CN116848812A

CN116848812A - Compensating for multicast service data loss in a telecommunications system

Info

Publication number: CN116848812A
Application number: CN202180090119.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 贺敬; B·P·塞比雷; M·斯雅加拉简
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: 2021-01-11
Filing date: 2021-01-11
Publication date: 2023-10-03
Also published as: WO2022147814A1

Abstract

A method for compensating multicast service data loss in a telecommunication system is disclosed. An example method may include: receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity; receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identity; and determining data of the multicast service based on the at least one first data unit and the at least one retransmitted second data unit. Related apparatus and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Description

Compensating for multicast service data loss in a telecommunications system

Technical Field

Various example embodiments relate to methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for compensating for multicast service data loss in a telecommunications system.

Background

In telecommunication systems or networks such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems and new air interface (NR or 5G) systems, data of a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) may be transmitted to a plurality of mobile stations or user equipments simultaneously via a Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) based on a group identity such as a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI) in a serving cell.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, an apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory may include computer program code, and 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: receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity; receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identity; and determining data for the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is received via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identifications may be included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

In some example embodiments, the at least one retransmission data unit may be received after a measurement gap, and the at least one retransmission data unit may correspond to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service is transmitted, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

In some example embodiments, the granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit may be at a multicast radio bearer level.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: decoding the at least one data unit and at least one retransmission data unit in parallel from the multicast traffic channel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

In a second aspect, a method is disclosed comprising: receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity; receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identity; and determining data for the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is received via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, configuration information associated with at least one other set of identifications may be included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service is transmitted, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: decoding the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit in parallel from the multicast traffic channel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

In a third aspect, an apparatus is disclosed comprising: means for receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity; means for receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification; and means for determining data of the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving configuration information associated with at least one other group identification via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identifications may be included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

In some example embodiments, at least one retransmission data unit may be received after a measurement gap, and the at least one retransmission data unit may correspond to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for transmitting information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for decoding the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit from the multicast traffic channel in parallel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed that includes instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to: receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity; receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identity; and determining data for the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is received via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service is transmitted, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: decoding the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit in parallel from the multicast traffic channel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory may include computer program code, and 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: transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identity; and retransmitting at least a portion of the at least one data unit to at least one mobile station in the group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is transmitted to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, the retransmission may be after a measurement gap, and the retransmission portion may correspond to a portion of the at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and determining the retransmission portion based on the received information.

In some example embodiments, the granularity of the transmission of the at least one data unit and the retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit may be at a multicast radio bearer level.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and configuring the at least one further group identity based on the capability information of the group of mobile stations.

In a sixth aspect, a method is disclosed comprising: transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identity; and retransmitting at least a portion of the at least one data unit to at least one mobile station in a group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identity is transmitted to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and multicast system information.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and determining the retransmission portion based on the received information.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and configuring the at least one other group identity based on capability information of the group of mobile stations.

In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is disclosed comprising: means for transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identification; and means for retransmitting at least a portion of the at least one data unit to at least one mobile station in the group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for transmitting configuration information associated with the at least one other group identity to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and means for determining the retransmission portion based on the received information.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and means for configuring the at least one further group identity based on the capability information of the group of mobile stations.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed that includes instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to: transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identity; and retransmitting at least a portion of the at least one data unit to at least one mobile station in the group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is transmitted to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and determining the retransmission portion based on the received information.

In some example embodiments, the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform: receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and configuring the at least one other group identity based on capability information of the group of mobile stations.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an example of multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of operations for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows another example of multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 4 illustrates another example of operations for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 5 shows another example of multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 6 illustrates another example of operations for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 7 illustrates an example method for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example apparatus for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 9 illustrates another example apparatus for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 10 illustrates another example method for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 11 illustrates another example apparatus for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Fig. 12 illustrates another example apparatus for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment.

Detailed Description

The downlink transmission of data of a multicast service (e.g., MBMS) may be a one-time downlink transmission with a configured group identity (e.g., configured G-RNTI) via the MTCH, and a mobile station or User Equipment (UE) desiring to receive the multicast service data may miss or incorrectly receive one or more Data Units (DUs) or Transport Blocks (TBs) of the multicast service, e.g., due to gap assistance measurements, decoding errors, cell handovers, etc.

For example, in the case where downlink multicast data for a multicast service continues to be scheduled during a common measurement gap configured by a serving cell for a target UE or a dedicated gap configured for one or more target UEs, a UE that will leave the serving cell during the measurement gap to perform the measurement may miss a portion of the multicast service data transmitted during the measurement gap. In another example, in the event that the target UE fails to decode one or more received data units of the multicast service, the UE may lose a portion of the multicast service information due to a one-time downlink transmission of downlink multicast service data. In yet another example, in the event that the UE moves from a serving cell to another serving cell, the UE may lose one or more multicast service data portions that have been transmitted by the previous serving cell and/or the new serving cell.

In one or more example embodiments, in addition to normal downlink data transmission of multicast service via the MTCH based on a configured group identity (e.g., G-RNTI), portions of missing or incorrect data reception of multicast service data (e.g., those UEs suffering from data missing or incorrect data reception) may be retransmitted to one or more UEs via the MTCH based on one or more other configured group identities (e.g., one or more other G-RNTIs). Thus, for example, missing or incorrectly received data portions in the multicast service may be compensated for without interrupting the normal data transmission of the multicast service.

Fig. 1 shows an example of multicast service data backoff in an example embodiment, wherein a network transmits data units of a multicast service comprising data units 110-119 to one or more UEs comprising UE1 and UE2 via an MTCH based on a group identity G-RNTI 1.

