U.S. patent application number 16/705850 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-09 for control and management of reflective qos.
This patent application is currently assigned to MEDIATEK INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is MEDIATEK INC.. Invention is credited to Chien-Chun Huang-Fu, Yu-Syuan Jheng, Per Johan Mikael Johansson, Pavan Nuggehalli, Guillaume Sebire.
Application Number | 20200112874 16/705850 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63105623 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200112874 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jheng; Yu-Syuan ; et
al. |
April 9, 2020 |
CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF REFLECTIVE QoS
Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for reflective
quality of service (QoS) control and management at a user equipment
(UE). The method can include creating a derived QoS rule belonging
to a session and having a QoS flow identifier (QFI). The derived
QoS rule includes a precedence value that is set to one of a
precedence value associated with a session identifier (ID) of the
session received from a core network (CN) of a wireless
communication system during a session establishment procedure for
establishing the session, a precedence value associated with the
QFI received from the CN during the session establishment procedure
for establishing the session or when a downlink QoS flow having the
QFI is added to the session, or a precedence value that is defined
by an operator of the wireless communication system.
Inventors: |
Jheng; Yu-Syuan; (Hsinchu,
TW) ; Nuggehalli; Pavan; (San Jose, CA) ;
Sebire; Guillaume; (Oulu, FI) ; Huang-Fu;
Chien-Chun; (Hsinchu, TW) ; Johansson; Per Johan
Mikael; (Solaris, SG) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MEDIATEK INC. |
Hsinchu |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
MEDIATEK INC.
Hsinchu
TW
|
Family ID: |
63105623 |
Appl. No.: |
16/705850 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15892501 |
Feb 9, 2018 |
10542454 |
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16705850 |
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62457199 |
Feb 10, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 47/20 20130101;
H04L 47/2441 20130101; H04W 28/26 20130101; H04L 67/146 20130101;
H04W 28/0268 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 28/02 20060101
H04W028/02; H04W 28/26 20060101 H04W028/26; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; H04L 12/851 20060101 H04L012/851 |
Claims
1. A method of quality of service (QoS) control at a user equipment
(UE) that supports reflective QoS, comprising: receiving, by the
UE, a downlink packet in a session, the downlink packet including a
QoS flow identifier (QFI); deriving, by the UE, a first QoS rule
according to the QFI, wherein the downlink packet is marked with
the QFI, and the first QoS rule derived by the UE is for the
session and having the QFI; setting a precedence value of the first
QoS rule derived by the UE to a precedence value associated with a
session identifier (ID) of the session received from a core network
(CN) of a wireless communication system during a session
establishment procedure for establishing the session, or a
predefined precedence value; receiving a message from the CN
indicating the session ID of the session and a first reflective QoS
(RQ) timer value; and starting a timer associated with the first
QoS rule, the timer set to the first RQ timer value, wherein the
precedence value corresponds to an order for evaluating the first
QoS rule derived by the UE for transmitting an uplink packet in the
session when at least one other QoS rule for the session is
available.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a message
from the CN indicating the session ID of the session and a second
RQ timer value after receiving the first RQ timer value; and
restarting the timer associated with the first QoS rule according
to the second RQ timer value.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a message
from the CN including the session ID of the session and an
operation code of modification or deletion; and modifying or
deleting the first QoS rule derived by the UE for the session in
response to receiving the message.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a
message to the CN for stopping the reflective QoS in the session or
in one or more QoS flows in the session, the message specifying the
session according to the session ID of the session, or specifying
the one or more QoS flows of the session according to the session
ID and one or more QFIs associated with the one or more QoS
flows.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a first
message indicating whether the CN supports the reflective QoS or
not; and in response to receiving the first message indicating that
the CN supports the reflective QoS, starting, by the UE, a
monitoring operation for detecting the downlink packet or other
downlink packets in the session that carry reflective QoS
indication (RQI).
6. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising: after
receiving the first message, receiving a second message indicating
that the CN does not support the reflective QoS anymore; and in
response to receiving the second message indicating that the CN
does not support the reflective QoS anymore, stopping, by the UE,
the monitoring operation.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing a
monitoring operation for detecting the downlink packet or other
downlink packets in the session that carry reflective QoS
indication (RQI); receiving a message for stopping the monitoring
operation; and in response to receiving the message for stopping
the monitoring operation, stopping, by the UE, the monitoring
operation.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is received from the
CN, and the message specifies the session according to the session
ID of the session or the QFI.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is received from an
access network (AN) of the wireless communication system, and the
message specifies the session according to the session ID of the
session, the QFI, or a radio bearer ID.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a
message requesting the CN to stop supporting the reflective QoS for
the session.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink packet is marked
with the QFI and a reflective QoS indicator (RQI).
