WO2021069552A1

WO2021069552A1 - Identifying time sensitive network streams within a 3gpp qos flow

Info

Publication number: WO2021069552A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/078223
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pilar ANDRÉS MALDONADO; Troels Emil Kolding; Devaki Chandramouli
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2019-10-11
Filing date: 2020-10-08
Publication date: 2021-04-15

Abstract

In some example embodiment, there may be provided an apparatus configured to at least: receive at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; map, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and forward, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream. Related system, methods, and articles of manufacture are also disclosed.

Description

IDENTIFYING TIME SENSITIVE NETWORK STREAMS WITHIN A

3GPP QOS FLOW

Field

[0001] The subject matter described herein relates to time sensitive networking.

Background

[0002] Time sensitive networks (TSN) may be used to support a variety of applications including applications such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), industrial verticals, and/or the like. In the case of industrial verticals and other mission critical applications, there may be some requirements that are relatively unique, such as certain requirements for low latency, deterministic data transmission, and high reliability, when compared to other 5G cellular services.

Summary

[0003] In some example embodiment, there may be provided an apparatus configured to at least: receive at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; map, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and forward, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

[0004] In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The at least one packet may be received from a user plane function. The at least one packet may include a first general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating the time sensitive streams. The apparatus may be further caused to at least forward, towards the user plane function, a second general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating an uplink packet associated with a corresponding time sensitive stream, the second general packet radio service tunneling protocol header indicating a corresponding child identifier and a corresponding quality of service flow identifier associated with the corresponding time sensitive stream. The time sensitive stream may be forwarded as a first service data adaptation protocol packet to a user equipment, wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates the time sensitive stream. The apparatus may be further caused to at least receive, from the user equipment, a second service data adaptation protocol packet, wherein the second service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates an uplink packet associated with the time sensitive stream, and wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet includes a corresponding child identifier to identify the time sensitive stream. The one or more child identifiers may be allocated by a session management function or the user plane function. The one of the one or more child identifiers may uniquely identify the time sensitive steam within the quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier. The map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information may be based on explicit signaling from the session management function. The map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information may be implicit based on the time sensitive communication assistance information. The apparatus may be further caused to at least modify, based on the one of the one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of the protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream. The apparatus may comprise or is comprised in a base station.

[0005] In some example embodiment, there may be provided an apparatus configured to at least: receive a packet of a time sensitive stream; determine, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier; map a child identifier to the time sensitive stream, the child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; and forward, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive stream, a user plane packet header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

[0006] In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The user plane packet may include a general packet radio service tunnel protocol packet or a service data adaptation protocol packet. The packet may be received from a time sensitive network end station. An allocation of the child identifier and the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier may be explicit based on signaling received from a session management function. The apparatus may be further caused to at least allocate the child identifier in response to the packet of the time sensitive stream being received. The apparatus may be further caused to at least modify, based on one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of a protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream. The map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is derived from information obtained from a service data adaptation protocol header and/or obtained from the packet of the time sensitive stream. The apparatus may comprise or be comprised in a network node, a user plane function, a session management function, and/or a user equipment.

[0007] The above-noted aspects and features may be implemented in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desired configuration. The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. Description of Drawings

[0001] In the drawings,

[0002] FIG. 1 A depicts an example of a portion of a time sensitive network, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0003] FIG. IB depicts an example of a 3GPP bridge for a time sensitive network, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0004] FIG. 2 depicts example of time sensitive network traffic class mappings to 3 GPP QoS flow, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0005] FIG. 3 depicts an example of a single Time Sensitive Communications Assistance Information (TSCAI) description per QoS flow, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0006] FIG. 4 depicts TSCAI description per time sensitive network stream, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0007] FIG. 5A depicts an example of the child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0008] FIG. 5B depicts an example of a system using the child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0009] FIG. 6 shows an example of a QoS flow definition augmented to include one or more child IDs, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 7A depicts an example of signaling diagram including child IDs, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0011] FIG. 7B depicts another example of a signaling diagram including the child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments; [0012] FIG. 7C depicts an example of a signaling flow for a user equipment requested protocol data unit session modification procedure, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 7D depicts an example of a signaling diagram for a session management function requested protocol data unit session modification, in accordance with some example embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 8 depicts an example of a network node, in accordance with some example embodiments; and

[0015] FIG. 9 depicts an example of an apparatus, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0016] Like labels are used to refer to same or similar items in the drawings.

Detailed Description

[0017] In some systems such as industrial networks including industrial internet of things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0 networks, 3GPP wireless technologies may be applied in addition to wired time sensitive networking (TSN) to provide additional flexibility with respect to mobility and to provide scalability with respect to the quantity of sensors, actuators, and/or the like which can be supported. For example, a TSN or other source of deterministic traffic may couple to a user equipment and use the 3 GPP wireless network as a bridge to enable the traffic to traverse the 3GPP network to another device or network, such as another TSN network. As used herein, deterministic traffic refers to predictable, such as periodic traffic, an example of which is TSN traffic, which may be in accordance with IEEE 802.1 series standards, for example.

[0018] FIG. 1 A depicts an example of a TSN network 100 configured in a fully centralized configuration model, although other configuration models may be implemented as well. In the TSN network example of FIG. 1A, the network 100 may include a centralized user configuration (CUC) function 102, a centralized network controller (CNC) 104 function, one or more TSN bridges 105A-C, and one or more end stations 107A-F.

[0019] The CUC 102 may be configured in accordance with the one or more of the IEEE 802.1 series of TSN standards. The CUC may control the configuration of end stations 107A-F and/or applications at the end stations. For example, the CUC may interface with the CNC 104 to make requests to the CNC for deterministic, TSN communications (e.g., TSN flows) with specific requirements for those flows between end stations. The TSN flow may represent a time sensitive, deterministic stream of traffic between end stations. These TSN flows may have low delay and/or strict timing requirements for time sensitive networks. For example, a TSN flow (also referred to as a TSN stream) between end stations may be used in an industrial control application (e.g., robot, etc.) requiring low delay and/or strict, deterministic timing between the end stations. The TSN flow may also have requirements for ultra-low reliability.