In the example shown in fig. 1, in a target UE of multicast service data transmission, for example, according to the capability of each UE, an active bandwidth portion of each UE, a current operation target frequency, and the like, a portion of the UEs including UE1 may perform gap-assisted measurement in a CONNECTED state, for example, in an rrc_connected state specified in a third generation partnership project (3 GPP) standard, during measurement gaps such as periods 101, 103, and 105 shown in fig. 1, while another portion of the UEs including UE2 need not perform measurement during measurement gaps such as periods 102 and 104, while receiving data units of G-RNTI 1-based multicast service during periods other than the measurement gaps such as periods 101, 103, and 105 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the transmission of G-RNTI 1-based data units 111 and 112 is within a period 102 corresponding to a measurement gap of a portion of the UE including UE1, the transmission of G-RNTI 1-based data units 117 and 118 is within a period 104 also corresponding to a measurement gap of a portion of the UE including UE1, and the transmission of G-RNTI 1-based data units 110, 113-116 and 119 is within periods 101, 103 and 105 outside the measurement gap of UE 1.

Then, since UE2 does not have to perform measurements during measurement gap periods 102 and 104, UE2 can continuously receive data units of the multicast service via the MTCH based on G-RNTI 1. For example, during a period comprising 101-105, UE2 may receive G-RNTI1 based data units 110-119 via the MTCH that are transmitted from the network based on G-RNTI1, and may further combine successfully received data units 110-119 to determine data for the multicast service.

Unlike UE2, as shown in fig. 1, UE1 performs gap-assist measurements during periods 102 and 104. During the G-RNTI1 based reception, UE1 misses data units 111 and 112 transmitted from the network based on G-RNTI1 during period 102 and data units 117 and 118 transmitted from the network based on G-RNTI during period 104.

To compensate for data loss such as data units 111, 112, 117 and 118, the network may also transmit data units 120, 121, 122 and 123 to one or more UEs including UE1, which have missed data units 111, 112, 117 and 118 during periods 102 and 104 due to gap assistance measurements, via the MTCH based on another group identity G-RNTI2, as shown in fig. 1.

For example, the data unit 120 transmitted based on G-RNTI2 may be a copy of the data unit 111 transmitted based on G-RNTI 1, possibly with different packet headers due to different levels of various protocols during data transmission. Further, the data units 120 transmitted based on G-RNTI2 may also be configured with the same transport block Sequence Numbers (SNs) as the data units 111 transmitted based on G-RNTI 1, so that the UE1 may appropriately determine the data of the multicast service based on the data units 120 received according to G-RNTI2 and those data units (e.g., data units 110, 113-116, etc.) received according to G-RNTI 1. Thus, the transmission of data unit 120 may correspond to a retransmission of data unit 111, and data unit 120 may also be referred to herein as a retransmitted data unit.

Similarly, retransmission data unit 121 may correspond to data unit 112, retransmission data unit 122 may correspond to information unit 117, and retransmission information unit 123 may correspond to signal unit 118.

As shown in fig. 1, the transmission of G-RNTI2 based data units 120 and 121 or the retransmission of G-RNTI2 based data units 111 and 122 may be performed via the MTCH during a period subsequent to period 102 corresponding to the measurement gap, e.g., during period 103, and in parallel with the transmission of G-RNTI1 based data units 113-116. Similarly, the transmission of data units 122 and 123 based on G-RNTI2 or the retransmission of data units 117 and 118 may be performed during a period following period 104 corresponding to the measurement gap, e.g., during period 105, and in parallel with the transmission of data unit 119 based on G-RNTI1, etc.

In another example, retransmission of missed data units (e.g., one or more of data units 120 and 121) based on G-RNTI2 may be performed via the MTCH during one or more periods outside of the measurement gap following period 102. For example, both data units 120 and 121 may be transmitted during period 105 based on G-RNTI2 and in parallel with the transmission of data unit 119 based on G-RNTI1, or data unit 120 may be transmitted during period 103 and data unit 121 may be transmitted during period 105, and so on.

Further, retransmission of one or more missed data units (e.g., one or more of data units 120 and 121) based on G-RNTI2 and normal transmission of one or more data units based on G-RNTI1 during one or more periods outside of the measurement gap may be performed based on one or more data packets. For example, data unit 120 associated with G-RNTI2, data unit 121 associated with G-RNTI2, data unit 113 associated with G-RNTI1, data unit 114 associated with G-RNTI1, and so forth may be respectively encapsulated in separate data packets; the data unit 120 associated with G-RNTI2 and the data unit 121 associated with G-RNTI2 may be encapsulated in the same data packet; the data unit 120 associated with G-RNTI2 and the data unit 113 associated with G-RNTI1 may be encapsulated in a data packet, and the information unit 121 associated with G-RNTI2 and the information unit 114 associated with G-RNTI1 may be encapsulated in another data packet; data units 120 and 121 associated with G-RNTI2 and data units 113-116 associated with G-RNTI1 may be encapsulated in the same data packet; etc.

In various example embodiments, the normal transmission of one or more data units based on G-RNTI1 and the retransmission of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI2 may be from the same or different cells. For example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI1 may be from a primary cell (PCell), and retransmissions of missed data units based on one or more G-RNTI2 may be from a secondary cell (SCell). In another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI1 may be from a PCell, and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI2 may be from a primary secondary cell (PSCell). In yet another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI1 may be from a PSCell and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI2 may be from one or more scells.

Corresponding to downlink multicast data transmission from the network, as shown in fig. 1, during period 101, UE1 may receive data unit 110 of a multicast service based on G-RNTI1 via the MTCH. During period 102, UE1 may perform gap-assist measurements and may therefore miss data units 111 and 112 from the network. During period 103, UE1 may receive data units 113-116 of the multicast service based on G-RNTI1 via the MTCH and may receive retransmission data units 120 and 121 (corresponding to data units 111 and 112, respectively, missed by UE1 during period 102 due to gap assist measurements) based on G-RNTI2 via the MTCH, e.g., in parallel with the reception of data units 113-116. During period 104, UE1 may perform gap assistance measurements and may therefore miss data units 117 and 118. Then, during period 105, UE1 may receive data unit 119 of the multicast service, etc., based on G-RNTI1 via the MTCH, and may receive retransmission data units 122 and 123 (corresponding to data units 117 and 118, respectively, that UE1 missed due to gap assist measurements during period 104) based on G-RNTI2 via the MTCH.

