CN114503765A

CN114503765A - Packet replication on a single carrier

Info

Publication number: CN114503765A
Application number: CN201980100618.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·图尔蒂南; B·塞比雷; 吴春丽
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2019-09-17
Filing date: 2019-09-17
Publication date: 2022-05-13
Also published as: WO2021051255A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to packet replication on a single carrier. Some embodiments of a method for packet duplication may include receiving at least a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a PDU duplicate from a first protocol layer over at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively. The method may further comprise: one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel is selectively mapped to the UL grant in response to the UL grant.

Description

Packet replication on a single carrier

Technical Field

Various exemplary embodiments relate generally to communication technology and, more particularly, relate to a method and apparatus for supporting packet replication on a single carrier.

Background

Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and/or in the figures are defined herein as follows:

3GPP third generation partnership project

5G fifth generation mobile communication technology

BSR buffer status reporting

CA carrier aggregation

DC dual connection

DL downlink

DRB data air interface bearer

eMB enhanced mobile broadband

gNB (next generation) node B

IMT international mobile telecommunications

ITU-R International telecommunication Union radio communication

LCP logical channel priority

LTE Long term evolution

MAC medium access control

mMTC mass machine type communication

NR New air interface

New air interface in NR-U unlicensed spectrum

PDCP packet data convergence protocol

PDU protocol data unit

RB air interface bearer

RLC radio link control

RRC radio resource control

SDU service data unit

SR scheduling request

SRB signaling over-the-air bearer

UL uplink

URLLC ultra-reliable and low-delay communication

ITU-R IMT in 2020 and beyond has defined three typical usage scenarios for 5G: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), mass machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC). URLLC is a communication service with radio delay less than 1 millisecond and target reliability higher than 99.99%. URLLC is expected to play an important role in a wide range of new applications such as Virtual Reality (VR), car networking (V2X), factory automation, and power distribution.

In view of the above three typical usage scenarios, 3GPP is responsible for the development and standardization of a 5G new air interface (NR). To provide higher capacity and capability, the 5G NR is designed to support flexible bandwidths of up to 100MHz in the sub 6GHz spectrum and up to 400MHz in the millimeter wave spectrum, which is much higher than the maximum bandwidth of 20MHz in 4G LTE. In addition, 3GPP has approved a work item named NR-U to extend the 5G NR to unlicensed spectrum and obtain more spectrum resources. The objectives of this work item include broadband operation (at integer multiples of 20 MHz) of the DL and UL of NR-U supported by one or more serving cells.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of example embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of the essential elements or to delineate the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is provided below.

In a first aspect, exemplary embodiments of a method for packet replication are disclosed. The method can comprise the following steps: receiving at least a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a PDU copy from a first protocol layer over at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively; and selectively mapping at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant in response to the UL grant. The step of selectively mapping may comprise: the first logical channel is mapped to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the first logical channel, or the second logical channel is mapped to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel.

In some example embodiments, the step of selectively mapping at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant may further comprise: when the UL grant spans a first set of subbands and a second set of subbands of the carrier, mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, or (b) one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, or (c) one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to the one of the first or second set of subbands that the UL grant spans more, or (d) one of the first or second logical channels that is not mapped to a last UL grant before the UL grant, to the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the method may further include transmitting the PDU or the PDU copy received over the mapped logical channel on the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

For example, in some example embodiments, the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands each having a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth over which a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) is performed.

For example, in some example embodiments, the method may further include performing CCA on one or more subbands in the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier spanned by the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands.

In some exemplary embodiments, one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.

In some example embodiments, the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.

In some example embodiments, the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with the same entity in the second protocol layer.

For example, in some example embodiments, the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

For example, in some example embodiments, the method may further include applying a Logical Channel Priority (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the receiving step may further include receiving at least one additional PDU copy from the first protocol layer through at least one additional logical channel. The step of selectively mapping may further include mapping at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional set of subbands whose carriers correspond to the at least one additional logical channel. The step of selectively mapping may further include mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel, and the at least one additional logical channel that is (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponds to the one of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands that spans more than one of the UL grants when the UL grant spans at least two of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the additional logical channel.

