within the second time period.

[0120] It should be understood that the second duration can be used as an update cycle for monitoring whether to update the monitoring timer, and this application does not specifically limit the duration of the timer. For example, it can be determined by an update timer, which is started after each update of the monitoring timer. After the update timer expires, it is determined whether the monitoring timer needs to be updated according to the first condition provided in this application. After updating, the update timer is restarted. The length of the update timer can be the length T of the update cycle in Figure 9.

[0121] In one implementation, the terminal can request the network side to reduce the duration of the terminal-side monitoring timer. That is, the fourth piece of information sent by the terminal can be used to request a reduction in the first duration. For example, if the receiving window updates too slowly, the duration of the monitoring timer can be reduced to increase the frequency of status report feedback, reduce data retransmission latency, and improve the efficiency of data retransmission.

[0122] In this implementation, the fourth information is used to request a reduction in the first duration. The first condition includes at least one of the following: Condition 1, Condition 2, or Condition 3 can be used individually to trigger the judgment of updating the monitoring timer, or they can be used in any combination.

[0123] Condition 1: Within the second time period, the number of updates to the receiving window is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0124] For example, as shown in Figure 9, if the receiving window is updated twice within update cycle 1, and assuming the update count threshold (the first threshold) is 3 times, the update condition is met, and the timer duration on the terminal side can be reduced, allowing the terminal to send status reports more frequently, thus triggering faster data retransmission from the data sender. As another example, if the receiving window is updated 4 times within update cycle 2, exceeding the update count threshold of 3 times, then the timer duration on the terminal side will not be updated.

[0125] Condition 2: The interval between two consecutive receive window updates within the second time period is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0126] For example, as shown in Figure 9, within update cycle 1, the receive window is updated twice, corresponding to one update interval D. Assuming the update duration is t2-t1 = 10ms, if the threshold for the update interval, such as the second threshold, is 5ms, then the timer duration on the terminal side can be reduced, allowing the terminal to send status reports more frequently, thereby triggering the data sender to retransmit data faster. As another example, within update cycle 2, the receive window is updated four times, corresponding to three update intervals. Assuming each update interval is less than the second threshold, then the timer duration on the terminal side will not be updated.

[0127] In one implementation, the interval between two adjacent receive window updates can refer to the average duration of multiple update intervals, the maximum duration of update intervals, the minimum duration of update intervals, or the duration of each update interval, etc., and this application does not limit this. The time unit of the update interval can be at the slot level, symbol level, or absolute duration, such as at the millisecond level or second level.

[0128] Condition 3: Within the second time period, the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is greater than or equal to the third threshold is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold.

[0129] For example, as shown in Figure 10, suppose the receive window is updated 5 times within the update cycle, corresponding to four update intervals. Assume the third threshold for the update interval is 5ms, and the fourth threshold for the number of updates is 2. If 3 out of the 5 receive window updates exceed the update interval threshold, the timer duration on the terminal side can be reduced, allowing the terminal to send status reports more frequently, thus triggering faster data retransmission from the data sender. Conversely, if the timer duration on the terminal side is reduced, the timer duration on the terminal side will not be updated.

[0130] Correspondingly, in another implementation, the terminal can request the network side to increase the duration of the terminal-side monitoring timer. That is, the fourth piece of information sent by the terminal can be used to request an increase in the first duration. For example, if the receiving window of the receiving end updates too quickly, the duration of the monitoring timer can be increased to reduce the signaling overhead of status reporting and improve the efficiency of data retransmission.

[0131] In this implementation, the fourth information is used to request an increase in the first duration. The first condition may include at least one of the following, which can be used individually to trigger the judgment of the update monitoring timer, or they can be used in any combination. The first condition may include:

[0132] 1: The number of times the receiving window is updated within the second time period is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold.

[0133] 2: The interval D between two consecutive receive window updates within the second time period is less than or equal to the sixth threshold, or...

[0134] 3: Within the second time period, the number of times the interval D of receiving window updates is less than or equal to the seventh threshold is greater than or equal to the eighth threshold.

[0135] 802: The terminal sends the fourth message. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives the fourth message.

[0136] Then, the RAN node can determine the duration of the monitoring timer on the terminal side based on the fourth information. For example, the RAN node can send a configuration update message to the terminal to update the duration of the first timer.

[0137] In one implementation, the fourth information is also used to indicate a decrease or increase in the first duration, and / or to indicate the desired update duration of the first timer.

[0138] In one implementation, the method further includes:

[0139] 803: The RAN node can send a fifth message to the terminal, which indicates the duration after the first timer is updated.