[0020] The CNC 104 may provide a proxy for the TSN bridges 105A-C and the corresponding interconnections, and provide a proxy for control applications that require deterministic communication. The CNC may define the schedules, such as gate schedules, on which all TSN traffic is transmitted (or received) between the end stations including any intervening devices such as the TSN bridges 105A-C. For example, the schedules may define periodic transmission and/or reception.

[0021] The TSN bridges 105A-C may be implemented as Ethernet switches, for example. The TSN bridges are configured to transmit and/or receive TSN flows in accordance with a schedule, such as the gate schedule that gates traffic for transmission or reception. The TSN flow may be in the form of Ethernet frames transmitted and/or received on the schedule to meet the low delay and/or deterministic requirements of the TSN flow. For example, the talker end station 107A may transmit traffic based on the schedule (see, e.g., IEEE 802.1Qbv) to a bridge 105 A, which may also receive and/or transmit traffic to another device based on a schedule.

[0022] The end stations 107A-F may be a source and/or a destination of a TSN flow. The end stations may include an application, such as an industrial application or other application requiring low delay and/or other time sensitive requirement for a deterministic traffic flow. The end stations may also be referred to as talkers and listeners. Talker end stations refer to an end station that at a given instance is “talking,” such as transmitting in accordance with TSN, while the listener end stations refer to an end station that at a given instance is “listening.” For example, each of the end stations may include circuitry to transmit (e.g., in the case of a “talker”) and/or receive (e.g., in the case of a “listener”) using for example, Time Sensitive Network (TSN) circuitry that enables communications over a TSN network in accordance with the IEEE suite of 802.1 series of standards.

[0023] FIG. IB depicts an example of a TSN bridge 105D, in accordance with some example embodiments. The TSN bridge 105D is also referred to herein as a 3GPP bridge 105D (or 5G system (5GS) bridge) as the 3GPP bridge 105D is implemented as part of the cellular wireless system, such as the 5G system. In the example of FIG. IB, the TSN system 188 A may comprise the end station 107A, which may access the 3GPP bridge 105D via for example a wired connection to a user equipment (UE) 164 and a device side (DS) TSN translator (TT)

162. The user equipment 164 may establish a connection with a user plane function (UPF) 182 (which also includes a network side (NW) TT) via a radio access network (RAN) 170, such as a 5G gNB or other type of base station. The UPF 182 including the NW TT 182 may provide a TSN compatible user plane data flow to TSN system 188B, which may comprise an end station, such as end station 107D for example.

[0024] Moreover, the UE 164 and/or RAN 170 may be configured with a schedule such as a gate schedule (which may be in accordance with IEEE 802. IQbv). The gate schedule defines when traffic, such as burst, can be transmitted (or received) over the link in order to satisfy the low-latency and/or deterministic needs of TSN. The gate schedule may define the periodicity of the transmission and/or reception of a given device. The links (e.g., uplinks and/or downlinks) via the RAN represent the wireless part of the end-to-end connection between the TSN system 188A and another device or network, such as the TSN system 188B.

[0025] The DS TT 162 and NW-TT 183 may translate TSN (TT) user plane data between the TSN system and the 3GPP system (e.g., via an ingress port 166A at the UE and an egress port 166B at the UPF 182. Although FIG. IB depicts the NW TT 183 at the UPF 182, the NW TT may be located at other nodes as well.

[0026] One or more nodes of the 3 GPP bridge 105D may interface with the CUC 102 and/or CNC 104 to obtain information regarding the end station requirements for the TSN flow connection(s). For example, the AF 150 may interface to the TSN’s CUC 102 and/or CNC 104 to obtain information regarding the TSN flows between TSN systems 188A-B (e.g., end stations). The 3GPP bridge 105D may include one or more radio access networks 170 (e.g., a radio access network served by a base station, gNB, eNB, and/or other nodes including core network nodes) to enable wireless connectivity for an end-to-end TSN flow between the TSN systems. Referring again to FIG. 1 A, one or more of the bridges 105A-C may be implemented using the 3GPP bridge 105D of FIG. ID to provide TSN support over the 5G wireless system. From the perspective of the end stations 107A and D for example, the 5G system’s 3GPP bridge 105D appears like a more traditional wired TSN bridge.

[0027] FIG. IB also depicts other network elements including an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 172, a User Data Management (UDM) function 174, a Session Management Function (SMF) 176, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 180, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 178, and an Application Function (AF) 150. In some implementations, the TSN system 188B may include a corresponding UE and/or DS-TT to mirror the UE 164 and DS-TT. When this is the case, the UPF 192 would couple to the UE and DS-TT, which in turn couples to a TSN end station.

[0028] With respect to the integration of 5G and TSN, the integration may only support a TSN fully centralized model as noted above. In this centralized model, the CUC 102 may be primarily responsible for the end stations’ configuration and application requirements management, while the CNC 104 may configure the TSN bridges using a relatively complete view of the physical topology of the network and the capabilities of each TSN bridge. The 5G system may, as noted, provide one or more 3 GPP bridges of the TSN network. The granularity of each 3GPP bridge is at a per user plane function (UPF) level. As such, all protocol data unit (PDU) sessions (which connect to the same TSN network via a specific UPF) may be grouped into a single, logical 3GPP bridge, such as 3GPP bridge 105D.

[0029] To support TSN and 3GPP integration, the 5G system may include functions such as reporting to the TSN the 3GPP bridge’s information and mapping of any obtained TSN configuration information into 5G system’s Quality of Service (QoS) information. The reported 3GPP bridge capabilities may be used at the CNC to perform management and/or configuration for the 3 GPP bridge(s) operating in the TSN. The reported values from the 3 GPP bridge to the CNC may be used together with the capabilities of the other TSN bridges to perform the management and/or configuration of the whole TSN network (including 3GPP bridges and wired TSN bridges). The CNC may report the resultant TSN scheduling to each bridge operating the TSN network. For a 3GPP bridge, the most relevant information received from the CNC’s request may be the scheduling information (e.g., gate open or gate closed) per egress port and per traffic class.

