WO2024092725A1

WO2024092725A1 - Data mapping device and method

Info

Publication number: WO2024092725A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/129899
Authority: WO
Inventors: 易粟; 李国荣; 路杨
Original assignee: 富士通株式会社; 易粟; 李国荣; 路杨
Priority date: 2022-11-04
Filing date: 2022-11-04
Publication date: 2024-05-10

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a data mapping device and method. The method comprises: mapping at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), the at least one DRB comprising at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the PDU group comprises at least one PDU set; and mapping at least one PDU group on the at least one DRB onto a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to first information related to the PDU set. Therefore, data streams with different first information are supported to be mapped into resources of a corresponding access network, thereby further improving the efficiency during resource allocation and packet loss processing, and reducing the waste of resources.

Description

Data mapping device and method

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies.

Background technique

In the 3GPP standardization process, the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) is studying key issues, solutions and conclusions to support advanced media services, such as high data rate low latency (HDRLL) services, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR)/extended reality (XR) services and tactile/multimodal communication services.

For example, extended reality (XR) is supported in 3GPP services and networks, where XR is a general term for different types of reality. The different application areas of XR include entertainment, medical care, education, etc.

Virtual reality (VR) is a rendered version of a published visual and audio scene. The rendering is intended to simulate the visual and auditory sensory stimulation of the real world as naturally as possible when the observer or user moves within the limits defined by the application; Augmented reality (AR) refers to providing users with additional information or artificially generated items or content overlaid on their current environment; Mixed reality (MR) is an advanced form of AR in which some virtual elements are inserted into the physical scene with the aim of providing an illusion that these elements are part of the real scene.

Extended reality (XR) refers to all real and virtual combined environments and human-computer interactions generated by computer technology and wearable devices, including representative forms such as AR, MR, VR and hybrid cross-fields.

It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of providing a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present application and for the convenience of understanding by those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because these solutions are described in the background technology part of the present application.

Summary of the invention

The key issues, solutions and conclusions that 5G technologies are studying to support advanced media services include:

- Enhancements to support multi-mode services:

Investigate whether and how to enable applications to provide relevant tactile and multimodal data to users at similar times (e.g., audio, video, and tactile data associated with a specific time), focusing on the need for enhanced policy control (e.g., QoS policy coordination).

- Enhanced network exposure to support interaction between 5GS and applications:

Study whether and how to synchronize applications and coordinate QoS policies between multiple user equipment (UE) or multiple Quality of Service (QoS) flows per UE, and how to interact between application functions (AF) and the 5G system (5GS);

Study the exposure of 5GS QoS information (e.g., QoS capabilities) and network conditions to applications to enable fast codec/rate adaptation that helps provide the desired Quality of Experience (QoE) (e.g., helping alleviate 5GS congestion).

- Study whether and how to perform the following QoS and policy enhancements for XR services and media services transport:

Study the traffic characteristics of media services that can improve network resource utilization and QoE;

Enhance the QoS framework to support Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set granularity (e.g., video/audio frame/tile, application data unit, control information), where a PDU Set consists of PDUs with the same QoS requirements;

Considering the different importance of PDU Set, differentiated QoS processing is supported. For example, packets belonging to less important PDU Sets can be discarded legally to reduce resource waste;

Whether and how to support uplink-downlink transmission coordination to meet the round-trip time (RTT) latency requirements between the UE and the User Plane Function (UPF) N6 interface (the interface between the UPF and the Data Network (DN)) endpoint;

Potential policy enhancements to minimize jitter, focusing on demand provisioning from AF (Application Function) and extension of PCC (policy and charging control) rules.

A PDU Set (PDU Set) or PDU Set consists of one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) that carry the payload of an information unit generated at the application layer (e.g., frames or video slices for XR and media services). In some implementations, all PDUs in a PDU Set are required by the application layer in order to use the corresponding information unit; in other implementations, the application layer can still recover some or all of the information units when some PDUs are lost. In addition, PDU Sets have different QoS requirements, such as priority, importance, etc.

The existing QoS model based on QoS flow cannot support the different QoS requirements of PDU Set. Specifically, there are two major requirements for the processing of PDU Set: integrated packet processing of PDU Set and differentiated processing of PDU Set.

In the current 5GS, QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session, and the 5G QoS characteristics are determined by the 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), which means that each data packet in the QoS flow is processed according to the same QoS requirements.

The integrated data packet processing process of PDU Set is:

For XR/Media Services, a group of packets is used to carry the payload of a PDU Set (e.g., frame, video slice/tile).

At the media layer, packets in such a PDU Set are decoded/processed as a whole. For example, a frame/video slice can be decoded only if all or a certain number of packets carrying the frame/video slice are successfully transmitted. For example, a client can decode a frame in a GOP (group of pictures) only if all frames on which the frame depends are successfully received. Therefore, groups of packets in a PDU Set have inherent interdependencies in the media layer. If such dependencies between packets in a PDU Set are not taken into account, the 5GS may perform scheduling inefficiently. For example, the 5GS may randomly drop one or more packets, but try to transmit other packets of the same PDU Set, which are useless to the client, thereby wasting radio resources.

Differentiated processing of PDU Set refers to:

In view of the high data rate and low latency of XR/media services, in Rel-18, the 5GS QoS framework will be enhanced to support different QoS processing of PDU Sets, where PDU Sets can carry different contents, such as I/B/P frames, slices/tiles within I/B/P frames, etc. This allows the different importance of PDU Sets to be taken into account, for example, by treating data packets (i.e., PDUs) belonging to less important PDU Sets differently to reduce resource waste.

The inventors found that in order to realize integrated packet processing and differentiated PDU Set processing of PDU Set, how to optimize the mapping of PDU Set to data radio bearer (DRB) and radio link control (RLC) bearer is a problem that needs to be solved.

In response to at least the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a data mapping device, a data sending device, and a method. At least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) is mapped to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing, reducing resource waste, and ensuring the processing of differentiated PDU Sets and meeting the integrated data processing requirements of PDU Sets.