12. A user equipment (UE) that supports reflective quality of
service (QoS), the UE comprising: circuitry configured to: receive
a downlink packet in a session, the downlink packet including a QoS
flow identifier (QFI); derive a first QoS rule according to the
QFI, wherein the downlink packet is marked with the QFI, and the
first QoS rule derived by the UE is for the session and having the
QFI; set a precedence value of the first QoS rule derived by the UE
to a precedence value associated with a session identifier (ID) of
the session received from a core network (CN) of a wireless
communication system during a session establishment procedure for
establishing the session, or a predefined precedence value; receive
a message from the CN indicating the session ID of the session and
a first reflective QoS (RQ) timer value; and start a timer
associated with the first QoS rule, the timer set to the first RQ
timer value, wherein the precedence value corresponds to an order
for evaluating the first QoS rule derived by the UE for
transmitting an uplink packet in the session when at least one
other QoS rule for the session is available.
13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: receive a message from the CN indicating the session ID of the
session and a second RQ timer value after receiving the first RQ
timer value; and restart the timer associated with the first QoS
rule according to the second RQ timer value.
14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: receive a message from the CN including the session ID of the
session and an operation code of modification or deletion; and
modify or delete the first QoS rule derived by the UE for the
session in response to receiving the message.
15. The UE of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: transmit a message to the CN for stopping the reflective QoS in
the session or in one or more QoS flows in the session, the message
specifying the session according to the session ID of the session,
or specifying the one or more QoS flows of the session according to
the session ID and one or more QFIs associated with the one or more
QoS flows.
16. The UE of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: receive a first message indicating whether the CN supports the
reflective QoS or not; and in response to receiving the first
message indicating that the CN supports the reflective QoS, start a
monitoring operation for detecting the downlink packet or other
downlink packets in the session that carry reflective QoS
indication (RQI).
17. The UE of claim 16, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: after receiving the first message, receive a second message
indicating that the CN does not support the reflective QoS anymore;
and in response to receiving the second message indicating that the
CN does not support the reflective QoS anymore, stop the monitoring
operation.
18. The UE of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured
to: perform a monitoring operation for detecting the downlink
packet or other downlink packets in the session that carry
reflective QoS indication (RQI); receive a message for stopping the
monitoring operation; and in response to receiving the message for
stopping the monitoring operation, stop the monitoring
operation.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions
that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment
(UE) that supports reflective quality of service (QoS), cause the
UE to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving a downlink
packet in a session, the downlink packet including a QoS flow
identifier (QFI); deriving a first QoS rule according to the QFI,
wherein the downlink packet is marked with the QFI, and the first
QoS rule derived by the UE is for the session and having the QFI;
setting a precedence value of the first QoS rule derived by the UE
to a precedence value associated with a session identifier (ID) of
the session received from a core network (CN) of a wireless
communication system during a session establishment procedure for
establishing the session, or a predefined precedence value;
receiving a message from the CN indicating the session ID of the
session and a first reflective QoS (RQ) timer value; and starting a
timer associated with the first QoS rule, the timer set to the
first RQ timer value, wherein the precedence value corresponds to
an order for evaluating the first QoS rule derived by the UE for
transmitting an uplink packet in the session when at least one
other QoS rule for the session is available.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more
processors of the UE, cause the UE to perform the method that
further comprises: receiving a message from the CN indicating the
session ID of the session and a second RQ timer value after
receiving the first RQ timer value; and restarting the timer
associated with the first QoS rule according to the second RQ timer
value.
Description
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S.
application Ser. No. 15/892,501, filed Feb. 9, 2018, and is based
upon and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/457,199, "5G QoS Control" filed on Feb. 10,
2017, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated
herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications,
and specifically relates to quality of service (QoS) management in
a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5th generation (5G)
system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The background description provided herein is for the
purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work
of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is
described in this background section, as well as aspects of the
description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time
of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior
art against the present disclosure.
[0004] Quality of service (QoS) refers to traffic prioritization
and resource reservation control mechanisms. QoS enables traffic
classification and service differentiation such that different
types of traffics or users may receive different services. QoS flow
is the finest granularity for QoS management in a 5G wireless
system.
SUMMARY
[0005] Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for reflective
quality of service (QoS) control and management at a user equipment
(UE). The method can include creating a derived QoS rule belonging
to a session and having a QoS flow identifier (QFI). The derived
QoS rule includes a precedence value that is set to one of a
precedence value associated with a session identifier (ID) of the
session received from a core network (CN) of a wireless
communication system during a session establishment procedure for
establishing the session, a precedence value associated with the
QFI received from the CN during the session establishment procedure
for establishing the session or when a downlink QoS flow having the
QFI is added to the session, or a precedence value that is defined
by an operator of the wireless communication system.
[0006] In one example, the method can further include receiving a
message from the CN indicating the session ID of the session and a
first reflective QoS (RQ) timer value. An RQ timer associated with
the derived QoS rule is set to the first RQ timer value and started
when a UE derived QoS rule is created. In one example, the method
can further include receiving a message from the CN indicating the
session ID of the session, a set of QFIs and a second RQ timer
value that is different from the first RQ value. When a second UE
derived QoS rule is created with one of the set of OFIs, a timer is
set to the second RQ timer value.