[0140] Optionally, the second duration can also indicate the valid period of the updated first timer duration. For example, the valid period can be indicated by a specific time and a time-domain offset value based on that time. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth information and can update the duration of the first timer according to the information indicated by the fifth information.

[0141] In addition, in the scenario of uplink data transmission, where the terminal acts as the data sender and sends uplink data to the network side such as the RAN node, the terminal can request to update the duration of the monitoring timer on the network side.

[0142] Specifically, the terminal's MAC entity can determine the sixth information based on the first condition. This sixth information is used to request an update of the first duration corresponding to the first timer on the network side. Within the first duration, the network-side MAC entity determines the status information of the MAC SDU in the receive window.

[0143] The first timer can be a monitoring timer for the receiving window of the MAC entity on the network side. If the duration of the first timer is configured as a first duration, the MAC entity on the network side determines the status information of the MAC SDU in the receiving window within the first duration.

[0144] The first condition may include the number of times status information is received within the third time period, and / or the interval between the receipt of status information within the third time period. In other words, the duration of whether to request an update to the first timer can be determined by monitoring the status information received within a certain monitoring period, such as the third time period.

[0145] In one implementation, the first condition may include at least one of the following: the number of times status information is received within a third time period, the interval duration of receiving status information within a third time period, or the number of times the interval duration of receiving status information within a third time period is greater than or less than a certain threshold.

[0146] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, the third duration can be used as an update cycle for monitoring whether to update the monitoring timer. This application does not specifically limit the duration of the timer.

[0147] In one implementation, the terminal can request a reduction in the duration of the network-side monitoring timer. That is, the sixth piece of information sent by the terminal can be used to request a reduction in the first duration. For example, if the network-side receive window updates too slowly, resulting in fewer status reports received by the terminal, the duration of the network-side monitoring timer can be reduced to increase the frequency of status report feedback, decrease data retransmission latency, and improve data retransmission efficiency.

[0148] In this implementation, the sixth piece of information can be used to request a reduction in the first duration. The first condition includes at least one of the following: condition 1, condition 2, or condition 3 can be used individually to trigger the determination of the update monitoring timer, or they can be used in any combination.

[0149] Condition 1: The number of status messages received within the third time period is less than or equal to threshold 1.

[0150] For example, as shown in Figure 11, if the terminal receives two status reports within observation period 1, and the threshold 1 for the number of received status reports is three, then the duration of the network-side monitoring timer is reduced, allowing the network side to send status reports more frequently, thus triggering faster data retransmission from the data sender. If the terminal receives four status reports within observation period 2, exceeding the threshold 1, then the duration of the network-side monitoring timer is not updated.

[0151] Condition 2: The interval between receiving status information within the third time period is greater than or equal to threshold 2.

[0152] For example, as shown in Figure 11, within observation period 1, the terminal receives 2 status messages, corresponding to a reception interval D for one status message. If the reception interval is t2-t1=10ms, and the reception interval threshold 2 is set to 5ms, then the duration of the monitoring timer on the network side will be reduced. Within observation period 2, the terminal receives 4 status messages, corresponding to three reception intervals D. Assuming that each reception interval is less than the reception interval threshold 2, then the duration of the monitoring timer on the network side will not be updated.

[0153] Condition 3: Within the third time period, the number of times the interval between receiving status information is greater than or equal to threshold 3 is greater than or equal to threshold 4.

[0154] For example, as shown in Figure 10, assuming that the terminal receives 5 status reports within the observation period, corresponding to four receiving intervals, assuming that the threshold 3 for the receiving interval is 5ms, the number threshold 4 is 2, and the number of durations exceeding the receiving interval threshold is 3, then the detection timer duration on the network side can be reduced.

[0155] Correspondingly, in another implementation, the terminal can request an increase in the duration of the monitoring timer on the network side. That is, the sixth piece of information sent by the terminal can be used to request an increase in the first duration.

[0156] In this implementation, the sixth information is used to request an increase in the first duration, and the first condition may include at least one or any combination of the following:

[0157] 1. The number of status messages received within the third time period is greater than or equal to the threshold of 5.

[0158] 2. The interval between receiving status information within the third time period is less than or equal to the threshold 6, or,

[0159] 3. Within the third time period, the number of times the interval between receiving status information is less than or equal to threshold 7 is greater than or equal to threshold 8.

[0160] In one implementation, the RAN node can send a seventh message to the terminal, which indicates the updated duration of the first timer and / or the valid period of the updated first timer duration. For example, the valid period can be indicated by a specific time and a time-domain offset value based on that time.

[0161] In one implementation, the sixth information is also used to indicate a decrease or increase in the first duration, and / or the desired update duration of the first timer.