According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a data mapping method is provided, wherein the method includes:

Mapping at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), wherein the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Mapping the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a data sending method is provided, wherein the method includes:

Sending a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

The first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for layer 2, wherein the terminal device maps at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a data mapping device is provided, the data mapping device comprising:

a first mapping unit, which maps at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), wherein the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

A second mapping unit maps the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a data sending device is provided, wherein the device includes:

A sending unit, configured to send a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

A configuration unit, which configures first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) to layer 2 (layer 2) through the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein a terminal device maps at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that it is able to map at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing, and reducing resource waste.

With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, the specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the mode in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not therefore limited in scope. Within the scope of the spirit and clauses of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many changes, modifications and equivalents.

Features described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term “include/comprises” when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The elements and features described in one figure or one implementation of the present application embodiment may be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or implementations. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one implementation.

1 is a schematic diagram of the classification of QoS flows and the principle of user plane marking and mapping to access network resources according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a data mapping method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of mapping of the PDU set to the RLC entity of the present application;

FIG4 shows another schematic diagram of the mapping of the PDU set to the RLC entity of the present application;

FIG5 is an example diagram of a downlink SDAP data PDU format configured with an SDAP header in the present application;

FIG6 is an example diagram of an uplink SDAP data PDU format configured with an SDAP header in the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a data sending method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a data mapping device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a data sending device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are specifically disclosed, which show some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents falling within the scope of the attached claims.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the title, but do not represent the spatial arrangement or time sequence of these elements, etc., and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and/or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the terms listed in association. The terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. refer to the existence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

In the embodiments of the present application, the singular forms "a", "the", etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood as "a kind" or "a type" rather than being limited to the meaning of "one"; in addition, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the term "according to" should be understood as "at least in part according to...", and the term "based on" should be understood as "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In an embodiment of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), and the like.

Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, such as but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), etc., and/or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to a communication network and provides services for the terminal device. The network device may include, but is not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

Among them, base stations may include but are not limited to: Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) and 5G base station (gNB), etc., and may also include remote radio heads (RRH, Remote Radio Head), remote radio units (RRU, Remote Radio Unit), relays or low-power nodes (such as femeto, pico, etc.). And the term "base station" may include some or all of their functions, and each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and/or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. The terminal device may be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and the like.

Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA, Personal Digital Assistant), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measuring, such as but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminal, vehicle-mounted communication terminal, device to device (D2D) terminal, machine to machine (M2M) terminal, and so on.

In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which may be a base station, or may include one or more network devices as above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to one side of the user or terminal, which may be a UE, or may include one or more terminal devices as above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" may refer to either a network device or a terminal device.

The following describes the scenarios of the embodiments of the present application through examples, but the present application is not limited thereto.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the classification of QoS flows and the principle of user plane marking and mapping to access network resources according to an embodiment of the present application. For simplicity, Figure 1 only schematically illustrates the classification of QoS flows and the principle of user plane marking and mapping to access network resources.

Since QoS Flow is not applicable to the same XR/Media (XRM) service flow (e.g. video stream) with different types of PDU Sets of different importance and QoS requirements. 3GPP proposes to extend the QoS framework based on QoS Flow, where a QoS flow contains multiple sub-QoS flows, where different types of PDU Sets belonging to the QoS flow are mapped to different sub-QoS flows (sub QoS Flow) of the relevant QoS flow. The QoS flow still has a QoS profile, which is named the main QoS profile (QoS profile). Each sub-QoS flow of a QoS flow has its own QoS Profile, called a sub-QoS profile (sub QoS profile).

All child QoS profiles and the associated main QoS profile have the same 5QI but different QoS characteristics.

3GPP also proposed QoS parameters for PDU Set and QoS processing for PDU Set. For example, QoS processing for PDU Set can be determined by dynamic or non-dynamic Policy Control and Charging (PCC).

The inventors have found that in order to support downlink transmission of PDU Set, the user plane can be enhanced, and the first information related to PDU Set can be identified through the user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF) and then notified to the Radio Access Network (Radio Access Network, RAN) through the user plane data packet. The first information related to these PDU Sets includes at least one of the following information: importance information or priority of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number in the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); start and/or end flag of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); size information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); identification information of the quality of service (QoS) flow mapped to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); identification information of the sub-quality of service (QoS) flow mapped to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); or, identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group, etc.

For example, taking the first information being the importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), the importance information of the PDU Set (for example, the importance can be expressed from high to medium to low through numbers from 0 to Nmax) indicates the importance of the PDU Set in the XRM service flow, or its priority, and can also be used to perform differentiated processing of the PDU Set in the RAN, such as priority processing, scheduling, data discarding, etc.

For example, the core network identifies the importance information of PDU Set based on existing technologies, which can be used to map PDU Set to different QoS flows, or to map to different sub-QoS flows (sub-QoS flows), or it can be included in the General packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol user plane part (GPRS Tunnelling Protocol for the user plane, GTP-U) header to notify the RAN.

The above is just an example of a classification method using PDU Set importance. If PDU Sets of different PDU Set importances are mapped to different QoS flows or sub-QoS flows, a structural design can also be performed for the QoS flow or sub-QoS flow corresponding to the PDU Set importance. The corresponding PDU Set importance information, such as the PDU Set importance identifier, is the corresponding QoS flow identifier or sub-QoS flow identifier, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

For uplink traffic, the UE's non-access stratum (NAS) layer can identify the above first information related to the PDU Set. For example, for the classification of upstream data packets, during the PDU session establishment/modification, the PDU Set importance is prepared for the UE according to the Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information/Data Network Name (S-NSSAI/DNN) of the PDU session. The PDU Set importance rules can be sent to the UE from the 5G Core Network (5GC) through the N1 session management (SM) container defined in the session management process. The PDU Set importance can be used by the UE to map the PDU Set to the appropriate medium access control (MAC) transmission buffer. If PDU Set importance is used for mapping of QoS flow or sub-QoS flow, the UE classifies and marks the uplink user plane traffic according to the QoS rules, that is, the association of XRM uplink traffic with QoS flow and/or sub-QoS flow.