In a second aspect, an exemplary embodiment of a method for data transmission is disclosed. The method may include receiving an Uplink (UL) grant and selectively transmitting a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) received from a first protocol layer over one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel on the UL grant. The step of selectively transmitting may comprise: transmitting the PDU received over the first logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the first logical channel or transmitting the PDU received over the second logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel.

In some example embodiments, the step of selectively transmitting PDUs on the UL grant may further include transmitting, on the UL grant, PDUs received (a) over a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, or (b) over one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, or (c) over one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to the one of the first and second subband sets over which the UL grant spans more, or (d) over one of the first or second logical channels not used for the last UL grant prior to the UL grant, when the UL grant spans the first and second subband sets of carriers.

In some exemplary embodiments, the step of selectively transmitting may further comprise: transmitting the PDU received over the additional logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within an additional set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the additional logical channel. The step of selectively transmitting may further include transmitting, on the UL grant, PDUs received through one of the first, second, and additional logical channels that is (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponds to the carrier's first, second, and additional subband sets across at least two of the first, second, and additional subband sets.

In a third aspect, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following. The actions include receiving at least a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a PDU copy from a first protocol layer over at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively, and selectively mapping at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to an UL grant in response to the UL grant. The act of selectively mapping may also include mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the first logical channel or mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel.

In some example embodiments, the act of selectively mapping may further include mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, or (b) one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, or (c) one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to the UL grant spanning more than one of the first or second set of subbands, or (d) one of the first or second logical channels that is not mapped to a last UL grant prior to the UL grant, to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first and second set of subbands.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the act of transmitting the PDU or the PDU copy received from the mapped logical channel on the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

In some example embodiments, the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands may each include one or more subbands each having a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth for performing a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA).

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the following: CCA is performed for one or more subbands in a first set of subbands and a second set of subbands of a carrier spanned by an UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

For example, in some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the following: applying a Logical Channel Priority (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the act of receiving may further include receiving at least one additional PDU copy from the first protocol layer over at least one additional logical channel. The act of selectively mapping may further comprise: mapping at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the at least one additional logical channel, or mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel, and the at least one additional logical channel that is (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponds to an UL grant of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional subbands.

In a fourth aspect, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following. These actions include: an Uplink (UL) grant is received and a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) received from a first protocol layer over one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel is selectively transmitted on the UL grant. The act of selectively transmitting further includes transmitting the PDU received over the first logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the first logical channel or transmitting the PDU received over the second logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of selectively transmitting may further comprise: transmitting on the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier (a) a PDU received over a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, or (b) a PDU received over one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, or (c) a PDU received over one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to the one of the first or second sets of subbands over which the UL grant spans more, or (d) a PDU received over one of the first or second logical channels not used for the last UL grant prior to the UL grant.

In some exemplary embodiments, the act of selectively transmitting may further comprise: transmitting PDUs received over the additional logical channels on the UL grant when the UL grant is within the additional set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the additional logical channels, or transmitting one UL grant on the UL grant over one of the first, second, and additional logical channels that is (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponds to one of the first, second, and additional sets of subbands of the carrier over more of the UL grants in the first, second, and additional logical channels when the UL grant spans at least two of the first, second, and additional sets of subbands of the carrier.

In a fifth aspect, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity over a first logical channel and in communication with a second RLC entity over a second logical channel. The first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are configured to receive a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicate from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity. The MAC entity is configured to selectively map at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to an UL grant in response to the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the MAC entity is configured to perform the following actions in response to the UL grant. The actions include mapping a first logical channel to an UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of a carrier corresponding to the first logical channel, mapping a second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel, and mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel, (b) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant, (c) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel corresponding to one more the UL grant spans in the first set of subbands or the second set of subbands, or (d) one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel not mapped to a last UL grant before the UL grant, to the UL grant.