[0030] The TSN may be configured to define up to eight traffic classes with corresponding priorities for the traffic classes, so that one or more TSN streams may be mapped to the traffic class(es). Therefore, the per-UPF 3 GPP bridge may provide ports at which ingress TSN streams are mapped to one or more TSN traffic classes. While the UPF may map individual service data flows or an entire traffic class into a 3 GPP QoS flow of a PDU session. In other words, a 3GPP/5G system’s QoS flow may have one or more TSN streams aggregated into the same 3GPP/5G QoS flow.

[0031] For enabling efficient scheduling in the 5G radio access network (also referred to as access network which is being served by a 5G gNB base station), Time Sensitive Communications Assistance Information (TSCAI) may be provided as well. The TSCAI may indicate (e.g., define, describe, etc.) the TSC traffic characteristics for use in the 5G system.

The TSCAI may include parameters, such as flow direction, periodicity for transmit and/or receive, and burst arrival time. These parameters may be used to allow more efficient scheduling of the deterministic traffic flows at a base station, such as a gNB base station serving the RAN 170. For example, a network node, such as the SMF 176 or other network node, may determine the TSCAI and then the SMF may provide the TSCAI to a gNB, such as the gNB serving RAN 170. And, the TSCAI may be determined based on information received from the TSN application function (AF) 150. Thus, the TSCAI may play a role in the radio access network’s ability to achieve optimized scheduling.

[0032] The integrated 3GPP-TSN may include the adaptation of the representation of parameters and/or semantics. Within the 5G QoS model for example, a QoS flow may be considered the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in the PDU session. However, the relevant scheduling information (which may be received from the CNC) may be per port and per TSN traffic class. With only eight available values of deterministic service differentiation in the TSN domain, this leads to whether in the 3GPP domain there may be one or more 3GPP QoS flows mapped to the same TSN traffic class. Moreover, the 5G system may provide a 3 GPP bridge that directly receives the resource requests from the CNC based on the capabilities previously reported and the CUC requirements. As such, the 5G system may have less freedom to optimize the management of TSN deterministic QoS flows as the information it receives from the CNC is limited. In this context, the mapping between TSN streams, TSN traffic class, 3GPP QoS flow, and TSCAI may become more relevant.

[0033] FIG. 2 depicts some of the possible mapping options, such as N:N 202, N:M 220, and N: 1 230, between TSN traffic classes and QoS flows. In the N:N mapping 202, a TSN traffic class 206 (including a plurality of TSN streams) is mapped to a 3GPP QoS flow 208, while another TSN traffic class 210 (including a plurality of TSN streams) is mapped to another 3GPP QoS flow 212. In the N:M mapping 220, the TSN bridge receives TSN streams having the same TSN traffic class 222A-D, each of which is mapped to a corresponding QoS flow 224A-D. In the N: 1 mapping 230, the TSN streams 232 (all of which have the same TSN traffic class in this example) are all mapped to the same QoS flow 236, and the TSN stream 234 is also mapped to QoS flow 236.

[0034] In 3 GPP, the QoS flows may be characterized by a QoS profile, one or more QoS rules, and one or more uplink and downlink packet detection rules (PDRs). The QoS flow ID (QFI) is used to identify a QoS flow in 3GPP’s 5G system. The QFI may be assigned by the SMF, and the QFI may be unique within a protocol data unit (PDU) session. When forwarding data packets in the user plane, the QFI is carried encapsulated in the General Packet Radio Service Tunnel Protocol-user plane (GTP-U) header between the gNB base station and the UPF. And, the QFI may be carried encapsulated in the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header between the UE and the gNB base station. For periodic deterministic QoS (which is being handled by the 5G system including the 3GPP bridge), a time sensitive communication QoS flow may have a delay critical guaranteed bit rate (GBR) resource type, standardized 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), and TSCAI. The TSCAI may indicate the derived set of TSCAI values at the SMF, and these TSCAI vales may be signaled to the 5G radio access network, such as a gNB serving RAN 170. The TSCAI granularity needed at the 5G radio access network may be one TSCAI per QoS flow or one TSCAI per TSN stream.

[0035] FIG. 3 depicts an example of a single TSCAI description defining a single QoS flow. For example, three TSN streams 302A-C are mapped to a single 3GPP QoS flow 312 (having a QFI of “1”), which is also mapped to the TSCAI #1 description 322. And, the fourth TSN stream 304 is mapped to a single QoS flow 314 (having a QFI of “2”), which is also mapped to a TSCAI #2 description 324. In the case of FIG. 3, the TSCAI granularity may limit the TSCAI use at the gNB as it may be difficult to discern the specific information of each TSN stream if more than one TSN stream is aggregated in the QoS Flow. If the gNB does not have the detailed traffic pattern information per TSN stream, the configuration of configured grants (CGs) or semi-persistent scheduling (SPSs) may be less than optimal.

[0036] FIG. 4 depicts one TSCAI description per TSN stream. For example, the TSN stream 402 is mapped to a corresponding TSCAI description 404 and to the QoS flow 450 (which in this example has a QFI of “1”). The TSN stream 412 is mapped to a corresponding TSCAI description 414 and to the QoS flow 450 (which in this example has a QFI of “1”).

And, the TSN stream 422 has a corresponding TSCAI description 424 and to the QoS flow 450 (which in this example has a QFI of “1”). Lastly, the TSN stream 432 is mapped to a corresponding TSCAI description 434 and to the QoS flow 436 (which in this example has a QFI of “2”). Although FIG. 4 may provide additional granularity, it may not efficiently identify the aggregated TSN streams placed into QoS flow 1 450 in the 5G system.

[0037] In some example embodiments, there is provided the identification of the TSN streams that are aggregated in a QoS flow. To that end, there is provided a new identifier (ID), which is referred herein as a “child ID.” The child ID identifies a single (e.g., one) TSN stream aggregated into a QoS flow. As such, the child ID provides smaller granularity, when compared to just a QFI that identifies the overall 3GPP QoS flow but not the TSN streams in the QoS flow if there is more than one TSN stream aggregated to that QoS flow.