Thus, the data parts of the multicast service missed by UE1 due to the gap auxiliary measurement, such as data units 111, 112, 117 and 118, may be compensated by data units 120, 121, 122 and 123 retransmitted based on G-RNTI 2. The UE1 may then determine data of the multicast service based on the data units 110, 113-116, 119, etc. received according to the G-RNTI1 and the retransmitted data units 120, 121, 122, 123, etc.

Fig. 2 illustrates example operations for multicast service data compensation, such as in the case illustrated in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the network may configure a group identity for normal transmission of a data unit of a multicast service, such as the G-RNTI shown in fig. 1, and may provide information 201 associated with the configured G-RNTI1 to a target UE of the multicast service (including UE1 and UE2 in the example shown in fig. 1).

Furthermore, as shown in fig. 2, the network may further configure another set of identities for additional retransmission of missing data units of the multicast service, e.g., due to gap-assisted measurements such as G-RNTI2 shown in fig. 1, and may provide information 202 associated with the configured G-RNTI2 to one or more target UEs including UE1 configured to perform gap-assisted measurements during measurement gaps.

For example, the information 202 may be provided via one or more Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration signaling/messages, or may be broadcast via a System Information Block (SIB). For example, the information 202 may be included in a measurement gap configuration, a retransmission configuration, and/or any other suitable configuration information. In another example, information 202 may be provided with information 201 to a target UE of a multicast service.

Then, as shown in fig. 2, the network may transmit data unit 203 of the multicast service (e.g., including data units 110-119 as shown in fig. 1) to target UEs of the multicast service including UE1 and UE2 via the MTCH based on the configured G-RNTI1, e.g., without interruption, regardless of possible measurement gaps configured for one or more target UEs including UE 1.

As described above with reference to fig. 1, the UE2 does not have to perform measurements during the measurement gap period, and can continuously receive the data units 203 of the multicast service via the MTCH based on the G-RNTI 1. Then, as shown in fig. 2, UE2 may combine the successfully received and decoded data units 203 in operation 204 to determine data for the multicast service.

For one or more UEs, such as UE1 that may miss one or more of the data units 203 (e.g., data units 111, 112, 117, and 118 as shown in fig. 1) due to measurements during the measurement gap, as shown in fig. 2, during a period 205 outside the measurement gap (e.g., a period after the measurement gap), the network may retransmit the missed data unit 206 to one or more UEs including UE1 via the MTCH based on the additionally configured G-RNTI 2.

Then, as shown in fig. 2, in operation 207, UE1 may combine successfully received and decoded ones of data units 203 (e.g., including data units 110, 113-116, and 119 shown in fig. 1) and retransmitted ones of data units (e.g., including data units 120, 121, 122, and 123 shown in fig. 1) to determine data for the multicast service.

Fig. 3 shows another example of multicast service data backoff in an example embodiment, wherein a network transmits data units of a multicast service, including data units 301-309, to one or more target UEs, including UE3 and UE4, via an MTCH based on a group identity G-RNTI 3.

As shown in fig. 3, UE4 successfully receives and decodes data units of the multicast service (including data units 301-309) from the network via the MTCH based on G-RNTI3, while UE3 misses or incorrectly receives (e.g., fails to decode) a portion of the data units such as data units 302 and 303.

To compensate for the data loss of UE3, the network may further transmit data units 310 and 311 to one or more target UEs, such as UE3, of the multicast service via the MTCH based on another set of identification G-RNTI4, which have suffered a data loss or incorrect data reception.

For example, the data unit 310 transmitted based on G-RNTI4 may be a duplicate of the data unit 302 transmitted based on G-RNTI3, possibly with different packet headers due to various protocols at different levels during data transmission. The data unit 310 transmitted based on G-RNTI4 may also be configured with the same transport block sequence number as the data unit 302 transmitted based on G-RNTI3 so that the UE3 may appropriately determine the data of the multicast service based on the data unit 310 received according to G-RNTI4 and those data units (e.g., data units 301, 304-309, etc.) received according to G-RNTI 3. Thus, the transmission of data unit 310 may correspond to a retransmission of data unit 302, and data unit 310 may also be referred to herein as a retransmitted data unit. Similarly, retransmission data unit 311 may correspond to data unit 303.

For example, the transmission of data units 310 and 311 may be concurrent with the transmission of one or more of data units 304-309. Further, for example, retransmission of one or more missed or incorrectly received data units (e.g., one or more of data units 310 and 311) based on G-RNTI4 and normal transmission of one or more data units (e.g., one or more of data units 304-309) based on G-RNTI3 may be performed based on one or more data packets.

In various example embodiments, the normal transmission of one or more data units based on G-RNTI3 and the retransmission of one or more missed or received incorrect data units based on G-RNTI4 may be from the same or different cells. For example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI3 may be from the primary cell and retransmissions of one or more missed or incorrectly received data units based on G-RNTI4 may be from the secondary cell. In another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI3 may be from the PCell and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI4 may be from the PSCell. In yet another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI3 may be from a PSCell and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI4 may be from one or more scells. For example, in the case of a cell handover, a previous serving cell may transmit one or more data units of the multicast service based on G-RNTI3 via the MTCH, and a new serving cell after the handover may retransmit the one or more data units missed due to the G-RNTI4 based handover via the MTCH and may continue to transmit the remaining data units of the G-RNTI3 based multicast service via the MTCH.

Corresponding to downlink transmissions from the network, as shown in fig. 3, UE3 may receive and decode data units 301-309 of the multicast service based on G-RNTI3 via the MTCH, and may receive retransmission data units 310 and 311 (corresponding to, for example, data units 302 and 303, respectively, which UE3 did not successfully decode) based on G-RNTI4 via the MTCH, e.g., in parallel with the reception of data units 304-309.

Thus, UE3 may be compensated for missed or incorrectly received data portions, such as data units 302 and 303, of the multicast service, e.g., due to decoding failure and cell switching, by retransmitting data units 310 and 311 based on G-RNTI 4. The UE3 may then determine the data of the multicast service from successfully received data units 301 and 304-309 received based on G-RNTI3 via the MTCH and retransmitted data units 310 and 311 received based on G-RNTI4 via the MTCH.