In the present application, a PDU Set having the same predetermined type of first information value may also be referred to as a PDU group, a collection of PDU Sets, a PDU family, a data burst, etc. The predetermined type of first information may be the importance information of the PDU Set, etc. Taking the PDU group as an example, for example, the identification of the PDU group may use the importance information of the PDU Set, and/or, the identification of the QoS flow (if PDU Sets of different PDU Set Importance are mapped to different QoS flows), and/or, the identification of the sub-QoS flow (if PDU Sets of different PDU Set Importance are mapped to different sub-QoS flows), and/or, the PDU priority tag, and/or, the PDU family identification, etc., and/or, the identification information of the PDU Set (for example, each PDU Set is regarded as an independent category, that is, each PDU set is a PDU group); this application does not list them one by one.

Therefore, how to map data streams carrying different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network is a problem that needs to be solved.

Specifically, in the prior art, the QoS flow is mapped to the DRB and then to the RLC bearer at the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sublayer, and the QoS flow consists of multiple application-level PDUs. If the concept of PDU Set is introduced in the XRM service, how to map the PDU Set to the DRB and further to the RLC bearer is a problem that needs to be solved. If layer 2 mapping is performed according to the prior art (for example, mapping from the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) to the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) to the Radio Link Control (RLC)), it will not be possible to perform QoS differentiation on the PDU Sets corresponding to different first information in the QoS flow, for example, it is impossible to perform QoS differentiation on PDU Sets with different importance, resulting in inefficiency and waste of resources in resource allocation and packet loss processing.

In response to at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a data mapping, data sending device and method.

Embodiments of the first aspect

The embodiment of the present application provides a data mapping method, wherein the data mapping method is applied on the terminal device side. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the data mapping method of the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG2, the method includes:

201, mapping at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), where the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

202. Mapping the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

For example, mapping of the PDU group to the RLC bearer is performed according to the first information, wherein different protocol data unit (PDU) groups contained in a data radio bearer can be mapped to different RLC bearers.

Thus, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing and reducing resource waste.

It is worth noting that the above FIG2 is only a schematic illustration of the embodiment of the present application, taking the terminal device as an example, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between the various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be reduced. In addition, the objects of the above operations can also be adjusted. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description of the above FIG2.

In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following information: importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); start and/or end flags of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); size information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); identification information of the quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped; identification information of the sub-quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped; or identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group. For example, the first information may be for uplink data or for downlink data.

For example, the first information is importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), wherein the importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) may be, for example, the importance of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) expressed by numbers ranging from 0 to Nmax, where Nmax=2 is taken as an example, 0 indicates "low" importance, 1 indicates "medium" importance, and 2 indicates "high" importance; that is, the importance of a PDU Set in an XRM service flow may be indicated by explicit numbers, or may also be referred to as priority; the importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) may be explicit information or implicit information, for example, the core network identifies the importance information of a PDU Set according to prior art (for example, the user plane function portion of FIG. 1 ), which may be used to map a PDU Set to different QoS flows, may be used to map to different sub-QoS flows, or may be included in a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) header to notify the RAN. RAN nodes and devices (base stations or UEs) obtain the importance information of the PDU Set through the mapped QoS flow or sub-QoS flow (implicitly) or the information in the GTP-U header (explicitly). Then, according to the importance of the PDU set, the PDU set is mapped to the corresponding RLC bearer, for example, a PDU set with "high" importance is mapped to the first RLC bearer (corresponding to RLC entity 0).

For example, the first information is the identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), which can also be called the data unit set identification (PDU Set identity, PSID). For example, "PDU Set identity (PSID)" is 4 bits, where "0000" indicates the identification of the first PDU set, and then according to the identification "0000" of the PDU set, it is determined to map the PDU set to the corresponding RLC bearer, such as the first RLC bearer (corresponding to RLC entity 0); for example, the first information is the identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group, for example, it can be called "PDU Set Group Identity (PSGID)", and the mapping method is similar to the above-mentioned PSID, which is not repeated here.

For example, the first information is a protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), wherein the specific content of the PDU sequence number can be referred to in the prior art, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

For example, the first information is a start and/or end flag of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set). For example, the start and end of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) may be indicated by two bits. For example, if the first bit is "1", it indicates the start of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); if the second bit is "1", it indicates the end of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set). For example, the start and/or end flag is used to determine the start time of the PDU Set, which can be used for performance enhancement such as energy saving.

For example, the first information is identification information of a quality of service (QoS) flow to which a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped, and/or the first information is identification information of a sub-quality of service (QoS) flow to which a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped; for example, determining to map the PDU set to a corresponding RLC bearer is based on the identification information of the quality of service (QoS) flow and/or the sub-quality of service (QoS) flow.

The above only provides an exemplary description of the specific content of the first information; optionally, the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to a predetermined type of information in the first information; the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can also be mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to multiple predetermined information in the first information; optionally, another predetermined information can be obtained according to a predetermined type of information in the first information, and then the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) in combination with the predetermined type of information and the predetermined type of information.

For example, the importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) can be determined according to the identification information (PSID) of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set); for example, the importance corresponding to the PSID can be determined in a predefined manner, for example, taking a PSID of 4 bits as an example, wherein the importance of the PDU Set with a PSID of "0000"-"0011" is "high"; the importance of the PDU Set with a PSID of "0100"-"0111" is "medium"; the importance of the PDU Set with a PSID of "1000"-"1111" is "low"; after indicating the corresponding PSID, the importance of the PDU Set can be determined, and then the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the importance of the PDU Set.

The above only takes the identification information (PSID) of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) and the importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) as an example for illustration. Other information in the "first information" can also be combined to map the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer), which are not listed one by one in this application.

In some embodiments, a protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), or the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a set of protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) having importance information of the same protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

For example, each protocol data unit set (PDU Set) corresponds to a different importance, and thus each protocol data unit set (PDU Set) corresponds to a protocol data unit (PDU) group; for example, different protocol data unit sets (PDU Sets) may have the same importance, and thus a set of protocol data unit sets (PDU Sets) with the same importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) can be set as a protocol data unit (PDU) group.

The following is an example of "mapping the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer based on first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

For example, a PDU set is used as a protocol data unit (PDU) group:

In some implementations, different protocol data unit (PDU) sets may be mapped to the same QoS flow (sub-QoS flow) at the NAS layer; optionally, different protocol data unit (PDU) sets may be mapped one by one to different QoS flows (sub-QoS flows); the SDAP sublayer maps and configures the DRB by RRC (radio resource control), and then maps the QoS flow to the DRB and its corresponding PDCP entity; one or more QoS flows (sub-QoS flows) may be mapped to one or more DRBs, wherein a QoS flow (sub-QoS flow) may be mapped to only one DRB at a time; one DRB corresponds to one packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity; and one PDCP entity corresponds to one or more RLC entities.

FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of the mapping of the PDU set to the RLC entity of the present application. For example, different protocol data unit (PDU) sets can be mapped to the same QoS flow at the NAS layer. As shown in 301 of FIG3, if a QoS flow does not contain a PDU set, for example, a QoS flow can be mapped to a DRB and then mapped to the RLC entity with reference to the prior art. Thus, the system architecture supporting the PDU Set can be compatible with the system architecture supporting the traditional QoS flow.

In some embodiments, when multiple PDU Sets are multiplexed into a QoS flow and the quality of service (QoS) flow is mapped to a data radio bearer (DRB), a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity demultiplexes (demultiplexing) ("demultiplexing" may also be referred to as "mapping") the data in the data radio bearer (DRB) to different radio link control (RLC) bearers according to the first information.

For example, as shown in 302 of FIG. 3 , an XR QoS flow at the NAS layer contains multiple PDU Sets (PDU set 1, PDU set 2, PDU set 3) (e.g., PDU Sets with different PDU set importance information), and then a one-to-one mapping of the QoS flow to the DRB can be performed in the RAN. At the PDCP layer, the PDCP entity maps the data in the DRB to different RLC bearers (RLC entities) based on the first information (e.g., PDU Set Importance information), for example, mapping the data corresponding to different PDU sets to different RLC entities; optionally, a PDU Set in FIG. 3 can also be used as a sub-QoS flow (sub QoS flow) at the NAS layer.

FIG4 shows another schematic diagram of the mapping of the PDU set to the RLC entity of the present application. For example, different protocol data unit (PDU) sets can be mapped to different QoS flows at the NAS layer, for example, PDU set 1 is mapped to QoS flow 1, PDU set 2 is mapped to QoS flow 2, and PDU set 3 is mapped to QoS flow 3. As shown in 401 of FIG4, if a QoS flow does not contain a PDU set (also expressed as Non-XR traffic: QoS flow), for example, a QoS flow can be mapped to a DRB and then the RLC entity can be mapped with reference to the prior art. Thus, the system architecture supporting PDU Set can be compatible with the system architecture supporting traditional QoS flows.

In some embodiments, when multiple quality of service (QoS) flows are mapped (multiplexed) to one data radio bearer (DRB), a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity demultiplexes (demultiplexing) ("demultiplexing" may also be referred to as "mapping") the data in the data radio bearer (DRB) to different radio link control (RLC) bearers according to the first information.

As shown in 402 of FIG. 4 , if different PDU Sets (e.g., PDU Sets with different PDU set importance information) are mapped to different QoS flows at the NAS layer, multiple QoS flows of XR service traffic can be mapped to one DRB at the RAN (SDAP layer). At the PDCP layer, the PDCP entity maps the data in the DRB to different RLC bearers based on the first information (e.g., PDU set importance information), for example, mapping the data corresponding to different PDU sets to different RLC entities.

In the uplink transmission of the terminal equipment (UE), in order to perform QoS-related processing for PDU Set at each layer, the NAS layer needs to allow the lower layer to obtain the first information related to PDU Set.

In some implementations, the non-access layer (NAS) transmits the first information to the lower layer through cross-layer signaling. For example, the cross-layer signaling can be determined by the internal implementation of the UE. For details, please refer to the prior art, and this application does not list them one by one. For example, the first information is transmitted to the SDAP layer, the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, etc. through the inter-layer signaling. Therefore, there is no need to change the Uu interface, thereby avoiding increasing the header overhead of each layer of the Uu interface.

In some implementations, the first information is added to a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) sublayer. Thus, the first information can be transmitted for both uplink and downlink. Thus, the receiving end can also obtain the first information, thereby facilitating performance enhancement of the receiving end.

In some embodiments, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) also includes a flag bit (Flag), wherein the flag bit indicates that the current service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is based on an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set); in some embodiments, the flag bit is a newly added field of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header), or; the flag bit reuses an existing field of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header); in some embodiments, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) includes a downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) or an uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header); wherein, a new first field is added to the downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) as the flag bit (Flag); or the existing second field is reused in the uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) as the flag bit (Flag).

The following description will be made by taking a downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header and an uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header as examples.

For example, taking the downlink transmission as an example, FIG5 is an example diagram of the format of the downlink SDAP data PDU configured with the SDAP header in the present application.

For example, one or two bytes are added to the existing downstream SDAP header, resulting in a header length of two or three bytes. The second byte of the header contains a one-bit flag (PDU Set Flag, PSF). For example, if the bit is "1", it means that the SDAP data PDU is based on the application-level PDU Set (that is, it belongs to the XRM application), then this byte and the next byte are PDU Set related information; if the bit is "0", it means that the SDAP data PDU is not based on the PDU Set, and the bits below this byte can be ignored, that is, the header has a total of two valid bytes. For example, the existing SDAP header already has an identification field for the QoS flow (QFI shown in Figure 5). Figure 5 takes PSF as "1" as an example. The several bits after PSF can represent PSID, which is the identifier of PDU Set. The example in Figure 5 is 4 bits, which can indicate that a QoS flow can carry a total of 16 PDU Sets from 0 to 15; the remaining 3 bits of the second byte (Qct 2 shown in Figure 5) can indicate the importance (Importance) information of PDU Set, for example, the importance (or priority) of PDU set is divided into 8 levels, which are indicated in sequence by 3 bits; the third byte (Qct 3 shown in Figure 5) can be the PDU sequence number in the PDU Set.

The above is only an exemplary description. It can also be that when the bit value of the flag bit is "0", it indicates that the SDAP data PDU is based on the PDU Set, and when the bit value of the flag bit is "1", it indicates that the SDAP data PDU is not based on the PDU Set. This application does not limit this. For example, it is also possible to carry only the importance (or priority) information of the PDU set or the PSID (see the above example description of the "first information"), and set the remaining bits of the second byte to reserved bits (Reserved, R), for example, the reserved bits can be set to all 0, and the receiving end ignores the reserved bits.