[0038] FIG. 5A depicts an example of the child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments. In particular, FIG. 5A depicts the QoS flow definition including the mappings between the TSN streams (having a TSN traffic class), the corresponding TSCAI, QoS flows (which are each identified by a QFI), and respective child IDs, in accordance with some example embodiments. For example, the TSN stream 1 502A and TSN stream 2 502B (both having a TSN traffic class of 3) as well as TSN stream 502C (which has a TSN traffic class of 7) are mapped into the same QoS flow 550 (identified with, e.g., the “QFI 1”). In the example of FIG. 5 A, the TSN streams 502A-C each have a corresponding TSCAI 504A-C. In accordance with some example embodiments, each TSN stream 502A-C within the 3GPP QoS flow 550 has a respective child ID 569A-C to distinguish each of the TSN streams 502A-C within the QoS flow 550.

[0039] Although FIG. 5 A shows the example of the child IDs being used to identify the TSN streams within a 3GPP QoS flow in the case of one TSCAI per TSN stream (as in FIG. 4, for example), the child IDs may also be used to identify the TSN streams within a 3GPP QoS flow in the case of one TSCAI per QoS flow (as in FIG. 3, for example).

[0040] The child ID may be included in a field, such as an optional field within the QoS flow definition. When characterizing a QoS flow, in addition to the QoS profile, one or more QoS rule(s), and one or more uplink and downlink PDR(s) provided by the SMF, the QoS flow definition may be augmented to include a fourth element, such as the child ID(s) 569A-C. The child ID element may comprise a list of the child IDs 569A-C the QoS flow 550 is carrying.

[0041] FIG. 5B depicts the TSN streams 502A-C identified within the QoS flow, QFI 1 550 based on the respective child IDs 569A-C for each of the TSN streams. [0042] FIG. 6 shows an example of a 3 GPP QoS flow definition 600 augmented to include on or more child IDs 620 being carried by a given QoS flow, in accordance with some example embodiments. The child ID 620 may be managed in the same or similar manner as the QFI 610. In some example embodiments, the child ID may be allocated by the SMF, when a new service traffic (e.g., TSN stream) is aggregated into a QoS flow, although the child ID may be allocated at other times as well. The child ID signaling from the SMF towards the UE, gNB, and/or UPF may be similar in some respects to QFI signaling. For example, when the QoS flow is established or modified, the child ID may be forwarded with the updated definition 600 of the QoS flow. Alternatively or additionally, the UPF may allocate the child ID, when the first data packet from a TSN stream is processed in the user plane. With respect to allocating, a network node, such as a UPF or SMF, may allocate the child ID by for example, selecting a child ID (e.g., from a group of available child IDs) and assign the selected child ID to a specific TSN stream within a QoS flow. For example, the network node may determine which child IDs are not being used in a QoS flow to identify TSN streams, and select one of the child IDs not currently being used to assign to a TSN stream.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the child ID may be unique within a QoS flow.

[0044] In some example embodiments, the child ID may be included in the signaling and/or data messages with the QFI associated with the QoS flow. To be able to add, modify, and/or delete a specific child ID from a QoS flow, the child ID may be included in the signaling information together with the QoS flow description. This addition indicates that the operation requested (e.g., add, modify, or delete) is performed for a specific child ID instead the whole QoS flow. The addition of child ID in the header of the data packets may be used in different user plane entities, such as the UE, gNB, and/or UPF, to recognize a specific TSN stream within a 3 GPP QoS flow (e.g., which TSN stream a given packet belongs to). [0045] For user plane traffic forwarding for example, the UE, gNB, and/or UPF may mark data packets with the child ID. For uplink streams for example, the UE may add the child ID in a header, such as the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) header, to assist the gNB in recognizing the TSN stream.

[0046] In downlink streams for example, the UPF may add the child ID in the GTP-U header. Given that the UPF and UE can access the PDU layer content, it is not mandatory for the gNB base station to forward the child ID to the UPF or UE (e.g., the gNB to UPF for an uplink stream and gNB to UE for a downlink stream), although there may be cases where the UE or UPF may benefit from having this information at a higher layer before examining the PDU content.

[0047] If there is one TSCAI per TSN stream at the gNB and a plurality of TSN streams are aggregated to the same QoS flow, the child IDs may each map to the TSCAI for a specific TSN stream at the gNB in at least two different ways, such as explicit mapping and implicit mapping. Regarding explicit mapping indication, if the SMF is responsible for child ID allocation, the received signaling from the SMF to the gNB may include the mapping between the TSCAI and the child ID, so that the gNB can use the mapping for handling of upstream or downstream packets associated with a TSN flow being handled by the 3GPP bridge. Regarding implicit mapping derivation, if the UPF is responsible for child ID allocation, there may be no explicit signaling from the SMF to the gNB indicating the mapping between the TSCAI and child ID. When this is the case, the UPF may mark the GTP-U packet with a new allocated child ID (assuming the received packet from a TSN stream does not already map to a child ID). When a downlink data packet is received at the gNB interface, the gNB may use the detailed traffic arrival timing description in the TSCAI (e.g., burst arrival time, etc. that is received from the SMF) to derive the mapping between the TSCAI and the child ID from the arrival time of the data packet at the gNB. [0048] In some example embodiments, the traffic information may be provisioned, from the TSN AF to the 5G system, on a per TSN stream. This provisioned information may include traffic filters and/or markers (e.g., a combination virtual local area network ID, source MAC, etc.) to be used in the SMF to derive the packet detection rules (PDRs) and the forwarding action rules (FAR) to be forwarded to the UPF to enable user plane child ID marking per TSN stream.

[0049] In some example embodiments, the SDAP and GTP-U header may, as noted, be augmented to include child ID as a field.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the PDU session procedures may be augmented to include the child ID when needed during the establishment, modification, and/or release of a QoS flow.