Fig. 4 illustrates example operations for multicast service data compensation, such as in the case illustrated in fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 4, the network may configure a group identity for normal transmission of a data unit of a multicast service, such as G-RNTI3 shown in fig. 3, and may provide information 401 associated with the configured G-RNTI3 to a target UE of the multicast service including UE3 and UE4 in the example shown in fig. 3.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4, the network may further configure another set of identities for additional retransmissions of data units of the multicast service that were missed or incorrectly received, e.g., due to decoding failure or handover, such as G-RNTI4 shown in fig. 3, and may provide information 402 associated with the configured G-RNTI4 to one or more target UEs including UE3, which missed or incorrectly received a portion of the data units of the multicast service, e.g., due to decoding failure, handover, etc.

For example, the information 402 may be provided via one or more RRC reconfiguration signaling/messages, or may be broadcast via SIBs. For example, the information 402 may be included in a measurement gap configuration, a retransmission configuration, and/or any other suitable configuration information. In another example, information 402 may be provided with information 401 to a target UE of a multicast service.

Then, as shown in fig. 4, the network may transmit data units 403 of the multicast service (e.g., including data units 301-309 as shown in fig. 1) to the target UE in the multicast service including UE3 and UE4 via the MTCH based on the configured G-RNTI 3.

As described above with reference to fig. 3, the UE4 successively successfully receives and decodes the data units 403 of the multicast service via the MTCH based on the G-RNTI 3. Then, as shown in fig. 4, the UE4 may combine the successfully received and decoded data units 403 in operation 404 to determine data of the multicast service.

As shown in fig. 4, for a UE3 that misses or incorrectly receives one or more of the data units 403 (e.g., data units 302 and 303 shown in fig. 3), the UE3 may transmit information 405 associated with the missed or incorrectly received data units to the network, e.g., via one or more non-acknowledgement (non-acknowledgement) messages that include information associated with transport block sequence numbers of the missed or incorrectly received data units, etc. In response to the received information 405, the network may retransmit the missed data unit 406 to the UE3 via the MTCH based on the additionally configured G-RNTI 4.

Then, as shown in fig. 4, in operation 407, UE3 may combine successfully received and decoded ones of data units 403 (e.g., including data units 301 and 304-309 shown in fig. 3) and retransmitted ones of data units (e.g., including data units 310 and 311 shown in fig. 3) of the multicast service to determine data of the multicast service.

Fig. 5 shows yet another example of multicast service data backoff in an example embodiment in which a network transmits data units of a multicast service including data units 510-519 to one or more target UEs including UE5 via an MTCH based on a group identity G-RNTI 5.

In the example shown in fig. 5, in the target UE of the multicast service data transmission, a part of the UE including the UE5 may perform gap auxiliary measurement during measurement gaps such as the periods 502 and 504 shown in fig. 5 in a connection state (rrc_connected state) such as specified in the 3GPP standard, and receive data units of the G-RNTI5 based multicast service during periods other than the measurement gaps such as the periods 501, 503 and 505 shown in fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 5, the G-RNTI5 based transmissions of data units 511 and 512 are within a period 502 corresponding to a measurement gap of the UE5, the G-RNTI5 based transmissions of data units 517 and 518 are within a period 504 also corresponding to another measurement gap of the UE5, and the G-RNTI5 based transmissions of data units 510, 513-516 and 519 are within periods 501, 503 and 505 outside the measurement gap of the UE 5.

As shown in fig. 5, UE5 performs gap assistance measurements during periods 502 and 504 and thus misses data units 511 and 512 transmitted from the network based on G-RNTI5 during period 502 and data units 517 and 518 transmitted from the network based on G-R-NTI5 during period 504. Furthermore, the UE5 misses or incorrectly receives the data unit 515 based on the G-RNTI5, e.g., fails to decode the received data unit 515.

To compensate for the data units 511, 512, 517, and 518 missed by the UE5 due to the gap auxiliary measurement during periods 502 and 504, the network may also transmit data units 520, 521, 522, and 523 to one or more target UEs including the UE5 that has suffered a data loss due to the gap auxiliary measurement via the MTCH based on another group identity G-RNTI 6. Furthermore, to compensate for data unit 515 missed or incorrectly received by UE5, the network may further transmit data unit 530 to UE5 via the MTCH based on yet another identity G-RNTI 7.

For example, the G-RNTI6 based transmitted data unit 520 (or 521, 522, or 533) may be a copy of the G-RNTI 5 based transmitted data unit 511 (or 512, 517, or 518) that may have different packet headers due to various protocols at different levels during data transmission, and the G-RNTI6 based transmitted data unit 520 may be configured with a transport block sequence number that is the same as the transport block sequence number configured for the G-RNTI 5 based transmitted data unit 511.

Similarly, the G-RNTI7 based transmitted data unit 530 may be a copy of the G-RNTI 5 based transmitted data unit 515, possibly with different packet headers due to various protocols at different levels during data transmission, and the G-RNTI7 based transmitted data unit 530 may be configured with a transport block sequence number that is the same as the transport block sequence number configured for the G-RNTI 5 based transmitted data unit 515.

Thus, the UE5 can correctly determine data of the multicast service according to the data units 510, 513, 514, 516, and 519 successfully received based on the G-RNTI5, the data units 520, 521, 522, and 523 retransmitted based on the G-RNTI6, and the data unit 530 retransmitted based on the G-RNTI 7.

As shown in fig. 5, the transmission of G-RNTI6 based data units 520 and 521 or the retransmission of G-RNTI6 based data units 511 and 522 may be performed during a period following period 602 corresponding to the measurement gap, e.g., via MTCH during period 603, and in parallel with the transmission of G-RNTI5 based data units 513-516.

Similarly, the transmission of data units 522 and 523 based on G-RNTI6 or the retransmission of data units 517 and 528 may be performed during a period following period 504 corresponding to the measurement gap, e.g., during period 505, in parallel with the transmission of data unit 519 based on G-RNTI5, etc.