FIG6 is an example diagram of the format of an uplink SDAP data PDU configured with an SDAP header in the present application. For example, the second bit R bit (reserved bit) of the first byte (Oct 1 in FIG5 ) in the original uplink SDAP header is replaced with a flag bit (PSF). If the bit is 1, it means that the SDAP data PDU belongs to the application-level PDU Set, and two bytes are added below to indicate the information of the PDU Set; otherwise, it means that the SDAP data PDU does not belong to the application-level PDU Set, and the existing format can be used. For example, if the PSF indicates that the SDAP data PDU belongs to the application-level PDU Set, two bytes are added to the existing SDAP header, such as including a PSID field, an Importance field, a PDU SN field, and a reserved bit field (the definitions of each field are similar to those in FIG5 , and are not repeated here).

Thus, the first information corresponding to the PDU set can be indicated through the SDAP header, so that the first information can be transmitted between layers.

In some embodiments, the first information is configured for layer 2 via a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling; in some embodiments, the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures the first information for at least one of the following entities or channels: a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity; a radio link control (RLC) entity; or a logical channel.

For example, the first information of the PDU Set is configured through the control plane (such as RRC), for example, the relevant sublayers of the UE side layer 2 are semi-statically configured through the first RRC signaling, for example, the first information corresponding to the PDU set is configured to the corresponding PDCP entity, RLC entity or logical channel of the MAC layer through the first RRC signaling; for example, the importance information of the PDU set is configured to the logical channel corresponding to the PDU Set, so that the MAC layer can optimize the performance in the selection of the logical channel, LCP (logical channel priority) process. Thus, each sublayer can perceive the first information through the configuration of the control plane.

In some embodiments, the above-mentioned first information can be combined with the inter-layer transmission method. For example, the PDU sequence number uses in-band signaling (for example, the first information is carried in the above-mentioned SDAP header), and other PDU Set information is configured using the first RRC signaling; for example, the SDAP layer transmits the first information corresponding to the PDU Set to the PDCP layer through the SDAP header, and then the PDCP layer transmits the PDU Set information to the lower layer through inter-layer signaling, etc.; this application does not list them one by one.

The above application only uses PDU Set as an example for illustration. As mentioned above, a PDU Set with a specific importance can be replaced with a QoS flow, sub-QoS flow, PDU group, PDU family, etc. with the same importance or priority; the above-mentioned PDU Set importance information can also be replaced with a sub-QoS flow identifier, a PDU priority tag, a PDU family identifier, etc.; no repetitive explanation is given here.

In order to support mapping of at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), it is necessary to enhance the PDCP layer to support mapping (or demultiplexing) of data belonging to different PDU Set Importance in the DRB to different RLC bearers.

The following example illustrates this:

In some embodiments, at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity associates the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity corresponding to the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to one or more radio link control (RLC) entities based on the first information; in some embodiments, the number of radio link control (RLC) entities associated with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is determined by at least one of the following: the number of values of a predetermined type of information in the first information, the characteristics of the radio bearer (RB); or the radio link control (RLC) mode.

For example, for a PDCP entity, if the PDCP entity is not associated with an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set), then the PDCP entity will be associated with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 RLC entities, and the specific number depends on the characteristics of the radio bearer (RB) (such as whether it is a unidirectional or bidirectional radio bearer, whether it is a separated bearer) or the RLC mode. For example, for a DRB that transmits a PDU Set, the corresponding PDCP entity will be associated with multiple (not limited to 8) RLC entities. In addition to depending on the above-mentioned wireless bearer characteristics and RLC mode, it also depends on the number of PDU Sets in the DRB or the number of values of a predetermined type of information in the first information. For example, taking the first information including importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) and identification information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) as an example, wherein the "predetermined type of information" is predefined or preconfigured as "importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set)". If an AM (acknowledgement mode) RLC entity is used, there is no separation of bearers and repeated transmissions, and when the "importance information of a protocol data unit set (PDU Set)" has 10 values and protocol data unit sets of different importance are mapped to different RLC entities, the number of radio link control (RLC) entities associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity can be determined to be 10 based on the 10 values.

In order to map the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set) related data to the RLC bearer at the PDCP layer, it is necessary to know that a certain PDCP entity is used to transmit the PDU Set, or in other words, it is necessary to know that a certain PDCP SDU belongs to the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

The following is an example of how the PDCP entity maps PDU Set related data to the corresponding RLC entity:

In some embodiments, when the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is submitted to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information; in some embodiments, according to the first information in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header in the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU), it is determined that the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level.

For example, based on the PSF, PDU Set identifier or PDU Set importance information in the SDAP header of the data SDU, it is known whether the data SDU is based on the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set); if so, the PDCP entity submits the data SDU to the corresponding RLC entity through the mapping relationship configured by RRC (which will be described in detail in the subsequent instructions). In other words, a PDCP entity can be used to transmit both PDU Set-based service flows and non-PDU Set-based service flows.

For example, when submitting a PDCP PDU to the lower layer at the PDCP layer, the sending PDCP entity needs to do the following:

If the sending PDCP entity is associated with at least two RLC entities, when the PDCP SDU comes from an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set) (for example, obtained through the first information indication in the SDAP header), then the PDCP data PDU is submitted to the corresponding RLC entity based on the first information (for example, PDU set importance information).

For example, the following paragraph from TS 38.323:

In some embodiments, when the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured as a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for application level, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is submitted to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information; in some embodiments, when a third field in a second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, it is determined that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for the application level.

For example, the second RRC signaling configures whether the DRB corresponding to the PDCP entity is a service flow based on the PDU Set (i.e., whether the PDU set on the DRB corresponding to the PDCP entity is based on the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set)). If so, based on the first information in the SDAP header of the data SDU, according to the mapping relationship configured by RRC (which will be described in detail in the subsequent instructions), the data SDU is submitted to the corresponding RLC entity. For example, a PDCP entity can only be used to transmit a service flow based on the PDU Set or a service flow not based on the PDU Set.

If the sending PDCP entity is associated with at least two RLC entities, when the PDCP entity is configured to transmit an application level protocol data unit set (PDU Set), the PDCP data PDU is submitted to the corresponding RLC entity based on the first information (e.g., PDU Set importance information).