In a sixth aspect, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity over a first logical channel and in communication with a second RLC entity over a second logical channel. The first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are configured to receive a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicate from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity. The apparatus is configured to selectively transmit one of the PDU copies received over the first logical channel or the second logical channel on the UL grant in response to receiving the UL grant.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus is configured to perform the following in response to receiving the UL grant. These actions include: transmitting a PDU copy received over a first logical channel on a UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands that correspond to a carrier of the first logical channel; transmitting a PDU copy received over the second logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands that correspond to a carrier of the second logical channel; and transmitting on the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier (a) a PDU copy received over one of the first and second logical channels, (b) a PDU copy received over one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, (c) a PDU copy received over one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to the one of the first or second set of subbands that the UL grant spans more than one, or (d) a PDU copy received over one of the first or second logical channels that was not used for the last UL grant prior to the UL grant.

In a seventh aspect, an exemplary embodiment of a computer program is disclosed. The computer program comprises instructions and the instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any of the above methods.

In an eighth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a computer-readable medium are disclosed. The computer readable medium has instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods described above.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary protocol stack at an apparatus supporting packet replication in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for packet replication, according to some example embodiments;

figures 3A-3B illustrate examples of UL grants received on a serving carrier.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method for data transmission, according to some example embodiments.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to some example embodiments.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. A repetitive description of the same elements will be omitted.

Detailed Description

Packet duplication is introduced in NR Rel-15 to improve the reliability and latency of data (including signaling) transmission. When the configuration copy is performed for the air interface bearer, each PDCP PDU of the air interface bearer will be submitted twice: the first to the primary RLC entity and the second to the secondary RLC entity. Copies of PDCP PDUs will be transmitted over two different logical channels to the same MAC entity (referred to as CA replication) or to different MAC entities (referred to as DC replication) and then transmitted by the physical layer serving the different cells.

With transmissions on both cells/carriers, packet duplication thus increases reliability and reduces latency, and is particularly beneficial for URLLC services. However, in some cases, one of the two carriers may be overloaded or of poor quality. Packet duplication on the same carrier can then still be considered to enhance reliability and latency. While the current Rel-15 packet duplication concept is applicable to CA and DC scenarios where copies of PDCP PDUs are transmitted on different cells/carriers, there is currently no solution on how to use packet duplication on a single wideband carrier that is not made up of multiple carriers/cells on which duplication can be performed. Especially for how to implement packet duplication on a single carrier of an unlicensed spectrum, there is currently no solution.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, computer programs and computer readable media for packet replication on a single carrier/cell.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary protocol stack at an apparatus supporting packet replication according to some demonstrative embodiments. The apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1 may be a UE that wirelessly communicates with a gNB or wirelessly communicates with other network devices through a gNB. Examples of UEs to which the teachings herein are applicable may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearable electronic devices, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), wireless connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety of other communication devices. Further, the UE may include not only currently available communication devices, but also communication devices subsequently developed that operate in a cellular network.

The protocol stack for packet duplication may be a second layer protocol stack including a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, and a MAC layer. Fig. 1 shows an apparatus 100 configured with a PDCP entity 110, two

RLC entities

120a and 120b, and a MAC entity 130. At the PDCP entity 110, the PDCP SDU may be a data packet from a DRB or from a SRB, and may be processed to obtain two PDCP PDUs identical to each other. In some embodiments, two identical PDUs may also be referred to as a PDU replica, an (original) PDU and a PDU replica, or a primary PDU and a secondary PDU.

As shown in fig. 1, two identical PDCP PDUs may be transmitted to two

different RLC entities

120a, 120b and further transmitted to the same MAC entity 130 over two different logical channels LCHl, LCH 2. In some embodiments, the two RLC entities may be referred to as a primary RLC entity and a secondary RLC entity, and the two corresponding logical channels may be referred to as a primary logical channel and a secondary logical channel. Two PDUs from two different logical channels LCH1, LCH2 can then be transmitted on the same carrier, as will be described in more detail later.