Furthermore, the transmission of the G-RNTI7 based data unit 530 or the retransmission of the data unit 515 may be performed after the data unit 515 fails to decode and during a period outside the measurement gap, e.g., during period 519, and in parallel with the transmission of the G-RNTI5 based data unit 519 and/or the transmission of the G-RNTI6 based data units 522 and 523.

In various example embodiments, retransmission of missed or incorrectly received data units based on the G-RNTI6 and/or G-RNTI7 may be performed based on one or more data packets, as well as normal transmission of one or more data units based on the G-RNTI5 during one or more periods outside of measurement gaps.

Furthermore, normal transmission of one or more data units based on the G-RNTI5 and retransmission of one or more missed or incorrectly received data units based on the G-RNTI6 and/or G-RNTI7 may be from the same or different cells. For example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI5 may be from the primary cell and retransmissions of one or more missed or incorrectly received data units based on G-RNTI6 and/or G-RNTI7 may be from one or more secondary cells. In another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI5 may be from the PCell, and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI6 and/or G-RNTI7 may be from the PSCell. In yet another example, normal transmissions of one or more data units based on G-RNTI5 may be from a PSCell and retransmissions of one or more missed data units based on G-RNTI5 and/or G-RNTI7 may be from one or more scells. For example, in the event that the UE5 misses the data unit 515 due to a cell handover, the transmission of the G-RNTI 5-based data units 510-515 and/or the retransmission of one or more of the G-RNTI 6-based data units 520 and 521 may be performed by the serving cell prior to the cell handover, and the transmission of the G-RNTI 5-based data units 515-519 and/or the retransmission of one or more of the G-RNTI 6-based data units 520-523 and G-RNTI 7-based data units 520-523 may be performed by the serving cell after the cell handover.

Corresponding to the transmissions from the network, as shown in fig. 5, during period 501, the UE5 may receive a data unit 510 of a G-RNTI5 based multicast service via the MTCH. During period 502, UE5 may perform gap-assist measurements and may therefore miss data units 511 and 512 from the network. During period 503, UE5 may receive data units 513-516 of the G-RNTI5 based multicast service via the MTCH and may receive retransmission data units 520 and 521 (corresponding to data units 511 and 512, respectively, that UE5 missed due to gap assistance measurements during period 502) based on G-RN TI6 via the MTCH, e.g., in parallel with the reception of data units 513-516. During period 504, UE5 may perform gap assistance measurements and may therefore miss data units 517 and 518. Then, during period 505, UE5 may receive data unit 519 of the multicast service, etc., based on G-RNTI5 via MTCH, and may receive retransmission data units 522 and 523 (corresponding to data units 517 and 518, respectively, missed by UE5 due to gap assistance measurements during period 504) based on G-RN TI6 via MTCH, and retransmission data unit 530 (corresponding to data unit 515 missed due to decoding failure) based on G-RNTI7 via MTCH.

Thus, data portions of a multicast service missed or incorrectly received by the UE5, such as data units 511, 512, 517, 518, and 515, may be compensated by data units 520-523 retransmitted based on the G-RNTI6 and data unit 530 retransmitted based on the G-RNTI 7. The UE5 may then determine data for the multicast service based on the data units 510, 513, 514, 516, 519 successfully received based on the G-RNTI5, the retransmission data units 520, 521, 522, 523 successfully received based on the G-RNTI6, and the retransmission data unit 530 successfully received based on the G-RNTI 7.

Fig. 6 shows example operations for multicast service data compensation, e.g., in the case shown in fig. 5, which may correspond to an example of a combination of the operations shown in fig. 2 and 4.

As shown in fig. 6, the network may configure a group identity for normal transmission of a data unit of a multicast service, such as G-RNTI5 shown in fig. 5, and may provide information 601 associated with the configured G-RNTI5 to a target UE of the multicast service including UE5 in the example shown in fig. 1.

In addition, the network may further configure one or more other group identifications for additional retransmission of the multicast service, e.g., missing or receiving incorrect data units due to gap assist measurements, decoding failure, handoff, etc. For example, as shown in fig. 6, the network may configure the G-RNTI6 to compensate for data missed due to gap assist measurements, configure the G-RNTI6 to compensate for information missed due to decoding failure, etc. The network may then provide information associated with the configured G-RNTI 602 to one or more target UEs including UE5 configured to perform gap assist measurements during the measurement gap and provide information associated with the configured G-RNTI7 603 to the target UE of the multicast service.

For example, the information 602 and/or 603 may be provided via one or more RRC reconfiguration signaling/messages, or may be broadcast via SIBs. For example, information 602 and/or 603 may be included in a measurement gap configuration, a retransmission configuration, and/or any other suitable configuration information. In another example, information 602 and/or 603 may be provided to a target UE of the multicast service along with information 601.

Then, as shown in fig. 6, the network may transmit the data unit 604 (e.g., including data units 510-519 as shown in fig. 5) of the multicast service to the target UEs (including UE 5) of the multicast service via the MTCH based on the configured G-RNTI5, e.g., without interruption, regardless of possible measurement gaps configured to the one or more target UEs including UE 5.

For one or more UEs, such as UE5 that may miss one or more of the data units 604 (e.g., data units 511, 512, 517, and 518 as shown in fig. 5) due to measurements during the measurement gap, as shown in fig. 6, during a period 605 outside the measurement gap (e.g., a period after the measurement gap), the network may retransmit the missed data unit 606 to one or more UEs including UE5 via the MTCH based on the additionally configured G-RNTI 6.

Further, as shown in fig. 6, in case the UE5 misses or incorrectly receives one or more data units based on the G-RNTI5 and/or G-RNTI6, the UE5 may transmit information 608 associated with the one or more missed or incorrectly received data units to the network, e.g., through a non-acknowledgement message that may include information associated with transport block sequence numbers of the one or more missed or incorrectly received data units, etc. In response to the received information 608, the network may retransmit the missed data unit 609 to the UE5 via the MTCH based on the additionally configured G-RNTI7, e.g., during a period outside of (e.g., after) the measurement gap.