For example, the following paragraph from TS 38.323:

For example, the PDCP is configured through the RRC layer to determine that the PDCP entity is configured to transmit an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

For example, by enhancing the "PDCP-Config" IE in the second RRC signaling. For example, "PDCP-Config" is used to configure configurable PDCP parameters of the radio bearer. For example, the second RRC signaling may be an RRCReconfiguration message. For the specific content of the PDCP parameters, please refer to the prior art, and this application will not list them one by one here.

For example, a third field indication is added to the "PDCP-Config" IE, such as "supportPDUSet". For example, this field is an optional field. If this field is configured, it indicates that the DRB corresponding to the PDCP entity contains PDU Set data, that is, the PDCP entity is used to process the SDU belonging to the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set); similarly, this field can also be a Boolean type. If the value is true ("true"), it indicates that the DRB corresponding to the PDCP entity contains PDU Set data, that is, the PDCP entity is used to process the SDU belonging to the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set); optionally, this enhancement can also be used to enhance the performance of UE downlink data reception. For example, the PDCP entity can know whether the downlink data of the corresponding DRB belongs to the PDU Set according to the configuration, and then optimize according to the performance requirements of the PDU Set.

The following is an example of protocol enhancement for TS38.331 (PDCP-Config IE), taking the enumeration type where the value of this field is true as an example:

Therefore, it is possible to know that a specific PDCP entity is used to transmit PDU Set, or in other words, to know that a specific PDCP SDU belongs to an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set), so that the PDU Set data can be submitted to the mapped RLC entity.

In order to support mapping the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), it is necessary to enhance the RRC to support the configuration of the mapping relationship from the PDU Set to the RLC. The following example is used for illustration:

In some embodiments, according to the configured mapping relationship between the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group and the radio link control (RLC) bearer, the protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) is mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer. In some embodiments, the mapping relationship is configured by a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling when the radio resource control (RRC) configures the radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

For example, when RRC configures RLC bearer parameters, the third RRC signaling may configure a mapping relationship between PDU Set and RLC bearer, for example, the "RLC-BearerConfig" IE in the third RRC signaling may be enhanced. For example, the third RRC signaling may be an RRCReconfiguration message.

For example, "RLC-BearerConfig" is used to set the connection relationship between a certain RLC entity and the corresponding MAC layer logical channel and the PDCP entity (the radio bearer of the service). By enhancing this IE, it can be determined how to map a PDU Set or a PDU Set (PDU Set group) with the same first information (such as PDU Set importance information) to the corresponding RLC bearer.

In some embodiments, the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that need to be added; and/or, the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a second list, wherein the second list includes first information of all the protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) that need to be released from the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) in the existing protocol data unit (PDU) session mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.

For example, a first list is added to "RLC-BearerConfig", for example, represented by "mappedPDU-SetsToAdd"; the first list contains all the first information that needs to be added and mapped to the RLC bearer, such as identification information of the PDU Set or PDU Set Importance information; optionally, the PDU Set in the QoS flow and/or the first information corresponding to the PDU Set is identified by a general identifier XRI (XR identifier). For example, the XRI is composed of a QoS flow identifier QFI and a pdu-Set-Id, for example, the Pdu-Set-Id can be a PDU Set identifier or a PDU Set Importance information, and the XRI can uniquely identify the PDU Set or the PDU Set Importance information in different QoS flows, wherein an XRI value can only appear once in all configured "RLC-bearerConfig" instances with the same drb-Identity value. Similarly, a second list may be added to the third RRC signaling, for example represented by "mappedPDU-SetsToRelease", and the second list contains the identifiers of all PDU Sets that need to be released from the existing PDU Set mapped to the PDU session carried by the RLC (such as the above-mentioned XRI).

The following is an example of protocol enhancement (RLC-BearerConfig IE) for TS38.331:

In this way, the mapping relationship from PDU Set to RLC can be configured.

The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the embodiments of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto, and appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that the present application can map at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing, reducing resource waste, and ensuring the processing of differentiated PDU Sets and meeting the integrated data processing requirements of PDU Sets.

Embodiments of the second aspect

The embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method, which is applied to a network device side. The embodiment of the present application can be combined with the embodiment of the first aspect, or can be implemented separately. The same contents as the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated here.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a data sending method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7 , the method includes:

701, sending a first RRC signaling;

702, the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for layer 2 (layer 2), wherein the terminal device maps at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

Thus, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing, reducing resource waste, and ensuring the processing of differentiated PDU Sets and meeting the integrated data processing requirements of PDU Sets.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a second radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein, when a third field in the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, the terminal device determines that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) at the application level.

In some embodiments, the method also includes: sending a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures a mapping relationship between the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group and the radio link control (RLC) bearer when the radio resource control (RRC) configures the radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

In some embodiments, the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling contains a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that need to be added; and/or the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling contains a second list, wherein the second list includes first information of all the protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) that need to be released from the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) in the existing protocol data unit (PDU) session mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.

It is worth noting that the above FIG. 7 is only a schematic illustration of the embodiment of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between the various operations can be appropriately adjusted, and other operations can be added or some operations can be reduced. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description of the above FIG. 7.

Embodiments of the third aspect

The embodiment of the present application provides a data mapping device. The device may be, for example, a terminal device, or may be one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device; in addition, the same contents as those in the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated here.

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a data mapping device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , the data mapping device 800 includes:

A first mapping unit 801 maps at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), wherein the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

The second mapping unit 802 maps the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

Thus, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) can be mapped to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), thereby supporting the mapping of data streams with different first information to the resources of the corresponding access network, further improving the efficiency in resource allocation and packet loss processing, reducing resource waste, and ensuring the processing of differentiated PDU Sets and meeting the integrated data processing requirements of PDU Sets.

In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following information:

Importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

a protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

The start and/or end flag of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Size information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Identification information of the quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped;

identification information of the sub-quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped; or

The identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group.

In some embodiments, the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), or the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a set of protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) having importance information of the same protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

In some embodiments, when the first mapping unit 801 maps multiple quality of service (QoS) flows to one data radio bearer (DRB), the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity demultiplexes the data in the data radio bearer (DRB) to different radio link control (RLC) bearers according to the first information.