[0007] In an embodiment, the method can further include receiving a
message from the CN including the session ID of the session, and an
operation code of modification or deletion, and modifying or
deleting derived QoS rules of the session as a response to
receiving the message.
[0008] In an embodiment, the method can further include receiving a
message indicating whether the CN supports reflective QoS or not,
and as a response to receiving the message, starting a monitoring
operation for reflective QoS when the CN supports reflective QoS.
In one example, the message is received from the CN, and specifies
the session ID of the session, and/or the QFI. In one example, the
message is received from an access network (AN) of the wireless
communication system, and specifies the session ID of the session,
the QFI, and/or a radio bearer ID.
[0009] In an embodiment, the method can further include receiving a
message to indicate supporting or not supporting reflective QoS.
Once not supporting Reflective QoS is received, the UE will stop
monitoring the reflective QoS indication (RQI) carried in downlink
packets. In one example, supporting of reflective QoS may be set as
on by default at the CN, and the UE may transmit a session
modification request to request the CN to stop supporting
reflective QoS.
[0010] Aspects of the disclosure provide a UE for QoS control and
management. The UE can include circuitry configured to create a
derived QoS rule belonging to a session and having a QoS flow
identifier (QFI). The precedence value of the derived QoS rule can
be set to one of a precedence value associated with a session
identifier (ID) of the session received from a core network (CN) of
a wireless communication system during a session establishment
procedure for establishing the session, a precedence value
associated with the QFI received from the CN during the session
establishment procedure for establishing the session or when a
downlink QoS flow having the QFI is added to the session, or a
precedence value that is defined by an operator of the wireless
communication system.
[0011] Aspects of the disclosure provide a non-transitory
computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed
by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to
perform the method for reflective QoS control and management at a
UE.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Various embodiments of this disclosure that are proposed as
examples will be described in detail with reference to the
following figures, wherein like numerals reference like elements,
and wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system
according to an embodiment of the disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an example packet mapping process according to
an embodiment of the disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows an example mapping table according to an
embodiment of the disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows an example process for creating a derived
quality of service (QoS) rule based on downlink traffic according
to an embodiment of the disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example reflective QoS
control and management process according to some embodiments of the
disclosure; and
[0018] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary block diagram of a user equipment
(UE) according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0019] FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system 100
according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The system 100 can
include user equipment (UE) 110, an access network (AN) 130, and a
core network (CN) 130. Those components 110-130 are coupled
together as shown in FIG. 1. In one example, the system 100 can be
a system compliant with the 5th Generation (5G) system standards
developed by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
Accordingly, structure and functions of the system 100 can be
similar to that defined by the 3GPP 5G system standards.
[0020] The UE 110 can be a mobile phone, a vehicle, a camera, a
portable computer, and the like. The AN 120 can be a base station
implementing radio access technologies specified by 3GPP New Radio
standards or evolved Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards.
Alternatively, the AN 120 can be a general base station
implementing a non-3GPP access technology, such as Wi-Fi.
[0021] The CN 130 can include a plurality of functional elements,
referred to as Network Functions (NFs). Each NF can be implemented
either as a network element on a dedicated hardware, as a software
instance running on a dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized
function instantiated on an appropriate platform, such as a cloud
infrastructure. Two NFs are shown in FIG. 2: a user plane function
(UDF) 131, and a session management function (SMF) 132. The CN 130
can include other NFs although not shown in FIG. 1. The CN 130 can
be separated into two parts: a user plane and a control plane. The
user plane carries user traffic while the control plane carries
signaling. The UPF 131 is in the user plane, and other NFs of the
CN 130 are in the control plane.
[0022] The UPF 131 can include at least the following
functionality: providing connection between the UE 110 and a data
network (DN) 140 via the AN 120 for transmission of user plane
traffic (downlink or uplink traffic); packet routing and
forwarding; and quality of service (QoS) handling, such as
uplink/downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in
downlink, and the like. The DN 140 can be the Internet, or a third
party wireless or wired network.
[0023] The SMF 132 is responsible for session management, such as
establishment, modification, or release of a session. A session 151
is shown in FIG. 1. The session 151 is a logical connection between
the UE 110 and the DN 140 crossing the AN 120 and the CN 130. A
session is referred to as a protocol data unit (PDU) session in
3GPP standards. Similarly, a session is referred to as a PDU
session in this disclosure. The PDU session 151 can be an IPv4
session, an IPv6 session, or an Ethernet session, and the like. The
PDU session 151 can include packet flows, referred to as QoS flows.
For example, uplink or downlink traffic in the PDU session 151 can
be classified into different QoS flows each marked with a QoS flow
identifier (QFI), for example, based on traffic types, user
subscription information, and network configurations, or other
factors. Different QoS flows can then be treated differently
according to the OFIs when passing through the components of the
system 100 along the PDU session 151.
