Delay Information Reporting via MAC CE for XR Traffic

The patent segments delay information reporting by logical channel groups (LCGs). Instead of reporting delay budgets for all logical channels individually, the UE groups logical channels into LCGs and reports aggregated delay information per LCG. This segmentation reduces the total number of reports while maintaining scheduling accuracy for different traffic types with different delay requirements.

The patent implements partial reporting by selectively including delay information in MAC CEs based on availability of uplink resources and urgency of delay requirements. When uplink resources are limited, the UE reports only the most critical delay information or uses compact representations. This partial action approach ensures that essential delay information is transmitted without consistently consuming maximum uplink resources.

The patent implements dynamic triggering of delay information reporting based on changing conditions. The UE monitors delay budgets of buffered packets and triggers MAC CE transmission only when delay information changes or when delay thresholds are approached. This dynamic approach adapts the reporting frequency to actual network conditions, providing timely updates when needed while avoiding unnecessary signaling during stable conditions.

The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where the base station configures delay budget thresholds via RRC signaling, and the UE responds by reporting when its buffered packet delay budgets approach or exceed these thresholds. This feedback loop enables event-driven reporting that balances timeliness with signaling efficiency, as reports are generated only in response to specific delay conditions rather than continuously.

The patent extracts only the essential delay information needed for scheduling decisions from the complete set of available delay data. Instead of including all delay budget values for all logical channels, the UE selects and reports key metrics such as minimum delay budget, average delay budget, or delay status relative to thresholds for each LCG. This extraction approach provides sufficient scheduling information while keeping MAC CE size manageable.

The patent changes the representation parameters of delay information to optimize the balance between information content and size. The UE may report delay information as categorical values (e.g., delay buckets or threshold compliance status) rather than precise numerical values, or use differential encoding for successive reports. These parameter changes reduce the bit representation requirements while preserving the scheduling-relevant characteristics of delay information.