[0162] In one implementation, the sixth information can also be used to indicate the updating of the first timer on the terminal side, or to indicate the updating of the first timer on the network side.

[0163] In one implementation, if all MAC SDUs sent by the transmitter are successfully received, the monitoring timer may be reset. If the monitoring timer resets frequently, it may affect the triggering of status information. Therefore, a threshold for the number of times the monitoring timer can be defined. If the number of resets exceeds this threshold, the monitoring timer can be disabled from being reset. Optionally, the number of resets can be set to zero.

[0164] In the above embodiments, the duration of the monitoring timer on the terminal side or network side can be dynamically updated based on the update status of the receiving window and the reception status of the status report. For example, the transmission overhead of the status report can be reduced by dynamically increasing the duration of the monitoring timer; or the transmission latency of the status report can be reduced and the data retransmission latency can be reduced by decreasing the duration of the monitoring timer.

[0165] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0166] In one possible implementation, to achieve the functions described in the above embodiments, the transmitting end or receiving end includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function, such as network devices, components within network devices, terminals, or components within terminals. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed through hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0167] Figures 12 and 13 are schematic diagrams of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can be used to implement the functions of the receiving end (such as a network device, a component in a network device, a terminal, or a component in a terminal) in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of any of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the terminal 120 shown in Figure 1, or the RAN node 110 shown in Figure 1, or a component applied to the terminal or RAN node (such as a module, communication module, or chip).

[0168] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a processing unit 1201 and a transceiver unit 1202. The communication device 1200 is used to implement the function of the receiving device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 above.

[0169] The processing unit 1201 is used to determine status information based on first information. The status information is determined by the MAC entity and is used to indicate the transmission status of the Service Data Unit (MAC SDU) of Media Access Control. The transmission status includes successful reception and / or failed reception. The first information includes the update status of the MAC entity's reception window and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the MAC entity's reception window.

[0170] The transceiver unit 1202 can be used to send status information.

[0171] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, including: when the duration of the MAC entity's receive window not being updated is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information.

[0172] In one implementation, the MAC entity determines status information based on first information, including: when the number of MAC SDUs not received within the MAC entity's receive window is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information.

[0173] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 1202 can also be used to receive second information, which is used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first information to determine the status information.

[0174] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 1202 can also be used to send third information, which is used to request activation based on the first information to determine the status information.

[0175] Furthermore, since the communication device 1200 can be used to implement the function of the transmitting device in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 above, it can also achieve the beneficial effects of any of the above method embodiments.

[0176] The transceiver unit 1202 can be used to send second information, which is used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first information to determine status information. The status information is used to indicate the transmission status of the Media Access Control Service Data Unit (MAC SDU). The transmission status includes successful reception and / or failed reception. The first information includes the update status of the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity.

[0177] The processing unit 1201 can be used to receive status information.

[0178] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing unit 1201 and transceiver unit 1202, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG2.

[0179] In addition, the communication device 1200 can also be used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG8 above.

[0180] The processing unit 1201 can be used to determine fourth information based on a first condition. The fourth information is determined by the MAC entity and is used to request an update of the first duration corresponding to the first timer. The MAC entity determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC) of Media Access Control in the receiving window within the first duration. The first condition includes the number of updates to the receiving window within the second duration and / or the interval duration of the receiving window updates within the second duration.

[0181] The transceiver unit 1202 can be used to send the fourth message.

[0182] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 1202 can also be used to receive fifth information from the network side, the fifth information being used to indicate the duration after the first timer is updated, and / or the valid period of the updated duration.

[0183] Alternatively, in another implementation, the processing unit 1201 may be used to determine the sixth information based on the first condition, wherein the sixth information is determined by the MAC entity, and the sixth information is used to request an update of the first duration corresponding to the first timer on the network side, wherein the MAC entity on the network side determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC) of Media Access Control in the receiving window within the first duration, and the first condition includes the number of times the status information is received within the third duration, and / or the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration.

[0184] The transceiver unit 1202 can be used to send the sixth message.

[0185] In one embodiment, the transceiver unit 1202 can also be used to receive seventh information from the network side, the seventh information being used to indicate the duration after the first timer is updated, and / or the valid period of the updated duration.

[0186] As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 includes a processor 1310 and an interface circuit 1320. The processor 1310 and the interface circuit 1320 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1320 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1300 may also include a memory 1330 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1310, or storing input data required by the processor 1310 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1310 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1320 can also be understood as part of the processor 1310, in which case the communication device 1300 includes the processor 1310.