[0024] The PDU session 151 can be established (upon request of the
UE 110), modified (upon request of the UE 110 or the CN 130), and
released (upon request of the UE 110 or the CN 130) using
non-access stratum (NAS) session management signaling or messages
exchanged between the UE 110 and the SMF 132. While the SMF 132 is
shown to be directly connected with the UE 110 and the AN 120 in
FIG. 1, messages between the SMF 132 and the UE 110 or the AN 120
can be transferred via other components of the system 100, such as
an intermediate NF not shown in FIG. 1. Generally, due to structure
of radio access network protocol stacks of an LTE or 5G system,
messages between the UE 110 and components of the CN 130 (such as
the SMF 132) are referred to as NAS messages, while messages
between the UE 110 and the AN 120 are referred to access stratum
(AS) messages. An AS message can be used as a carrier for delivery
of a NAS message between the UE 110 and the CN 130.
[0025] In one example, the UE 110 can transmit a PDU session
establishment request to initiate a PDU session establishment
procedure. Alternatively, an application server in the DN 140 can
send a request to the CN 130 that in response can send a trigger
message to the UE 110 specifying a specific application in the UE
110. The UE 110 can pass the trigger message to the identified
application in the UE 110. The identified application can then
initiate a session establishment procedure. The PDU session
establishment request may include a PDU session identifier (ID) and
a destination DN, such as the DN 140. The PDU session ID can be
unique per UE 110 and used to uniquely identify one of the UE 110's
multiple PDU sessions.
[0026] In one example, during the session establishment procedure,
the SMF 132 can be selected from multiple SMFs of the system 100.
The SMF 132 can then select the UPF 131 for establishing the PDU
session 151 from candidate UPFs. Subsequently, the SMF 132 can
provide session context information to the UE 110, the AN 120, and
the UPF 131, and allocate an IP address to the UE 110. Based on the
session context information, the UE 110, the AN 120, and the UPF
131 can perform session related operations accordingly to support
the PDU session 151.
[0027] In one example, QoS related context information can be
provided by the SMF 132 to support QoS related operations at the UE
110, the AN 120, and the UPF 131. For example, one or more QoS
profiles each corresponding to a QoS flow can be provided to the AN
120. One or more QoS rules can be provided to the UE 110. One or
more packet filter sets can be provided to the UPF 131. Based on
the QoS related context information, uplink or downlink traffic can
be mapped to QoS flows, and processed accordingly. Specifically,
the QoS rules provided to the UE 110 enable uplink QoS flow mapping
at the UE 110. The filter sets provided to the UPF 131 enable
downlink QoS flow mapping at the UPF 131.
[0028] In one example, the PDU session 151 can be modified after
being established during a PDU session modification procedure. For
example, a new QoS flow can be added by adding a QoS rule to the UE
110, or an existing QoS flow can be deleted by removing an existing
QoS rule in the UE 110, when requested by the UE 110. One or more
parameters related with the PDU session 151 or QoS flows of the PDU
session 151 can be changed.
[0029] Particularly, in one example, during establishment or
operation of the PDU session 151, a QoS feature, referred to as
reflective QoS in 3GPP 5G system standards, can be enabled. For
example, the SMF 132 can control the UPF 131 to associate a
reflective QoS indication (RQI) with packets of a specific downlink
QoS flow. The UE 110 can continuously monitor downlink traffic, and
detect a packet carrying the RQI, and accordingly derive a QoS rule
based on the detected packet. Then an uplink QoS flow corresponding
to the downlink QoS flow can be identified and marked based on the
derived QoS rule.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows an example packet mapping process 200 according
to an embodiment of the disclosure. The process 200 can take place
at the UE 110 in FIG. 1 after the session 151 and QoS flows of the
session 151 are established. The process 200 can include two levels
of mapping. With respect to user plane protocol stack at the UE
110, the first level mapping can be operated in non-access stratum
(NAS) 201, while the second level mapping can be operated in access
stratum (AS). Specifically, the AS mapping operation can be
performed by a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer. SDAP
is a new user plane protocol added to AS as specified in 3GPP 5G
system standards.
[0031] During the first level NAS mapping, uplink traffic is mapped
to QoS flows. As shown, traffic 211 (such as IP packets or Ethernet
packets, depending on a session type), is generated from
applications 210. Then, packet filters 220 A-E are employed to
classify packets of the traffic 211 into QoS flows 230 F1-F3. The
packet filters 220 can be specified in a group of QoS rules, for
example, provided by the SMF 132 when the session 151 is
established. Each of the QoS packet flows 230 can be associated
with a QFI according to the QoS rules. Thus, after the
classification, each packet is associated with a QFI, which is
referred to as a marking operation. The QFI can be referred to as a
marker. Carrying a marker, a packet can be treated accordingly to
receive a certain level of service corresponding to the marker.