[0051] In some example embodiments, the 3GPP QoS framework may, as noted, be augmented to consider the child ID(s) as a new optional field in the QoS flow description. Moreover, the gNB may, as noted, map TSCAIs and TSN streams using the child ID. And, the UE, gNB, and/or UPF may include the child ID in user plane packets. Moreover, the SMF or UPF may allocate child IDs.

[0052] FIG. 7A depicts a signaling diagram 700 showing the child ID used when forwarding a downlink TSN stream, in accordance with some example embodiments. As noted, the child ID may assist in identifying individual TSN streams when there are multiple TSN streams merged into a single QoS flow being handled by the 3 GPP system and, in particular, the 3 GPP bridge. In the example of FIG. 7 A, the child ID facilitates the management of a downlink TSN stream in the user plane within a 3GPP bridge, such as 3GPP bridge 105D.

[0053] At 702, end-to-end communications are established between the TSN end stations 107 A and 107D via the 3 GPP bridge 105D, in accordance with some example embodiments. [0054] The end station 107D may generate, at 710, a TSN stream to be sent to the end station 107 A via the 3 GPP bridge 105D, in accordance with some example embodiments. For example, the end station 107D may send a TSN stream of one or more packets towards the 3GPP bridge 105D and, in particular, a port at the NW-TT 183 associated with the UPF 182 (although the TSN stream may be sent towards a DS-TT/UE as well).

[0055] A network node may be responsible for allocating the child IDs. The UPF 182 may allocate, at 720, a child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments. The UPF may include a mapping for the QoS flow definition including the child ID allocations as described above at FIG. 5A and 6. If the UPF is responsible of allocating the child ID, the UPF will include the child ID value in the GTP-U header. Next, the gNB will modify its current QoS flow context to add the received child ID to the QoS Flow (and if possible will implicitly derive the mapping between child ID and TSCAI. If the child ID is forwarded to the UE, the UE may map the child ID with a specific TSN stream and modify the context of the QoS flow accordingly. Each user plane entity may be responsible for modifying its current QoS flow context. However, the UPF may not be able send the whole QoS flow definition as the SMF usually does.

[0056] Referring again to FIG. 5A for example, the TSN stream 1 502A, TSN stream 2 502B, and TSN stream 502C each have a respective child ID 569A-C to enable the TSN streams to be distinguishable within the QoS flow 550 and to enable mapping to the proper TSCAI 504A-C. In some example embodiments, each TSN stream is also mapped to at least a QoS flow ID (QFI) (e.g., QFI1 at FIG. 5A identifying QoS flow 550). For example, the UPF may inspect a TSN frame (e.g., a packet) and from the Ethernet header information, the UPF may map the TSN stream to a QFI and child ID combination. To do that, the UPF compares the fields of the data packet received to the stored PDRs to classify it. The matching PDR may contain a FAR that details the forwarding the UPF should apply such as the creation of the outer GTP-U header including the child ID.

[0057] At 730, the UPF 182 may forward to the gNB 170 the GTP-U packet encapsulating the TSN stream, wherein the GTP-U header includes at least the QFI and the corresponding child ID for the received TSN stream.

[0058] At 740, the gNB 170 may map, based on the QFI and child ID combination, the GTP-U packet encapsulating the TSN stream to a specific TSCAI for optimized scheduling of radio resources with the UE 164. The gNB may modify a current QoS flow context to add the received child ID to the QoS flow if the child ID has not been previously configured by the SMF when the QoS flow was configured in 702. If the child ID is forwarded to the UE, the UE may map the child ID with a specific TSN stream and modify the context of the QoS flow accordingly. Each user plane entity may be responsible for modifying the current QoS flow context to include the child ID if it is no configured by the SMF when the QoS flow is modified.

[0059] At 750, the gNB 170 may forward to the UE 164 an SDAP packet encapsulating the TSN stream frame, and this SDAP packet may have a header including the QFI and if needed, the child ID. At 760, the DS-TT 162 performs translation and provides the TSN stream frame to the end station 107A.

[0060] FIG. 7B depicts another example of a signaling diagram 799 showing the child ID used when forwarding an uplink TSN stream, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0061] At 702, end-to-end communications are established between the TSN end stations 107 A and 107D via the 3 GPP bridge 105D, in accordance with some example embodiments. At 762, the 3GPP bridge 105D receives at least one TSN stream. At 764, the UE 164 may then map the TSN stream to a corresponding QFI and child ID, in accordance with some example embodiments. The mapping is based on the QoS rules the SMF configures (or UE-derived if the UPF was responsible for child ID allocation and there is no signaling from the SMF forwarding the child ID) in the UE in 702. The UE 164 may also mark, at 766, the SDAP packet header with the child ID (as well as he QFI), so that the SDAP encapsulated TSN stream (a packet in the TSN stream, for example) can be distinguished from other TSN steams in the same QoS flow identified by the QFI. At 768, the gNB 170 may then forward to the UPF 182 the TSN stream encapsulated in a GTP-U packet having a header marked with the QFI and/or child ID. At 770, the UPF 182 receives the TSN stream and forwards it to the TSN end station 107D.

[0062] FIG. 7C depicts an example of a signaling flow for a UE requested PDU session modification procedure, in accordance with some example embodiments. The process at FIG. 7C may be in accordance with 3GPP TS 23.502 augmented to include child IDs.

[0063] At 780, the SMF 176 recognizes a new child ID is needed for the QoS flow to modify (based on the information obtained from the UE at 799A or from the PCF at 799B), and, as such, the SMF allocates a new child ID. The new child ID is forwarded together with the modified QoS profile definition (e.g., QoS definition 600) in a signaling message to the AMF 172. The SMF 176 may allocate a child ID to a QFI as part of the UE initiated PDU session modification procedure, for example. When allocated, the SMF 176 may send, at 782, to the AMF 172 a message, such as the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response including the child ID within the updated QoS profile. At 784, the AMF 172 may then send to the gNB 170 a message, such as the N2 session request including the child ID within the updated QoS profile. At 786, the gNB 170 may issue a specific signaling exchange with the UE 164 including the child ID within the updated QoS profile. At 788A-B, the N4 session modification request and response between the UPF 182 and SMF 176 may also include the child ID and corresponding

QFI. [0064] FIG. 7D shows an example of a signaling diagram for a PDU session modification when the SMF initiates the procedure. When the policy control function (PCF)

180 performs a SMF initiated session management (SM) policy association modification (at 790A), the SMF 176 may decide, at 790B, to modify, at 790B, a PDU session and add, modify, or release one or more child ID(s) within a QoS flow.