In some implementations, the apparatus further includes: a sending unit 803, which transmits the first information to a lower layer via cross-layer signaling in a non-access stratum (NAS).

In some implementations, the first information is added in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header of a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sublayer.

In some embodiments, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) also includes a flag bit (Flag), wherein the flag bit indicates that the current service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is based on an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

In some implementations, the flag bit is a newly added field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, or the flag bit reuses an existing field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header.

In some embodiments, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header includes a downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header or an uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header;

Wherein, a first field is added to the downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header as the flag; or

The existing second field in the uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header is reused as the flag bit (Flag).

In some embodiments, the data mapping device 800 also includes a receiving unit 804, which receives a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling; and configures the first information for layer 2 through the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

In some embodiments, the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures the first information for at least one of the following entities or channels: a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity; a radio link control (RLC) entity; or a logical channel.

In some embodiments, at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the second mapping unit 802 associates the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity corresponding to the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to one or more radio link control (RLC) entities through the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity according to the first information.

In some implementations, the number of the radio link control (RLC) entities associated with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is determined by at least one of the following:

the number of values of the predetermined type of information in the first information,

Characteristics of the Radio Bearer (RB); or

Radio Link Control (RLC) mode.

In some embodiments, when the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity submits a packet data convergence protocol (PDU) data protocol data unit (PDU) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information.

In some embodiments, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity determines, based on first information in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header in the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU), that the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level.

In some embodiments, wherein, when the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured for an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set), the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity submits a packet data convergence protocol (PDU) data protocol data unit (PDU) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information.

In some embodiments, wherein a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured for an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set) includes: when a third field in a second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, determining that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

In some embodiments, the second mapping unit 802 maps the protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the configured mapping relationship of the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.

In some implementations, the mapping relationship is configured by a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling when the radio resource control (RRC) configures radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

In some embodiments, the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling includes a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that needs to be added; and/or

The third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a second list, wherein the second list includes first information of all protocol data unit sets (PDU Sets) that need to be released from at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) in the existing protocol data unit (PDU) session mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.

It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The data mapping device 800 may also include other components or modules, and the specific contents of these components or modules may refer to the relevant technology.

In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG8 only exemplifies the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned various components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

Embodiments of the fourth aspect

The embodiment of the present application provides a data sending device, which may be, for example, a network device, or may be one or more components or assemblies configured in the network device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the second aspect will not be repeated.

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a data sending device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the data sending device 900 includes:

A sending unit 901, which sends a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

A configuration unit 902 configures first information related to a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) to layer 2 (layer 2) through the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein the terminal device maps at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

In some embodiments, the sending unit 901 also sends a second radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein, when the third field in the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, the terminal device determines that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) at the application level.

In some embodiments, the sending unit 901 also sends a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures the mapping relationship between the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group and the radio link control (RLC) bearer when the radio resource control (RRC) configures the radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

In some embodiments, the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that need to be added; and/or the third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a second list, wherein the second list includes first information of all the protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) that need to be released from the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) in the existing protocol data unit (PDU) session mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.

It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The data sending device 900 may also include other components or modules, and the specific contents of these components or modules may refer to the relevant technology.

In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 9 only exemplifies the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned various components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

Embodiments of the fifth aspect

An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, and the contents that are the same as those of the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects are not repeated here.

In some embodiments, the communication system may include at least:

A network device, which sends a first RRC signaling and/or a second RRC signaling and/or a third RRC signaling, wherein:

The first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) to layer 2;

A terminal device, which maps at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), wherein the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

According to the first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set), the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) is mapped to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other network devices.

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the network device 1000 may include: a processor 1010 (e.g., a central processing unit CPU) and a memory 1020; the memory 1020 is coupled to the processor 1010. The memory 1020 may store various data; in addition, it may store a program 1030 for information processing, and the program 1030 may be executed under the control of the processor 1010.

In addition, as shown in FIG10 , the network device 1000 may further include: a transceiver 1040 and an antenna 1050, etc.; wherein the functions of the above components are similar to those of the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the network device 1000 does not necessarily have to include all the components shown in FIG10 ; in addition, the network device 1000 may also include components not shown in FIG10 , which may refer to the prior art.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal device, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other devices.

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the terminal device 1100 may include a processor 1110 and a memory 1120; the memory 1120 stores data and programs and is coupled to the processor 1110. It is worth noting that the figure is exemplary; other types of structures may also be used to supplement or replace the structure to implement telecommunication functions or other functions.

For example, the processor 1110 may be configured to execute a program to implement the data mapping method as described in the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 1110 may be configured to perform the following control: mapping at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) including at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set); mapping the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

As shown in FIG11 , the terminal device 1100 may further include: a communication module 1130, an input unit 1140, a display 1150, and a power supply 1160. The functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1100 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG11 , and the above components are not necessary; in addition, the terminal device 1100 may also include components not shown in FIG11 , and reference may be made to the prior art.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program enables the terminal device to execute the data mapping method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a terminal device to execute the data mapping method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to execute the data sending method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a terminal device to execute the data sending method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware combined with software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program, which, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the above-mentioned devices or components, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

The method/device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and/or one or more combinations of the functional block diagrams may correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules may correspond to the various steps shown in the figure, respectively. These hardware modules may be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

The software module may be located in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in a memory of a mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if a device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

For one or more of the functional blocks described in the drawings and/or one or more combinations of functional blocks, it can be implemented as a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in the present application. For one or more of the functional blocks described in the drawings and/or one or more combinations of functional blocks, it can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

The present application is described above in conjunction with specific implementation methods, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and these modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

1. A data mapping method, wherein the method comprises:

2. The method according to Note 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following information:

Importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

The start and/or end flag of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Size information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

The identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group.

3. The method according to Note 2, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), or the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a set of protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) having importance information of the same protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

4. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further comprises:

When multiple quality of service (QoS) flows are mapped to one data radio bearer (DRB), a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity demultiplexes the data in the data radio bearer (DRB) to different radio link control (RLC) bearers according to the first information.

5. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further comprises:

The non-access stratum (NAS) transfers the first information to the lower layer through cross-layer signaling.

6. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further comprises: adding the first information in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header of a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sublayer.

7. The method according to Note 6, wherein the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) also includes a flag bit (Flag), wherein the flag bit indicates that the current service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is based on an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

8. The method according to Note 7, wherein the flag bit is a newly added field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, or; the flag bit reuses an existing field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header.

9. The method according to Note 8, wherein the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header comprises a downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header or an uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header;

10. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further comprises:

The first information is configured for layer 2 through a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

11. The method according to Note 10, wherein the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures the first information for at least one of the following entities or channels:

Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity; Radio Link Control (RLC) entity; or, logical channel.

12. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further includes: at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity associates the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity corresponding to the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to one or more radio link control (RLC) entities based on the first information.

13. The method according to Note 12, wherein the number of the radio link control (RLC) entities associated with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is determined by at least one of the following:

Characteristics of the Radio Bearer (RB); or

Radio Link Control (RLC) mode.

14. The method according to Note 12 further comprises:

In the case where the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level,

A packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is submitted to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information.

15. The method according to Note 14, further comprising:

According to the first information in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header in the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU), it is determined that the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is based on an application level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).

16. The method according to Note 12, further comprising:

In case the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity is configured as a Protocol Data Unit Set (PDU Set) for application level,

17. The method according to Note 16, wherein the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured to be used for an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set) including:

When the third field in the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, it is determined that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) at the application level.

18. The method according to Note 1, wherein the method further comprises:

According to the configured mapping relationship between the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group and the radio link control (RLC) bearer, the protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) is mapped to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer.

19. The method according to Note 18, wherein:

The mapping relationship is configured by a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling when the radio resource control (RRC) configures the radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

20. The method according to Note 19, wherein:

The third radio resource control (RRC) signaling includes a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that needs to be added; and/or

21. A data transmission method, wherein the method comprises:

Sending a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

22. The method according to Note 21, wherein the method further comprises:

Sending a second radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein, when a third field in the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, the terminal device determines that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) at the application level.

23. The method according to Note 21, wherein:

Send a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling; wherein the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures a mapping relationship between the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group and the radio link control (RLC) bearer when the radio resource control (RRC) configures the radio link control (RLC) bearer parameters.

24. The method according to Note 23, wherein:

The third radio resource control (RRC) signaling includes a first list, wherein the first list includes all first information of the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the RLC bearer that needs to be added; and/or

25. A terminal device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the data mapping method as described in any one of Notes 1 to 20.

26. A network device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the data sending method as described in any one of Notes 21 to 24.

27. A communication system comprising:

Claims

A data mapping device, the data mapping device comprising:

a first mapping unit, which maps at least one QoS flow to at least one data radio bearer (DRB), wherein the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) includes at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

A second mapping unit maps the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to a corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer (bearer) according to first information related to the protocol data unit set (PDU Set).
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following information:

Importance information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Identification information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

a protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

The start and/or end flag of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Size information of the protocol data unit set (PDU Set);

Identification information of the quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped;

identification information of the sub-quality of service (QoS) flow to which the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) is mapped; or

The identification information of the protocol data unit (PDU) group.
The device according to claim 2, wherein the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a protocol data unit set (PDU Set), or the protocol data unit (PDU) group includes a set of protocol data unit sets (PDU Set) having importance information of the same protocol data unit set (PDU Set).
The device according to claim 1, wherein, when the first mapping unit maps multiple quality of service (QoS) flows to one data radio bearer (DRB), a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity demultiplexes data in the data radio bearer (DRB) to different radio link control (RLC) bearers according to the first information.
The device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises:

A sending unit is configured to transfer the first information to a lower layer through cross-layer signaling at a non-access stratum (NAS).
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information is added in a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header of a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) sublayer.
The device according to claim 6, wherein the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header (header) also includes a flag bit (Flag), wherein the flag bit indicates that the current service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) data protocol data unit (PDU) is based on an application-level protocol data unit set (PDU Set).
The device according to claim 7, wherein the flag bit is a newly added field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, or; the flag bit reuses an existing field of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header.
The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header comprises a downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header or an uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header;

Wherein, a first field is added to the downlink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header as the flag; or

The existing second field in the uplink service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header is reused as the flag bit (Flag).
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit that receives a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling;

The first information is configured for layer 2 via the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling.
The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first radio resource control (RRC) signaling configures the first information for at least one of the following entities or channels:

Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity; Radio Link Control (RLC) entity; or, logical channel.
The device according to claim 1, wherein, at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the second mapping unit associates the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity corresponding to the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to one or more radio link control (RLC) entities through the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity according to the first information.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the number of the radio link control (RLC) entities associated with the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is determined by at least one of the following:

the number of values of the predetermined type of information in the first information,

Characteristics of the Radio Bearer (RB); or

Radio Link Control (RLC) mode.
The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where a current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on an application level,

The packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity submits a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data protocol data unit (PDU) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information.
The device according to claim 14, wherein

The packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity determines, based on the first information in the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) header in the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU), that the current packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) at the packet data convergence protocol (PDC) layer is a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) based on the application level.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, in a case where the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured as a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for application level,

The packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity submits a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) data protocol data unit (PDU) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) entity according to the first information.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is configured to include: a protocol data unit set (PDU Set) for an application level;

When the third field in the second radio resource control (RRC) signaling is configured, it is determined that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity is for the protocol data unit set (PDU Set) at the application level.
The device according to claim 12, wherein the second mapping unit maps the protocol data unit (PDU) group on the at least one data radio bearer (DRB) to the corresponding radio link control (RLC) bearer according to the configured mapping relationship of the at least one protocol data unit (PDU) group to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.
The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the mapping relationship is configured by a third radio resource control (RRC) signaling when a radio resource control (RRC) configures a radio link control (RLC) bearer parameter.
The device according to claim 19, wherein

The third radio resource control (RRC) signaling includes a first list, wherein the first list includes first information of all the at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer that needs to be added; and/or

The third radio resource control (RRC) signaling has a second list, wherein the second list includes first information of all protocol data unit sets (PDU Sets) that need to be released from at least one protocol data unit set (PDU Set) in the existing protocol data unit (PDU) session mapped to the radio link control (RLC) bearer.