[0032] During the second level AS mapping, the QoS flows 230 are
further mapped to data radio bearers 250 B1-B2. For example, the
SDAP layer can perform a data radio bearer mapping 240 to map each
packet to a data radio bearer 250. Each data radio bearer 250 is a
logical connection between the UE 110 and the AN 120. Different
data radio bearers can receive differentiated radio transmission
services. In addition, the SDAP layer may encapsulate a packet with
an SDAP header. The QFI associated with this IP packet can be
carried in this SDAP header.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows an example mapping table 300 according to an
embodiment of the disclosure. The mapping table 300 can be stored
in the UE 110, and used to perform the NAS mapping in FIG. 2
example. The mapping table 300 includes a set of QoS rules each
included in a row 321-324 of the mapping table 300. Each QoS rule
includes a set of parameters listed in each column 311-314 of the
table 300. The set of parameters can be a QoS rule ID which is
unique within a PDU session, a precedence value, a set of packet
filters for identify an associated QoS flow, a QFI of the
associated QoS flow. The QoS rule with ID of 4 is a default QoS
rule and does not include a packet filter in FIG. 3 example. In
FIG. 3 example, the mapping table 300 is associated with a PDU
session of IP type. Thus, the set of packet filters in column 313
are created using 5 tuples of IP packets. In various examples,
packets of different types of PDU sessions may have different
packet formats. Accordingly, packet filters can be created in
different ways.
[0034] The QoS rule precedence value determines an order in which a
QoS rule is evaluated. For example, during the NAS mapping, the UE
110 evaluates the uplink packets against the packet filters
included in the mapping table 300 based on the precedence values in
increasing order until a matching QoS rule is found. For example,
the QoS rules with IDs of 1-4 and precedence values of 1, 0, 2, 5,
respectively will be evaluated in the following order (represented
with the QoS rule IDs): 2, 1, 3, and 4. The default QoS rule does
not have a packet filter and is evaluated as the last one. When no
matching QoS rule is found for a packet and the default QoS rule
includes a packet filter, the packet is discarded.
[0035] In one example, the QoS rules in the mapping table 300 can
be explicitly provided to the UE 110, for example, using a PDU
session establishment or modification procedure. In another
example, the QoS rules can be preconfigured in the UE 110. In a
further example, the QoS rules can be implicitly derived by the UE
110 by applying reflective QoS.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows an example process 400 for creating a derived
QoS rule based on downlink traffic according to an embodiment of
the disclosure. Reflective QoS enables the UE 110 to create derived
QoS rules for mapping uplink traffic to QoS flows without the SMF
132 providing QoS rules. In this way, signaling cost for providing
QoS rules to the UE 110 can be saved. When the CN 130 determines to
use reflective QoS for a QoS flow, the SMF 132 can control the UPF
131 to mark RQIs on downlink packets of this QoS flow. The UE 110
can monitor downlink traffic to detect packets that carry the RQIs,
and accordingly create derived QoS rules based on detected packets.
When the CN 130 determines to stop using reflective QoS for this
QoS flow, the SMF 132 can control the UPF 130 to stop marking of
the RQIs.
[0037] In FIG. 4, a downlink packet 410 includes a SDAP header 411
and a packet 412 (such as an IP packet or Ethernet packet). The
packet 412 can include a packet header 413 and a packet payload
414. The SDAP header 411 carries a QFI indicating a QoS flow to
which the packet 412 belongs. The SDAP header 411 also carries an
RQI indicating reflective QoS is enabled for uplink traffic
corresponding to the downlink QoS flow to which the packet 412
belongs.
[0038] The UE 110 can inspect the SAP header 411 to detect the RQI
while monitoring downlink traffic, and create a derived QoS rule
420 based on the downlink packet 410. The derived QoS rule 420 can
include a QoS rule ID 421, a precedence value 422, a packet filter
423, and a QFI 424. The QFI 424 can be set to the QFI carried in
the SDAP header 411. The packet filter 423 can be created based,
for example, 5 tuples carried in the packet header 413. In
addition, a timer 425 can be associated with the derived QoS rule
420, and triggered. The timer 425 can be initiated with a
reflective QoS (RQ) timer value that is provided from the CN 130,
such as the SMF 132. Alternatively, the timer 425 can be set to a
default RQ timer value.
[0039] In one example, when the downlink packet 410 is detected to
carry the RQI, the UE 110 can first create the packet filter 423,
and search existing QoS rules in the UE 110 to see if a QoS rule
having the packet filter 423 has been created already. If not, the
UE 110 can create the derived QoS rule 420 in the above described
way. If the derived QoS rule 420 has been created before, the UE
110 can restart the timer 425. In addition, if the RQI carried in
the downlink packet 410 is different from that of the previously
created QoS rule, the RQI of the previously created QoS rule will
be updated. When the timer 425 expires, the derived QoS rule 420 is
removed.
[0040] The precedence value 422 can be provided in different ways
in various examples. In a first example, a reflective QoS
precedence value for a PDU session is provided when the PDU session
is established. For example, the SMF 132 transmits a message during
a session establishment procedure indicating a precedence value for
this session. For example, the indicated precedence value is
associated with a session ID of the PDU session and can be used for
each derived QoS rule of this PDU session.