In some embodiments, although not shown in fig. 1, the apparatus 100 may be configured with more than two RLC entities. For example, the apparatus 100 may also have a third RLC entity associated with the PDCP entity 110 and the MAC entity 130. The PDCP entity may make three copies of the PDU and transmit them to the first, second, and third RLC entities, and then transmit them to the MAC entity 130 through the first, second, and third logical channels, respectively. In some embodiments, the first logical channel may be referred to as a primary logical channel, the second logical channel may be referred to as a primary logical channel, and the third logical channel may be referred to as a secondary logical channel. Of course, in some embodiments, the apparatus 100 may also have more secondary logical channels.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for packet replication, according to some example embodiments. In some embodiments, the method shown in fig. 2 may be implemented at an apparatus 100, the apparatus 100 operating on a single carrier and configured with packet duplication. Thus, for better understanding, fig. 2 may be understood in conjunction with the protocol stacks shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 2, a method 200 for packet replication may begin at step 210, where step 210 is receiving at least a PDU and a PDU replica from a first protocol layer over at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively. In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, in step 210, the MAC entity 130 receives PDUs and PDU duplicates from the

RLC entities

120a, 120b (RLC layer) or indirectly from the PDCP entity 110(PDCP layer), respectively, through the primary logical channel LCH1 and the secondary logical channel LCH 2.

Next, at step 220, in response to the UL grant, one of at least the first logical channel and the second logical channel may be selectively mapped to the UL grant. The device 100 may receive a UL grant from the network on a downlink physical channel, such as a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The UL grant may include information of resources that the device 100 network is authorized to transmit data on the uplink. In some embodiments, the network may issue an UL grant when it receives a Scheduling Request (SR) or Buffer Status Report (BSR) from the device 100 indicating that the device 100 has data to transmit on the uplink. In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant when it receives a random access request (MSG1) from device 100. In some embodiments, the network may issue a UL grant for device 100 based on semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). In some embodiments, the network may issue the UL grant for the device 100 without any prior action by the apparatus 100.

The resources indicated by the UL grant may be located anywhere on the carrier serving the cell in which the apparatus 100 resides. In some embodiments, in step 220, the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 can be selectively mapped to UL grants according to their location on the carrier. Fig. 3A-3B show some examples of UL grants. Referring to fig. 3A, a carrier 10 may have a first set of subbands 11 including subbands 1-3 and a second set of subbands 12 including subbands 4-6. In some embodiments, each of first set of subbands 11 and second set of subbands 12 may include more or fewer subbands, but at least one subband. The number of subbands included in one set of subbands may be equal to or different from the number of subbands included in another set of subbands. For example, in some embodiments, first set of subbands 11 may include subbands 1-2, and second set of subbands 12 may include subbands 3-6.

The bandwidth of each sub-band may be arbitrarily defined, and the total number of sub-bands may be determined according to the bandwidth of the carrier 10. In some embodiments, when carrier 10 is in an unlicensed spectrum, each subband may have a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth for performing a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA), which will facilitate CCA operation described below. For example, each sub-band may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Of course, in some embodiments, the sub-bands may have a greater or lesser bandwidth.

First subband set 11 and second subband set 12 may correspond to first logical channel LCHl and second logical channel LCH2, respectively. Although not shown in fig. 3A-3B, carrier 10 may include more sets of subbands corresponding to more logical channels for device 100 as described above. Fig. 3A shows two examples of UL grants, namely a first UL Grant1 within the first set of subbands 11 and a second UL Grant2 within the second set of subbands 12. The first UL Grant1 spans subbands 2-3 in the first set of subbands 11 and the second UL Grant2 spans a portion of subband 5 in the second set of subbands 12. In response to the first UL Grant1 within the first set of subbands 11, the first logical channel LCH1 may be selectively mapped to the first UL Grant1 at step 220. This means that PDUs received over the first logical channel LCH1 will be transmitted on the resources indicated in the first UL Grant 1. In response to the second UL Grant2 within the second set of subbands 12, the second logical channel LCH2 may be selectively mapped to the second UL Grant2 at step 220. This means that PDUs received over the second logical channel LCH2 will be transmitted on the resources indicated in the second UL Grant 2.

Fig. 3B shows some other examples of UL grants. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, subbands 1-3 in first set of subbands 11 are spaced apart from each other, unlike they are adjacent to each other in FIG. 3A. The sub-bands 4-6 in the second sub-band group 12 are also spaced apart from each other, unlike they are adjacent to each other in fig. 3A. The third UL Grant3 may span sub-bands 2, 4 and the fourth UL Grant4 may span sub-bands 3, 5, 6. As can be seen, each of the third and fourth UL Grant3, Grant4 spans a first set of subbands 11 corresponding to a first logical channel LCH1 and a second set of subbands 12 corresponding to a second logical channel LCH 2. In some embodiments, the UL grant may span more than two subband sets of carrier 10.