Then, as shown in fig. 6, in operation 610, the UE5 may combine successfully received and decoded data units and retransmission data units (e.g., including data units 520, 521, 522, 523, and 530 as described in fig. 5) of the data units 604 (e.g., including data units 510, 513, 514, 516, and 519 as described in fig. 5) of the multicast service to determine data of the multicast service.

As shown in the above example, in addition to normal data transmission/reception of multicast service via MTCH based on configured group identity (e.g., G-RNTI), a missed or incorrectly received portion of multicast service data may be retransmitted/received via MTCH to/by one or more UEs (e.g., those UEs that have suffered from data missing or data loss) based on one or more other configured group identities (e.g., one or more other G-RNTIs). Thus, for example, missing or incorrectly received data portions of the multicast service may be compensated for without interrupting normal data transmission/reception of the multicast service.

In the above examples, the granularity of transmission/retransmission of data units of the multicast service may be at the multicast radio bearer level. In another example, the granularity of transmission/retransmission of data units of a multicast service may also be at the channel level.

Further, for example, target UEs of the multicast service may report their respective capability information (e.g., including information associated with whether the target UEs are capable of concurrently decoding the multicast service data from the MTCH based on the plurality of group identifications) to the network, and the network may configure the plurality of group identifiers for those target UEs capable of concurrently decoding the multicast service data from the MTCH based on the plurality of group identifications.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described above. Fig. 7 illustrates an example method 700 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be performed in a UE that is the target of a multicast service, such as UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4, and UE5 in the examples described above.

As shown in fig. 7, an example method 700 may include operations 701, 702, and 703.

In operation 701, the UE may receive at least one data unit (e.g., data unit 203 in fig. 2, data unit 403 in fig. 4, and data unit 604 in fig. 6) of a multicast service via the MTCH based on a group identity (e.g., G-NRTI1 in fig. 1 and 2, G-RNTI3 in fig. 3 and 4, and G-RN TI5 in fig. 5 and 6).

In operation 702, the UE may receive at least one retransmission data unit (e.g., data unit 206 in fig. 2, data unit 406 in fig. 4, and data units 606 and 609 in fig. 6) of the multicast service via the MTCH based on at least one other group identity (e.g., G-NRTI2 in fig. 1 and 2, G-RNTI4 in fig. 3 and 4, and G-RN TI6 and G-RNTI7 in fig. 5 and 6).

Then, in operation 703, the UE may determine data of the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

In some example embodiments, the at least one other group identification may include at least one of: group identification of data units missed due to gap-assisted measurement by the UE; group identification of data units missed or incorrectly received due to decoding failure; group identification of data missed or incorrectly received due to cell handover; etc.

In some example embodiments, the example method 700 may further include additional operations, wherein the UE may receive configuration information (e.g., the information 202 in fig. 2, the information 402 in fig. 4, and the information 602 and 603 in fig. 6) associated with at least one other identification. For example, the reception of configuration information associated with at least one other identification may be via RRC reconfiguration information, or broadcast system information, or the like. For example, configuration information associated with at least one other identification may be included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information, retransmission configuration information, and any other suitable configuration information from the network.

In some example embodiments, the at least one retransmission data unit may be received after a measurement gap of the UE, and the at least one retransmission data unit may correspond to at least one data unit missed during a measurement interval of the UE.

In some example embodiments, the example method 700 may further include additional operations in which the UE may transmit information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit (e.g., the information 405 in fig. 4 and the information 608 in fig. 6) to the network (e.g., to a base station serving the UE in the network or a serving cell associated with the base station in the network) such that the network may determine and retransmit at least a retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

In some example embodiments, the granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit may be at a multicast radio bearer level in order to provide fine granularity. In some example embodiments, the granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit may also be of any other suitable level, such as a channel level.

In some example embodiments, the example method 700 may further include additional operations in which the UE may decode at least one data unit and at least one retransmission data unit from the MTCH in parallel, e.g., based on the group identity and the at least one other group identity, respectively.

In different example embodiments, the at least one data unit received based on the group identity and the at least one retransmission data unit received based on the at least one other group identity may be from the same or different cells, wherein different cells may be associated with the same or different base stations in the network. For example, the at least one data unit received based on the group identity may be from a primary cell and the at least one retransmission data unit received based on the at least one further group identity may be from one or more secondary cells. For example, the at least one data unit received based on the group identity may be from a primary cell and the at least one retransmission data unit received based on the at least one further group identity may be from a primary secondary cell. For example, the at least one data unit received based on the group identity may be from a primary secondary cell and the at least one retransmission data unit received based on the at least one further group identity may be from one or more secondary cells. For example, in the case of a cell switch, a portion of the at least one data unit received based on the group identifier may be from a previous serving cell before the cell switch, another portion of the at least one data unit received based on the group identifier may be from a new serving cell after the cell switch, and the at least one retransmission data unit received based on the at least one other group identifier may be from at least one of the previous serving cell and the new serving cell.

In the example method 700, in addition to receiving normally transmitted data units of a multicast service via an MTCH based on a configured group identity (e.g., G-RNTI), the UE may also receive a missed or incorrectly received portion of multicast service data retransmitted from the network based on one or more other configured group identities (e.g., one or more other G-RNTIs). Thus, for example, UEs may be compensated for missing or incorrectly received data portions in the multicast service without interrupting normal data reception by the multicast service.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example apparatus 800 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be at least a portion of a mobile station or UE that is the target of a multicast service, such as UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4, and UE5 in the above examples shown in fig. 1-6.

As shown in fig. 8, an example apparatus 800 may include at least one processor 801 and at least one memory 802 that may include computer program code 803. The at least one memory 802 and the computer program code 803 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 801, cause the apparatus 800 to perform at least the operations of the example method 700 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 801 in the example apparatus 800 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor including at least one microprocessor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), at least a portion of the at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special purpose processor such as a special purpose processor developed based on, for example, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In addition, the at least one processor 801 may also include at least one other circuit or element not shown in fig. 8.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 802 in the example apparatus 800 may include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, and the like. Furthermore, at least memory 802 may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the preceding.

Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 800 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and so forth.

In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 800 including the at least one processor 801 and the at least one memory 802 may be coupled together in any suitable manner, e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc., via any suitable connection including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wires, and/or wireless lines.

Fig. 9 illustrates another example apparatus 900 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be at least a portion of a mobile station or UE that is the target of a multicast service, such as UE1, UE2, UE3, UE4, and UE5 in the above examples shown in fig. 1-6.

As shown in fig. 9, example apparatus 900 may include means 901 for performing operation 701 of example method 700, means 902 for performing operation 702 of example manner 700, and means 903 for performing operation 703 of example manner 700. In one or more further example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, etc., may also be included in the example device 900. In some example embodiments, examples of the means in apparatus 900 may include circuitry. In some example embodiments, examples of the apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities. In some example embodiments, one or more additional means may be included in the apparatus 900 for performing one or more additional operations of the example method 700.

The term "circuitry" throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only); (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, for example (where applicable): (i) A combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor and software (including digital signal processors), software, and any portion of memory, which work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but when software is not required to operate, the software may not be present. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuit also encompasses embodiments of only a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses, for example and if applicable to the claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example method 1000 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be performed in a base station in a network (e.g., the network in the above-described examples shown in fig. 1-6) that is serving one or more UEs that are targets of a multicast service.

As shown in fig. 10, the example method may include operations 1001 and 1002, which may correspond to operations 701 and 702, respectively, of the example method 700.

In operation 1001, at least one data unit (e.g., data unit 203 in fig. 2, data unit 403 in fig. 4, and data unit 604 in fig. 6) of a multicast service may be transmitted to a group of UEs via an MTCH based on a group identity (e.g., G-NRTI1 in fig. 1 and 2, G-RNTI3 in fig. 3 and 4, and G-RN TI5 in fig. 5 and 6).

In operation 1002, at least a portion of at least one data unit (e.g., data unit 206 in fig. 2, data unit 406 in fig. 4, and data units 606 and 609 in fig. 6) may be retransmitted to at least one UE of the group of UEs via the MTCH based on at least one other group identity (e.g., G-NRTI2 in fig. 1 and 2, G-RNTI4 in fig. 3 and 4, and G-RNTI 6 and G-RNTI7 in fig. 5 and 6).

In some example embodiments, the example method 1000 may further include additional operations in which configuration information associated with at least one other identity (e.g., the information 202 in fig. 2, the information 402 in fig. 4, and the information 602 and 603 in fig. 6) may be transmitted to the at least one UE. For example, the transmission of configuration information associated with at least one other identity may be via RRC reconfiguration information or broadcast system information, or the like. For example, configuration information associated with at least one other identity may be included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information, retransmission configuration information, and any other suitable configuration information.

In some example embodiments, the retransmission may be performed after a measurement gap of one or more target UEs of the multicast service, and the retransmission portion may correspond to a portion of at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

In some example embodiments, the example method 1000 may further include additional operations in which information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit (e.g., information 405 in fig. 4 and information 608 in fig. 6) may be received from at least one UE and the retransmission portion may be determined based on the received information.

In some example embodiments, the granularity of transmission of the at least one data unit and retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit may be at a multicast radio bearer level in order to provide fine granularity. In some example embodiments, the granularity of transmission of at least one data unit and retransmission of a portion of at least one data unit may also be at any other suitable level, such as a channel level.

In some example embodiments, the example method 1000 may further include additional operations in which capability information of a group of UEs may be received from a group of UEs and at least one other group identification may be configured based on the capability information of the group of UEs.

In some example embodiments, the transmission of the at least one data unit based on the group identity and the retransmission of at least a portion of the at least one data unit based on the at least one other group identity may be performed by the same or different cells. For example, at least one data unit of the multicast service may be transmitted from the primary cell based on the group identity, and at least a portion of the at least one data unit may be transmitted from one or more secondary cells based on at least one other group identity to compensate for missing or incorrectly received data portions by one or more target UEs in the multicast service. In another example, at least one data unit of a multicast service may be transmitted from a primary cell based on a group identification, and at least a portion of the at least one data unit may be transmitted from a primary secondary cell based on at least one other group identification. In yet another example, at least one data unit of the multicast service may be transmitted from the primary and secondary cells based on the group identity, and at least a portion of the at least one data unit may be transmitted from one or more secondary cells based on at least one other group identity.

In the example method 1000 that may be performed in a base station to cooperate with the example method 700 in a target UE for multicast services, in addition to normal transmission of data units for multicast services via MTCH based on a configured group identity (e.g., G-RNTI), portions of multicast service data missed or incorrectly received by one or more target UEs may be retransmitted based on one or more other configured group identities (e.g., one or more other G-RNTIs). Thus, for example, UEs may be compensated for missing or incorrectly received data portions in the multicast service without interrupting normal data reception by the multicast service.

Fig. 11 illustrates another example apparatus 1100 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be at least a portion of a base station in a network that is serving one or more UEs as targets for multicast service.

As shown in fig. 11, the example apparatus 1100 may include at least one processor 1101 and at least one memory 1102, which may include computer program code 1103. The at least one memory 1102 and the computer program code 1103 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 1101, cause the apparatus 1100 to perform at least the operations of the example method 1000 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 1101 in the example apparatus 1100 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a CPU, a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special purpose processor, such as a processor developed based on FPGAs and ASICs. In addition, the at least one processor 1101 may also include at least one other circuit or element not shown in fig. 11.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 1102 in the example apparatus 1100 may include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, RAM, cache, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Furthermore, at least memory 1102 may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the preceding.

Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 1100 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and so forth.

In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 1100 including the at least one processor 1101 and the at least one memory 1102 may be coupled together by any suitable connection including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wires, and/or wireless lines, in any suitable manner, such as electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, etc.

Fig. 12 illustrates another example apparatus 1200 for multicast service data compensation in an example embodiment, which may be at least a portion of a base station in a network that is serving one or more UEs as targets for multicast service.