[0065] Although FIGs. 7A-7D show specific example of child ID handling, the child ID may be used in other signaling flows such as a radio access network initiated PDU session modification, an SMF initiated PDU session modification (e.g., due to the UDM update of the subscription), or UE initiated PDU session modification to delete or modify existing child IDs (in this case the signaling may be similar to FIG. 7C but include the child ID in the signaling).

[0066] FIG. 8 depicts a block diagram of a network node 800, in accordance with some example embodiments. The network node 800 may be configured to provide one or more network side functions, such as abase station (e.g., RAN 170), AMF 172, PCF 180, AF 150, CNC 104, CUC 102, and/or other network nodes.

[0067] The network node 800 may include a network interface 802, a processor 820, and a memory 804, in accordance with some example embodiments. The network interface 802 may include wired and/or wireless transceivers to enable access other nodes including base stations, devices 152-180, the Internet, and/or other nodes. The memory 804 may comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory including program code, which when executed by at least one processor 820 provides, among other things, the processes disclosed herein with respect to the network node.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the network node comprises or is comprised in a gNB type base station. The gNB may receive at least one packet including a header. The header may include a quality of service flow identifier and a child identifier. The child identifier may identify one of the time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier. The at least one packet may be received from a user plane function. Moreover, the at least one packet may comprise a first general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive streams.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the gNB type base station may also map, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the gNB type base station may also forward, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the gNB may forward, towards the user plane function, a second general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating an uplink packet associated with a corresponding time sensitive stream. This second general packet radio service tunneling protocol header may indicate a corresponding child identifier and a corresponding quality of service flow identifier associated with the corresponding time sensitive stream. The time sensitive stream is forwarded as a first service data adaptation protocol packet to a user equipment. The first service data adaptation protocol packet may encapsulate the time sensitive stream. In some example embodiments, the gNB may receive, from the user equipment, a second service data adaptation protocol packet. This second service data adaptation protocol packet may encapsulate the time sensitive stream. And, the first service data adaptation protocol packet may include a corresponding child identifier to identify the time sensitive stream.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the one or more child identifiers are allocated by a session management function or the user plane function. The child identifier may uniquely identify the time sensitive steam within the quality of service flow (which may include a plurality of time sensitive streams) identified by the quality of service flow identifier. [0073] In some example embodiments, the map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is based on explicit signaling from the session management function.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is implicit based on the time sensitive communication assistance information.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the gNB may modify, based on the child identifier, a quality of service flow context for a modification of the protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the network node comprises or is comprised in a user plane function (UPF).

[0077] In some example embodiments, the UPF may receive a packet of a time sensitive stream. The packet may be received from a time sensitive network end station.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the UPF may determine, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the UPF may map the quality of service flow identifier to a child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the UPF may forward, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating the time sensitive stream encapsulated, the user plane packet including a header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the user plane packet comprises a general packet radio service tunnel protocol packet. [0082] In some example embodiments, an allocation of the child identifier and the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is explicit based on signaling received from a session management function.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the UPF may allocate the child identifier in response to the packet of the time sensitive stream being received.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the UPF may modify, based on one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of a protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

[0085] FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 10, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0086] The apparatus 10 may represent a user equipment, such as the user equipment 164 configured to receive, from a base station, a radio resource reconfiguration message including an indication of whether time sensitive communication traffic is in an alternative packet transmission mode or a selective packet transmission mode and communicate, based on the received indication, with the base station via at least a first link and a second link.

[0087] The apparatus 10 may include at least one antenna 12 in communication with a transmitter 14 and a receiver 16 Alternatively transmit and receive antennas may be separate. The apparatus 10 may also include a processor 20 configured to provide signals to and receive signals from the transmitter and receiver, respectively, and to control the functioning of the apparatus. Processor 20 may be configured to control the functioning of the transmitter and receiver by effecting control signaling via electrical leads to the transmitter and receiver. Likewise, processor 20 may be configured to control other elements of apparatus 10 by effecting control signaling via electrical leads connecting processor 20 to the other elements, such as a display or a memory. The processor 20 may, for example, be embodied in a variety of ways including circuitry, at least one processing core, one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various other processing elements including integrated circuits (for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or the like), or some combination thereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 9 as a single processor, in some example embodiments the processor 20 may comprise a plurality of processors or processing cores.

[0088] The apparatus 10 may be capable of operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, access types, and/or the like. Signals sent and received by the processor 20 may include signaling information in accordance with an air interface standard of an applicable cellular system, and/or any number of different wireline or wireless networking techniques, comprising but not limited to Wi-Fi, wireless local access network (WLAN) techniques, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, 802.16, 802.3, ADSL, DOCSIS, and/or the like. In addition, these signals may include speech data, user generated data, user requested data, and/or the like.

[0089] For example, the apparatus 10 and/or a cellular modem therein may be capable of operating in accordance with various first generation (1G) communication protocols, second generation (2G or 2.5G) communication protocols, third-generation (3G) communication protocols, fourth-generation (4G) communication protocols, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols (for example, session initiation protocol (SIP) and/or the like. For example, the apparatus 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 2G wireless communication protocols IS-136, Time Division Multiple Access TDMA, Global System for Mobile communications, GSM, IS-95, Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA, and/or the like. In addition, for example, the apparatus 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 2.5G wireless communication protocols General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and/or the like. Further, for example, the apparatus 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 3G wireless communication protocols, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division- Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and/or the like. The apparatus 10 may be additionally capable of operating in accordance with 3.9G wireless communication protocols, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and/or the like. Additionally, for example, the apparatus 10 may be capable of operating in accordance with 4G wireless communication protocols, such as LTE Advanced, 5G, and/or the like as well as similar wireless communication protocols that may be subsequently developed.