In some embodiments, at step 220, a predetermined one of the first (primary) logical channel LCH1 and the second (secondary) logical channel LCH2 may be mapped to an UL grant when the UL grant is large and spans both the first set of subbands 11 and the second set of subbands 12 of the carrier 10. For example, as shown in fig. 3B, the first (primary) logical channel LCH1 or the second (secondary) logical channel LCH2 can be mapped to both Grant3 and Grant 4. Or in some embodiments the network may configure the device 100, which of the first and second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2, respectively, the device 100 should map to an UL grant. For example, the network may specify which of the first and second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 should map to an UL grant in the UL grant of the device 100.

In some other embodiments, in step 220, when the UL grant is large and spans both the first set of subbands 11 and the second set of subbands 12 of carrier 10, the first logical channel LCHl or the second logical channel LCH2 corresponding to the one of the first set of subbands 11 or the second set of subbands 12 that the UL grant spans more will be mapped to the UL grant. For example, Grant3 spans more of the first set of subbands 11 than the second set of subbands 12, so the first logical channel LCH1 will be mapped to Grant 3. On the other hand, Grant4 spans more than the first set of subbands 11 in the second set of subbands 12, so the second logical channel LCH2 will be mapped to Grant 4.

In some other embodiments, at step 220, when the UL grant is large and spans both the first set of subbands 11 and the second set of subbands 12 of the carrier 10, one of the first logical channel LCH or the second logical channel LCH2 that did not map to the last UL grant before the current UL grant will be mapped to the current UL grant. For example, if the second logical channel LCH2 is mapped to Grant4 and the next UL Grant5 (not shown) after Grant4 also spans both the first set of subbands 11 and the second set of subbands 12, the first logical channel LCH1 will be mapped to Grant5 even if Grant5 spans more than the first set of subbands 11 over the second set of subbands 12.

In some embodiments, the selective mapping of the first logical channel LCH1 or the second logical channel LCH2 as described above may be achieved by applying restrictions such as Logical Channel Priority (LCP) rules in the MAC entity 130. The LCP rules may be configured by the network through RRC signaling and dynamically adjusted via MAC signaling. The LCP rules may assign a priority to each logical channel so that data from logical channels (MAC SDUs) may be selectively multiplexed into MAC PDUs based on their priority for transmission on UL grants.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, carrier 10 may include more than two (e.g., three, four, or more) sets of subbands corresponding to more than two (e.g., three, four, or more) logical channels of apparatus 100. In such a case, if the UL grant is within one of more than two subband sets of carrier 10, a corresponding one of more than two logical channels of device 100 may be mapped to the UL grant. If the UL grant spans two or more subband sets of carrier 10, the network may specify in the UL grant which logical channel should be mapped to the UL grant, or one of the more than two logical channels corresponding to the one of the two or more subband sets that the UL grant spans more will be mapped to the UL grant.

In some embodiments, when the carrier 10 on which the apparatus 100 operates is in an unlicensed spectrum, the method 200 may further comprise: prior to transmitting data on the UL grant, a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) is performed to determine whether resources indicated in the UL grant are available. This is also known as a Listen Before Talk (LBT) mechanism and it can be used to ensure that NR-U and WiFi can share the same spectrum resources without collisions between them. CCA may be performed, for example, in units of 20 MHz. When the subbands of carrier 10 have a bandwidth equal to the unit bandwidth of CCA, CCA may be performed efficiently on the subbands spanned by the UL grant, i.e., each CCA is performed for one subband. For example, referring to fig. 3A-3B, CCA should be performed on

sub-bands

2 and 3 for Grant1, sub-band 5 for Grant2, sub-bands 2 and 4 for Grant3, and sub-bands 3, 5, and 6 for Grant 4. CCA may be performed by carrier sensing or energy detection. Carrier sensing is the measurement of the strength of the received WiFi signal. If the signal strength is above a certain level, the channel is considered busy. Energy detection is the measurement of the total energy of the received signal, whether it is a valid WiFi signal or not. If the received energy is above a certain level, the channel is considered busy. It should be understood that the CCA procedure may be omitted when carrier 10 is in the licensed spectrum.