[0041] In a second example, a reflective QoS precedence value is
provided for a downlink QoS flow when the downlink QoS flow is
established. For example, the SMF 132 can transmit a message
indicating a precedence value for a downlink QoS flow when the
respective downlink QoS flow is established. The precedence value
can be associated with a QFI, and used for a derived QoS rule
including the QFI. A downlink QoS flow can be established during a
PDU session establishment procedure, or be added to the established
PDU session later during a PDU session modification procedure.
Alternatively, in the above first and second examples, the
reflective QoS precedence value can be provided when reflective QoS
is enabled by the SMF 132.
[0042] In a further example, an operator defined value can be used
as the precedence value 422 for a PDU session or a QoS flow. For
example, the operator defined precedence value can be stored in a
subscriber identity module (SIM), or storage of the UE 110, and
extracted when needed. Alternatively, the operator defined
precedence value can be provided from the AN 120, for example, by
radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC)
layer signaling, broadcasted system information, and the like. The
operator defined value can be provided from the AN 120 when the
respective PDU session or the QoS flow is established, or when
reflective QoS is enabled.
[0043] Derived QoS rules can be modified (e.g., changing a
precedence value or QFI) or removed once the derived QoS rules are
not needed. In various examples, there are different control
schemes to realize modification or deletion of derived QoS
rules.
[0044] A first scheme is by using a timer initiated with an RQ
timer value and associated with a respective QoS rule, as described
above. When no RQI is detected for a QoS flow for a time period
equal to the RQ timer value, the timer expires, and the respective
QoS rule can be removed. In one example, an RQ timer value for a
PDU session can be provided to the UE 110 when the PDU session is
established or when reflective QoS is enabled for the PDU session.
For example, the SMF 132 can transmit a message indicating the RQ
timer value (a life time of derived QoS rules) and an associated
PDU session ID. Accordingly, a derived QoS rule of the PDU session
can use the RQ timer value to set a timer or update the timer. In
addition, in one example, the SMF 132 can transmit a message
indicating a new RQ timer value for the PDU session to replace the
previous RQ timer value while the PDU session being maintained.
[0045] A second scheme is by transmitting a dedicated message, for
example, from the SMF 132 to modify or remove derived QoS rules of
a PDU session. For example, the SMF 132 can transmit a message to
the UE 110 indicating a session ID of the PDU session, and an
operation code of modification or deletion. The UE 110 can receive
the message, and accordingly modify or delete the derived QoS rules
of the PDU session. For example, for modification, the UE 110 can
update precedence values and/or QFIs of the derived QoS rules.
Alternatively, the SMF 132 can transmit a message to the UE 110
indicating the session ID, a set of QFIs, and an operation code of
modification or deletion. Accordingly, the UE 110 can perform
modification or deletion on derived QoS rules corresponding to the
indicated QFIs.
[0046] A third scheme is that the UE 110 can request the SMF 132 to
remove existing derived QoS rules of a PDU session. For example,
the UE 110 can transmit a session modification message to the SMF
132. The message can indicate a session ID of the PDU session, thus
the SMF 132 can disable reflective QoS for QoS flows corresponding
to the existing derived QoS rules, for example, stopping to insert
RQI to downlink packets of those QoS flows. Alternatively, the
message can specify the session ID and a set of QFIs corresponding
to a set of derived QoS rules. As a result, the SMF 132 can disable
reflective QoS for QoS flows corresponding to the specified set of
QFIs. Subsequently, respective existing derived QoS rules can be
removed when associated timers expires. Alternatively, the SMF 132
may reply with a message to accept the request. The UE 110 can
remove the respective existing derived QoS rules after receiving
the accept message even associated timers do not expire.
[0047] As described above, reflective QoS is controlled on
per-packet basis by associating an RQI with a packet. The UE 110
continuously monitors each downlink packet of the respective PDU
session in order to detect a packet marked with an RQI, which is a
burden for the UE 110. To release the UE 110 from the burden, a
message can be transmitted to the UE 110 to start or stop the
monitoring operation for reflective QoS, according to aspects of
the disclosure.
[0048] For example, when the SMF 132 is going to enable reflective
QoS, the SMF 132 can transmit a message informing the UE 110 to
start the monitoring operation. The message may specify one or more
PDU session IDs, and/or one or more QFIs corresponding to
respective PDU session IDs. The UE 110 receives the message and
accordingly starts to monitor traffic corresponding to specified
PDU sessions, or QoS flows. When the SMF 132 disables previously
enabled reflective QoS of a session, or a QoS flow, the SMF 132 can
transmit a message to the UE 110 indicating the respective session,
or QoS flow. The UE 110 may accordingly stop respective monitoring
operations.