[0090] It is understood that the processor 20 may include circuitry for implementing audio/video and logic functions of apparatus 10. For example, the processor 20 may comprise a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, and/or the like. Control and signal processing functions of the apparatus 10 may be allocated between these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor 20 may additionally comprise an internal voice coder (VC) 20a, an internal data modem (DM) 20b, and/or the like. Further, the processor 20 may include functionality to operate one or more software programs, which may be stored in memory. In general, processor 20 and stored software instructions may be configured to cause apparatus 10 to perform actions. For example, processor 20 may be capable of operating a connectivity program, such as a web browser. The connectivity program may allow the apparatus 10 to transmit and receive web content, such as location-based content, according to a protocol, such as wireless application protocol, WAP, hypertext transfer protocol, HTTP, and/or the like. [0091] Apparatus 10 may also comprise a user interface including, for example, an earphone or speaker 24, a ringer 22, a microphone 26, a display 28, a user input interface, and/or the like, which may be operationally coupled to the processor 20. The display 28 may, as noted above, include a touch sensitive display, where a user may touch and/or gesture to make selections, enter values, and/or the like. The processor 20 may also include user interface circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user interface, such as the speaker 24, the ringer 22, the microphone 26, the display 28, and/or the like. The processor 20 and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor 20 may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer program instructions, for example, software and/or firmware, stored on a memory accessible to the processor 20, for example, volatile memory 40, non-volatile memory 42, and/or the like. The apparatus 10 may include a battery for powering various circuits related to the mobile terminal, for example, a circuit to provide mechanical vibration as a detectable output. The user input interface may comprise devices allowing the apparatus 20 to receive data, such as a keypad 30 (which can be a virtual keyboard presented on display 28 or an externally coupled keyboard) and/or other input devices.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 9, apparatus 10 may also include one or more mechanisms for sharing and/or obtaining data. For example, the apparatus 10 may include a short-range radio frequency (RF) transceiver and/or interrogator 64, so data may be shared with and/or obtained from electronic devices in accordance with RF techniques. The apparatus 10 may include other short-range transceivers, such as an infrared (IR) transceiver 66, a Bluetooth™ (BT) transceiver 68 operating using Bluetooth™ wireless technology, a wireless universal serial bus (USB) transceiver 70, a Bluetooth™ Low Energy transceiver, a ZigBee transceiver, an ANT transceiver, a cellular device-to-device transceiver, a wireless local area link transceiver, and/or any other short-range radio technology. Apparatus 10 and, in particular, the short-range transceiver may be capable of transmitting data to and/or receiving data from electronic devices within the proximity of the apparatus, such as within 10 meters, for example. The apparatus 10 including the Wi-Fi or wireless local area networking modem may also be capable of transmitting and/or receiving data from electronic devices according to various wireless networking techniques, including 6LoWpan, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi low power, WLAN techniques such as IEEE 802.11 techniques, IEEE 802.15 techniques, IEEE 802.16 techniques, and/or the like.

[0093] The apparatus 10 may comprise memory, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) 38, a removable user identity module (R-UIM), an eUICC, an UICC, and/or the like, which may store information elements related to a mobile subscriber. In addition to the SIM, the apparatus 10 may include other removable and/or fixed memory. The apparatus 10 may include volatile memory 40 and/or non-volatile memory 42. For example, volatile memory 40 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) including dynamic and/or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, and/or the like. Non-volatile memory 42, which may be embedded and/or removable, may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices, for example, hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape, optical disc drives and/or media, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and/or the like. Like volatile memory 40, non-volatile memory 42 may include a cache area for temporary storage of data.

At least part of the volatile and/or non-volatile memory may be embedded in processor 20. The memories may store one or more software programs, instructions, pieces of information, data, and/or the like which may be used by the apparatus for performing operations disclosed herein. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus may be configured to cause the operations disclosed herein with respect to the base stations/WLAN access points and network nodes including the UEs.

[0094] The memories may comprise an identifier, such as an international mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code, capable of uniquely identifying apparatus 10. The memories may comprise an identifier, such as an international mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code, capable of uniquely identifying apparatus 10. In the example embodiment, the processor 20 may be configured using computer code stored at memory 40 and/or 42 to the provide operations disclosed herein with respect to the UE.

[0095] Some of the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, and application logic. The software, application logic, and/or hardware may reside on memory 40, the control apparatus 20, or electronic components, for example. In some example embodiment, the application logic, software or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer- readable media. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” may be any non-transitory media that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer or data processor circuitry, with examples depicted at FIG. 9, computer-readable medium may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that may be any media that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

[0096] In some example embodiments, apparatus 10 may comprise or be comprised in a UE. The UE may receive a packet of a time sensitive stream, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the UE may determine, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the UE may map the quality of service flow identifier to a child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier. [0099] In some example embodiments, the UE may forward, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating the time sensitive stream encapsulated, the user plane packet including a header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the user plane packet comprises a service data adaptation protocol packet.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the packet is received from a time sensitive network end station.

[0102] In some example embodiments, an allocation of the child identifier and the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is explicit based on signaling received from a session management function. In some example embodiments, the UE may modify, based on one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of a protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream. The map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier includes the time sensitive stream, wherein the map is derived from a service data adaptation protocol header and information about the time sensitive stream.

[0103] Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein may be enhanced handling of TSN traffic through the wireless 5G system.

[0104] The subject matter described herein may be embodied in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desired configuration. For example, the base stations and user equipment (or one or more components therein) and/or the processes described herein can be implemented using one or more of the following: a processor executing program code, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an embedded processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, program code, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, machine-readable medium, computer-readable storage medium, apparatus and/or device (for example, magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions. Similarly, systems are also described herein that may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may include one or more programs that cause the processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0105] Although a few variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and/or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. Moreover, the implementations described above may be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several further features disclosed above. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims.