Referring back to fig. 2, the PDUs from the mapped logical channel UL grant may then be transmitted on the UL grant at step 230.

In the above embodiments, although the PDU copies are transmitted on the same carrier, the reliability and latency of data transmission can be improved. This is because the PDU copies are transmitted on different subband sets, and thus the likelihood of successful transmission is twice the likelihood of transmitting a PDU copy on one subband set. Since different subchannels may have different performance due to different loading, frequency diversity may be provided even within the same carrier.

In the above embodiment discussed with reference to fig. 1-3B, the mapping step 220 and the transmitting step 230 are described as two steps. However, in some other embodiments, the mapping step 220 and the transmitting step 230 may also be within one step. Such an embodiment is shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method for data transmission, according to some example embodiments. The method 400 may be implemented by the apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1 to transmit data on the uplink. Referring to fig. 4, the method 400 may begin with step 410 of receiving a UL grant. The UL grant may include information indicating resources allocated by the network to the device 100 to transmit data on the uplink. The UL grant may correspond to an example as discussed above with reference to fig. 3A-3B, and a repeated description thereof will be omitted herein.

Then, at step 420, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) received from the first protocol layer over one of the at least first and second logical channels may be selectively transmitted on the UL grant. As discussed above with reference to fig. 1, the PDUs may be received from the RLC layer over the primary and secondary logical channels LCH1, LCH2, or indirectly from the PDCP layer.

In some embodiments, when the UL grant is within the first subband set 11 of carrier 10, like grant1 in fig. 3A, PDUs received over primary logical channel LCH1 corresponding to the first subband set 11 will be selectively transmitted on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, when the UL grant is within the second set of subbands 12 of carrier 10, like grant2 in fig. 3A, PDUs received over the secondary logical channel LCH2 corresponding to the second set of subbands 12 will be selectively transmitted on the UL grant.

In some embodiments, like Grant3 and Grang4 in fig. 3B, the UL Grant may span both the first set of subbands 11 and the second set of subbands 12 of carrier 10. In this case, PDUs received through a predetermined one of the primary logical channel LCH1 and the secondary logical channel LCH2 may be transmitted on an UL grant. For example, the primary logical channel LCH1 or the secondary logical channel LCH2 can transmit on both UL grants Grant3 and Grant 4. In some embodiments, the network may configure which of the first and second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2, respectively, of the device 100 is transmitted by the device 100 on an UL grant. For example, the network may specify which of the first and second logical channels LCH1 and LCH2 should be transmitted on an UL grant in the UL grant for the device 100. In some embodiments, alternatively, PDUs received by one of the primary and secondary logical channels LCH1, LCH2 may be transmitted on an UL grant, which one of the primary and secondary logical channels LCH1, LCH2 corresponds to the one of the first and second subband sets across more or not used for the last UL grant prior to the current UL grant.

In some embodiments, as discussed above, carrier 10 may include more than two (e.g., three, four, or more) sets of subbands corresponding to more than two (e.g., three, four, or more) logical channels of apparatus 100. In this case, if the UL grant is within one of more than two subband sets of carrier 10, a corresponding one of more than two logical channels of device 100 may be transmitted on the UL grant. If the UL grant spans two or more subband sets of carrier 10, the network may specify which logical channel should be transmitted on the UL grant in the UL grant, or one of the more than two logical channels corresponding to the one of the two or more subband sets across which the UL grant spans more will be transmitted on the UL grant.

Here, selectively transmitting Protocol Data Units (PDUs) received over the first logical channel or the second logical channel may include the step of selectively multiplexing PDUs from the first or second logical channel (MAC SDU) into, for example, MAC PDUs, for transmission on UL grants based on LCP rules applied in the MAC entity.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 5, a communication device 500 may include one or more processors 510 and one or more memories 520. In some embodiments, the processor 510 and the memory 520 may be included in the baseband circuitry 540 of the communication device 500. The baseband circuitry 540 may communicate with a transceiver (TX/RX)550 connected to an antenna 560 such that the baseband circuitry 540 may transmit or receive radio signals through the antenna 560. TX/RX550 may include at least one duplexer (not shown) to enable bi-directional communication.