[0049] In alternative examples, the message for starting or
stopping the monitoring operation for reflective QoS can be
transmitted from the AN 120. For example, the SMF 132 may inform
the AN 120 about the enabling or disabling of reflective QoS in
order to control QoS operations performed at the AN 120. The AN 120
can subsequently inform the UE 110 the start or end of reflective
QoS. The message from the AN 120 can similarly specify which PDU
sessions, QoS flows, and/or radio bearers are going to be enabled
or disabled with reflective QoS. The message from the AN 120 can be
in the form of RRC signaling, packet data convergence protocol
(PDCP) control data unit, system information, broadcast
information, and the like.
[0050] An alternative scheme for controlling the reflective QoS
monitoring operations is that the SMF 132 can transmit a message
indicating whether the CN 130 supports reflective QoS or not. For
example, the CN 130 may be configured not to support reflective
QoS, or the CN 130 determines not to support reflective QoS for
certain PDU sessions. The message indicating whether the CN 130
supports reflective QoS or not can be transmitted to the UE 110
when a session is established. Alternatively, the message can be
transmitted to the UE 110 in advance of establishment of a session,
for example, when the UE 110 is connected to the CN 130.
[0051] In one example, the UE 110 can be configured by default to
start to perform reflective QoS monitoring for detection of an RQI
in downlink packets when a PDU session is established. When the UE
110 receives a message from the CN 130 indicating the CN 130 does
not support reflective QoS, the UE 110 can stop the monitoring
operation. In one example, the UE 110 does not start a reflective
QoS monitoring when a PDU session is established. When the UE 110
receives a message from the CN 130 indicating the CN 130 supports
reflective QoS for the respective PDU session, the UE 110 can start
to perform reflective QoS monitoring for the respective PDU
session. Later, when the UE 110 receives a message from the CN 130
indicating the CN 130 does not support reflective QoS for the PDU
session anymore, the UE 110 can stop the reflective QoS monitoring
for the PDU session.
[0052] In a further scheme for controlling the reflective QoS
monitoring operations, the UE 110 can initiate to request the CN
130 to stop supporting reflective QoS for one or more PDU sessions.
For example, the UE 110 can transmit a PDU session modification
message specifying a set of PDU session IDs for stopping reflective
QoS support. Alternatively, the UE 110 can transmit a PDU session
modification message indicating stopping reflective QoS support for
all sessions. The SMF 132 may reply a message to accept the request
of the UE 110. Upon receiving the accept message, the UE 110 can
stop reflective QoS monitoring operations for respective PDU
sessions or all PDU sessions.
[0053] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example reflective QoS
control and management process 500 according to some embodiments of
the disclosure. During the process 500, messages are transmitted
between the SFM 132 and the UE 110.
[0054] At S511, the UE 110 receives QoS rules for uplink traffic
classification and marking. S511 can be part of a PDU session
establishment procedure 503 for establishment of a PDU session.
[0055] At S512, the UE 110 receives a message indicating whether
reflective QoS is supported for the session by the CN 130. If
reflective QoS is not supported for the session, the UE 110 will
not start reflective QoS monitoring. If the UE 110 is configured to
start reflective QoS monitoring by default when the session is
established, the UE 110 will stop the default monitoring upon
receiving the message. If reflective QoS is supported for the
session, the UE 110 will start to monitor downlink traffic of the
session as indicated at S515.
[0056] At S513, the UE 110 receives precedence values(s) for
reflective QoS. The precedence value can be assigned for this PDU
session. Thus, reflective QoS rules of the PDU session can use the
precedence value when created. Alternatively, the precedence values
can be assigned for QoS flows and are associated with QFIs of the
QoS flows. When a reflective QoS rule including one of the QFIs is
created, a respective precedence value is used. In other examples,
a precedence value defined for a QoS flow can be provided by the
SMF 132 when the QoS flow is added to an existing PDU session
during a PDU session modification procedure.
[0057] Also at S513, the UE 110 receives an RQ timer value for the
session established during the session establishment procedure 503.
For example, the CN 130 supports reflective QoS, and subsequently
transmits a message including the RQ timer value. Similarly, S512
and S513 can be performed during the session establishment
procedure 503.
[0058] A S514, the UE 110 performs classification and marking based
on the received QoS rules to map uplink traffic to respective QoS
flows.
[0059] At 515, the UE 110 continuously monitors downlink traffic of
the PDU session or QoS flows indicated at S514 to detect packets
carrying an RQI.
[0060] At S516, the UE 110 creates a derived QoS rule as a result
of detecting a downlink packet carrying an RQI, and starts a timer
associated with the derived QoS rule. The precedence value received
at S511 can be set as the precedence of the derived QoS rule, and
the RQ timer value received at S513 can be set as the initial value
of the timer.
[0061] At S517, the UE 110 can update the derived QoS rules when
another downlink packet carrying the same RQI is detected. The
timer can be restarted.
[0062] At S518, the UE 110 can remove the derived QoS rules when
the timer expires.
[0063] At S519, the UE 110 can create one or more derived QoS rules
after detecting downlink packets carrying RQIs.