[0187] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the method shown in FIG2 or FIG8, the processor 1310 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1301, and the interface circuit 1320 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1302.

[0188] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from a network device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to a network device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0189] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the network device, and then sent to the chip by these modules. The chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information being forwarded to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the network device, and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0190] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between network devices and terminals; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a chip in a network device and other modules of that network device.

[0191] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0192] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or terminal.

[0193] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0194] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0195] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0196] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between network elements and similar items with essentially the same function. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0197] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The Media Access Control (MAC) entity determines status information based on first information. The status information is used to indicate the transmission status of the Service Data Unit (MAC SDU) of the Media Access Control. The transmission status includes successful reception and / or failed reception. The first information includes the update status of the MAC entity's reception window and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the MAC entity's reception window. The MAC entity sends the status information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, including: When the receiving window of the MAC entity does not have an update duration greater than or equal to the first threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, including: When the number of MAC SDUs not received within the receiving window of the MAC entity is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the MAC entity determines the status information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, and the method further includes: Receive second information, which is used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first information to determine the status information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The first information includes the content, and the effective duration corresponding to the status information is determined based on the first information.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which is used to request activation based on the first message to determine the status information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, After the MAC entity determines the status information based on the first information, the method further includes: The MAC entity updates the monitoring threshold, updates the reporting threshold, and restarts the first timer.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a second message, which is used to indicate activation or deactivation based on the first message to determine status information. The status information is used to indicate the transmission status of the Service Data Unit (MAC) SDU of Media Access Control. The transmission status includes successful reception and / or failed reception. The first message includes the update status of the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity and / or the reception status of the MAC SDU within the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity. The Media Access Control (MAC) entity receives status information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The determination of status information based on the first information includes: The duration for which the receiving window of the receiving MAC entity is not updated is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The determination of status information based on the first information includes: The number of MAC SDUs that are not received within the receiving window of the receiving end MAC entity is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The first information includes the content, and the effective duration corresponding to the status information is determined based on the first information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, which is used to request activation based on the first information to determine the status information.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The Media Access Control (MAC) entity determines fourth information based on a first condition. The fourth information is used to request an update of the first duration corresponding to the first timer. The MAC entity determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC) of the Media Access Control in the receiving window within the first duration. The first condition includes the number of updates to the receiving window within the second duration and / or the interval duration of the receiving window updates within the second duration. The MAC entity sends the fourth message.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The fourth information is used to request a reduction in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The number of times the receiving window is updated within the second time period is less than or equal to the first threshold. The interval between two consecutive receive window updates within the second time period is greater than or equal to the second threshold, or, Within the second time period, the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is greater than or equal to the third threshold is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The fourth piece of information is used to request an increase in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The number of times the receiving window is updated within the second time period is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold. The interval between two consecutive receive window updates within the second time period is less than or equal to the sixth threshold, or, Within the second time period, the number of times the interval between receiving window updates is less than or equal to the seventh threshold is greater than or equal to the eighth threshold.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Update the first timer on the terminal side, decreasing or increasing the first duration, to the desired update duration of the first timer.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fifth information from the network side, the fifth information being used to indicate the duration after the first timer is updated, and / or the valid period of the updated duration.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The Media Access Control (MAC) entity determines the sixth information based on the first condition. The sixth information is used to request an update of the first duration corresponding to the first timer on the network side. The MAC entity on the network side determines the status information of the Service Data Unit (MAC) of the Media Access Control in the receiving window within the first duration. The first condition includes the number of times the status information is received within the third duration and / or the interval duration of the status information received within the third duration. The MAC entity sends the sixth message.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The sixth piece of information is used to request a reduction in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The number of times the status information is received within the third time period is less than or equal to the threshold 1. The interval between receiving status information within the third time period is greater than or equal to threshold 2, or... Within the third time period, the number of times the interval between receiving status information is greater than or equal to threshold 3 is greater than or equal to threshold 4.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The sixth piece of information is used to request an increase in the first duration, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: The number of times the status information is received within the third time period is greater than or equal to the threshold 5. The interval between receiving status information within the third time period is less than or equal to the threshold 6, or, Within the third time period, the number of times the interval between receiving status information is less than or equal to threshold 7 is greater than or equal to threshold 8.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18-20, characterized in that, The sixth piece of information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: Update the first timer on the network side, decreasing or increasing the first duration, to the desired update duration of the first timer.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive seventh information from the network side, the seventh information being used to indicate the duration after the first timer is updated, and / or the valid period of the updated duration.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-22 to be performed.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1-22 is performed.

26. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code, characterized in that, When the computer program code is run on a computer, the method as described in any one of claims 1-22 is performed.

Images