The at least one processor 510 may be of any suitable type suitable for use in a local technology network and may include general purpose processors, special purpose processors, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more of the processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, and special purpose processors such as those developed based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).

The at least one memory 520 may include various forms of at least one storage medium such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache, for example. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, Read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, and the like. Further, the at least one memory 520 may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof.

The at least one memory 520 stores at least a portion of the computer program code 530. The computer program code 530, when executed by the processor 510, may enable the communication device 500 to operate according to embodiments according to the present invention as described with reference to fig. 1-4. Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 510 of the communication device 500, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

Although two RLC entities and corresponding logical channels are described with reference to fig. 1-5 in the above embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 may also be configured with more than two RLC entities and corresponding logical channels. For example, the apparatus 100 of fig. 1 may also have a third RLC entity and a corresponding third logical channel for communication between the third RLC entity and the MAC entity 130. The PDCP entity 110 may make three copies of the PDU and transmit them to the first, second and third RLC entities and then to the MAC entity 130 through the first, second and third logical channels, respectively. The single carrier 10 of fig. 3A-3B may also contain a third set of subbands that includes one or more subbands that are adjacent to each other or separated from each other corresponding to a third logical channel. Thus, three copies of PDUs from three logical channels may be selectively mapped to or transmitted on a UL grant. Such variations and modifications of the disclosed example embodiments, as well as other example embodiments, are also within the scope of the appended claims.

In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a processor, controller, microprocessor, microcontroller or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the block diagrams, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. Examples of hardware components suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System On Chip (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

For example, embodiments of the disclosure may be described in the general context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. Machine-executable instructions of program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed fashion, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for packet replication, comprising:

receiving at least a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and a PDU copy from a first protocol layer over at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, respectively; and

selectively mapping at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to the UL grant in response to a UL grant, including:

mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of a carrier that correspond to the first logical channel; or

Mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier that correspond to the second logical channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively mapping at least one of the first and second logical channels to the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier:

mapping a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant; or

Mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant to the UL grant; or

Mapping one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to which of the first or second set of subbands the UL grant spans more to the UL grant; or

Mapping one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that is not mapped to a last UL grant before the UL grant to the UL grant.

3. The method of any of claims 1-2, further comprising:

transmitting the PDU or the PDU copy received over the mapped logical channel on the UL grant.

4. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands each having a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth for performing a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA).

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

performing the CCA on one or more subbands in the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier spanned by the UL grant.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

8. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.

10. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.

11. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with a same entity in a second protocol layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

applying a Logical Channel Priority (LCP) rule in the MAC entity to selectively map the first logical channel or the second logical channel to the UL grant.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving at least one additional PDU copy from the first protocol layer over at least one additional logical channel, the selectively mapping further comprising:

mapping the at least one additional logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within at least one additional set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the at least one additional logical channel, or

Mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel, and the at least one additional logical channel that corresponds to one of (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) that the UL grant spans more than one of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands to the UL grant when the UL grant spans at least two of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands of the carrier.

15. A method for data transmission, comprising:

receiving an Uplink (UL) grant; and

selectively transmitting, on the UL grant, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) received from a first protocol layer over one of at least a first logical channel and a second logical channel, comprising:

transmitting the PDU received over the first logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of a carrier corresponding to the first logical channel; or

Transmitting the PDU received over the second logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier that correspond to the second logical channel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein selectively transmitting PDUs on the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands of the carrier:

transmitting the PDU received over a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel on the UL grant; or

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant on the UL grant;

transmitting the PDU received over one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to which of the first or second set of subbands the UL grant spans more on the UL grant; or

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for the last UL grant prior to the UL grant on the UL grant.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein selectively transmitting PDUs on the UL grant further comprises:

transmitting the PDU received over an additional logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within an additional set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the additional logical channel, or

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first, second, and additional logical channels that corresponds to one of (a) that is specified in the UL grant or (b) that spans more of the first, second, and additional subband sets of the carrier than the UL grant does when the UL grant spans at least two of the first, second, and additional subband sets.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands of a carrier that correspond to the first logical channel; or mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier that correspond to the second logical channel.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein selectively mapping at least one of the first and second logical channels to the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first and second sets of subbands of the carrier:

20. The apparatus of any of claims 18-19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

transmitting the PDU or the PDU copy received from the mapped logical channel on the UL grant.