[0064] At S520, the UE 110 can receive a message for modifying or
removing the one or more derived QoS rules created at S519. For
example, the message may specify the PDU session ID, and an
operation code of modification or deletion.
[0065] At S521, the UE 110 can modify or remove the one or more
derived QoS rules based on the message received at S520.
[0066] At S522, the UE 110 can initiate to transmit a message for
removing derived QoS rules. For example, after S521, one or more
derived QoS rules are created. The UE 110 can specify the PDU
session ID of the session, or the PDU session ID of the session and
a set of QFIs in the message. By receiving the message, the SMF 132
can stop RQI insertion operations performed on packets of the
session, or packets of QoS flows corresponding to the specified
QFIs. Additionally, the SMF 132 can reply an accept message. The UE
110 can remove the respective derived QoS rules upon receiving the
accept message.
[0067] At 523, the UE 110 can receive a message for stopping a
monitoring operation performed on a QoS flow. For example, the
message can specify a PDU session ID of the PDU session and a QFI
of the QoS flow.
[0068] At S524, the UE 110 can stop the respective monitoring
operation according to the message received at S522.
[0069] At S525, the UE 110 can initiate to transmit a message for
stopping reflective QoS support for the session established during
the session establishment procedure 503. Upon receiving the
message, the CN 130 may stop reflective QoS operations for the
session accordingly.
[0070] At S526, the UE 110 can receive a message from the CN 130
accepting the request at S525.
[0071] At S527, the UE 110 can stop the reflective QoS monitoring
for the session. The process 500 can then terminated.
[0072] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary block diagram of a UE 600
according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The UE 600 can be
configured to implement various embodiments of the disclosure
described herein. The UE 600 can include a processor 610, a memory
620, and a radio frequency (RF) module 630 that are coupled
together as shown in FIG. 6. In different examples, the UE 600 can
be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a vehicle
carried device, and the like.
[0073] The processor 610 can be configured to perform various
functions of the UE 110 as described above with reference to FIGS.
1-5. The processor 610 can include signal processing circuitry
operating according to communication protocols specified in, for
example, 3GPP LTE and 5G system standards. Additionally, the
processor 610 may execute program instructions, for example, stored
in the memory 620, to perform functions related with different
communication protocols. The processor 610 can be implemented with
suitable hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example,
the processor 610 can be implemented with application specific
integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA),
and the like, that includes circuitry. The circuitry can be
configured to perform various functions of the processor 610.
[0074] In one example, the memory 620 can store program
instructions that, when executed by the processor 610, cause the
processor 610 to perform various functions as described herein. The
memory 620 can include a read only memory (ROM), a random access
memory (RAM), a flash memory, a solid state memory, a hard disk
drive, and the like.
[0075] The RF module 630 can be configured to receive a digital
signal from the processor 610 and accordingly transmit a signal to
a base station in a wireless communication network via an antenna
640. In addition, the RF module 630 can be configured to receive a
wireless signal from a base station and accordingly generate a
digital signal which is provided to the processor 610. The RF
module 630 can include digital to analog/analog to digital
converters (DAC/ADC), frequency down/up converters, filters, and
amplifiers for reception and transmission operations. For example,
the RF module 630 can include converter circuits, filter circuits,
amplification circuits, and the like, for processing signals on
different carriers or bandwidth parts.
[0076] The UE 600 can optionally include other components, such as
input and output devices, additional CPU or signal processing
circuitry, and the like. Accordingly, the UE 600 may be capable of
performing other additional functions, such as executing
application programs, and processing alternative communication
protocols.
[0077] The processes and functions described herein can be
implemented as a computer program which, when executed by one or
more processors, can cause the one or more processors to perform
the respective processes and functions. The computer program may be
stored or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical
storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with, or
as part of, other hardware. The computer program may also be
distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired
or wireless telecommunication systems. For example, the computer
program can be obtained and loaded into an apparatus, including
obtaining the computer program through physical medium or
distributed system, including, for example, from a server connected
to the Internet.
[0078] The computer program may be accessible from a
computer-readable medium providing program instructions for use by
or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution
system. The computer readable medium may include any apparatus that
stores, communicates, propagates, or transports the computer
program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can be
magnetic, optical, electronic, electromagnetic, infrared, or
semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation
medium. The computer-readable medium may include a
computer-readable non-transitory storage medium such as a
semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable
computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory
(ROM), a magnetic disk and an optical disk, and the like. The
computer-readable non-transitory storage medium can include all
types of computer readable medium, including magnetic storage
medium, optical storage medium, flash medium, and solid state
storage medium.
[0079] While aspects of the present disclosure have been described
in conjunction with the specific embodiments thereof that are
proposed as examples, alternatives, modifications, and variations
to the examples may be made. Accordingly, embodiments as set forth
herein are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. There are
changes that may be made without departing from the scope of the
claims set forth below.
* * * * *