As shown in fig. 12, the example apparatus 1200 may include means 1201 for performing operation 1001 of the example method 1000 and means 1202 for performing operation 1002 of the example method 1000. In one or more further example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, etc., may also be included in the example apparatus 1200. In some example embodiments, examples of the means in apparatus 1200 may comprise circuitry. In some example embodiments, examples of the apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities. In some example embodiments, one or more additional means may be included in the apparatus 1200 for performing one or more additional operations of the example method 1000.

Another example embodiment may relate to computer program code or instructions that may cause an apparatus to perform at least the methods described above. Another example embodiment may relate to a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some example embodiments, such computer-readable media may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, RAM, cache, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Nonvolatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any combination of the above.

Throughout the specification and claims, the words "comprise," "include," and the like are to be interpreted in an inclusive rather than an exclusive or exhaustive sense, unless the context clearly requires otherwise; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the term "coupled" refers to two or more elements that may be connected directly, or through one or more intervening elements. Also, as generally used herein, the term "connected" refers to two or more elements that may be directly connected, or connected through one or more intervening elements. Furthermore, as used in this application, the words "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context allows, words in the specification using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number, respectively. The term "or" refers to a list of two or more items, which term encompasses all of the following interpretations of the term: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

Furthermore, conditional language, such as "may," possible, "" e.g., "such as," "such as," etc., as used herein is generally intended to convey that certain example embodiments include, but other example implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or states unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context of use. Thus, such conditional language does not generally imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required by one or more example embodiments or that one or more example implementations necessarily include means for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, that such features, elements and/or states are included in or are to be performed in any particular example embodiment.

Although some example embodiments have been described, these example embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative example embodiments may utilize different components and/or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of the blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and acts of some of the example embodiments described above may be combined to provide further example implementations. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

1. 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 to perform:

receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity;

receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identity; and

data of the multicast service is determined based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is received via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identifications is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the at least one retransmission data unit is received after a measurement gap and corresponds to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service is transmitted, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

decoding the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit from the multicast traffic channel in parallel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identity; and

at least a portion of the at least one data unit is retransmitted to at least one mobile station in the group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification is transmitted to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identities is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the retransmission is after a measurement gap and the retransmission portion corresponds to a portion of the at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

12. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and

the retransmission portion is determined based on the received information.

13. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 12, wherein a granularity of the transmission of the at least one data unit and the retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

14. The apparatus of any of claims 8 to 13, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and

The at least one further group identity is configured based on the capability information of the group of mobile stations.

15. A method, comprising:

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identifications is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

18. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the at least one retransmission data unit is received after a measurement gap and corresponds to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising:

20. The method according to any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

21. The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, further comprising:

22. A method, comprising:

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

24. The method of claim 23, wherein configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identifications is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

25. The method of any of claims 22 to 24, wherein the retransmission follows a measurement gap and the retransmission portion corresponds to a portion of the at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

26. The method of any one of claims 22 to 25, further comprising:

the retransmission portion is determined based on the received information.

27. The method of any of claims 22 to 26, wherein a granularity of the transmission of the at least one data unit and the retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

28. The method of any one of claims 22 to 27, further comprising:

receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving at least one data unit of a multicast service via a multicast traffic channel based on a group identity;

means for receiving at least one retransmission data unit of the multicast service via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification; and

means for determining data of the multicast service based on the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for receiving configuration information associated with the at least one other group identification via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identities is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

32. The apparatus of any of claims 29 to 31, wherein the at least one retransmission data unit is received after a measurement gap and corresponds to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

33. The apparatus of any one of claims 29 to 32, further comprising:

means for transmitting information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service, the at least one retransmitted data unit corresponding to the at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit.

34. The apparatus of any of claims 29 to 33, wherein granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

35. The apparatus of any one of claims 29 to 34, further comprising:

means for decoding the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit from the multicast traffic channel in parallel based on the group identity and the at least one further group identity.

36. An apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting at least one data unit of a multicast service to a group of mobile stations via a multicast traffic channel based on the group identification; and

Means for retransmitting at least a portion of the at least one data unit to at least one mobile station in the group of mobile stations via the multicast traffic channel based on at least one other group identification.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

means for transmitting configuration information associated with the at least one other group identity to the at least one mobile station via at least one of radio resource control reconfiguration information and broadcast system information.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identities is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

39. The apparatus of any of claims 36 to 38, wherein the retransmission is after a measurement gap and the retransmission portion corresponds to a portion of the at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

40. The apparatus of any one of claims 36 to 39, further comprising:

means for receiving information associated with at least one missed or incorrectly received data unit of the multicast service from the at least one mobile station; and

Means for determining the retransmission portion based on the received information.

41. The apparatus of any of claims 36 to 40, wherein a granularity of the transmission of the at least one data unit and the retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

42. The apparatus of any one of claims 36 to 41, further comprising:

means for receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and

means for configuring the at least one further group identity based on the capability information of the group of mobile stations.

43. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform:

data of the multicast service is determined based on at least one data unit and at least one retransmission data unit.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other set of identities is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

46. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 43-45, wherein the at least one retransmission data unit is received after a measurement gap and corresponds to at least one data unit missed during the measurement gap.

47. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 43 to 46, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

48. The computer readable medium of any of claims 43-47, wherein granularity of the at least one data unit and the at least one retransmission data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

49. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 43 to 48, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

50. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform:

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein the configuration information associated with the at least one other group of identifications is included in at least one of measurement gap configuration information and retransmission configuration information.

53. The computer readable medium of any of claims 50 to 52, wherein the retransmission follows a measurement gap and the retransmission portion corresponds to a portion of the at least one data unit during the measurement gap.

54. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 50 to 53, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

the retransmission portion is determined based on the received information.

55. The computer readable medium of any of claims 50-54, wherein a granularity of the transmission of the at least one data unit and the retransmission of the portion of the at least one data unit is at a multicast radio bearer level.

56. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 50 to 55, wherein the instructions cause the apparatus to further perform:

receiving capability information of the set of mobile stations; and