21. The apparatus of any of claims 18-19, wherein the carrier is in an unlicensed spectrum.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands each having a bandwidth equal to a unit bandwidth for performing a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA).

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

24. The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19, wherein the carrier is in a licensed spectrum.

25. The apparatus of any one of claims 18-19, wherein the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands each include one or more subbands.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more sub-bands are adjacent to or spaced apart from each other.

27. The apparatus of any of claims 18-19, wherein the first logical channel is a primary logical channel and the second logical channel is a secondary logical channel.

28. The apparatus of any of claims 18-19, wherein the first logical channel and the second logical channel are associated with a same entity in a second protocol layer.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first protocol layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the second protocol layer is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

31. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving at least one additional PDU copy from the first protocol layer over at least one additional logical channel, the selective mapping further comprising:

Mapping one of the first logical channel, the second logical channel, and the at least one additional logical channel that is (a) specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponding to one of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands that the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first set of subbands, the second set of subbands, and the at least one additional set of subbands of the carrier to the UL grant.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

receiving an Uplink (UL) grant; and

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein selectively transmitting PDUs on the UL grant further comprises, when the UL grant spans the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands of the carrier:

transmitting a PDU received through a predetermined one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel on the UL grant; or

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel specified in the UL grant on the UL grant; or

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first logical channel or the second logical channel that was not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant on the UL grant.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein selectively transmitting PDUs on the UL grant further comprises:

Transmitting the PDU received over one of the first, second, and additional logical channels that either (a) is specified in the UL grant or (b) corresponds to the one of the first, second, and additional subband sets of the carrier that the UL grant spans more when the UL grant spans at least two of the first, second, and additional subband sets of the carrier.

35. An apparatus comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity over a first logical channel and in communication with a second RLC entity over a second logical channel, the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity configured to receive Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, the MAC entity configured to selectively map at least one of the first logical channel and the second logical channel to an UL grant in response to the UL grant.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the MAC entity is configured to, in response to the UL grant:

mapping the first logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands that correspond to a carrier of the first logical channel;

mapping the second logical channel to the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier that corresponds to the second logical channel; and

mapping (a) a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, (b) one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, (c) one of the first or second subband sets corresponding to one of the first or second logical channels across more than one of the UL grants, or (d) one of the first or second logical channels not mapped to a last UL grant before the UL grant, to the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first and second subband sets of carriers.

37. An apparatus comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC) entity in communication with at least a first Radio Link Control (RLC) entity over a first logical channel and in communication with a second RLC entity over a second logical channel, the first and second RLC entities configured to receive Protocol Data Unit (PDU) duplicates from a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, the apparatus configured to selectively transmit one of the PDU duplicates received over the first logical channel or the second logical channel on an UL grant in response to receiving the UL grant.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the apparatus is configured to, in response to receiving the UL grant:

transmitting the PDU replica received over the first logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a first set of subbands that correspond to a carrier of the first logical channel;

transmitting the PDU replica received over the second logical channel on the UL grant when the UL grant is within a second set of subbands of the carrier corresponding to the second logical channel; and

transmitting on the UL grant when the UL grant spans the first set of subbands and the second set of subbands of the carrier (a) the PDU replica received over a predetermined one of the first or second logical channels, (b) the PDU replica received over one of the first or second logical channels specified in the UL grant, (c) the PDU replica received over one of the first or second logical channels corresponding to one of the first or second sets of subbands over more than one of the UL grants spanning, or (d) the PDU replica received over one of the first or second logical channels not used for a last UL grant prior to the UL grant.

39. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.

40. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.