[0106] If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the above-described functions may be optional or may be combined. Although various aspects of some of the embodiments are set out in the independent claims, other aspects of some of the embodiments comprise other combinations of features from the described embodiments and/or the dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set out in the claims. It is also noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, these descriptions should not be viewed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications that may be made without departing from the scope of some of the embodiments as defined in the appended claims. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims. The term “based on” includes “based on at least.” The use of the phase “such as” means “such as for example” unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; map, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and forward, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one packet is received from a user plane function, and wherein the at least one packet comprises a first general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating the time sensitive streams.

3. The apparatus of any of claims 1-2, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least forward, towards the user plane function, a second general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating an uplink packet associated with a corresponding time sensitive stream, the second general packet radio service tunneling protocol header indicating a corresponding child identifier and a corresponding quality of service flow identifier associated with the corresponding time sensitive stream.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the time sensitive stream is forwarded as a first service data adaptation protocol packet to a user equipment, wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates the time sensitive stream.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least receive, from the user equipment, a second service data adaptation protocol packet, wherein the second service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates an uplink packet associated with the time sensitive stream, and wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet includes a corresponding child identifier to identify the time sensitive stream.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the one or more child identifiers are allocated by a session management function or the user plane function.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein the one of the one or more child identifiers uniquely identifies the time sensitive steam within the quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is based on explicit signaling from the session management function.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein the map between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is implicit based on the time sensitive communication assistance information.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least modify, based on the one of the one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of the protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1-10, wherein the apparatus comprises or is comprised in a base station.

12. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a packet of a time sensitive stream; determine, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier; map a child identifier to the time sensitive stream, the child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; and forward, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive stream, a user plane packet header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the user plane packet comprises a general packet radio service tunnel protocol packet or a service data adaptation protocol packet.

14. The apparatus of any of claims 12-13, wherein the packet is received from a time sensitive network end station.

15. The apparatus any of claims 12-14, wherein an allocation of the child identifier and the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is explicit based on signaling received from a session management function.

16. The apparatus any of claims 12-15, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least allocate the child identifier in response to the packet of the time sensitive stream being received.

17. The apparatus any of claims 12-16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least modify, based on one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of a protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 12-17, wherein the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is derived from information obtained from a service data adaptation protocol header and/or obtained from the packet of the time sensitive stream.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 12-18, wherein the apparatus comprises or is comprised in a network node, a user plane function, a session management function, and/or a user equipment.

20. A method comprising: receiving at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; mapping, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and forwarding, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one packet is received from a user plane function, and wherein the at least one packet comprises a first general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating the time sensitive streams.

22. The method of any of claims 20-21, further comprising forwarding, towards the user plane function, a second general packet radio service tunneling protocol encapsulating an uplink packet associated with a corresponding time sensitive stream, the second general packet radio service tunneling protocol header indicating a corresponding child identifier and a corresponding quality of service flow identifier associated with the corresponding time sensitive stream.

23. The method of any of claims 20-22, wherein the time sensitive stream is forwarded as a first service data adaptation protocol packet to a user equipment, wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates the time sensitive stream.

24. The method of any of claims 20-23, further comprising receiving, from the user equipment, a second service data adaptation protocol packet, wherein the second service data adaptation protocol packet encapsulates an uplink packet associated with the time sensitive stream, and wherein the first service data adaptation protocol packet includes a corresponding child identifier to identify the time sensitive stream.

25. The method of any of claims 20-24, wherein the one or more child identifiers are allocated by a session management function or the user plane function.

26. The method of any of claims 20-25, wherein the one of the one or more child identifiers uniquely identifies the time sensitive steam within the quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier.

27. The method of any of claims 20-26, wherein the mapping between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is based on explicit signaling from the session management function.

28. The method of any of claims 20-27, wherein the mapping between the time sensitive stream and the time sensitive communication assistance information is implicit based on the time sensitive communication assistance information.

29. The method of any of claims 20-28, further comprising modifying, based on the one of the one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of the protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

30. A method comprising: receiving a packet of a time sensitive stream; determining, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier; mapping a child identifier to the time sensitive stream, the child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; and forwarding, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive stream, a user plane packet header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the user plane packet comprises a general packet radio service tunnel protocol packet or a service data adaptation protocol packet.

32. The method of any of claims 30-31, wherein the packet is received from a time sensitive network end station.

33. The method of any of claims 30-32, wherein an allocation of the child identifier and the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is explicit based on signaling received from a session management function.

34. The method of any of claims 30-33, further comprising allocating the child identifier in response to the packet of the time sensitive stream being received.

35. The method of any of claims 30-34, further comprising modifying, based on one or more child identifiers, a quality of service flow context for a modification of a protocol data unit session associated with the time sensitive stream.

36. The method of any of claims 30-35, wherein the map between the quality of service flow identifier and the child identifier is derived from information obtained from a service data adaptation protocol header and/or obtained from the packet of the time sensitive stream.

37. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; means for mapping, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and means for forwarding, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 further comprising means for performing any of the functions received in any of claims 21-29.

39. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a packet of a time sensitive stream; means for determining, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier; means for mapping a child identifier to the time sensitive stream, the child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; and means for forwarding, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive stream, a user plane packet header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 further comprising means for performing any of the functions received in any of claims 31-36.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer program code, which when executed by at least one processor, cause operations comprising: receiving at least one packet including a header, the header including a quality of service flow identifier and one or more child identifiers, the one or more child identifiers identifying respective time sensitive streams within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; mapping, based at least on the quality of service flow identifier and one of the one or more child identifiers, a time sensitive stream to a time sensitive communication assistance information; and forwarding, based on the time sensitive communication assistance information, the time sensitive stream.

42. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer program code, which when executed by at least one processor, cause operations comprising: receiving a packet of a time sensitive stream; determining, based on a header of the packet, a quality of service flow identifier; mapping a child identifier to the time sensitive stream, the child identifier uniquely identifying the time sensitive stream within a quality of service flow identified by the quality of service flow identifier; and forwarding, towards a base station, a user plane packet encapsulating at least a portion of the time sensitive stream, a user plane packet header indicating the child identifier and the quality of service flow identifier for the quality of service flow carrying the time sensitive stream.